Connexion
Lavrov and Iran FM Araghchi Hold Joint Press Conference After Moscow Talks
A few Lavrov quotes:
West is attempting to distort all norms of international law, trying to replace it with their own rules — Lavrov
This just reflects their 500-year neocolonial desire ‘to try to live at the expense of others,’ Lavrov adds
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Russia reaffirms once again its willingness to help our Iranian friends in looking for acceptable ways to resolve the nuclear crisis that was created by the Westerners — Lavrov
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BRICS and SCO are organizations of a new type, unlike such NATO or what the EU has turned into — Lavrov
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‘They are trying to subjugate the will of their member states’
They talk about themselves ‘like they are the greatest politicians of modern times, not some hired employees’
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Europe is silent on US attacks in the Caribbean to gain Trump’s favor over their Ukraine peace plan proposals — Lavrov
Russia is ‘concerned’ with US Navy striking civilian boats and a probable land op
‘Almost all of the countries find it unacceptable apart from the Europeans’
Following Russian-Indian talks, Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi made statements for the media. The statements were preceded by a ceremony for the exchange of signed documents.
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/78657
29 Documents were signed by the parties. The video, at the link above, lists these – I am sure we will get a list that is not video and can easily be read.
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi (retranslated): Your Excellency Vladimir Putin, my dear friend,
Representatives of the two countries, and our friends from India, good afternoon.
I am delighted to welcome President Putin to the 23rd Russia – India Annual Summit.
President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India is taking place at a time marked by several historical dates in our relations. President Putin laid the groundwork for our strategic cooperation 25 years ago, and 15 years ago, in 2010, we upgraded our partnership to the level of a special privileged strategic partnership.
Over the past 25 years, President Putin has been relentless in promoting these relations by demonstrating his wise leadership and vision. Regardless of the circumstances, it is his leadership that has reinforced our mutual relations and enabled us to achieve new heights.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to President Putin for his friendship and for his unwavering commitment to working with India.
Friends,
The world has faced numerous ups and downs over the past 80 years, during which humankind has had to endure many crises and challenges. And throughout this time, the friendship between Russia and India has successfully weathered these storms. These relations are based on mutual respect and deep trust and have invariably stood the test of time.
Today, we discussed our ties and cooperation in all their aspects with a view to creating an even more solid foundation.
We want to reinforce our economic cooperation and elevate it to a new level. This is the objective we share and it is our shared priority. To make this a reality, we have agreed to implement a programme for economic cooperation until 2030. It will provide for diversifying our trade and investment, making them more balanced and sustainable. At the same time, it will help unlock new dimensions in our cooperation.
Today, President Putin and I will be taking part in the Russia – India Business Forum. I am convinced that this platform will also help strengthen our business ties and open new doors for exports, joint manufacture and technical innovation.
Both countries have been proactive in working on a free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and our country.
Our cooperation in agriculture and fertilisers is extremely important for our food security and the prosperity of our farmers.
I am happy that our countries will work together to promote our mutual production of urea.
Friends, promoting connectivity between our countries is another priority for us.
We will redouble our efforts regarding the discussions on the North-South International Transport Corridor and the Vladivostok-Chennai Maritime Corridor.
I am confident that we will effectively cooperate in the interests of promoting polar trade via local trade routes. We have offered an opportunity to strengthen our cooperation in the Arctic, which will create new jobs for Indian young people.
At the same time, our deep cooperation in shipbuilding will help us boost our joint initiatives. This is yet another important example of our mutually beneficial cooperation, which is increasing the number of jobs and skills while strengthening regional connectivity.
Energy security is another important pillar of partnership between Russia and India. Our cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear energy, which is rooted in our history, has helped us uphold our commitment to providing clean energy, which is extremely important for both countries.
I have no doubt that our mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of critical minerals will also be important for a safe and diversified provision of resources to the world.
We also maintain our cooperation in such areas as clean energy, high technologies and modern industries.
Friends,
Our cultural relations and ties between individual representatives of our countries are of special importance for relations between Russia and India. Over the past decades, our peoples have demonstrated respect and admiration for each other’s cultures, and we have coordinated various measures to further strengthen this cooperation.
The recent opening of two Indian consulates in Russia is a significant step forward, facilitating contacts for all our citizens and bringing our nations even closer together.
This October, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims received blessings at the sacred relics of Buddha Shakyamuni in Kalmykia. I am confident that we will soon implement a 30-day visa-free regime for tourist groups, which will greatly enhance travel between our countries. This measure will not only bring our peoples closer but also invigorate our societies and unlock new opportunities. I am therefore pleased that today we were able to sign two key agreements to advance this initiative.
Our collaboration will also deepen in education and professional development, including through increased student and academic exchanges.
Friends,
Today, we discussed a range of pressing regional and global issues. On Ukraine, India’s position has been consistent from the outset: we stand for peace. We welcome all initiatives and efforts aimed at achieving a peaceful, long-term resolution of this conflict. India has always been ready to support such efforts, and we will continue to do so.
India and Russia have always supported one another and worked shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism. The terrorist attack in Pahalgam and the cowardly atrocity at Crocus City Hall are connected by a common, hateful ideology. India firmly believes that terrorism constitutes a direct assault on universal human values. Our unity within the global community is the only effective way to combat this evil.
We cooperate closely within the UN, the G20, the SCO, BRICS, and other multilateral forums. We will continue this essential dialogue and cooperation across all these platforms.
Your Excellency,
I am confident that our enduring friendship will provide the strength needed to address global challenges. Together, we can help lead the way towards a more prosperous future.
Once again, I thank you and all members of your delegation for your visit to India. Thank you very much.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister, dear friend,
Ladies and gentlemen,
My sincere thanks to the President of the Republic of India, Droupadi Murmu, to you, Mr Prime Minister, and to all our Indian colleagues for the exceptionally warm and cordial welcome extended to the Russian delegation.
The discussions we have just concluded with our Indian colleagues, along with our highly productive one-on-one conversation last night – for which I thank you again, Mr Modi, for your generous hospitality – were held in a constructive and friendly spirit, reflecting the privileged partnership between Russia and India.
I would note that the Prime Minister and I have established a close working and personal rapport. We have met at the SCO summit in September, we maintain regular contact by telephone and personally oversee the development of our strategic cooperation across all key areas, as well as the progress of major bilateral projects.
Today, with the participation of our delegations, we conducted a thorough and comprehensive review of the entire spectrum of Russian-Indian cooperation. We also exchanged views on current international and regional issues.
The joint statement we have adopted outlines clear priorities for advancing our ties in politics, security, trade, the economy, and cultural and humanitarian affairs. As you have seen, this was complemented by the signing of a substantial package of intergovernmental, interdepartmental, and corporate agreements.
Many of these documents are aimed at expanding our economic partnership. This is only natural, as our nations are important partners in trade, investment, and technology. Last year, our bilateral trade grew by a further 12 percent, reaching a new record. While various estimates differ slightly, the consensus places the figure somewhere between US$64 and US$65 billion. We project trade will stand at a comparable level by year’s end.
That said, we believe there is clear potential to increase this volume to US$100 billion. To realise this ambitious goal, we have now agreed upon a joint Programme for the Development of Russian-Indian Economic Cooperation until 2030. This comprehensive roadmap provides clear guidelines. Our intergovernmental commission and the relevant economic ministries and agencies are tasked with removing barriers to the flows of goods and capital, implementing joint industrial projects, and deepening our collaboration in technology and investment.
Today, His Excellency the Prime Minister shared a comprehensive list of issues with us. It goes without saying that both Russia and India will be extremely diligent and responsive in reviewing them. Make no mistake, we will work on this matter.
Of course, having India create a free trade zone with the Eurasian Economic Union would help boost Russia-India business ties. The effort to draft an agreement to this effect is already in progress.
I must express my satisfaction with the fact that the two countries have been consistent in their commitment to switching to national currencies in mutual transactions. Their share in business deals has already reached 96 percent. Our two countries have developed resilient interbank channels for lending and financial transactions. Russian economic actors have been making wider use of the rupees they generate from export contracts. Major joint projects receive their funding in Russian rubles.
There has been positive momentum in our energy partnership. Russia is a reliable supplier of energy resources and everything India needs for developing its energy sector. We are ready to continue ensuring uninterrupted fuel supplies for the Indian economy to support its rapid expansion.
Of course, our bilateral energy cooperation goes far beyond this horizon. The flagship project to build India’s biggest NPP, Kudankulam, is underway. Two out of six reactors have been connected to the power grid, while the other four are in the engineering and construction stages.
Once this NPP reaches its full capacity, it will make a meaningful contribution to India’s energy mix, helping Indian companies and households access affordable and clean energy. We believe that building small modular reactors and floating NPPs could also be relevant, just as using nuclear technology for non-energy purposes, including in healthcare, agriculture and other sectors.
We are also working with our Indian partners to create new effective international transport logistics routes. This includes a project to create the North-South corridor linking Russia and Belarus to the Indian Ocean. Infrastructure development along the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor, including the Northern Sea Route as its main artery, offers ample opportunities for expanding bilateral trade.
There are many other economic sectors in which Russia and India have built a positive track record. We are working on joint initiatives in manufacturing, machine building, digital technology, space exploration and other research-intensive domains.
For example, a business agreement that was signed as part of the visit provides for building a major Russian-Indian pharmaceutical plant in the Kaluga Region for producing high-quality anticancer medicine using cutting-edge Indian technology. At the same time, Russian companies will start producing their goods as part of the Make in India programme, which is Prime Minister Modi’s flagship project.
Prospects for strengthening interaction between Russian and Indian entrepreneurs and business communities are being discussed in detail at the business forum that is currently underway in New Delhi. Mr Prime Minister and I will attend its plenary session later today.
Russian-Indian humanitarian cooperation is ongoing in many spheres. Our peoples have been sincerely interested in each other’s traditions, history and spiritual values for centuries. Our scientific and educational contacts, as well as youth and public exchanges are actively developing. The regular cross festivals of Russian and Indian films invariably enjoy success. Mutual tourist flows grow every year.
The Russian RT channel will begin broadcasting to India today. This will certainly help the Indian audience learn more about Russia and Russians and acquire objective information about current developments in our country.
Our discussions on key global and regional issues have reaffirmed the similarity of our countries’ positions. Russia and India pursue an independent and sovereign foreign policy.
We are working together with our allies in BRICS, the SCO and other countries of the Global Majority to promote the shaping of a more just and democratic multipolar world order, and to protect the fundamental principles of international law enshrined in the UN Charter. These include the right of every country to its own path of development, the preservation of its own cultural and civilisational identity, respect for sovereignty and a delicate balance of interests of all members of the international community.
Russia and India, as the founding nations of BRICS, have done and continue to do a great deal to enhance the prestige of that organisation. As you know, India will assume the BRICS chairmanship next year. We will provide all-round assistance to our Indian friends in their work on the current BRICS agenda.
Of course, I would also like to say that Russia and India have traditionally worked closely together in the military-technical sphere. Our country has been assisting the modernisation of the Indian army, including the air defence, air force and navy, for over 50 years.
Overall, we are certainly satisfied with the results of our talks. Our plans include a meeting with President of India Droupadi Murmu. However, I can already express my confidence that this visit and the agreements reached will effectively promote the further strengthening of the Russian-Indian strategic partnership for the benefit of the people of India and Russia.
Thank you.
Featured Image: Delegates gather for the opening session of the Third Social Summit of the Peoples in Santa Marta, Colombia. Photo: @teleSURtv
Protecting the Zone of Peace in the LAC
Civil society organizations from across Latin America and the Caribbean opened the Third Social Summit of the Peoples on Monday in Santa Marta, Colombia, aiming to strengthen regional dialogue and collective action on migration, sovereignty, and regional integration.
The meeting, held at the Irotama Hotel, begins a day before the Fourth Summit between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union, which will also take place in Santa Marta.
Organizers state that the summit seeks to contribute to regional peace, democratic participation, and cooperation among social movements and governments. Delegations from various countries are expected to discuss shared strategies for advancing regional integration.
The public call to the summit emphasized unity across diverse political and social backgrounds: “From within our diversity, and with the goal of strengthening regional integration, we call on you to build and participate in the Third Social Summit of the Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean in Colombia, at a time when both the country and the continent face a historic need to defend our region as a Zone of Peace.”
Organizers highlight the importance of increased engagement within CELAC decision-making structures “from a popular, democratic, sovereign, inclusive, anti-patriarchal, and environmentally grounded perspective, with national, regional, and international projection.”
The summit also aims to develop a common agenda among social movements to support regional integration efforts and establish sustained channels of dialogue with governments. The meeting follows previous summits that sought to expand collaboration and mutual support across the region.
Working groups will address key themes, including regional sovereignty and defense; labor, migration, and rights; structural racism and historical reparations; integral agrarian reform and food sovereignty; environmental justice and climate policy; energy sovereignty; accountability for transnational corporations; and emerging financial alternatives in the Global South, including coordination with BRICS. Youth and student mobilization and children’s rights are also included in the program.
Outcomes from the Social Summit are expected to be presented and debated in parallel to the CELAC–EU Summit, situating regional social movements as active participants in shaping integration and public policy.
Recent US-Chinese talks regarding the array of tariffs, restrictions, sanctions, and other financial, economic, and diplomatic measures the US is trying and failing to use to contain China are almost irrelevant – the US is incapable of upholding its own proposals and agreements, and certainly will not honor any agreements made from a position of weakness;
”Progress” emerging from the talks will take the same form of temporary pause/reorganization before the US doubles down on another campaign of attempting to encircle and contain China – both through the above stated measures but also through the military and non-military means of coercion and political capture along China’s periphery and the toppling of governments friends with Beijing (Venezuela among them);
When the US has recalibrated its policy of encirclement and containment of China, it will sidestep any agreements it has made and relaunch any and all measures it thinks will undermine China’s rise both within its borders and beyond them;
The US doesn’t do “diplomacy,” – instead, what it does is buy time and space to create conditions that may not currently be optimal to achieve its long-term objective – that objective always and continues to be global primacy and the elimination of ALL rivals, adversary and ally alike;
Unless this fundamental objective and the interests driving it change (and they aren’t), the only thing about US policy that will change are the ways it attempts to pursue this and NOTHING else.
Many of the latest unilateral coercive measures have been suspended for a year. One gets the impression that the US has been put on a state of probation. The rest makes up small issues, not very important.
BEIJING, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) — China’s Ministry of Commerce on Thursday unveiled the outcomes achieved by Chinese and U.S. delegations during their recent economic and trade talks in Kuala Lumpur.
The U.S. side will cancel the 10-percent so-called “fentanyl tariffs” and suspend, for an additional year, the 24-percent reciprocal tariffs levied on Chinese goods, including goods from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region, according to a spokesperson of the ministry.
China will make corresponding adjustments to its countermeasures against the aforementioned U.S. tariffs, the spokesperson said, noting that both sides have agreed to continue extending certain tariff exclusion measures.
The United States will suspend for one year the implementation of a new rule announced on Sept. 29 that expands its “entity-list” export restrictions to any entity that is at least 50 percent owned by one or more entities on the list. China will suspend the implementation of relevant export control measures announced on Oct. 9 for one year and will study and refine specific plans, the spokesperson said.
The U.S. side will suspend the implementation of measures under its Section 301 investigation targeting China’s maritime, logistics and shipbuilding industries for one year. In response, China will correspondingly suspend the implementation of its countermeasures against the U.S. side for one year once the U.S. suspension takes effect, according to the spokesperson.
In addition, the two sides also reached consensus on issues including anti-drug cooperation on fentanyl, expanding agricultural product trade, and the handling of individual cases involving relevant enterprises, according to the spokesperson.
Both sides further confirmed the outcomes of the Madrid economic and trade talks. The U.S. side made positive commitments in areas such as investment, and China will properly resolve issues related to TikTok with the U.S. side.
The China-U.S. economic and trade talks in Kuala Lumpur have yielded positive results, demonstrating that by upholding the spirit of equality, respect and mutual benefit, and through dialogue and cooperation, the two sides can find solutions to problems, the spokesperson said.
Noting that the outcomes are hard won, the spokesperson said China looks forward to working with the U.S. side to jointly ensure the implementation of the outcomes, and inject more certainty and stability into bilateral economic and trade cooperation as well as the world’s economy.
Lavrov discussed the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis during a meeting with Rubio, with both sides confirming their interest in finding peaceful solutions, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Lavrov emphasized Moscow’s readiness to adhere to the course on Ukraine established by the leaders of the countries at the Alaska summit, the ministry added.
Lavrov noted the unacceptability of the schemes promoted by Ukraine and some European countries to prolong the conflict.
Lavrov and Rubio “aligned their clocks” on the complex of bilateral relations, including the restoration of socio-political contacts.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held closed-door talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.
The meeting lasted for just under an hour and revolved primarily around the Ukraine conflict, according to the tight-lipped statements made after the conversation by the two sides.
“The Secretary reiterated President [Donald] Trump’s call for the killing to stop and the need for Moscow to take meaningful steps toward a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war,” the US Department of State said in a statement.
The Russian Foreign Ministry offered a slightly more detailed readout of the talks, stating that Lavrov and Rubio had agreed to “continue constructive dialogue between the Russian and US foreign ministries” as well as reaffirmed the importance of the “momentum” generated by the Alaska summit for “normalizing bilateral relations.”
The meeting comes on the heels of a sharp change in Trump’s rhetoric on the conflict following a meeting with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky earlier this week. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, the US president said he believes Kiev is “in a position to fight and win all of Ukraine back,” with enough support from the EU and NATO. He also branded Russia a “paper tiger,” arguing that it had failed to defeat Ukraine and claiming that Moscow was “in big economic trouble.”
Moscow appeared to brush off the hostile rhetoric, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov jokingly suggesting that Russia was a “real bear” rather than a “paper tiger.” While the country’s economy has been facing certain “problems,” it has largely adapted to the ongoing conflict and withstood the unprecedented Western sanctions, Peskov told Russian business daily RBK on Wednesday.
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It seems as if Lavrov stood like a bear, keeping their feet to the Alaska fire, and told ’em what’s what. The faces were grim on leaving the meeting.
This is a different take on the US – China trade negotiations in Madrid. With this, take a note of Lin Jian’s Press Conference for a practical illustration of the issues discussed.
While Russia has declared that there are no talks ongoing with the US or Ukraine, by definition there is no progress anywhere and Russia is just fine with that, and NATO is de facto at war with Russia, China follows the same method. Yes, talk to us, but we beat the drum.
PressTV covers a speech from Anton Kobyakov, a senior advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok earlier, Kobyakov issued a stark warning to the international community, exposing a calculated strategy by the United States to confront its staggering $35 trillion national debt by exploiting global cryptocurrency users.
He outlined a sophisticated US plan to shift a substantial portion of its unmanageable debt into cryptocurrency markets, particularly dollar-pegged stablecoins, with the ultimate aim of triggering a massive devaluation that would effectively erase its financial obligations at the expense of international investors.
This revelation, grounded in a sharp analysis of US policy trends and financial maneuvers, underscores the lengths to which Washington is prepared to go to preserve its economic dominance. It also highlights a blatant disregard for global financial stability and the security of ordinary cryptocurrency holders worldwide.
Speaking at a forum dedicated to international economic cooperation, Kobyakov’s remarks served as both a sobering critique of US financial practices and a call for countries worldwide to reduce dependence on the dollar-dominated system that enables such high-risk strategies.
Anatomy of an American financial strategy
Weighed down by a historic and unsustainable $35 trillion national debt, accumulated through decades of fiscal irresponsibility, excessive military spending, and systemic financial mismanagement, US is now pursuing a perilous strategy that shifts the burden of its failures onto the global populace.
In a dramatic reversal from earlier skepticism, the current Trump administration has aggressively embraced cryptocurrency not as a vehicle for innovation, but as a strategic instrument to mitigate this existential debt crisis.
Proposals such as the creation of a US Bitcoin strategic reserve and the introduction of legislation like the BITCOIN Act, aimed at acquiring vast amounts of Bitcoin, illustrate the scale of this new direction.
At the same time, the US Treasury under Secretary Scott Bessent is advancing initiatives to issue government bonds through stablecoins, while individual states, most notably Wyoming, are pioneering state-backed stablecoins built on blockchain networks.
Together, these measures form a comprehensive ecosystem designed to draw global users into what critics describe as a dollar-denominated digital trap.
The core of this strategy, as identified by Kobyakov, is to encourage widespread global adoption of US-linked stablecoins, thereby shifting a portion of America’s debt obligations onto these digital assets and, ultimately, into the portfolios of unsuspecting international holders.
Once a critical mass of US debt is effectively embedded within this “crypto cloud,” Washington could deliberately engineer a devaluation of these instruments, wiping out its own obligations while devastating the savings of millions worldwide.
This approach is not without precedent. It echoes earlier US financial resets, most notably the unilateral abandonment of the Bretton Woods gold standard in the 1970s, which similarly reshaped the global financial order to Washington’s advantage at the expense of its international partners.
Geopolitical motivations and Russian perspective
This warning from a senior Putin advisor must be understood within the broader context of escalating financial warfare and the urgent global push for de-dollarization, a policy Moscow has been compelled to adopt following the West’s unprecedented and, in Russia’s view, illegitimate freezing of roughly $300 billion in sovereign assets.
Russia’s measured embrace of cryptocurrencies for international trade, including the legal recognition of Bitcoin as property and its integration into the financial system, represents a rational and defensive response to US financial weaponization. These steps are designed to safeguard economic sovereignty and ensure trade continuity in the face of mounting Western pressure.
Kobyakov’s remarks are therefore more than rhetoric. They reflect a well-founded analysis grounded in observable US policy trends and serve as a strategic warning to Washington’s trading partners and BRICS member states about the dangers of deepening reliance on dollar-based digital assets that remain vulnerable to US manipulation.
The Russian narrative underscores the inherent hypocrisy of a US government that publicly champions financial integrity while secretly engineering a systemic reset, one that would sacrifice global cryptocurrency users to absolve its own fiscal failures.
This perspective gains further weight from Washington’s silence over it. Rather than dismissing the issue outright, the lack of a clear rebuttal appears to lend credibility to the claims, suggesting an uncomfortable truth that some Western commentators have been too quick to dismiss as implausible. (Note: If you listen to Trump’s clip, this rebuttal is now null and void. It is open).
Global implications and perils of dollar hegemony
The successful implementation of the US strategy outlined by Kobyakov would have devastating and far-reaching consequences for the global financial system, according to experts, with developing nations and their citizens facing the harshest fallout.
Many in these regions have increasingly relied on stablecoins for remittances, savings, and protection against local currency instability, making them especially vulnerable.
A deliberate devaluation of major dollar-pegged stablecoins would instantly erase the wealth of millions of users worldwide, shattering confidence in the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem and potentially igniting a wider financial crisis due to the deepening interconnections between digital and traditional finance.
Such an outcome would mark the ultimate expression of dollar hegemony, revealing how Washington can exploit its currency’s privileged reserve status to impose policies with impunity, policies that would be inconceivable for any other nation.
Meanwhile, the US strategy of accumulating Bitcoin carries its own risks, threatening to inflate a dangerous speculative bubble that could expose American taxpayers to enormous losses if the market corrects. At the same time, it risks centralizing control over a transformative financial innovation in the hands of the very state whose policies created demand for alternatives in the first place.
These claims also carry global regulatory implications. They could trigger a wave of fragmented and protectionist cryptocurrency policies as nations seek to insulate their economies from US financial manipulation. Such moves, however, would come at the cost of stifling blockchain’s innovative potential and undermining its promise of a more decentralized and equitable financial system.
Ultimately, Kobyakov’s warning underscores a larger truth: any financial system dominated by a single nation’s currency, whether fiat or digital, remains inherently vulnerable to that nation’s self-interest.
This reality reinforces the urgency of ongoing de-dollarization efforts spearheaded by Russia, China, and other BRICS partners to build a truly multipolar and stable global economy.
Upon his return from the United States, Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the outcomes of the Russia-US talks (https://t.me/news_kremlin_eng/6017)
The President briefed senior officials of the Presidential Executive Office, the Government, the State Duma, ministries and agencies on the outcomes (https://t.me/news_kremlin_eng/6021) of the meeting in Anchorage.
Key statements from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s working meeting in the Kremlin to discuss the results of his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska by Ria Novosti:
The visit to Alaska was “timely and very useful,” and his conversation with Trump “frank and informative.”
All areas of the Russia-US cooperation were discussed during the talks.
There was the opportunity to “calmly and thoroughly” outline Russia’s position on the Ukrainian conflict.
A fair resolution to the Ukrainian crisis was discussed.
Russia wants to see the fighting in Ukraine end and would like to move to resolving all issues with Kiev peacefully.
Moscow respects the Trump administration’s position on the need for an early cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.
Addressing root causes of the Ukrainian crisis should be the foundation of a future peace settlement.
According to the Russian leader, all the frustrations in the negotiation process stem from “excessive expectations” https://tass.com/politics/1997165
VALAAM /Republic of Karelia/, August 1. /TASS/. The first serially-produced Oreshnik missile system has entered service with the Russian army, President Vladimir Putin told reporters.
He also noted that if Kiev believes that now is not the time for peace negotiations, Moscow is ready to wait. According to him, all the frustrations in the negotiation process stem from “excessive expectations.”
The Russian leader also raised the issue of corruption in Ukraine and spoke against imposing foreign governance on its people.
TASS has compiled the key statements of the head of state.
If Kiev believes that now is not the time for negotiations, Moscow is ready to wait: “Well, in principle, we can wait. If the Ukrainian leadership believes that now is not the time, that we need to wait, well, we are ready to wait.”
Unlike in Ukraine, the Russian government is legitimate: “After all, our political regime is based on the constitution of the Russian Federation, and the government is formed strictly in accordance with the basic law of the state. The same cannot be said about Ukraine.”
Russia handed over thousands of bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers to Kiev, and received back dozens of bodies of Russian troops: “For humanitarian reasons, as you know, we handed over thousands of bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers. In return, we received several dozen of our guys who laid down their lives for their homeland. And isn’t that a positive thing? It’s a big positive.”
Negotiation hiccups are due to “unrealistic expectations”: “Reaching a peaceful solution requires calm, substantive discussions—not public grandstanding.”
Negotiations are “always needed and always important”: “Especially if the aim is peace.”
Russia’s main goal is to root out the causes of the crisis in Ukraine and ensure the nation’s security: “We formulated them [Russia’s goals] last June at a meeting with the leadership of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation. Everything was laid out clearly there.”
The security of Russia and Ukraine must be considered in a broader European context: “The Ukrainian delegation suggested that it probably makes sense to talk about the security of both Russia and Ukraine in the context of pan-European security. It was one of the leaders of the Ukrainian delegation who made this point. And on the whole, we think that’s the right approach.”
It is necessary to lay down a lasting peace in Ukraine with no time limits: “Humanitarian issues include the Russian language, independence and proper conditions for the development of the Orthodox church, the Christian church in Ukraine. All of this must be discussed and form the foundation of a lasting peace, one without any time limits whatsoever.”
Ukraine overestimates the number of children allegedly taken to Russia: “It turned out that there weren’t that many children.”
The first serial Oreshnik has been produced in Russia: “It’s our first serial missile, and it’s already in service with the army.”
Deployment to Belarus is expected by year-end: “Sites have been chosen, and construction is underway. We’ll likely finalize everything by the end of the year.”
Russian troops are advancing “along the entire line of contact.”
The good results in the special operation can be attributed to the “courage and heroism” of Russian troops.
The information about the capture of Chasov Yar “is confirmed,” as it was liberated a few days ago.
The Ukrainian leadership is “not very informed” about the events at the front, since it denies the liberation of Chasov Yar by Russian troops: “This is their problem.”
The unfriendly countries that previously talked about inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow on the battlefield are now scrambling to stop the advance of the Russian army: “Either with promises of a good life, or with some kind of threats, or with the rearmament and resupply of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
The EU currently has lost all political sovereignty: “And this will be followed by economic losses amid today’s critical juncture.”
Corruption is common in all countries of the world: “The issue is in the scale of corruption and how willing and able a nation is to fight it.”
The society of a country that wants to fight corruption must want it and be ready for it: “But democracy cannot be imposed from the outside. Just as it is impossible to snuff out corruption from the outside.”
Corruption in Ukraine is “simply overwhelming,” but it cannot be defeated by external institutions.
The Ukrainian authorities “have disgraced themselves” when they failed to regain some of their sovereignty in the situation surrounding the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NACB) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SACPO).
There is no need to impose external governance institutions on the Ukrainian people, “this is a humiliating state.”.
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It is worthwhile to go through the formal readout: Vladimir Putin and President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko visited the Smolensk Skete of the Valaam Transfiguration of the Saviour stauropegial monastery.
The presidents attended a prayer service held in the Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.
After that, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko held a brief conversation, following which they answered media questions.
Question: Mr Putin, we have a question regarding the third round of talks which took place in Istanbul. You have not shared your comments so far. Could you give us an insight into whether Kiev responded to the proposals put forward in Istanbul to set-up three online working groups? Overall, what is your assessment of the way these talks have been advancing and their future? There is another point I wanted to raise too. Not long ago, just the other day, Zelensky said – this could have even been today – that holding talks with Russia does not make any sense and that they had to wait for the regime to change.
Vladimir Putin: As a matter of principle, waiting is an option if the Ukrainian leadership believes that this is not the right time and that they must wait. Be my guests – we are ready to wait. This is my first point.
Second, it is the Constitution of the Russian Federation that defines our political regime, while the existing authorities operate within the strict confines of our country’s Constitution. This is not the case for Ukraine. I will not go into details right now, but today’s authorities in Ukraine do not derive their powers from the Ukrainian Constitution. It is obvious that they have violated the Constitution, but having said that, I will not elaborate on this matter.
As for the talks, they are always relevant and important, especially if their goal is to bring about peace. My overall assessment is quite positive. How could it be otherwise if hundreds of people were able to return home? This is a positive development. As you know, Russia has handed over thousands of dead Ukrainian soldiers on humanitarian grounds, and has received several dozen bodies of our men who sacrificed their lives for their Motherland in response. No one would argue that this was not a positive development, right? Of course, this is something positive.
As for the question of whether someone is disappointed, all the disappointment stems from heightened expectations. This is a general rule we all know. That said, to settle an issue by peaceful means, you need to hold detailed talks instead of creating publicity. The way forward is to ensure that the negotiating process is private and confidential. This is why Russia suggested creating three groups as you have mentioned. Overall, Ukraine’s response was quite positive. We agreed that we can hold these talks without cameras and without making all this political noise by working in a calm environment while searching for compromises. These groups have yet to get down to business. They have not started their work so far, but overall we believe that the initial reaction from Ukraine was rather positive. For this reason, we expect this process to get off the ground.
Question: I have a follow-up question. A year ago, you articulated the terms for a lasting truce. Are they still on the table?
Vladimir Putin: Of course, it goes without saying that these conditions have not changed. In fact, these were objectives, rather than conditions, since I explained what Russia wanted to achieve. Before that, we kept hearing that it was unclear what Russia wanted. This is why we set forth these objectives in June 2024 at the meeting with the Foreign Ministry’s senior officials. Everything is clear in this regard, and the core message here is that we must eliminate the root causes of this crisis. This is the main objective.
Of course, there are humanitarian matters and broader security issues that pertain to both Russia and Ukraine. By the way, the Ukrainian delegation told us that it could make sense to discuss security for both Russia and Ukraine in the context of a pan-European security framework. One of the senior members of the Ukrainian delegation voiced this opinion. Overall, we believe that this makes sense, and we share this view.
As for humanitarian matters, they have to do with the Russian language, ensuring independence and providing an adequate environment for the Orthodox Church and the Christian faith in Ukraine. All these matters form a single whole and must be discussed considering their intertwined nature in order to lay the foundation for an enduring, lasting peace without any specific time limits.
Question: Mr Lukashenko, Mr Putin, I cannot but ask you about the latest developments, which include unrelenting sanctions imposed on Russia by the West, and the EU literally pumping out one package after another with 18 sanctions packages already in place and counting. My question is whether the Union State is going to adjust its strategy in any way? Are we going to respond and adjust our anti-sanctions strategy?
Alexander Lukashenko: We have adjusted everything we needed to adjust. If someone shut a door in our face, there are many other doors around the world that remain open. Russia and Belarus made a dramatic pivot today. I believe, over time, the world will appreciate what we did. What we did was unimaginable in the early 2020s, but we did it, turned things around, and we live and will continue to live. No one will ever bring us to our knees. We are determined to uphold our interests. Russia is a treasure trove of minerals and technologies. We need some time to let doubting individuals at home and elsewhere know what we are capable of.
You are aware of yesterday’s meeting with the diplomats, where I said that sanctions didn’t exist. There is no such thing as sanctions – period. There’s nothing to talk about. As soon as we mention sanctions, slackers grab the opportunity and start saying that working under sanctions is a challenge. There is no such thing as sanctions. Sanctions are all about opportunities. I think Russia has an even better understanding of what it means and acts accordingly. We have your back like I said yesterday. Do not worry about the sanctions.
I fully support someone asking President Putin about the talks and where he stands on the issue of talks. That is a very good question. The President said that talks must be held regardless of the ongoing war. The Americans fought in Vietnam thousands of miles away from home and engaged in talks from day one. The Ukrainians are deluding themselves, as I see, as they demand the impossible. Things they are saying and what Russia is offering – as the President just mentioned – should be discussed at the negotiating table. There may be compromises, concessions, pivots, and turnarounds. As you accurately pointed out, speaking about things bluntly is for show, meaning that someone tends to talk rather than do actual work.
I talked in public about our mutual friend Donald Trump, who we worried a lot about, and his statement. I recall us wanting him to win. What we see now are deadlines of 50, 60, or 10 days. That is not the right way to approach politics. If he wants peace, he should step up carefully and in good faith. This is a military confrontation, and dictating things, especially to a nuclear power, is not the way to go. Listen, it’s just laughable.
I recently had a meeting with Americans. I told them flatly, since they are his close friends, to let the President know that it is important to take a careful and measured approach, and the parties can come to terms.
Alexander Lukashenko: They started talking about truce in the air again. I told them that Russia, President Putin, is interested in having it, but you are the ones who do not want it. Tell Zelensky to agree to it in order to stop aerial vehicles from falling on people’s heads. More recently, a drone carrying 59 kilogrammes of explosives packed with ball bearings hit a ten-storey apartment building in Belarus. Luckily, it did not detonate. This is a dangerous escalation. We need to put an end to this, and proceed with caution while doing so.
Russia continues to talk with Ukrainians in Istanbul. Remember, President Putin called to thank me? The talks continue in Belarus, and we are doing prisoner exchanges on the border. The Ukrainians opened the border crossing and resumed rail traffic. Things are moving along.
There was much ado about children. Russia said anyone willing is welcome to come and see for themselves. Talks are underway between the Russian and Ukrainian commissioners for children’s rights. Where did Russia go wrong? There is a war going on. Some children were left without adult supervision. They were fed and provided with clothes. And yet Russia was blamed for that. For what? Please let us talk. Exchanges are underway.
Vladimir Putin: It turned out the number of children was exaggerated.
Alexander Lukashenko: Of course, it was. Three or four children who had lost their parents were exchanged. That is all.
Vladimir Putin: During the talks in Istanbul, we requested the lists. None was given to us.
Alexander Lukashenko: There are no lists. It is all about building up pressure which is not helpful. All the parties need to do is sit down and talk regardless of where they stand.
Vladimir Putin: The first talks were held in Belarus.
Alexander Lukashenko: Three rounds were held. If they do not like Belarus, fine, President Putin and I discussed this. We can take the talks anywhere they please, even to the Moon. But we need to sit down and talk, rather than hurl rocks at each other.
“I want to meet with Putin!” What is the point of saying that? Set the stage and issue a statement instead. I told the Americans to get everything ready and then sit down and sign documents. Bring in Trump, Macron, or Starmer – whoever you want, but you need to set the stage for it first. Is it hard to understand that? I am sure they know everything, but since they are saying what they are saying, they do not really want it and are just putting on a show.
Question: If I may, one more question. You mentioned that there is always an extensive agenda between our countries and that you will be discussing it. Will you be discussing security matters?
In particular, perhaps there is already some clarity regarding Oreshnik? Both sides confirmed that Oreshnik would be deployed in Belarus, but maybe there are already some specifics?
Alexander Lukashenko: The specifics are that the military, though they are concrete people who are always in a hurry, wanted to deploy Oreshnik – meaning the Belarusian stance – somewhere next year. President Putin rightly said: this year, we must primarily complete these processes – construction, establishment, and so on. For now, we are not stepping back from this.
Vladimir Putin: No, we are not stepping back.
First, what I would like to say in this regard. We have produced the first serial Oreshnik system, the first serial missile – and it has already been delivered to the troops. Now the series is underway. That is the first point.
Second. Our specialists – both Belarusian military specialists and Russian experts – have selected a site for future positions, and work is currently underway to prepare these positions. So, most likely, we will finalise this matter by the end of the year.
Alexander Lukashenko: We are not rushing – we are working calmly; there is no need to race ahead. As soon as everything is ready, not just the positions. As you said, building them is straightforward. What is needed are combat equipment, warheads, and missiles – these are not cheap.
Vladimir Putin: And protecting this position.
Alexander Lukashenko: And protecting it – of course, it must be protected.
Vladimir Putin: Everything is proceeding according to plan.
Alexander Lukashenko: Do not worry about security.
Question: President Putin, how do you assess the current situation in the special military operation and the overall dynamics?
Vladimir Putin: Yesterday, as usual, I discussed these matters several times with the Defence Minister [Andrei Belousov] and the Chief of the General Staff [Valery Gerasimov], and knowing that we would be speaking to the press, I asked them myself. I said: “How should I answer a question like this – the situation in the special military operation?” The response was: “Please answer honestly.” Now they will see and recall this.
And what does “honestly” mean today? It means that our troops are advancing along the entire line of combat contact – the entire line: in the border zone, in the Donetsk People’s Republic, in the Lugansk People’s Republic, in the Zaporozhye Region, and in the Kherson Region – everywhere, on all sectors, more in some places, less in others, but with positive momentum. Thanks, of course, to the courage and heroism of our soldiers.
We are now in a place that has special significance, where a temple will be erected in memory of all our soldiers who have fallen throughout history in defence of the Fatherland. Today, however, our thoughts are with the participants in the special military operation. The positive momentum on the front lines is undoubtedly due to the courage of our soldiers who are currently advancing. We must also recognise those who gave their lives on the battlefield.
It was thanks to them that the conditions were created for our forces today to advance. This is a shared achievement, and in that sense, not a single loss has been in vain.
As for the current situation, the dynamics is clear. You may have heard reports that Chasov Yar, a sizeable and strategically important settlement, was captured. Some have already tried to dispute this information, claiming it does not reflect reality. I can assure you with full confidence: it is absolutely true. In fact, while the Defence Ministry announced this only yesterday, this town was captured several days ago.
Mop-up operations followed. Counterattacks may occur. Statements about this being false information only suggest that the highest political circles in Ukraine are not fully informed about the developments on the ground. That is their problem.
Let me repeat that overall dynamics are positive. Not long ago, our adversaries were confidently speaking of inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia. Today, their rhetoric has shifted: now, their singular and desperate goal is to halt our offensive at any cost, whether by offering incentives, or issuing threats, or supplying more equipment and personnel to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Their goal is to stop the advance first, and only then address these issues of rebuilding their military.
To reiterate, we are seeking a lasting and sustainable peace built on fundamentally sound principles that would serve the interests of Russia and Ukraine and ensure the security of both countries. Perhaps, those voices on the Ukrainian side who – albeit cautiously – are beginning to raise the idea of dialogue, are right in suggesting that we must begin to consider the issue of European security in general.
Question: Minsk and Moscow are increasingly often talking about peace and their commitment to overcoming all challenges. All we are hearing from the West is the language of diktats and ultimatums. The EU and the United States admitted that the most recent deal was a disgrace for Europe. Where will the tariff diktat, ultimatums, and trade wars take the global economy? Are we going to be affected?
Alexander Lukashenko: Russia’s leadership recently made an astute statement that if continued this policy would lead Europe to deindustrialisation. It already has, in fact.
Vladimir Putin: It is in process.
Alexander Lukashenko: The process continues. They will destroy Europe, the European Union. The word is that the Americans may have weakening this centre of power in mind. After all, the EU was not a weak organisation. That is exactly what will happen.
Instead of clashing with us head-on – I mentioned this many times – they should have stood with us. Together, the EU and Russia would form a formidable force. The Americans would never let that happen, though. That would be far worse for them than China. Had such a union been formed, it would have represented an unparalleled global force. But they do not understand that. Or, perhaps they just do not need it.
When I am looking at these leaders… I will not say a thing about them in President Putin’s presence, but some of them are outgoing politicians aka lame ducks, while others have just taken office and are already polling below 20 percent. The people do not like this policy. Why do people in Europe not like this policy? The main reason is because of their stance on Ukraine. Their own citizens are sinking into poverty, while hundreds of billions – even trillions – are spent on weapons and aid to Ukraine. I am not sure, but it just looks wrong.
Vladimir Putin: You know, not long ago, political analysts and figures from the political circles used to say that the EU was an economic powerhouse, but a political dwarf. These words are not mine, and I am not seeking to offend anyone. We know that from Western sources. But – and I have said this before – sovereignty is a critical factor. It has always been important, but it is particularly important today. Sovereignty plays a key role in the economy and elsewhere.
Clearly, the EU, Europe, lacked genuine sovereignty. Today, it can be clearly seen that they have none at all. Lack of sovereignty in a critical situation like today inevitably leads to economic losses. The loss of political sovereignty inevitably leads to loss of economic sovereignty, and huge losses.
That is why I have always said that strengthening Russia’s sovereignty is one of the special military operation’s key objectives.
Question: The subject of Ukraine is raised this way or another in all the questions. The recent scandals related to the anticorruption agencies that we saw in Ukraine, what was it all about? How can you comment on what happened?
Vladimir Putin: Mr Lukashenko, how can you comment on this?
Alexander Lukashenko: You know, I kept thinking about it for a while. Well, the West is exerting pressure on Zelensky, and I am observing it and thinking: what did Zelensky want? He has taken billions, hundreds of billions. The West says: well, we want to know where this money goes and suggested establishing an anticorruption agency and an anticorruption prosecutor’s office. That is, if we are speaking of sovereignty.
He took the money, and those who gave it to him said: we want to see how [you spent it]. They agreed. They just woke up to it. Perhaps, they want to run elections or something else. This is for the people. They tried it, but the West got its mind right quick and said no. Two days or so later it said no. It took Rada two hours to cancel everything. He signed the law.
What sovereignty? No sovereignty at all. And there is no need for indignation: you took the money and the one who gave it to you wanted to know how you – a state without sovereignty – spent it. You know where the money went. People have built posh palaces in the French Riviera and elsewhere, and enjoy life. Some of them are sizing up the Presidential office in Ukraine. It is a charade. There is no better word to describe it.
The loss if sovereignty and independence underlies all of that.
Vladimir Putin: Corruption is a negative societal phenomenon, which is characteristic of many, if not all, countries. There is nothing unusual about it. The question is about the extent of corruption and society’s ability to combat it. What is society’s readiness and ability to combat corruption? It means that society itself should be capable of fighting corruption.
And if society can influence such processes, it is part of democracy. Democracy cannot be brought in from outside, just like you cannot fight corruption from the outside, especially if it is done by those who themselves are haunted by the same scourge. You think Europe or the United States are corruption-free? True, it has been legalised there. They have created an institute of lobbyism. What is it about? They give money to government officials of all levels. That is it. That is corruption, too.
Here it is clear that Ukraine is a country where corruption has indeed become overwhelming. Can it be combated from the outside? President Lukashenko noted that various agencies were created – yet they are not subordinate to local authorities: neither the president, nor the parliament, nor anyone else. This is an external institution.
Consider what was just said – can democracy, including anti-corruption institutions, be imposed from outside? When were these institutions established in Ukraine? In 2015. What year is it now? 2025.
Alexander Lukashenko: In short, they have triumphed over it.
Vladimir Putin: Of course! And so what? Ten years have passed, and everyone around the world is shouting at the top of their lungs: “Help! Ukraine is drowning in corruption!” Yes, that is the case. But the efficiency of externally imposed institutions is zero.
The focus should not be on forcing external governance institutions upon the people – in this case, the Ukrainian people – but on helping them stand on their own feet, to create these institutions themselves.
It is impossible for people to elect a president and parliament yet have no influence over the processes occurring in society. This is a humiliating state. A complete absence of sovereignty.
Indeed, quite right, they attempted to change something, to reclaim at least some sovereignty. When those at the top disapproved – they whistled, snapped their fingers, and everything was immediately reversed. It would have been better to do nothing at all. If they had stayed put, excuse me, sitting quietly – everything would have been on the sly and smooth. Instead, they only brought shame upon themselves.
But the very idea that it is necessary to reclaim at least some sovereignty is, naturally, correct – there is no disputing that.
Let us conclude, otherwise we will be here with you until evening.
Question: I would like to clarify something regarding the negotiation process on Ukraine. It is progressing slowly and with difficulty. In this context – President Lukashenko has already touched upon this – but nevertheless: is Belarus prepared to provide any assistance, and is this needed by Russia at present?
Alexander Lukashenko: We agreed long ago with President Putin – if needed, he will always say so, involving Belarus in the process, or processes.
Today – as I just mentioned, they reached agreements in Istanbul. Key issues include the exchange of prisoners of war, the wounded, and so on… I called the President of Russia and explained that we treat everyone equally. He supports this. The people – both Ukrainians and Russians – are warriors. Some are wounded, some face other hardships… Those in urgent need of medical care are immediately hospitalised. And there are such people.
This concerns not only prisoners of war but also the repatriation of the deceased. The Ukrainians trust no one. So, roughly speaking, let Belarusians handle the transfer of remains – only Belarusians. Railway tracks were restored to bring refrigerated wagons there. Still, only Belarusians may take the helm of those locomotives and move the refrigerated wagons back and forth.
We searched for personnel, even had to involve Afghan War veterans who fought in Afghanistan, and found railway workers experienced in this. The Russians asked us; the Ukrainians agreed – so we are doing it. If further assistance is required, a respective offer will follow.
President Putin made an absolutely correct point – and I fully share this view – regarding Chasov Yar. We are completely informed about the situation there – this is indeed the case. I do not know whether perhaps on the outskirts some houses remain uncleared – I cannot speak to the current status today.
Vladimir Putin: There are none left there.
Alexander Lukashenko: But Chasov Yar constitutes the road to Kramatorsk, effectively the centre of the special military operation in Ukraine. And what comes next? Why am I saying this? Ukraine today should urgently be requesting the President of Russia: “Let us sit down at the negotiating table, let us reach an agreement.” Otherwise, within a month, or month and a half, two months – I cannot say precisely – there will not even be defensive structures remaining. The Russians will gradually bite off, seize and advance further, reclaiming territory.
Vladimir Putin: We will regain it. It is ours.
Alexander Lukashenko: The Russians will regain it. Therefore, an agreement must be reached. If they want something, they must run towards it.
Because beforehand – it was clear we would discuss this topic – I gathered all frontline information and additionally coordinated it with your military. Our assessments completely coincide on all points, even in the Sumy Region where you seek to establish a buffer zone. Offensives are underway everywhere. Perhaps not rapidly, maybe slowly. Why slowly – I asked President Putin? He said: “I value human life.”
This is correct: slowly but steadily. Far fewer lives are being lost compared to, you know, the Great Patriotic War when hundreds of thousands were thrown into battle and perished. In Poland alone, 600,000 of our people died, Soviet citizens. There is no such scale of warfare in Ukraine – it proceeds quietly, calmly. But this provides Ukrainians an opportunity to say: “Listen, let us sit down and agree.” Yet they do not want this.
Vladimir Putin: Regarding Ukraine’s participation in the negotiation process, we are very grateful to President Lukashenko and Belarus as a whole for the support and assistance that Belarus and the President of Belarus provide us.
We maintain constant contact. I regularly inform Mr Lukashenko about the outcomes of this negotiation process. All our exchanges occur on Belarusian territory. The negotiation process began there in 2022, then relocated to Istanbul – where we continue.
We know the position of the President of Belarus, the entire Belarusian leadership, and indeed the Belarusian people who strive for peace to be established more swiftly between our two countries – between Russia and Ukraine. President Lukashenko is taking the most direct and active role in this. Thank you.
Question: A very powerful earthquake occurred in Kamchatka, and footage circulated worldwide showing doctors continuing surgeries despite the dangerous situation threatening their lives. Many believe these doctors deserve awards, while others consider they were simply fulfilling their duty. Will you award them?
Vladimir Putin: One may fulfil one’s duty in different ways. These doctors fulfilled theirs with dignity and heroism. Of course, they deserve state awards.
Governor [Vladimir Solodov] recently briefed me on the situation in Kamchatka. Let me remind you that years ago we worked to reinforce buildings and structures in Kamchatka precisely because of its location in a dangerous seismic zone, improving communication systems there. I hope this too has played its role, since there are no serious destructions or casualties – which is excellent.
Regarding the doctors you mentioned, I have already given my assessment. I assure you we have many specialists who fulfil their duty to the people most admirably, and we always strive to respond appropriately by providing state recognition, expressed through state awards among other means.
Thank you.
MOSCOW, May 28. /TASS/. Moscow will continue to insist on addressing the root causes of the Ukraine conflict at a new round of talks with Kiev, which will be announced in the near future, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the international meeting of high representatives in charge of security issues.
TASS has compiled the main statements by the Russian foreign minister.
New round of Russia-Ukraine talks
The next round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will be announced in the near term.
To effectively resolve the crisis, it is vital to eliminate its underlying causes, Lavrov said. “Negotiations are better than war. However, to achieve a lasting result — and we are firmly convinced of this — the core causes of the conflict must be addressed.”
The Ukraine conflict was “sparked by NATO’s long-standing aggressive eastward expansion, carried out despite repeated assurances from both the Americans and Europeans, initially to the Soviet leadership and later to Russia,” the Russian foreign minister stated.
He emphasized that Ukraine’s neutral, non-aligned, and nuclear-free status remains one of Russia’s “essential demands, which must be part of any settlement, as laid out during the April 2022 Istanbul talks.”
At the resumed negotiations in Istanbul on May 16, Moscow again demanded that “all those discriminatory laws be repealed,” Lavrov said. “We will maintain this position at the upcoming round of direct talks,” he added.
West’s position
Russia views “as totally unacceptable the West’s focus on the principle of territorial integrity” while disregarding the principle of peoples’ right to self-determination in the Ukraine conflict, Lavrov stated.
According to Lavrov, the West has failed to uphold human rights throughout the conflict. On the contrary, it openly promotes increased support for Ukraine, claiming that it “protects European values.” “This is what those values boil down to — the erasure of national identities, especially that of Russians and Russian-speaking population.”
Simultaneously, the acts of terrorism committed by the Kiev regime, “whose special services orchestrate assassinations of Russian politicians, military personnel, journalists, and public figures,” go unnoticed. “It is unfortunate that the West only reacts to our justified and proportionate responses to Kiev’s terrorist attacks on civilians, while our retaliatory measures exclusively target military sites and infrastructure used by the Ukrainian army,” Lavrov said.
NATO activity
Moscow is increasingly concerned about “a build-up of NATO forces along the contact line with Russia.”
Additionally, Lavrov noted Moscow’s concern over the spread of NATO infrastructure into the Asia-Pacific. “History proves that NATO’s presence always precedes instability,” he noted. The West is actively attempting to detach some ASEAN countries from the group and make them part of Western “narrow-bloc schemes,” the top Russian diplomat said.
Iran’s nuclear dossier
Lavrov also pointed out that the situation with Iran’s nuclear program remains tense. “By choosing to dismantle the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action eight years ago, certain political groups in Israel, the US, and Europe aimed to terminate Tehran’s legitimate civilian nuclear developments, ignoring its rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
Nevertheless, the Russian foreign minister expressed hope that progress could be made and that the Iran-US dialogue is moving in the right direction.
The endgame is clear: the US losing the entire Eurasian land mass. Ukraine, under these immense geopolitical imperatives, is only a sovereign-deprived pawn in the (Great) Game.
By Pepe Escobar at the Strategic Culture Foundation.
Did President Putin really change the game by proposing the resumption of negotiations on the proxy war in Ukraine in Istanbul – over three years after the first ones were scotched by NATO?
It’s complicated. And depends on which “game” we’re talking about.
What the Russian move instantly accomplished was to throw into total disarray the European warmongering Three Stooges (Starmer, BlackRock chancellor, Le Petit Roi) Cocaine Express.
Irrelevant Europe was not even at the table in Istanbul – except via extensive previous briefing of the low-rent, shabby-dressed Ukrainian delegation. That was compounded by the noisy barking threat in the sidelines advocating “more sanctions” to “pressure Russia”.
In March 2022 in Istanbul, Kiev could have stopped the war. Every one of us who were in Istanbul at the time could foresee that Kiev would eventually have to be forced to the table all over again.
So in essence we are back to the same negotiation – with the same top Russian negotiator, competent historian Vladimir Medinsky, heading a delegation composed by pros, but with Ukraine now facing over a million dead; deprived of at least four regions – more on the way; what’s left of its mineral wealth de facto controlled by the US; and a horrendous black hole that passes for an “economy”. We are talking about country 404 territory.
During the negotiations on Friday, Medinsky went straight to the point:
“We don’t want war, but we are ready to fight for a year, two, three – as long as it takes. We fought with Sweden for 21 years [the Great Northern War, 1700-1721, as it is known in Russia]. How long are you ready to fight?”
That’s the geopolitical/military state of things for Kiev and their “to the last Ukrainian” warmongering backers: either you capitulate, or we’re going to hurt you even more.
What’s the point of these negotiations?
Turkiye under uber-opportunist Sultan Erdogan in fact hosted a P.R. meeting between Moscow, Kiev and itself – with the Ukrainians unleashing a blitzkrieg of infantile tantrums only designed to influence global public opinion. In sharp contrast, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, did his best to put a positive spin on the proceedings.
Istanbul 2.0, Dmitriev asserted, achieved a large exchange of prisoners (1,000 on each side); ceasefire options to be presented by both sides; and a continuation of dialogue.
That’s not much. Well, at least they discussed in the same language: Russian. Nothing was lost in translation.
A serious case can be made that to propose the resumption of these negotiations, under this format, was meaningless. There’s no evidence in the horizon both parties might touch the fundamental issue anytime soon: the whole geopolitical strategic equation in Eastern Europe, from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea and beyond – leading to an “indivisibility of security” new deal with global repercussions.
That implies that whatever track these negotiations may follow further on down the road, they are an objective impossibility. Meanwhile, the proxy war in Ukraine – and the SMO – will go on.
That would also suggest that the Moscow security establishment considers the neo-nazi instrumentalized goons in Kiev at best as a re-enactment of the 6th Army of Paulus, with which you negotiate the end of a battle, but not the end of the war.
Even NATO semi-realists as retired Commodore Steven Jermy have been forced to admit that “Russia is in the driving seat” and clueless Europeans “appear to believe that the losers should dictate the terms of ceasefire or surrender.”
All the barking by the – European – chihuahuas of war cannot disguise the fundamental geopolitical/military fact: a massive NATO humiliation. Trump’s humongous problem is that he has to manage it – and sell it to domestic public opinion and the global public opinion as some sort of “deal” he struck with Putin.
It’s enlightening once again to go back to Grandmaster Lavrov, always the uber-realist, back in September 2024: “In April 2022, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reached agreement in Istanbul. If that agreement had been observed, Ukraine would have preserved part of Donbass. But every time another agreement, always accepted by Russia, is broken, Ukraine shrinks in size.”
The (Great) Game, revisited
Now back to the (Great) Game. Kiev negotiators eventually admitting Ukrainian capitulation means a NATO capitulation and an Empire of Chaos capitulation. That’s the ultimate anathema for the US ruling classes. Even an ultra-negotiated, carefully managed Ukrainian surrender will be an impossible sell – not to mention Washington under Narcissus Drowned Trump acknowledging a strategic defeat.
Because that will mean the Empire of Chaos losing Eurasia for good: the ultimate Mackinder/Brzezinski nightmare. Coupled with the consequential solidification of the multi-nodal, multipolar world.
The Russia-China stategic partnership is very much aware of every nook and cranny in this larger-than-life process. Beyond the current Turkish kabuki, they clearly understand the Big Eurasia Equation.
Beijing is fully aware NATO’s real goal was always to confront it via Russia. Ukraine was NATO’s pawn to take down Russia then get to China from the West. The goal of the US ruling elites as they configured their thalassocratic empire remains to blockade China from the West by land and sea, using Russia; then use Taiwan as a staging area to blockade China from the East by sea. No wonder control of Taiwan is a Chinese strategic imperative.
Enter Mackinder panic – all over again: the China-Russia strategic partnership can beat NATO hands down – and Russia, by itself, is already doing it. Xi and Putin once again discussed the chessboard in detail, in person, prior to the Victory Day parade last week in Moscow.
The endgame, once again, is clear: the US losing the entire Eurasian land mass. Ukraine, under these immense geopolitical imperatives, is only a sovereign-deprived pawn in the (Great) Game.
As for the tantrum-addicted clown in Kiev, he is merely an actor with no authority whatsoever, negotiations included. He is completely dominated by Ukrainian neo-Nazis who will kill him if and when the war is over. He merely fronts for them and gets paid off. And that’s why – enthusiastically supported by inconsequential London, Paris and Berlin – he’s obsessed to continue a Forever War destroying the very nation he claims to represent.
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
MOSCOW, May 15. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the situation surrounding the Istanbul talks on Ukraine intriguing at a meeting of the Diplomatic Club.
He also highlighted the need to establish a continental framework for all countries of the Eurasian continent.
TASS has gathered the key statements by the foreign minister.
Istanbul talks, Ukrainian settlement
The situation around the talks in Istanbul is intriguing: “Everyone, of course, is talking about Ukraine right now due to the intrigue that is unfolding in Istanbul.”
There are no guarantees that the talks on Ukraine will go smoothly and without obstacles: “On the contrary, the problems are bound to happen, as it was three years ago in Istanbul, when the formalized principles were ready to be put on the contract paper, but the British forbade the Kiev regime to continue this process, which could have resulted in a settlement.”
The West has “in the last 3-4 days somehow pushed the word ‘ceasefire’ into the background.”
There is “a lot of evidence that neither Berlin, nor Paris, nor Brussels, nor especially London really want any peace in Ukraine at all.”
The UK, amid the talks in Istanbul, acts “like a guide” for Vladimir Zelensky “through the jungle of global politics:” “A national security adviser to the British prime minister has already been assigned to Zelensky so that he doesn’t say anything wrong and doesn’t finally bury his reputation along with the image of those who handle him.”
Zelensky is a “pathetic person:” “It’s clear to everyone, except, perhaps, for him and his mentors.”
The Kiev regime’s Western handlers should not only advise but also insist that Ukraine repeal laws that violate the UN Charter: “That would bring a result.”
European countries favor Nazism, ignoring human rights violations in Ukraine: “Europe is in favor of Nazism, because Nazism is flourishing in Ukraine. It is also legitimized by holidays devoted to collaborators who fought for Hitler’s Germany.”
Russia’s position is to “ensure a long-term durable settlement that fairly reflects the interests of all parties involved.”
The presence of foreign military forces in Ukraine is unacceptable.
Eurasia’s pan-continental structure
It is necessary to move towards the creation of a pan-continental structure for all countries of the Eurasian continent: “We need a unifying process in Eurasia in order to harmonize the interests of many large, truly great powers and civilizations.”
West’s policy
Western countries want to achieve Russia’s strategic defeat on the battlefield because they don’t like its stance on the international stage: “I guess they don’t like the fact that Russia is independent.”
Macron’s statements
French President Emmanuel Macron’s remark that Russia “refused to implement” the Minsk agreements is a lie: “Even what happened a few years ago, when his predecessor (former French President Francois Hollande – TASS) admitted that he was not going to implement anything [on the Minsk agreements], turns these remarks upside down.”
The French leader’s words on the Ukrainian crisis “are beyond understanding.”
Relations with US
Moscow is not opposed to building mutually beneficial cooperation with Washington in the economic sphere, and US President Donald Trump has also confirmed his interest in this: “Of course, we will not do it to the detriment of Russian business, but nevertheless we are ready for it.”
Asia-Pacific region
Western countries are seeking to undermine the central role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): “The rule of consensus, the search for common ground – all this our Western colleagues are beginning to slowly push aside and are trying to lure some ASEAN members into openly confrontational, rather than unifying formats, such as various ‘threes’ and ‘fours.'”
Western nations are counting on an additional opportunity to pit India and China against each other: “This policy, recently mentioned by Russian President Vladimir Putin, is ‘divide and conquer.'”.
The analysts have had time to read the short joint statement after the US / China Tariff talks and are beginning to see what a failure the Tariff War on China was and still is. It is such a failure that it is not even spectacular, but somewhat boring and nobody wins in a trade war. The US Tariff War with China has been set back in reality to the day before what Trump called ‘Victory Day’. This history is wiped and the so-called reset simply resets the chess board to where it was at the time of ‘Victory Day’, a scant few weeks ago. China knows that they do not need the US for trade but Trump started to say he must ‘save Christmas’, as the ’empty shelf’ phenomenon started hitting the US. So, they have set 90 days for something. It is not quite clear what. China will use the 90 days to continue moving supply chains away from the US and so will most other nations as trust is irrevocably lost. What the US will do with the 90 days is open to conjecture.
Rare Earths exports from China are still not happening. The latest from China is that they will work on a new mechanism for trade. By now everyone knows that the US refuses to appoint a representative to the WTO body that oversees trade disputes and no dispute resolution can take place because there is no quorum. In this way they have laid lame the organization that was set up to solve these kinds of global trading problems. The hegemon really does not like it if they have to obey their own rules and they invariably break the system.
The one trade deal that we know about, with the UK, is a nothing burger.
President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum in Beijing on Tuesday and trade from that side of the world is fast moving to China.
Trade tensions have eased though. There is not a violent decoupling, but I cannot help but see that decoupling is continuing in any event. A few years ago when Russia’s external funds were seized and remain so because of the SMO, the world stood back and said, ‘We cannot trust these people and have to divest from their banks and financial technology’. Dedollarization and financial dealings outside of the Western sphere started taking a bigger slice of the thinking and action of countries. The Tariff War did the same, but for trade. The thinking is the same: ‘We cannot trust these people and have to divest from trading with them.’
Two necessary planks for the hegemon’s elites luxurious existence on our planet is being removed from the bully; Their money and their trade. They have weapons left, for as long as rare earth minerals last. Nevertheless, Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia started with a weapons deal. The US State Department has approved the sale of Chinook Helicopters, machine guns, missile warning systems and software/communications equipment to the tune of $1.32 billion in arms sales to the Arab Emirates. And so we see the Pay for Play deal in its dimensions – a luxury plane for Trump, weapons for the Gulf states.
Paul and Ken from the Sirius report discuss how the problems that gave rise to the Tariff War are still there, and remain US problems, as nobody solved their problems for them and nobody is keen to pay the vig to the mob bullies.
Chinese vice premier: Substantive progress has been made, important consensus reached
Chinese vice premier: talks with US side candid, in-depth and constructive
China, US agree to establish economic, trade consultation mechanism, conduct further consultations on issues of mutual concern, says Chinese vice premier
China, US will on Monday issue joint statement reached during talks, says Chinese vice premier
Chinese vice premier says China, US have taken important step to resolve differences through equal dialogue and consultation
Chinese vice premier: China-US economic, trade ties mutually beneficial, win-win in nature
China ready to work with US to manage differences, extend list of cooperation, make pie of cooperation bigger – Chinese vice premier
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/05/joint-statement-on-u-s-china-economic-and-trade-meeting-in-geneva/
The Government of the United States of America (the “United States”) and the Government of the People’s Republic of China (“China”),
Recognizing the importance of their bilateral economic and trade relationship to both countries and the global economy;
Recognizing the importance of a sustainable, long-term, and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship;
Reflecting on their recent discussions and believing that continued discussions have the potential to address the concerns of each side in their economic and trade relationship; and
Moving forward in the spirit of mutual opening, continued communication, cooperation, and mutual respect;
The Parties commit to take the following actions by May 14, 2025:
The United States will (i) modify the application of the additional ad valorem rate of duty on articles of China (including articles of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macau Special Administrative Region) set forth in Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, by suspending 24 percentage points of that rate for an initial period of 90 days, while retaining the remaining ad valorem rate of 10 percent on those articles pursuant to the terms of said Order; and (ii) removing the modified additional ad valorem rates of duty on those articles imposed by Executive Order 14259 of April 8, 2025 and Executive Order 14266 of April 9, 2025.
China will (i) modify accordingly the application of the additional ad valorem rate of duty on articles of the United States set forth in Announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council No. 4 of 2025, by suspending 24 percentage points of that rate for an initial period of 90 days, while retaining the remaining additional ad valorem rate of 10 percent on those articles, and removing the modified additional ad valorem rates of duty on those articles imposed by Announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council No. 5 of 2025 and Announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council No. 6 of 2025; and (ii) adopt all necessary administrative measures to suspend or remove the non-tariff countermeasures taken against the United States since April 2, 2025.
After taking the aforementioned actions, the Parties will establish a mechanism to continue discussions about economic and trade relations. The representative from the Chinese side for these discussions will be He Lifeng, Vice Premier of the State Council, and the representatives from the U.S. side will be Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury, and Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative. These discussions may be conducted alternately in China and the United States, or a third country upon agreement of the Parties. As required, the two sides may conduct working-level consultations on relevant economic and trade issues.
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US slashes China tariffs from 145% to 30%
Bessent: https://t.me/rtnews/95252?single
By Xinhua Published: May 11, 2025 08:08 AM
File photo shows the national flags of China (R) and the United States as well as the flag of Washington D.C. on the Constitution Avenue in Washington, capital of the United States. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan)
At the request of the US side, China and the United States kicked off on Saturday a high-level meeting on economic and trade affairs in Geneva, Switzerland. China decided to make contacts with the U.S. side after taking full account of global expectations, national interests and appeals from US businesses and consumers.
China possesses strong resilience and ample policy tools to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests. It stands ready to work with the international community to jointly oppose all forms of unilateralism, protectionism and economic coercion.
Whether the road ahead involves negotiation or confrontation, one thing is clear: China’s determination to safeguard its development interests is unshakable, and its stance on maintaining the global economic and trade order remains unwavering.
The United States’ reckless abuse of tariffs has flagrantly contravened World Trade Organization rules and destabilized the global economic order. Far from serving any legitimate purpose, these punitive duties represent a deliberate attempt to upend the multilateral trade system, inflicting damage on the rightful interests of countries around the world.
For the United States itself, its tariff offensive amounts to economic self-harm: while it cannot cure underlying structural problems, it has triggered financial market volatility, fueled domestic inflation, eroded industrial capacity and raised the risk of recession.
As the world’s two largest economies, China and the United States share a profound stake in ensuring the soundness and steadiness of their commercial ties. The U.S. business and academic communities have consistently stressed that international trade is not a zero-sum game but should foster mutual benefit and shared success. U.S. policymakers should heed these rational and objective voices, and take concrete steps to restore China-U.S. trade relations to a path of healthy and stable growth.
Given mounting calls for economic stability, the decision to sit down for negotiations represents a positive and necessary step to resolve disagreements and avert further escalation. But as China has consistently emphasized, meaningful dialogue can only proceed on the basis of mutual respect, equal consultation and mutual benefit.
If Washington is truly committed to resolving trade frictions through dialogue, it must first confront the harm its tariff-driven policies have inflicted not only on the global trading system, but also on its own economy and citizens.
It must honor established international trade rules and adhere to principles of fairness and justice. Talks should never be a pretext for continued coercion or extortion, and China will firmly reject any proposal that compromises core principles or undermines the broader cause of global equity.
Confronted with U.S. protectionism and economic bullying, China has deployed decisive countermeasures and rallied multilateral support through the United Nations and other global forums to amplify the call for justice. China’s actions defend not only its own legitimate development rights but also the shared interests of the wider international community, particularly smaller and developing nations.
China has taken note that some economies are also engaged in negotiations with the United States. It must be emphasized that appeasement cannot secure peace, nor can compromise earn respect. Upholding principled positions and defending fairness and justice remain the right way to safeguard one’s legitimate interests.
At its heart, this is not just a trade dispute — it is an encounter between two fundamentally different visions in this age of economic globalization: one rooted in openness, cooperation and shared growth; the other driven by confrontation, exclusion, and zero-sum mentality.
The talks in Switzerland mark a crucial step toward resolving the issue. However, its ultimate resolution requires sufficient strategic patience and perseverance, as well as the international community’s steadfast support for justice.
China entered the Geneva talks with confidence in its solid economic fundamentals. Its economy grew by 5.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025; in 2024, its total goods imports and exports surpassed 43 trillion yuan (about 5.94 trillion U.S. dollars), with a more diversified set of trading partners and improved export composition.
Meanwhile, policy innovation and market vitality are working in tandem: new fiscal and monetary measures, ranging from interest-rate cuts to targeted support for innovation and social welfare, have further bolstered growth prospects and strengthened China’s ability to weather external shocks.
At a time when globalization is under strain and protectionism is on the rise, China has chosen not to lock itself up. Instead, it has doubled down on opening up, advancing trade and investment liberalization with renewed determination and creating opportunities for shared development across the globe.
China’s position is clear: no matter how the global landscape shifts, it will remain committed to openness, using the reliability of its own development to help offset the uncertainties facing the wider world.
Trade wars and tariff battles yield no winners. A stable and constructive China-U.S. relationship serves the interests of both nations and the world at large. It is through sustained dialogue, responsible management of differences and deeper win-win cooperation between the world’s two largest economies that the global economy can gain the confidence and momentum it urgently needs.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202505/1333758.shtml
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Trump is to be serious fact checked.
Overview: This is two posts from Quan Le and he asks that they be considered an epistemological diptych.
I sent you yesterday a post on the timeless universal heavenly principles and general guidelines having been enunciated at the occasion of the Opening Remarks at the Xi-Putin Small Group Talks (Moscow May 8, 2025).
*Post 1
OPENING REMARKS of the Xi-Putin’s Small Group Talks in Moscow (May 8, 2025)
■ Coordinated response to the rising unilateralist undercurrents and hegemonic coercion in the international arena.
■ China & Russia : Responsible Major Powers & Permanent Members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council.
■ China’s & Russia’s Historic Mission : Upholding an accurate historical perspective on World War II
■ China’s & Russia’s Historic Mission : Reinforcing the UN-centered international system.
■ Resolutely safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of both nations AND the broader developing world AND jointly advancing an equitable multipolar world order AND INCLUSIVE GLOBALIZATION THAT BENEFITS ALL HUMANITY.
**Post 2
Needless to say, the timeless universal heavenly principles and general guidelines are for the civilized people having the sufficient epistemological level for understanding them and for doing appropriately at the right moment the needed relevant practical actions related to them.
When interacting with plundering barbarians, plundering barbarians by intrinsic nature AND by old habits, we need specific tools of power for efficiently conveying our messages to them AND be taken seriously by the aforementioned plundering barbarians.
Sadly, we all know that the leopard cannot change its spots, that’s for the intrinsic nature part and also that OLD HABiTS DiE HARD.
Here NATURE & NURTURE combine in a most nefarious manner for maintaining the plundering barbarians in the same state of malevolence and malfeasance at every generation since recorded history, meaning at the human scale, practically forever.
Obviously, the plundering barbarians believe that they are superior beings and that imagined superiority allows them to arbitrarily act with total impunity in the most unhinged manner. What else to expect from plundering barbarians ?!!!!
Hence the most regrettable necessity for civilized people to work hard but also with creative pleasure in order to get the tools of power for upholding justice on Earth, to hit back harder at the plundering, mostly dumb and unaware barbarians again and again until:
︎They don’t dare repeat their depredations.
︎They are no more capable of iterating their bad habits.
Intellectual honesty impels me to mention Chua who was the first in our group to state in English with pristine clarity the legalist tenet adumbrated in the paragraph above.
Legalism was a corpus of down-to-Earth ideas & methods produced in China about 25 centuries ago (with developments stretching over 4 to 5 centuries) for handling the people (natives & foreigners) not open to the most glorious personal and collective Epistemological Journey.
According to the classical/aristocratic/timeless Chinese education, one can progressively ascend to Beauty: Goodness: Truth or practically speaking to Justice: Valor/Moderation: Wisdom by studying AND practicing the combined teachings of Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism (all three teachings granting TRUE FREEDOM for the ones having achieved the Epistemological Journey with their guidance well understood and not wrongly interpreted) or one will be forcefully supervised by the Chinese State using the tenets of Legalism (法 家 : Fa3 Jia1).
For translating 法 家, I prefer, even if it’s longer, the following expression : Principles & Practices of Statecraft and Administration (PPSA) or perhaps Systemic Administration & Regulations (SAR).
Professor Mohammad Marandi joins TMJ News for an in-depth analysis on the current ongoing Iran–U.S. nuclear negotiations. As a former advisor to Iran’s nuclear negotiations team, he offers an insider look into Iran’s present position as a regional power and a nation that is refusing to bargain its national sovereignty at the negotiating table. He also sheds light on public opinion about the nuclear talks: do Iranians have hope for sanctions relief and do they trust the U.S. will stay committed to a deal?
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