18 Mar, 23:22

Russia, US managed to de-escalate Ukraine conflict for first time in 3 years — Sacks

US investor said the sides managed to agree on an energy infrastructure ceasefire, which he described

NEW YORK, March 19. /TASS/. For the first time in three years, Russia and the United States have managed to achieve de-escalation in Ukraine, which can be viewed as an extraordinary accomplishment, US investor David Sacks said, commenting on the latest phone talk between the Russian and US presidents.

Sacks said the sides managed to agree on an energy infrastructure ceasefire, which he described as "the first deescalation in three years, paving the way for a full ceasefire and permanent peace."

"He [Trump] also secured Russian cooperation on Iran/Middle East. Extraordinary accomplishments," Sacks wrote on X.

Putin and Trump earlier held a conversation, in which they discussed the issue of a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, the conditions for preventing escalation, and a number of international issues. The Russian president supported the US leader’s proposal that Russia and Ukraine refrain from strikes on energy facilities.

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Ukraine crisis Ukraine United States

Middle East conflict

Almost 600 Palestinians killed in Gaza in past 72 hours — Al Jazeera

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Yesterday, 08:02

Trump says United States should build relations with Russia — Breitbart News

On March 18, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine, conditions for preventing escalation, and some international topics by phone

Yesterday, 15:40

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By attacking Russian energy facility, Kiev wants to disrupt peace initiatives — diplomat

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Yesterday, 17:30

UN chief ready to mediate Ukraine talks — deputy spokesperson

According to Farhan Haq, Antonio Guterres "made clear to his various interlocutors the willingness of the UN to make available its good offices, if the parties accept"

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Kremlin says Europe becomes 'war party'

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Spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated 'that is what America has helped facilitate'

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Macron's talk of sending 'peacekeepers' to Ukraine shows disconnect from reality — MFA

"We have repeatedly said that introduction of so-called peacekeepers into Ukraine in practice would mean a foreign military intervention that further escalates the conflict," Maria Zakharova stated

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Putin speaks on imminent Ukrainian defeat in Kursk at Prosecutor Office board meeting

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Russia hopes Serbia back to normal soon — MFA

Maria Zakharova emphasized that normalization entails the resumption of the educational process in universities and schools, the observance of law and order, and the return of political representatives to work in Parliament and other bodies

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Yesterday, 13:12

Israel believes Iran won’t be able to defend itself in case of air attack — media

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Yesterday, 08:36

Several EU diplomats criticize top diplomat's plan on Ukraine aid — media

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Yesterday, 09:02

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Yesterday, 20:08

Russia stresses risk of rogue Ukrainian military groups disrupting any agreement with Kiev

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Kiev fears Trump may agree to cede Odessa to Russia — media

The US president did not specify which specific regions he was referring to, but the White House has already made it clear that Russia is expected to maintain control over territories "that its troops already command," the newspaper said

Yesterday, 13:00

Orban says other EU states quietly support Hungary's stance against Ukrainian accession

In recent days, the Hungarian prime minister has repeatedly warned that Hungary will not allow Ukraine's immediate accession to the EU, claiming this would cause irreparable damage to the European economy

Yesterday, 15:14

Russia takes Macron's nuclear remarks very seriously — security official

According to Sergey Shoigu, "the very fact that a leader of a nuclear power is rattling weapons is a direct threat to the entire world community"

Yesterday, 18:11

Death toll in Gaza since March 18 rises to 591, another 1,000 injured — authorities

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Yesterday, 14:05

FSB makes public archived evidence exposing Nazi atrocities in Dnepropetrovsk Region

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Yesterday, 17:45

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The Russian leader is confident that Kirsty Coventry's personal athletic experience and interest in the real promotion of noble Olympic ideals will contribute to the success in such a responsible job

Summit on Ukraine to be held in Paris on March 27 — Macron

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that leading EU countries, including Germany, France and Poland, as well as non-EU countries Canada and the UK, will hold a new summit in Paris next week to discuss the situation around Ukraine

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No Foreign Ministry delegates to March 24 talks in Riyadh — spokeswoman

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Yesterday, 10:14

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Yesterday, 11:27

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Yesterday, 17:59

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Yesterday, 18:59

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Yesterday, 18:01

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Yesterday, 20:34

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Yesterday, 20:45

Russian ambassador plans to depart to US ‘one of these days’ — ministry spokeswoman

Alexander Darchiyev, who headed the Russian Foreign Ministry’s North Atlantic Department, was appointed as Russia’s new ambassador to the United States by a presidential decree in early March

Yesterday, 14:26

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Yesterday, 21:19

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Yesterday, 16:29

Poland’s exit from Ottawa Convention shows disregard for int'l obligations — Zakharova

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Yesterday, 11:41

Russian forces strike military train with Ukrainian ammo, armament over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted more than 240 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed five enemy artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Yesterday, 14:51

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Yesterday, 08:50

Kiev sees Trump’s idea of US control of Ukrainian nuke plants as unworkable — newspaper

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Erdogan accuses opposition of playing up Istanbul mayor’s detention for political gain

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During the day, the enemy lost a MaxxPro armored combat vehicle

Yesterday, 18:13

Rosneft’s hydrocarbons production reach 255.9 mln tons of oil equivalent in 2024

"The pace of the indicator is primarily driven by oil production constraints in accordance with decisions of the Russian government," the company said

Yesterday, 20:08

Top Polish general says Europe weighing scenarios for ground operation in Ukraine

In Wieslaw Kukula's words, general staffs of European countries will be involved in the planning

Two days ago, 01:22

UK policy may lead to total destruction of Ukraine — Russian ambassador

In his words, the United Kingdom has chosen to go into confrontation

Yesterday, 18:50

Sales of new premium cars in Russia dip twofold in February — statistics

"Avtostat agency experts note that premium cars made up 8.8% of total car sales in Russia last month," the report said

Two days ago, 17:17

Freezing conflict in Ukraine unacceptable — Russian delegation in Vienna

Acting head of the Russian delegation Yulia Zhdanova highlighted that, on March 18, during high-level contacts between Russia and the United States, the Russian side outlined key points regarding the US initiative to introduce a 30-day ceasefire

Yesterday, 20:59

Kiev already broke US-proposed ceasefire — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova noted that attacking an energy facility in this context is understandable, 'because everything began with the energy sector in 2022'

Two days ago, 03:59

Previous US administration deceived and destroyed Ukraine — Russian diplomat

According to Maria Zakharova, Ukraine was an "emerging democracy" plagued with "corruption, graft and nationalism"

Yesterday, 20:18

Slovakia insists on free will principle for EU military aid to Kiev — PM

Robert Fico noted that the republic will not send a single cent to arm Ukraine

Yesterday, 20:23

Lebanon to hand over 700 imprisoned Syrians to Damascus authorities

According to Asharq al Awsat newspaper, this is the first group of 2,000 Syrians held in Lebanese prisons to be deported to their homeland under a bilateral agreement

Yesterday, 16:16

Trump fully supports Israel’s current military operation in Gaza — White House

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that previously Donald Trump threatened Palestine’s radical movement Hamas with tough measures if Israeli hostages are not released

Two days ago, 09:20

Ukrainian soldiers stunned by Russia’s Operation Pipeline — Russian commander

Operation Pipeline involved a joint assault unit comprising soldiers from the 11th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade, the 30th Regiment of the 72nd Motorized Rifle Division, the Akhmat special forces unit, and volunteers from the Veterans and Vostok V assault brigades

Yesterday, 19:51

Citizens rally in support of mayor Imamoglu in Ankara, Istanbul

Large groups of young people and students are taking part in the rally

Russian Security Council Secretary Shoigu arrives in North Korea

It is planned that Shoigu will meet with the leader of the DPRK Kim Jong Un and other leaders of the country

Putin confused why G7 known as 'big' seven

The GDP growth in the G7 countries for 2024 was just 1.9%, while the BRICS countries saw a growth rate of 4.9%, the Russian leader noted

Yesterday, 20:57

US, Ukraine to sign minerals deal soon — Trump

US president also said he has just signed an executive order to "dramatically increase" production of rare earth minerals

Yesterday, 12:20

Failure of Kiev’s offensive in 2023 was conflict’s turning point — National Interest

"When the Ukrainian armed forces launched their offensive, they fell on Russia's defensive works - the largest and most comprehensive defensive line seen in Europe since the end of World War II," the magazine stated

Yesterday, 05:49

Russian Volga cities of Saratov, Engels come under most massive drone attack — governor

According to Roman Busargin, more than 30 private homes and summer houses in Engels were damaged in the attack

Yesterday, 19:49

Israel chose war in Gaza Strip — Russia’s UN mission

Dmitry Polyansky went on to say that despite a new round of escalation, a "diplomatic solution is not just possible, it remains the only realistic option"

Yesterday, 14:04

European Council fails to approve 5-billion-euro plan to supply weapons to Kiev

The final statement of the meeting makes no mention of the 40-billion-euro military aid package, proposed by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, or its reduced variant

Yesterday, 15:25

Russia-China cooperation in military sphere is developing in all directions — Shoigu

The secretary of the Russian Security Council highlighted that Russia and China conduct joint strategic air patrols in the Asia-Pacific region and regularly hold naval exercises together

Yesterday, 18:41

China tops box office sales for Russian movies in 2024

In Europe and the US, "the door is open a crack" for the Russian film industry, noted Dmitry Kabanov, industry relations and international b2b events director of the Russian state-owned audiovisual product company Roskino

EU summit participants support White Paper on the EU defense

The meeting participants instructed the European Commission and the EU Council to begin implementing the European Commission's proposals in practice

Yesterday, 20:58

Russia-US relations at recovery stage, diplomat says

Maria Zakharova pointed to the fact that these contacts received a new impetus thanks to the initiatives of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump

Yesterday, 10:08

Slovakia's prime minister says he may veto EU sanctions against Russia

Robert Fico reportedly made this statement before departing for Brussels, where he will attend a European Council meeting

Yesterday, 05:00

Houthis report new attack on US aircraft carrier in Red Sea

According to Yahya Sarea, "the operation successfully reached its target"

Yesterday, 02:54

27 Chinese planes approach Taiwan — defense ministry

Taiwan’s defense agency has regularly recorded the approach of Chinese warplanes and warships of late

Yesterday, 10:03

Russia developing Caspian flotilla infrastructure — top brass

"At present, work to construct a complex of hydrotechnical facilities, including the northern and southern piers spanning more than 2 kilometers, as well as berths and coastal infrastructure is ongoing in Kaspiysk," the ministry stated

Yesterday, 16:57

Zelensky admits Ukraine no longer being invited to NATO

At the same time, the Ukrainian president denied saying that he was ready "to discuss the question of Ukraine’s neutral status"

Trump signs executive order to initiate elimination of Department of Education

The complete closure of the Department of Education requires the approval of a corresponding bill by Congress

Yesterday, 19:47

Russian MFA says no hidden meaning in differing statements on Putin-Trump talks

Maria Zakharova emphasized that while there are certain "nuances" in both statements, they do not contradict each other

Yesterday, 16:24

Surprisingly EU does not see nuclear umbrella rhetoric as saber rattling — Russian MFA

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out that the European Union's External Action Service has "abandoned its diplomatic tools as ineffective and opted for aggressive rhetoric"

Press review: Russia, US discuss ceasefire as the West forms new NATO alliances

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, March 18th

Yesterday, 07:36

Medvedev urges to feel free to follow Trump’s example in protecting domestic brands

Russian companies quickly reacted to the withdrawal of Western brands, taking free niches, well done to them, the politician added

Yesterday, 16:20

Leader of Iran calls on world to unite in opposing new Israeli attacks on Gaza

"The US also shares responsibility for this tragedy," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stressed

Yesterday, 14:29

Russia to boost arms exports after special military operation — Security Council

This refers to air defense systems, strike drones and upgraded armored vehicles, Sergey Shoigu said

Yesterday, 14:59

Kick-sharing services resumes operations in Moscow

E-scooters rental is available for users in mobile apps

Yesterday, 18:37

EU diplomacy chief's statements on helping Kiev show union war-minded — MFA

"It seems that Brussels is still incapable of clearly answering certain questions, including what specific role the EU could play amid the shifting dynamics of the Ukrainian crisis," Maria Zakharova noted

Yesterday, 00:01

Hungary wants to resumes its exports to Russia — PM

The Hungarian Prime Minister spoke to journalists in Brussels after a meeting of the leaders of the parties that formed the Patriots of Europe faction

Yesterday, 16:01

Israel kills Hamas internal security chief in Gaza — IDF

The statement also says that "in an additional strike, the IDF and ISA eliminated Ismail Abd al-Aal"

Yesterday, 04:46

Houthis say they attacked Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport with hypersonic missile

The Israel Defense Forces said earlier that a missile launched from the Yemeni territory had been intercepted before it reached Israel’s airspace

Yesterday, 20:07

Over 15,000 Syrian refugees take refuge in northern Lebanon — UN

The Lebanese authorities and civil society organizations are providing assistance, shelter, warm clothes, food and medicine to the displaced

Yesterday, 20:38

UK discusses options for its military presence in Ukraine — prime minister

Keir Starmer argued that Russia could allegedly violate any future agreements, so Western countries should work on security guarantees for Ukraine

Yesterday, 10:00

Press review: Israel restarts Gaza operation while US mulls lifting sanctions on Russia

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, March 20th

Yesterday, 18:42

US attacks Houthi targets in Al Hudaydah governorate — TV

No deaths or injuries were reported

Yesterday, 15:04

Russia has no plans to attack Germany — MFA on Merz's remarks

"If Berlin makes such claims, it means that Germany may have such plans itself; but in that case, Berlin needs to call things by their proper name," Maria Zakharova stated

Yesterday, 17:15

EU-Ukraine military integration aims to throw wrench in Russia-US dialogue — diplomat

"This is undoubtedly also a provocation to create an aggressive 'noise' that is meant to confuse," Maria Zakharova added

Yesterday, 18:02

Russian stock market closed in the red on Thursday - market data

The MOEX Russia Index lost 0.21% to 3,223.14 points, while the RTS Index edged down by 2.03% to 1,203.1 points

Yesterday, 00:44

Trump’s course toward cooperation with Russia beginning to 'bear fruit' — US expert

In his words, the phone call between the US and Russian leaders "call marks a substantive first step on what will be a long and winding road to a negotiated peace"