Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky signs up top spy an arch strategist Budanov as his political enforcer - putting the man Putin fears most of all at the very top of the Kyiv government

Follow live updates from NBC News as Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at his annual year-end news conference on Ukraine, peace, war and Trump.

The agent had been watching for weeks, carefully observing the movements of Russian patrols, surveillance blind spots and the irregular arrival of the cargo trains.

Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni say it’s time to engage directly with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine, but who should lead negotiations?

President Donald Trump dismisses the idea of capturing Vladimir Putin, saying he's "disappointed" the Russia-Ukraine war remains without a resolution.

The US President bragged he is now "running" Venezuela after its leader Nicolas Maduro was captured over the weekend before being hauled to a court in New York

A CIA assessment concluded that Ukraine didn't try to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin at his country residence as alleged by the Kremlin, a source with knowledge of the matter told NBC News last week.

President Vladimir Putin's launch of an Oreshnik hypersonic missile appears aimed at intimidating Ukraine and sending a signal of Russian military might to Europe and the United States at a crucial juncture in talks to end the war.

The Russian president said little when the US seized Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, an ally of Moscow. But there might be a reason for his silence.