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US wages war against friends of Belarus, says President Lukashenko

According to the Belarusian leader, it concerns not only Ukrainian problems, but also global ones as well

MINSK, March 19. /TASS/. Belarus is open to sincere negotiations with the United States regarding developments in the Middle East since Washington is currently waging a war in the region against Belarusian friends, President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday.

"I would strongly urge you that we discuss regional problems. Not only the issues surrounding Ukraine, but also global ones. And not only the war in the Middle East," Lukashenko was quoted by BelTA news agency during a meeting with a US delegation led by Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale at the Palace of Independence.

"I believe my perspective on global issues, especially on the situation in the Middle East, will be important for you, given that you are fighting against our friends. And I am ready to speak frankly on this topic," the president of Belarus continued.

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February·28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.

The Assembly of Experts of the Islamic Republic of Iran later announced the election of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the assassinated ayatollah, as the country’s new Supreme Leader.

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United States Alexander Lukashenko

US-Israeli strikes on Iran

Iranian missiles attack central Israel — correspondent

There have been no reports of damage or casualties at the time

CENTCOM denies IRGC claim of downing F-18 fighter jet over Iran

Earlier, the Iranian armed forces announced that an F-18 fighter jet allegedly belonging to the US Air Force had been shot down over the Islamic Republic using an unnamed new man-portable air defense system

IN BRIEF: Russian regions face most massive drone attack as air defenses down 389 UAVs

Several residential buildings and cars were damaged in a drone attack on Kronstadt, a suburb of St. Petersburg

Escalation of conflict with Iran could be very costly for US — expert

Daniel Davis, retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel, also noted that the United States desperately needs negotiations

Zelensky turns war into key sector of Ukrainian economy — opposition politician

The entire modern Ukrainian elite is getting rich off of war money, Viktor Medvedchuk said

Kiev faces biggest risk yet of losing US aid — media

According to the source, Washington does not believe that Kiev is capable of agreeing on the "key issue," referring to Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donbass

Ukraine intends to boost mobilization in large cities by April

The parliamentarian believes that the innovations should help reduce the number of conflicts with employees of territorial recruitment centers

Butyagin case shows who Russia has to deal with — Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said it at a meeting of the Council for Culture

Tehran receives Washington’s 15-point ceasefire proposal — agency

According to the sources, the plan touches on sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program

Ceasefire with US pointless without clear guarantees — Iranian foreign minister

Abbas Araghchi also added that although foreign ministers from across the region had contacted Tehran to discuss a ceasefire, "no negotiations have taken place so far"

Russia increases total gas production by 9% in two months to 129 bcm

The increase was recorded amid cold weather in most regions of Russia during these months

Trump wants to end conflict with Iran in coming weeks — media

According to the newspaper, some of Donald Trump's closest advisers want him to focus on the most pressing problems American voters are concerned over

Putin meets Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Kremlin

The meeting marks the conclusion of the three-day visit of the Vietnamese Prime Minister, which began with talks with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin

Iranian crisis may force Kiev to be more pragmatic at talks — Russian diplomat

Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador at Large Rodion Miroshnik emphasized that any changes in the West’s ability to finance the Ukrainian conflict "will tell on the negotiating conditions"

Russian Battlegroup North advancing in 18 areas in Sumy Region — expert

The enemy is deploying reserves from the rear, Vitaly Kiselev said

White House says media reports on 15-point plan handed to Iran contain misinformation

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also cautioned from taking things from anonymous sources

Israeli army takes control of eight settlements in southern Lebanon

According to the newspaper, at the central section of the frontline, Israeli troops are advancing from the city of Taybeh toward Deir Seryan to reach the Litani River

Bank of Russia reduced dollar rate to 80.71 rubles

The official yuan rate edged down by 3.24 kopecks to 11.69 rubles

US temporarily removes top Iranian diplomat, parliament speaker from target list — media

The senior officials have been removed from the target list for up to four or five days as President of the US Donald Trump opens the door to high-level negotiations for ending the war, the newspaper said

Fire outbreak in Primorsk port contained — authorities

Threshold limit values for concentrations of harmful substances in the environment were not registered to be exceeded

Inflation in Russia reaches 0.19% on March 17-23 — Rosstat

Since the beginning of March, consumer prices in Russia have risen by 0.41%

Europe effectively preparing for war with Russia — envoy in Vienna

The head of the Russian delegation at the disarmament talks in Vienna Yulia Zhdanova noted that the Kiev regime is only needed to buy time

Hezbollah says knocked out eight Israeli tanks in past day

They were hit by guided missiles, Hezbollah said

Cabinet intends to prevent fuel ‘leaks’ from domestic market — Russian Energy Ministry

The domestic market has the priority, Pavel Sorokin stressed

Oil to stabilize at $90 under best-case Middle East scenario — investor

According to Kyle Shostak, overall, the administration of US President Donald Trump has so far been "fairly successful in avoiding the worst-case scenario of a surge in global prices

Newest barrage ammunition Knyaz Vladimir Svyatoslavovich passes combat testing

The general designer of the engineering team says that the producer continues to develop the system

AI-based anti-drone systems reduce effectiveness of Kiev’s drone strikes — expert

Andrey Marochko said that problems within the Ukrainian army can also be attributed to the enemy’s high percentage of defective, cheap products and low-quality components for unmanned aerial vehicles

Cabinet can take measures to saturate Russian fuel market any time — Energy Ministry

The authorities are ready to promptly engage additional regulatory mechanisms in case of worsened market situation, which is largely related to international geopolitics

Russian troops liberate Nikiforovka community in Donetsk region over past day — top brass

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,360 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

US Vice President plans to visit Hungary on April 7-8 — media

According to the newspaper, JD Vance’s visit is geared to demonstrate Washington’s support for Hungary’s incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orban

WTO reform start is priority for Moscow at ministerial conference

According to head of the Russian delegation Nikolay Platonov, Moscow is not satisfied that members of the organization do not perform their obligations within the WTO framework to the full extent

Russia is among leading foreign trade partners of Kazakhstan — PM

Mikhail Mishustin stressed that Russia shares the priority of Kazakhstan’s presidency in the Eurasian Economic Union

Revocation of TASS journalist's accreditation in Vienna is abuse of power — MFA

Maria Zakharova stressed that the Austrian authorities outdid themselves

Belarus-North Korea relations entering new stage — Lukashenko

Belarusian President stressed that despite the vast distance between the two countries, the Belarusian and North Korean people share common values

Electricity generation in Russia up 3.1% in January-February to 226 bln kWh

Nuclear power plants increased generation by 10.2% to 38.2 bln kWh

FACTBOX: Hungary suspends gas supplies to Ukraine

Hungary intends to increase its gas reserves using the volumes that will no longer be supplied in transit to Ukraine, seeking to force the country to end the oil blockade, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said

Depleted gas reserves to force Europe to compete with Asia for supplies — Bloomberg

Gas reserves in underground storage facilities in the Netherlands have reached a historic low, falling to about 6%

Death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon rises to 1,094 — health ministry

According to the Lebanese Interior Ministry, 1,049,328 people have been displaced from the conflict zone

Turkey trying to persuade Arab countries not to interfere in Iran conflict — Bloomberg

According to the agency, Ankara fears that the involvement of Arab states in the Middle East in the hostilities could lead to a full-scale war

Russia informed about results of US-Ukraine talks in Florida — presidential aide

The negotiations took place on March 21

Russia takes Kiev’s hits because it is winning on the battlefield — US expert

According to Scott Ritter, Russia could respond accordingly, but this could push the international community to think about supporting Ukraine

Kiev intensifies drone attacks on Moscow, St. Petersburg as it knows it’s losing — Ritter

According to the former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, the US and the West could directly side with Ukraine if "Russia responds dramatically against Ukraine"

Russian ambassador to UK points to US’ two mistakes concerning Iran

The Russian diplomat noted that the military operation against Iran is not supported by people either in the United States or in the United Kingdom

Israel creating buffer zone in southern Lebanon to ensure security — Netanyahu

According to Benjamin Netanyahu, the goal is to create a stable buffer zone to ensure the security of the northern regions of Israel

IN BRIEF: Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant comes under attack once again

According to preliminary reports, the facility was not damaged, there were no casualties among the personnel

Russian negotiating position on Ukraine remains stable — MFA

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin noted that the main goal is to address the root causes of the conflict in Ukraine

Hezbollah says it attacked Israeli defense ministry’s compound in Tel Aviv

Apart from that, barracks of military intelligence forces near the city were also attacked with the use of "missiles of various types"

Russian army approaches Rai-Alexandrovka in DPR — expert

Andrey Marochko also said that Russian forces are advancing at other sections of the front

Russia’s Investigative Committee confirms traffic policeman killed in Moscow blast

Two policemen are at a hospital. The attacker died at the scene

Press review: Trump searches for Iran offramp as one Gulf state weighs joining war

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

Iranian authorities reject Trump’s statements about negotiating with Tehran

Head of Iran's government information council Elias Hazrati stated that the US had failed to achieve anything, failed to give answers to the global public

Industrial output in Russia falls by 0.9% in February — Rosstat

The decline in the manufacturing sector in Russia in February amounted to 2.8% year-on-year, while mining increased by 0.9%

Russia increases mineral fertilizer output by 2.5% in January-February

Fertilizer output in February increased by 1.5% year-on-year to 2.5 mln tons

Putin endorses idea to set up alternative to Literature Nobel Prize

Talented people who achieve outstanding results and present them to our country and the global reading public should have alternatives, the president noted

Trump says expected much worse economic consequences from conflict with Iran

The US leader called the US-Israeli operation against Iran an "excursion into hell"

Ukrainian army sustaining catastrophic losses in Konstantinovka — expert

Vitaly Kiselev recalled that Russian forces have cut the Ukrainian unit in Konstantinovka in half, driving a wedge into the enemy's defenses

EU may be forced to practically accept potential transfer of Ukrainian territories — Stubb

According to the Finnish president, there is a need for "more flexibility in Europe"

Hungary suspends gas supplies to Ukraine — Orban

The Hungarian prime minister said the country will protect it’s energy security, maintain fixed gasoline prices and reduced gas tariffs

Trump trapped in Iranian crisis, with no good options to get out — TV

Presidents often are faced with crises with no good solution, but few find themselves in a dead-end situation that Trump has driven himself into, the TV channel noted

Russian LNG supplies may be temporarily exempt from sanctions — investor

Kyle Shostak assumed that natural gas, especially for European buyers, will be in the price range of $3.30-3.80 per MMBtu

US Congresswoman Luna calls on Zelensky to make peace deal

Thus Anna Paulina Luna commented on Vladimir Zelensky's interview where he said that Washington is ready to give security guarantees to Kiev is Ukrainian forces are withdrawn from Donbass

Iran may create threat in Bab al-Mandeb Strait if escalation aggravates — Tasnim

The Bab al-Mandeb Strait is considered one of the world’s strategic straits

Iranian military says shot down US fighter jet using shoulder-fired SAM

According to the military, the aircraft crashed into the Indian Ocean

Protection of Russian tankers, support from the Navy: Patrushev's statements

According to the official, shipowners engaged with Russia have been instructed on how to coordinate with the Navy

Russia 'negative' on Iran conflict spilling over to Caspian Sea region — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on media reports alleging that Israel had carried out strikes on Russian ships in the Caspian Sea

Russia exploring new contracts on energy supplies to Asia — minister

Sergey Tsivilyov said that Russia had many addresses from Asian countries

Putin bans ruble cash carrying to the EAEU in amount equivalent to more than $100,000

The head of state signed a relevant decree posted on the official web portal of legal information

Israel, US strike Iranian city of Shiraz, casualties reported

According to the news agency, several people, including minors, have reportedly been killed and wounded

Attack on Russian tanker risks environmental disaster in Mediterranean — official

Nickolay Patrushev said the tanker is drifting southeast of the coast of Italy

Press review: Russia ready for arms control reset with US and Mideast war's outlook hazy

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, March 24th

London expands cooperation with Kiev to destabilize Europe — Russian diplomat

Maria Zakharova called Kiev’s promise to provide support to London in case the UK is attacked a "theatre of the absurd"

Possible text on Ukrainian settlement and next round of talks — Ushakov’s statements

There is currently a pause in the trilateral talks on Ukraine "due to obvious reasons," the Russian Presidential aide stated

Maritime Board develops new measures to protect ships traveling from Russia

Instructions were issued to strengthen control of vessels carrying cargoes on behalf of Russia, the statement says

Only US, Israel, Argentina vote against UN resolution on slave trade

123 states, including Russia and China, voted in favor of the resolution

US wants Iran to have leadership willing to cooperate — White House

Asked whether the US was satisfied with those currently in power in Iran, Karoline Leavittreplied that "it's too soon to say"

Demand for Russian oil is high globally — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov added that a moment may occur when it will be difficult to satisfy the additional demand

Russia, Sri Lanka to discuss energy supplies

Almost all Southeast Asian countries approach Russia as regards energy supplies, Deputy Energy Minister Roman Marshavin noted

Three people injured in Iran’s missile attack on central Israel — media

Missile fragments were found in two locations

Iran claims US spy plane sustained $2.5-million-damage — agency

No information was provided regarding the circumstances of the reported incident

US received no official rejection from Iran to American proposals — journalist

Earlier, the US sent the Iranian authorities a 15-point plan to end the Middle East conflict

Iran calls for creation of regional military alliance without United States

Iran’s General Staff says that the countries of the region "will never need a state located thousands of kilometers away to guarantee their security"

Iran’s IRGC says Basij forces shoot down US F-18 fighter jet

No information has been provided regarding the location or the time of the incident

Russia reconsidering energy supply chains — energy minister

Sergey Tsivilyov said the conflict in the Middle East prompts all sober-minded people to reconsider approaches in the supplies sphere

FACTBOX: What is known about EU's position on ban on oil imports from Russia

The EU has revised its plan for a total ban on Russian oil imports in the wake of the US and Israeli military operation against Iran

Putin signs decree on holding third Russia-Africa summit in Moscow

The same presidential decree also established an organizing committee for the preparation and holding of the summit

Russia informs US it finds sharing intelligence with Ukraine unacceptable — MFA

Maria Zakharova noted that the American side usually responds with vague statements or even silence

Iranian missiles attack central Israel — correspondent

There have been no reports of damage or casualties at the time

Kim meets with Lukashenko in Pyongyang — agency

The Belarusian delegation also includes Deputy Prime Minster Yury Shuleiko and Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenko

Putin invites Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary to visit Russia

The Russian leader congratulated Pham Minh Chinh on the successful holding of the 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam

Iran’s largest cities come under air attacks — TV

No data on casualties or damage are immediately available

Network of Ukrainian strongholds in Zaporozhye Region eliminated by Russian FPV drones

Targeted strikes by combat drones destroyed the structures and blocked exits from underground premises, the Russian defense ministry said

Russian envoy to UK labels West's claims of Ukraine's potential victory as 'self-hypnosis'

Andrey Kelin stressed that Russia advocates a diplomatic resolution to the conflict that takes its interests into account

Russia to update target list if nuclear weapons appear in Poland, Sweden — MP

Andrey Kartapolov also emphasized that current European politicians have no idea what risks a country is taking when it decides to deploy military facilities with nuclear weapons on its territory

Russia making efforts to prevent further escalation in Lebanon — ambassador

According to Alexander Rudakov, the Russian side maintains regular contact with local authorities and is making "diplomatic efforts to contain potential escalation of hostilities"

Russia to use all available means to ensure freedom of navigation — MFA

Russia considers practices by European Union countries unacceptable, inadmissible and a gross violation of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Maria Zakharova said

Ukraine tries to worsen global energy crisis — Russia’s envoy

A number of media outlets reported problems with loading and unloading operations at the port of Ust-Luga following Ukrainian drone attacks

Total of 130 children from Ukraine's list already returned to their families — MFA

Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said the accusations against Russia of "deporting or forcibly relocating Ukrainian children" have long since turned into a complete farce

Britain expected quick US victory in Iran — Russian ambassador Kelin

The official said that in spite of the irritation of US President Donald Trump over London's reluctance to participate in unblocking the Strait of Hormuz, the depth of the transatlantic differences shall not be exagerated

US space policy confirms Russia's assessment of deteriorating situation in this area — MFA

Maria Zakharova stressed the importance of timely and coordinated international efforts to prevent an arms race in outer space

Somali pirates reportedly seize Iranian ship in Indian Ocean — maritime security center

According to the report, the incident took place some 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu

Serbian president says hopes to discuss gas contract extension with Putin within days

The current contract for supplies of gas from Russia to Serbia expires on March 31