Tag Archives: Kremlin

Russia condemns French President’s offer to extend its nuclear umbrella

Zelensky Starmer Macron

Important Takeaways:

  • The Kremlin’s fury came hours after Macron, other EU leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Brussels for a landmark summit touted by participants as the start of a new era for European security.
  • The discussions in the Belgian capital demonstrated Europe’s recognition that its security is no longer guaranteed as leaders agreed measures to free up hundreds of billions of euros for military spending by loosening the bloc’s budget restrictions.
  • Following the summit, Macron told reporters he had been approached by several of his European counterparts who were interested in exploring the possibility of France sharing its nuclear deterrent.
  • He also confirmed that Paris would host ‘exploratory’ talks with EU defense chiefs starting on Tuesday about the possible deployment of European forces in Ukraine once a peace deal is signed.
  • The revelations, which came as French Mirage fighter jets were deployed by Ukraine’s air force for the first time to down Russian missiles and drones, led the Kremlin to deliver a venom-tongued retort to the French President.
  • Macron does not act very diplomatically,’ Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference yesterday, echoing similar comments made by Vladimir Putin.
  • ‘It was very strange to me to hear that Mr. Macron, in an aggressive manner, continuing the work of Napoleon, who wanted to conquer Russia.’
  • Earlier this week, Lavrov had chastised Macron for floating the idea of sharing France’s nuclear weapons with other European nations.
  • ‘Of course it is a threat against Russia. If he sees us as a threat… and says that it is necessary to use a nuclear weapon, is preparing to use a nuclear weapon against Russia, of course it is a threat,’ Lavrov declared.

Read the original article by clicking here.

End of Russia-Ukraine war? Three weeks into office Trump’s Administration to discuss high profile talks with Russia and Ukraine

Important Takeaways:

  • Rubio and other top U.S. officials arrive in Saudi Arabia ahead of discussions with Russian envoys on how to end the war in Ukraine
  • The talks would be “devoted primarily to restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations,” the Kremlin said, but would also involve preparations for negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement, Russian state news agency TASS said.
  • “We’re moving along,” President Trump told reporters in Florida on Sunday of the coming talks. “We’re trying to get peace with Russia, Ukraine, and we’re working very hard on it.”
  • Rubio, who was in Jerusalem over the weekend, is also expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday for discussions on the Middle East. The trip comes as Arab leaders have pushed back against Trump’s plan to move Palestinians out of Gaza, and the prospects for extending the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas remain in the balance.
  • The arrangements for the U.S.-Russia meeting were firmed up following a Friday call between Rubio and Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, which Moscow said was at the initiative of the Americans. The State Department said the two diplomats had discussed “the opportunity to potentially work together on a number of other bilateral issues.”
  • Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, a foreign-policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, were heading to Riyadh for the talks.
  • The rapid push to convene U.S.-Russian talks followed a call last week between Trump and Putin.
  • Trump said the conversation led him to believe Putin wants a settlement. “We spoke long and hard,” Trump said. “Steve Witkoff was with him for a very extended period, like about three hours. I think [Putin] wants to stop fighting.”
  • Zelensky said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Ukraine must be at the table and that it was important that European nations be represented as well.
  • The Trump administration’s Ukraine envoy, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, said at a security conference in Munich on Saturday that he didn’t foresee a direct role for European nations in the talks but that Ukraine would be at the negotiating table when formal peace talks are held.
  • Those comments alarmed European officials, who say that the outcome of the Ukraine war is a paramount concern for security on the continent.
  • French President Emmanuel Macron is set to host a meeting of European leaders on Monday to discuss the situation in Ukraine and European security. The meeting will include the leaders of Germany, Britain, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, as well as the secretary-general of NATO, among others.
  • In an article for a British daily newspaper Monday, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said for the first time that Britain was ready to put its own troops on the ground in Ukraine should it be necessary to guarantee that country’s security.
  • Trump on Sunday said Zelensky would be involved in the talks, though he didn’t say at what stage, and insisted that both the Ukrainian and Russian leaders wanted to end the war.
  • “They want to end it fast, both of them, and Zelensky wants to end it too,” he said.

Read the original article by clicking here.

With a little over 60 days left in office Biden green lights use of long-range missiles to strike inside Russian territory leading “to serious escalation”

Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Dickson / DVIDS

Important Takeaways:

  • The United States allowing its long-range tactical missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia for the first time would “inevitably lead to a serious escalation,” Kremlin figures warn after Washington D.C. appears to brief one of President Biden’s final acts in office will be to permit such attacks.
  • Russia warned of dire consequences if Ukraine used long-range U.S.-made ATACMS missiles to strike strategic targets deep inside the Federation, but also confidence it would be able to foil the attacks in the first place. The responses came after claims were published in the beltway-interest newspapers favored for leaks by the U.S. intelligence community at the weekend that U.S. President Joe Biden would permit Ukraine to use the American Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles to strike targets within Russia.
  • Until now, the system was permitted for Kyiv to strike Russian targets inside Ukraine, but deeper strikes inside Russia had been prohibited over fears using American weapons to directly attack the Russian Federation would lead to Russia treating the U.S. as a direct combatant in the conflict. Ukraine sees hitting Russia inside Russia as essential as it would theoretically allow them to destroy Russian weapons before they have a chance to join battle.

Read the original article by clicking here.

Former U.S. Officials held secret talks with Russians about ending war

Secret talks with Russia

Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Important Takeaways:

  • A group of former senior U.S. national security officials have held secret talks with prominent Russians believed to be close to the Kremlin — and, in at least one case, with the country’s top diplomat — with the aim of laying the groundwork for potential negotiations to end the war in Ukraine
  • In a high-level example of the back-channel diplomacy taking place behind the scenes, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with members of the group for several hours in April in New York, four former officials and two current officials told NBC News.
  • Among the goals, they said, is to keep channels of communication with Russia open where possible and to feel out where there might be room for future negotiation, compromise and diplomacy over ending the war.
  • The talks come amid mounting signs that the U.S. and its allies are eager to see Moscow and Kyiv move toward peace talks in the fall, after the completion of Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive.

Read the original article by clicking here.

USA was behind attack on Kremlin; Moscow says they reserve the right to retaliate

Kremlin

Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Important Takeaways:

  • Russia Claims US Behind Drone Attack on Kremlin
  • Russia accused the United States on Thursday of being behind what it says was a drone attack on the Kremlin intended to kill President Vladimir Putin.
  • Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the allegation in a briefing to reporters, saying Washington should be aware that Russia knew it was selecting the targets and Ukraine was merely implementing U.S. plans. He did not provide any evidence to support the claim of U.S. involvement.
  • Ukraine has denied involvement in the incident in the early hours of Wednesday, when video footage showed two flying objects approaching the Kremlin and one exploding with a bright flash.
  • The Kremlin has said it reserves the right to retaliate, but has not said what form this might take.

Read the original article by clicking here.

As Ukrainian President visits Washington, Kremlin warns US not to aggravate further conflict by sending weapons

Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Important Takeaways:

  • Kremlin warns more US arms shipments to Ukraine would mark ‘aggravation of the conflict’
  • The Kremlin on Wednesday warned that additional U.S. arms shipments to Kyiv would mark an “aggravation of the conflict.”
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is slated to visit Washington on Wednesday, when President Biden will meet with him and announce an additional roughly $2 billion in assistance for the country.
  • The package will include Patriot Missile Batteries, which can generally operate with a maximum range of 100 miles and help target ballistic and cruise missiles.
  • Ukraine for weeks has asked for more advanced air defense systems as the country faces a barrage of strikes from Russia that in particular has targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
  • Congress on Tuesday also proposed a $45 billion emergency aid package for Ukraine

Read the original article by clicking here.

After Zelensky suggested preemptive strike Russia responds with warning

Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Important Takeaways:

  • Kremlin warns of nuclear World War III: ‘Will be catastrophic for all mankind’
  • Kremlin Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexander Venediktov warned if western nations supporting Ukraine decided to use weapons of mass destruction on Russia, it would all but guarantee World War III.
  • Venediktov’s comments come days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the West to carry out “preventative strikes” against Russia before it uses its nuclear weapons and “to eliminate the possibility that Russia will use nuclear strikes.”

Read the original article by clicking here.

Kremlin Media personalities and pundits pressure Putin to save face and become more aggressive

Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Important Takeaways:

  • Kremlin war hawks demand more devastating strikes on Ukraine
  • Russian nationalist commentators and state media’s war correspondents lauded Monday’s attack as an appropriate, and long-awaited, response to Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive
  • Many argued, however, that Moscow should keep up the intensity of Monday’s missile strikes in order to win the war now
  • “This is one of those cases when the country needs to show we can hit back,” wrote Alexander Kots, a war correspondent for Russia’s popular pro-Kremlin tabloid, Komsomolskaya Pravda.
  • Political analyst Stanovaya noted in a Telegram post Monday that “powerful pressures” have been on Putin “to move onto aggressive actions, massive bombings” and that prompted him to act.

Read the original article by clicking here.

Kremlin condemns Israel for attacking Iranian targets in Syria calling it ‘Irresponsible’

Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Important Takeaways:

  • Russia Demands Israel Unconditionally Stop ‘Unacceptable’ Airstrikes in Syria
  • Moscow on Monday demanded that Israel stop its “categorically unacceptable” airstrike campaign against Iranian-backed targets in Syria, signaling a further breakdown of ties between Jerusalem and the Kremlin.
  • “We strongly condemn such irresponsible actions that violate the sovereignty of Syria and the basic norms of international law, and we demand their unconditional cessation,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said following an alleged Israeli airstrike on Saturday near a Russian stronghold in Syria.
  • Syria accused Israel of launching an “air aggression” from the Mediterranean with several missiles hitting near the Syrian city of Tartus, where one of Russia’s main naval bases is located.
  • Last month, Russia condemned an alleged Israeli airstrike on June 10 targeting the Damascus International airport. Israel had accused Iran of smuggling weapons to its proxies in the region on civilian flights.

Read the original article by clicking here.

Exclusive-Ukraine PM says Russia ‘absolutely’ behind suspected coup attempt

By Robin Emmott

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmygal accused Russia on Tuesday of being “absolutely” behind what he called an attempt to organize a coup to overthrow the pro-Western government in Kyiv, citing intelligence.

Last Friday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine had uncovered a plot to topple his government this week, involving individuals from Russia, but he stopped short of saying whether he believed the Kremlin was behind the plot.

The Kremlin has denied any role in any coup plot and rejected as baseless other accusations that it has sought to destabilize Ukraine, a fellow former Soviet republic.

“We have secret data which demonstrates the special intentions (to foment a coup),” Shmygal said. Asked if the Russian state was behind it, he said: “Absolutely.”

He also said a Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s border, the second such surge since May, was part of a wider Russian effort to break Ukrainian momentum towards joining the European Union.

“They are preparing something,” Shmygal said of Russia, without elaborating.

Shmygal, who is in Brussels for talks with top EU officials, said Ukrainian intelligence had picked up activities of “outside powers” trying to influence political opposition within the country to stoke a popular uprising and coup.

Zelenskiy, a former actor who once played a fictional president in a popular sitcom, came to power with a landslide election victory in 2019 though his popularity has fallen after 2-1/2 years in power.

But Shmygal said: “In Ukrainian society, there is no revolutionary mood. We understand there was influence from outside to enforce protests in Kyiv, to make them stronger. Our secret service is making a special investigation.”

Shmygal also said the sacking this week of Oleksandr Rusnak, the head of the counterintelligence department of Ukraine Security Service (SBU), was unrelated.

He said Ukraine’s aspiration to join the EU was among the main reasons for what he said was Russian aggression, hybrid attacks, a military build-up on its border and Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Ukraine has also been fighting a pro-Russian insurgency in the country’s east since 2014.

Ukrainians ousted a Russian-backed president in February 2014 in a pro-European uprising. Along with Moldova and Georgia, it hopes for the promise of closer ties with the EU at a special “Eastern Partnership” summit next month.

EU and other Western leaders are involved in a geopolitical tug-of-war with Russia for influence in Ukraine and two other ex-Soviet republics, Moldova and Georgia, through trade, cooperation and protection arrangements. Ukraine is also seeking more military support from the United States, Shmygal said.

“This is one of the main reasons for the hybrid attacks from the Russian side, because we strongly would like to be integrated into Europe, to have the standard of living of European, of civilized countries,” he said.

“That is why we have all these hybrid attacks, cyber attacks, physical military attacks, occupied territories, disinformation to hamper Ukraine’s European aspirations.”

(Reporting by Robin Emmott; Editing by Mark Heinrich)