📣 Registration for the online stage of the RUDN University Open Olympiad for Foreign Citizens has started.

❓Who can participate?

Foreign citizens (who do not hold Russian citizenship) – school graduates and university graduates (bachelor's and specialist's degrees).

❓What opportunities does the Olympiad offer?

To the winners:

✅ Free tuition at RUDN University under the quota of the Russian Government;
✅ Chance to participate in the RUDN BRILLIANT STUDENTS scholarship competition.

To the prize winners:

✅ The possibility of free tuition at RUDN University under the quota of the Russian Government, if available after the winners of the Olympiad are enrolled;
✅ The opportunity to receive a significant discount on university tuition.

❓How do I participate?

1. Register on the website for the online stage of the Olympiad;
2. Attach scanned copies of your passport or ID and diploma or certificate of education with grades for the last year of study;
3. Sign up for online testing on the website within the suggested time frame;
4. Take part in an individual interview (in case of successful completion of the test);
5. Wait for the publication of the lists of winners and prize-winners in the personal account of the participant of the Olympiad.

✍️ The Olympiad is held in the following disciplines:

• Computer Science (Bachelor's degree, Master's degree)
• Mathematics (Bachelor's degree, Master's degree)
• Physics (Bachelor's degree, Master's degree)
• Chemistry (Bachelor's degree, Master's degree)
• Biology (Bachelor's degree, Master's degree)
• Social Studies (Bachelor's degree, Master's degree)
• Russian language (Bachelor's degree, Master's degree)
• Ecology (Master's degree only)
• Advertising and Public Relations / Journalism / Psychology (Master's degree only)
• Economics and Management (Master's degree only)

👉 For all questions related to participation in the Olympiad, please contact the coordinators by email olymp@rudn.ru.

⚡️ All is set for the annual Sergey Lavrov's news conference on the results of Russian diplomacy in 2025.

We start soon, at 11:00 MSK!

#Outcomes2025

#Outcomes2025

🎙 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement during his annual news conference on the Russian diplomacy outcomes in 2025 (January 20, 2026)

💬 Sergey Lavrov: The events of the first twenty days of 2026 have surpassed everything in terms of intensity that 2025 left behind.

We have witnessed unprecedented events – a blatant armed invasion by the US of Venezuela, resulting in dozens killed and wounded, as well as the seizure and forcible removal of the legitimate President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro together with his spouse. At the same time, we are observing threats directed at Cuba and other countries of the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Of deep concern are the overt and openly declared attempts by external forces to destabilize the political situation in Iran. In particular, one such “political figure” of our time – the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas – recently stated that, by supporting protests, the international community, apparently meaning the EU, is seeking regime change in that country.

I will not even dwell on the aspiration of most Western countries to continue using the Kiev regime for armed confrontation with Russia. The goal of inflicting a “strategic defeat” on us is voiced less frequently now, but by all indications it remains present in the minds and plans of, above all, European leaders.

🇷🇺 Russia will defend its interests consistently – without encroaching on anyone’s legitimate rights, yet without allowing our own legitimate rights to be treated arbitrarily.

As for the theses used by the West with regard to our country in 2025, the “isolation” of Russia – as is obvious to everyone – did not happen, no matter how insistently our ill-wishers spoke of it.

❗️ Our position on Ukraine is that it is necessary to eliminate the root causes of this crisis, which the West for many years deliberately created in order to turn this country into a threat to our security, using it as a bulwark against Russia directly on our borders.

A major event in 2025 was the celebration marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War – the Parade on Red Square and the large number of foreign guests. We value everyone who personally took part in these celebrations or sent a special delegation.

👉 We are interested in contributing to de-escalation in all the hotspots referred to – be it Venezuela, and I would especially highlight the situation around Iran, which must be resolved on the basis of respect and Iran’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

We are convinced that, for a long-term settlement in the Middle East, it is finally necessary to implement the UN decision on the establishment of a Palestinian State. This criterion fully retains its relevance in light of the widely discussed Donald Trump's initiative to establish a “Peace Council”.

#Outcomes2025

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his annual news conference on the Russian diplomacy outcomes in 2025 (January 20, 2026)

💬 Sergey Lavrov: We are witnessing tectonic shifts affecting the entire global order.

It is telling that the West, which over the past decade actively sought to oppose international law in its original, principled interpretation with its own concept of a so-called “rules-based world order”, has now largely dropped this term from its vocabulary.

All Western European countries are currently trying to make sense of what is happening in the world in the context of the course announced and pursued by the US President, a course that formally fits into the “rules-based order”. The difference is that these “rules” are no longer written by the “collective West”, but by its single representative. For Europe, this has come as a profound shock. We are observing the situation closely.

👉 It is clear that the developments we are witnessing, as well as the actions announced by President Trump on the international stage, reflect an intensifying competitive struggle.

We have repeatedly spoken about recent trends in global economic development. China, operating within the very rules that the West – led by the US – laid down as the foundation of the globalization model promoted worldwide until recently, has outperformed its Western competitors in trade, the economy, investment and infrastructure projects. China's economic and financial indicators speak for themselves.

We see attempts to counter this situation through sanctions, tariffs and duties. The US seeks to negotiate, yet this is happening in the absence of any common criteria that until recently underpinned the work of the #IMF, the #WorldBank and the #WTO. All those rules on which a Western-friendly world order was supposed to be based have effectively been cast aside.

⚔️ What is unfolding is a game of “might makes right”. We are all witnessing this.

We can discuss how conceptual approaches to world order are changing and how concrete processes are developing in the course of an interactive dialogue. However, the consequences of this line are felt not only by countries of the Global South and East – crisis tendencies are also accumulating within Western societies themselves.

Greenland is a clear example. It is on everyone’s lips, and the debates unfolding around it would have been difficult to imagine not so long ago – including discussions about the prospects for NATO’s continued existence as a unified Western military-political bloc.

As for Greenland, our position is simple: if Western countries choose to deal with one another “by mob rules”, that is their choice and their right.

🇷🇺 For our part, Russia will conduct relations with all our partners – both from the Global Majority and from among Western countries – who are genuinely interested in engaging with Russia and discussing concrete, mutually beneficial projects ☝️ on the basis of equality.

📺 Watch the news conference in full

#Outcomes2025

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his annual news conference on the Russian diplomacy outcomes in 2025 (January 20, 2026)

💬 Sergey Lavrov: At a time when we are witnessing turbulent developments amid the strengthening of multipolarity, the issue on the agenda is dialogue on how to bring order to it. This will take a considerable amount of time, some say – an entire historical era. But this process is inevitable.

The fact that this is being recognized by the key players is confirmed, among other things, by the initiative of the US President to establish a “Peace Council”. We have recently received concrete proposals and a draft charter for this structure.

This initiative reflects the US understanding that even with its own foreign policy philosophy, it proceeds from the need to bring together a group of countries willing to cooperate in one area or another.

Some may object that the “Peace Council” has been conceived and announced in such a way that everyone would be expected to subordinate themselves to the US. This is indeed the situation Washington would like to see at present.

☝️ However, I can assure you that the Trump administration – for all the actions that are now widely discussed around the world – is an administration of pragmatists. It recognizes the need to not merely unite a large number of countries under its leadership, but also to fully take into account their legitimate interests.

I would stress once again that this position, this readiness and this understanding of the need to fully consider a partner’s interests are clearly reflected in the approaches of the Trump administration to the Ukrainian settlement. It is the only Western country prepared to address the task of eliminating the root causes of this conflict, which was largely created by President Trump’s predecessor – Joe Biden and his administration.

👉 This process is only at its very beginning. It will not be easy and will require the mobilization of all resources – the centres of growth and centres of influence I have mentioned. However, given goodwill – and we do see signs that such goodwill may take root – much can be achieved.

📺 Watch the news conference in full

🎙 President of Russia Vladimir Putin held an operational meeting with permanent members of the Security Council of the Russian Federation (January 21, 2026)

💬 Vladimir Putin: As far as the US “Peace Council” initiative is concerned, we have indeed received a personal message from President Trump inviting us to join a new international structure being established on his initiative.

In this regard, I would like first of all to thank the US President for this proposal.

We have always supported and continue to support any efforts aimed at strengthening international stability.

We also note the contribution of the current US Administration to efforts to find solutions for settling the Ukrainian crisis.

As for our participation in the “Peace Council”, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been instructed to review the documents received, consult our strategic partners on this matter, and only after that will we be able to provide a response to the invitation conveyed to us.

The proposal made to us primarily concerns settlement in the Middle East and the search for possible ways to address the urgent problems facing the Palestinian people and to resolve the acute humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

In this context, I would like to stress the main point. The key issue is that the entire process should contribute to a long-term settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, based on the relevant UN decisions.

Even before we decide on the issue of our participation in the composition and work of the “Peace Council”, taking into account Russia’s special relations with the Palestinian people, we could, I believe, allocate 1 billion US dollars to the “Peace Council” from Russian assets that were frozen under the previous US Administration.

By the way, the remaining funds from our assets frozen in the US could also be used for the restoration of territories affected by hostilities after the conclusion of a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine. This possibility is also being discussed with representatives of the US Administration.

☝️ I plan to discuss all these issues with President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas, as well as with US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are also arriving in Moscow on January 22 to continue the dialogue on Ukrainian settlement.

***

❌ What is happening with Greenland does not concern us at all.

However, we do have experience in resolving similar issues with the US. In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United States. If my memory serves me right, the area of Alaska is about 1 million 717 thousand square kilometres, slightly more. The US bought Alaska from us for 7.2 million US dollars.

The area of Greenland is slightly more than, I believe, 2 million 166 thousand square kilometres. That is, the difference is roughly 449-450 thousand square kilometres. If we compare this with the cost of the US acquisition of Alaska, the price for Greenland would be somewhere around 200-250 million US dollars.

If we compare this with gold prices of that period, the figure would probably be closer to one billion. But I think the US could handle that amount as well.

Most importantly, Denmark and the US also have their own experience in this regard. If I am not mistaken, in 1917 Denmark sold, and the US purchased, the Virgin Islands. So such experience also exists.

By the way, Denmark has always treated Greenland as a colony and treated it rather harshly, if not brutally. However, this is a separate issue and is hardly relevant to the current discussion.

👉 In any case, this definitely does not concern us. I think they will sort it out between themselves.

🎙 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answer to a question from Russia Today on the Russian nationals among the crew of the tanker Marinera, who were detained by the US authorities (January 22, 2026)

❓ Question: How can you comment on the situation involving Russian nationals – members of the crew of the oil tanker Marinera – whose release was promised by US President Donald Trump?

💬 Maria Zakharova: A considerable amount of time has passed since the Russian Side received confirmation that, in response to our request, Donald Trump had taken a decision to release two Russian nationals serving as members of the crew of the oil tanker Marinera, detained by US armed forces in international waters of the North Atlantic.

We express bewilderment and disappointment over the prolonged pause in resolving this issue, which is important to us and requires urgent action.

We expect that their release will take place in the very near future, allowing our citizens to return home soon.

Steven Witkoff welcomed at the Kremlin

Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov and Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev are attending the meeting on the Russian side.

Attending on behalf of the United States are entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Affinity Partners Jared Kushner and Commissioner of the US General Services Administration's Federal Acquisition Service Josh Gruenbaum.

The Australian government announced a new contribution to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. It continues to wrongly accuse Russia of “systematic strikes on civilian areas and critical energy infrastructure” in Ukraine, while completely ignoring assaults by the Kiev neo-Nazi regime on civilian infrastructure in our country.

Ukrainian strikes on local energy facilities on the night of 9 January caused the worst blackout in the Belgorod region to date, cutting more than half a million people off from electricity and heating and leaving around 200,000 residents without water (daytime highs around minus 11°C and nighttime lows falling to minus 18°C).

Over the past week, 78 civilians have been affected by Ukrainian shelling and drone strikes, with 14 killed.

This is what Australia supports.

The Russian side responds to these terrorist attacks by taking actions aimed at reducing the military capacity of the Kiev regime.