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Oct. 21, 2025, 10:36 AM EDTBy Elmira AliievaThe Kremlin denied Tuesday that it was holding up President Donald Trump’s latest push to end the war in Ukraine, and insisted it had not changed its demands ahead of possible talks.Trump had announced that Russia and the United States’ top diplomats would meet this week, with his own summit with Vladimir Putin to follow in Budapest, Hungary. Russian officials have now said there was no date set for either meeting. “We cannot postpone what has not been agreed upon,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russia’s TASS state news agency early Tuesday. He was responding to a CNN report that the meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had been put on hold indefinitely.Ryabkov said there had been no clear agreement on when or where such a meeting might take place.Trump and Putin met in Anchorage in August.Andrew Harnik / Getty Images”Everything is in progress, internal work is ongoing. As new information becomes available, we will keep you informed,” he told state media journalists.The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov echoed Ryabkov’s comments when talking about the Trump-Putin summit in Budapest. “You can’t postpone something that hasn’t been agreed upon,” Peskov said in his daily briefing.“You heard statements from both the American side and our side that this may take time. Therefore, no precise timeframe was initially set,” he said. Rubio and Lavrov held a call Monday where they discussed the “next steps” in preparing a summit between the two presidents, according to the State Department.Lavrov and Rubio in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15.Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP – Getty Images“Marco Rubio and I discussed the current situation and how we could prepare a mutually agreed framework for the next meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States,” Lavrov said in a news conference on Tuesday. “The key point is not the venue or timing, but how we will proceed substantively on the tasks that were agreed upon and on which broad understanding was reached in Anchorage,” he said, referring to Trump and Putin’s meeting in Alaska in August. “We agreed to continue these telephone contacts to better assess where we currently stand and how to move forward in the right direction,” he added.Lavrov emphasized that the country’s position remains consistent with understandings reached between Putin and Trump during the Anchorage talks. “Those understandings are based on the agreement achieved at that time, which President Trump very succinctly formulated when he said that what is needed is a long-term, sustainable peace, not an immediate ceasefire that would lead nowhere,” he said. A damaged residential buildings after a Russian Geran-2 drone struck Sloviansk, Ukraine on Monday.Jose Colon / Anadolu via Getty ImagesOn Sunday, after both a call last week with Putin and then a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington, Trump said he supported the immediate halt to fighting as called for by Kyiv and its European allies.For now both sides should “stop at the battle line — go home, stop fighting, stop killing people,” he told reporters on board Air Force One. “They can negotiate something later on down the line,” he said.Leaders of European nations, including Britain, France, Germany, Ukraine, and the European Union issued a joint statement Tuesday supporting Trump’s efforts to end the fighting, and suggesting that Russia appeared unwilling to pursue a peace agreement at this stage.“We strongly support President Trump’s position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations,” said the statement, published by the British government.“We must ramp up the pressure on Russia’s economy and its defense industry, until Putin is ready to make peace,” it said. In an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” taped Friday, Zelenskyy urged Trump to get tougher with Putin and said he was ready to join their summit in Budapest.Hungary’s foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, was in Washington on Tuesday. He posted on Facebook: “We have some serious days ahead.”Elmira AliievaElmira Aliieva is an NBC News intern based in London.

- Latest News - October 21, 2025

The Kremlin denied Tuesday that it was holding up President Donald Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine ahead of possible talks with Vladimir Putin.

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Oct. 21, 2025, 10:23 AM EDTBy Garrett Haake, Adam Reiss and Matt LavietesA White House official on Tuesday pushed back on a report that President Donald Trump is considering commuting Sean “Diddy” Combs’ prison sentence as soon as this week. TMZ reported on Monday that the president was “vacillating” on a commutation for the music mogul, citing a “high-ranking White House official.””There is zero truth to the TMZ report, which we would’ve gladly explained had they reached out before running their fake news,” the official told NBC News in a statement. “The President, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations.”A representative for TMZ did not immediately return a request for comment.Lawyers for Combs also did not immediately return a request for comment about the disparity between the White House statement and TMZ’s reporting. However, Combs’ lawyers have previously told NBC News they have been pursuing a pardon for their client.Combs was convicted in July on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, but acquitted on more damning charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. On Oct. 3, a federal judge sentenced him to 50 months in prison, fined him $500,000 and ordered five years of supervised release.He pleaded not guilty and has maintained his innocence. On Aug. 1, Trump was asked about potentially pardoning Combs in an interview with Newsmax.”You know, I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great and seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t know him well,” Trump said. “But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.”When asked if he was suggesting that he wouldn’t pardon Combs, Trump said, “I would say so.””When you knew someone and you were fine, and then you run for office, and he made some terrible statements. So, I don’t know, it’s more difficult,” Trump said. “Makes it more — I’m being honest, it makes it more difficult to do.”Trump has issued several controversial pardons and commutations throughout his second term as president.In January, Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 criminal defendants in connection with the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In May, Trump pardoned the imprisoned reality television couple, Todd and Julie Chrisley. And last week, Trump commuted the sentence of former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., after the disgraced congressman pleaded guilty to charges of committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Combs has asked to serve out his sentence at Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix, a low-security federal prison in New Jersey, but the Bureau of Prisons must approve the request.He faces strict conditions upon his supervised release, according to court documents filed in the weeks after his sentencing. Among the conditions is that he will be required to attend regular meetings with his probation officer and refrain from drug use, with a drug test taken within 15 days after his release and two periodic tests after that time frame, according to the seven-page filing.Combs must also participate in an outpatient program that includes testing, an outpatient mental health treatment program and an approved program for domestic violence, the filing states.Lawyers for Combs filed a notice of appeal in federal court on Monday, aiming to overturn the music mogul’s conviction and 50-month prison sentence. A Justice Department representative did not immediately return a request for comment on the anticipated notice.Garrett HaakeGarrett Haake is NBC News’ senior White House correspondent.Adam ReissAdam Reiss is a reporter and producer for NBC and MSNBC.Matt LavietesMatt Lavietes is a reporter for NBC News.Daniel Arkin contributed.

- Latest News - October 21, 2025

A White House official on Tuesday pushed back on a report that President Donald Trump is considering commuting Sean “Diddy” Combs’ prison sentence as soon as this week.

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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleOct. 20, 2025, 4:57 PM EDTBy Andrew GreifWhen the 2025-26 NBA season returns Tuesday, some things will not have changed in years.Though Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry is now 37, and the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James 40 (and will begin the season sidelined by injury), the two superstars remain undisputed headliners a decade after the first of their four consecutive meetings in the NBA Finals. The sheer wattage of their stardom has barely dimmed, and it’s why their teams will meet in one of Tuesday’s opening-night matchups.But the other opening-night tipoff will take place in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder will receive the championship rings they earned by winning Game 7 of June’s NBA Finals over Indiana. Though the league’s old guard, led by Curry and James, remains formidable, the road to the championship trophy now runs through the uber-young Thunder, who spent the offseason signing their young core of stars to long-term deals. Haven’t paid attention to the NBA since the Thunder’s victory parade cruised through Oklahoma City in mid-June? Here’s everything you may have missed to get you up to speed.Who are the title contenders?Recent history suggests the Thunder will not be lifting the trophy again next June: The league hasn’t crowned a repeat champion in seven seasons, with Golden State (2017-18) the last to repeat. Yet the Thunder have an extremely compelling case for being prepared to break that streak. They return every consequential member of their rotation from last season’s playoff roster, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning most valuable player. That team won 68 games even though injuries sidelined big men Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein for about half a season each. This year, they start healthy.By trading for Phoenix’s Kevin Durant in June, Houston announced its intention to challenge Oklahoma City in the Western Conference. The Rockets remain a contender, but their case took a hit in the offseason after point guard Fred VanVleet suffered a knee injury that could sideline him the entire season.Denver, the 2023 champion, has superstar Nikola Jokic in his prime and has surrounded the virtuosic big man with the deepest roster in years. With so much uncertainty as to whether Philadelphia’s star pairing of Joel Embiid and Paul George can stay healthy, and Boston superstar Jayson Tatum set to miss at least a significant chunk of the season after tearing an Achilles tendon in May, the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers enter as the East’s top contenders. The Knicks have a new coach in Mike Brown, who will be tasked with finding a lineup that truly works. The Cavaliers won 64 games last season to earn the top seed in the East, but injuries contributed to their exit in just the second round of the playoffs. The team that knocked them out, the Indiana Pacers, is widely expected to take a step back after star guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon during the finals.Key storylinesStart in Los Angeles, where Luka Doncic is beginning his first full season with the Lakers following last season’s shocking trade from Dallas. The Lakers are at a transition point in that their future will now be planned around the 26-year-old Doncic’s timeline and prime years and not James, for the first time since he joined the team in 2018. The all-time scoring leader, and an NBA champion with three different franchises, James has done everything possible in his career. But his 23rd season will mark something new, too — the first time he will be playing on an expiring contract. Where that leaves James and the Lakers at the trade deadline, or offseason, remains the subject of intense speculation. In Dallas the first overall pick of June’s draft, Cooper Flagg, will enter the season under high expectations. The 6-foot-9 Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in his lone season at Duke while winning national honors for player of the year, and since entering the NBA has added a goatee and more ballhandling responsibilities, because Dallas will be without injured point guard Kyrie Irving until likely the late winter. Flagg won’t turn 19 until Dec. 21. Another former No. 1 pick in Texas, Victor Wembanyama, has been cleared to play again after experiencing blood clots last season. Wembanyama, 21, enters his fourth season in San Antonio under rising expectations. The NBA’s longest-tenured coach, Gregg Popovich, has moved into a front-office role, with former Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson his successor. Johnson knows Wembanyama is a one-man top-five defense, but how will the offense look as it blends Wembanyama, rookie Dylan Harper and veteran guard De’Aaron Fox, once Fox returns from an injury? Injuries in Boston and Indiana and injury rehabilitation in Philadelphia have put the Knicks and Cavaliers seemingly on a glide course to the playoffs in the East, but Detroit, Atlanta and Orlando, which pulled off a huge offseason trade for Memphis sharpshooter Desmond Bane, are seen as up-and-coming threats potentially ready for a breakthrough. But the biggest story in the East centers on Milwaukee, where the Bucks are desperately trying to ensure that star Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to remain with the franchise. League insiders don’t consider an Antetokounmpo trade imminent, but they do consider such a move as having the type of domino effect that could reshape the league and its contenders.New rulePlayers that fire a “heave” at the end of a quarter won’t see their shooting percentage penalized. A new rule this season changes how some statistics are kept. Plays that begin in the backcourt and result in a shot taken in the final three seconds of the first three quarters, from at least 36 feet away, will count as a team attempt, not an individual shot. Investigation dramaIn an offseason report by the podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” former employees of a green-bank startup called Aspiration claimed the company’s lucrative but previously undisclosed endorsement deal with Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard was brokered as a means for the team to compensate Leonard while circumventing the league’s salary cap — one of the NBA’s most fiercely protected rules. The NBA has hired a law firm to investigation the claims, which if proven could result in a suspension of team owner Steve Ballmer, a team fine and even the voiding of Leonard’s contract. The additional layer to the drama is that the NBA’s All-Star game will be hosted as Ballmer’s year-old arena, Intuit Dome, in February. More from SportsInside the Nuggets’ plan to build around the NBA’s best playerThe New York Giants had a once-in-a-generation collapse. Here’s how it happened.Sunday Night Football: Christian McCaffrey’s big night powers 49ers to 20-10 victoryNBA has its eyes abroadNBA commissioner Adam Silver and his top deputy held meetings this summer in London and Paris aimed at bringing the league’s European expansion plans closer to reality. The NBA has been working on a model that would include 14-16 teams, the majority of which would be permanent clubs in cities like London, Paris and Berlin. Teams could also win their way into, and lose their way out of, the league’s remaining spots, which borrows from the relegation and promotion model that is central to European soccer leagues. The league’s meetings this summer were with private equity firms, political leaders including U.K. Prime Minster Keir Starmer and clubs such as Turkey’s Galatasaray, Germany’s Alba Berlin, and Spain’s Real Madrid. How to watch games has changedNew 11-year media rights deals signed between the NBA and broadcast partners NBC, ABC/ESPN and Amazon kick in this season, changing how games will be watched.For NBC, it’s the first time NBA games will air on the network since 2002. NBC and its streaming platform, Peacock, will air 100 regular-season games, NBA All-Star Weekend and playoff games, as well. Peacock will host games on Monday, and NBC and Peacock both will air games on Tuesday. In addition, starting at midseason, NBC/Peacock will air games Sunday night. Only ESPN will carry games on Wednesdays. Starting at midseason ESPN and ABC will also carry night games on Fridays and Saturdays and Sunday afternoon matchups.The third broadcast partner is a new one: Amazon Prime. It will carry games on Friday, and starting at midseason will also air games Thursdays and Saturday afternoon.The biggest change as a result of the new broadcast deals is that for the first time since 1984, Turner Sports and its cable network, TNT, will no longer host games. But TNT’s uber-popular studio show, “Inside the NBA,” will nonetheless live on at ESPN.Andrew GreifAndrew Greif is a sports reporter for NBC News Digital. 

- Latest News - October 21, 2025

When the 2025-26 NBA season returns Tuesday, some things will not have changed in years

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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleBy Steve KopackWarner Bros. Discovery, the owner of HBO, CNN, and other cable networks, said on Tuesday that it is putting itself up for sale.In a press release, the company announced a “review of potential alternatives,” Wall Street speak for a sale. WBD said it had recently received “unsolicited interest” from “multiple parties for both the entire company and Warner Bros.”The company said that while it shops itself around, it will continue to work on the previously announced split of its cable networks from its streaming and studio business.Any deal for part of all of the company would be a sizable one. As of Monday’s close of trading, Warner Bros. Discovery had a market value of more than $45 billion. It also carries billions of dollars of debt on its balance sheet.In September, Paramount Global was preparing a bid for all of WBD, however it appeared to stall in recent weeks.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.Steve KopackSteve Kopack is a senior reporter at NBC News covering business and the economy.

- Latest News - October 21, 2025

Warner Bros. Discovery, the owner of HBO, CNN, and other cable networks, said on Tuesday that it is putting itself up for sale

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