Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s answer to a media question regarding the Kiev regime’s attacks in the Black Sea (June 2, 2026)
Question: On the evening of May 28, a Turkish vessel, sailing under the flag of Vanuatu and carrying dry cargo from Odessa to Turkiye, was attacked by a drone. According to the Ukrainian navy, the vessel was attacked by a Russian UAV. Is this true? If so, what implications could this incident have for Russian-Turkish relations?
💬 Maria Zakharova: We are concerned by the significant escalation of terrorist activity by the Kiev regime in the Black Sea, which is worsening conditions and increasing risks for civilian shipping.
☝️ We remain convinced that eliminating all security threats in the region is indispensable to any comprehensive settlement of the crisis surrounding Ukraine. What we are seeing now is a familiar playbook: Ukrainian militants launch thug-like attacks on vessels with USVs or UAVs – and then try to blame Russia.
We have taken note of yet another provocation aimed at destabilising the Black Sea region – namely, the attack on tankers by Ukrainian naval drones on May 28 near the Turkish coast and the Bosphorus Strait.
These actions, directed against civilian commercial vessels, have once again shown that the Kiev junta has complete disregard for the principles and norms of international law, while routinely denying any involvement in such incidents.
In our view, these provocations – which are nothing short of terrorist acts – must be subjected to a thorough and impartial investigation. They also deserve a clear public response and condemnation from all coastal states, which bear a special responsibility for ensuring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.
❗️ Naturally, both the organisers and the perpetrators of these lawless attacks must be held accountable.
We reaffirm our readiness to work closely with Ankara in the interests of finding the best ways to stabilise the Black Sea region and exert effective influence on Kiev.
Question: On the evening of May 28, a Turkish vessel, sailing under the flag of Vanuatu and carrying dry cargo from Odessa to Turkiye, was attacked by a drone. According to the Ukrainian navy, the vessel was attacked by a Russian UAV. Is this true? If so, what implications could this incident have for Russian-Turkish relations?
💬 Maria Zakharova: We are concerned by the significant escalation of terrorist activity by the Kiev regime in the Black Sea, which is worsening conditions and increasing risks for civilian shipping.
☝️ We remain convinced that eliminating all security threats in the region is indispensable to any comprehensive settlement of the crisis surrounding Ukraine. What we are seeing now is a familiar playbook: Ukrainian militants launch thug-like attacks on vessels with USVs or UAVs – and then try to blame Russia.
We have taken note of yet another provocation aimed at destabilising the Black Sea region – namely, the attack on tankers by Ukrainian naval drones on May 28 near the Turkish coast and the Bosphorus Strait.
These actions, directed against civilian commercial vessels, have once again shown that the Kiev junta has complete disregard for the principles and norms of international law, while routinely denying any involvement in such incidents.
In our view, these provocations – which are nothing short of terrorist acts – must be subjected to a thorough and impartial investigation. They also deserve a clear public response and condemnation from all coastal states, which bear a special responsibility for ensuring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.
❗️ Naturally, both the organisers and the perpetrators of these lawless attacks must be held accountable.
We reaffirm our readiness to work closely with Ankara in the interests of finding the best ways to stabilise the Black Sea region and exert effective influence on Kiev.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
Media is too big
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#KievRegimeCrimes
⚡️ Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik:
On June 2, a delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (#ICRC), together with the leadership of the Lugansk Red Cross (#LRC), visited the site of the Ukrainian attack on a student dormitory in Starobelsk, Lugansk People’s Republic.
The ICRC delegates were able to thoroughly examine the site of the tragedy. They were granted access to the rooms of the students killed and wounded in the destroyed dormitory, as well as to classrooms and other educational facilities in the academic building of the Starobelsk branch of Lugansk Pedagogical University and the premises of Starobelsk College.
Representatives of the ICRC and the LRC also met with witnesses to the crime.
In conversations with students and local residents, representatives of the international organisation received confirmation that a series of strikes had hit the premises of educational institutions where students and teachers were present, killing 21 young people and wounding more than 40 civilians.
The delegates paid tribute to the victims at the “wall of grief” memorial created by Starobelsk residents – a place where hundreds of flowers are laid every day and where the grieving parents and loved ones of the students killed in the attack continue to gather.
The ICRC and LRC delegates also visited the Lugansk Republican Hospital, where seven wounded students had been taken. Four of them remain there, one in extremely serious condition. Two young people have been transferred to a federal clinic in Moscow. Psychologists are working with all the wounded young people.
At the end of the visit, the ICRC and LRC delegates held a meeting with the Human Rights Commissioner of the Lugansk People’s Republic, who provided detailed explanations regarding the circumstances in which the crime against civilians in Starobelsk was committed.
⚡️ Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik:
On June 2, a delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (#ICRC), together with the leadership of the Lugansk Red Cross (#LRC), visited the site of the Ukrainian attack on a student dormitory in Starobelsk, Lugansk People’s Republic.
The ICRC delegates were able to thoroughly examine the site of the tragedy. They were granted access to the rooms of the students killed and wounded in the destroyed dormitory, as well as to classrooms and other educational facilities in the academic building of the Starobelsk branch of Lugansk Pedagogical University and the premises of Starobelsk College.
Representatives of the ICRC and the LRC also met with witnesses to the crime.
In conversations with students and local residents, representatives of the international organisation received confirmation that a series of strikes had hit the premises of educational institutions where students and teachers were present, killing 21 young people and wounding more than 40 civilians.
The delegates paid tribute to the victims at the “wall of grief” memorial created by Starobelsk residents – a place where hundreds of flowers are laid every day and where the grieving parents and loved ones of the students killed in the attack continue to gather.
The ICRC and LRC delegates also visited the Lugansk Republican Hospital, where seven wounded students had been taken. Four of them remain there, one in extremely serious condition. Two young people have been transferred to a federal clinic in Moscow. Psychologists are working with all the wounded young people.
At the end of the visit, the ICRC and LRC delegates held a meeting with the Human Rights Commissioner of the Lugansk People’s Republic, who provided detailed explanations regarding the circumstances in which the crime against civilians in Starobelsk was committed.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#Announcement
The 29th St Petersburg International Economic Forum will take place in St Petersburg on June 3-6.
It is one of the world’s most authoritative platforms, bringing together representatives of business, government and the expert community to discuss today’s global challenges, prospects for economic development and new models of cooperation in a rapidly changing world.
#SPIEF has been held since 1997 and, since 2006, has taken place under the patronage and with the direct participation of the President of Russia.
✉️ President of Russia Vladimir Putin’s greetings to the participants, organisers and guests of the 29th St Petersburg International Economic Forum:
Participation in the Forum has been confirmed by 20,000 people from more than 130 countries and territories. More than 150 thematic sessions have already been scheduled as part of the event.
The Forum’s main theme is “Pragmatic Dialogue – The Path to a Stable Future”.
The business programme of #SPIEF2026 will focus on shaping a new model of global development amid sweeping changes in the world economy and will be divided into five strategic tracks:
👉 “The Global Economy: Between Confrontation and Cooperation”.
👉 “The Russian Economy: Structural Changes for Returning to a Growth Trajectory”.
👉 “Technologies Shaping the Future”.
👉 “Society in the Age of New Technologies”.
👉 “Living Environment: New Technologies – New Quality”.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the Forum.
Traditionally, the Russian Foreign Ministry will be broadly represented at various SPIEF sessions:
• On June 3, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov will take part in the roundtable “The Organization of Disunited Nations? Russia’s Future in International Collective Governance Institutions”.
• On June 3, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov will take part in the Russia-Brazil roundtable.
• On June 4, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin will take part in the roundtable “The Union State: Time to Be First”.
• On June 5, Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Pankin will take part in the special thematic session “Russia-APEC: Broad Cooperation Prospects on the Horizon until 2035”.
• On June 3-4, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of Information and Press will co-organise the panel session “Your Words are Like Bullets: How Information Has Transformed into the Most Powerful Weapon of the Modern Era”, as well as, jointly with International Affairs journal, the session “The Abduction of Europe: The Unlearned Lessons of History. What Future have Europeans Stolen from Themselves and Coming Generations?”
• On June 3-4, Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova will take part in the panel session “The Limits of Artificial Intelligence in the Media”, as well as in the session “The Creative Economy: Competing Narratives or Unity Around Shared Meanings”
• On June 5, a session involving representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry will be held under the title “A Cultural Code as a Foundation for Identity: Russia’s Experience and Future Outlook”.
Maria Zakharova’s weekly briefing will also take place on the sidelines of SPIEF on June 4.
👉 Official website of SPIEF 2026
📸 © Roscongress
The 29th St Petersburg International Economic Forum will take place in St Petersburg on June 3-6.
It is one of the world’s most authoritative platforms, bringing together representatives of business, government and the expert community to discuss today’s global challenges, prospects for economic development and new models of cooperation in a rapidly changing world.
#SPIEF has been held since 1997 and, since 2006, has taken place under the patronage and with the direct participation of the President of Russia.
✉️ President of Russia Vladimir Putin’s greetings to the participants, organisers and guests of the 29th St Petersburg International Economic Forum:
I am confident that your traditionally intensive and results-oriented discussions will help develop new, effective solutions across all spheres of economic and social life, including energy, digitalisation, food security and human capital development, strengthening financial and trade sovereignty, and will generally serve the interests of our states and peoples, while contributing to international cooperation, security and stability.
Participation in the Forum has been confirmed by 20,000 people from more than 130 countries and territories. More than 150 thematic sessions have already been scheduled as part of the event.
The Forum’s main theme is “Pragmatic Dialogue – The Path to a Stable Future”.
The business programme of #SPIEF2026 will focus on shaping a new model of global development amid sweeping changes in the world economy and will be divided into five strategic tracks:
👉 “The Global Economy: Between Confrontation and Cooperation”.
👉 “The Russian Economy: Structural Changes for Returning to a Growth Trajectory”.
👉 “Technologies Shaping the Future”.
👉 “Society in the Age of New Technologies”.
👉 “Living Environment: New Technologies – New Quality”.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the Forum.
Traditionally, the Russian Foreign Ministry will be broadly represented at various SPIEF sessions:
• On June 3, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov will take part in the roundtable “The Organization of Disunited Nations? Russia’s Future in International Collective Governance Institutions”.
• On June 3, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov will take part in the Russia-Brazil roundtable.
• On June 4, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin will take part in the roundtable “The Union State: Time to Be First”.
• On June 5, Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Pankin will take part in the special thematic session “Russia-APEC: Broad Cooperation Prospects on the Horizon until 2035”.
• On June 3-4, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of Information and Press will co-organise the panel session “Your Words are Like Bullets: How Information Has Transformed into the Most Powerful Weapon of the Modern Era”, as well as, jointly with International Affairs journal, the session “The Abduction of Europe: The Unlearned Lessons of History. What Future have Europeans Stolen from Themselves and Coming Generations?”
• On June 3-4, Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova will take part in the panel session “The Limits of Artificial Intelligence in the Media”, as well as in the session “The Creative Economy: Competing Narratives or Unity Around Shared Meanings”
• On June 5, a session involving representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry will be held under the title “A Cultural Code as a Foundation for Identity: Russia’s Experience and Future Outlook”.
Maria Zakharova’s weekly briefing will also take place on the sidelines of SPIEF on June 4.
👉 Official website of SPIEF 2026
📸 © Roscongress
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#KievRegimeCrimes
⚡️ Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik:
💬 On the eve of International Children’s Day, Ukrainian fiends killed 3 and wounded 8 minors. Over the past week, the neo-Nazis killed a total of 35 civilians.
The most tragic consequences were recorded in the DPR and the Kherson Region, where targeted drone strikes killed both children and adult civilians.
Kiev militants deliberately escalated the situation, increasing the number of strikes – primarily drone attacks – against civilian facilities, key civilian roads, energy and industrial infrastructure.
Using mainly UAVs, militants of the Ukrainian armed groups carried out remote mining of civilian sites and frequently visited public areas, and planted explosive devices inside populated localities.
Cases were recorded of remote mining on sections of the Novorossiya federal motorway, aimed at blocking supplies to the civilian population of these regions.
Ukrainian Nazis have openly moved on to acts of nuclear terrorism. The Zaporozhskaya NPP (#ZNPP) came under targeted attacks. A Ukrainian kamikaze drone struck the machine hall building of power unit 6. The impact was recorded just 10 metres from the station’s reactor compartment.
The ZNPP transport workshop also came under attack. Direct hits completely destroyed six passenger buses and two GAZelle vehicles used to transport duty shifts.
On May 25-31, shelling by Ukrainian neo-Nazis left 217 civilians killed or wounded: 182 people were injured, including 8 children, and 35 were killed, including 3 minors.
In total, Ukrainian militants fired at least 3,754 munitions at civilian sites on Russian territory.
⚡️ Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik:
💬 On the eve of International Children’s Day, Ukrainian fiends killed 3 and wounded 8 minors. Over the past week, the neo-Nazis killed a total of 35 civilians.
The most tragic consequences were recorded in the DPR and the Kherson Region, where targeted drone strikes killed both children and adult civilians.
Kiev militants deliberately escalated the situation, increasing the number of strikes – primarily drone attacks – against civilian facilities, key civilian roads, energy and industrial infrastructure.
Using mainly UAVs, militants of the Ukrainian armed groups carried out remote mining of civilian sites and frequently visited public areas, and planted explosive devices inside populated localities.
Cases were recorded of remote mining on sections of the Novorossiya federal motorway, aimed at blocking supplies to the civilian population of these regions.
Ukrainian Nazis have openly moved on to acts of nuclear terrorism. The Zaporozhskaya NPP (#ZNPP) came under targeted attacks. A Ukrainian kamikaze drone struck the machine hall building of power unit 6. The impact was recorded just 10 metres from the station’s reactor compartment.
The ZNPP transport workshop also came under attack. Direct hits completely destroyed six passenger buses and two GAZelle vehicles used to transport duty shifts.
On May 25-31, shelling by Ukrainian neo-Nazis left 217 civilians killed or wounded: 182 people were injured, including 8 children, and 35 were killed, including 3 minors.
In total, Ukrainian militants fired at least 3,754 munitions at civilian sites on Russian territory.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#KievRegimeCrimes
⚡️ Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik:
💬 Twelve years ago, on June 2, 2014, a point of no return was reached for hundreds of thousands of LPR residents – from peace to war.
For many millions more, it became a moment of truth: Kiev’s airstrike on Lugansk exposed the bloodstained grin of the coup-born regime and its handlers.
That day, Kiev began bombing a peaceful city – one that had neither air defence nor an air force of its own.
☝️ Keep this in mind when reading Zelensky’s tearful messages to Trump.
⚡️ Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik:
💬 Twelve years ago, on June 2, 2014, a point of no return was reached for hundreds of thousands of LPR residents – from peace to war.
For many millions more, it became a moment of truth: Kiev’s airstrike on Lugansk exposed the bloodstained grin of the coup-born regime and its handlers.
That day, Kiev began bombing a peaceful city – one that had neither air defence nor an air force of its own.
☝️ Keep this in mind when reading Zelensky’s tearful messages to Trump.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#KievRegimeCrimes
⚡️ Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik:
On June 3, at approximately 3:40 am, a regular passenger bus travelling from Moscow to Simferopol was struck by a Ukrainian fixed-wing UAV while passing through the centre of Yenakiyevo in the DPR.
There were 46 civilians in the bus – peacefully the transport continue on its route. The strike killed 8 civilians on the spot and wounded 11 others, including a 10-year-old child.
❗️ An attack on a civilian passenger bus can only be regarded as a deliberate terrorist act with multiple casualties, aimed at killing and intimidating the civilian population.
The neo-Nazis are using Western military support to paralyse civilian transport links and create unbearable living conditions for peaceful people.
All substantive details proving the criminal actions of the Nazis will be collected and transmitted to our representatives at international platforms.
The heinous attacks by Kiev’s unhinged terrorist regime demand not only international condemnation, but also firm practical measures to bring the criminals to justice under wartime conditions.
⚡️ Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik:
On June 3, at approximately 3:40 am, a regular passenger bus travelling from Moscow to Simferopol was struck by a Ukrainian fixed-wing UAV while passing through the centre of Yenakiyevo in the DPR.
There were 46 civilians in the bus – peacefully the transport continue on its route. The strike killed 8 civilians on the spot and wounded 11 others, including a 10-year-old child.
❗️ An attack on a civilian passenger bus can only be regarded as a deliberate terrorist act with multiple casualties, aimed at killing and intimidating the civilian population.
The neo-Nazis are using Western military support to paralyse civilian transport links and create unbearable living conditions for peaceful people.
All substantive details proving the criminal actions of the Nazis will be collected and transmitted to our representatives at international platforms.
The heinous attacks by Kiev’s unhinged terrorist regime demand not only international condemnation, but also firm practical measures to bring the criminals to justice under wartime conditions.
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
⚡️ Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's statement on the shelling by the Ukrainian militants of a regular passenger bus in the DPR on June 3, 2026 (June 3, 2026)
The Kiev regime has once again exposed its inhuman neo-Nazi nature by committing yet another cynical and bloody crime.
In the early hours of June 3, a regular Moscow-Simferopol passenger bus was shelled in the centre of the Yenakiyevo municipal district in the DPR. The bus burned out completely.
Seven people were killed, while eleven others, including one child, sustained injuries of varying severity.
❗️ We strongly condemn this terrorist act.
We express our sincere and deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wish the injured a speedy recovery.
The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case into the terrorist attack. The details of the crime, as well as all those involved, are being established.
It is noteworthy that, after the shelling, Ukrainian reconnaissance drones were spotted in the skies above the site of the tragedy, apparently documenting the aftermath of the war crime committed.
The Kiev regime, suffering defeat on the battlefield, is seeking to vent its impotent rage on defenceless civilians. This is exactly how the German Nazi invaders and their Bandera accomplices acted more than 80 years ago as they fled the occupied territories, sensing their inevitable defeat.
❗️ We call on all responsible governments, relevant international organisations and independent media to firmly condemn the brutal terrorist attack in Yenakiyevo.
Silence over this crime, like its other heinous atrocities, amounts to approval of the Zelensky regime’s misanthropic policy.
#KievRegimeCrimes
The Kiev regime has once again exposed its inhuman neo-Nazi nature by committing yet another cynical and bloody crime.
In the early hours of June 3, a regular Moscow-Simferopol passenger bus was shelled in the centre of the Yenakiyevo municipal district in the DPR. The bus burned out completely.
Seven people were killed, while eleven others, including one child, sustained injuries of varying severity.
❗️ We strongly condemn this terrorist act.
We express our sincere and deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wish the injured a speedy recovery.
The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case into the terrorist attack. The details of the crime, as well as all those involved, are being established.
It is noteworthy that, after the shelling, Ukrainian reconnaissance drones were spotted in the skies above the site of the tragedy, apparently documenting the aftermath of the war crime committed.
The Kiev regime, suffering defeat on the battlefield, is seeking to vent its impotent rage on defenceless civilians. This is exactly how the German Nazi invaders and their Bandera accomplices acted more than 80 years ago as they fled the occupied territories, sensing their inevitable defeat.
❗️ We call on all responsible governments, relevant international organisations and independent media to firmly condemn the brutal terrorist attack in Yenakiyevo.
Silence over this crime, like its other heinous atrocities, amounts to approval of the Zelensky regime’s misanthropic policy.
#KievRegimeCrimes
Our attention was drawn to an article by Will Swanton, published in The Australian on 5 June, which contains a number of hostile anti-Russian remarks and seeks to politicise sport in pursuit of a narrow political agenda.
Commenting on Mirra Andreeva’s victory in the French Open semi-final, the author deliberately emphasised her Russian origin, adding that “we dislike her nation for the mass slaughter of innocents”. Doesn’t expressing dislike for an entire nation sound racist?
As for the “mass slaughter of innocents”, does Mr Swanton possess enough decency and journalistic integrity to tell his readers the truth about the bloody terrorist attack carried out by the neo-Nazi Kiev regime against a college in Starobelsk on 22 May, which claimed the lives of 18 young women and three young men? Would he dare to say that he dislikes the Ukrainian nation because of this, particularly given the long list of crimes against the civilian population committed by the Zelensky’s junta?
🕯️The portraits of the students are currently on display in the public reception area of the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Australia. Our thoughts remain with the innocent victims and their families.
#KievRegimeCrimes
#NoStatuteOfLimitations
Commenting on Mirra Andreeva’s victory in the French Open semi-final, the author deliberately emphasised her Russian origin, adding that “we dislike her nation for the mass slaughter of innocents”. Doesn’t expressing dislike for an entire nation sound racist?
As for the “mass slaughter of innocents”, does Mr Swanton possess enough decency and journalistic integrity to tell his readers the truth about the bloody terrorist attack carried out by the neo-Nazi Kiev regime against a college in Starobelsk on 22 May, which claimed the lives of 18 young women and three young men? Would he dare to say that he dislikes the Ukrainian nation because of this, particularly given the long list of crimes against the civilian population committed by the Zelensky’s junta?
🕯️The portraits of the students are currently on display in the public reception area of the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Australia. Our thoughts remain with the innocent victims and their families.
#KievRegimeCrimes
#NoStatuteOfLimitations
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
🎙 President of Russia Vladimir Putin held a meeting with heads of international news agencies (St Petersburg, June 4, 2026)
Key points:
• In recent years, especially since the start of the special military operation, people have increasingly been saying: “Russia has pivoted towards Asia. It has changed its policy”. Russia has changed nothing and made no pivots. The Treaty underpinning #RussiaChina cooperation was signed in 2001. We are natural allies and partners.
• Russia and India have a great deal of joint work ahead. We are confident that in the coming years we will reach $100 billion in trade turnover. At present, it stands at around $60 billion – or rather $58 billion. But we have every prerequisite to work more actively and pursue more ambitious goals.
• The US is trying to pressure India on certain issues, including some aspects of cooperation with Russia. But it should be clear to everyone by now: pressuring Prime Minister Modi, who leads a country of 1.5 billion people, is a futile exercise.
• We are certainly ready and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine by peaceful means, and on the basis we discussed at the meeting with President Trump in Anchorage. At that time, Russia was presented with a number of issues so that we could agree to certain compromises. Russia is prepared to accept the compromises we discussed in Anchorage, 👉 the Ukrainian side must now also agree to them.
• What kind of mediator can the EU or individual EU countries be in the Ukrainian settlement when they are directly assisting the country with which we are in an armed conflict, effectively becoming involved in hostilities? What kind of mediators are they? Mediation requires neutrality.
• If someone in the EU believes it is worthwhile to revive dialogue with Russia – go ahead, by all means. But who would be the negotiator on Europe’s side? I do not know; we are not imposing anything. Naturally, we want to understand who that could be. And I repeat once again: they should be people who can be trusted. This is a working matter that can be discussed quietly and calmly, say, at the level of foreign ministries or intelligence services. Contacts between intelligence services, incidentally, are ongoing.
• The EU could play a positive role – not by supplying weapons, but by trying to persuade the Kiev authorities to accept the compromises we discussed in Anchorage. That is all.
• We can sign agreements with Ukraine only with people who are unquestionably, in the full sense of the word, legitimate for signing documents of this kind. There are many possible options: the speaker of parliament, perhaps Zelensky himself. We need to see what kind of documents these are and what legal consequences they will have.
• Against the backdrop of developments around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, the tragedy of Palestine has been forgotten – but it has not gone away. I want to stress this once again: in Russia's view, there can be only one fundamental way to resolve this issue – the creation of a fully-fledged Palestinian State.
• In 2015, Russia played a positive role in resolving the situation around Iran. At the time, we transported enriched uranium from the country to Russian territory, and this formed the basis of the #JCPOA, meaning that the crisis was resolved. The proposals are on the table; we are ready to do this again, just as we did in 2015. If not, then we will hope that the parties involved in this conflict find another solution.
Read in full
Key points:
• In recent years, especially since the start of the special military operation, people have increasingly been saying: “Russia has pivoted towards Asia. It has changed its policy”. Russia has changed nothing and made no pivots. The Treaty underpinning #RussiaChina cooperation was signed in 2001. We are natural allies and partners.
• Russia and India have a great deal of joint work ahead. We are confident that in the coming years we will reach $100 billion in trade turnover. At present, it stands at around $60 billion – or rather $58 billion. But we have every prerequisite to work more actively and pursue more ambitious goals.
• The US is trying to pressure India on certain issues, including some aspects of cooperation with Russia. But it should be clear to everyone by now: pressuring Prime Minister Modi, who leads a country of 1.5 billion people, is a futile exercise.
• We are certainly ready and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine by peaceful means, and on the basis we discussed at the meeting with President Trump in Anchorage. At that time, Russia was presented with a number of issues so that we could agree to certain compromises. Russia is prepared to accept the compromises we discussed in Anchorage, 👉 the Ukrainian side must now also agree to them.
• What kind of mediator can the EU or individual EU countries be in the Ukrainian settlement when they are directly assisting the country with which we are in an armed conflict, effectively becoming involved in hostilities? What kind of mediators are they? Mediation requires neutrality.
• If someone in the EU believes it is worthwhile to revive dialogue with Russia – go ahead, by all means. But who would be the negotiator on Europe’s side? I do not know; we are not imposing anything. Naturally, we want to understand who that could be. And I repeat once again: they should be people who can be trusted. This is a working matter that can be discussed quietly and calmly, say, at the level of foreign ministries or intelligence services. Contacts between intelligence services, incidentally, are ongoing.
• The EU could play a positive role – not by supplying weapons, but by trying to persuade the Kiev authorities to accept the compromises we discussed in Anchorage. That is all.
• We can sign agreements with Ukraine only with people who are unquestionably, in the full sense of the word, legitimate for signing documents of this kind. There are many possible options: the speaker of parliament, perhaps Zelensky himself. We need to see what kind of documents these are and what legal consequences they will have.
• Against the backdrop of developments around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, the tragedy of Palestine has been forgotten – but it has not gone away. I want to stress this once again: in Russia's view, there can be only one fundamental way to resolve this issue – the creation of a fully-fledged Palestinian State.
• In 2015, Russia played a positive role in resolving the situation around Iran. At the time, we transported enriched uranium from the country to Russian territory, and this formed the basis of the #JCPOA, meaning that the crisis was resolved. The proposals are on the table; we are ready to do this again, just as we did in 2015. If not, then we will hope that the parties involved in this conflict find another solution.
Read in full
Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
⚡️ Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's statement on the attack on the Natra and Tsirkon vessels in the Sea of Azov (June 5, 2026)
💬 According to information received from the competent Russian authorities, in the early hours of June 5, the Natra and Tsirkon vessels, sailing from Turkiye to the port of Rostov-on-Don under the flags of Belize and Palau respectively, were attacked in the Sea of Azov.
There are dead and wounded on both vessels, including citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The injured sailors received assistance from a passing Russian vessel and a border unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service.
We express our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wish the injured a speedy recovery.
The circumstances of the incident are being established. According to available information, the vessels were attacked by Ukrainian drones, which once again confirms the terrorist nature of the Kiev regime, which is increasingly targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.
We are in close contact with the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Moscow and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.
The Russian side will provide all necessary assistance to our partners in obtaining information on the circumstances of the incident and ensuring consular access to Azerbaijani citizens.
💬 According to information received from the competent Russian authorities, in the early hours of June 5, the Natra and Tsirkon vessels, sailing from Turkiye to the port of Rostov-on-Don under the flags of Belize and Palau respectively, were attacked in the Sea of Azov.
There are dead and wounded on both vessels, including citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The injured sailors received assistance from a passing Russian vessel and a border unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service.
We express our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wish the injured a speedy recovery.
The circumstances of the incident are being established. According to available information, the vessels were attacked by Ukrainian drones, which once again confirms the terrorist nature of the Kiev regime, which is increasingly targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.
We are in close contact with the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Moscow and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.
The Russian side will provide all necessary assistance to our partners in obtaining information on the circumstances of the incident and ensuring consular access to Azerbaijani citizens.