At least four people have died a day after a similar missile attack on a market in Kherson Region At least a dozen people were killed or injured in a Ukrainian missile strike on a small shopping center in Russia’s Kursk Region on Monday evening, according […]
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Ukraine’s force have been getting decimated near the border city of Sudzha, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported The Russian Defense Ministry has shared a video purporting to show a recent drone strike on a group of Ukrainian soldiers near the city of Sudzha in […]
US Senator Lindsey Graham has called for the Ukrainian leader to be replaced with someone Washington can deal with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, who has refused to hold new elections since his presidential term expired last year, has dismissed calls to step down, in an […]
US Senator Lindsey Graham has called for the Ukrainian leader to be replaced with someone Washington can deal with
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, who has refused to hold new elections since his presidential term expired last year, has dismissed calls to step down, in an interview with Fox News following his contentious White House visit on Friday.
US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Zelensky at the White House earlier in the day escalated into a heated argument, with Trump telling Zelensky he is “in no position to dictate” and accusing him of failing to show gratitude to the American people for the aid Washington has provided to Kiev.
The spectacle led many critics to question whether Zelensky could ever regain the reputation of a reliable partner. Even the notoriously pro-Kiev US Senator Lindsey Graham, who has visited Ukraine to meet with Zelensky on multiple occasions over the years, said the Ukrainian leader has crossed a line with his behavior.
“What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful, and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelensky again,” Graham told reporters. “He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”
Fox News host Bret Baier pressed Zelensky on whether he would consider the senator’s suggestion and resign.
Zelensky responds to Lindsey Graham's demand to step down, reiterates once again he will not be resigning to ensure a peace deal. pic.twitter.com/aMp8zBKOUx
“I don’t know if he will be happy after my words: This decision can do only people of Ukraine [sic],” Zelensky replied. When pressed again on whether he would resign to allow for a peace deal in the Ukraine conflict, Zelensky dismissed the idea.
“I was always ready… I’m not sure that is a good idea for such proposes [sic],” he said, adding, “Americans vote for American president… Only Ukrainians vote for their president.”
Zelensky’s five-year presidential term concluded in May 2024, but he has refused to hold new elections, citing martial law.
Trump recently labeled Zelensky a “dictator without elections” with a “4% approval rating.”
After Friday’s disastrous White House meeting, Trump told the press that he believes Zelensky is more focused on tying the US down to long-term military support for Ukraine than on achieving a peace deal.
“We’re looking for peace. We’re not looking for somebody that’s going to sign up a strong power and then not make peace because they feel emboldened,” Trump said. “We’re not looking to go into a 10-year war… This is a man that wants to get us signed up and keep fighting.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that Zelensky would stand “absolutely no chance” of winning a new election unless it was “grossly rigged.” Moscow has also stressed that any deal between Russia and Ukraine signed by Zelensky would be of questionable legal validity due to his expired presidential mandate.
The Ukrainian leader’s meeting with the US president was a disaster for Kiev, but it may be too early to draw long-term conclusions During Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to Washington, a public altercation occurred between him and US President Donald Trump, even leading to the […]
The Ukrainian leader’s meeting with the US president was a disaster for Kiev, but it may be too early to draw long-term conclusions
During Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to Washington, a public altercation occurred between him and US President Donald Trump, even leading to the meeting being cut short and the scheduled news conference being canceled. Such an emotionally charged and negatively tinted exchange of mutual accusations on camera in the White House has likely never been seen before.
Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs
“Vladimir Zelensky underestimated the scale of the shift that occurred in American politics after Donald Trump’s arrival. He was misled by the fact that for three years, no one in the West considered it acceptable to publicly contradict Ukrainian representatives, especially Zelensky himself. Diplomats, politicians, and cultural figures from Ukraine were allowed almost anything. They are victims; they have the right. Permissiveness played a cruel joke on the Kiev leader.
But the issue is not just about someone’s bad manners; that is a private matter. Such a model of behavior was possible as long as the Ukrainian conflict was perceived in the West as a battle of the right side of history against the wrong one. And in such a battle, almost anything is allowed. And no one will condemn it.
Trump views the war as an annoying nuisance, a mess in which all participants are to blame, especially his predecessor. The key takeaway from Trump during this truly historic interaction in the White House was: I am a mediator; I am not on anyone’s side; I want the war to end. And this is a fundamental shift. Strangely enough, Trump has taken a position of classic diplomacy, which is necessary to end wars. Zelensky and his supporters reject it, counting on a clear victory. But that is unattainable.
Zelensky’s problem now is that, having made a fatal mistake in his choice of strategy in the White House, he has disarmed even his support group in Europe and within the US itself. They may express as much outrage as they want about Trump and demand continued aid for Ukraine, but Zelensky’s mistake is glaring. The opportunity to sway the American president to a more favorable position has been lost.
And two small remarks. First, Zelensky now has the opportunity to appreciate the restraint and even tactfulness of the Russian president, no matter how they feel about each other. Second – the war continues.”
Anastasia Likhacheva, dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at HSE University
“The world hasn’t seen anything like this in international politics for a long time. Unlike reality TV shows.
After the live scandal, Donald Trump wrote that such pressure and intensity were exactly what was needed to reveal the truth. It was very reminiscent of his old show ‘The Apprentice’ from the 2000s. The most memorable part of it was the brutal ‘You’re fired.’ Zelensky, with incredible persistence, demonstrated the behavior of a person without a plan B, which violates any negotiation logic. The simple conclusion is that his main goal was to demonstrate an unwillingness to negotiate. This has happened before: in one episode of ‘Servant of the People,’ his character threw documents on exploitative IMF loans for the privatization of Ukrainian land into officials’ faces.
The logic of TV shows is straightforward and demands drastic actions from both sides in the near future. But what works for TV ratings is extremely risky in real life. All signs indicate that the next few days and weeks will be very dangerous. Moreover, they will be irrationally dangerous. And following TV logic, after the most intense episode, we may see a ‘cast update.’”
Maksim Suchkov, director of the Institute of International Studies at MGIMO University
“Zelensky pressed all the ‘buttons’ that should never be pressed in negotiations with Trump – both in his style of communication with the US president and in the content of his arguments.
His main mistake, in my opinion, was pointing out America’s vulnerability and its only source of power – its favorable geography (‘You have a nice ocean’), which allows the US to stay distant from global hotspots. Saying this to the president and his ambitious vice president, who ran their campaign on the theme of America’s strength, in the Oval Office, in front of the media, meant pushing the impulsive Trump into a reputational risk he simply could not afford – especially from someone he considers entirely dependent on the US.
Thus, if Russia was the ‘spoiler’ for the Democrats, then Ukraine and Zelensky personally have become the ‘spoiler’ for Trump. Zelensky’s stubbornness ruins Trump’s dream of a grand deal to resolve the conflict.
Unexpectedly, J.D. Vance also made his presence felt. It became clear that he had not forgotten whom Zelensky backed when he visited Pennsylvania alongside Democrats in the heat of the US election campaign.
However, one shouldn’t be too optimistic about what was witnessed. The US holds the keys to ending the conflict: it could disable Starlink, on which Ukraine’s entire military command system relies, and within a week, the war would be over. But the US does not do this because it feels it can extract even more from the situation. Zelensky’s visit gives Moscow an opportunity for an additional move. It must be used wisely.”
Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at HSE University
“The public altercation between Trump and Zelensky, the complete failure of negotiations, the collapse of the deal on Ukrainian natural resources, and Zelensky’s premature departure from the White House have sharply increased the chances of resolving the war in Ukraine through US-Russia negotiations – mostly on Russian terms. They have also started the countdown to the end of Zelensky’s regime.
Zelensky clearly underestimated Trump’s determination to end the war as quickly as possible and the fact that Trump sees it not as the epicenter of a global struggle between good and evil but as a losing battle that hinders the US from reallocating its resources to things that really matter for America’s strategic goals.
Equally, Zelensky overestimated his own image, remaining trapped in the mindset of how he was received at the White House under Biden. Psychologically, he was unprepared for the reality that he is not seen as a ‘new Churchill’ or a leader fighting for the entire West against ‘the forces of evil,’ but rather as a questionably-legitimate opportunist, pleading with the US to continue funding a clearly losing war – one that carries the risk of escalating into World War III.
Trump’s logic is clear: Ukraine is losing the war, and without US support, it will lose it even faster and more disastrously. Therefore, Zelensky’s role is to accept the settlement terms that the US is negotiating with the winning side – Russia. Zelensky, due to his own pride, and hoping for European support, refused.
As a result, the Trump administration and Trump himself are now even more convinced that Kiev is currently incapable of negotiations and remains an obstacle to peace. Therefore, talks must be held directly with Moscow.
What happened is also extremely unpleasant for Europe. The leaders of the latter will likely support Zelensky and rally behind him against Trump, which will create the following configuration: Russia and the US, as responsible great powers, negotiate peace, while Europe and Ukraine, which are much less capable, attempt to disrupt these negotiations – and peace itself – by pushing for the continuation of the war. This will further worsen Trump’s already negative attitude toward the EU and will ultimately rule out US participation in ‘security guarantees’ for Ukraine in the form that French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer tried to promote in Washington this week.
In the near future, the Trump administration is highly likely to halt even the arms deliveries that are still being provided under Biden’s package. If it also stops providing intelligence to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the pace of Kiev’s defeat on the battlefield will accelerate, with the prospect of a total collapse of the front within months. And while the EU will almost certainly convene another emergency summit – with Zelensky likely to attend – and will pledge to increase aid to Kiev, the overall balance of power will remain unchanged.
After the failure of Zelensky’s negotiations with Trump, the latter will become even more receptive to the Russian position on a settlement – despite the objective contradictions between it and the US stance, which prioritizes a ceasefire first and everything else afterward. The key issue is that the 2022 Istanbul agreements should form the basis of a peace settlement. In the end, Trump has clearly signaled that Russia, as the side winning the war, has a far stronger negotiating hand than Ukraine.
In the short term, Zelensky has not only failed in his attempt to secure a settlement on his own terms (and those of Europe), but he now faces the continuation of the war without support from his main sponsor. This will accelerate Ukraine’s defeat and, ultimately, lead to peace on Russian terms.”
Anton Grishanov, senior research fellow at the Institute of Current International Issues, Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry
“Zelensky had a chance to conduct his conversation with Trump and Vance differently. As recently as Thursday, the American leader predicted ‘a very good meeting’ and spoke of his continued respect for his Ukrainian counterpart. However, Zelensky clearly lost his grip on reality. Upon arriving at the White House, he made every possible mistake, failing to recognize hints from the other side and missing the opportunity to remain gratefully silent and humbly keep his head down. In international affairs, one must pay for foolishness and excessive self-confidence.
Of course, one episode alone is not enough to draw long-term conclusions, but in the short term, this tragicomic conversation will undoubtedly weaken Zelensky’s position within Ukraine and give Russian diplomacy additional leverage in its dealings with the US. However, the positions of Moscow and Washington on the peace process still diverge, and Trump’s unpredictable temperament may bring many surprises on the road to ending the conflict.”
This article was first published by Kommersant, and was translated and edited by the RT team.
Latvian lawmakers have cited potential risk to citizens’ safety and being recruited for espionage Latvian lawmakers have advanced legislation that would ban organized trips to Russia and Belarus, citing potential risk to the safety, health and even life of its citizens, as well as the […]
Latvian lawmakers have cited potential risk to citizens’ safety and being recruited for espionage
Latvian lawmakers have advanced legislation that would ban organized trips to Russia and Belarus, citing potential risk to the safety, health and even life of its citizens, as well as the potential recruitment of spies.
The country’s parliament on Thursday approved in the first reading the amendments to the Tourism Law that seek to prohibit all Latvian-registered travel agencies from offering and providing tourism services in the two countries, according to an official statement.
Despite repeated calls from the State Security Service and the Foreign Ministry not to travel to Russia, almost 2,000 Latvian residents visited the country every month last year, noted the document.
When in Russia or Belarus, Latvians “may be recruited for espionage, exposed to intelligence and risks of provocation,” according to the deputies who initiated the amendments. The ban would be implemented as part of the current EU sanctions against Moscow and Minsk, the statement added.
Critics of the legislation have argued that it addresses a non-existent issue.
According to official figures, 90% of all people crossing the Latvia-Belarus border are individual travelers. Tourist trips to Russia are no longer organized, and only four agencies offer services in Belarus.
Right-wing MP Ainars Slesers denounced the bill as “nonsense,” arguing that people could not be banned from foreign travel, as cited by media outlet TV3. MP Aleksejs Roslikovs pointed out that trips to “dangerous” countries such as Israel and Ukraine have not been banned.
The conservative National Alliance party has suggested that it would be more appropriate to ban passenger transportation to Russia and Belarus altogether, a measure that is under discussion by a relevant commission.
To come into force, the amendments must pass two more readings in the parliament.
Latvia, along with neighboring Baltic states Estonia and Lithuania, has been one of the most ardent critics of Russia. Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict three years ago, Riga introduced a number of draconian policies aimed against ethnic Russians, who make up roughly 23% of the country’s population.
Slawomir Mentzen, who is running for president, had previously called for an end to the cult of Stepan Bandera Polish MP Slawomir Mentzen has accused Ukrainian journalist Vakhtang Kipiani of publicly threatening his life for criticizing Ukraine’s embrace of World War II Nazi collaborator Stepan […]
Slawomir Mentzen, who is running for president, had previously called for an end to the cult of Stepan Bandera
Polish MP Slawomir Mentzen has accused Ukrainian journalist Vakhtang Kipiani of publicly threatening his life for criticizing Ukraine’s embrace of World War II Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera.
Earlier this week, Mentzen, a candidate for the right-wing Confederation Party in the upcoming Polish presidential elections in May, had traveled to the Ukrainian city of Lviv where he recorded a video in front of a monument to Bandera.
In the clip, he likened Bandera to a “terrorist,” recalling that the Nazi collaborator had been sentenced to death by a Polish court for being responsible for the murder of some 100,000 Poles. The video also suggested that having monuments honoring Bandera was akin to building monuments commemorating Adolf Hitler.
“Ukraine must abandon the cult of Bandera as soon as possible,” Mentzen urged.
In response to the video, Kipiani issued a post on Facebook ridiculing Mentzen and suggesting that the Polish MP was “dreaming of the glory of Pieracki,” referring to the minister of internal affairs of interwar Poland, Bronislaw Pieracki, was murdered in 1934 by members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), of which Bandera was a part of.
“We can do it again,” Kipiani wrote.
Mentzen fired back at the Ukrainian journalist, accusing him of threatening to kill a Polish MP. “Ukrainians once again show their attitude towards Poland,” Mentzen wrote on Facebook, suggesting that Kiev only wants money from Poland while it continues to honor the murderers of Poles.
The lawmaker’s Confederation Party also condemned Kipiani’s death threat, adding in a statement on social media that it had found out that the Ukrainian journalist’s website, which “glorifies the UPA and is a mouthpiece for nationalist Ukrainian propaganda,” had been co-funded by the Polish government.
Both Mentzen and his party have now called on the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address the situation to prevent further attacks by Ukrainians on Poland and its citizens.
Bandera, a member of the OUN militant wing, was one of the leaders of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) during World War II. The group allied with the invading Nazi Germans and carried out massacres of Poles, Jews, Russians, and Ukrainians whom they accused of collaborating with the Soviets. Despite the group being accused of committing genocide, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko declared Bandera and the UPA national heroes in 2010.
The Polish government has taken particular issue with the celebration of Bandera in Ukraine, as the UPA is believed to have murdered between 40,000 and 120,000 ethnic Poles in the regions of Volhynia and Eastern Galicia.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s remark comes after the FSB said it had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to assassinate a Russian Orthodox bishop The Ukrainian government has no qualms about targeting religious leaders in its conflict with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated. Earlier on Friday, […]
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s remark comes after the FSB said it had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to assassinate a Russian Orthodox bishop
The Ukrainian government has no qualms about targeting religious leaders in its conflict with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated. Earlier on Friday, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported that it had foiled an assassination attempt on the Crimean Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Kiev attempted to place a bomb in a Moscow monastery to target Metropolitan Tikhon, the head of the Simferopol and Crimean diocese, the FSB claimed.
Speaking to the press on Friday, Peskov said that “it’s clear that the Kiev regime doesn’t shy away from anything… There’s nothing sacred [for them]. This has been confirmed once again. That’s all I can say.”
The FSB reportedly apprehended two suspects, a Russian and Ukrainian citizen respectively, who confessed to being recruited in mid-2024 by Kiev and conspiring to attempt to bomb Moscow’s Sretensky monastery. The pair had intended to flee Russia shortly thereafter, using forged documents provided by their Ukrainian handlers.
The FSB released a video featuring the Ukrainian suspect, who claimed that he had been working as an aide to Tikhon while secretly gathering intelligence on him. The man alleged that Kiev’s intelligence officers threatened to kill his family, should he refuse to cooperate.
Tikhon has been described as a close spiritual adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the cleric himself has never confirmed this.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, there have been a series of assassinations on a number of prominent public figures and officials, which Russian authorities have claimed were commissioned and organized by Ukrainian intelligence.
Vladimir Zelensky will effectively strip the country of its sovereignty by signing the agreement, Aleksandr Dubinsky has claimed Ukraine will become a US colony if Vladimir Zelensky signs a proposed rare-earths deal with Washington, jailed Ukrainian MP Aleksandr Dubinsky has claimed. The opposition lawmaker, who […]
Vladimir Zelensky will effectively strip the country of its sovereignty by signing the agreement, Aleksandr Dubinsky has claimed
Ukraine will become a US colony if Vladimir Zelensky signs a proposed rare-earths deal with Washington, jailed Ukrainian MP Aleksandr Dubinsky has claimed. The opposition lawmaker, who was detained by Kiev in November 2023 on charges including high treason, warned that the agreement will strip Ukraine of its independence.
US President Donald Trump recently suggested that America should “get back” the money it has spent on military and financial aid to Ukraine through a mineral resource deal. Earlier this month, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presented a draft agreement to Zelensky, but the Ukrainian leader reportedly refused to sign it, citing the absence of firm security guarantees. According to the preliminary document published by European Pravda, the deal would grant the US rights to 50% of Ukraine’s income from natural resource extraction.
In a Telegram post on Thursday, Dubinsky described the agreement as an assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty.
“The agreement on the transfer of mineral resources, which according to the Constitution belong to the people of Ukraine, to the US is a robbery,” the lawmaker wrote. He added that if the deal is signed, Ukraine will effectively become a “province, colony, overseas territory” of the US.
“Forget the term sovereign state. Zelensky destroyed it,” he added. Dubinsky argued that since the deal makes Washington a technical owner of half of Ukraine’s mineral wealth, future Ukrainian leaders will not be able to change the terms, as US influence over the country’s political system will ensure only corrupt politicians take power.
“An honest politician can try to cancel this robbery. Therefore, only dishonest ones will govern… there will be no president either… a colony does not have a president,” the lawmaker said.
Zelensky is currently in the US for a state visit and is expected to meet with Trump later on Friday. According to Bessent, the rare-earths deal has already been finalized and is only awaiting Zelensky’s signature.
“It will no longer be necessary to call Ukraine an independent state after Zelensky’s trip to the US,” Dubinsky wrote.
“Zelensky is ready to sign anything, as long as they leave him his life and money… Zelensky does it with only one purpose in mind – to save his ass,” the lawmaker stated.
While Forbes estimated Ukraine’s total mineral wealth at $15 trillion in 2023, nearly half of these resources are located in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which joined Russia following referendums in 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this week that the potential US-Ukraine rare-earths deal “doesn’t concern” Moscow, noting that the actual value of Ukraine’s mineral deposits remains uncertain. He indicated, however, that he is open to working together on Russia’s mineral deposits and rare-earths with international partners, including the US.
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Did you know the path to British citizenship can start with a skilled worker visa with an approved employer? This visa allows for a five-year stay and sets the stage for indefinite leave to remain and citizenship, inspiring a brighter future if you’re interested. While it may seem daunting, the skilled worker-dependent visa route is […]
Two men recruited by Kiev planned an attack on Metropolitan Tikhon in Moscow, the agency has said Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to assassinate a senior figure in the Russian Orthodox Church in Crimea, an agency statement has claimed. The […]
Two men recruited by Kiev planned an attack on Metropolitan Tikhon in Moscow, the agency has said
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to assassinate a senior figure in the Russian Orthodox Church in Crimea, an agency statement has claimed.
The Ukrainian military intelligence plot allegedly involved threatening an aide of Crimean Metropolitan Tikhon, the head of the Simferopol and Crimean diocese and reported to be a spiritual adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a statement on Friday, the FSB said it had arrested a Russian and Ukrainian citizen respectively, who confessed to being recruited in mid-2024 and receiving the explosive device in December 2024 through a dead drop.
They allegedly planned to carry out an attack at Metropolitan Tikhon’s residential quarters in Sretensky Monastery, one of Moscow’s most historically and religiously significant Orthodox sites, after which they would flee Russia using forged documents provided by Ukrainian intelligence.
The agency also reported that it seized a homemade explosive device and two fake Ukrainian passports from the detainees.
Several Russian outlets also released a video of the Ukrainian suspect, who identified himself as Denis Popovich, saying that had been working as an aide to Tikhon while secretly gathering intelligence on him.
He claimed he was tasked by Kiev with recruiting a co-conspirator for an assassination, adding that he was told that his family would be killed if he refused to cooperate.
Tikhon has been described as a close spiritual adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has never confirmed this, insisting that it is up to the Russian leader to reveal who provides him with spiritual guidance. The cleric’s 2011 book ‘Everyday Saints and Other Stories’ is a bestseller in Russia, with over 2 million copies sold.
US and Russian diplomats have shared few details of their closed-door discussions in Istanbul, but have agreed to hold “follow-up” meetings Russian and US officials held a lengthy expert-level meeting in Türkiye on Thursday to discuss resolving ongoing diplomatic disputes, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman […]
US and Russian diplomats have shared few details of their closed-door discussions in Istanbul, but have agreed to hold “follow-up” meetings
Russian and US officials held a lengthy expert-level meeting in Türkiye on Thursday to discuss resolving ongoing diplomatic disputes, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
The meeting, which follows a series of high-level bilateral contacts, was reportedly aimed at addressing obstacles hindering the operations of the Russian Embassy in Washington and the US Embassy in Moscow, including banking access and staffing levels.
Zakharova emphasized the significance of the meeting, stating that it sought to “explore pathways for resolving numerous irritants that persist in bilateral dialogue due to the groundwork laid by the destructive actions of previous US administrations.”
The delegations wrapped up their talks without making any public statements, although Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said details about the outcome would be provided “one way or another.” The sides did unveil the composition of their delegations, but according to the State Department, the US group was led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Russia and Central Europe Sonata Coulter, while Russian side was represented by Ambassador Aleksandr Darchiev, the chief of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s North Atlantic Department.
“The United States raised concerns regarding access to banking and contracted services as well as the need to ensure stable and sustainable staffing levels at the US Embassy in Moscow,” the State Department said in a brief statement. “Through constructive discussions, both sides identified concrete initial steps to stabilize bilateral mission operations in these areas.”
Zakharova said the deterioration of relations was not Russia’s choice and that Moscow’s actions have been proportionate responses to Washington’s moves. Both delegations acknowledged the need to stabilize diplomatic operations and improve communication.
The discussions, which lasted over six hours, are expected to be the first in a series of expert consultations designed to resolve differences and build confidence between the two countries. Both delegations agreed to hold a follow-up meeting in the near future, with the date, location, and representation yet to be determined.
Under the administration of President Donald Trump, the US and Russia have begun gradually restoring contacts that were virtually non-existent for approximately three years under his predecessor, Joe Biden. A phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 12 was followed by a high-level Russia-US meeting in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
Putin characterized the discussions as “a first step” toward normalization of ties, a sentiment later echoed by Trump. While neither head of state attended the talks – the first in three years – they were conducted by high-level officials, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Neither Ukrainian nor EU diplomats were invited to the meeting.
The latest talks in Istanbul, according to Zakharova, were the first in a planned series of expert consultations aimed at fostering confidence-building measures. She noted that both sides recognize the necessity of preventing further deterioration in diplomatic relations and working toward a more constructive dialogue.
Moscow should stay vigilant about efforts to meddle in its relations with Washington, the Russian president has said Western elites are “not happy” about a potential rapprochement between Moscow and Washington and will seek to “compromise” the recently resumed dialogue between the two powers, Russian […]
Moscow should stay vigilant about efforts to meddle in its relations with Washington, the Russian president has said
Western elites are “not happy” about a potential rapprochement between Moscow and Washington and will seek to “compromise” the recently resumed dialogue between the two powers, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
Under US President Donald Trump’s administration, Russia and the US have started to gradually restore contacts that were virtually non-existent for approximately three years under his predecessor, Joe Biden.
High-ranking Russian and American delegations met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia earlier this month. Following the talks, both nations agreed to work toward ending the Ukraine conflict and improving diplomatic and economic relations.
Speaking at the meeting of the board of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) on Thursday, Putin said that contacts with the Trump administration “inspire hope.” The two sides are willing to work on restoring bilateral relations, as well as resolving “systemic” issues in the global security architecture that led to the Ukraine conflict and other crises. Yet, some forces want to prevent that from happening, the president warned.
“We realize that not everyone is happy to see Russia-US contacts resume. A portion of Western elites are still committed to maintaining instability in the world, and these forces will try to disrupt or to compromise the newly resumed dialogue,” he said. “We need to keep this in mind and leverage every possibility offered by diplomacy and special services to thwart such attempts,” he told the gathered FSB officials.
According to Putin, the new US administration is demonstrating “pragmatism and a realistic vision of things.” Moscow’s “partners” in Washington “have abandoned numerous stereotypes, the so-called rules, and messianic, ideological clichés of their predecessors, which, in fact, caused the crisis of the entire system of international relations,” he said.
Putin has indicated Moscow’s readiness to resolve the Ukraine conflict through peaceful means. He emphasized Russia’s aim of establishing an international system that ensures a balanced and mutual consideration of interests, creating a long-term, indivisible European and global security framework. This system would prevent the security of certain countries from being guaranteed at the expense of others, including Russia.
Since the Riyadh talks, Washington has said it was open to economic cooperation with Russia. On Thursday, diplomats from two nations held closed-door talks in Istanbul focused on restoring the work of their diplomatic missions. According to a Bloomberg report this week, Moscow and Washington have also been discussing cooperation in the Arctic.
