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🎙Following the EAEU summit, President of Russia Vladimir Putin answered questions from Russian journalists 📍 Minsk, June 27, 2025 #EAEU As for the outcomes of today’s EAEU summit, we are satisfied with the results and have drawn certain conclusions. The President of Belarus has already noted that our development strategy, which was designed to run until this year, is nearing completion. We are considering how to structure our joint efforts moving forward. However, overall, the results of our work cannot but satisfy us. They satisfy all of us. Why? Because the key aggregate indicator of economic performance is the growth rate. In the EAEU, it exceeds the global average. As is known, global growth stands at 3.3 percent. The EAEU’s growth is over 4 percent – significantly higher. In some countries, it is substantially greater, reaching 5 percent or even approaching 6 percent, in my view. This is, among other things, a direct result of our joint efforts, as the very purpose of our work is to eliminate trade and other economic barriers to cooperation. Without exaggeration, this multiplies the potential for economic growth. #Ukraine Regarding the memorandums [Russian and Ukrainian], as expected, there were no surprises. I will not tell you anything surprising, either. These are two absolutely opposing memorandums, but that is precisely why talks are set up and held – to find ways to bring positions closer. The fact that they were diametrically opposed does not seem surprising to me, either. I would not like to go into details, as I believe it would be counterproductive – even harmful – to get ahead of the talks. With regard to what has been achieved so far following the talks, I think you can see it for yourself. Today, if I am not mistaken, another exchange took place… or was it yesterday? Today, right? And this is important. The humanitarian aspect matters because, as diplomats say, it creates conditions for substantive discussions on core issues. We agreed that after completing these exchanges and the humanitarian operation which we proposed – specifically, the transfer of the servicemen’s bodies – we would press ahead with more contacts. We have already handed over more than 6,000 bodies and are ready to transfer nearly 3,000 more, but it is now up to the Ukrainian side to agree to accept the remains of their fallen soldiers. We agreed that after this phase is completed, we would hold the third round of talks. We are ready for it overall. The venue and the time need to be agreed upon. I expect President Erdogan to keep unchanged his supportive stance with regard to this process. We are very grateful to him for that. We stand ready to hold this meeting in Istanbul. As for the exact timeframe, the heads of the negotiating teams from both sides – who remain in constant, direct contact and regularly get on the phone with each other (which, I believe, is a good sign) – are discussing the date for the next meeting. The agenda? In my opinion, the discussion should focus on the memoranda from both sides. #EU#NATO We are planning to cut the defence expenses next year and the year after, as well during the next three years. The Defence Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Economic Development have yet to reach the final agreement, still, in general, everybody is thinking along these lines. And Europe is thinking about raising its defence expenses. So, who is getting ready for any aggressive actions, us or them? Yes, we do want to complete the special military operation with the result we need. Certainly. This is what we take into account when planning our defence expenses, not aggressive aspirations against Europe and NATO countries. And we want to decrease the expenses, while they want to increase them. 📄Read in full

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’sinterview with Kommersant newspaper (Moscow, April 14, 2025) READ IN FULL #RussiaUSA • Restoring our dialogue with President of the United States Donald Trump is a natural step. Importantly, both Sides are willing to move in this direction despite the many challenges and the divergence of our national interests on several, if not most of the international matters. We need to hold meetings and treat each other as well-educated and polite people by listening and hearing each other. • The sincere desire to transition to normality shown by President Donald Trump is met with resistance after recent political upheavals that have rocked the Washington-based elites. They are preparing some moves behind the scenes, using their lobbies and the media. Their aim is to prevent President Donald Trump from mending relations with Russia and putting them back on track as they should be between two great powers and between all countries, for that matter. #NATO#Ukraine • International humanitarian law explicitly prohibits placement of military facilities and weapons in or around civilian sites. • Since the onset of the [Ukrainian] crisis, there have been countless instances of artillery and air defence systems deployed in [Ukrainian] city quarters next to kindergartens. The internet was full of videos showing Ukrainian women yelling at the military telling them to leave retail outlets and playgrounds, but they keep doing so to this day. • We have verified information about who was inside the building that was struck in Sumy. It was yet another gathering of Ukrainian military commanders alongside their Western counterparts operating under the guise of mercenaries, or someone else. • NATO military personnel are there and are directly in charge of the operations. Everyone is aware of that. Even The New York Times has reported that U.S. military staff have played a central role in orchestrating attacks on Russia from the outset. Without their involvement, the vast majority of long-range missile strikes would never have happened. • President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that the decision by the Joe Biden administration to drag Ukraine into NATO was a major mistake. Among other things, it served as a trigger, or one of the triggers, in terms of what is happening today in Ukraine. President Trump has recognised in public several times that he viewed this as one of the root causes. #UkraineCrisis • Speaking at the Russia's Foreign Ministry on June 14, 2024, President Vladimir Putin laid out a clear framework for a lasting, reliable and just settlement [of the Ukraine crisis] which would primarily focus on fulfilling the interests of the people and ensuring that human rights are respected <...> as per the UN Charter. • For us the future of the people is what matters most, and saying the territorial integrity of Ukraine cannot be violated means letting Russians, the Russian-speaking people who escaped from the Nazi regime end up at the mercy of these beasts. • All peacekeeping “arrangements” painted by “macrons” and “starmers” seek to preserve at least a small piece of land as home to the blatantly Nazi and Russophobic regime designed to be used for preparing another war against Russia. This poses a major challenge for the West’s reputation and credibility.