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Coronavirus pandemic

Brazilian, Russian presidents discuss BRICS, fight against coronavirus

The summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) were due to take place in St. Petersburg on July 21-23

MOSCOW, June 15. /TASS/. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he had discussed with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday the fight against coronavirus and the upcoming BRICS summit.

"I spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin this morning," Jair Bolsonaro said in a tweet. "We agreed about deeper cooperation between our countries, including in [the issue of] fight against COVID-19. We also discussed the results that we want to achieve at the upcoming summit of BRICS in St. Petersburg," the president wrote on Twitter.

The summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) were due to take place in St. Petersburg on July 21-23. On May 27, the Kremlin press service said that both summits would be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. "The new dates for the summits will depend on the development of the epidemiological situation in the member countries and in general across the globe," the Kremlin said.

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Middle East conflict

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Strike on SBU control center response to Russian general’s assassination, expert says

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TASS has gathered the main information about the incident

German chancellor exasperated by idea of spending frozen Russian assets to help Kiev

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Ukrainian shelling of Russia’s Rylsk damages 12 buildings — governor

Three of them are not subject to restoration, Alexander Khinshtein said

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Acting Governor Alexander Khinshtein added that he was currently in Moscow for a State Council meeting but planned to travel to Rylsk as soon as possible

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Andrey Marochko noted that Russian forces had "slightly advanced" in the northern and southern parts of Chasov Yar

Key rate, inflation and criticism of Central Bank: statements by regulator’s chief

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Scholz says he intends to continue to speak directly with Putin in future

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Turkish president calls on West to stop Israel in Syria before it’s too late

"All international mechanisms need to be effectively employed in order to prevent Israel from exploiting the situation in Syria," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said

Baltic states threaten mass deportation of Russians, take lead in Russophobia — statement

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Ukrainian troops struggling to escape being trapped in Lozovaya in Kharkov region — expert

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Russian troops break through Ukrainian defenses near Oskol Reservoir in Kharkov Region

The new positions will enable Russian troops to advance further in that frontline area and deliver more effective strikes on the enemy, Andrey Marochko specified

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Series of explosions rock central Kiev — eyewitnesses

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Orban does not intend to react to Zelensky's provocations, will remain calm

The Hungarian prime minister reiterated that his proposal for a Christmas ceasefire and prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia remains on the table

Russia recognizes Ukrainian businessman Akhmetov as extremist

According to the Justice Ministry, the Ukrainian businessman belongs to the group which "is based on ideological and property interests clearly aimed against Russia"

Trump wants NATO countries to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP — FT

The sources also told the Financial Times that Donald Trump intends to continue the military aid to Ukraine despite the statements he made during his presidential campaign

Banks find opportunity to work under sanctions — Central Bank chief

It does not mean there will be no such risks in the future but it is very important in this regard for the financial stable to remain stable, Elvira Nabiullina said

Four new Russian regions moving toward self-sufficiency at a rapid pace — Putin

According to the head of state, tax revenues have seen a consistent increase in absolute figures

Russia achieves key objective in Syria — Putin

According to head of state, the groups that fought against Syrian government forces have gone through major internal changes

Massacre staged by retreating Ukrainian troops in Selidovo — report

According to Maxim Grigoryev, videos of interviews with witnesses and preliminary forensic examination of the bodies indicate that most of the victims are elderly women

Poland to import 10% of LPG from Russia after EU sanctions take effect

According to the Polish Liquid Gas Association, Poland purchased about $500 mln worth of liquefied petroleum gas from Russia during the first ten months of 2024

Social facilities, homes damaged by Ukrainian missile attack on Rylsk — acting governor

"The buildings of the House of Culture, physical fitness center, teachers’ training college, school, firefighting depot and private households were damaged," Alexander Khinshtein said

Ukraine to cede territory regardless of US aid — news agency

According to the news agency, Kiev expects a "bitter settlement," which implies giving up territorial claims and NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees

Russian public may one day decide to bury Lenin proper, Putin speculates

The Russian president still noted that "today, especially in today’s Russia, we must not do anything that could divide the country"

Acting Kursk region governor revises death toll in Rylsk attack down to five

The number of those injured in the missile attack was revised up to 12 from 10

Putin challenges West to try to intercept Oreshnik missile in Kiev

"Let them choose a target, say, in Kiev, and amass their air and missile defense systems there, while we will launch an Oreshnik missile at the target," the Russian leader said

Putin suggests Zelensky may flee abroad, says Russia would take him in

"But he will be taken care of by those people whose interests he is serving now," the Russian leader said

US defense companies capitalize the most on Ukraine conflict — Russia’s UN envoy

Vasily Nebenzya referred to data from the SIPRI which put last year’s revenues from sales of arms by the world’s top 100 largest businesses in the industry at $632 billion

Musk believes Germany’s Scholz should step down after car drives into crowd in Magdeburg

Meanwhile, Scholz will visit Magdeburg to assess the situation later on Saturday

Ukraine to halt Russian gas transit on January 1, 2025 — Ukrainian PM

The restart of transit via the Ukrainian gas transportation system is possible at a request of the European Commission if this is not Russian gas, Denis Shmygal said

Aleppo taken by 350 militants while 30,000 gov’t troops retreated without fight — Putin

The Russian president recalled that no Russian land troops had been deployed to Syria, with Russia having only an airbase and a naval base

Russia-US dialogue on Ukraine can be conducted on different platforms — senior diplomat

Everything depends on its content and the approach of the team of US President-elect Donald Trump are important, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said

Scholz could travel to Moscow to boost his party’s approval rating — report

Germany is scheduled to hold a parliamentary election on February 23, 2025