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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday, where he described the two nations' relations as "an invincible fighting brotherhood", Russia's foreign ministry said. The ministry quoted Lavrov as saying that the visit represented the continuation of "strategic dialogue" between the two sides inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea last year. In a message passed on by Lavrov, Putin said that he hoped for more direct contacts in future, TASS news agency reported. Lavrov, the ministry said, also thanked North Korea for the troops...

President Trump said Friday he plans to make a “major statement” on Russia early next week — as the Senate considers legislation to force his hand on sanctions after months of threats from the commander-in-chief. “I think I’ll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview Thursday. “You’ll be seeing things happen,” Trump told a reporter Friday morning on the White House lawn when asked about an overnight Russian drone attack that damaged a maternity hospital in Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv.

Russian state media has launched a barrage of criticism against U.S. President Donald Trump after he accused Russia's Vladimir Putin of saying "a lot of bulls***" about the war in Ukraine, the exiled news outlet Agentstvo reported Wednesday. -snip- Prominent pro-Kremlin television host Vladimir Solovyov on Tuesday chastised Trump on his flagship talk show for addressing Putin in what he described as a disrespectful tone. “Trump has started to speak rudely,” Solovyov said. “It seems to us that he’s undergoing a ‘Bidenization.’ His belief that he’s the only person able to speak with Putin has made him transform into another...

THE girlfriend of Vladimir Putin's transport official who was found dead ahead of a fraud inquiry could be banned from his funeral. Roman Starovoit, 53, was sacked by Vlad on Monday after he couldn't stop Ukraine causing mayhem to Russia's aviation industry - and was found dead hours later. He was found beside his Tesla with a bullet wound to his head as the mystery behind his "suicide" deepens. Now it has emerged that his long-term girlfriend, 25-year-old Polina Korneeva, might be barred from attending his funeral. Polina was brought to the scene by law enforcement to identify the corpse...

The Kremlin, asked on Wednesday about US President Donald Trump’s criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that Moscow was “calm” regarding the criticism, and that it would continue to try to fix a “broken” US -Russia relationship. In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We are quite calm about this.” “We expect to continue our dialogue with Washington and our line on repairing the rather broken bilateral relations,” he added. Trump said on Tuesday he had approved sending US defensive weapons to Ukraine and was considering additional sanctions on Moscow, underscoring his frustration with Russian President...

The Kremlin said on July 8 that it was shocked by the sudden death of Russia’s former transport minister Roman Starovoit, news of which broke hours after President Vladimir Putin had sacked him. Mr Starovoit was found dead in his car outside Moscow with a gunshot wound and the principal hypothesis is that he took his own life, state investigators said on July 7. Asked about Mr Starovoit’s death, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Mr Putin had been briefed on the incident and described the news as “tragic and sad”. Mr Peskov declined to speculate on the cause of...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Tuesday that the Senate will move “soon” on a “tough” Russia sanctions bill that will also penalize the Kremlin’s top energy recipients, China and India. “President @realDonaldTrump is spot on about the games Putin is playing,” Graham said in a Tuesday post on X. “The Senate will move soon on a tough sanctions bill – not only against Russia – but also against countries like China and India that buy Russian energy products that finance Putin’s war machine. The Senate bill has a presidential waiver to give President Trump maximum leverage.” “When it comes to...

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was not happy with Russian President Vladimir Putin and was considering additional sanctions on Moscow, underscoring his frustration over the growing death toll in Russia's war with Ukraine. "We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin," Trump said during a meeting with cabinet officials at the White House.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new Minister of Transport, APA’s Moscow correspondent reports. By Putin’s decree, Andrey Nikitin — former Governor of the Novgorod Region and Deputy Minister of Transport — has been appointed as the new Minister of Transport. Note that Roman Starovoyt, former Governor of the Kursk Region, who was appointed to this position in May of last year, was dismissed by Putin yesterday. Just a few hours after his dismissal, his body was found with a gunshot wound in the Odintsovo district, where he resided. It is reported that Starovoyt committed suicide.

At President Trump's direction, the Department of Defense is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops. Our framework for POTUS to evaluate military shipments across the globe remains in effect and is integral to our America First defense priorities.

Mr. President, we know you understand that the primary obstacle to peace in Ukraine is Russia’s aggression. You said you were “disappointed” in the conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and that you “don’t think he’s looking to stop.” Putin again insisted he was unwilling to commit to a ceasefire until the “root causes” of the conflict were addressed. For Vlad, the “root cause” is the existence of Ukraine. He followed your call with the largest drone and missile strike of the war, killing at least one. So why, Mr. President, is your administration punishing Ukraine? The Pentagon has halted...

Vladimir Putin has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at the USA as the nation gears up to celebrate its Independence Day on July 4. The Russian President couldn't resist pointing out that he considers Russia to have played a key role in helping the much younger country achieve statehood during a call with his American counterpart on Thursday. Putin said: "Russia played an important role in the formation of American statehood, including through the War of Independence 250 years ago, and then during the Civil War, which ended 160 years ago." Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov added: "Of course, he congratulated Trump...

Vladimir Putin has claimed in a phone call with Donald Trump that Russia played a role in the formation of the United States. Speaking a day before America celebrates Independence Day, the Russian leader reportedly congratulated Mr Trump about its national holiday, held on July 4. According to a report by Tass, a state-owned news agency, Yury Ushakov, the Russian presidential aide, said during the call “it was noted from our side that Russia played an important role in the formation of American statehood including during the War of Independence 250 years ago, and then during the Civil War, which...

Russian President Vladimir Putin swiftly exited an interview to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump. A video that emerged online shows Putin amid a panel interview with a packed crowd, informing them that he needs to leave to speak with Trump or risks upsetting him. "Please don't be angry, I understand that we could talk more, but it's so awkward to make [Trump] wait, he could get offended. Thank you very much, good luck," Putin told the crowd.

United States President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to speak over the phone tomorrow and discuss Washington's unexpected pause in arms deliveries to Kiev, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. Pentagon's decision to stop supplying some advanced weapons systems to Kiev, including munitions and missiles, prompted Ukraine to summon the acting US envoy, fearing the move would jeopardize the country's defense amid the ongoing conflict with Russia. Furthermore, sources familiar with the matter indicated that Zelensky will press the topic of potential new US arms sales. Trump's last meeting with his Ukrainian colleague came during...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he will speak on the phone with United States President Donald Trump later in the day. He made the remark while visiting a Russian business fair and did not elaborate on the topics he will discuss with Trump. More to come...

Until today, there have been no confirmed reports of Storm Shadows being deployed since November last year. VLADIMIR Putin's officers have been killed in droves in the first British-made Storm Shadow strike in months, reports claim. Bombshell footage showed the damage in Donetsk amid claims of “massive casualties among Russian officers” and the “crippling” of a mad Vlad fighting force. If confirmed, it would be the first use of the British-supplied missiles in months. Red-faced Russian authorities admitted only that a woman had died and three people were wounded, including a teenager. A building collapsed in the combined missile and...

The 17-year-old son of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, Adam, has been married to a local girl named only as Medni, reportedly a relative of Adam Delimkhanov, an MP from Chechnya and close ally of Ramzan Kadyrov. The large-scale wedding took place over three consecutive days, from Thursday to Saturday, in the village of Akhmat-Yurt (formerly Tsentoroy), the ancestral home of the Kadyrov family in Chechnya. According to unconfirmed reports, Adam Kadyrov married the daughter of Chechen Senator Suleiman Geremeev, who is a close ally of Ramzan Kadyrov and is a cousin of Russian MP Adam Delimkhanov. The ceremony was preceded...

The Belarusian ruler’s price controls have backfired. Alexander Lukashenko’s stubborn grip on the Belarusian economy plunged the potato-happy country into a spud shortage this spring. Critics of the authoritarian ruler, who in January grabbed a seventh term in power, say he has warped the economy with strict price controls on staples like potatoes — while encouraging citizens to snitch on grocery stores that flout regime rules. The limits, launched by Lukashenko in October 2022 as he aimed to keep prices low and stave off inflation, instead made potatoes far less profitable for farmers to produce. Opponents say that decisions made...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the country was dismissed regarding its concern about NATO expansion. "We emphasized that the security of one nation or a group of nations cannot come at the expense of another's security. This principle is enshrined in international agreements that all parties have ratified," Putin said. "Yet, in practice, what transpired?" Putin continued. "One NATO expansion after another. We were consistently reassured, 'there's nothing to fear; it doesn't pose a threat to you.' When we expressed our concerns, asserting that we believed it did threaten us, what was the response? Nothing at all. We...