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Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to bow to a sanctions ultimatum expiring this Friday from U.S. President Donald Trump, and retains the goal of capturing four regions of Ukraine in their entirety, sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters.

Trump has threatened to hit Russia with new sanctions and impose 100% tariffs on countries that buy its oil - of which the biggest are China and India - unless Putin agrees to a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine.

Putin's determination to keep going is prompted by his belief that Russia is winning and by scepticism that yet more U.S. sanctions will have much of an impact after successive waves of economic penalties during 3-1/2 years of war, according to three sources familiar with discussions in the Kremlin, Reuters reported.

Hiroshima on Wednesday marked the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with many aging survivors expressing frustration about the growing support of global leaders for nuclear weapons as a deterrence, Associated Press reported.

With the number of survivors rapidly declining and their average age now exceeding 86, the anniversary is considered the last milestone event for many of them.

“There will be nobody left to pass on this sad and painful experience in 10 years or 20 years,” Minoru Suzuto, a 94-year-old survivor, said after he kneeled down to pray at the cenotaph. “That’s why I want to share (my story) as much as I can.”

The bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and Japan’s nearly half-century of aggression in Asia, according to Associated Press.

The UN is calling for an urgent pause in fighting in Sudan, especially in the besieged city of El Fasher, to deliver life-saving aid to families facing starvation. Food prices have soared, supply routes are blocked, and some residents are resorting to eating animal fodder, Xinhua reported.

Women and female-headed households are among the hardest hit, facing severe food insecurity and limited access to aid. Cholera is highly spreading and malnutrition rates are rising sharply.

The UN warns time is running out and urges donors to scale up funding and support, according to Xinhua.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Tuesday reaffirmed Iraq’s commitment to Lebanon’s stability, sovereignty, and rejection of external aggression during a meeting with Lebanese Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar in Baghdad.

The two discussed enhancing bilateral ties, focusing on economic cooperation, investment, telecommunications, and facilitating private sector engagement. They also agreed to activate the Iraqi-Lebanese Business Council and improve labor coordination between the countries. Haidar emphasized Lebanon’s interest in building a constructive partnership with Iraq to advance mutual economic interests, according to Xinhua.