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Military operation in Ukraine

Putin tells Xi Russia ready for high-level talks with Kiev

"Russia is ready to negotiate with the Ukrainian side at a high level," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement

© Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

BEIJING, February 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping that Moscow is ready to hold high-level talks with Kiev, a statement published Friday on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry reads.

"Russia is ready to negotiate with the Ukrainian side at a high level," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on Thursday morning that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported later on Thursday that Russian troops were not delivering strikes against Ukrainian cities. It emphasized that Ukrainian military infrastructure was being destroyed by precision weapons.

On Thursday morning, Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, introduced martial law across the country.

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Foreign policy Military operation in Ukraine

Military operation in Ukraine

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Nuclear escalation of Ukraine conflict unlikely, says ex-French envoy

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Final test launch of Russia's new RS-26 Rubezh ballistic missile successful — designer

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Western nations should take Putin's statement seriously, warns Hungarian PM

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US, NATO decision on strikes continues policy of escalation — Putin

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White House not yet ready to speak on causes of Baltic undersea cable ruptures

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US not seeking confrontation with Russia, but will continue assistance to Kiev — Pentagon

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Ukrainian conflict acquires global elements after strikes with Western missiles — Putin

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Japanese lawmaker praises Putin's restraint amid decision to strike deep into Russia

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US warships fire more missiles at Houthi sites in Yemen — source

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Russia uses aerial bombs to destroy Ukrainian positions near DPR’s Konstantinovka — source

According to the report, at least 15 Ukrainian servicemen were killed as a result of the attack

West irrational, fails to understand it cannot intercept Russia's new missiles — Kneissl

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Enemy has no countermeasures for Russia’s Oreshnik missile — Putin

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NATO supports Ukraine not out of charity but for its own strategic interests — deputy head

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Russia encircles largest Ukrainian fortification in southern DPR — security services

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US missile defense base in Poland long among Russian army’s targets — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova stated that the US-NATO construction project, ongoing for nearly a decade with complete disregard to Russian security concerns, has consistently been a focus of Russia's attention

Russian army pushes Ukraine out of Kurakhovo water reservoir’s north shore

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Eliminating best enemy units: Defense Minister visits special op area

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Zelensky’s actions make Ukraine vulnerable to coup, says politician

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Oreshnik test aims to persuade West to avoid escalation in Ukraine — media

According to the report, the use of Oreshnik has become "part of a new era of missile warfare"

Trump seeks to restore peace in entire world — transition team on Putin’s address

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Ex-German chancellor never expected Russia to tolerate Ukraine’s NATO membership — memoir

Angela Merkel added that another fallacy was the belief that the status "would act as a deterrent," and that Moscow "would accept these developments without taking action"

Iran begins installation of three new generations of centrifuges to enrich uranium — TV

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Zelensky admits Ukraine can't fight its way back to 1991 borders

Vladimir Zelensky also talked about the Crimean Peninsula, stating that Kiev is ready to "bring Crimea back diplomatically"

Time of Maduro’s visit to Russia being coordinated via diplomatic channels — embassy

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Press review: US lets Kiev use anti-personnel mines and Iran may halt uranium enrichment

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, November 21st

Captives, Ukrainian losses: situation in Kursk Region

Over the day, the enemy lost more than 150 people, while five Ukrainian servicemen surrendered