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Differences between West, China cannot be resolved quickly — US Secretary of State

According to him, Washington faces a number of "long-term challenges" that "are going to be irritants" in its relationship with Beijing

MUNICH, February 14. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes that fundamental differences between Western countries and China will persist for the foreseeable future.

According to him, Washington faces a number of "long-term challenges" that "are going to be irritants" in its relationship with Beijing. "That's not just true for the United States. That's true for the broader West," Rubio stated at the Munich Security Conference.

Von der Leyen sidesteps question about Rubio missing meeting with Zelensky

During a panel discussion at the conference, the moderator asked her to comment on reports of Rubio’s absence from the meeting

Russia’s Northern Fleet is very strong — German Defense Minister

The Russian Northern Fleet consists of more than 40 submarines and over 40 surface ships and boats

Top US diplomat skips Ukraine meeting with European leaders in Munich — newspaper

One European official said that without American participation, the talks "lacked substance"

Swiss-based CAS turns down Ukrainian athlete Geraskevich’s appeal against IOC

"The Sole Arbitrator, whilst fully sympathetic to Mr Geraskevich's commemoration, is bound by rules in the IOC Athlete Expression Guidelines," the court’s statement reads

FACTBOX: What we know about upcoming round of trilateral talks on Ukraine in Geneva

The negotiations will be held between Russia, Ukraine and the United States

BRICS working to create precious metals exchange — Russian diplomat

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov noted that there is also an idea to create a platform designed to work in special economic zones

Armenia asks Russia to brief its experts on modular NPP technology — Pashinyan

Nikol Pashinyan also highlighted that during US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Yerevan, Armenia joined the 123 Agreement on civil nuclear energy cooperation

Russian Battlegroup North specialists create new type of anti-UAV protection for artillery

The add-on protection system has already been successfully tested by artillery crews, and work is currently underway to improve it, taking into account feedback from soldiers on the front lines

With Europe’s trust in US undermined, Washington seeks to ease tensions — NYT

According to the publication, at the conference that kicked off on February 13 in Munich, the US has been making efforts at de-escalation

Russia’s T-90 tank beat out Ukraine’s T-84 for 2001 India contract — expert

According to Alexander Nozdrachev, Russia's key advantage was that it offered not just to supply tanks, but also to transfer technology

World enters new phase of open conflicts and wars — Merz

The German Chancellor emphasized the disintegration of the rules-based international order

Kiev troops shell DPR twice in past day, no casualties

The attacks caused no damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure sites

European leaders change attitude fearing Russia-US contacts — RDIF head

Kirill Dmitriev commented on French President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to establish a direct channel of communication with Russia

Monetary policy toughness creates conditions for inflation return to target — Central Bank

Governor of the Bank of Russia Elvira Nabiullina said the peak of inflation was in December 2024 and in January 2026

China's position on Ukraine remains unchanged, there is reason for optimism — top diplomat

Wang Yi emphasized that Beijing is guided by President Xi Jinping's initiative for settling the Ukrainian crisis

Rubio reveals US negotiating lineup for talks on Ukraine in Geneva

Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that a new round of talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine would take place in Geneva on February 17-18

No plans to transform BRICS into military bloc — Russian diplomat

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov emphasized that BRICS is not a military union and not a collective security organization and has never been planned as such

Trump says he intends to visit Venezuela

Donald Trump emphasized that the US has "a very good relationship" with Venezuela's authorized president Delcy Rodriguez

Trade growth among BRICS nations outpaces global average — senior Russian diplomat

According to Ryabkov, "this is simply an indication that BRICS - without being some kind of ‘magic wand’ - can truly help address challenges"

Kremlin explains why Geneva was chosen to host next round of talks on Ukraine

Dmitry Peskov noted that everybody found it reasonable and convenient

Press review: Putin and Lukashenko miss Board of Peace meeting as EU pushes nuclear talks

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, February 12th

Russian troops liberate four communities in Ukraine operation over week — top brass

Russian troops also deliver seven strikes on Ukrainian military sites over week

Europe should overcome reliance on US in defense — British PM

The British prime minister believes Europe should replace excessive dependence on its transatlantic partner with greater regional cooperation

Ukraine may agree to withdraw from Donbass — The Atlantic

Vladimir Zelensky says basic questions in the security guarantee deal with the US "remain unsolved"

Zelensky’s office confirms meeting with top US diplomat in Munich on February 14

The spokesman of the Ukrainian President Sergey Nikiforov noted that the meeting will take place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference

IAEA chief says agreement on nuclear inspections with Iran may be reached in coming days

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi highlighted that the agency had established "imperfect, complicated and extremely difficult" dialogue with Tehran

Two civilians die, three more receive wounds after Ukraine’s missile attack on Belgorod

According to the region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, the strike targeted an infrastructure facility

Rubio, Merz discuss efforts toward ending conflict in Ukraine

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference

Azerbaijani president hopes for eternal peace with Armenia

Ilham Aliyev emphasized that more than six months the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is calm

Russia’s pipeline gas supplies to Turkey slightly up in 2025

Russian gas shipments to Turkey reached 21.16 bln cubic meters in 2025

Bank of Russia not taking part in talks on return to dollar payments for exports

Central Bank chief Elvira Nabiullina added that the regulator is not expecting a new inflation wave in Russia

Russian stock market indices in the green this Friday — market data

The yuan rate moved downward by seven kopecks to 11.09 rubles

US’ potential nuclear tests will trigger chain reaction, warns senior Russian MP

Russia has repeatedly said that it will remain committed to the ban on nuclear tests as long as other parties comply with it, Leonid Slutsky said

Ukrtransnafta management not allowing to resume oil pumping via Druzhba

Ukrtransfta is technically ready to resume oil pumping via the Druzhba oil pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia

Top Saudi diplomat points to breakdown of Eurocentric rules-based world order

According to Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, many countries have long been convinced that the current system of international relations "isn’t working"

Russia to send batch of oil to Cuba as humanitarian aid — Russian embassy

Russia’s ministry of economic development has recommended Russian tourists refrain from visiting Cuba amid the "fuel emergency" in the country

Europeans made it clear they will help Kiev for as long as they can — German expert

Alexander Rahr pointed out that at the Munich Security Conference French President Emmanuel Macron made emphases that differed from those of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz

Trump may abandon Ukraine settlement in coming weeks — magazine

The US president is trying to concentrate on the upcoming midterm elections in the Congress

Russia’s Pacific Fleet detachment of ships set out on mission in Asia-Pacific

As part of the upcoming activities, the corvettes and tanker will conduct a series of exercises in the region and make routine port calls at friendly nations

US cannot afford to bear all NATO costs — US envoy to NATO

At the same time, Matthew Whitaker expressed hope that the additional defense expenditures, which European allies had to undertake under the US pressure, have made the alliance stronger

China to become Washington’s strategic rival in this century — envoy to NATO

Matthew Whitaker also added that "it's an incredibly dangerous world right now"

No US security guarantees for Kiev before peace deal with Moscow — Politico

According to the report, the territorial issue remains "the main sticking point" at the talks

Trump calls on Zelensky to act not to miss opportunity for settlement

"Russia wants to make a deal, and Zelensky is going to have to get moving, otherwise he's going to miss a great opportunity," the US leader stated

US plans to hold talks on Iran, Ukraine in Geneva on February 17

US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner will hold bilateral talks with Iranian delegates in the morning, and will attend a trilateral meeting with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in the afternoon

Russian lawmaker urges Rutte not to hurl threats at world's largest nuclear power

Leonid Slutsky emphasized the dangers of such rhetoric, noting that issuing such threats is profoundly reckless

Obama turns media into tool of left-wing propaganda — Russian envoy

Epstein was detained by New York State law enforcement on July 6, 2019

US to deliver $15 bln in European-funded weapons to Ukraine in 2026 — NATO chief

He noted that the US has not halted arms deliveries to Ukraine

First Russian athletes return home from 2026 Winter Games in Italy

Russian lugers Daria Olesik and Pavel Repilov with their assisting staff arrived at the Moscow Vnukovo airport

INTERVIEW: BRICS proposes alternative to systems dependent on US

BRICS was established to create, if you will, an alternative for anything that could be shut down with the push of a button, as we’ve already seen, the diplomat said

NATO chief says drawing down American troops in Europe to take time

In 2025, the Pentagon redeployed a brigade from the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army from Romania back to its home base

Von der Leyen sidesteps question about Rubio missing meeting with Zelensky

During a panel discussion at the conference, the moderator asked her to comment on reports of Rubio’s absence from the meeting

So far, only Russia has allocated $1 billion to Palestine — Kremlin

"This fact is of great significance and should not be overlooked," Dmitry Peskov said

US to soon send second aircraft carrier to Iran's shores — Trump

"In case we don't make a deal, we'll need it," the US leader stated

At least 20 Ukrainian drones downed over Russian regions overnight

13 of them were destroyed over the Republic of Crimea

Ukraine’s former prime minister suspects US may quit talks on Ukraine in May

Nikolay Azarov suggested that in such a scenario, European countries would likely support Ukraine

FACTBOX: What is known about situation around oil supplies via Druzhba pipeline

Ukraine blocked supplies of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary to create difficulties for the Hungarian government ahead of parliamentary elections, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto said

Europe moves to build its own 'Oreshnik' missile

According to Vincent Pery, ArianeGroup's director of defense programs, the aerospace company is holding "preliminary discussions with several countries" about how the weapon would fit into the geopolitical context

Trump says Iran not ready to practical actions for striking deal

The US leader stressed that Tehran "does a lot of talking and no action"

Air defenses destroy 47 Ukrainian UAVs over Russian regions in six hours

In particular, 41 UAVs were intercepted over the Bryansk Region

Bank of Russia sets dollar rate at 77.19 rubles for February 14-16

The official yuan rate was set at 11.15 rubles, down 0.59 kopecks

Munich Conference head enthusiastic about Russia’s potential return

Munich Security Conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger said the forum would also like to declare its commitment to peace

Press review: Ukraine seeks EU accession in 2027 and Germany urges Russian energy return

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, February 13th

Oil supplies to Slovakia over Druzhba pipeline suspended — Bloomberg

Slovakia has strategic reserves of oil and petroleum products for about ninety days, the ministry says

Russian figure skater Gumennik finishes sixth at Olympics

Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov won the gold

T-90S tanks contract with India boosts Russian tank industry revival — Rosoboronexport

The company added that India, for its part, has received advanced technologies and mastered the assembly of Russian tanks at domestic facilities

Russia restored calm in Africa, where under France hostilities raged for ages — Union

According to the head of the Officers Union for International Security, Paris is being caught red-handed, and Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso are no longer what they were five years ago

Top Hungarian diplomat calls on EU to stop hindering peace efforts in Ukraine

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reported that, to date, about 100 Transcarpathian Hungarians who held dual Ukrainian and Hungarian citizenship have been killed as a result of the conflict

Agreement on nuclear dossier is possible but without Washington’s dictation — ambassador

Kazem Jalali also stressed that in exchange for inspections and agreements, the United States must lift its sanctions

Differences between West, China cannot be resolved quickly — US Secretary of State

According to him, Washington faces a number of "long-term challenges" that "are going to be irritants" in its relationship with Beijing

Russia ranks second after US in terms of value of LNG supplies to EU in 2025

In total, the European Union purchased around 7.4 bln euros worth of LNG from Russia

Kremlin spokesman believes world entered new era in 2014

This is when a new reality began, which necessitated "decisive measures" from Moscow, Dmitry Peskov said

Rates of port dues to grow by 5.02% in 2026 — regulator

To ensure financial stability of companies, the Federal Antimonopoly Service developed the approach to determining long-term indexation parameters for port dues at the level of "inflation minus 0.1 percentage point"

FACTBOX: What is known about growth of Russia's foreign debt to over $60 bln

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said earlier that Russia's national debt is one of the lowest among major developed countries

Europe's role in NATO leadership grows, with US maintaining its military presence — Rutte

According to the NATO chief, the US is committed to maintaining its nuclear and conventional military presence in Europe

US used Claude AI tool to capture Maduro, violating developer’s terms — WSJ

The developer Anthropic’s user guidelines prohibit the use of the technology to facilitate violence, the newspaper said

Audience praises Russian figure skater Gumennik’s program at Olympics

Pyotr Gumennik scored 184.49 points for the free skate

Russia, China help create political environment for Iran-US talks — diplomat

"The focus is now on the talks that Iran is currently conducting with its partners, on the work with the Americans, which Iran is carrying out indirectly, primarily through Arab mediators," Sergey Ryabkov said

Armenian prime minister to visit Iran to sign strategic partnership agreement

When asked about the specific timing of the visit, Nikol Pashinyan indicated that no definitive date has been set, suggesting it could take place either in the spring or the fall

Europeans to remain outside talks on Ukraine until they recognize reality — Russian MP

Leonid Slutsky advised Western leaders to take note of US President Donald Trump’s remarks that Vladimir Zelensky "is going to have to get moving" toward a peace deal

UK to spend some $545 million on hypersonic weapons

The UK Defense Ministry noted that "Britian’s new long-range weapon programme with Germany is progressing rapidly"

Destruction of Lasar Group plant deals serious blow to Ukraine's war effort — expert

According to Alexander Stepanov, the higher-ups within Lasar's Group, which has a broad network of industrial sites, has until now been "greatly favored by Kiev’s leadership, not least due to corruption-related interests"

Macron reveals intention to establish direct channel of communication with Russia

French President emphasized the importance of ensuring that there is "no peace without the Europeans"

Shaidorov wins Kazakhstan’s first winter Olympic gold since 1994

Mikhail Shaidorov won the Olympic gold in men’s singles with 291.58 points

Europe to escalate tensions if it sends troops to Ukraine — Macron

The French leader pointed out that there is no consensus on this issue

Ex-director of Kalashnikov Concern detained on power abuse charges in Moscow

According to the source, Ksenia Grashchenkova has been placed under arrest and is now in custody in a pretrial detention facility in Moscow

US plans to introduce 133% tax on palladium imports from Russia — company

According to the statement, the US Department of Commerce has issued "a preliminary affirmative determination"

US pressure on Hungary, Slovakia goes against ‘Anchorage spirit’ — Russian senator

According to Konstantin Basyuk, the energy sector is a matter of sovereign choice for states and their economic security

US seeks settlement terms acceptable to both Russia, Ukraine — Rubio

We're going to continue to do everything we can to play this role of bringing this war to the end, Rubio added

US military prepares for lengthy military operation against Iran — Reuters

Washington expects Iran’s retaliation, which may increase the risk of a regional conflict, the news agency said

Burst pipe leads to flood at historic Kiev monastery, putting numerous art pieces at risk

According to the news outlet, a water heating pipe burst in the building’s attic, flooding the first and second floors, where exhibits in the Negatives, Drawings and Paintings categories are stored

Israeli troops sweep southern Syria province for radicals — TV

According to the broadcaster, Israeli armored vehicles raided the settlements of Ain Ziwan and Jubata Al Khashab and detained several people

Normalization of Russian-Japanese ties possible in near future

Japanese expert on Russia Taisuke Abiru opined that this will happen if talks on Ukraine produce result and the process of lifting economic sanctions begins

US Department of Homeland Security loses funding amid government shutdown

On Thursday, a funding bill for the department failed to secure the necessary votes in the US Senate

US expects Europe to spend more on defense, world order — envoy to UN

Mike Waltz argued that Washington had shouldered the main financial burden of maintaining "the rules-based order since World War II"

France plans to cooperate with Germany on nuclear deterrence — Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that "this dialogue is important by itself"

Russia pushes Ukrainian troops out of two towns in Zaporozhye Region — military expert

Andrey Marochko says that the servicemen are clearing the territories of the towns

Ukraine insists RF introduce duty-free quotas for sugar from Ukraine

Ukraine expects to produce about 2 million tons of sugar this year

US strikes drug boat in Caribbean, three killed — Pentagon

No US servicemen were harmed

Use of NSR impossible without cooperation with Moscow — Russian envoy to Seoul

Georgy Zinovyev noted growing interest in the Northern Sea Route from other countries, such as China and India

US, European countries negotiating over Greenland — Trump

The US leader emphasized that Washington "gets along very well with Europe"

Russia’s foreign national debt remains one of the lowest among major economies — experts

Russia’s foreign national debt has exceeded $60 bln, according to statistics published by the Finance Ministry