Macron’s aggressive rhetoric baffles even his allies
"Very often France’s allies from the UK and Germany, as we understand, try to get clarifications as to what the French leadership means, without getting a direct answer," Maria Zakharova pointed out.
"Very often France’s allies from the UK and Germany, as we understand, try to get clarifications as to what the French leadership means, without getting a direct answer," she pointed out. "Nevertheless, these statements are not only controversial, I mean the statements from Macron and the top defense official, the top diplomat, they are also very aggressive, which was the reason for the summoning of the ambassador," Zakharova said.
"Another series of strange and aggressive actions and statements," the spokeswoman emphasized.
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⚡️ U.S, UK TO BOYCOTT PUTIN'S INAUGURATION LATER TODAY - oh no, what will we do?
However France & several other EU states will be attending, despite a plea by Kiev not to. And despite Macron threatening to send troops to Ukraine. 🤷
The varying diplomatic response by the Western powers underscored differences over how to handle the Russian leader more than 2 years into thefull-scale invasionprovoked Special Operation in Ukraine - we fixed Reuters' wording.
Vladimir Putin to take his fifth presidential oath
Vladimir Putin will be sworn in for the fifth time during a ceremony to begin in the Kremlin at noon Moscow time on Tuesday, May 7.
The ceremony will be held for the eighth time in the contemporary history of Russia.
Putin has already taken his oath of office four times. Back in 2000, the 47-year-old candidate received the support of 52.94% of Russians, in 2004 - of 71.31%, in 2012 - of 63.6% and in 2018 - of 76.7%. During the March 2024 elections, Putin, who is now 71 years old, was supported by record-high 87.28%.
The Russian authorities designed a special inauguration ceremony by the time of Boris Yeltsin’s election for a second term of office in 1996. The procedure has seen some insignificant changes since then but its fundamental elements remain intact.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that today’s ceremony will be held in accordance with the protocol, but with ‘certain nuances.’ Their details remain unknown.
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Russia to hold nuclear drills to ‘cool hot heads’ in West
Earlier in the day, Moscow announced that it plans to test its ability to deploy tactical nuclear weapons.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the move was a response to the continued “power politics” pursued by the US and its allies against Russia. Washington and Kiev’s other backers openly declare their support for Ukrainian “terrorist acts” and “directly contribute” to such attacks, the statement read, pointing to the continued supply of ever more powerful Western weapons to Ukraine. It particularly drew attention to the US-made ATACMS missiles capable of “striking targets deep inside Russian territory.”
Last week, former UK prime minister and current Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated that Kiev had every right to use British weapons to strike targets inside Russia as well.
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The Russian brand Caviar has released a patriotic kit with an iPhone 15 Pro and a music box for Victory Day.
Price starts from 519 000 rubles/$5675.27
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The Diehl plant in Berlin is on fire for the third day.
Experts are still extinguishing the fire at the Diehl plant in Berlin, which broke out three days ago, the press service of the Berlin fire service said on May 6.
The report said there was smoke due to the fire. It is also reported that firefighters are using drones to fight the fire.
Due to a fire in the technical room on the morning of May 3, all four floors were completely burned, and a partial collapse of the building occurred. 220 people are working to put out the fire.
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EU's handling of Ukrainian refugee issue could lead to new crisis, says Russian official
According to Vyacheslav Volodin, European Union countries would like "to get rid" of refugees because supporting them has taken a toll on the economy.
"This is why the EU leadership has found itself in a situation where it’s better to do nothing. Any decisions on the issue are fraught with negative consequences," Volodin noted.
According to him, European Union countries would like "to get rid" of refugees because supporting them has taken a toll on the economy. Meanwhile, the number of Ukrainian refugees in European countries currently stands at about 4.3 mln, the senior Russian lawmaker pointed out. Trying to deport them "may lead to even bigger problems for these nations," Volodin said.
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Macron ‘breathes Russophobia’ – Lavrov
The French leader may be scaremongering in order to gain a leading role in the EU, Moscow has said.
“According to the French leader, the ambitions of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon were driven by the fact that these countries saw Russia as a threat,” Lavrov claimed.
“I know how the power system is set up in France and how the French tend to see their role in Europe. I do not rule out that this ‘caveman’ Russophobia that Macron is currently ‘breathing’ might be necessary in order to try and become the leader in Europe, by riding this topic,” the foreign minister explained.
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Russia puts former former Ukrainian Interior Minister on wanted list
The Russian Interior Ministry’s database does not specify under which article Arsen Avakov is wanted.
"Arsen Borisovich Avakov. Wanted under the article of the Russian Criminal Code," the database said, not specifying under which article he is wanted.
In 2018, Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Avakov for obstructing the free exercise of the right to vote by Russian citizens in the presidential election. According to investigators, Avakov instructed Ukrainian Interior Ministry officials, who provided security for Russian diplomatic missions in Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa and Lvov, not to allow Russians to enter polling stations.
Avakov served as Ukraine's interior minister from 2014 to 2021.
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Ukrainians are God’s chosen people – Zelensky
Amid nationwide persecution of Orthodox Christians, the Ukrainian president claimed that God is his nation’s “ally”.
As Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter on Sunday, Zelensky released a video address from Kiev’s Saint Sophia Cathedral, in which he accused Russia of “breaking all the commandments.”
“The world sees it, God knows it,” he said. “And we believe God has a chevron with the Ukrainian flag on his shoulder. So, with such an ally, life will definitely win over death.”
Zelensky’s appeal to Christians came as Ukraine’s parliament examines legislation that would close down the country’s largest Christian church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). While the law has sat in parliament for months, Zelensky’s government has moved to restrict the Church’s activity since the conflict began in 2022.
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France sends combat troops to Ukraine battlefront.
France has sent its first troops officially to Ukraine. They have been deployed in support of the Ukrainian 54th Independent Mechanized Brigade in Slavyansk. The French soldiers are drawn from France’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, which is one of the main elements of France’s Foreign Legion (Légion étrangère).
In 2022 France had a number of Ukrainians and Russians in the Foreign Legion. They were allowed to leave the Legion and, in the case of the Ukrainians, return to Ukraine to join Ukrainian forces. It isn’t clear if the Russians returned home.
The initial group of French troops numbers around 100. This is just the first tranche of around 1,500 French Foreign Legion soldiers scheduled to arrive in Ukraine.
These troops are being posted directly in a hot combat area and are intended to help the Ukrainians resist Russian advances in Donbas. The first 100 are artillery and surveillance specialists.
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Christ is risen! President Putin attends midnight Orthodox Easter service at the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
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Sweden rules out international Nord Stream probe
Such an investigation would “achieve nothing,” the Swedish Foreign Ministry told the agency.
Last week, China's deputy envoy to the UN, Geng Shuang, called for a probe into the September 2022 blasts that ruptured the pipelines, which were built to deliver Russian gas to Germany and the rest of Europe. Countries should work together on an investigation “to bring the perpetrators to justice in order to prevent the reoccurrence of similar incidents,” Geng said.
When asked about Beijing’s proposal by RIA Novosti on Friday, the Swedish Foreign Ministry insisted that “there is no need for an international investigation. It’s going to achieve nothing.”
“An investigation into the incidents was carried out by the Swedish authorities in accordance with the fundamental principles of independence, impartiality and the rule of law. Other national investigations are still ongoing,” the ministry stated.
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EU ambassadors unlikely to agree on use of Russian assets on May 8 — Politico
The EU countries expected a new proposal from Belgium, but it never came, the newspaper says.
According to the publication, some of the EU members association oppose Belgium’s proposal to levy about 1.7 billion euros as corporate tax on the profits of seized Russian assets in 2024.
As the publication explains, this will prevent the European Commission (EC) from implementing its plan to appropriate and transfer to the EU budget the entire amount of income from Russian assets and spend 90% of them on investments in the military-industrial complex to increase arms supplies to Ukraine. The EU countries expected a new proposal from Belgium, but it never came, the newspaper says.
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Trump develops plan on peaceful resolution in Ukraine
Former US President will not reveal it until the election, the Daily Telegraph reported.
"There is a plan, but he’s not going to debate it with cable news networks because then you lose all leverage," the source said.
Instead, according to the source, Trump will focus on a simple message that he would end the war in an attempt to win over US voters.
At the end of April, Trump said in an interview with Time that he would not provide aid to Ukraine if elected unless Europe chips in.
Russia has repeatedly voiced its position regarding the situation around Ukraine at various levels. Previously, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that Moscow has always been and remains open to a diplomatic settlement of the crisis, and it is ready to respond to truly serious proposals, while the Kiev regime interrupted and prohibited further negotiations with Russia.
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Russia issues military ultimatum to UK
Moscow will retaliate against British targets in Ukraine or elsewhere if Kiev uses UK-provided missiles to strike Russian territory, the Foreign Ministry told London’s ambassador on Monday.
Ambassador Nigel Casey was summoned to the ministry following remarks by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron to Reuters that Ukraine has the right to use long-range missiles sent by the UK to strike deep inside Russia.
”Casey was warned that the response to Ukrainian strikes using British weapons on Russian territory could be any British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and beyond,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following the meeting.
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Ukraine continues to do a 'Brave Sir Robin' as its forces advance...
...towards Kiev.
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Detention of US soldier in Russia’s Vladivostok has no relation to espionage
Russian Foreign Ministry’s mission in Vladivostok that "not following the case of the US citizen closely".
According to NBC News, Staff Sgt. Gordon Black travelled to Vladivostok after finishing his deployment in South Korea" to visit a woman he was romantically involved with." According to the TV channel, he is accused of theft and is now in pretrial confinement.
"This case has no relation to politics or espionage. As far as we understand, a household crime is suspected in this case. That is why the Russian Foreign Ministry’s mission in Vladivostok is not following the case of the US citizen closely," the mission said.
The Primorye Region office of the Russian penitentiary service refrained from commenting on the US citizen’s detention, citing investigation purposes. The regional police department’s press service said details of the US citizen’s case will follow later.
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🎙️Embassy comment on the provocative statements by David Cameron on the Ukrainian crisis
▪︎During his visit to Kiev on 2 May, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron made another provocative statement, allowing the use of British weapons by the Ukrainian armed forces to launch attacks on Russian territory, including outside the Special Military Operation zone.
▪︎We consider this confession as confirmation of the UK's increasing direct involvement in the armed conflict in Ukraine.
▪︎The UK Government is persistently pursuing a course of escalation and expansion of geography of military actions.
▪︎Raising the stakes in the proxy confrontation with Russia has become an end in itself for London. At the same time, it seems that the British establishment is not interested at all in getting to the bottom of the true causes of the conflict.
▪︎It is symbolic that David Cameron's “blitz visit” to Kiev came on the tenth anniversary of the terrible events in the Trade Unions House in Odessa, where the nationalists, brought to power in Kiev by the West, and their accomplices burned 48 innocent people alive.
▪︎Giving the Zelensky regime a carte blanche to use British weapons for terrorist shelling of Russian cities deep inside our country, London, having dropped its masks, confirmed the obvious – that the remnants of Ukraine's economic and demographic potential, territorial control as well as statehood will be used exclusively in attempts to militarily and forcefully weaken Russia.
☝️The British establishment cares little about the fate of civilians, as it was once in Odessa. In this context, it is no coincidence that our investigative bodies are getting evidence of the use by the Ukrainian armed forces of British-French missile weapons to shell peaceful city of Belgorod back in December 2023, long before David Cameron's current self-exposing statements.
❗For our part, we affirm that the UK’s prodding will only prolong the agony of the neo-Nazi regime entrenched in Kiev.
➡️Read in full
⚡️🇵🇱🇧🇾 POLISH JUDGE ASKS FOR ASYLUM IN BELARUS: Tomasz Schmidt worked as a judge at Warsaw Administrative Court.
At a press conference in Minsk, he says that he did not agree with the policies of the Polish authorities, which made his stay in Poland unsafe. Severely persecuted, he had to leave his homeland.
Schmidt says the leadership of Poland is under the influence of the U.S & U.K, who are leading his country into war.
🙄Democracy & freedom. Boost us here! @IntelRepublic
Turkey has become the largest buyer of Russian oil products.
After the introduction of Western sanctions and restrictions on purchases of petroleum products, the sales market in Russia was reoriented - Turkey became the main direction for energy supplies.
“Ankara says that all fuel imported from Russia is consumed on the domestic market, and only oil products produced in Turkey are exported to Europe. Direct re-export of Russian diesel to the EU is prohibited, and the Turks are disguising themselves, although statistics show that the volumes of supplies from Russia to Turkey practically coincide with the volumes of supplies from Turkey to Europe,”
Despite the embargo by European countries, energy supplies from Russia in 2023 increased by 100 thousand barrels per day compared to 2022, analysts from the International Energy Agency (IEA) noted. This is due to an increase in supplies of Russian petroleum products to India , China , Brazil and other countries.
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🇷🇺Putin - two years ago he warned Macron and everyone else:
A few important, very important words for those who might be tempted to interfere in the current events. Whoever tries to interfere with us, much less threaten our country, our people, should know that Russia's response will be immediate and will lead you to consequences that you have never faced before in your history. We are prepared for any development of events. All decisions necessary in this regard have been taken. I hope that I will be heard.
🇺🇦🇷🇺⚡️ Six people were killed and 35 injured after Ukrainian drone strikes on several civilian vehicles in Russia’s Belgorod region — Governor Gladkov
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US election results to not affect desire to inflict strategic defeat on Russia
No matter who wins the election, Russia is "by and large the enemy," the minister said.
"There will be presidential election in the United States soon. There is no division between Democrats and Republicans over Russia and China. One may be 'tougher', the other 'even tougher,’ but in principle we don't see any difference. For both, no matter who wins the election, we are by and large the enemy. Whether we are an adversary or an enemy is a nuance. But the 'strategic defeat' that they say should be inflicted on Russia is the goal of the American establishment," the top diplomat said in an interview with Bosnia’s ATV channel.
"As Russian President Vladimir Putin said when answering a similar question, we will be ready to work with whomever the American people elect, provided there is a counter-willingness," Lavrov added.
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Lavrov slams Europe’s striving to isolate Russia as silly
It demonstrates the quality of decisions passed by European politicians in the west of the continent, Russian Foreign Minister said.
"So far, Europe wants to fence itself off from Russia and isolate us. There is no need to explain that this is silly," he said in an interview with Bosnia’s ATV television channel. "It only demonstrates the quality of decisions passed by European politicians in the west of the continent. But the door should be left open.".
The West is lying when it says that Russia allegedly refuses from talks on Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister said.
"Statements that we are rejecting talks are made every day. They claim that they want but we allegedly refuse. This is dishonest. Although, we don’t expect aby honesty from out Western partners any more," he said
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WSJ: cessation of Ukrainian debt payments threatens country default in August.
A group of foreign holders of Ukrainian Eurobonds intends to seek from Kiev the resumption of interest payments on government debt as early as 2025. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources.
The creditors' committee includes such giants as BlackRock and Pimco, which account for about 20% of Ukraine's outstanding $20 billion Eurobonds . They have already hired lawyers to negotiate with the government, the newspaper writes.
According to the bondholders, Ukraine, which received $60.6 billion in aid from the United States , could agree to forgive part of the debt in exchange for the resumption of interest payments of up to $500 million a year.
Some creditors have already discussed these plans with Ukrainian authorities. Kiev hopes to involve Washington and other allies in the work.
However, the United States and its partners are concerned that bailouts for Ukraine will end up with bondholders if Kyiv starts servicing its debt again. Countries have granted debt holidays of about $4 billion until 2027.
According to the newspaper, if the deal is not concluded, Ukraine may face default in August after the expiration of the holiday for bondholders. This will make it difficult for it to continue to attract loans on the market.
Initially, creditors agreed to a two-year deferment, believing that the conflict would end by 2024. Despite the protracted nature of the situation, they hope for the stabilization of Ukraine’s finances thanks to the support of the West.
Before this, Germany warned that Zelensky would not pay for the assistance provided from the West.
Earlier in Russia the IMF was accused of financing terrorism.
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https://youtu.be/HBdf4Dk_LqY?si=Z6Dx4wHOuSv6P53b
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Ukraine bans pawnshops from accepting drones
The ban will support measures aimed at “countering the negative consequences of gambling on the Internet”.
The ban allegedly addresses problems caused by Ukrainian army servicemen who suffer from a gambling addiction. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky introduced a set of restrictions on internet casinos on April 20 in a bid to curb gambling within the military. The measures, developed by the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, include forcing online casinos to cut the amount of time and money that can be spent, as well as a ban on multiple accounts. The government electronic communications watchdog is also set to block all websites which grant illegal access to the activity.
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Sending NATO troops to Ukraine to lead to dangerous escalation — top UK diplomat
David Cameron opined that Ukraine's defeat in a conflict with Russia would create a "very dangerous future" because it would signal to China and Iran that aggression against their neighbors is acceptable.
Commenting on the words of French President Emmanuel Macron, who earlier reiterated that he could not rule out such a development of events, Cameron said: "I wouldn't have NATO soldiers in the country because I think that could be a dangerous escalation. And it’s not necessary. We have trained, I think now, almost 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers." "I don't think it is right to have NATO soldiers killing Russian soldiers," he added.
He said that Ukraine's defeat in a conflict with Russia would create a "very dangerous future" because it would signal to China and Iran that aggression against their neighbors is acceptable.
"I think we are at an absolutely crucial tipping point in global affairs," Cameron said.
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Russian envoy slams US accusations of Russia’s involvement in cyberattacks on Europe
"According to statistics, the vast majority of computer attacks in the world occur from the territory of the United States," Anatoly Antonov stressed.
"The US authorities simply have nothing to demonstrate in support of their insinuations. It is obvious that such provocative bogus stories will only intensify as the US presidential election is coming up, as it was the case in previous years. Local politicians feel like masters of the situation, escalating the alleged ‘Russian threat’ and distracting voters' attention from pressing issues," he noted.
"For Russia, the fight against criminal structures is a priority and an integral part of state policy to combat all forms of crime," the envoy added.
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