Ukraine war: New Russian 'gas hub' in Turkey, rape 'deliberate strategy', Crimean bridge repair plan
Russia is currently not planning any large strikes in Ukraine, the Russian president said on Friday.
"In the immediate future, there is no need for massive strikes," said Vladimir Putin at a press conference after a regional summit in Kazakhstan. "Currently, there are other objectives. For now. Then we'll see."
He added that Russia was not aiming "to destroy Ukraine".
Putin's remarks come after Russian missiles rained down on a number of Ukrainian cities earlier this week in what he called retaliation for the partial destruction of the Crimean bridge, which Russia blames on Kyiv.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the deadly car bomb that caused part of the bridge linking Russia and Crimea to collapse.
Ireland must question its long-standing policy of military neutrality following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, European Affairs Minister Thomas Byrne said on Friday.
"In Ireland, we probably need to redefine what defence is," said Byrne during a trip to Paris.
He added Ireland was "not neutral" in the face of the Russian invasion, but "neutral" when it came to joining the NATO military alliance, while pointing out how the weight of history influenced Dublin's position.
Since gaining independence from the UK in 1922, Ireland has traditionally opted out of military endeavours.
It is not a member of NATO and did not field combat troops in Iraq or Afghanistan, though Irish troops do take part in UN peacekeeping operations.
Dublin's position has come under pressure following the Ukraine war amid possible hybrid attacks on European infrastructure, such as the Nord Stream gas pipeline, and repeated calls from Kyiv for weapons from EU member states.
Suggesting one explanation behind Ireland's military neutrality, Byrne cited
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