Latest news with #FederationCouncil
Daily Tribune
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain-Russia Relations Strengthened Through Parliamentary Cooperation, Says HM King Hamad
His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa warmly received His Excellency Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh, Chairman of the Shura Council, today at Al-Sakhir Palace. The meeting came after the successful official visit led by the Chairman and a delegation of Shura Council members to the friendly Russian Federation. During the meeting, King Hamad emphasized the deep and historic friendship between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Russia. He highlighted the shared commitment to continuously strengthen bilateral relations across various fields, especially in legislative and parliamentary cooperation. The King also praised President Vladimir Putin's role in supporting and developing these growing ties. His Majesty appreciated the productive discussions held by the Chairman and his delegation with senior Russian officials, as well as the signing of a memorandum of understanding on parliamentary cooperation between Bahrain's Shura Council and the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly. This agreement is expected to boost parliamentary relations, enhance collaboration, and promote exchange of visits and expertise for mutual benefit. Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh provided His Majesty with a briefing on the key outcomes of the visit. He expressed great pride in Bahrain's elevated international standing, which he attributed to the wise vision and leadership of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Qatar Tribune
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Russian officials mock Trump's Ukraine plans, sanctions threats
DPA Moscow Senior Russian politicians have reacted with derision to US President Donald Trump's announcement of new arms deliveries to Ukraine and threatened sanctions. 'If this is all Trump had to say today about Ukraine, then expectations were set far too high,' Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia's Federation Council, wrote on Telegram late Monday. He said Trump's statement on the Ukraine conflict would have no effect on sentiment in Russia. Kosachev claimed that within the 50-day ultimatum Trump mentioned, much could change on the battlefield as well as in the mood among the US and NATO leadership. He added that the Europeans had walked into a trap set by Washington — now positioned to buy US-made weapons systems for Ukraine from Trump, 'while only the US military-industrial complex will benefit.' Writing on the platform X, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev described Trump's remarks as a 'theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin' and that 'Russia didn't care.' Medvedev remains an influential figure as deputy chair of Russia's Security Council. On Monday, after about six months of failed mediation efforts in the Ukraine war, Trump struck a harder tone toward Russia. Trump said he was 'disappointed' in President Vladimir Putin as he expected to have a deal months ago. He announced new arms shipments to Ukraine, to be paid for by European NATO countries, and also threatened 'severe' punitive tariffs against Russia's trading partners if no agreement to end the war is reached within 50 days. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing on Tuesday that Moscow was considering its next steps. 'We will certainly need time to analyse the rhetoric from Washington,' he said, the TASS news agency reported. Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that NATO's arms deliveries to Ukraine showed that the alliance was interested in continuing the fighting. Moscow had repeatedly called for an end to arms deliveries as a prerequisite for a ceasefire.
Times of Oman
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Shashi Tharoor meets Deputy Chairman of Russian Federation Council in Moscow
Moscow: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is on a visit to Russia, met several top Russian leaders, including the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (the Upper House) and also interacted with students. The Congress MP took to the social media platform X to share about his meeting with the Russian lawmaker. "An excellent and remarkably candid discussion with Konstantin Iosifovich Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council (the Upper House). Ranged from #OperationSindoor to regional geopolitics and relations between our Parliaments. A first-rate exchange of views," Tharoor posted. Shashi also interacted with Russian students who are studying about India and Indian students in Russia. In another post on X, Tharoor wrote, "Enjoyed a ninety-minute interaction with some 150 Russians studying about India and Indian students in Russia. Their questions ranged from India-Pakistan relations to global neocolonialism and the risk of militarisation of space. A remarkable discussion which was recorded by @RT_com for likely broadcast in a couple of months. And when it concluded, i was gratified to find i had readers and fans even in Moscow! (The last pic features the Russian Edition of #TheFiveDollarSmile -- but the reader's smile is worth a lot more!)" Earlier on Wednesday, Tharoor met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and several other Russian lawmakers. Tharoor posted on X, "Good to catch up with old friend Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the #PrimakovReadings in Moscow." He further said, "Enjoyed catching up with old friend Andrey Denisov, former Russian Ambassador to the @UN and to China , and now the First Deputy Chair of the Committee on International Affairs of the Russian Federation Council."
The Hill
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Putin was one of the losers of the Israel-Iran war
Although it's a relief to know that President Trump has instructed God to bless Israel and Iran, it's obviously too soon to know whether the resultant ceasefire will hold and whether Iran will agree to abandon its quest for nuclear weapons. If things work out, the U.S. president will be a hero. If they don't, he won't. The implications of the American attack on Iran may be more certain for Russia and Ukraine. We know that the Kremlin is upset. Oblivious to the irony, Russian President Vladimir Putin called it 'an absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran.' Putin evidently failed to see that his criticism of Trump applies with equal force to his 'absolutely unprovoked aggression' against Ukraine. On the other hand, Putin might take solace from the fact that Trump's indifference to international law mirrors his own. In effect, if not in intent, Trump legitimized Russia's invasion of Ukraine — as if either man cared about such legal subtleties. So much for the semi-good news for Russia. In contrast, the bad news is really bad. For starters, Trump demonstrated that the U.S. is a legitimate military superpower — unlike Putin's Russia, which has lost over 1 million men and thousands of tanks and vehicles in its hopeless struggle against Ukraine. Trump showed that Russia is a bit player with oversized delusions of grandeur. One Russian supremacist, the self-styled philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, concluded that Trump's attack could even undermine Russia. 'Some still cling to the illusion that World War III might somehow pass us by. It won't,' Dugin said. 'We are already in the thick of it. The U.S. has carried out a bombing strike against Iran — our ally. Nothing stopped them. And if nothing stopped them from bombing Iran, then nothing will stop them from targeting us next. At some point, they may decide that Russia, like Iran, shouldn't be allowed to possess nuclear weapons — or find some other pretext to strike. Make no mistake: we are at war.' Equally oblivious to irony was Konstantin Kosachev, the vice speaker of the Federation Council, who noted: 'Let's state the obvious: Iraq, Libya — and now Iran — were bombed because they couldn't hit back … The message to so-called 'threshold' nations couldn't be clearer: If you don't want to be bombed by the West, arm yourself. Build deterrence. Go all the way — even to the point of developing weapons of mass destruction. That's the grim conclusion many countries will draw. It's a dangerous lesson, and one that flies in the face of global security and the very idea of a rules-based international order.' Ukraine has no intention to acquire the bomb, but according to Kosachev it should. Is Putin listening? Both Dugin and Kosachev implicitly suggested that, just as Trump might turn out to be the hero, Putin was definitely the incompetent emperor with almost no clothes. After all, who if not Putin misjudged Trump, lost Iran, induced NATO to expand and entangled Russia in an unwinnable war? One can well imagine the Russian dictator's sense of betrayal by his pal Trump. The key question at present is whether Trump will react to Putin's criticism of his assertion of American power with the realization — finally — that Putin is no different from the ayatollah, and that Russia is as much of a threat to Ukraine and the West as Iran was a threat to Israel and its allies. Such an eventuality still seems unlikely in view of Trump's consistently cuddly treatment of Putin and his fascist regime, but miracles do occasionally happen. Russia has also been exposed as a fair-weather friend. To be sure, its Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Iran — signed earlier this year — did not obligate Moscow to provide military assistance, but Tehran surely expected a bit more from the country it supplied with thousands of deadly Shahed drones at Russia's time of need. Did Russia just admit to being a paper tiger? Its allies and friends will remember that Moscow's promises may be less trustworthy than Washington's threats. Bad news for Russia always means good news for Ukraine. True, the war in Ukraine has dropped out of the public eye. Oil prices have risen. But Putin is very likely to commit an atrocity that will remind the West of Ukraine's fight, and the spike in oil prices appears to be temporary. All in all, Putin and Russia are losers, whereas the U.S. and Ukraine are probable winners. Alexander J. Motyl is a professor of political science at Rutgers University-Newark. A specialist on Ukraine, Russia and the USSR, and on nationalism, revolutions, empires and theory, he is the author of 10 books of nonfiction, as well as 'Imperial Ends: The Decay, Collapse, and Revival of Empires' and 'Why Empires Reemerge: Imperial Collapse and Imperial Revival in Comparative Perspective.'
Russia Today
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Hockey legend Ovechkin visits Russian Federation Council (VIDEO)
Russian ice hockey legend Alexander Ovechkin visited the Federation Council, the upper house of the national legislature, on Wednesday during a break from the National Hockey League (NHL) season. The Washington Capitals captain, who made history in April by breaking the NHL's all-time goal record, received a warm welcome from Russian lawmakers. Video footage released by the Federation Council showed Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko greeting the 39-year-old athlete, along with other officials. Ovechkin presented Matvienko with an autographed Capitals jersey. Matvienko praised Ovechkin for inspiring younger generations to pursue hockey, commending his dedication to the sport. When asked about the secret to his success, Ovechkin credited hard work. The Capitals were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs last month following a second-round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Ovechkin's agent, Gleb Chistyakov, told Russian media the player plans to spend a month abroad following his visit to broke Wayne Gretzky's long-standing NHL record on April 6 at UBS Arena, where he scored his 895th goal, concluding the season with a career total of 897 goals. The milestone was met with broad acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. Russian President Vladimir Putin lauded the achievement, calling it not only a personal triumph but also Ovechkin's gift to hockey fans around the world. US President Donald Trump also congratulated the star, describing him as 'a great hockey player, a great gentleman.' Ovechkin's wife, Anastasia Shubskaya, previously told Russian media that the family plans to return to Moscow after the 2025-26 NHL season, when Ovechkin's contract with the Capitals is set to expire.
