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Ukraine targeted the Russian capital with its largest-ever wave of kamikaze drones on Tuesday, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries The Russian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned what it described as a “barbaric” and “cowardly” attack by Kiev on multiple regions, including Moscow, in the […]
Dialogue with the US is necessary, but the arsenals of America’s European allies cannot be ignored, Dmitry Peskov has said Moscow is ready to discuss arms control with Washington, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, after US President Donald Trump called for nuclear disarmament among […]
Dialogue with the US is necessary, but the arsenals of America’s European allies cannot be ignored, Dmitry Peskov has said
Moscow is ready to discuss arms control with Washington, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, after US President Donald Trump called for nuclear disarmament among world powers.
Peskov told journalists on Friday that strategic stability and nuclear disarmament are topics on Moscow’s agenda, stating that dialogue between Russia and the US on arms control “is necessary.” He added that these discussions would benefit not just the two nations, but international security in general.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said, “it would be great if we could all denuclearize.” He noted that the US and Russia currently possess the largest nuclear arsenals, while China could reach similar levels in four to five years.
However, Moscow believes that talks should include not only the US, Russia, and China, but European nuclear powers – France and the UK – as well. “It is impossible to just overlook European nuclear arsenals in this dialogue,” the Kremlin spokesman said, pointing to recent remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron.
In an address to the nation on Wednesday, the French leader called Russia a “threat to France and Europe,” and announced that he is considering expanding France’s nuclear umbrella to cover other EU member states. In response, Moscow accused Macron of having aggressive intentions against Russia.
Macron wants to “defeat Russia” and calls it a threat for this very reason, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. Moscow considers Macron’s statement about widening France’s nuclear umbrella to be a “threat,” he added.
Regarding China’s position on nuclear disarmament, Peskov said it remains to be seen, as Moscow and Beijing have not yet discussed it.
Trump is “getting too far ahead of himself” with the idea of total nuclear disarmament, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, told Russia 24 TV on Thursday. The destruction of all nuclear arsenals is “off the table at the moment,” he said, adding that “certain reductions, some control measures would be… understandable.”
In January, the US announced the deployment of upgraded nuclear bombs in its bases in Europe. According to media reports, the Pentagon also plans to station nuclear weapons in the UK. Moscow has repeatedly urged all nations to act responsibly when it comes to nuclear weapons as there can be no winners in a nuclear war.
Moscow has previously dismissed the Mirage 2000 as inferior to modern Russian fighters Ukraine has deployed French-supplied Mirage 2000 fighter jets in combat for the first time, Air Force spokesman Yury Ignat announced on Friday. The aircraft were used overnight to counter a large-scale Russian […]
Moscow has previously dismissed the Mirage 2000 as inferior to modern Russian fighters
Ukraine has deployed French-supplied Mirage 2000 fighter jets in combat for the first time, Air Force spokesman Yury Ignat announced on Friday. The aircraft were used overnight to counter a large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, the spokesman stated.
Kiev received its first batch of fourth-generation jets from France last month. Last October, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed that Ukrainian pilots were being trained in France to operate the aircraft.
In a Facebook post, Ignat claimed that the jets intercepted over 100 Russian drones and 34 missiles, while also preventing ten missiles from reaching their targets. Ukrainian army spokesman Dmitry Likhovi acknowledged the deployment, noting that the strikes coincided with the first large-scale Russian assault on Ukraine’s infrastructure since Washington halted military aid in an effort to encourage negotiations with Moscow.
The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed carrying out an overnight strike on Ukrainian energy facilities that support Kiev’s military-industrial complex. It stated that all intended targets were destroyed but did not address Ukraine’s reported use of Mirage 2000 jets. The ministry also reported that Russian forces have conducted seven group strikes across Ukraine since early March, targeting military airfields, ammunition depots, and drone control centers.
France initially announced plans to supply Mirage 2000 jets to Ukraine last summer, but deliveries were repeatedly delayed. While the total number of aircraft provided remains undisclosed, Le Journal du Dimanche reported in October that Ukraine was expected to receive only six planes.
Russian defense conglomerate Rostec has dismissed the Mirage 2000 as outdated, calling it “significantly inferior” to modern Russian fighters. A company representative previously argued that the aircraft share structural vulnerabilities with US-made F-16s, limiting their effectiveness near the frontlines. The long-anticipated delivery of F-16s to Ukraine has had minimal impact on the battlefield, with Kiev losing its first jet during a maiden combat mission in September 2024, and reports of their operational use remaining scarce.
Aerospace firm Maxar Technologies has reportedly blocked Kiev’s access to its services Ukraine has lost access to US satellite imagery after American space technology company Maxar blocked Kiev’s use of its services, a local media outlet reported on Friday. The move follows Washington’s recent decision […]
Aerospace firm Maxar Technologies has reportedly blocked Kiev’s access to its services
Ukraine has lost access to US satellite imagery after American space technology company Maxar blocked Kiev’s use of its services, a local media outlet reported on Friday. The move follows Washington’s recent decision to freeze military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Ukrainian media outlet Militarnyi has claimed that several anonymous Maxar users have confirmed that they have been denied access to the service. The company has reportedly explained that the restriction had been introduced “in response to an administrative request.”
The outlet noted that the limit appears to apply to both government and private users, adding that the request cited by the company likely refers to US President Donald Trump’s order to cease all intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Maxar, according to Militarnyi, has been one of the leading providers of high-resolution commercial satellite imagery to Ukraine’s armed forces who used it to track the movements of Russian troops, assess battlefield conditions and damage to key infrastructure. The US company has not yet confirmed the alleged restriction of services.
The report comes as Washington has halted the delivery of billions of dollars worth of military aid to Ukraine, while the CIA has confirmed that intelligence sharing with Kiev has been suspended. The decision to freeze military support for Ukraine follows last week’s heated meeting between Trump, US Vice President J.D. Vance and Zelensky at the White House. During the exchange, Trump accused Zelensky of ingratitude and “gambling with World War III” by refusing to seek peace with Russia. The Ukrainian leader was asked to leave the US capital and return only when he was ready for serious negotiations.
On Wednesday, during his address to the US Congress, Trump claimed that he had received a letter from Zelensky in which he had apparently agreed to come to the negotiating table in the near future in order to work towards a peace agreement.
Moscow has welcomed Washington’s suspension of military aid to Kiev, noting that such steps could potentially encourage Ukraine to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict. At the same time, the Kremlin has expressed cautious optimism about Zelensky’s supposed U-turn on negotiations with Moscow, noting that the Ukrainian leader has yet to lift his legal ban on such contacts.
Washington is ready to use “leverage” on Moscow to facilitate a peace deal in Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said The White House is prepared to introduce more sanctions against Russia if doing so would help resolve the Ukraine conflict, US Treasury Secretary Scott […]
Washington is ready to use “leverage” on Moscow to facilitate a peace deal in Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said
The White House is prepared to introduce more sanctions against Russia if doing so would help resolve the Ukraine conflict, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated on Thursday. Such measures could be used as leverage against Moscow during peace negotiations, he said.
Since assuming office in January, US President Donald Trump has been working to negotiate a resolution to the conflict and also restore relations between Moscow and Washington.
“This administration has kept the enacted sanctions in place, and it will not hesitate to go all in should it provide leverage in peace negotiations,” Bessent told the audience while speaking at the Economic Club of New York.
“As per President Donald Trump’s guidance, the sanctions would be used explicitly and aggressively for immediate maximum impact,” he emphasized, adding that potential measures would be “carefully monitored to ensure that they are achieving specific objectives.”
Introduced in 2014 following Crimea’s reunification with Russia, US restrictions have been expanded through numerous executive orders and were recently prolonged for another year through March 6, 2026.
After escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Western countries targeted Russia with a wide range of sanctions and froze around $300 billion in assets belonging to the Russian central bank.
Designed to damage the Russian economy and make the cost of the Ukraine military operation too high, the restrictions are widely viewed as having fallen far short of their aim. Russia’s GDP growth came in at 3.6% in 2023 and 4.1% last year, according to official figures.
Moscow has dismissed the Western sanctions as “illegal” and warned that seizing its frozen assets would amount to “theft.” President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia has overcome the challenges posed by the sanctions and has even credited them with boosting domestic industries.
Bessent’s comments come as Moscow and Washington have restarted contacts following a phone conversation between Putin and Trump in February and subsequent high-level talks between Russian and US delegations in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this week, reports emerged that Washington directed the State Department and Treasury to draft proposals for easing certain sanctions on Russia. The proposed relief, which could include specific Russian entities and individuals, will reportedly be discussed in the near future.
The bloc’s defense plans are “primarily aimed at Russia” and hinder peace efforts in Ukraine, Dmitry Peskov has argued The Kremlin has condemned the EU’s plan to increase defense spending across the bloc, calling it a path towards confrontation that hinders peace efforts with Ukraine. […]
The bloc’s defense plans are “primarily aimed at Russia” and hinder peace efforts in Ukraine, Dmitry Peskov has argued
The Kremlin has condemned the EU’s plan to increase defense spending across the bloc, calling it a path towards confrontation that hinders peace efforts with Ukraine.
During an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday, EU leaders endorsed a €800 billion plan to “rearm Europe” proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
”The European Union is actively discussing its militarization, specifically in the defense sector,” the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Friday. The measures are “primarily aimed at Russia, which is, of course, a matter of deep concern,” he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron claimed on Wednesday that Russia poses a direct threat to France and the entire EU. He echoed von der Leyen’s calls for a significant increase in defense spending to counter perceived danger posed by Moscow.
Macron’s comments adhered to the conventional Western narrative portraying Russia as the unprovoked aggressor in the Ukraine conflict and claiming that Moscow has ambitions of conquest in Ukraine and beyond into EU and NATO states.
Russia has repeatedly and categorically denied the claims. Moscow will however, take measures to safeguard its security in response to the bloc, Peskov has warned.
“The kind of confrontational rhetoric and confrontational plans that we are now seeing in Brussels and in European capitals strike a seriously discordant note with intentions to find a peaceful resolution in Ukraine,” Peskov added.
Russia and the United States launched negotiations last month to try and settle the Ukraine conflict, sidelining the EU. The move sparked condemnation from the bloc.
Moscow has argued the EU’s aggressive stance made it unfit to take part in peace talks. Trump has also reportedly halted American military aid to Ukraine, leaving Brussels jostling for funds to support Kiev.
Moscow maintains that Western aid prolongs the war without altering its outcome.
The French president failed in his apparent attempt to replicate the British leader’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech, Mikhail Ulyanov has said French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent address in which he accused Russia of posing a threat to Europe was a poor imitation of Winston Churchill’s iconic […]
The French president failed in his apparent attempt to replicate the British leader’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech, Mikhail Ulyanov has said
French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent address in which he accused Russia of posing a threat to Europe was a poor imitation of Winston Churchill’s iconic 1946 ‘Iron Curtain’ speech, senior Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov has said.
On Wednesday, Macron called for a substantial increase in EU defense spending and other initiatives to counter what he described as a persistent threat from Russia.
Ulyanov, Moscow’s representative at international organizations based in Vienna, likened Macron’s rhetoric to a “clumsy replica” of Churchill’s seminal speech delivered in Fulton, Missouri, widely regarded as a turning point in the Cold War.
“The European support group for Ukraine is making a somewhat sad impression right now, isn’t it?” Ulyanov wrote in a post on X on Friday.
The EU this week announced plans to spend some $840 billion on rearmament of member states, which Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has touted as a way to beat Russia in an arms race. Additionally, Brussels has vowed to sustain military support for Ukraine, even as US President Donald Trump’s administration seeks a swift resolution to Kiev’s conflict with Russia.
Moscow interprets Macron’s address as a commitment to prolonged animosity towards Russia, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who described the remarks as “extremely confrontational” and misrepresenting the causes of the ongoing tensions between Russia and the West. Moscow has called the expansion of NATO in Europe since the 1990s a serious national security risk.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin did not directly respond to Macron’s speech, he alluded to Napoleon’s failed invasion of Russia on Thursday, remarking that “some people still can’t get over it.”
The Ukrainian leader was “absolutely right” to push the US president to change his stance on the conflict, Mikhail Podoliak has said Kiev will not apologize for the clash between Vladimir Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at the White House, Mikhail Podoliak, a top […]
The Ukrainian leader was “absolutely right” to push the US president to change his stance on the conflict, Mikhail Podoliak has said
Kiev will not apologize for the clash between Vladimir Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at the White House, Mikhail Podoliak, a top adviser to the Ukrainian leader, has said. He defended Zelensky’s conduct at last week’s meeting, claiming that the US should understand the necessity of piling maximum pressure on Russia.
During the explosive meeting in the Oval Office, Zelensky cast doubt on the possibility of diplomacy with Russia and told Trump and his vice president, J.D. Vance, that the US “will feel” the impact of the conflict. Trump accused Zelensky of disrespect, ingratitude for past US aid, reluctance to seek peace with Russia, and “gambling with World War III.”
Following the spat, Zelensky again thanked the US for its military assistance, claiming that “Ukraine is ready to sit down at the negotiating table.” While stopping short of apologizing, the Ukrainian leader acknowledged that the sit-down with Trump “did not go as planned.”“It is unfortunate that this happened,” he added, urging the US to continue diplomatic engagement.
In an interview with the French magazine Le Point on Friday, Podoliak defended Zelensky, insisting that “he was absolutely right in form and substance when he tried to convey to our American partners the key idea: nothing will be done without coercion of Russia.”
“Without coercion of Russia, there can be no peace negotiations. Our president tirelessly explains to our partners what this war is and who provoked it… So we will not apologize for a supposed mistake that did not take place,” he said.
He also rejected the notion that Trump and Vance had “humiliated” Zelensky, portraying the war of words as a “very emotional discussion” which he said could help in hashing out differences between Kiev and Washington.
Following the Trump-Zelensky spat, the US froze military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, with American officials saying the pause would remain in place until Kiev showed commitment to holding peace talks.
The Latvian interior minister has claimed Russian tourists pose a threat and that the bloc has a “moral duty” to deny them entry Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis has urged EU member states to stop issuing Schengen tourist visas to Russian citizens, claiming they pose […]
The Latvian interior minister has claimed Russian tourists pose a threat and that the bloc has a “moral duty” to deny them entry
Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis has urged EU member states to stop issuing Schengen tourist visas to Russian citizens, claiming they pose a threat to the bloc’s national security, media have reported.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the EU has fully suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia and imposed travel restrictions. Latvia, along with Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, and the Czech Republic, has banned tourist visas for Russian citizens. Norway, which shares a land border with Russia, and is not an EU member state, has also closed its border for Russian tourists and other ‘non-essential’ visitors.
Presenting so-called Schengen Barometer data for 2024 in Brussels on Thursday, Kozlovskis said the EU “must admit” that it is “in a hybrid war” with Russia, and that “this affects the daily work of security institutions both on the border and within the country,” X reported.
He urged the bloc to “seriously recognize the threat” that Russian tourists allegedly pose to the EU’s internal security, asserting that a complete visa ban was the bloc’s “moral duty.” To justify his initiative, Kozlovskis claimed that Latvia has encountered “illegal border crossers and acts of sabotage,” including “the arson of the Occupation Museum, border crossings by drones, and propaganda attempts to influence public opinion.”
The number of Schengen visas issued to Russian passport holders surged by 25% last year compared to 2023, surpassing 500,000 in total, despite sanctions targeting Russian applicants, according to the Schengen Barometer tracker.
Italy led in visa applications received from Russians, accounting for 28% of all requests and granting 134,141 visas, which made it the primary destination for Russian tourists within the Schengen Area, data showed.
Last month, the National Security Committee of the Latvian parliament drafted a law proposing a travel ban to Russia and Belarus for certain government employees. The restrictions would also apply to transit through these countries.
Latvia has taken a hardline anti-Russian stance since the conflict in Ukraine broke out, announcing sweeping travel restrictions for Russian nationals including barring Russian-registered vehicles from entering the country.
Along with neighboring Estonia and Lithuania, Latvia has also exhibited hostility to its ethnic Russian minority, which currently comprises around 25% of the country’s population.
In addition to spending more than 1% of its entire GDP on weapons for Ukraine, Latvia has begun to deport thousands of Russians who refused to take or failed a mandatory Latvian language test. It has also destroyed Soviet-era World War II monuments, as well as arresting dozens of people for celebrating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.
Priority areas include aviation, investment, banking, and luxury goods, Chamber of Commerce chief Robert Agee has said The American Chamber of Commerce in Russia (AmCham) has called on the US government to ease the sanctions on Russia, according to its chief, Robert Agee. He argued […]
Priority areas include aviation, investment, banking, and luxury goods, Chamber of Commerce chief Robert Agee has said
The American Chamber of Commerce in Russia (AmCham) has called on the US government to ease the sanctions on Russia, according to its chief, Robert Agee. He argued that restrictions in aviation, investment, and banking are harming both American and Russian businesses.
In an interview with the Russian business daily RBK on Friday, Agee welcomed the dialogue between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, after a three-year hiatus in ties due to tensions over the Ukraine conflict.
In light of US signals that it is willing to normalize relations with Moscow, the AmCham is preparing a report for the US government outlining challenges for American businesses in Russia, as well as exploring possibilities for lifting some of the sanctions, Agee said.
One of the AmCham’s main requests is to remove sanctions in the aviation sector, including the supply of spare parts and technical support, with Agee stressing that the restrictions in this field mostly affect ordinary citizens. He also called for the lifting of investment restrictions, which he said have prevented American companies from expanding their operations in Russia.
Banking sanctions remain another key concern, as they have made cross-border transactions increasingly difficult and costly, the AmCham head said. He also criticized the sanctions on imports of luxury goods, including American cosmetics, to Russia, calling them counterproductive and harmful to US companies that have lost market share.
While these represent the chamber’s top priorities, Agee noted that other issues also require attention. He did not rule out the return of US businesses to Russia, adding that companies which maintained a skeleton presence in the country or retained buy-out options would have an easier time re-entering the market compared to those that completed an asset sell-out when emotions were running high.
Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, earlier estimated that US companies lost more than $300 billion by leaving the Russian market. Agee suggested that this figure could be correct, depending on the metrics that were taken into account.
Agee’s comments come after Reuters reported earlier this week that the White House had directed the State and Treasury departments to draft proposals for easing certain restrictions on Russia. The potential relief could reportedly apply to specific Russian entities and individuals, including some business leaders.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Moscow has yet to receive official statements from Washington regarding sanctions relief, while stressing that Russia has always viewed Western sanctions as “illegal.”
Lithuania has argued that the move will strengthen its defenses Lithuania officially withdrew from an international treaty that bans cluster munitions on Thursday. The Baltic state’s parliament (the Seimas) voted overwhelmingly to leave the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) last July. “The need to […]
Lithuania has argued that the move will strengthen its defenses
Lithuania officially withdrew from an international treaty that bans cluster munitions on Thursday.
The Baltic state’s parliament (the Seimas) voted overwhelmingly to leave the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) last July.
“The need to use all possibilities to strengthen deterrence and defense is the driving force behind the proposal to denounce the convention. Since Lithuania became a party to the convention, the security situation has deteriorated substantially, and threats to Lithuania’s security have changed,” Deputy Defense Minister Renius Pleskys said at the time.
Cluster munitions detonate in mid-air, releasing many small bomblets over a wide area. Humanitarian organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, have campaigned against the ordinances due to their indiscriminate nature and because many bomblets fail to detonate on impact, posing threats to civilians after the conflict is over.
Of the NATO countries, the US, Poland, Romania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland are not members of the CCM. Other states that have not signed the convention include Russia, Ukraine, China, India, Pakistan, and Brazil.
The Seimas described cluster munitions on its website as “a very effective defensive tool because they can be used to defend a large area and increase the effectiveness of defense against targets that occupy large areas.”
According to national broadcaster LRT, the Lithuanian authorities are also considering withdrawing from the 1997 Ottawa Treaty which bans anti-personnel mines.
