💬Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman M.#Zakharova:

On May 11, Vladimir #Putin put forward an initiative to resume (!) direct talks interrupted by Kiev regime in 2022 — to start without delay in Istanbul on May 15

The talks' objective is “to eliminate root causes of the conflict, reach the long-term lasting peace”

💬Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman M.#Zakharova:

Kiev regime killed another 4 civilians in Russia's Kursk region - by shelling, UAV attacks, mines

May 7 - UAF carried out a UAV raid on the Church of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Solunsk in Khomutovsky district

May 9 - 8 settlements in Kherson region were shelled

💬Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova:

Zelensky called the level of the Russian delegation [to #Istanbul] a sham...
Who is saying this? A comedian, a failure with no proper education

It was this delegation that 3 years ago gave bogus Zelensky chance to save both his country & his people. He FAILED.

💬Kiev has ignored the 72-hour truce (from 0:00 on May 8 to 0:00 on May 11) announced by the President of Russia on the occasion of #Victory80 with extreme cynicism

❗️ Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has 14'043 ceasefire violations on record

⚡️ Head of the Russian Delegation for the talks with Ukraine Vladimir Medinsky:

💬 Tomorrow, starting 10 a.m., we will be waiting for the Ukrainian side, that should arrive for the meeting, to begin the talks.

📍 Istanbul, Türkiye. May 15, 2025

⚡️ Заявление главы делегации Российской Федерации для переговоров с Украиной В.Р.Мединского

• Мы рассматриваем переговоры в Стамбуле как продолжение мирного процесса в Стамбуле, который, к сожалению, был прерван украинской стороной (в 2022 году).

• Наша официальная делегация утверждена распоряжением Президента, обладает всеми необходимыми полномочиями для ведения переговоров.

• Российская делегация настроена на конструктивный лад, на поиск возможных развязок и точек соприкосновения.

• Задача прямых переговоров с украинской стороной — установление долгосрочного мира и устранение базовых причин конфликта.

❗️FAKE ACCUSATIONS MADE BY UKRAINE AGAINST RUSSIA
(2022-2025)

Since the beginning of the special military operation, Kiev, in order to construct an anti-Russian information agenda and incite Russophobic sentiments, both in Ukraine and in the international community, it pursues a consistent line of making fake accusations against Russia and resorts to carrying out targeted stagings and shifting responsibility for its own crimes onto our country. Below are the most striking examples of such provocations.

Burial in Izyum

❌Fake: After the withdrawal of the Russian Armed Forces units from Izyum, Kharkov Region (they had stayed there from 15 March to 9 September 2022), the Kiev authorities tried to reproduce the Bucha scenario in this town by faking evidence of alleged crimes committed by the Russian military. The Ukrainian police had allegedly discovered as many as ten torture prisons, as well as mass graves and about 450 individual burials. To avoid "blunders", such as with Bucha, the exhumation of remains was carried out.

✅Fact. In reality: The Bucha 2.0 staging failed due to many inconsistencies. While many tombstones over individual graves bore the date of 9 March 2022, Russian units began entering Izyum as late as 15 March 2022 and took control of the city by early April. As for the mass graves, among other things, Ukrainian soldiers who died during the battles were buried in them and their bodies were abandoned by the AFU.

Immediately after the take-over of Izyum by the AFU on 9 September 2022, British journalists from The Daily Telegraph visited the burial site. They found no traces of massacres and quoted local residents as saying that "there were no detentions, torture or shootings." On 20 September 2022, Verkhovna Rada's Commissioner for Human Right Dmitry Lubinets prohibited Western media staff from entering the city under the pretext of a mine threat. He failed to answer their questions about the inconsistencies in Kiev's version of events.

⚡️ Заявление главы делегации Российской Федерации В.Р.Мединского по итогам российско-украинских переговоров в Стамбуле (16 мая 2025 года)

💬 Уважаемые коллеги,

Прямые переговоры с украинской стороной, организованные по инициативе Президента России, только что завершились.

В целом, мы удовлетворены результатом и готовы продолжать контакты.

О чём договорились:

1. Первое. В ближайшие дни произойдёт масштабный обмен пленными 1000 на 1000 человек.

2. Второе. Украинская сторона запросила прямые переговоры между руководителями государств. Мы приняли этот запрос к сведению.

3. И третье. Мы договорились о том, что каждая сторона представит своё видение возможного будущего прекращения огня. Пропишет это в деталях.

После того, как такое видение будет представлено, мы полагаем целесообразным, об этом тоже договорено, продолжить наши переговоры.

📄 Article by Deputy Director of the Foreign Policy Planning Department at the Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Trofimov for the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies "Security across the Eurasian Space: The Architecture that Unites"

Read in full

Key points:

• On June 14 President Vladimir Putin speaking at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs put forward the initiative to create a Eurasian security architecture. <…> It is an element of the long-term strategy of a strong power, which has always been a significant part of the Eurasian continent. This idea takes on a special role against the backdrop of the gradual formation of a multipolar world, as it is essentially designed to contribute to the development of this trend.

• After the disintegration of the USSR, Russia’s attempts to become part of the process of cooperation in the field of security were linked to Euro-Atlantic schemes. <...> The US and its allies in NATO did not intend to take Russia’s interests into account from the very beginning. They did not plan to fulfill the political commitments undertaken within the OSCE framework — to respect the principle of equal and indivisible security in the Euro-Atlantic region.

• It was NATO and the EU nations that destroyed the military-political dimension of the OSCE. The assurances given to the Soviet leadership about the non-expansion of the alliance eastward were effectively disavowed. From 1999 to 2024, seven waves of expansion took place, as a result of which the size of the military bloc doubled — from 16 to 32 states.

• Since recently, NATO has claimed a leading role not only in its traditional zone of responsibility but also throughout the entire Eurasia. As stated in the documents, threats to the alliance emanate from the Asia-Pacific region, therefore NATO intends to assert its military dominance in the east of Eurasia.

❗️ In the emerging multipolarity era, resolving security issues in the Eurasian space is of decisive importance for mitigating external threats to Russia and for maintaining global stability.

• The Russian initiative to establish an architecture of indivisible Eurasian security corresponds to the logic of the regionalization of international relations, serves the tasks of building a world order based on polycentric principles, and responds to the entire array of security challenges and threats along the perimeter and on the territory of the continent.

• This endeavor is based on the understanding of the need for states and multilateral structures of Eurasia to assume primary responsibility for their own security in accordance with the principle ‘Eurasian solutions to Eurasian problems’ without interference from outside.

• There is no all-inclusive multilateral organization in Eurasia which is the largest and the richest continent. However, a whole range of subregional structures operate on Eurasian soil — the Union State of Belarus and Russia, #CSTO, #CIS, #SCO, #ASEAN, #GCC, #CICA.

• Russia is not pushing an idea of creating an organization or political and military association. In the heterogeneous space of Eurasia, the architecture we are envisaging can only be integral — modular and intertwining simultaneously. <...> Russia proposes the prospect of developing a network, rather than a hierarchical system, without predetermining what it will come out in the end.

• The architecture of Eurasian security proposed by our country can only be inclusive. We are not talking just about some kind of ‘smaller Eurasia’ that would comprise Russia and its neighbors. All states located on the continent can join the dialogue.

• We are ready for interaction with European countries as well. However, joint work is possible only with those of them who have renounced a hostile course towards other Eurasian states.

👉 The initiative to create a Eurasian security architecture is designed to address appropriately to a wide range of challenges and threats. In essence, it aims to promote stability, cooperation and development throughout Eurasia.

✍️ President of Russia Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the Heads of State and Government taking part in the 34th Arab League Summit (May 17, 2025)

The message reads, in part:

“Your meeting is being held at a difficult time.

The escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which has claimed tens of thousands of civilian lives, has dramatically aggravated tensions and enhanced many social and economic problems in adjacent countries and throughout the #MiddleEast as a whole.

The role of the Arab League as an effective mechanism for multilateral dialogue and interaction is especially important in this situation.

For its part, Russia has consistently supported the collective political and diplomatic efforts taken by Arab countries within both the Arab League and in other formats to resolve current contradictions in the region.

We believe that all disputes should be settled on the basis of existing norms of international law and unwavering respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.

We intend to continue to develop all-round constructive dialogue with the Arab League and friendly relations with all its members.

In this connection, I would like to invite the leaders of all Arab League states, as well as the Secretary-General of the Arab League, to the first Russian-Arab Summit, which we plan to hold on October 15.

I am confident that this meeting will help strengthen multifaceted mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries and also search for ways to bring about peace, security and stability in the Middle East and North Africa.”

🇷🇺🇺🇸📞 On May 17, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov & US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a telephone conversation at the initiative of the US Side.

The Heads of foreign policy offices shared opinions on the outcomes of the Russian-Ukrainian talks held the previous day in Istanbul.

Marco Rubio welcomed the agreements reached on the exchange of prisoners of war and the intention of each side to prepare its own proposals outlining the conditions necessary for a ceasefire. He reaffirmed Washington’s readiness to continue supporting efforts towards a negotiated settlement.

Sergey Lavrov acknowledged the constructive role played by the United States in encouraging Kiev to finally accept President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to resume negotiations in Istanbul.

He reiterated Moscow’s willingness to continue working with US colleagues in this context.

The conversation also touched on a number of other international and regional issues. The sides exchanged views on the continuation of Russian-American contacts.

#RussiaUS