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Most Americans believe US foreign aid linked to corruption — poll

Only 12% of respondents disagreed with this statement

LONDON, February 17. /TASS/. The majority of Americans believe that US foreign aid "goes to corruption," a poll conducted by the Public First consulting firm revealed.

The survey, conducted for The Financial Times newspaper, showed that nearly 60% of respondents think humanitarian funds to be "spent on corruption or administrative fees." Only 12% of respondents disagreed with this statement.

In this regard, voters "align with the opinions of US President Donald Trump and entrepreneur Elon Musk," who currently heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), on the operations of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), The Financial Times reported.

In early February, Trump described USAID’s operations as dishonest and corrupt. Earlier, Reuters wrote that the US administration plans to slash USAID staff by more than 30 times — from the current 10,000 to just 294. On February 3, Washington suspended USAID’s activities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was appointed interim head of the agency and began reviewing its operations. Musk, who now leads DOGE, proposed the findings regarding USAID, focusing on improving government operations and tackling bureaucracy.

Pentagon declines to confirm reports that four US troops died during training in Lithuania

The search for the missing soldiers continues

Britain may be behind explosion of Sudzha gas metering station — Russian politician

The destruction of the gas metering station in Sudzha by Ukrainian forces is a provocation designed to undermine the peace initiatives of US President Donald Trump, Sergey Mironov stated

Russian ambassador Darchiyev to depart to US today — TASS source

He is expected to depart to Washington on March 26

Rare gold coins stolen from French museum worth almost $656,000 found in Moscow

Russian law enforcement officers received a photo and a detailed description of the stolen exhibits

Russian forces strike Ukrainian military airfields, UAV assembly workshops over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted roughly 150 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported

Press review: Russia, US conclude talks in Saudi Arabia as Hamas discusses Gaza ceasefire

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, March 25th

United States carry out strikes on Houthi airbase in Sanaa — Al Masirah

According to the channel, the al-Dailami airbase was targeted by at least two airstrikes

Israel not going to wait forever for Hamas to agree to Gaza deal — foreign minister

The ministers discussed developments in the region and bilateral relations, with Sa'ar clarifying "the importance of the Israeli victory in the campaign," the Foreign Ministry said

Deputy PM to lead Russia’s delegation to Boao Forum for Asia, meet with Chinese leadership

The Boao forum, which has been taking place since 2002, brings together about 30 countries of the Asia-Pacific region

Pentagon declines to confirm reports that four US troops died during training in Lithuania

The search for the missing soldiers continues

US government to introduce necessary reforms, following Signal data leak — Rubio

According to him, the US administration is thoroughly investigating how a journalist was included in the discussion of the United States’ operations

Western journalists complain about Putin refusing to be interviewed by anyone but Carlson

CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour said that she has "been trying to interview President Putin every day for years"

Kiev seeks to derail peace agreements — Russian mission to UN

According to Dmitry Polyansky, Russia is fully ready for a military scenario of settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, but prefers to settle it by diplomatic means

US plans to continue strikes on Houthis ‘for a long time,’ Trump says

The American leader called previous strikes on the positions of the rebels from the Ansar Allah movement "very successful"

Envoy explains why US chose to address Black Sea Initiative first in talks on Ukraine

Keith Kellogg said that was the easy part

Russian, Indian warships to train engaging weapons

The drills will "strengthen interaction between the fleets and the historically solid friendship between India and Russia," Commander of the Russian group of Pacific fleet warships Captain First Rank Alexey Antsiferov said

Kiev loses over 70,000 troops since Kursk incursion — Russia’s top brass

The ministry specified that over the past day the Ukrainian army lost more than 230 personnel, a tank, an armored personnel carrier and an armored combat vehicle

Chinese expert doubts US role as mediator in peace talks on Ukraine

Meanwhile, profound disagreement on a permanent ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine remains, and the most complex talks are yet to come, Sun Qi warned as he referred to territorial disputes and US military assistance to Ukraine

Russian mission asks West, UN about reaction to killings of Russian civilians, journalists

European advocates for Ukraine blatantly ignore the Kiev regime's crimes against civilians in Russia, Dmitry Polyansky emphasized

Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto plans to visit Russia today — TASS source

According to the source, Peter Szijjarto is expected to arrive in Moscow

Russian forces push Ukrainians near Sudzha crossing in Kursk region — security official

As Russian forces have advanced, scattered Ukrainian troops have found themselves completely cut off from enemy forces in Ukraine’s Sumy Region

No deals with Kiev can be carried out without Ukraine’s full denazification — Medvedchuk

The politician said that these neo-Nazi gangs were created as a vanguard against everything related to Russia

Russian mission urges OSCE to respond to Kiev's killings of Russian journalists

"The ongoing inaction of the OSCE - whether through deliberate silence or empty excuses - will reflect the organization's ability to impartially and diligently fulfill the mandate entrusted to it by its member countries," the Russian diplomatic mission stated

Engine tests for Angara-A5M launch vehicle completed

Successful completion of the tests opens the way to supply engines for flights, Roscosmos said

Turkey will not join sanctions against Russia — Erdogan

"Firstly, I cannot leave my people to freeze in the winter, and secondly, I cannot completely reboot this industry of ours," Erdogan said

Russia’s passenger car production rises by 12.8% to 115,000 cars in January-February

Production of passenger vehicles increased by 11.7% compared to January and by 6.8% year-on-year, reaching 60,800 vehicles

US offered Riyadh to monitor ban on strikes against energy facilities — Zelensky’s office

The deputy head added that the final decision on who will conduct the monitoring has not been made yet

Russia’s Yars missile formations to be taken to field positions

Military units will also practice engineering support and radiological, chemical and biological protection tasks during the maneuvers

Witkoff used only secure communications channel while in Moscow — White House

On March 24, The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published an article in which he said he received a request to join Signal, an encrypted messaging app, from a "Mike Waltz" on March 11

Kiev’s military hits three power facilities in Kherson area since moratorium was imposed

Vladimir Saldo specified that over the past three years, a significant portion of the Kherson Region's energy infrastructure has been damaged due to shelling

AU Commission head reaffirms policy of strong partnership with Russia

Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia Yevgeny Terekhin conveyed a message of goodwill from the Russian government and congratulated Mahamoud Ali Youssouf on his election

European bureaucracy cannot defeat Russia, Moscow’s envoy says

Politico reported earlier that Kallas was facing criticism from a number of European officials over her belligerent rhetoric against Moscow

Russia, US discuss Nord Stream pipeline issue — Lavrov

According to Russian Foreign Minister, 'it will be interesting if the Americans use their influence on Europe and will force it not to reject the Russian gas'

Inflation, sanctions, enhancement of life standards: Mishustin’s address to State Duma

"Russia is among the world’s four largest economies in terms of purchasing power parity," the Russian Prime Minister stated

If Austin talks about risk of NATO-Russia conflict, it means US has a plan for it — Lavrov

According to the top Russian diplomat, Europe is currently the main victim of the US policy of "dragging Ukraine into NATO"

Ukraine continues attacks on Russian energy facilities — deputy PM

Alexander Novak emphasized that Russia certainly requires additional efforts to restore the facilities that suffered damage from the strikes

Russian troops take central part of Lobkovoye settlement in Zaporozhye area

According to the report, the Ukrainian armed formations are deploying reinforcements, trying to impede the Russian army’s advance

Lavrov dismisses EU's Ukraine mission plans as 'dreamers' fantasy

"These dreamers are proving their complete political incompetence with each passing day," the Russian top diplomat said, referring to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron

Russia’s Ufa submarine fires Kalibr cruise missiles during drills in Sea of Japan

The first missile was fired at a surface target, while the second one found its target at a distance of around 1,000 kilometers, at the Syurkum training range in the Far Eastern region of Khabarovsk

Russia’s friends are many — Putin

"There are people in the so-called West who do not understand Russia but this does not prevent us from living and growing," the Russian leader said

Gold output in Russia increases by 9.1% in February — Rosstat

For the first two months of 2025, total gold production increased by 4.5% year-on-year

Russian budget deficit expected to be 0.5% of GDP in 2025 — Finance Minister

According to Anton Siluanov, the deficit is planned to be much smaller than in 2024

NATO’s barbaric bombing of Belgrade must not be forgotten — SVR chief

NATO launched a military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on March 24, 1999

Russia calls for immediate international reaction to killing of Russian journalists — MFA

"We call for an immediate reaction to the killing of Anna Prokofyeva and other Russian media representatives from relevant international organizations, primarily from the UNESCO Director-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media," Maria Zakharova emphasized

Iraq denies reports of Houthi training camps

The spokesman for the Iraqi armed forces' Joint Operations Command said that "the number of illegal crossings or infiltrations across the Iraq-Syria border is currently zero"

Journalists must be able to report on Ukraine without fear of attacks — UN spokesman

Meanwhile, the world organization itself has no right to investigate the killings of Russian journalists by Kiev without a proper mandate, Stephane Dujarric pointed out

Channel One says war reporter Prokofyeva dies in Belgorod Region

Anna Prokofyeva was 35 years old

Russia assessing damage to Sudzha gas metering station after Kiev’s attack — Novak

Alexander Novak noted that the Sudzha gas metering station has been seriously damaged in the attack

Russian forces use Geran UAVs to hit Ukraine’s drone launch site in Zaporozhye Region

During the last 24-hour period, Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted roughly 150 casualties on Ukrainian troops in its area of responsibility in the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Zaporozhye Region, it said

Russia reduces total gas output by 8% to 118.2 bcm in January-February

Natural gas output during this period totaled 101 bcm, marking an 8.3% year-on-year decline

If US appoints new president of Ukraine, it will ruin the country — Russian legislator

"This would represent a continuation of the same colonial scenario and further accelerate Ukraine's collapse," Viktor Vodolatsky said

Russian envoy’s informal credential presentation due on March 27 — US State Department

Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Louis Bono will attend "Russian Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev's informal credential presentation in Washington, D.C."

Strategic Yars launchers go on new patrol routes in Bologoye formation

Yars drive a hundred kilometers, build up field positions, organize camouflage and security

Putin submits treaty on Russia's strategic partnership with Iran to Duma for ratification

The comprehensive strategic partnership treaty was signed during the visit of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Moscow in January 2025

Kremlin says justice should be met in grain deal

The previous grain initiative worked for some time, with almost all conditions fulfilled within it, excluding those concerning guarantees for the Russian side, Dmitry Peskov noted

Foreign mercenaries in Ukraine will not have POW status — Russian military

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov warned that all foreign mercenaries, detained in Ukraine, would be brought to justice on criminal charges

Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted roughly 430 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed five enemy armored fighting vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported

The Atlantic publishes full Signal chat where officials discussed strikes on Yemen

According to The Atlantic article, US administration officials, commenting on the situation with the Signal chat room, said that the correspondence did not contain classified information

Russia does not consider joint management of ZNPP with US — deputy PM

On March 25, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the transfer of control over the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) to Ukraine or any other country would be impossible

Employee of ZNPP faces 18 years in prison for plotting to kill IAEA experts

According to the investigation, Sergey Potyng joined a terrorist community created by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate in March 2023

Trump says he trusts his national security team despite leak scandal

US president added that his entire national security team works efficiently

US' current lack of icebreakers limits freight capabilities in Arctic — Patrushev

According to him, in these conditions, Russian businesses "need to work"

Russia increases fertilizer output by 7.6% in first two months of 2025 — Rosstat

In February 2025, fertilizer output amounted to 2.4 mln tons

Major global energy traders would consider returning to Russia — Bloomberg

Those comments were made by participants of the FT Commodities Global Summit being held in Switzerland on March 24-26, the agency said

Japan-Russia dialogue can only resume when Tokyo drops hostile stance — Foreign Ministry

The current state of Russian-Japanese relations, including prospects for scientific exchanges, was also discussed during the meeting of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko and a delegation of Japan’s Sasakawa Peace Foundation

Ukrainian army tries to hold on to several villages in Russia’s Kursk Region — envoy

According to Rodion Miroshnik, Russian forces have been ensuring a buffer zone in Ukraine’s Sumy Region

Hungarian Mol interested in oil and gas projects in Russia — Novak

"New projects have not been defined, but in general we are also considering the expansion of cooperation between our countries in the energy sector," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said

UN expresses condolences over death of Russian war correspondent — spokesman

"We have seen journalists pay the ultimate price in this conflict, as they have in others," Stephane Dujarric said

Europe engages in ‘freeloading’ in cases with Ukraine, Yemen, NATO — Trump

US president said that 'the European Union has been absolutely terrible to us'

Lithuania's territorial claims against Russia justify Moscow's actions — Kremlin

Earlier, the Lithuanian president referred to Kaliningrad as part of "Little Lithuania"

Russia plans to boost gas production this year — Novak

The Russian government is maintaining its gas production forecast but it is likely to be revised, the official said

Kiev deliberately targets journalists, law norms for protecting them — Russian diplomat

Earlier on Wednesday, Channel One said Prokofyeva, 35, was killed by an enemy mine in the bordering area of Belgorod

Hungary’s foreign minister certain about Russia's commitment to reaching peace in Ukraine

Peter Szijjarto expressed optimism regarding the ongoing discussions between Russia and the United States about Ukraine, emphasizing Hungary's vested interest in their success

Israel ready to consider military solution to issue of Iranian nuclear program — diplomat

US President Donald Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform on March 7 that he had sent a message to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program

Financial infrastructure important for BRICS trade, economies — Russian minister

According to Anton Siluanov, Russia considers various financial innovations on the BRICS floor, including the cross-border payment system that can be based on national currencies

Russia demands UNESCO, OSCE, UN take measures to stop Ukrainian attacks on press — MFA

"We demand that they take comprehensive measures to put an end to Ukrainian neo-Nazis attacking members of the press, as mandated by their charters," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said

Russia’s new ambassador to US arrives in Washington

Earlier, an aircraft carrying Darchiev landed at Washington’s Dulles International Airport

Zelensky understands that his days are numbered — Lavrov

In Russian Foreign Minister's words, he remains popular only among 'a part of the population that shares radical, ultra-right, revanchist and Banderite views'

Russian Ambassador Alexander Darchiev arrives in US — TASS source

In early March, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree appointing Alexander Darchiev

Medvedev suggests using laser systems for defense against drones

The official emphasized that the enemy remained highly active in using drones to attack various targets, including civilian infrastructure, despite ongoing negotiations

Kropotkin Pump Station recovery time premature for indication — Novak

Ukrainian drones attacked the Kropotkin Pump Station on February 17

Greenland essential to US international security — Trump

"We need Greenland for international safety and security,"US President said

Keys to the homeland: how Putin became president

On the occasion of today’s anniversary, TASS reflected on the circumstances that garnered Putin the support of the Russian people

The Atlantic editor-in-chief exaggerates significance of Signal chat — US vice president

JD Vance drew attention to how Jeffrey Goldberg had criticized CIA Director John Ratcliffe for blowing the cover for a CIA agent

West 'swallowed' Ukrainian UAV attack on Russian territory on March 11 — Lavrov

On that day Ukraine launched a record number of drones against central Russia, including Moscow and the surrounding region - nearly 340 drones, the foreign minister recalled

Current Kiev government fails to represent interests of Ukrainian people — Lavrov

The top Russian diplomat also pointed out that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen "categorically ignores" the laws on the extermination of everything Russian passed by the Nazi regime of Vladimir Zelensky

Zelensky admits Ukraine has no money for army

On March 25, the Verkhovna Rada parliament approved a law on a sharp increase in salaries for ministries’ employees, which will be higher than those of the military

Europe moving away from idea of sending troops to Ukraine — Reuters

In addition to Kiev's position and Washington's stance, the initiative to send European troops is hampered by fierce opposition from Russia and logistical constraints, the sources said

EU criticizes diplomacy chief Kallas's hostile attitude towards Russia — media

Another complaint against Kallas is that she is "acting like a prime minister," according to an EU diplomat

Departed businesses returning to Russia must not contradict its national interests — PM

First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, the Russian authorities do not plan to prepare a list of foreign brands that can return to Russia - the companies themselves must initiate their return

Nuclear weapons previously held by Ukraine belonged to Russia — Trump’s special envoy

Richard Grenell called it 'an uncomfortable fact'

Press review: Russia and US advance Black Sea deal as nuclear divide deepens in Europe

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, March 26th

Russia works with China and India on Arctic projects — Foreign Ministry

Director of the Department for European Cooperation at the Russian Foreign Ministry Vladislav Maslennikov noted that Russia was open to constructive engagement in the Arctic, including the use of the Northern Sea Route

Brent oil price surpasses $74 per barrel, first time since February 27

At the same time, the price of futures for WTI crude oil for delivery in May rose by 1.55% to $70.07 per barrel

French colonel predicts collapse of NATO by 2030

Regie Chamagne predicts sweeping changes in the Western political leadership in the coming years

Lavrov describes NATO secretary general as ‘laughable and pathetic’

Russian Foreign Minister noted that Mark Rutte 'does not want even to speak on the subject'

OSCE expresses condolences to relatives of Russian journalists killed in LPR

"On behalf of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, we extend condolences to the relatives of those killed and injured," the statement, received in response to a TASS inquiry sent on March 25, said

Many questions remain regarding use of intact Nord Stream 2 line — Novak

Technically, the pipeline is in working condition, the official stressed

Russian Cabinet eyeing stimulation of westbound coal exports — Novak

Various proposals are in place in respect of stimulation measures, the official said

Inflation in Russia reaches at 0.12% on March 18-24

In the previous week inflation was recorded at 0.06%

Russia can cooperate with current US administration — Patrushev

"When the Democrats were in power, they had their own views," the Russian presidential aide said