Just three days before US President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, Russia and Iran have finally signed a “comprehensive partnership agreement,” a deal that had been in the works for months.

Here are the key developments on the 1,059th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The United States on Wednesday took fresh action targeting Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, taking aim at efforts to circumvent U.S. sanctions as Washington continues to increase pressure on Moscow in the final days of the Biden administration.

Pro-Kremlin social media accounts and outlets have been spreading a baseless narrative that mansions belonging to Ukrainian officials burned down in Los Angeles.

With U.S.-Russian relations at their most strained since the Cold War, reducing the risk of direct military confrontation and stabilizing global security, the United States must balance firm deterrence with strategic diplomacy to turn a bitter rivalry into competitive coexistence.

The White House cautioned Vladimir Putin last year after U.S. intelligence found that Russia was preparing to send explosive packages on cargo planes.

Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan claimed that the United States is in a "stronger, more secure position" than four years ago under President Trump.

Biden administration officials say the sanctions are being imposed now because they are not likely to add to inflation

In 1861, when Republican leader Abraham Lincoln was on his way to becoming President of the United States of America, the country saw opposition to his views and promises. This led to the American Union breaking up into two countries - USA and CSA.

Russia on Friday sentenced three lawyers who had defended Alexei Navalny to several years in prison for bringing messages from the late opposition leader from prison to the outside world. The trio were almost the only people visiting Navalny in prison while he served his 19-year sentence.

The loose arrangement of hostile powers could pose a series of conundrums for President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state.