The Kremlin said Friday that it was "obviously" unlikely Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin would meet within 30 days, after Kyiv suggested a leaders summit before the end of August.

"A high-level meeting can and must put a definitive end to the settlement ... Is it possible to go through such a complex process in 30 days? Well, that is obviously unlikely," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters including AFP.

Iran on Thursday reaffirmed its right to enrich uranium, saying it was "unshakable", on the eve of key talks with European powers threatening to reimpose sanctions.

"Especially after the recent war, it is important for them to understand that the Islamic Republic of Iran's position remains unshakable, and that our uranium enrichment will continue. We will not give up this right of the Iranian people," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday announced Washington was joining Israel in pulling negotiators back from Gaza peace talks in the Qatari capital, accusing Hamas of not "acting in good faith."

"We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza," Witkoff posted on social media. "While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith."

France said on Friday that its plan to formally recognize a Palestinian state runs counter to the stance held by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"Hamas has always ruled out a two-state solution. By recognizing Palestine, France goes against that terrorist organization," Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X, a day after President Emmanuel Macron said France would recognize Palestinian statehood in September.

The U.S. special envoy for Syria said he held talks with Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris on Thursday on de-escalating sectarian violence in Syria.

"I met this evening with the Syrians and Israelis in Paris. Our goal was dialogue and de-escalation, and we accomplished precisely that," said the envoy, Tom Barrack, on X.

One of France's longest-held inmates, the pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, arrived in Beirut on Friday, having been released from prison after more than 40 years behind bars for the alleged killings of two diplomats.

The United States on Wednesday announced the approval of $322 million in arms sales to bolster Ukraine's air defenses and its armored combat vehicles.

A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency will visit Iran within two to three weeks, an Iranian official said Wednesday, adding that the group will not have access to the country's nuclear sites.

The White House pulled out all the stops Wednesday to promote claims that Barack Obama headed a "treasonous conspiracy" against Donald Trump, seeking to redirect public attention from uproar over its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein affair.

The Israeli army said eight soldiers were wounded on Thursday when a driver deliberately rammed his car into a bus stop in what police called a "terror attack".

The army said two soldiers were "moderately injured" and six "lightly injured" in the attack at the Beit Lid junction near Kfar Yona in central Israel.