Three days before his communist government turns 75, China's foreign minister warned fellow leaders Saturday against an “expansion of the battlefield” in Russia's war with Ukraine and said the Beijing government remains committed to shuttle diplomacy and efforts to push the conflict toward its end.

The Russian government wants to earmark 32.5% of its spending next year for defense, a record amount and up from a reported 28.3% this year, as Moscow seeks to prevail in the war in Ukraine

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has drawn a comparison between the conflict in Ukraine and the Korean War, which ended with an armistice but no peace treaty.