🎙 Excerpt from the report by the Head of the Russian Federation’s Delegation to the Russia–Ukraine direct talks, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Medinsky, at a meeting between President of Russia Vladimir Putin with members of the Government (June 4, 2025)

💬 Vladimir Medinsky: Mr. President, colleagues,

The bilateral talks in Istanbul began with a restricted-format meeting that lasted more than three hours, followed by an expanded discussion, which included members of the delegations. The discussion was in Russian.

We presented the other side with our two-part draft memorandum on a peaceful settlement.

The first part contained terms for a long-term peace agreement.

The second part outlined the terms of the ceasefire.

The memorandum is guided by the basic principles that you formulated at the Foreign Ministry last June. The Ukrainian side promised to study it and give its comments later.

In general, during the talks, they reaffirmed their proposals, which basically include two main points. First, they want to begin with a 30- or 60-day unconditional ceasefire. Second, this ceasefire period is to be used to prepare for a summit meeting of the two heads of state. They set it all out in their version of the memorandum, which was handed over to us on May 28.

Humanitarian issues were also discussed on the sidelines. We emphasised the need to focus on working out the terms of peace rather than another temporary truce, and conveyed your opinion that a meeting at the level of heads of state is possible, but it needs to be substantively prepared to achieve results. The heads of state should approve agreements, not spend time working out the details. It is up to them to make final decisions on the drafts that have been fully prepared and coordinated.

When it comes to humanitarian issues, we agreed on the following.

First. Conduct an equal prisoner of war exchange, at least 1'000 people from each side, primarily from among those wounded, severely ill and below the age of 25. The final numbers of this equal exchange are being approved. We expect approximately 1'200 people from each side. It will be the biggest POW swap on record. We are ready to begin on June 7–9. We are fully prepared.

Second. Establish a communication line to promptly resolve urgent issues of immediate transfers of gravely wounded prisoners of war outside the framework of general exchanges.

Third. We proposed, unilaterally, to transfer to Kiev over 6'000 bodies of Ukrainian troops. <...> We are ready to begin shortly. We understand Ukraine may have bodies of our troops as well although in much smaller numbers. But we are prepared to receive any remains, if there are any.

Next. We have proposed arranging humanitarian pauses in certain sectors of the front, two or three days at a time, to collect remains, because it is impossible to do so under fire, for security reasons. Initially, they upheld our proposal and took it in, but literally two hours later, Zelensky publicly declined this potential agreement. Nevertheless, we are ready to revisit it.

Finally, the Ukrainian side handed over to us the list of 339 children allegedly kidnapped from the territory of Ukraine. Here is the list in question. We are working on it, through the office of the Commissioner for Children’s Rights. We will investigate every name.

But I must note that, for propaganda purposes, they earlier claimed that tens and hundreds of thousands of children had been brought over here. In fact, the actual number is 339 and we still need to check how many are in Russia, evacuated by our soldiers from under fire, and how many will eventually turn up in Europe, as experience shows.

Mr. President, to conclude, we have established an effective communication channel on humanitarian issues. For other matters, the ball is in their court.

⚡️ Comment by the Aide to the President of the Russian Federation Yury Ushakov on the outcomes of Russia's President Vladimir Putin’s telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump (June 4, 2025)

💬 About an hour ago, the fourth telephone conversation between our President and US President Donald Trump concluded. <...>

Vladimir Putin provided detailed information on the outcomes of the second round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul.

It was emphasised that Ukraine tried to derail these talks by carrying out targeted attacks on purely civilian targets and civilian population on direct orders from the Kiev regime.

These attacks unequivocally constitute an act of terrorism under international law and, in our view, the Kiev regime has essentially degenerated into a terrorist organisation. The Russian side did not fall for the provocations and, as you know, the second round has effectively taken place in Istanbul.

To reiterate, our President extensively covered the content and the outcomes of the talks and emphasised that, overall, these talks were productive. The corresponding memorandums were exchanged and will be analysed in the capitals – Moscow and Kiev – and then, we hope, both sides can continue the talks.

Regarding the strikes on military airfields, this issue was also discussed. Donald Trump reiterated that Americans were not informed in advance about them.

Naturally, the Leaders agreed to continue contacts on the Ukraine issue, both at the highest level and through other channels as well.

In addition to Ukraine, a number of international issues were discussed, with a focus on the stalled talks between the United States and Iran on the Iranian nuclear programme.

☝️ Donald Trump believes that Russia’s assistance may be necessary, and he would appreciate it if Russia could work with the Iranian side accordingly.

Additionally, the Middle East was discussed, as well as the armed conflict between India and Pakistan, which has been halted with the personal involvement of President Trump.

Furthermore, the Presidents exchanged views on the prospects for restoring Russia-US cooperation in various areas, which, according to both Presidents, have enormous potential.

🤝 In conclusion, both Leaders characterised the exchange of views as positive and highly productive. President Trump and our President also confirmed their willingness to remain in constant communication.

I would also note that both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin highly appreciated the efforts of President Trump’s Special Envoy Steven Witkoff.

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Vladimir Putin spoke on the recent terrorist attacks in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. Some of the key takeaways:

🔸The Government and regional authorities were instructed to take all necessary measures to help the families of the victims and the injured.

🔸The incident in the Bryansk region was an intentional attack on civilians. International law deems such acts terrorism.

🔸The decisions to blow up railways in the Bryansk and Kursk regions were most certainly made by the political authorities of Ukraine.

🔸The crimes against civilians, committed ahead of the next round of the peace talks that had been proposed by Russia, were undoubtedly an attempt to disrupt the negotiations.

🔸The strike on civilians was intentional, and this only serves to confirm Russia's concerns that the illegitimate Kiev regime is gradually devolving into a terrorist organisation, with its sponsors becoming accomplices of terrorists.

See more on the Kremlin’s official website.

🎙 Statement by Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Arria-Formula Meeting on Understanding and Resolving the Ideological Roots of the Ukrainian Crisis (New York, June 4, 2025)

Key talking points:

• Over the years of independence of Ukraine about 15 neo-Nazi parties and groups have emerged. After the bloody coup d’etat of 2014 the representatives of the neo-Nazi Svoboda (Freedom) Party took key governmental positions, in particular Oleksandr Sych became deputy Prime-Minister.

• At the turn of the XX century, nationalist narratives combined with Russophobia led not only to the revival of Nazi ideas, but also to their deep penetration into the Ukrainian society. Today nationalism permeates almost the entire political system, education, and media. The Ukrainian authorities erect monuments and memorial plaques to honor the memory of Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and Ukrainian Insurgent Army fighters, the streets are named after them.

• We cannot ignore the troubling ideological shift that has taken place in Ukraine since 2014, which was gradually accumulating since independence. In the years following the coup, we have witnessed a state-sponsored campaign that has not only marginalized Russian-speaking citizens but has also sought to rehabilitate and glorify individuals and groups historically associated with Nazism. The silence, and at times quiet endorsement, from Western nations has only emboldened this distortion of historical truth.

• Miserable fate awaits Russian prisoners of war, who are tortured and abused in captivity. While desperately trying to present itself to the international community as the main peacemaker and human rights champion, Ukraine does not even bother to ensure that the norms of international humanitarian law are respected by its combatants. Neo-Nazis are not shy, but rather proud to publicly post videos showing prisoners being castrated and kneecapped to say nothing of being shot.

• We must remember that opportunities for peace have been on the table. In 2022, there was a real chance to reach an agreement. But tragically, some Western countries chose to undermine those efforts, prioritizing geopolitical objectives over human lives and seeking to prolong the war in vain hopes of inflicting strategic defeat on Russia. The cost of that choice has been immense for Ukraine.

☝️ We stand at a crossroads. There is hope that the world can shift its course away from escalation and towards the resolution of the conflict. If we are serious about peace, we must focus not just on ending hostilities but on addressing also the ideological and historical wounds that underpin this conflict. By facing these challenges with honesty and courage, we can pave the way for meaningful dialogue, mutual respect, and a future where lasting peace is not just a goal, but a shared reality.

• Not all Ukrainians are Nazis. Most of them are not. But the ideology that rules today in Ukraine is extreme nationalism and Nazism. And it is, to a large extent, complicit in the beginning of the conflict and in fueling it.

• The proof of the neo-Nazi backbone of the Kiev regime is everywhere to be seen in modern Ukraine, obsessed with whitewashing and the heroization of Nazi collaborators, naming streets and schools after them. Numerous cases of such troubling acts are being painstakingly documented internally by the Ukrainian Jewish Committee and Holocaust remembrance organizations in Israel.

• If they [our Western colleagues] embrace the truth, they will have to accept rightfulness of one of the aims of the special military operation — the denazification of Ukraine. And we owe it to our children. And it is a sacred duty to free Ukrainians themselves from it.

❗️ We will do everything in our power to eradicate Nazism at our borders.

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🎙 Video address by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the occasion of Russian Language Day (Moscow, June 6, 2025)

💬 Friends,

My heartfelt wishes go to you on the occasion of Russian Language Day, which takes place annually on the birthday of great Russian poet and writer Alexander Pushkin.

🇷🇺 The importance of the Russian language as a pillar underlying the Russian civilisation and the whole Russian world can hardly be overestimated. Our “great and mighty” (as it is called) language is among the world’s top five most widely spoken languages.

It is widely used as an official or working language on international platforms. Its role in the development of scientific, cultural and educational exchanges and people-to-people contacts is enormous. Russian Language Day features on the UN calendar of significant dates as part of the programme for promoting multilingualism and cultural diversity.

Spreading the language of Leo Tolstoy and Ivan Turgenev, and Russian culture across the former Soviet Union objectively contributes to the formation of a space of peace, security, economic and humanitarian cooperation in Eurasia. I would like to note the great strides in the joint efforts with our partners to complete the procedures related to the establishment of the International Organisation for the Russian Language that was initiated by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Importantly, all countries without exception, where the Russian language is known and loved, and where the people are willing to study it, are welcome to join it. I look forward to the Organisation becoming operational soon.

<...>

✍️ In 1942, outstanding poetess Anna Akhmatova wrote about it in her poem “Courage” as follows:

None fears to die under the bullet’s siege,
None regrets loosing one’s home here, —
And we will preserve you, O great Russian speech,
O Russian great word, we all bear.
We’ll carry you out, clear and free, as a wave,
Give you to our heirs, and from slavery save.
Forever!

The “Russian great word” could be seen in denunciatory texts, including at the Nuremberg Tribunal, documenting the atrocities of Nazi war criminals. It strengthened the fighting spirit, brought consolation, and asserted the inevitable victory of good over evil. <...>

❗️ Respect for the Russian language, the great culture created on its basis, and the people who speak it are very important for us. We cannot tolerate discrimination, not to mention the open terror against everything Russian that was unleashed by the Kiev regime. The Ukrainian followers of Bandera and Shukhevich are systematically and legislatively exterminating everything that is in any way connected with Russia. The Kiev regime finds the Russian language particularly hateful. It was banned, including by law, from use. Russia will not leave Russians and Russian-speaking people in trouble and will make sure that their legal rights, including the right to speak their native language, are restored in full. We will continue to speak about this pressing problem on international platforms. We will insist on having it resolved as a prerequisite for a lasting peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict.

Further strengthening of the position of the Russian language in the world remains among the unconditional priorities of our humanitarian foreign policy. We will continue to do our utmost to meet the needs of our foreign partners in studying and using the Russian language, in obtaining general interest and scientific information in Russian, and in expanding knowledge about Russia.

On a final note, I would like to extend my heartfelt wishes to all those who love the language spoken by Pushkin and who contribute to its preservation and dissemination around the world. Special words of gratitude go to our compatriots who maintain an unbreakable spiritual and linguistic bond with their historical Homeland, and who do much to preserve the rich cultural, historical and spiritual heritage of the Russian world.

🤝 I wish you a happy holiday and all the best.

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