Russian lawmakers urge use of 'weapons of retribution' in Ukraine

Russian lawmakers want Moscow to use more powerful "weapons of retribution" ⁠to achieve its war goals in Ukraine, the speaker of parliament's lower chamber, the State Duma, said on ‍Friday.

Vyacheslav Volodin, who is also a member of President Vladimir Putin's Security Council, did not specify ‌what type of weapons he meant.

"Our troops ‍are advancing. State Duma deputies insist on the use of more powerful weapons - 'weapons of retribution'. And the achievement of the goals of the special military operation," he said, using the term by which Russia refers to the war in Ukraine.

HAWKS URGE CONTINUATION OF WAR

It was the second public statement in consecutive days from hawks urging that Russia should continue and even step up its war effort, ⁠at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to get both sides to agree to a peace deal.

On Thursday, the leader of Russia's Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, told reporters: "I believe the war must be taken to its conclusion... I am against negotiations."

The decision on whether, and when, Russia should stop ‌the war lies firmly with Putin. The Kremlin says Russia would prefer to achieve its goals in Ukraine through diplomacy, but that it will do so by military means if that is not ‍possible.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Friday that Putin had agreed to a personal request ‍from Trump to ‍cease strikes on Kyiv until Sunday in ⁠order to create a more favourable ‍climate for negotiations.

In his Telegram post, parliament speaker Volodin insulted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and said Ukrainians faced "new problems starting next week".

"Weapons of retribution" is a translation of the German ⁠term Vergeltungswaffen, which referred ‌to long-range weapons designed for strategic bombing in World War Two.