Attempting to cross the Dnieper would have been “really bad” for Kiev’s forces, the Russian president said Ukraine was to blame for the collapse of the Kakhovka dam, which helped its soldiers avoid a battlefield bloodbath, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.

The US isn’t interested in peace in Ukraine but is instead doing everything it can for the conflict in the country to last as long as possible, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during a briefing on Friday.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Tuesday that a second Scottish independence referendum will be held on October 19, 2023. However, a ‘yes’ vote will not be enough to separate Scotland from the UK.