Russia issued a straightforward statement about nuclear war that could indicate the Kremlin is trying to cool the escalatory rhetoric it used throughout October, NBC News reported on Thursday.
"Russia is strictly and consistently guided by the tenet that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," said the statement on the Russian Foreign Ministry website.
Meanwhile, as the war between Russia and Ukraine drags into the fall and winter, the economic repercussions on both countries, and the rest of the world, becomes clearer.
Data released on Wednesday by Russia's Ministry of Economic Development showed the country's downturn continued in September, with a deepening contraction evident.
Russia has insisted its economy can weather the storm of international sanctions, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisting earlier this week that "no one could stop" Russia's economy.
Russia recently made a surprise return to the Black Sea grain initiative — a deal brokered with Ukraine by Turkey and the U.N. to enable the export of vital agricultural products like corn and wheat, of which Russia and Ukraine are major producers.
President Vladimir Putin said that despite Russia's return to the deal, which it had withdrawn from last weekend after an apparent attack by Ukraine on Russia's Black Sea fleet, Moscow "reserves the right to withdraw" from it again if Ukrainian guarantees are not met.
Grain shipments to African countries suffering from acute food shortages, such as Somalia and Sudan, will be prioritized now that the deal has been revived, Turkey's president said.