The Russian president spoke about a wide range of topics at the Eurasian Economic Union summit on Friday

Moscow will no longer play a “one-sided game” with the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Union summit in Minsk on Friday.

During his press conference, Putin fielded questions on a wide range of issues, including the state of the economy, sanctions, and negotiations with Ukraine.

Settlement of the Ukraine conflict

Putin acknowledged that the roadmaps presented by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the second round of talks in Istanbul earlier this month were polar opposites. He said, however, that the talks were specifically held “to look for ways to bring [our positions] closer.”

He welcomed the ongoing prisoner swaps and the return of the remains of fallen soldiers agreed at the talks. According to Putin, Russia is ready to hand over the remains of some 3,000 Ukrainian troops, in addition to the 6,000 it has already returned. The president said Moscow is ready to continue negotiations.

“We are ready to hold such a meeting in Istanbul,” Putin stated, adding that the Russian and Ukrainian delegation leaders are “in constant contact.” He said he believes the next meeting should focus on discussing each side’s memorandums.

No more ‘one-sided’ games with NATO

When Western nations speak about Russia’s “aggressiveness,” they are “turning everything upside down,” Putin said, referring to NATO members’ pledge to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.

According to Putin, NATO had “blatantly lied” in the early 1990s when it promised not to expand eastward. He accused the alliance of constantly ignoring Russia’s security concerns, particularly its warnings that NATO’s expansion toward Russian borders would be viewed as a threat.

“That is what aggressive behavior looks like,” he said, adding that Moscow is done playing “one-sided” games with the West.

The president reiterated that Russia has no plans to attack NATO and intends to reduce defense spending over the next three years.

NATO denies ever making commitments not to expand and insists it poses no threat to Russia.

Western Europe ‘about to drop dead’

Russia is currently spending 6.3% of its GDP on defense, which is “a lot,” Putin said. He acknowledged that the nation “has paid for it with inflation,” but added that the government maintains a “level-headed approach” to the issue.

The difference, he argued, is that Russia is supporting its own defense industry, while NATO members in Europe are buying weapons from the US.

Still, the Russian economy has grown by more than 4% for two years in a row, while growth in the euro area has been just 0.9%, he noted. Putin claimed that France and Germany are “on the brink of recession.”

“They’re about to drop dead, yet they’re still trying to write our obituary,” he said.

Ban on Russian oil trade will be unenforceable

Putin reiterated that sweeping restrictions have failed to hinder Russia’s growth. He expressed confidence that tougher sanctions on Russian oil exports – currently being discussed in the EU and US – will not change the situation.

“The world is consuming ever-increasing volumes of oil and petrochemicals as the global economy grows,” he said, adding that a ban on Russian oil will be “de facto impossible” to enforce.

Trump is a ‘courageous man’

Putin said he has “deep respect” for US President Donald Trump, describing him as a “courageous man” who has endured “hardships, difficulties, and dangers.” He added that Moscow welcomes the Trump administration’s efforts to help resolve the Ukraine conflict.

The president did not rule out a future meeting with Trump, saying Russia would welcome the return of American companies to its market.

The US president accused the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader of ingratitude for claiming to have won the standoff with Israel

US President Donald Trump has announced having halted plans to potentially ease sanctions on Iran, criticizing the Islamic Republic’s leadership for claiming victory in its recent standoff with Israel.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday declared that Iran had triumphed over Israel and the US following 12 days of direct military hostilities. The confrontation began when Israel killed senior Iranian commanders and targeted its nuclear sites. The exchange of long-range strikes culminated in the US intervening with the use of bunker-busting bombs on Iran’s fortified Fordow facility and two other locations.

In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump – who had backed Israel’s campaign – accused Khamenei of “blatantly and foolishly” declaring victory, calling the statement “a lie” and insisting it was “not so.” 

He said he had been working in recent days on the possible removal of “biting” US sanctions but reversed course after hearing Khamenei’s remarks.

“Instead, I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more,” he wrote.

Trump, who had earlier claimed that Khamenei would be “an easy target,” insisted he knew the supreme leader’s exact location during the war but refused to authorize a strike.

“I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, “THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!” he wrote.

He added that he had personally intervened to block a major Israeli airstrike that would have killed “many Iranians,” describing it as “the biggest attack of the War, by far.”

Khamenei had earlier claimed that Iran’s retaliatory strikes left Israel “practically knocked out and crushed,” forcing the US to step in to defend its ally.

Israel launched a series of airstrikes on June 13 targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites, as well as senior commanders and nuclear scientists, in what it described as a mission to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons, maintaining its nuclear activities are peaceful. It has repeatedly criticized the US sanctions as illegal and unjustified.

The Trump administration moved to restrict Iran’s oil trade as part of its “maximum pressure” campaign reimposed after Washington’s withdrawal in 2018 from the 2015 nuclear deal. Last month, Trump warned that countries buying Iranian oil or petrochemicals would face secondary sanctions.

Moscow denounced the US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran as “illegitimate” and a violation of international law. Commenting on the ceasefire announced by Trump on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that it “can and should be welcomed.” Moscow hopes it “proves to be sustainable,” he added.

Allies are reportedly put off by Trump’s coercive rhetoric and rapprochement with Russia

European NATO members have expressed growing unease about increasing their reliance on US weapons amid a sweeping rearmament push, Bloomberg has reported on Friday.

During a summit in The Hague this week, NATO states committed to raising military spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 to counter what they described as a “long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security” – a claim that Moscow has repeatedly denied.

Concerns have reportedly emerged about deepening dependence on the American defense industry, particularly under the leadership of President Donald Trump. According to Bloomberg, leaders fear they could be exposed to greater risks, especially in light of Trump’s efforts to improve ties with Russia and past threats to annex allied territory. Boosting reliance on US arms has become “an increasingly hard sell at home,” the outlet noted.

French President Emmanuel Macron has long championed the idea of securing greater defense autonomy for European NATO states, urging the development of a self-sufficient military industrial base.

Canada, a key NATO ally, is reportedly reconsidering its involvement in the US-led F-35 fighter jet program and may switch to Swedish alternatives. “We should no longer send three-quarters of our defense capital spending to America,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated earlier this month.

Copenhagen has also displayed some resistance, telling Washington that American arms deals have become “politically difficult” given Trump’s suggestion that the US annex Greenland, which is currently controlled by Denmark, Bloomberg reported.

Unease in the alliance has also been stoked by Trump’s move to cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine earlier this year. According to unnamed officials cited by Bloomberg, this decision “alarmed allies,” as it raised concerns over how much control the US might wield over weapons exports in the event of a crisis.

Nevertheless, a lack of viable domestic alternatives continues to bind European nations to US suppliers, according to the outlet. Decades of underinvestment have left Europe’s defense manufacturing capacity underdeveloped. As a result, countries will likely keep buying American equipment to meet rearmament targets, particularly as stockpiles have been depleted by shipments of military aid to Ukraine.

Moscow has condemned the EU’s militarization trend and arms transfers to Kiev, characterizing the conflict as a NATO proxy war. President Vladimir Putin has dismissed NATO’s concerns of Russian aggression as “nonsense,” instead blaming the alliance’s expansion and “aggressive behavior” for escalating tensions.

The Russian president has hailed his US counterpart as a “courageous man” and commended his efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has “great respect” for US President Donald Trump and praised his counterpart’s efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

Speaking to reporters in Minsk on Friday after a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, Putin described Trump as “a courageous man,” who had overcome serious challenges to return to the White House, including surviving multiple assassination attempts.

“I have great respect for the current US president. He went through a very difficult, complicated, and even dangerous path to return to power and to the White House – we all know that well… He’s a courageous man – that’s clear,” Putin said.

He also commended Trump’s diplomacy in the Middle East, as well as his efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis. “We, of course, value all of that… I believe President Trump is sincerely striving to resolve” the conflict.

He expressed appreciation for Trump’s domestic and foreign policy initiatives, particularly highlighting his steps in the Middle East and “sincere commitment” to resolving the Ukrainian conflict.

Putin said Trump’s recent admission that dealing with the situation was tougher than he had expected came as no surprise. “It’s one thing to observe from the sidelines and quite another to dive into the problem.”

Asked whether it was time for a face-to-face meeting, Putin said, “I am always open to contact, to meetings… and we would be happy to work on making that happen.” He observed that Trump had also expressed interest, while noting that both leaders believed such meetings should be properly prepared and lead to tangible progress in cooperation.

“Thanks to President Trump, relations between Russia and the US are beginning to level out, at least to some extent. Not everything has been resolved in terms of diplomatic relations, but the first steps have been taken, and we are moving forward,” he added.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has worked to rebuild ties with Moscow, which were largely severed under his predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump and Putin have had multiple phone conversations concerning the Ukraine conflict and broader bilateral issues.

The diplomatic push helped reboot direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which Kiev had abandoned back in 2022, reportedly at the behest of its Western backers.

The latest round in Istanbul earlier this month resulted in the largest prisoner exchange to date, as well as a pledge to continue dialogue.

Trump said this week that he would like to see an agreement with Russia that ends the hostilities.

Moscow has consistently reaffirmed its commitment to achieving a diplomatic resolution. Putin has said that Russia is ready to work with Kiev on drafting the document and emphasized that “eliminating the root causes” of the conflict “is what matters most to us.”

The full renovation of Russia’s Hermitage in St. Petersburg is expected to take several years

Russia’s State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg will undergo a full restoration of its entire architectural complex, including the iconic imperial Winter Palace, museum director Mikhail Piotrovsky has announced.

The large-scale effort is expected to span several years and will involve detailed scientific and architectural planning, he said at a press conference on Thursday.

“We are embarking on another major task. We need to restore the entire complex of Hermitage buildings again. A long time has passed since all this was done last,” Piotrovsky said.

10 facts about Russias astounding Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg

The word “Hermitage” is translated from French as “place of solitude.”

The Hermitage is among the top five most visited museums in our country and the top twenty most popular museums in the world.

In Russia,… pic.twitter.com/hDgjgXGsnF

— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) April 20, 2025

The head of construction and restoration, Sergey Makarov, said the work will start with the Winter Palace, which has served as the museum’s main building since 1917, and the Hermitage Theater.

“We are currently preparing plans for a major restoration of the main museum building. We need to restore the facades, several halls, parquet floors, which are very worn out,” he said, citing high visitor traffic, especially during peak tourist seasons. Makarov added that the theater’s renovation will be completed as quickly as possible to minimize disruption.

State Hermitage Museum 🇷🇺
متحف هيرميتاج في سان بطرسبرغ pic.twitter.com/8hIhKFnft7

— Ali Alamiri (@alamiri555) June 4, 2025

Catherine the Great began assembling the Hermitage’s art collection in 1764, initially for private royal use.

In 1852, Tsar Nicholas I opened part of the collection to the public with the inauguration of the New Hermitage building, which became Russia’s first museum purpose-built to display art. Today, the Hermitage ranks among the world’s most visited museums.

Major restorations last took place in the late 20th century and continued into the early 2000s, including upgrades to the General Staff Building and the Small Hermitage. The museum recently completed the restoration of the facades of the Menshikov Palace, a historic building dating to the era of Peter the Great.

To realize their full trade potential, African nations must address existing barriers and disjointed customs regulations

In April, US President Donald Trump implemented new tariff policies, imposing a maximum of 50% on goods entering America from African countries. They previously enjoyed free access benefits from the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which, according to the Center for Global Development, used to provide sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to over 7,000 products.

In 2023, the Office of the US Trade Representative reported that the US imported goods worth $9.7 billion under the AGOA, with South Africa ($14.0 billion), Nigeria ($5.7 billion), Ghana ($1.7 billion), Angola ($1.2 billion), and Cote d’Ivoire ($948 million) being Africa’s biggest exporters.

But with a 10% universal tariff now imposed on all African nations, experts believe the AGOA may have come to an end. However, the same experts also say Africa’s market of 1.4 billion people can serve as the best response to external economic shocks caused by Trump’s trade tariffs.

Dr. Francis Owusu, a trade economist at the University of Ghana, notes that with the new tariffs, “Trump not only made AGOA lame, but also prepared it for eventual death.”

“There is no way AGOA will be beneficial to African countries with the new tariffs in place. It makes no sense at all,” Dr. Owusu said. “Trump’s tariff policy rendered AGOA meaningless.” 

‘Trump did Africa a big favor’

Dr. Owusu says that, instead of lamenting over Trump’s tariff actions, African leaders must breathe life into the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

“What Africa needs is regional trade and economic resilience. With a population and market of over one billion people, African leaders must shift focus and use regional instruments like AfCFTA to build and insulate the continent’s economy,” he told RT.

According to the expert, by imposing new trade tariffs on African exports, “Trump did Africa a big favor.”

Launched in 2021, the AfCFTA boasts an estimated combined GDP of $3.4 trillion and a market of 1.4 billion people, making it the world’s largest free trade area by number of participating countries. 

But despite the existence of the AfCFTA, intra-African trade remains below par. As of April 2025, it accounted for only 18% of total continental trade.

According to Afreximbank’s Africa Trade Report 2024, intra-African trade in 2023 was $192.2 billion, a 3.2% increase from the previous year. In the same year, the share of formal intra-African trade increased from 13.6% in 2022 to 14.9%. Projections by the UN Economic Commission show that a full implementation of the AfCFTA could push intra-African trade to 35% by 2045.

‘Africa should stop prioritizing trade deals with Europe and the US’

Faith Atieno, a trade policy analyst with Kenya’s Institute of Economic Affairs, argues that a lack of political will and trust among member states has hampered the full implementation of the AfCFTA.

“Africa must address existing structural barriers and disjointed customs regulations if it wants to realize its full trade potential,” Atieno told RT.

She added that to unlock its dormant trade power, the continent should also invest in the enhancement of its industrial capacity and logistics infrastructure.

“For AfCFTA to succeed, Africa must start trading as a continent and invest in regional value chains. Member states must stop prioritizing trade deals with Europe and the US,” she said.

According to Atieno, there is no reason why a country like Kenya cannot export its textiles and horticultural products to countries like Nigeria, Egypt, and Ghana. “Why should African nations continue having trade barriers among themselves when they can all benefit from this ripe and huge market?” 

‘Regional integration must now move from theory to reality’

In the wake of Trump’s actions, African countries are taking insulating measures. In Nigeria, the Export Promotion Council has already announced a new policy to ease bureaucratic barriers and enhance intra-African trade for its textiles, cocoa, and pharmaceutical products.

Regarded as Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria is among the member states that have lagged in the implementation of the AfCFTA.

On the other hand, Ghana, through the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, is prioritizing intra-African trade in the implementation of the National Export Development Strategy, which aims to create a $25 billion export economy by 2029.

Yodit Hailemariam, a development economist based in Addis Ababa, says Africa’s trade and economic future rests in regional integration.

“As a continent, we have a promising future. Regional integration must now move from theory to reality. Regional blocs must start aligning their industrial and trade policies for intra-African trade to be effective and beneficial,” she told RT. “For AfCFTA to succeed, we will need strong and powerful regional and continental value chains.”

Afreximbank already has a $2 billion Intra-African Trade Resilience Fund to help exporters build continental logistics hubs to boost intra-continental trade.

And with the African Union set to host an emergency trade summit in August 2025 in Nairobi to discuss unified responses to global trade shocks, Dr. Owusu says Trump’s tariffs on African countries are a “statement of economic freedom and independence for the continent.”

A 2022 research report published by the World Bank Group forecasted that full implementation of the AfCFTA could lift at least 50 million Africans out of extreme poverty by 2035.

Wamkele Mene, who heads the AfCFTA secretariat, says that to fully benefit from the protocol, member states need to focus on innovation and economic development, which requires the integration of government, industry, and academia to foster innovation and economic development. 

“We urgently must address existing challenges to continental trade, enhance trade capabilities and develop sector-specific technologies,” Mene said. “What we need are policies that promote intra-African trade and cooperation, tax incentives as a catalyst for propelling Africa towards greater economic integration.”

Mene says that through the AfCFTA, Africa has a chance to accelerate the realization of the African Union Agenda 2030 goals and try to establish a sustainable economic foundation for future generations.

Such attacks could pose a danger to people all over the globe, the Belarusian leader has said

The US and Israel have brazenly violated a host of international agreements by striking Iranian nuclear facilities, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said. He warned that consequences of such actions could have been catastrophic.

Israel launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure on June 13, a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution declaring Iran to be in breach of its Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) obligations – something that Tehran has denied. Last week, the US carried out airstrikes targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities as well.

“The recent strikes on the Iranian nuclear facilities under the control of the IAEA are violating the norms of the international law in the most dangerous way,” the Belarusian leader told a summit of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) on Friday.

Minsk is particularly aware of the potential consequences of such actions, the president said, citing the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which caused vast territories to be contaminated with radioactive materials thrown into the atmosphere following an explosion at a Soviet nuclear power plant.

“Radioactive fallout was registered even in the UK, Germany and Sweden at the time,” Lukashenko noted. The US and Israel apparently believe they would be spared the same fate for some reason.

The president also expressed his support to Iran and its people, wishing them to “overcome all the difficulties” caused by the attacks. “I want you to know that you are not alone in your resistance.” 

His words came a day after Moscow said that Washington’s and West Jerusalem’s actions dealt “colossal damage” to the IAEA and put its very credibility in question. An agency responsible for the global verification system for various nation’s nuclear activities was used “as a source of information for planning the bombing,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at the time.

The attacks posed “real obstacles” to implementing agreements between the IAEA and Tehran, she warned. The Iranian Parliament has voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA until Iran is given security guarantees for its nuclear facilities.

Western nations have supported separatism and terrorism as long as it is directed against Russia, the president has said

Russia will no longer play “one-sided” games with the West, President Vladimir Putin has told journalists on the sidelines of the summit of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in Minsk. Western nations have repeatedly betrayed Russia by not fulfilling their promises related to NATO expansion and resolving the Ukraine conflict, he stated at a press conference on Friday.

NATO is currently justifying its planned defense spending hike to 5% of its members’ GDP and military buildup in Europe by pointing to Russia’s “aggressiveness,” Putin said, adding that the bloc’s members are “turning everything upside down” when they make statements such as these.

“No one is saying a word about how we’ve come up to the Russian special military operation,” the president said, adding that the roots of the Ukraine conflict go back decades when Moscow was “blatantly lied to” about NATO expansion. “What followed was one expansion wave after another,” he stated.

Russia’s security concerns about the bloc’s activities have been consistently ignored and met with silence, according to Putin. “Isn’t it aggressive behavior? That is precisely aggressive behavior, which the West does not want to pay attention to.”

According to the president, Western nations have supported separatism and even terrorism as long as it is directed against Russia. Terrorist groups were outright ignored if they acted on Russian territory, he claimed. “Everything was good as long as it was against Russia. Haven’t we seen this? They [the West] saw it as well. Yet, they only talk about our aggressiveness.”

We are not aggressive. The Collective West is.

The president’s words came just days after the NATO summit in The Hague, where the bloc’s members made a commitment to hike defense spending to 5% of GDP annually by 2035. The decision was made “in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security,” the summit’s statement said.

Russia has said it considers NATO expansion towards its borders to be a major national security threat, and cited Kiev’s ambitions to join the US-led bloc among the key reasons that led to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.

The suspensions were prompted by the Israel-Iran conflict

Russia and Iran have resumed direct flights following a temporary flight ban imposed by Moscow due to the conflict between Israel and Iran. Flights have also been resumed between Russia and Iraq and Jordan.

Major global carriers, including Lufthansa, Emirates, and Air France-KLM, also rerouted or canceled flights to avoid the airspaces of Israel, Iran, Jordan, and Iraq. Some 650 flights were scrapped during the period of hostilities between Israel and Iran, according to Eurocontrol, a pan-European air traffic organization.

In a statement on Friday, Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said it had lifted the ban on flights over Iran, Iraq, and Jordan following a “continuous analysis” of the risks to civil aviation in the region.

“Rosaviatsia continues to monitor the situation in the Middle East,” the agency said. “If there are any significant changes, airlines will be promptly informed.” 

The first post-ban arrival from Iran touched down at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on Friday. The Mahan Air flight had departed from the northeastern city of Mashhad. A return flight left at noon.

Russian flagship carrier Aeroflot has also resumed sales of tickets to Tehran. The first flight is scheduled for July 4. The route will operate three times a week.

Israel launched a series of airstrikes on June 13 targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites, as well as senior commanders and nuclear scientists, in what it described as a mission to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The US later joined Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Iran, which denies that it is pursuing nuclear weapons, condemned what it called unprovoked attacks and retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones at Israeli cities.

A US-brokered ceasefire has since come into effect and has so far held, with both sides claiming victory.

The presence of F-35s in Estonia would be considered a direct threat, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

Russia sees Estonia’s willingness to host nuclear-capable NATO aircraft as a direct threat to its security, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Responding to recent remarks made by Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur welcoming such deployments, Peskov warned that the presence of F-35 fighter jets in the Baltic region would be considered a serious provocation. He criticized Tallinn’s stance as “absurd,” adding that relations with Moscow “can hardly get any worse.”

Pevkur told local media that F-35s, which are capable of being equipped with nuclear weapons, “have already been in Estonia and will soon return again in rotation,” and expressed the country’s readiness to accommodate allied forces using such aircraft.

The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have hosted NATO fighter rotations since joining the military bloc in 2004. Their airspace is patrolled by allied aircraft due to limited domestic capabilities. NATO’s eastern expansion has long been a point of contention for Russia, which accuses the West of breaking post-Cold War assurances.

During this week’s NATO summit in The Hague, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed the planned purchase of at least 12 F-35A jets, thus restoring the UK’s airborne nuclear deterrent for the first time since the 1990s.

Although the US, UK, and France are the only official nuclear powers within NATO, American nuclear weapons remain stationed in several non-nuclear allied countries. Moscow claims that US-led training of NATO pilots for nuclear missions violates the spirit of non-proliferation agreements.

Citing the need to counter rising threats from NATO near its borders, Russia deployed tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus and held joint drills with Belarusian forces last year.

Refugee status is being denied on grounds that people can relocate to safer parts of Ukraine, according to the newspaper

The UK has begun turning down asylum claims from Ukrainians, asserting that applicants can safely relocate to other parts of Ukraine, the Guardian has reported.

A London-based legal firm told the newspaper on Friday that it receives weekly inquiries from Ukrainians whose refusal letters commonly state that they do not meet the threshold for persecution under the Refugee Convention, as applicants are deemed able to relocate to safer parts of Ukraine.

The letters also cite the availability of public services in Ukraine and suggest that seeking help from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and local organizations.

The firm noted that the growing number of refusals was linked to updates made in January to the UK Home Office’s guidance, which now identifies regions such as Kiev and western Ukraine as “generally safe.”

Refugee status in the UK grants recipients five years of residency with access to work, benefits, healthcare, housing support, and family reunification.

The UK also offers temporary visas through the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Family schemes, allowing stays of up to 18 months. As of March 2025, over 270,000 visas had been issued.

A Home Office spokesperson told the Guardian that the UK has offered or extended sanctuary to over 300,000 Ukrainians since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022. The ministry emphasized that asylum claims are assessed individually and noted that the Homes for Ukraine scheme remains open.

Several million Ukrainians have fled their country over the past three years. According to Eurostat data, around 4.3 million had been granted temporary protection in the EU as of March 2025. Russia, meanwhile, reported that 5.5 million people had arrived from Ukraine by the end of 2023.

The outflow has been driven not only by the ongoing conflict but also by increasingly aggressive mobilization tactics used by the Ukrainian military. These efforts have led to violent confrontations between draft officers and those resisting conscription, with male Ukrainians risking criminal prosecution for fleeing the country.

London has committed billions in military assistance to Ukraine since 2022. Moscow has repeatedly accused the UK and its Western allies of using Ukraine as a “battering ram” against Russia and of pursuing the conflict “until the last Ukrainian.”

Draft memorandums by the sides on settling the conflict should be discussed at the next round of talks, the president has said

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow is prepared for a third round of negotiations with Kiev, adding that the talks should center on proposed agreements to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

The president made the remarks on Friday in Minsk, following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. Asked by reporters how the settlement process was progressing – and when a third round of talks with Ukraine might take place – Putin said the heads of both negotiating teams remain in constant contact, speaking regularly by phone.

He added that draft proposals from both Russia and Ukraine should form the basis of the next round of negotiations, the time and venue for which still need to be agreed on.

”These are two completely opposing documents. But that’s exactly what negotiations are for – to look for ways to bridge the gap. The fact that they’re polar opposites isn’t surprising in my view,” Putin said. ”I’d rather not go into details, because I believe it’s neither appropriate nor helpful to get ahead of the negotiations themselves.”

During the previous round of direct negotiations in Istanbul earlier this month, Russian and Ukrainian representatives exchanged draft memorandums outlining their respective visions for a road map toward a peace deal and agreed to exchange prisoners of war. Moscow also unilaterally decided to repatriate the bodies of slain Ukrainian troops as a humanitarian gesture.

Since then, Moscow has handed over 6,000 bodies to Kiev and is ready to return nearly 3,000 more, Putin said. “But it’s now up to the Ukrainian side to accept the remains of their fallen soldiers,” he added. ”We agreed that once this stage is completed, we would hold a third round of negotiations. Overall, we’re ready – we just need to agree on the time and place.”

Putin thanked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for supporting the negotiation process, saying he expects Ankara to maintain its stance. “We’re ready to hold the meeting in Istanbul,” he added.

The growth was primarily driven by flexible pricing and the availability of high-quality coal from Russian exporters

India increased its imports of Russian thermal coal to a two-year high of 1.3 million tons in May, business daily Kommersant reported on Friday. 

The growth was primarily driven by flexible pricing and high-quality coal from Russian exporters, the report said, adding that Russia now accounts for 7.5% of India's coal imports. India, which imported 9.8 million tons of Indonesian coal in May, is now looking to increase its imports of higher-grade Russian coal.

The South Asian nation’s total thermal coal imports rose by 10% in May to 17.4 million tons, the highest level since June 2024, Kommersant reported, citing data from BigMint. 

Favorable market conditions have prompted India to reduce its imports of lower-calorific-value Indonesian coal in favour of higher-grade Russian coal, which is offered at competitive prices, Nariman Taiketayev, Director of the Corporate Ratings Group at National Credit Ratings told the daily. 

Russian suppliers are also generally more amenable to flexible pricing and India's future demand for coal will depend on a combination of price dynamics and weather-related factors, he added. Evgeny Grachev, director of the Russian Centre for Price Indices, believes that Russian coal exporters most likely increased volumes of exports to India within the bounds of existing contracts.

He told Kommersant that the early onset of the rainy season will increase hydropower generation in India and “put pressure on thermal generation and coal consumption.” India, which is dependent on coal for 70% of its electricity needs, announced a record coal production of 1.04 billion tons in March. Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy has said that production should reach about 1.53 billion tons by 2030.

A Foreign Ministry official has pointed to an inconsistency between the “Russia threat” timeline and spending commitments

NATO expects a military conflict with Russia within the next five years yet plans to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP only by 2035, a timeline that Russian Foreign Ministry official Vladislav Maslennikov pointed out as contradictory during a Valdai Discussion Club session on Friday.   

At a summit held in The Hague this week, members of the US-led bloc pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, citing what they described as the “long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security.” US President Donald Trump, who has consistently pressed European allies to take on more of the defense burden, welcomed the deal as a “monumental win.”

Maslennikov, who heads up the ministry’s Department for European Cooperation questioned how the bloc justifies a distant spending target while simultaneously anticipating a near-term confrontation.  

“It’s not just the logic that’s flawed — the arithmetic doesn’t add up either,” Maslennikov said. “If the public is being told that Russia is expected to launch an attack by 2030, then why is the European Union only aiming to be fully prepared by 2035? It doesn’t make much sense,” he argued. 

Another challenge NATO faces on defense policy is the lack of a unified stance among member states regarding dialogue with Russia, Maslennikov believes. While some EU nations see engagement as necessary, others advocate for cutting ties with Russia entirely.   

“Some want to rule out any possibility of future dialogue with us, while others acknowledge that, sooner or later, constructive engagement will be necessary – after all, geography cannot be changed,” Maslennikov said.  

According to the diplomat, the so-called “Russian threat” is a “highly convenient construct for NATO.” Moscow believes reversing this narrative will be difficult and it has no intention of making the first move toward restoring constructive engagement.  

“Much will depend on how our relationship with the United States evolves,” he stressed. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the rhetoric about the threat posed by Russia to NATO as an “inconceivable lie” used by Western governments to justify tax increases and the diversion of public funds to the military-industrial complex.    

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum last week, Putin warned that this kind of military posturing only escalates global tensions while diverting resources from social and economic needs.

Moscow has reported carrying out half a dozen group strikes on targets in Ukraine over the past week

Russian forces launched an overnight attack on a Ukrainian military airfield using high-precision weapons, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported on Friday. 

In a statement, the ministry announced that the group strike was carried out using long-range precision air-based weapons, including the Kinzhal ballistic hypersonic missile system, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles.  

The statement did not identify the specific location of the airfield or offer any assessment of the damage caused. 

Ukrainian and Russian media reports have suggested that the airfield in question is the Starokonstantinov air base in Khmelnytsky Region in western Ukraine.

The Defense Ministry has also reported that over the past week, Russian forces carried out a total of six group strikes using high-precision weapons and drones. 

According to the statement, the targets included “defense industry enterprises of Ukraine, fuel and energy facilities, port infrastructure supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces, air defense radar stations, ammunition and fuel depots, mine and torpedo weapon arsenals, production workshops, storage and launch sites for UAVs, military airfields, and temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations, nationalists, and foreign mercenaries.”

Russian and Ukrainian media outlets have reported that explosions were heard overnight in Kiev and the surrounding region, while air defense sirens were activated in Dnepropetrovsk, Odessa, and eight regions in western Ukraine, including Lviv, Rivne, and Ivano-Frankovsk.

Russia carried out several other high-precision attacks this week. On Monday, the Defense Ministry reported strikes on two Ukrainian military training sites using Iskander missiles. 

The same day, Moscow also reported launching a large strike on several Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises in Kiev Region, as well as a military airfield and an arsenal of mine-torpedo weapons used by the Ukrainian Navy.

Kiev claimed that the strikes hit a residential building, leading to several deaths. However, it has not been established whether the damage was caused by a direct hit or by debris from shot-down missiles and drones. 

Officials in Moscow maintain that all strikes are aimed strictly at military objectives and deny targeting civilian infrastructure.

Intelligence reports differ as the IAEA says the fuel could have been moved before the attacks, the outlet says

US intelligence officials are divided over the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile following recent US and Israeli airstrikes on key nuclear facilities, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

The hostilities began on June 13 when Israel launched strikes on Iran, claiming Tehran was close to developing a nuclear bomb – which has been denied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and US intelligence.

The US joined the campaign on June 22, striking several nuclear facilities. A ceasefire brokered by Washington came into effect on Tuesday and has so far been upheld.

US President Donald Trump has said the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. However, US intelligence assessments and international watchdogs reportedly suggest that while the facilities were damaged, Iran’s capability to resume its nuclear program remains.

US officials said intelligence assessments on the status of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile are inconsistent, with differing views among Iranian officials contributing to the uncertainty, according to the outlet.

Parts of the Natanz nuclear facility, where some of the uranium was believed to be stored, were damaged but not destroyed in the US and Israeli airstrikes, the report said, citing US officials.

Due to limited access and conflicting assessments, the US intelligence community has not reached a firm conclusion about how much of

the material Iran has retained, people familiar with the findings told the NYT.

Following a classified Senate briefing on Thursday, several Republican lawmakers stressed that destroying or seizing the stockpile was not an objective of the strikes.

“I didn’t want people to think the problem is over, because it’s not,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters, noting that the nuclear sites were significantly damaged.

There is also uncertainty over the original location of Iran’s uranium stockpile. Trump said it was at Fordow, while others pointed to Natanz. The IAEA reported that most of it was stored at Isfahan, where Iran operates reactors and nuclear facilities. Some experts believe the stockpile was dispersed across multiple sites.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Iranian officials told inspectors they would relocate the material if it was threatened. The uranium was stored in containers small enough to fit “into the trunk of an ordinary car,” he added.

In the days leading up to the US missile strike on Isfahan, surveillance reportedly shows vehicles moving items into or out of the labs.

Grossi said this week he believes much of the uranium remains in Iran’s hands. “I don’t know if they moved all of it,” he said. “But the evidence points to their moving out a lot of it.”

 

The African state is seeking to host up to 20 Russian vessels in its waters, according to Moscow’s Federal Agency for Fisheries

Sierra Leone’s government is prepared to grant Russian fishing operators an annual catch quota of 40,000 tons, along with investment incentives aimed at boosting bilateral cooperation in the sector, the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) has announced.

The agency said the move was discussed during the inaugural session of the Russian-Sierra Leone Fisheries Commission held in Freetown, the capital of the West African country.

“The country [Sierra Leone] is interested in attracting up to 20 vessels to work in its exclusive economic zone,” Rosrybolovstvo wrote on its official Telegram channel.

According to the statement, scientists from the two countries previously conducted marine biology research to assess the biomass and distribution of small pelagic fish species as part of the Great African Expedition launched by Rosrybolovstvo last August.

The two sides are expected to launch detailed negotiations on operations in Sierra Leonean waters once research data is processed and interest by fishing companies in specific fish stocks and other marine resources is evaluated.

Rosrybolovstvo added that the African country is also seeking cooperation with Moscow on port development, fleet modernization, and investment in coastal refrigeration and oversight systems.

Russia’s engagement in Africa has intensified in recent years, with several nations seeking joint projects with Moscow in defense, energy, education, and trade. The Kremlin has declared strengthening ties with the continent a top foreign-policy priority.

In January, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed plans for new embassies to be established in several African nations, including Sierra Leone. For now, the Consulate General in Freetown remains Russia’s primary diplomatic representation in the country.

A series of agreements have been signed in recent weeks between Russia and African countries, including peaceful nuclear energy cooperation deals with Burkina Faso and Mali covering infrastructure development and joint projects in healthcare and agriculture.

On Wednesday, TASS quoted Sierra Leonean ambassador to Russia Mohamed Yongawo as saying that his country seeks cooperation with Russian IT firms such as Yandex, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare. He reportedly made the remarks during a plenary session at the XVI International IT Forum in the central Russian city of Khanty-Mansiysk.

Ex-top General Valery Zaluzhny would win the presidency if Ukrainians were allowed to vote, data suggests

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky would lose a head-to-head presidential election against former armed forces commander Valery Zaluzhny if voting were held soon, according to a new poll by the Socis research group.

Zelensky suspended elections under martial law and chose not to step down after his presidential term expired last year. Zaluzhny, who was dismissed as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces in 2024 and later appointed ambassador to the UK, has long been seen as a leading rival.

The latest voter preferences were measured in a June survey by the Kiev-based polling agency Socis. The research, released on Wednesday, surveyed around 2,000 Ukrainians and indicated that Zelensky and Zaluzhny would advance to a runoff as the only candidates with double-digit support. However, nearly a quarter of respondents — 24.7% — said they were still undecided.

In a head-to-head, the former top general would receive more than 60% of the vote, according to the poll – a figure that aligns with prior sociological research.

Zaluzhny has not declared an intent to run, stating that Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia must be resolved first. When Socis asked voters whom they would support if their preferred candidate were not on the ballot, only 6.5% named Zelensky as their second choice, compared to 18.1% for Zaluzhny and 11.0% for Kirill Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency.

The poll also indicated that if Zaluzhny were to form a new political party, it would win the most votes in a parliamentary election – also hypothetical for now – defeating any party backed by Zelensky.

Respondents identified persistent corruption and misappropriation of public funds as the leading failure of the current government, with 65% citing the issue.

When asked who was responsible, 55.1% blamed “the entire government,” 40.3% pointed to law enforcement agencies charged with tackling corruption, and 31.2% assigned blame to the presidency, and by extension, to Zelensky.

Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom and a Malaysian delegation have discussed steps to deepen ties during high-level talks in Moscow

Russia and Malaysia have agreed to expand cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced, following high-level talks in Moscow on Friday. The meeting was attended by Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev and Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof.

The discussions focused on the use of Rosatom’s Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) technologies, according to a Rosatom press release.

“We value our collaboration and aim for a long-term strategic partnership based on mutual trust and shared objectives,” Fadillah, who is also Malaysia’s Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, stated at the meeting.

Likhachev said Malaysia is interested in Russian floating nuclear power stations, following Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to Russia last month.

“We offered [Malaysia] the entire spectrum: large and small stations, both land-based and floating. For various reasons, the Malaysians are choosing floating nuclear power plants with a capacity of 100 MW each,” he told Izvestia news outlet. “They can be created here in Russia and brought there fully operational.”

During their current visit, the Malaysian delegation toured the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant in St. Petersburg, one of Rosatom’s largest facilities, to observe Russia’s latest nuclear technologies and safety standards. They also visited the ATOM Pavilion at Moscow’s VDNKh – the country’s key nuclear science education hub, featuring more than 1,700 interactive exhibits.

Fadillah called the experience “eye-opening,” praising the pavilion as both a display of innovation and a center of historical awareness.

“This visit reinforced my belief that technology, when guided by knowledge, values and responsibility, can be a powerful driver for a future that is sustainable, innovative and globally competitive,” he wrote in a post on social media.

During his 5-day visit, Fadillah also held a bilateral meeting in Moscow with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksey Overchuk.