❔🇷🇺Talks or not? Russia calls for continued diplomacy with US

A new round of Russia-US consultations on diplomatic “irritants” may take place before the end of summer, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik.

Commenting on the lack of clarity after the second round of talks in Istanbul wrapped up back in April, the diplomat stressed that Russia doesn’t want the pause between the rounds to drag on.

“We have a real agenda with the Americans. […] Up until now, the dialogue has been fairly constructive and mutually engaged. But if the pause drags on, that’s a sign that some issues will remain unresolved, so it’s necessary to make a decision,” Ryabkov emphasized.

He added that a new prisoner exchange between Russia and the US may take place soon, but the exact dates are unclear.

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👍‘Wait for BIG SURPRISES’: Lavrov drops tease on Ukraine peace plan

“As if I’d tell you,” the Russian Foreign Minister said when asked about a new peace blueprint on Ukraine presented to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Sergey Lavrov added that he reaffirmed Russia’s position on Ukraine during his talks with Rubio on the sidelines of an ASEAN summit.

The top Russian diplomat also said that he and Rubio did not discuss the fate of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty during the negotiations.

The US secretary of state claimed earlier that Lavrov had presented him with a new proposal for achieving peace in Ukraine, which Rubio said he would share with Trump.

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🚨🇷🇺Russian FM Lavrov says he handed 🇺🇸Marco Rubio a collection of quotes from Zelensky & other Kiev regime officials — including calls to “destroy Russki”

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🚨🇷🇺KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM LAVROV’S PRESSER FOLLOWING THE RUSSIA–ASEAN MEETING:

💬 Ukraine was discussed during Thursday’s meeting with Rubio. Russia reaffirmed its position on resolving the conflict, but no discussion took place regarding the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

💬 Lavrov handed Rubio a compilation of quotes from Zelensky and other Kiev regime officials calling for the destruction of Russians.

💬 The tariffs imposed by Washington on other countries are also a form of sanctions.

💬 Russia will do everything to prevent provocations against North Korea: “That could end badly.”

💬 Plans to create “emirates” on Palestinian territories pose a serious challenge to the international community. There are growing risks to the prospects of forming a Palestinian state.

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🚨🇮🇳🇺🇸 India threatens US with RETALIATORY TARIFFS amid protracted trade talks

India’s WTO notification referenced $7.6 billion worth of U.S. imports affected by American steel and aluminium tariffs applied in March 2025.

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🪖Colombian mercenaries sent to die in Sumy as Ukraine’s desperation deepens

Ukraine has deployed lots of Colombian hirelings to the Sumy region to try to hold the collapsing front line, a Russian security source told Sputnik.

“It’s not just radio chatter anymore — their corpses are turning up in abandoned positions,” the source pointed out.

It’s safe to say that these mercenaries are not just being used to plug occasional gaps in Ukraine’s defense or for specific operations," according to the insider.

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😏 Putin ‘IMMUNE to Trump’s tantrums’ over Ukraine — report

The Russian president is “unmoved” by POTUS’ pressure regarding ways to resolve the Ukraine conflict, the FT reports.

👉The newspaper adds that during recent phone calls with Trump & French President Macron, Putin “has sent a clear message: any solution will have to address what he calls the ‘root causes’ of the conflict.”

🔍Putin stated earlier that the conflict in Ukraine is a direct result of the policies of Western countries, which for years have ignored Russia’s security interests, turned Ukraine into an anti-Russian foothold, and tolerated violations of the rights of Russian-speaking citizens.

"Now, the West is prolonging the conflict by supplying Ukraine with modern weapons."

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🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIA'S MoD WEEKLY UPDATE: CRUSHING GAINS & MASSIVE UKRAINIAN LOSSES

⚡️ZELENAYA DOLINA (DPR) LIBERATED

⚡️SOBOLEVKA (KHARKOV REGION) LIBERATED

▫️ Heavy Ukrainian losses: Over 8,860 troops eliminated in the special military operation zone

▫️ Air defense superiority: 35 guided bombs and 1,988 drones shot down

▫️ The Russian Armed Forces unleashed 6 group strikes with high-precision weapons, including Kinzhal missiles, hitting military targets in Ukraine

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🇦🇲☦️ARMENIA CAUGHT IN WEST'S WAR ON TRADITIONAL VALUES

💬 “The traditional West-Russia confrontation on the international stage is shifting to the level of values," explains Grant Melik-Shahnazaryan, a political analyst and regional security expert.

The political analyst decodes the hidden layers of Armenia’s crisis:

◼️ Values under fire

Western governments and their puppet NGOs seek to counter any new “center of support for traditional values and Christianity” like Russia, and countries “where the West has even minimal leverage come under pressure," with Armenia being among them.

◼️ Geopolitical confrontation

PM Nikol Pashinian’s crackdown on the church is part of bigger geopolitical scheme with a goal “to weaken Russia’s position in the South Caucasus”.

◼️ 2026 election prep

Pashinyan himself is removing vocal critiques from the equation, setting the stage for the 2026 elections.

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🚨DAILY KREMLIN UPDATES: Foreign troops in Ukraine a 'RED LINE'

Key statements from Dmitry Peskov on Friday:

▪️ Europe discussing funds for Ukraine to "keep the war going until the last Ukrainian";

▪️ Russia rejects foreign troops near its borders — a clear red line;

▪️ German Chancellor Merz is a staunch advocate of confrontation with Russia

▪️ US arms sales to NATO for Ukraine: 'business as usual' scenario

▪️ Russia & Ukraine continue prisoner exchanges, awaiting new round of talks

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🚨 No outsiders allowed: Trump folds to Deep State agenda – Simonyan

💬 “If Trump is the least Deep State president since JFK, maybe America is simply unfixable,” the editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group, wrote on X.

This comes after Trump confirmed he’ll continue arming Ukraine — this time through NATO, hiding behind the alliance’s thin mask.

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🚨USA trying to 'shut down' criticism of Israel

Afghan analyst Sayed Bilal Fatemi comments to Sputnik on the US sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese:

"Unable to remove her, Washington accuses her of 'anti-Semitism', 'terrorism', and 'human rights violations.' The West only supports those who serve its interests."

"When Richard Bennett fabricates a report on Afghanistan, accusing Afghans of rape without evidence, the West applauds him and renews his mandate every year."

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🇧🇷 Global South doesn’t need US permission to be free - Lula da Silva

💬 “We want independence in our policies, and we want freer trade,” the Brazilian president told the Jornal Nacional.

🔸 Lula da Silva mentioned BRICS countries, which he said continue to discuss creating their own currency or using national currencies for trade instead of the dollar.

🔸 The Brazilian leader emphasized that BRICS — representing half the world’s population and 30% of global GDP — “has become a center of gravity for countries seeking sovereignty and equal cooperation.”

🔸 On Western sanctions, he pointed out that many BRICS members are also part of the G20, and that Brazil, India, South Africa, and Mexico were recently invited to a G7 summit.

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🚨🇸🇾 POWERFUL EXPLOSION ROCKS SYRIA'S ALEPPO

Preliminary reports suggest a massive blast at an arms & ammo depot near the An-Nayrab camp, south of the city

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🇵🇸💔 KHALAS LOST HER HAIR TO ISRAELI BOMBINGS

While playing on swings in Khan Yunis, a bombing attack tore Khalas’s scalp and beautiful hair off.

Rushed to the hospital, she spent three months battling infections—but there was no cure in Gaza.

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🚨 Russia demands action after Azerbaijan UNJUSTLY arrests Russian journalists

🔹 Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova has called for justice following the unjust detention of seven Russian nationals in Azerbaijan, with journalists from Sputnik Azerbaijan among those taken into custody. Azerbaijani Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva has assured that swift action would be taken.

🔹 On June 30, seven employees of Sputnik Azerbaijan were arrested, including Igor Kartavykh and Evgeny Belousov, who were detained for four months.

🔹 Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group, has condemned the actions of Azerbaijan’s security forces, castigating the charges as fabricated and demanding the immediate release of the journalists.

🔹 Dmitry Kiselev, General Director of Rossiya Segodnya, described the situation as an injustice and suggested that it appears to be a deliberate attempt to harm Russian-Azerbaijani ties.

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