🇺🇸🤝🇷🇺 Eight US Secretaries of State, one Lavrov: A legacy of diplomacy

Russia’s diplomacy chief, Sergey Lavrov has had to deal with eight US secretaries of state, impressing almost all of them:

🔸Lavrov and Colin Powell (2004-2005)

Lavrov’s encounters with US foreign policy began with George W. Bush's trusted lieutenant, Colin Powell. Lavrov and Powell discussed global security, focusing on NATO's eastward expansion and the US invasion of Iraq, which Russia opposed.

🔸Lavrov and Condoleezza Rice (2005-2009)

Working with Condoleezza Rice, Lavrov continued to address Russia's concerns, frequently clashing with his counterpart over NATO expansion. Nevertheless, Rice respected Lavrov's negotiation skills, and Russia's top diplomat always conducted himself as a true gentleman.

🔸Lavrov and Hillary Clinton (2009-2013)

Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state was marked by an attempt to revive Russia-US relations, highlighted by the famous "reset button" episode. However, the US's involvement in ousting Muamar Gaddafi was a move that Russia strongly criticized.

🔸Lavrov and John Kerry (2013-2017)

Lavrov and Kerry often had prolonged talks and exchanged jokes. Despite tensions between Russia and the US, they frequently cooperated on Syria, with Kerry even calling Lavrov "my friend Sergey Lavrov."

🔸Lavrov and Rex Tillerson (2017-2018)

Lavrov worked with Tillerson when Russia-US relations were "at a low point," worsened by Tillerson's lack of foreign policy experience. Lavrov recalled Tillerson's desire to quickly resolve Middle East conflicts and his talk of a "deal of the century" for the region.

🔸Lavrov and Make Pompeo (2018-2021)

Lavrov and Pompeo often clashed over the Ukrainian issue; nevertheless, the US secretary of state valued Russia's diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and on the Korean Peninsula. "We should have a better relationship," he said in 2019.

🔸Lavrov and Antony Blinken (2021-2025)

Lavrov and Blinken rarely communicated directly. However, despite disagreements on various issues, Blinken attended Lavrov's speech at the G20, despite open opposition from the US.

🔸Lavrov and Marco Rubio (2025- )

Lavrov met with the newly appointed secretary of state this February in Saudi Arabia, where they discussed a possible settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. It remains to be seen how effective their partnership will be.

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📹🇮🇹 Massive anti-mafia march in Italy's Sicily

Around 50,000 people gathered in Trapani, Sicily, today for a march in memory of mafia victims. The event saw strong participation from the youth.

During the demonstration, the names of all the 1,101 mafia victims were read aloud. Marchers called for continued efforts to fight against the mafia, with organizers stating that 80% of victims' families still don't know the full truth or have not achieved justice.

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US 6th gen fighter jet made by Boeing: A threat to the enemy or its crew?

Quite a few people on social media are asking ‘what could go wrong?’ as Boeing gets the contract for the upcoming US Air Force’s 6th generation fighter aircraft F-47.

Boeing's planes and spacecraft have recently shown a tendency to fall apart midflight. Boeing's passenger aircraft featured defects that caused the demise of hundreds of people, not to mention the enigmatic deaths of people who tried to blow the whistle on the company.

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Uncontrollable neo-Nazis: Do Azov* militants OBEY Zelensky?

▪️While the US and Russia are working on resolving the Ukrainian conflict, the Azov regiment (terrorist organization banned in Russia) demands Volodymyr Zelensky do the opposite.

▪️On March 15, Azov* commander Biletsky announced that the neo-Nazi unit would transition to a corps command system based on NATO standards. This move will make it one of the key military forces.

▪️In early March, Biletsky reported to Commander-in-Chief Oleksander Syrsky demanding an increase in ammunition supplies. Then he made a video in which he insisted on transferring drone purchased for the army to his unit.

▪️Since the end of February, Azov* has been sending mass text messages to Ukrainian users, urging them to join the brigade and listing numerous vacancies.

▪️Bohdan Krotevich, former Azov* chief of staff, criticized the Ukrainian command in early March for a lack of resources, noting that Russian troops could break through the front "in absolutely any direction."

▪️In early January, Biletsky also accused the Ukrainian Army command of giving "inadequate orders."

▪️Last November, Azov* special ops commander Prokopenko criticized the "ineffective management system" of Syrsky, accusing him of chaos and failures.

▪️In the summer of 2024, Azov* commanders threatened Zelensky with death if he pursued negotiations with Russia, according to former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter.

▪️In the spring of 2024, Azov* militants refused to hold positions in Chasov Yar and abandoned them, despite orders from Zelensky and Syrsky. A similar incident occurred near Avdeyevka in 2023, when Azov refused to enter.

*banned in Russia.

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