Russia wants to end the conflict as quickly as possible, citing Ukraine's refusal to negotiate, Kiev's joining NATO as 'unrealistic'

Conflict in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin affirms his desire to end the conflict with Ukraine, Germany-Slovakia do not support Kiev joining NATO, BRICS 2024 Summit issues joint statement, US election in the final stage, tension in the Middle East... are impressive photos of the week compiled by CNN, Reuters, The Guardian ...

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi enter the hall for a group photo before the plenary session of the BRICS 2024 Summit in Kazan, Russia, on October 23. In a joint statement issued after the event, the leaders gave an overall assessment of the world situation and the group’s long-term goals, clearly defined the criteria and rules related to the list of partner countries, and welcomed the great interest from countries in the Southern Hemisphere in BRICS. (Photo: Maxim Shipenkov/Pool)

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a press conference after the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on October 24. Answering reporters' questions, the Russian leader said that Ukraine is avoiding dialogue and the Kiev government is not ready for negotiations because this means lifting martial law and holding presidential elections. Mr. Putin emphasized that everyone wants and is determined to end the conflict in Ukraine as quickly as possible and preferably by peaceful means. The Kremlin leader noted that Kiev's repeated refusal of peace talks is "very unreasonable". (Source: EPA)

The photo released on October 23 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting a strategic missile base, without specifying the time of the visit. During the visit, the leader inspected the strategic deterrence readiness capabilities, which are directly related to national security, including the functions and capabilities of missile launching facilities at missile bases as well as combat missions of strategic missiles. (Source: KCNA)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) welcomes Slovak President Peter Pellegrini at the Chancellery in Berlin on October 24. During the subsequent talks, regarding the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO at the present time, the Slovak President and the German Chancellor both agreed that Kiev's joining NATO is currently "unrealistic". (Source: AFP)

Britain's King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, visit the Sydney Opera House in Australia on October 22. Last week, King Charles III made his first major overseas trip since being diagnosed with cancer. (Source: AFP/Getty Images)

US Vice President Kamala Harris attends a CNN town hall in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on October 23. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from October 16-21, both Republican Donald Trump and Democratic Kamala Harris are locked in a tight race, with Harris leading Trump by just 3 points, 46% to 43%. (Source: CNN)

Former US President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, works at the counter as he visits a McDonald's restaurant in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, on October 20. (Source: Getty Images)

Former US President Barack Obama holds hands with an audience member during a campaign rally in Detroit for Vice President Kamala Harris on October 22. (Source: AP)

A teacher holds a portrait of Indonesia's new President Prabowo Subianto as she teaches and introduces the country's eighth president, at Pondok Labu 14 Pagi Elementary School, in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 22. (Source: Reuters)

A missile is launched from an Israeli aircraft toward a building in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 22. Two apartment buildings in the Ghobeiry neighborhood were flattened in the attack, according to CNN's analysis of video footage from the scene. Just 30 minutes earlier, the Arabic-language spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, Avichay Adraee, had issued an order on social media to evacuate the buildings, saying they were "near Hezbollah facilities and interests." AP photographer Bilal Hussein, who took the photo, said he "heard the roar of the rockets, heading toward the building." (Photo: Bilal Hussein/AP)

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, on October 23, amid ongoing fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces. (Source: Reuters)

A Palestinian woman and child stand in their destroyed home in Khan Younis, Gaza. Jordan's foreign minister has called for pressure on Israel to end hostilities in the strip, as he met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in London, Britain. (Source: EPA)

Protesters supporting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip conflict and police clash in Naples, Italy, where the G7 defense ministers are meeting, on Oct. 19. The event focused on Middle East tensions, the conflict in Ukraine and global security issues. (Source: LaPresse/AP)

Smoke rises from the site of an attack at the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) near the capital Ankara on October 23. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya described the attack as a terrorist attack on TUSAS facilities in Kahramankazan, Ankara on social media. (Source: Reuters)

Model Kendall Jenner attends the annual gala of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, USA, on October 19. The event attracted many stars and raised more than 11 million USD. (Source: Reuters)

Scientist Eduardo Robaina observes a newly discovered comet, named C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, from inside a cave in Temisas, Spain, on October 22. (Source: Reuters)

Police officers give evacuation instructions next to a collapsed residential building in Kahawa West in Nairobi, Kenya. (Source: AFP/Getty Images)

Priscilla, a Galapagos tortoise at London Zoo (UK), is checked by keeper Jamie Mitchell on October 21, on World Reptile Day. (Source: Reuters)

Sheep walk through the Tatra Mountains, near the Polish village of Skawica, during the autumn “redyk” festival, a long-standing highland tradition that marks the end of the grazing season, on October 20. (Source: AFP/Getty Images)

Chrysanthemums bloom in San Pedro Cholula, Mexico, as the Popocatépetl volcano spews ash and smoke in the background, October 23. (Source: Reuters)

(according to CNN, Reuters, The Guardian...)