Summary of statements by Russian Deputy FM Syromolotov:

◾️ The Russian Federation expects the quick ratification of the agreement of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS, mostly post-Soviet) on measures for combating high level corruption;

◾️ Denunciation of the Council of Europe (CE) Convention on Corruption will not limit Russia's ability to fight corruption (Russia withdrew from the CE in 2022);

◾️ Moscow's decision to denounce the Convention was inevitable, because the CE decided to 'squeeze Russia out' of any decision making;

◾️ International anti-corruption cooperation should be equal for all parties involved, and take into account national interests;

◾️ Russia also withdraws from the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) because of discriminatory treatment against itself.

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⚡️🇨🇳 Xi Jinping's entourage moves through Moscow for Day 2 of talks with officials. (See Day 1).

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Summary of meeting of Xi Jinping and Russian PM Mishustin in Moscow:

Jinping:

◾️ Our visit corresponds with historical logic, the Russian Federation and China have always been strategic partners;

◾️ President Putin, and delegation, is invited to China at the soonest.

Mishustin:

◾️ We will work with the new Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Li Qiang;

◾️ Russia is sincerely interested in further strengthening the partnership with China;

◾️ Russia and China to increase trade turnover to $200 billion in 2023;

◾️ The investment portfolio of the intergovernmental investment of Russia and China includes 79 projects, worth over $165 billion.

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NOT A 'BLACK LIVES MATTER' EVENT: A kneeling, wailing crowd greets a procession of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, driven through a town square in Ukraine.

Unclear as to why, as it's not a local custom, inclusive of the kneeling. Was that a Nazi salute at 00:12?

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Day 2 of bilateral meetings between Russia and China - summary of statements by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wenbin:

◾️ Chinese authorities will create favorable conditions for regular travel between Russia and China;

◾️ China hopes that the trip of the Japanese PM to Kiev will not lead to an even greater escalation of the Ukrainian conflict;

◾️ Chinese authorities are in contact with all parties involved in the Ukrainian conflict;

◾️ We strongly oppose Taiwan's Chief of Staff visit to the United States.

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Summary of statements by Kremlin Spokesman Peskov:

◾️ Kremlin refrained from assessing the results of the first day of Xi Jinping's visit, the leaders themselves will draw their conclusions;

◾️ Putin and Jinping discussed the Chinese peace plan;

◾️ China's entrepreneurs have a good presence in Russia and are unlikely to leave due to threat of Western sanctions;

◾️ It is not known whether the Ministers of Defense of the Russian Federation and China will meet;

◾️ We should not get ahead of ourselves and wait for statements to the media by Putin and Jinping to find out if the Russian leader has accepted the invitation to visit China.

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🇹🇷 🇪🇺 Turkey agrees to comply with requirements of the EU not to re-export European goods to Russia.

How will this affect the 'gas hub' project? Essentially, the project makes Turkey a middle-man for Russian gas to EU customers. Or is the ban one-way?

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⚡️People are seen dining, as Paris burns outside, due to Macron's reforms.

Symbolic.

Pass the brioche @IntelRepublic

⚡️ Chief Gynecologist* President of the EU announces another 1.5 billion euro for Ukraine's "imminent success".

*Von der Leyen trained as a gyno, in her better years.

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RIDDLE ME THAT: A soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine explains that Russian-speaking Ukrainian soldiers can easily be pummelled with grenades by their OWN compatriots in the army.

If the state does not guarantee your right to language and heritage, for what do Russian-speaking Ukrainian soldiers fight? (That is most of them, except from West-Ukrainian cities.)

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⚡️🇺🇦 Oksen Lisovoy becomes new Minister for Education in Ukraine.

The son of an infamous USSR dissident, Vasily Lisovoy, who spent many years in prison, after protesting the Soviet government.

O. Lisovoy is also a volunteer in the Ukrainian forces, often posting dead Russian soldiers on social media - saying he enjoys such footage.

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⚡️🇧🇾 Belarus State Security Committee (KGB) releases footage of the detention of a foreign terrorist - who had fake documents as if a Russian national.

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⚡️🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russian PM Mishustin meets President Jinping for Day 2 of bilateral Russia-China talks.

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⚡️🇮🇹 Italian PM Meloni says that conditions for starting a negotiation process for peace in Ukraine aren't right yet.

When are they right we wonder - when more people die?

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⚡️Like Italian PM Meloni - Advisor to Zelensky, Podolyak, says that any attempt to "freeze" the conflict in Ukraine, or a ceasefire, would mean an "unfinished war in Europe."

God forbid peace happens, yea.

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⚔ SITREP ⚔

◾️ Russian Forces (RF) destroyed up to 80 Ukrainian soldiers in Kupyansk, Kharkov region (East Ukraine) over the course of the day;

◾️ Russian air defense systems destroyed 31 Ukrainian drones and intercepted 3 HIMARS multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) shells;

◾️ RF destroyed up to 95 Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in Krasnoliman, Donetsk Republic (DPR, ex-Ukraine);

◾️ AFU lost up to 160 servicemen in Donetsk, DPR (ex-Ukraine);

◾️ RF destroyed over 40 AFU military personnel and a US-made M777 artillery system in Kherson region;

◾️ Since the beginning of the Special Operation, the RF have destroyed more than 3,500 Ukrainian drones;

◾️ Russian Aerospace Forces shot down 1 Ukrainian Su-25 aircraft in DPR.

◾️ AFU lost about 30 soldiers in the Yuzhno-Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions (ex-Ukraine);

◾️ RF also destroyed 3 American-made radar stations.

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