Speaking in an interview published by the Kremlin, Putin said Moscow anticipated the return of US officials who had previously held multiple rounds of talks in the Russian capital.

“We expect that after all the events are over, after the active phase on the Iranian track has passed, we will see the arrival of those representatives of the US administration with whom we have already met in Moscow repeatedly,” Putin said.

“We are ready to continue negotiations and discuss all the details,” he added.

Putin made the remarks while responding to a question on the state of Russia-US relations following the Group of Seven summit in France, where US President Donald Trump urged Moscow to “make a deal with Ukraine.”

The comments suggest that the Kremlin believes Washington’s diplomatic focus on the Middle East has temporarily delayed broader engagement with Russia, including discussions on the war in Ukraine and other bilateral issues.

Trump has recently adopted a more optimistic tone regarding Ukraine’s military position. On Wednesday, he said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was performing well in the conflict, despite previously arguing that Kyiv lacked the necessary leverage to secure victory against Russia.

No timetable was provided for the proposed negotiations, and neither Moscow nor Washington announced the agenda or composition of any future delegation.

Russia and the United States have maintained intermittent diplomatic contacts despite the continuing conflict in Ukraine, with both sides periodically indicating willingness to pursue dialogue on issues of mutual interest while fundamental disagreements remain unresolved.

The rescue marked one of the most significant survival operations since the earthquakes struck on Wednesday, which left at least 1,450 people dead and devastated communities across La Guaira, the worst-affected region.

French Civil Security personnel and members of the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team from Virginia spent about 12 hours carefully removing unstable debris after locating the pair with specialized search cameras. The operation required rescuers to stabilize the structure while gradually reaching the trapped survivors.

The father and son, both visibly exhausted and wearing protective masks, were carried through debris-covered streets on improvised fabric stretchers before being transferred to a waiting ambulance as residents and emergency workers gathered nearby.

“They are extremely weak, as any patient trapped under rubble for four days would be, so we are doing everything possible to rehydrate them and administer various medications during the extraction process, which is moving very slowly,” a member of the French Civil Security said during the rescue.

Rescue teams established intravenous drips and cleared debris before completing the extraction, while other personnel continued searching the surrounding ruins for additional signs of life and coordinating efforts with colleagues working inside the collapsed structures.

The same multinational rescue contingent rescued a mother and her 9-month-old baby from the rubble a day earlier, underscoring the continuing effort to locate survivors despite increasingly difficult conditions.

Authorities said at least 33 people were rescued alive over the weekend, although tens of thousands remain missing, intensifying concerns that opportunities to find additional survivors are rapidly diminishing.

Disaster response specialists have long noted that survival rates typically decline sharply after the first 72 hours following a major earthquake, making prolonged rescues increasingly rare as search operations continue.

The rescue came after hours of coordinated efforts involving Venezuelan responders alongside teams from France and the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team from Virginia, who located the pair beneath the debris of a collapsed structure in one of the regions hardest hit by Wednesday’s magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes.

The father emerged first, visibly exhausted and covered in dust while still holding his mobile phone. Rescuers immediately administered intravenous fluids before carefully carrying him on a stretcher through debris-filled streets. Minutes later, his shirtless son was extracted from the same structure and rushed to a waiting ambulance.

“Slow, slow, gentle, gentle,” rescuers repeatedly called in Spanish and English as emergency personnel passed the survivors through a line of responders and onlookers to awaiting medical teams.

The successful operation injected fresh optimism into rescue efforts that have entered a critical phase, with disaster specialists noting that the chances of finding survivors decline sharply after the first 72 hours beneath collapsed structures.

Authorities said at least 1,450 people have been killed, while thousands more were injured and many others remain missing following the twin earthquakes, the deadliest natural disaster to strike Venezuela in decades.

The father and son’s rescue followed another successful operation in which international teams saved a woman after she spent approximately 70 hours trapped beneath the rubble. Emergency responders also rescued several other survivors over the weekend as search operations continued across the affected coastal region.

Rescue crews, volunteers and local residents remain engaged in painstaking searches across collapsed neighborhoods, using specialized equipment to detect signs of life while carefully removing unstable debris.

The multinational response includes Venezuelan emergency services working alongside international rescue specialists, as helicopters, heavy equipment and medical teams continue operations across the disaster zone.

Speaking in an interview published by the Kremlin, Putin said Moscow anticipated the return of US officials who had previously held multiple rounds of talks in the Russian capital.

“We expect that after all the events are over, after the active phase on the Iranian track has passed, we will see the arrival of those representatives of the US administration with whom we have already met in Moscow repeatedly,” Putin said.

“We are ready to continue negotiations and discuss all the details,” he added.

Putin made the remarks while responding to a question on the state of Russia-US relations following the Group of Seven summit in France, where US President Donald Trump urged Moscow to “make a deal with Ukraine.”

The comments suggest that the Kremlin believes Washington’s diplomatic focus on the Middle East has temporarily delayed broader engagement with Russia, including discussions on the war in Ukraine and other bilateral issues.

Trump has recently adopted a more optimistic tone regarding Ukraine’s military position. On Wednesday, he said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was performing well in the conflict, despite previously arguing that Kyiv lacked the necessary leverage to secure victory against Russia.

No timetable was provided for the proposed negotiations, and neither Moscow nor Washington announced the agenda or composition of any future delegation.

Russia and the United States have maintained intermittent diplomatic contacts despite the continuing conflict in Ukraine, with both sides periodically indicating willingness to pursue dialogue on issues of mutual interest while fundamental disagreements remain unresolved.

The aircraft, registered in Germany, came down in a grassy area near the runway at the Nancy-Essey airfield in Tomblaine, close to residential neighborhoods and two roads, according to local officials.

Yves Seguy, prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department, said the victims included five skydiving instructors, five students and the pilot. He confirmed that no people on the ground were injured in the crash.

Authorities said the cause of the accident was not immediately known.

Emergency services secured the crash site while medical and psychological support teams assisted relatives of the victims who had been at the airfield, along with witnesses affected by the incident.

Amaury Lacote, deputy public prosecutor in Nancy, said a technical investigation had been opened to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Police urged the public to avoid the area around the airport to ensure emergency responders had unrestricted access to the site as recovery operations and investigative work continued.

Authorities in Russia’s Krasnodar region said debris from intercepted Ukrainian drones ignited a fire at the Slavyansk-na-Kubani oil refinery, one of southern Russia’s largest refining facilities. Regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said one person was killed in Slavyansk and another was injured in a nearby village.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian forces had targeted the Slavyansk refinery and said a second refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl region was also struck during the overnight operation.

“Tonight, our long-range sanctions reached two oil refineries in Russia,” Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging platform, adding that the attacks were intended to reduce resources supporting Russia’s military campaign.

The Associated Press could not independently verify videos circulating on Russian social media that appeared to show heavy smoke rising from the Slavyansk refinery.

The Slavyansk facility processes nearly 4 million metric tons of crude oil annually, according to its operator, and supplies petroleum products including fuel oil, naphtha and marine fuel for export through Russia’s Black Sea ports.

Russian authorities did not immediately confirm damage to the refinery in the Yaroslavl region. Governor Mikhail Evraev said temporary road closures were imposed following what he described as a Ukrainian drone attack, while Russia’s civil aviation agency briefly suspended operations at Yaroslavl Airport and several other airports in southern and western Russia.

In Russia’s Belgorod region, acting Governor Alexander Shuvayev said a separate Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded another near the border with Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 213 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian territory, occupied Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas.

Ukraine’s air force, meanwhile, said Russia launched 142 long-range drones and eight missiles overnight. It said Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 125 drones and seven missiles before they reached their targets.

Ukraine has significantly expanded long-range strikes against Russian energy facilities and military-industrial infrastructure in recent months, saying the campaign is aimed at disrupting fuel supplies, reducing revenues that finance Moscow’s military operations, and increasing pressure on the Kremlin as the war enters its fifth year.

Officials said more than 3,238 people had been injured, while the United Nations estimated that over 50,000 people remained missing and up to 6.76 million could require humanitarian assistance, including emergency shelter, clean water, sanitation, healthcare and essential relief supplies.

The twin earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction across northern Venezuela, particularly in the coastal state of La Guaira. Experts say the first 72 hours after a major earthquake provide the highest probability of rescuing survivors trapped beneath debris.

Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said rescue workers pulled an 11-year-old boy alive from the rubble in Caraballeda late Saturday, describing the rescue as a source of hope amid the disaster. Earlier, local residents rescued an infant from collapsed buildings approximately 32 hours after the earthquakes struck.

The United States said one runway at Simon Bolivar International Airport had resumed limited operations to receive U.S. military C-17 transport aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance, while a naval vessel had arrived offshore. Rodriguez said she had spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reaffirmed Washington’s support for relief efforts.

Authorities said 21 countries were dispatching search-and-rescue teams, while the United States was sending more than 250 disaster response personnel, including specialized rescue units equipped with search dogs.

The United Nations estimated physical damage at approximately $6.7 billion, equivalent to about 6% of Venezuela’s gross domestic product, highlighting the scale of reconstruction facing the country.

Residents criticized the pace of the emergency response, with some saying they had recovered relatives from collapsed buildings without official assistance. The government has restricted access to the worst-affected areas of La Guaira, requiring volunteers to obtain permits before participating in rescue operations.

The disaster has further strained Venezuela, which continues to grapple with prolonged economic hardship, weakened public services and political instability following the removal of former President Nicolas Maduro earlier this year.

Authorities said the victims included foreign nationals from Portugal, Spain, Brazil, China, Chile, Italy and Uruguay, underscoring the international impact of one of Venezuela’s deadliest natural disasters in more than a century.

Writing on X, Zelensky said Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo missiles hit the Titan-Barrikady industrial complex in Volgograd, describing it as a key defense manufacturing facility that produces artillery systems, specialized military equipment and components for missile launch systems.

Ukraine’s General Staff said the facility manufactures self-propelled launchers and transport-loading vehicles for the Iskander-M missile system, which Kyiv says Russia has repeatedly used to attack Ukrainian cities.

Volgograd regional Governor Andrei Bocharov confirmed that an industrial site in the Krasnooktyabrsky district had been struck, saying 10 people were injured and production facilities sustained damage. He did not identify the affected enterprise.

Ukraine’s Security Service also said its forces carried out a second strike this month against an oil pumping facility in Russia’s Vladimir region that supplies fuel to Moscow, as Kyiv continues a campaign targeting Russia’s military-industrial and energy infrastructure.

Ukraine has expanded long-range aerial attacks in recent months, aiming to disrupt Russian fuel supplies, logistics and defense production. Ukrainian officials say the strategy is intended to weaken Moscow’s military capabilities and increase pressure for negotiations.

The latest strikes followed what appeared to be one of Ukraine’s largest drone offensives of the war. Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Friday its air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones launched against a dozen Russian regions, Russian-controlled Crimea and surrounding waters.

Earlier this week, Zelensky said he had ordered a 40-day campaign to intensify pressure on Russia after diplomatic efforts led by the United States failed to produce a breakthrough toward ending the conflict.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone struck a private home in the Sumy region overnight, killing a 66-year-old man. Regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov said the attack caused the fatality as Russian drone operations continued along Ukraine’s northeastern border.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the community sponsorship system, modeled on a long-running Canadian program, is expected to begin later this year, with the first sponsored refugees anticipated to arrive in autumn 2027. The Home Office also said it plans to launch a separate employer sponsorship route for refugees next year.

The announcement comes as immigration remains one of the most politically sensitive issues in Britain, where public debate over asylum policy has intensified alongside growing support for the right-wing Reform UK party.

The government said the new sponsorship framework would operate at a significantly higher capacity than the existing UK Resettlement Scheme, which resettled around 800 people in the year ending September 2025. Officials did not specify how many refugees the expanded program would accommodate, saying only that admissions would be subject to an annual cap.

Mahmood said the policy was designed to expand safe and legal pathways for people with genuine protection needs while strengthening controls against abuse of the asylum system.

The initiative forms part of a wider immigration strategy being pursued by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government. Parliament is expected to consider legislation next week that would tighten asylum rules by making it easier to remove failed asylum applicants and limiting refugee family reunification rights to immediate family members.

The policy announcement also comes during a period of political transition. Starmer stepped down as leader this week but will remain prime minister until a successor is selected. Andy Burnham, widely viewed as a leading contender to replace him, has acknowledged public concerns over migration during his recent political campaign, although his detailed immigration policy has yet to be outlined.

It also remains uncertain whether Mahmood will continue as home secretary under the incoming administration.

Britain has previously implemented targeted sponsorship and resettlement schemes for refugees fleeing conflicts in countries including Syria and Afghanistan. Earlier this year, Mahmood faced criticism from humanitarian organizations and members of her own party after introducing measures that made refugee status temporary and restricted education visas for nationals of countries including Afghanistan, Myanmar and Sudan.

Rubio said the United States was working toward arranging the visit and that he was expected to travel to India later this year to prepare for Trump’s trip.

“We’re working toward sometime early next year to have the president come,” Rubio told IANS, adding that negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement were nearing completion. “We’re on the last inches of getting it done and it’s very positive,” he said.

The proposed visit follows a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in France last week, where Trump described their discussions as “very good.”

India has sought a visit by Trump for several months, with discussions also including the possibility of a broader meeting involving Japan and Australia as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation among Indo-Pacific partners.

Relations between Washington and New Delhi have faced strains over the past year after the United States imposed higher tariffs on Indian goods, citing India’s continued purchases of Russian oil. Bilateral ties have also been affected by U.S. engagement with Pakistan, India’s regional rival.

Rubio traveled to India last month in an effort to stabilize relations. However, diplomatic tensions resurfaced after three Indian sailors were killed during attacks on commercial shipping involving U.S. naval operations in the Gulf.

Despite those challenges, officials from both countries have continued negotiations on trade and broader strategic cooperation, with Rubio signaling that progress toward a bilateral agreement remains positive.