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UN chief confirms participation in SPIEF and meeting with Putin

UNITED NATIONS, May 31. /TASS/. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres plans to address the opening ceremony of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Thursday, Geterreses' official spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday

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Kremlin aide unveils agenda of Russian president and UN secretary general talks

"The Secretary-General will leave New York this evening to participate in the St.Petersburg international economic forum," he said. "Upon arrival to St.Petersburg on Thursday tomorrow he will make opening remarks at the forum." He is also scheduled to meet with the Russian president V Putin and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, and also possibly with other leaders attending this forum.

SPIEF will be held from June 1 through June 3 under the motto "Achieving a New Balance on the Global Scale".

TASS is an information partner and the official photo host of the forum. Also, it is the operator of the SPIEF presentation zone.

President Vladimir Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters earlier the SPIEF would bring together 511 companies from 62 countries as well as the heads of the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, OPEC, the IMF, and a number of other international organizations.

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United Nations SPIEF-2017

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Founder of neo-Nazi cell in Crimea flees to Georgia — source

According to the official, the investigation established that Mikhail Maurov planned to travel to Ukraine to join the ranks of a right-wing Ukrainian organization called the Freedom of Russia Legion

Armenia’s relations with Russia not at their highest — top diplomat

Ararat Mirzoyan also said that Yerevan is currently making efforts to expand cooperation with the European Union and the United States

BRICS’ expansion makes it much stronger — senior Russian diplomat

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Kiev ordered mandatory evacuation from Kharkov Region to accommodate mercenaries

Evacuation campaigns are regularly organized by the Kiev government, under the pretext of security issues

Iran suspends flights above several cities amid reports of air attack — IRNA

Fox News said the Jewish state delivered a limited strike on Iran

Ukraine’s military loses positions near Avdeyevka, says DPR

Igor Kimakovsky said that Ukrainian forces suffered heavy casualties among personnel and military hardware, including Western equipment

Russia's revenues from oil exports remain high despite price ceiling — IMF

Earlier in its report on the development of the world economy, the IMF noted that Russian oil is sold on the world market mainly above the price ceiling that the West tried to set

Proposals on Russian assets confiscation undermine financial system — Finance Minister

Russia urges the International Monetary Fund to resume the effort of improving the global monetary and financial system, Anton Siluanov noted

FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

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Number of flooded residential buildings in Russia drops to 16,200

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French, US, British nukes all interwoven — Russian diplomat

Maria Zakharova described France’s decision to place its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, directly under NATO control as a symbolic move marking the end of "the era of an independent Paris in the international arena"

Russian investigators start inquiry into financing of terrorism by US, NATO officials

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Sites for practicing ways to counter drones to be set up at all Russian testing grounds

Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has visited a testing ground in the Moscow Military District where new models of small arms developed with the participation of snipers who carried out missions in the special military operation zone were presented

Putin signs law on holding World Friendship Games

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G7 leaders to decide on Russian assets use — Italian Deputy PM

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American Abrams tanks vulnerable even to Soviet-era weapons, says expert

US President Joe Biden announced on January 25 that Washington would hand over 31 M1 Abrams tanks to the Kiev regime

Grossi ignores ‘elephant in the room’ in Zaporozhye nuke plant situation — Russian envoy

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US gives nod to Israeli operation in Rafah in exchange for canceling major attack on Iran

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Ukrainian drones continue to fly over Zaporozhye NPP — press service

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Two people killed in borderline Belgorod Region in Ukrainian drone attack — governor

According to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, a private residence in the village of Poroz caught fire when the unmanned aerial vehicles dropped two explosive devices

US House passes procedural vote on Ukraine aid bill

It cannot be ruled out that the House of Representatives may pass this package as early as Saturday

Ukrainian drone damages energy infrastructure in Russia’s Kaluga Region

There are no casualties, Governor Vladislav Shapsha said

Ukrainian trace obvious in Crocus City Hall attack — Russian prosecutor general

The law enforcement employees exert efforts to identify the instigators of this crime, Igor Krasnov said

French president says creating Israeli-type air defense network for Ukraine impossible

Emmanuel Macron added that Europe’s resources are limited, and the European Union will continue helping Kiev keeping in mind its own reserves

Russian industrial producers’ prices up 2.4% in March — statistics

In chemicals production, prices edged up by 26.8% for ethers, organic peroxides, epoxides, acetals and semiacetals and their derivatives

KazMunayGas, Sibur, Sinopec sign protocol on plant construction in Kazakhstan

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US volunteer Russel Bentley missing in Donetsk killed — RT editor-in-chief

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Russian stock indices rising on Friday

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Unidentified man attempts suicide outside courthouse where Trump trial is underway

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Russia’s defense chief inspects production of tanks, flamethrowers at Siberian enterprise

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Ukraine’s new ethnic minorities law insufficient to protect Magyars — Hungarian president

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Russia’s advanced radar in Kaliningrad to monitor entire territory of Europe — source

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Russia won’t allow NATO to move closer in Ukraine — Lavrov

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Russian defense chief checks implementation of orders to develop drones

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Vasily Anokhin urged local residents to remain calm and refrain from filming air defenses in operation.

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Lavrov speaks of West’s agony, Russia’s approach to any future talks with Kiev

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Russian economy positively influences neighboring countries — Deputy PM

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Ukrainian POW exposes poor battlefield performance of NATO-supplied Javelins, NLAWs

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Iran threatens to attack Israel's "nuclear centers" in case of aggression on its part

Ahmad Haqtalab argued that Israel had been conducting "subversive and terrorist activities" against the Islamic republic's nuclear infrastructure for year

About 30 events in 26 countries to be held as part of Russian Film Festival — minister

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Russia knows French military instructors working in Ukraine — Lavrov

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Arnulf Damerau said that he provided details of the meeting, along with evidence and a list of names of those involved, to US and European intelligence agencies

Polish premier refuses to hand over his country’s Patriot systems to Ukraine

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Senior Chinese official to take part in conference on security in Russia — diplomat

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Russian Cabinet expands list of perfumery, cosmetic products subjected to import duty

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Russia not to go for settlement on Ukraine based on 'Zelensky formula' — Lavrov

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