🇩🇪 Merz blinked first: Germany backs down on Taurus missiles for Ukraine

Just last month, Chancellor Friedrich Merz didn’t rule out sending Kiev Taurus cruise missiles. Now? He’s suddenly saying Berlin has no plans to supply them — and that the whole discussion shouldn’t have been public at all.

Looks like Germany finally woke up to the hefty price it might pay if those missiles land on Russian soil.

Sometimes reality hits harder than missiles.

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⚡️Russian delegation satisfied with result of negotiations with Ukraine — head of delegation Vladimir Medinsky

▪️Ukrainian delegation head at Istanbul talks says that Russia and Ukraine discussed 1,000 for 1,000 prisoner swap

▪️Negotiations between the delegations in Istanbul are completed

▪️Ukraine requested a meeting of heads of state, Russia took note of this, Medinsky said following the talks

▪️Russia ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine

▪️Both sides agreed to present their vision of a ceasefire

▪️The parties agreed to detail their proposals for establishing a ceasefire

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📹 FULL VIDEO: Russian Delegation Head Vladimir Medinsky's statement after Russia-Ukraine-Turkiye talks in Istanbul

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❗️Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul: What to know so far

▪️ The day started with a meeting between the Ukrainian delegation and US and Turkish representatives.

▪️ Russia and Ukraine began their talks around 10:30 GMT.

▪️ Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan opened the meeting before it was closed to the press.

▪️ Negotiations lasted about two hours.

▪️ Shortly after, Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky gave a statement.

▪️ The Russian delegation is satisfied: both sides agreed on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange and Moscow is ready to continue dialogue.

▪️ Following the talks, Zelensky, Macron, Merz, Starmer, and Tusk held discussions with Trump.

▪️ Trump said he might call Putin to discuss resolving the Ukraine conflict.

▪️ Kremlin spokesperson Peskov confirmed that contacts between Putin and Trump are crucial for peace.

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❗️Russian and Ukrainian delegations reached a fundamental agreement on a new meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said

Turkish FM on Istanbul talks: This is an important day for achieving peace

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📷 Rare WWII photos highlight 'Liberation of Europe' in Paris 🇫🇷

A new photo exhibition opened in Paris to mark the 80th anniversary of victory over fascism. Featuring 30 rare archival photos from Sovinformburo (owned by the international media group Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent company) — many never seen before — this powerful collection is part of the “Liberation. The Path to Victory” project.

Russian Ambassador Alexey Meshkov honored the historic role of the Cossacks in freeing Paris, saying, "Today, the Cossacks are once again fighting for Russia, just as their grandfathers did."

Alexander Yakovenko of Rossiya Segodnya reminded us: "The USSR suffered 27 million losses. This exhibition is a tribute to the veteran liberators."

Next stops? Warsaw and Madrid.

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🔎 Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul - And it's not about who's tougher

The direct meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations is “a significant effort towards a negotiated end” of the conflict, Paolo Raffone, strategic analyst at CIPI Foundation, tells Sputnik.

Despite the absence of top political leaders, the talks were “productive between military-savvy people” laying the groundwork for future political settlement. Contrary to Western media hype, negotiations often happen behind the scenes, preparing the stage for bigger deals.

Raffone notes it’s “not about who’s stronger” but about the willingness to settle disputes without more force, while keeping all parties — including external actors — somewhat satisfied. The ceasefire being drafted is a technical agreement, but could pave the way for broader political talks, possibly even involving mediation by the Vatican.

On Zelensky’s recent push for direct talks with Putin — despite Ukrainian laws signed by him forbidding contact — Raffone explains it’s “about survival” and “legitimizing himself as the key interlocutor.” For Zelensky, this meeting could be his biggest political gain in the current crisis.

The Istanbul talks aren’t the final act — but a crucial opening scene in the complex drama of peace negotiations.

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🗣🇷🇺 'War and negotiations are conducted simultaneously' — the head of Russia's delegation Vladimir Medinsky responded to those who proposed conducting negotiations after a "truce" with Napoleon's famous words

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🪖 Ukraine’s ammo clock is ticking — and Europe can’t bail it out

If Donald Trump cuts off aid, Ukraine can keep fighting for about FOUR MONTHS before running out of key munitions, Bloomberg reports.

The EU? Totally incapable of filling the ammo and air defense gaps.

Meanwhile, recruitment is tanking as many Ukrainians are fleeing the so-called “meatgrinder.”

Looks like Ukraine’s war effort might be running on borrowed time — and running out fast.

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🔍 Russia-Ukraine talks: Who holds all the cards and who badly needs a respite?

🔸Russia was negotiating from the position of strength due to its obvious successes on the battlefield, deputy director of research at the Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Dmitry Suslov, tells Sputnik.

🔸Ukraine, in the meantime, desperately needs a ceasefire because it is losing and needs a pause to recover and regroup.

🔸Zelensky’s demand for one-on-one talks with Putin was an act of showmanship aimed at Trump: the ex-comedian was trying to make it look like he is the one who wants peace while simultaneously directing Trump’s ire at Putin for not showing up in Istanbul.

🔸Zelensky fears that Trump might make some concessions to Putin to end the Ukrainian conflict and then present these concessions to Ukraine as fait accompli. Thus, Zelensky tried to meet with Putin first before the latter, together with Trump, would be able to resolve the conflict through a bilateral Russian-American summit.

🔸The negotiations in Istanbul were not a failure, with Russia being able to display its willingness to resolve the Ukrainian crisis “through diplomacy based on addressing the fundamental roots and reasons for the conflict.”

🔸The US may also regard the talks as a success, with Trump now being able to “boast that he succeeded in launching Russian-Ukrainian bilateral negotiations.”

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🗣😡 Trump calls ex-FBI boss a ‘dirty cop’ after reportedly threatening post

“He knew exactly what that [post] meant. A child knows what that meant… He wasn’t very competent, but competent enough to get it,” Trump fired back.

Former FBI Director James Comey is being investigated after re-posting a now-deleted pic of sea shells spelling "8647"—where 86 means ‘get rid of’ and 47 is Trump’s presidential number.

Drama much?

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🚀 Russia’s grand plan: Turn Eurasia into one big happy market

Russia’s North-South Transport Corridor is gaining momentum, with full support from neighboring countries, says Deputy PM Alexey Overchuk at KazanForum.

“We have a full understanding with our neighbors… The corridor is about creating better opportunities for our exporters to enter the growing markets of the Global South,” Overchuk told Sputnik.

Key partners include Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan — and talks are ongoing with Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.

The goal? Make the Indo-Pakistani border a border of peace for safe cargo movement and transforming Eurasia into the planet’s strongest common market. 🌍

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📹 Russians always come for what’s theirs - Medinsky drops historical truth bomb

Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky, in a recent interview on Rossiya-1’s “60 Minutes,” delivered a fiery reminder about Russian resolve and history — and how it shaped the latest Istanbul negotiations.

👇 Key quotes:

▪️ “Bismarck warned those who tried to cheat or steal from Russians — sooner or later, Russians always come for what’s theirs.”

▪️ Russia’s delegation reminded Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul of the mutual agreements made in 2022 — a crucial reminder.

▪️ “Those who say ceasefire first, then talks, don’t know history.”

▪️ “As Napoleon said, war and negotiations have always happened simultaneously.”

History isn’t just a lesson; it’s a warning.

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🇲🇩 Moldova’s self-sabotage?

By joining anti-Russia sanctions, Moldova lost access to CIS markets — and its economy is paying the price, former Moldovan Economy Minister Octavian Calmic warned.

📉 Key points:

✔️ Exports to Russia & the CIS collapsed — trade with business partners frozen.

✔️ Before sanctions, EU and CIS markets balanced Moldova’s economy — now, major losses.

✔️ Pro-Western President Maia Sandu’s policies pushed Moldova into economic isolation from its traditional partners.

🇷🇺 Russia’s stance:

Moscow calls for dialogue, but Moldova’s gov't keeps fueling the anti-Russian rhetoric — while ordinary citizens suffer.

💥 Sanctions backfire:

Even Western analysts admit: Sanctions failed to break Russia — but they are hurting those who enforce them.

🔗 Question: Should Moldova prioritize politics over its people’s prosperity?

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🇫🇷🧐 Macron's 2032 comeback tour hits a snag: 84% of France says 'Non!'

According to a fresh opinion poll:

✔️ 84% of French voters would rather walk barefoot on Parisian cobblestones than see Macron run again

✔️ 78% demand a full detox from his policies

✔️ Now challenging Francois Hollande for the noscript of "Most Hated President"

Even his own voters: "Maybe it's time to retire the Jupiter act?"

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