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Putin chaired meeting ahead of Istanbul talks with Ukraine last evening — Kremlin

According to Peskov, apart from the team of negotiators, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Viktor Zolotov, the chief of Russia’s National Guard Service, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu

MOSCOW, May 15. /TASS/. On Wednesday evening, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting to discuss arrangements for talks with Ukraine, due to take place today in Istanbul, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Prior to the departure of our delegation for Istanbul last evening, President Putin chaired a meeting on arrangements for upcoming talks with Ukraine," he said.

According to Peskov, apart from the team of negotiators, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Viktor Zolotov, the chief of Russia’s National Guard Service, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, and Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Alexander Bortnikov took part in the meeting.

"Also, the meeting was attended by all commanders of the battlegroups taking part in the special military operation," Peskov added.

Russia’s permanent mission slams Baerbock’s nomination as head of UN General Assembly

Dmitry Polyansky said that it was the former German foreign minister who recommended that representatives of Russia and Belarus not be invited to commemorative events of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe

Zelensky-Erdogan talks last little under three hours

The talks included both a one-on-one meeting and expanded talks with delegations

US begins lifting sanctions on Syria, Treasury chief confirms

"The Treasury Department is moving to provide sanctions relief to stabilize and move Syria towards peace," the department’s chief Scott Bessent said

Russia’s delegation in Istanbul made up of professionals willing to work — Zakharova

The Russian delegation at the negotiations in Istanbul is led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky

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The two men from the Czech Republic were trying to sneak to the Buran rocket

Russia’s prerogative is to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine — Lavrov

According to the Russian top diplomat, this requires eliminating the root causes of the conflict

Danish-US drills on Bornholm undermine Russia’s security in Baltic region — diplomat

According to Maria Zakharova, Kopenhagen's actions run counter to its own assurances that there will be no foreign military activity on Bornholm

Berlin's silence over video showing Merz, Macron is telling — MFA

Maria Zakharova noted that the Elysee Palace had immediately labeled the news as fake, but had not asked the Kiev regime to stop spreading false information

Reports that Russia, Ukraine’s meeting in Istanbul kicked off not true — TASS source

Earlier, a TASS source said that there was no understanding yet as to when Russia and Ukraine will start their talks as Kiev has not yet articulated its stance

NATO should not confuse its defense with Ukraine's defense — Szijjarto

Hungarian Foreign Minister expressed the view that NATO should refrain from providing military assistance to Ukraine, instead concentrating on preventing the escalation of the conflict

Europe dreams of dividing Russia into parts using Ukraine — Republika Srpska leader

Europe also wants to seize the country’s energy and mineral resources, Milorad Dodik emphasized

Russian troops liberate Mikhailovka community in Donetsk region over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted more than 525 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day

Russia-Malaysia relations advancing, room for more growth — Putin

"Both sides are sincerely interested in making such interaction even more meaningful and productive," Russian President said

Part of US officials now in Istanbul where Russia-Ukraine talks due to begin — Fidan

There are vast discussions on the Ukrainian settlement at the moment, the Turkish Foreign Minister stressed

Russia’s stance at Ukraine negotiations shifted due to changes on ground — Zakharova

The diplomat noted that the Ukrainian territory diminishes every time the Kiev regime disrupts the negotiating process

Idea of 30-day ceasefire based on cheating, Crimea’s head says

"Practice shows that Kiev is completely unable to respect any agreements," Sergey Aksyonov noted

Ukraine weighs sending delegation for talks in Turkey — report

According to the source, if the opposite side shows an intention to engage in a "serious dialogue," then an engagement could happen

Russian delegation to Istanbul to make statement for media soon

Vladimir Medinsky will make a statement at 5:30 p.m. Moscow time

Press review: Russia-Ukraine territorial talks set for Istanbul as EU targets oil tankers

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, May 15th

Russia, Ukraine to meet in Istanbul for first time since 2022

Once again, Russia’s delegation will be led by Kremlin Aide Vladimir Medinsky

Brazilian President thanks Putin for warm reception during Victory Day festivities

"The heads of state confirmed the determination to continue comprehensive development of the Russian-Brazilian strategic partnership," the Kremlin said in a statement

Pentagon does not rule out direct US-Russia conflict if Ukraine crisis escalates

Even though China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran "seek to avoid armed conflict with the United States," their conviction in "Western decline fosters a growing willingness to challenge the United States, General Gregory Guillot, commander of the United States Northern Command, said

Kremlin denies possibility of Putin's presence at talks in Turkey

The Russian delegation is headed by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky

Russian diplomat accuses Ukraine of trying to prevent peace talks from happening

"Ukraine has derailed all the agreements that have been reached over the past 11 years," Rodion Miroshnik said

It is crucial to move towards creation of continental Eurasian structure — Lavrov

The Russia's top diplomat pointed out that, unlike Africa, which benefits from the African Union, or Latin America and the Caribbean, which are united under the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, Eurasia currently lacks a comparable organization

Iran threatens to increase of uranium enrichment to weapons-grade levels

Islamic Republic of Iran has no restrictions in research and development in the nuclear field and has the right to enrich uranium to the level of 93% in accordance with its scientific," IRNA news agency quotes the document

Moscow says Ukraine needs to step away from microphone, come to negotiating table

"No matter how loud these NATO benchwarmers shout from the sidelines, in order to take a shot on goal, the Ukrainian national team needs to take the field," Maria Zakharova said

West allocated roughly $550 billion to support Ukraine — Russian envoy

Rodion Miroshnik also drew attention to the fact that the United States views the Ukrainian conflict today as a redundant burden

Duration of talks in Istanbul to depend on their progress — Kremlin

The day before, the composition of the delegation for direct and unconditional talks between Moscow and Kiev was appointed

Torskoye community liberated by Russian troops in DPR was Kiev’s fortified area — expert

According to Vitaly Kiselev, the Ukrainian army have been preparing defenses in Torskoye since 2015

Russian forces destroy 50 Ukrainian troops, 20 military vehicles in Kharkov region

Live-recording equipment at the western borders of the LPR enabled Russian forces to uncover amassments of Ukrainian military hardware and troops in the settlement of Druzhelyubovka

Erdogan to meet with Zelensky, attend events in Ankara until Thursday evening

Simultaneously, Istanbul is expected to host talks between negotiators from Russia and Ukraine

Commanders in special op zone briefed Putin on frontline developments, says Kremlin

"The battlegroup commanders attended the meeting in order to report on the situation on various axes on the line of combat engagement," Dmitry Peskov said

Russian Presidential Aide Medinsky’s authority on a par with Witkoff’s — envoy

Vladimir Medinsky will represent Russia’s interests at the Istanbul venue and carry out the directives issued by the president, Rodion Miroshnik said

Putin has no plans to visit Istanbul any time soon — Kremlin

"At this time, there are no such plans," Dmitry Peskov said

Representatives of all of Kiev's intelligence agencies arrive in Turkey — Zelensky

"Ukraine has a delegation at the highest level," Vladimir Zelensky said

US seeks to revive NATO-Russia council to aid security dialogue around Ukraine — Bloomberg

Dialogue between Russia and NATO was officially suspended in 2021

No sense in pause to hostilities at all for Russia, Medvedchuk argues

The politician recalled that Russia had alreadey withdrawn troops from Kiev in the spring of 2022, but no peace ensued

Top US diplomat says Ukrainian conflict cannot be solved militarily

Marco Rubio noted that the situation around the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict remained complicated

Russian delegation arrives in Istanbul, ready for serious talks — diplomat

"As the Russian president emphasized, the purpose of these talks is to, direct quote, eliminate the root causes of the conflict, to reach the establishment of a long-term lasting peace for a historical perspective," Maria Zakharova noted

US doesn't want Zelensky at NATO's June summit — ANSA

According to the agency, only Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand have received invitations among non-alliance members

Saudi delegation to take part in St. Petersburg International Economic Forum — ambassador

Abdulrahman bin Suleiman Al-Ahmed confirmed that his country intends to strengthen cultural ties with Russia and invest in fostering people-to-people connections

Russia’s permanent mission slams Baerbock’s nomination as head of UN General Assembly

Dmitry Polyansky said that it was the former German foreign minister who recommended that representatives of Russia and Belarus not be invited to commemorative events of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe

Zelensky believes Trump put more pressure on Ukraine than on Russia

Zelensky, who had previously rejected a ceasefire proposed by Russia, says that "it is necessary to put pressure on the side that does not want to put an end to the war"

EU to start drafting 18th package of anti-Russia sanctions — Finnish foreign minister

Elina Valtonen noted that a seventeenth package of sanctions was a right decision

Evidence galore Europe wants no peace in Ukraine — Lavrov

According to Sergey Lavrov, after the United States scaled back support for Ukraine and started prioritizing non-European areas of American foreign policy, Europe decided to look out for itself

Russian delegation for talks with Ukraine arrives in Istanbul — source

The delegation is headed by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky

First batch of 2,000 Gepard kamikaze drones arrives for Russian troops

The Gepard features a ‘blind’ takeoff capability to counter enemy electronic reconnaissance and make the crew safe at the launch site

Kiev's delegation in Turkey lacks experience negotiating political deals — Russian envoy

Rodion Miroshnik that some of the Ukrainian delegates in Istanbul have a rather "questionable background"

Forces of Libya's Government of National Unity open fire at protesters in Tripoli

According to the Al Marsad newspaper, protests are growing in Tripoli

Istanbul 2.0 signals a losing game for Zelensky, even if he skips talks — politician

According to Viktor Medvedchuk, Zelensky erred by overestimating his geopolitical role, as he has been a pawn, not a queen as he was told, since the very beginning

AK-12K based on feedback from special operation zone — Kalashnikov

Sergey Urzhumtsev, the chief designer of small arms at the concern, emphasized that operational experience from the special operation has shown that for certain units, including assault troops, rifle dimensions are a key factor

Erdogan-Zelensky meeting to precede Russian-Ukrainian talks — source

Zelensky and Erdogan are expected to meet in Ankara around 1 p.m. local time

Russian negotiators in Turkey qualified, vested with full authority — head of delegation

According to Vladimir Medinsky, the Russian delegation is determined to carry out a constructive dialogue aimed at finding a common ground and searching for possible solutions

Kiev did not want to send delegation to Istanbul, West convinced it — WP

"Zelensky didn’t see the point in going at all," Washington Post quoted a diplomat

Serial deliveries of RPL-20 machine gun may start this year — Kalashnikov

Sergey Urzhumtsev also mentioned that each RPL-20 will feature a specialized device for rapid belt loading

Ukrainian forces try to attack Melitopol 13 times overnight, one person was killed

According to Balitsky, the Ukrainian military attempted to attack with fixed-wing drones

Europe set to continue, escalate hostilities in Ukraine — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova pointed to the European Union’s plans to send further batches of weapons to Ukraine and to allocate new aid packages to Kiev

Senior Russian senator sees a chance for Istanbul talks unless Ukraine 'makes noise'

"Russia is ready for a specific, meaningful, and productive conversation," Konstantin Kosachev said

Putin announces members of Russian delegation for talks with Ukraine

Kremlin Aide Vladimir Medinsky will lead the delegation

Russian delegation to discuss political, technical issues at Istanbul talks — Kremlin aide

Yury Ushakov did not answer whether he himself is part of the Russian delegation

Putin extended Russia’s 2021-2025 defense plan by 2 years

The defense plan for 2021-2025 was introduced on November 12, 2020

Decision on talks with Russia to follow after meeting with Erdogan — Zelensky

Zelensky said that "the level of the Russian delegation" was allegedly officially unknown to him

Premature to think about next contacts with Kiev on conflict settlement — Kremlin

"We do not know if Ukrainian negotiators will appear or how the negotiations will go," Dmitry Peskov emphasized

IN BRIEF: Lavrov calls Istanbul talks 'intriguing,' urges pan-Eurasian unity

"Everyone, of course, is talking about Ukraine right now due to the intrigue that is unfolding in Istanbul," the Russian foreign minister said

Russia fulfilled all obligations ahead of Istanbul talks — envoy

"We do not know how the dialogue will unfold, it is still too early to draw any conclusions," Rodion Miroshnik said

Moscow's rivals scheme to replace power in Russia — foreign intel chief

Sergey Naryshkin added that Russia’s geopolitical rivals are hatching plans, with financial support from the West, to split Russia into multiple parts

Putin chaired meeting ahead of Istanbul talks with Ukraine last evening — Kremlin

According to Peskov, apart from the team of negotiators, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Viktor Zolotov, the chief of Russia’s National Guard Service, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu

Russian troops breaching Ukrainian defenses near Krasnoarmeysk in Donetsk region — expert

According to Andrey Marochko, the Russian troops are moving at quite a fast pace towards Dobropolye

Rubio, Witkoff to travel to Istanbul on May 16 for Ukraine talks

A White House spokesperson confirmed earlier that the Secretary of State, US Presidential Special Representative and US Special Envoy for Ukraine are scheduled to travel to Istanbul for talks

Istanbul 2022 draft may serve as basis for settlement — Russian envoy

"Let's go back, make adjustments to it that have emerged over the past three years and after that we will move to signing this document," Rodion Miroshnik said

United States and Qatar sign agreement worth $1.2 trillion — White House

In particular, Qatar Airways will purchase 210 modern Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft for $96 billion

EU envoys approve 17th package of anti-Russia sanctions — source

A source in EU institutions said that the approval of restrictions by EU foreign ministers is expected on May 20

Lavrov says release of МН17 verdict sought to overshadow Malaysian PM’s trip to Russia

There are "plenty of facts" that show the investigation was dubious, the Russian foreign minister stressed

Ukraine gets smaller every time Kiev disrupts talks — diplomat

Maria Zakharova recalled Sergey Lavrov's words that Ukraine would have kept a part of Donbass if the agreements reached at the April 2022 talks in Istanbul had been implemented

Indian premier notes Russian-made S-400 air defense system’s role during escalation

Narendra Modi also praised domestically made Akash missile systems

West frightened by arrival of Russian delegation in Istanbul — Russian Foreign Ministry

"It’s high time for the West to cease this hysteria, regain composure, and bring their puppets in Kiev to the negotiating table," Maria Zakharova concluded

EU puts itself in economic hell with false Russia threat narrative — MFA

"The EU invents this so-called Russian threat because spreading this narrative distracts the attention of their citizens from the disastrous situation in their own economies," Maria Zakharova noted

Europe's steps do not allow it to participate in Ukraine talks — Russian MFA

Maria Zakharova pointed out that the rhetoric from Berlin, Paris, and London starkly contrasts with their actual actions

Poland to ban Dodik from entering its territory — foreign ministry

Earlier, Dodik was banned from entering Australia and Germany

Trump says ready to come to Istanbul on May 16 for talks on Ukraine

According to the US leader, it is still unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would travel to Turkey to take part in the talks

Ukrainian troops prepare for battles for Sumy, try to hold Yunakovka — security forces

They are building up several defense lines

Russian delegation waiting for Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul since morning — Kremlin

The team of negotiators for direct talks with Kiev without any preliminary conditions was decided yesterday

West intends to pit India against China — Lavrov

"This is a policy that Russian President Vladimir Putin recently highlighted again - ‘divide and conquer,’" the foreign minister emphasized

EU nuclear proliferation won’t contribute to Europe's security — Kremlin

The entire system of strategic stability and security is in a deplorable state for understandable reasons, Dmitry Peskov emphasized

Trump suggests Iran choose between friendly or unfriendly course of nuclear development

The unfriendly is a violent course, "I don’t want that," US leader noted

Russian troops liberate two communities in Donetsk region over past day — top brass

Battlegroup West units liberated the settlement of Torskoye and Battlegroup Center units liberated the settlement of Novoaleksandrovka through active operations

Trump says progress on Ukrainian settlement depends on his meeting with Putin

According to Donald Trump, the meeting should happen as soon as possible because "too many people are dying"

Putin set goals for Ukraine talks after conferring with special op commanders — official

The Russian president held a special meeting to prepare the Russian delegation for talks in Istanbul on Wednesday

Time for Russia-Ukraine talks not set, as Kiev hasn’t made its position known yet — source

"As of the current moment, there is no understanding about time, everybody is waiting," the source said

Press review: Russia prepares for Ukraine talks and Trump pursues Middle East megadeals

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, May 14th

Trump family earned $2 bln in one month of his presidency

The New York Times noted that the primary inflows stemmed from foreign investments in cryptocurrency ventures, real estate, and exclusive club initiatives

Putin speaks by phone with Brazil’s president as his plane stops over in Moscow — Kremlin

Lula da Silva announced his intention to return to Russia at a news conference in Beijing during his visit to China

Putin outlined Russian delegation’s negotiating position at yesterday’s meeting — Kremlin

The Russian delegation has been waiting in Istanbul since this morning for Ukrainian representatives, who have not yet arrived, Dmitry Peskov pointed out

Istanbul talks postponed until afternoon at Turkey's initiative — Russian MFA

"Russian delegation is in Istanbul, its composition is known," Maria Zakharova noted

Russian researcher arrested in US for attempting to smuggle frog embryos

A charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years, the US Department of Justice said

Ukraine talks in Istanbul to kick off around 7:00 a.m. GMT — source

According to him, the talks will be closed to the press

Trump will not travel to Turkey for Russia-Ukraine talks — agency

Earlier, US leader did not rule out that he would go to Turkey on May 15 to participate in talks on resolving the Ukraine issue

Putin offered precisely direct talks between Russia, Ukraine — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov dismissed the possibility of European countries' participation in the talks

West verbally supports Ukraine while seeking escalation, intervention — Foreign Ministry

Kiev's Western curators "are looking at how best to implement plans to escalate the crisis, including intervention in Ukraine," Zakharova stressed

Lavrov calls Zelensky "nothing man" for demanding Putin come to Istanbul

The Russian foreign minister recalled that Zelensky made some statements demanding that Putin attend in person

	
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