Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a clear indication Wednesday that he will not compromise on his demands for Ukraine to cede territory despite US President Donald Trump’s intensifying push for peace.

Dmitri N. Kozak had worked with President Vladimir V. Putin for three decades before quitting in September. His associates described his break with the Russian leader.

EXCLUSIVE: Speaking as EU leaders gathered in Brussels, Yuriy Boyechko described Putin's rhetoric as "not merely posturing" but a precursor to escalation

In an address to the nation and parliament on Thursday, Lukashenko said that his forces received the Oreshnik system on Wednesday and will begin "combat alert duty," according to BelTA news agency. "The first positions have been prepared for Oreshnik missile systems," Lukashenko said.

Russia has this year formed a military brigade equipped with its new hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile, TASS news agency quoted the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, as telling a briefing for foreign military attaches on Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s August summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, is looming large as the White House presses its peace efforts.

Russia's Vladimir Solovyov added to fears that a larger war will break out in Europe when he listed multiple countries Russia should "destroy."

As the White House tries to curb Moscow's energy income, Vladimir Putin enjoys a warm welcome in India, and promises an "uninterrupted supply" of Russian fuel.

Hayden Davies, 30, was sentenced to 13 years in a maximum security prison camp after being convicted of being a paid mercenary, Russian prosecutors said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the heads of government of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Moscow, Russia November 18,