Latest news with #Vladimir Putin
France 24
3 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Russia seeks to fine web users searching for content deemed 'extremist'
More than 5,000 entries are on the Russian justice ministry's list of "extremist materials", including songs praising Ukraine, blog posts by feminist rock band Pussy Riot and websites critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Deputies in the lower house State Duma backed the bill by 306 votes to 67 and the text will now be sent to Russia's upper house, where it is unlikely to face any major opposition. The legislation would impose fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($64) on anyone found to have deliberately searched for or gained access to material on the list. It was not clear how the bill would work in practice and whether internet service providers or websites would be responsible for monitoring violations. Russian authorities already block access to thousands of websites accused of hosting "extremist" content. If approved by Russia's upper house, the bill will be sent to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law. 'Something out of 1984' The legislation has drawn rare criticism from across Russia's political spectrum. A few hours before the vote, several activists and a journalist from Russian newspaper Kommersant were arrested for protesting against the bill outside the State Duma. Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin, who organised the protest, said the bill was like "something out of 1984" -- a reference to George Orwell's novel about a totalitarian superstate. "This law punishes thought crimes," he told AFP. The bill was originally about tightening regulation over shipping clerks but evolved as lawmakers covertly inserted amendments, later spotted by the media. Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said the legislation was aimed at "those trying to destroy and ruin" Russia using the internet. But others, including the head of a state-sponsored internet safety watchdog, have warned that the legislation could have broader ramifications. The editor-in-chief of pro-Kremlin broadcaster Russia Today, Margarita Simonyan, said the legislation would make it impossible to investigate and expose extremist groups. The bill would also ban advertising for virtual private networks (VPNs) and impose fines for transferring SIM cards to another person, both ways of browsing with more privacy. © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Don't expect miracles in new peace talks, Russia warns
Russia has warned there will be no 'miracles' in a third round of direct peace talks with Ukraine set for Wednesday. Delegates from Kyiv and Moscow are due to meet in Istanbul, but the sides remain far apart on how to end the war started by Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion on Feb 24, 2022. Hopes therefore remain low that Ukraine and Russia will make any progress towards stopping the fighting, despite US efforts to push the peace process forward. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, has praised previous talks in Istanbul, but a Kremlin spokesman has moved to dampen expectations - Pavel Bednyakov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images 'There is no reason to expect any breakthroughs in the category of miracles – it is hardly possible in the current situation,' said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman. 'We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning.' Mr Peskov also declined to give any indication of a possible timeline to reach an agreement to end the war. Ukrainian and Western officials have accused the Kremlin of stalling the talks in order for its bigger army to capture more Ukrainian land. Russia currently holds about 20 per cent of Ukraine. Russia's approach – setting low expectations – comes just one day after Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, renewed his offer to meet directly with Putin to negotiate a ceasefire, and expressed interest in speeding up the talks. 'Ukraine never wanted this war, and it is Russia that must end the war that it itself started,' Mr Zelensky posted online. The talks will be the third direct round of such meetings. Rustem Umerov, the secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, will lead the delegation on behalf of Kyiv. Moscow has not yet announced who it will send. 'The agenda from our side is clear: The return of prisoners of war, the return of the children abducted by Russia, and the preparation of a leaders' meeting,' Mr Zelensky said, outlining priorities for the talks. The earlier Istanbul talks in May and June led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war, and the remains of fallen soldiers – but no real breakthrough on a peace agreement in a war that has been grinding on for three and a half years. Mr Zelensky has insisted that lower-level delegations will not be as effective as a face-to-face meeting between the two countries' leaders, but Putin has repeatedly rejected the idea – even as Donald Trump last week threatened to slap Russia with new sanctions if a peace deal is not agreed in 50 days, a period that will expire on Sept 2. Demands from both sides remain far apart – particularly on the issue of returning occupied Ukrainian territory. The Kremlin has made clear that it wants Ukraine to give up the regions that Moscow claims have been integrated into Russia. Russia also wants promises that Ukraine will not be allowed to join Nato, to limit the size of the Ukrainian military, and to recognise Russian as an official language in Ukraine. Ukrainian and Russian representatives first met in Istanbul in May, with proceedings overseen by Hakan Fidan, the Turkish foreign minister - Arda Kucukkaya/Turkish Foreign Ministry via Reuters But such demands have already been rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies. The Trump administration has pushed for an unconditional ceasefire before more substantial talks on a final has agreed to this, but Russia has refused unless certain conditions are met. Russia and Ukraine are continuing to launch attacks at each other's cities as they prepare for the talks. Russian forces attacked Ukrainian cities in three regions overnight on Monday, killing a child and injuring at least 40 others, officials said. And in a statement on Russia's Telegram channel, it has said that its forces took control of the village of Novotoretske in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. Ukraine also launched an attack against Russia using long-range drones. The defence ministry in Moscow said that its air defences shot down 35 such drones overnight, including three over the capital. 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.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Fears new Russia-Ukraine talks are ALREADY doomed to fail as bleak Kremlin assessment risks ‘p****d off' Trump's wrath
RUSSIA and Ukraine will hold peace talks in Istanbul tomorrow following Donald Trump's stern warning to warmonger Vladimir Putin. Any hopes for a breakthrough continue to appear bleak as Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned the enemies remained "diametrically opposed". 8 8 8 And fears still linger that Putin may - yet again - make impossible demands and play for time while continuing his 'meatgrinder' assaults and attacks on civilians. Trump has given the tyrant until August 1 to strike a ceasefire deal or face crippling tariff sanctions after authorising a major arms boost for Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a new round of negotiations will take place in Turkey involving envoys from both sides. Zelensky said he had authorised his security council chief Rustem Umerov to stage the third crucial meeting following failed attempts at peace in May and June. He said discussions would centre on 'preparations for a prisoner exchange and another meeting in Turkey with the Russian side". A senior Ukrainian source said talks could also begin working towards a possible historic meeting between Zelensky and Putin. But Kremlin spokesman Peskov downplayed the likelihood of reaching any concrete outcome anytime soon. Peskov said: "A lot of diplomatic work lies ahead." Last week, US president Trump vented his frustration with Putin, declaring he was "disappointed" but "not done" with the Russian tyrant. He imposed a 50-day deadline on the despot as he ordered Putin agree to peace talks so the conflict can finally be resolved. Instead of agreeing, a snarling Putin declined and ramped up his ground and aerial offensives across Ukraine. A child was killed early today when a Russian glide bomb hit an apartment block in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, local officials said. Six areas of the capital Kyiv also came under a combined drone and missile attack. Ukrainian forces said they had pushed back more than 50 attacks in the besieged city of Pokrovsk on the eastern frontline. Russian sabotage squads have already tried to enter the city but had been driven out, Ukraine's military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi said. Late on Monday, a kindergarten was destroyed by one of Putin's missiles in another ruthless strike that laid bare the tyrant's war on Ukraine's children. The missile slammed into the building in Kyiv — leaving a gaping crater where toddlers once played and naptime beds buried under dust. The strike was a part of a 10-hour Russian aerial blitz that saw 426 drones and 24 missiles hurled across Ukraine overnight. 8 8 8 And it marked the second time in three days that NATO fighter jets were scrambled in response to the bombardments. Ukrainian officials said at least 15 people were injured, including a 12-year-old boy, in the barrage. The strikes came amid growing fears that Putin is preparing for an even deadlier chapter in this war. According to German Major General Christian Freuding, Moscow is plotting a mass drone assault involving 2,000 Shahed drones, in a bid to overwhelm Ukraine's already strained air defences. The general warned: 'We have uncovered worrying intelligence… [Russia is] significantly expanding its weapons production capacity.' Chilling footage aired on Russian state TV showed teenagers working in a so-called 'drone death factory,' with Moscow boasting about the 'huge, bright workshops' churning out kamikaze drones by the hundreds. A valiant Ukraine has hit back at the constant Russian aggression. Kyiv's own drone army valiantly struck Moscow for the fifth night in a row, wreaking havoc at major airports and delaying over 400 flights as Russia's defences scrambled to respond. 8 8
Fox News
9 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
'Trump has changed the game': NATO enters brave new era under pressure from US, Russia
The effects of both President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine on NATO have forced swift and potentially permanent changes in the alliance. Following last month's announcement that the majority of NATO's 32 members had agreed to increase defense spending to hit 5% of each nation's GDP, Trump drew headlines after he drastically changed his tone and declared the alliance was no longer a "rip-off." But his previously tough stance saw undeniable results in how the security group operates. "Trump has changed the game," Peter Doran, an expert on Russia, Ukraine, and transatlantic relations, and an adjunct senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said. "[Then] there's Vladimir Putin, who has clearly awakened the Europeans to the danger that Russia presents to them." Beginning in his first term, Trump made clear his resentment that only five NATO allies were meeting their 2% GDP defense spending pledges, and those criticisms rang loudly following his return to the campaign trail for the 2024 election amid Russia's war in Ukraine. Questions ran rampant over whether Trump would not only continue to provide strong U.S. support for Ukraine, but whether Washington would remain a reliable ally for Europe when confronted with the reality of a war-ready Russia. Though an increasing number of NATO nations began upping their defense spending commitments following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, several allies began pushing for changes before Trump even re-entered the White House. Trump not only threatened to remove troops from Europe and divert them to positions in Asia, but he suggested he might not come to the defense of a NATO ally should they be attacked, infamously saying at a February 2024 campaign event, "You don't pay your bills; you get no protection. It's very simple." "I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want," he said in regard to the threat of a Russian attack on a NATO nation. But his tough rhetoric appeared to yield results. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte — who has shared a good relationship with Trump — jokingly referred to Trump's geopolitical tendencies for unconventional statesmanship, particularly after he used the f-word in a fiery rant about a breakdown in the Iran-Israel ceasefire during last month's summit when he said, "Daddy has to sometimes use strong language." "Donald Trump's a real contrast to Joe Biden," Peter Rough, a senior fellow and the Director of the Hudson Institute's Center on Europe and Eurasia, told Fox News Digital. "Joe Biden, bear hugged the NATO allies to the point of smothering them with adoration, and that caused them, I think, to sit back and relax a little bit. "Donald Trump, by contrast, exposes the allies to just enough hostile power to encourage them to do more, but it doesn't expose them so much that it might invite a Russian attack," he added. "And I think that's the art of the deal, so to speak." But while experts agree it is unlikely that NATO nations would have stepped up their spending on defense even more without the pressure Trump put on them, Russian President Vladimir Putin's role in re-invigorating NATO cannot be ignored. "If Vladimir Putin and the Russians in the post-Cold War period had sought to engage Europe and chosen more of a democratic future, there might not be a NATO Alliance today," Rough said. "But Putin has given NATO a real reason to exist, and President Trump has done his part by… cajoling, pushing, nudging the allies." But not everyone is convinced that the changes NATO is undergoing are permanent. Mike Ryan, who formally served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy, told Fox News Digital he does not necessarily believe that the Trump and Putin presidencies have permanently changed the NATO alliance but said, "Both have energized and focused [the] allies." "But that's what happens in NATO when confronted with an external crisis," he added. Upon Trump's re-election there was increased concern about how the U.S. would be perceived by its allies, whether it was still considered a trusted partner or if it was returning to isolationist tendencies not seen since the lead up to World War II. "The answer is very clearly no," Doran argued. "If anything, Trump came back and did exactly the same thing he did in the first administration, and that was to remind the Europeans that they are chronically under-spending on defense. "If anything, Trump hasn't changed at all. It's the Europeans' awareness that they need to spend more, and they have responded positively to that challenge, and that is very encouraging," he added. Though Rough cautioned there is a balance to be maintained when putting such high pressure on U.S. allies. "Donald Trump's created a lot of anxiety in Europe, and it's important to convert that anxiety into policy wins," he said. "If that anxiety is allowed to linger or is exacerbated or made worse, then one could see some European states push more for so-called strategic autonomy, or a separation from the U.S. "But if that anxiety translates to… real policy victories and partnerships with Europe, then I think it can be a healthy thing," Rough said.
Al Arabiya
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Russia on Ukraine peace talks: Do not expect miracles
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that there was no basis to expect miracles from a proposed third round of direct Russian-Ukrainian peace talks, and declined to give any time frame for a potential agreement to end the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Kyiv has sent Moscow an offer to hold another round of peace talks in Turkey this week, and that he wants to speed up negotiations for a ceasefire. 'There is no reason to expect any breakthroughs in the category of miracles - it is hardly possible in the current situation,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. 'We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning.' Asked if he could give a sense of how the Kremlin saw the potential time frame of a possible peace agreement, Peskov said he could give no guidance on timing. 'There is a lot of work to be done before we can talk about the possibility of some top-level meetings,' Peskov added, a day after Zelenskyy renewed a call for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
