Latest news with #RussianStateDuma
Saba Yemen
2 days ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Volodin: Missile production plans in Ukraine dragging Germany into conflict with Russia
Moscow - Saba: Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin announced on Saturday that missile production plans in Ukraine are increasingly pushing Germany toward conflict with Russia. Sputnik News Agency quoted Volodin as saying in a letter addressed to Bundestag President Julia Klöckner and leaders of political parties in the German parliament: "We know that the German government is planning to start missile production in Ukraine, and in doing so, it is increasingly dragging Germany into military action against Russia. You understand what this could lead to." The Russian State Duma Speaker asserted that the ruling elite in Germany is currently creating the preconditions for escalating the situation, provoking clashes between the two countries. He added: "The question is, do the German people want this or not? We don't want it, but if it happens, we are ready." The German Defense Ministry announced at the end of May, following a meeting between German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustam Umerov, that Germany and Ukraine had signed an agreement to finance the production of long-range weapons within Ukraine. It was also announced that approximately €5 billion ($5.7 billion) in military aid would be allocated to Kyiv, including the provision of air defense systems and ammunition. No precise details were disclosed regarding the type of systems or the value of the contracts. Russia had previously sent a memorandum to NATO countries regarding the flow of Western weapons to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that any shipment containing weapons to Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russian forces. Lavrov previously indicated that the United States and NATO were directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, "not only by sending weapons, but also by training military personnel in Britain, Germany, Italy, and other countries." Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously asserted that the West's supply of weapons to Ukraine contradicts a settlement, does not contribute to negotiations, and will even have a negative impact. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Russia Today
7 days ago
- General
- Russia Today
Ukraine ‘a terrorist state'
A senior Russian lawmaker has accused Ukrainian intelligence services of orchestrating an explosion that damaged a bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, describing the incident as an act of terrorism aimed at intimidating civilians and provoking Moscow ahead of potential talks. On Saturday evening, as a result of an explosion, a bridge fell in front of a moving passenger train moving at high speed, derailing it. The crash killed seven people and injured 97 others. Several hours later, a railway bridge collapsed under a moving freight train in Kursk Region, wounding the driver and two of his assistants. 'This is clearly the work of Ukrainian special services. Everything points to Ukraine being a terrorist state,' Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Russian State Duma's defense committee, told Russian news outlet SHOT, on Sunday. Kartapolov said the blasts had no military significance but were designed to 'harden' Russia's stance and spread fear among the population. He added that Russian security services would investigate the incident and determine the circumstances. 'All of this is aimed at escalating Russia's position and provoking aggression before negotiations, as well as to intimidate people. But it won't work,' he said. The Investigative Committee said in a statement on Sunday that the bridges had been 'blown up' in both incidents. Later that same day, drones targeted military airfields in Murmansk Region in the country's north, in Ivanovo and Ryazan regions in western Russia, and in Irkutsk Region in Siberia and Amur Region in the Far East. Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky touted the 'absolutely brilliant result' saying that the strikes had been prepared for more a year and a half and targeted Russia's strategic aviation fleet. 'In total, 117 drones were used in the operation,' he said in a video message posted on X. Drones were reportedly smuggled into Russia and launched remotely off the back of trucks. In response to Kiev's raids, Russia has launched several retaliatory strikes targeting Ukraine's defense industry facilities, as well as military assembly points and warehouses. While Kiev has not officially claimed responsibility for the collapses of two bridges that caused train derailments in Russia, Ukrainian opposition MP Artyom Dmitruk said the incidents were 'another step toward peace according to Zelensky's formula,' referring to his proposed peace plan. 'Let me remind you, negotiations are scheduled for June 2,' the lawmaker added. The second round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks begins in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Monday. The two countries held their first direct negotiations in three years in May, where they agreed to submit detailed ceasefire proposals.
Russia Today
19-02-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Russia and US will have to ‘clean up' after Biden
Moscow and Washington need to 'clean up the legacy' left by the former US President Joe Biden's administration that ruined the ties between the two states, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. Speaking at the Russian State Duma on Wednesday, having returned from talks with US diplomats in the Saudi capital on Tuesday, Lavrov described the meeting in Riyadh as a first step toward rebuilding relations between the countries. The bilateral negotiations were led by Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and aimed to lay the groundwork for ending the Ukraine conflict and normalizing ties between Russia and the US. 'We have started to move away from the brink of the abyss to which the Biden administration had led us, but these are only the first steps,' Lavrov told lawmakers, commenting on the talks. 'For now, we need to 'clean up' the legacy of the Biden administration, which did everything to destroy… the foundation of a long-term partnership between our countries,' he added. According to the diplomat, 'the movement towards normalizing relations in all areas is beginning.' 'There is, at least, a declared readiness to start on this course. And to resolve not only the Ukraine crisis, but to create conditions for the restoration and expansion of partnership in trade, economic and geopolitical spheres,' Lavrov stated. He noted that Washington's representatives expressed marked interest in removing 'artificially created' obstacles to potential joint initiatives with Russia in many areas, including economic and foreign policy. Among other things, the sides agreed to restore embassy staffing and form high-level teams to begin work on the potential Ukraine peace settlement. 'We welcome this,' Lavrov said, noting that the countries could eventually return to the state of cooperation they had prior to the Ukraine conflict and the West's sanctions war on Russia. 'There will always be problems, but the main thing is to meet, listen and hear one another, make decisions that will be realistic with regard to the partners they concern,' he stated. Tuesday's negotiations have been described as 'truly monumental' in Washington. Following the talks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also acknowledged that the West would need to address the sanctions imposed on Russia in order to reach a lasting solution to the conflict and to restore relations. Later on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump told journalists he felt 'much more confident' about the prospects of a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine amid the budding rapprochement with Moscow.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
View from Russia: Moscow celebrates Trump-Putin call as step towards normalising relations
Donald Trump's phone call with Vladimir Putin has been hailed by politicians and commentators in Moscow as a success, and a step towards normalising relations between the two superpowers. The leaders spoke for 90 minutes on Wednesday in a call the Kremlin described as 'very important', discussing a path to peace in the war in Ukraine. Dmitriy Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said: 'The current (US) administration, as we understand it, holds the view that everything should be done to stop the war and achieve peace.' Leonid Slutsky, the head of the international committee at the Russian State Duma, said the phone call 'has broken through the anti-Russian blockade of the West and launched the process of defrosting Russian-American contacts'. It was noted that the two leaders had invited each other to visit their countries. However, they are more likely to meet in a third country, such as Saudi Arabia. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's powerful security council, argued the call proved that any Western hopes of defeating Russia would never be achieved. 'There is not and cannot be a main country and a senior ruler of the planet,' Medvedev said. 'This lesson should be learned by the arrogant American elites.' Medvedev, the Kremlin's hawkish mouthpiece, blamed Joe Biden's administration for leading the world to the 'brink of apocalypse'. It was the US who unilaterally decided to be the 'country-in-chief on our planet' and began a 'hybrid war against our people', he added. Medvedev, a former president of Russia, said none of the US leaders of the past tried to sanction Soviet leaders during crises and that they 'kept lines of communication open'. He added: 'It is impossible to bring us to our knees. And the sooner our opponents realise this, the better.' Vladimir Solovyov, Putin's chief propagandist on Russian TV, also celebrated the call during his show on Wednesday, saying it ended the 'narrative' about Russian isolation. Opening the programme, Solovyov said Mr Trump did not mention anything about Russia being aggressive, provocative, or unjust. He added the US president did not mention 'anything scary or anything about military criminals', and that he spoke very respectfully and calmly. Russia-US relations hit rock bottom in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, and the US implemented economic and personal sanctions in response to Russia's actions. Mr Biden refused to talk with Putin, saying he had 'no good reason' to. Peskov, however, noted that the Trump settlement's future is unclear unless the 'first results of the joint work' are seen. On Thursday, Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's foreign intelligence service, said the work would be continued at the level of the heads of the state agencies, including law enforcement and special services. 'The order has been given,' Naryshkin said. On Wednesday, Russia released an American schoolteacher, Marc Fogel, who had spent three years in custody. The White House said that, in exchange, it would release Alexander Vinnik, a Russian Bitcoin criminal. According to reports, the prisoner swap included three other people who Belarus must free. It has been described by analysts as a goodwill gesture, laying the ground for cooperation. The excitement in the parliament and the media was not shared by Mikhail Zvinchuk, a pro-war blogger known as Rybar, who is wanted in the US with a $10 million reward for his capture. Zvinchuk pointed out that the sides' positions are different, and it is too early to be confident about the meeting between the leaders. 'The outcome of the possible negotiations will be determined by the sides' capabilities to continue the combat operations,' said Zvinchuk. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
View from Russia: Moscow celebrates Trump-Putin call as step towards normalising relations
Donald Trump's phone call with Vladimir Putin has been hailed by politicians and commentators in Moscow as a success, and a step towards normalising relations between the two superpowers. The leaders spoke for 90 minutes on Wednesday in a call the Kremlin described as 'very important', discussing a path to peace in the war in Ukraine. Dmitriy Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said: 'The current (US) administration, as we understand it, holds the view that everything should be done to stop the war and achieve peace.' Leonid Slutsky, the head of the international committee at the Russian State Duma, said the phone call 'has broken through the anti-Russian blockade of the West and launched the process of defrosting Russian-American contacts'. It was noted that the two leaders had invited each other to visit their countries. However, they are more likely to meet in a third country, such as Saudi Arabia. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's powerful security council, argued the call proved that any Western hopes of defeating Russia would never be achieved. 'There is not and cannot be a main country and a senior ruler of the planet,' Medvedev said. 'This lesson should be learned by the arrogant American elites.' Medvedev, the Kremlin's hawkish mouthpiece, blamed Joe Biden's administration for leading the world to the 'brink of apocalypse'. It was the US who unilaterally decided to be the 'country-in-chief on our planet' and began a 'hybrid war against our people', he added. 'Impossible to bring us to our knees' Medvedev, a former president of Russia, said none of the US leaders of the past tried to sanction Soviet leaders during crises and that they 'kept lines of communication open'. He added: 'It is impossible to bring us to our knees. And the sooner our opponents realise this, the better.' Vladimir Solovyov, Putin's chief propagandist on Russian TV, also celebrated the call during his show on Wednesday, saying it ended the 'narrative' about Russian isolation. Opening the programme, Solovyov said Mr Trump did not mention anything about Russia being aggressive, provocative, or unjust. He added the US president did not mention 'anything scary or anything about military criminals', and that he spoke very respectfully and calmly. Russia-US relations hit rock bottom in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, and the US implemented economic and personal sanctions in response to Russia's actions. Mr Biden refused to talk with Putin, saying he had 'no good reason' to. Peskov, however, noted that the Trump settlement's future is unclear unless the 'first results of the joint work' are seen. On Thursday, Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's foreign intelligence service, said the work would be continued at the level of the heads of the state agencies, including law enforcement and special services. 'The order has been given,' Naryshkin said. 'Goodwill' exchange of prisoners On Wednesday, Russia released an American schoolteacher, Marc Fogel, who had spent three years in custody. The White House said that, in exchange, it would release Alexander Vinnik, a Russian Bitcoin criminal. According to reports, the prisoner swap included three other people who Belarus must free. It has been described by analysts as a goodwill gesture, laying the ground for cooperation. The excitement in the parliament and the media was not shared by Mikhail Zvinchuk, a pro-war blogger known as Rybar, who is wanted in the US with a $10 million reward for his capture. Zvinchuk pointed out that the sides' positions are different, and it is too early to be confident about the meeting between the leaders. 'The outcome of the possible negotiations will be determined by the sides' capabilities to continue the combat operations,' said Zvinchuk.
