President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russians and Ukrainians were one people, "and in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours," and said he did not rule out Russia taking control of the Ukrainian city of Sumy. But Putin, speaking at an international economic forum in St Petersburg, said Russia had never doubted Ukraine's right to sovereignty, but noted that when Ukraine declared its independence in 1991 it was as a "neutral state". Putin, who says Russia is fighting in Ukraine to protect its own security, was answering a question about Russia's war aims. "We have a saying, or a parable," Putin said. "Where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours." Kyiv and its Western allies have rejected Moscow's claims to four Ukrainian regions and Crimea as illegal, and Ukrainian P
Accenture shares fell 11% on Friday, hitting the day's low of $273.19, notwithstanding a revenue beat for third quarter driven by growing demand for the consulting giant's AI-driven services from enterprise customers.It reported revenue of $17.7 billion for the quarter ended May 31, compared with analysts' average estimate of $17.30 billion, Reuters reported, citing data compiled by LSEG.The company is grappling with a weak U.S. federal contracting environment as the Trump administration has slowed new contracts and cut existing agreements in a bid to reduce federal spending, the report said, adding that the company said these changes have not had a material impact on its operations or financial condition.Major indices on Wall Street were trading mixed, with the Dow 30 at 42,225.90, up 54