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Trump blasts Merz for position on Iran, blames him for Germany’s woes

The US president says that if Iran gets nuclear weapons, "the whole World would be held hostage"

WASHINGTON, April 28. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for his position on Iran, while blaming him for Berlin's economic and other problems.

"The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!" he wrote on Truth Social.

"If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage. I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!"

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United States Iran Germany Donald Trump

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According to the statement, the airstrike hit a building where rescue operations were conducted

US has no defense against hypersonic weapons, advanced cruise missiles — Pentagon

Mark Berkowitz noted that the US has a very limited ground-based single-layer homeland defense system that was specifically designed against a small-scale rogue attack from North Korea

Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day — top brass

Russian troops struck energy infrastructure sites used by the Ukrainian army and enemy deployment areas over the past 24 hours, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported

Russian troops expanding control zone at Grishino amid Ukrainian counterattacks — expert

Andrey Marochko said that "heavy fighting" is underway near Grishino

Kiev destabilizes global energy market by attacks against oil storages in Tuapse — Peskov

The oil from the storage facility was intended for export operations, Dmitry Peskov emphasized

US-Israeli strike on humanitarian aid aircraft in western Iran reported

The Civil Aviation Organization of the Islamic Republic called on all international bodies to take appropriate measures in response to this incident

Google’s forcibly recovered debts in Russia exceed $560 million

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Ukraine’s army suffers heavy losses near Taratutino in Sumy Region — defense source

Ukrainian forces were eliminated in their botched counterattack attempt, the defense source added

Iran retains half of its missile arsenal — US secretary of state

Marco Rubio stressed that Tehran has lost its production capacity and no longer has any naval forces

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The discussion arose in the context of drone attacks on the Urals

NATO, hurt by US, intends to abandon annual summits — Reuters

Thus, the bloc tries to "avoid a potentially tense encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump in his final in office

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The country is facing unprecedented challenges and risks, and it should overcome them with dignity, the Russian head of state said

Trump breaks royal protocol by tapping King Charles III on shoulder

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Moldova supplies drones to Ukrainian army despite its neutral status — Russian ambassador

Oleg Ozerov said that drones are produced in the city of Vadul lui Voda

Russia blacklisted EU representatives — Foreign Ministry

Designations include representatives of European institutions, EU member-states and other European countries carrying the activity aimed at undermining Russian territorial integrity, responsible for anti-Russian sanctions, inflicting damage to Russian relations with third countries

EU’s 21st package of anti-Russia sanctions to target energy resources — Estonian minister

Margus Tsahkna said the restrictions will be "quite tough"

Halted supplies of Kazakh oil to affect Germany, Ukraine — Politico

Supplies will be terminated amid the global energy crisis that particularly affected the German economy

Progress MS-34 cargo spacecraft successfully docks with ISS

The spacecraft carries about 2.5 tons of cargo

West's wish to control Balkans, key to Ukraine peace: Foreign Ministry statements

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko emphasized that the position taken by the European Union "simply excludes a peaceful settlement"

Putin sees West losing its dominance, giving way to new growth centers

The Russian leader added that modern global challenges require a joint response and collective efforts

Iran gives US new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — media

The new proposal was given to the US via Pakistani mediators

Trump claims Iran’s oil pipelines may explode in three days due to US blockade

According to the US leader, as a result, Iran may lose half of its oil production capacity

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The production and logistics chains for Western arms supplies to Kiev are being closely monitored and exposed to the general public, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said

US president threatens strikes on Iran’s energy, civilian infrastructure

Donald Trump called on Iranian leaders to open the Strait of Hormuz, claiming that otherwise the country "will be living in hell

Ukrainian strikes kill over 20 civilians in past week — Russian diplomat

According to Rodion Miroshnik, the enemy continues to lay mines in Russian regions remotely, violating international humanitarian law

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According to the Russian leader, those who sought to divide and destabilize Russian society failed because they do not understand the country

Finland’s refusal to build Hanhikivi NPP contradicts legal norms, common sense

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Kiev deploying hidden ground platforms on engagement line — expert

Andrey Marochko added that Kiev has used so-called "meat assaults" in several areas over the past week and suffered heavy losses

Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day — top brass

Battlegroup North units gained control of the settlement of Taratutino in the Sumy Region and Battlegroup West units liberated the settlement of Ilyichovka in the DPR

EU sanctions against Iran reveal bloc's hypocrisy — Iranian Foreign Ministry

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stressed that the EU's rhetoric on the restrictions "hastens Europe’s embarrassing descent into irrelevance"

Russia’s marine sniper team repels Ukrainian shrapnel drone attack — soldier

According to the commander of a marine sniper squad from the 61st Guards Marine Brigade, call sign "Budda," in the course of just a few hours, the servicemen shot down seven Ukrainian drones packed with anti-personnel shrapnel

Norwegian professor sees Zelensky as tool of foreign powers

Glenn Diesen predicted that "the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians will celebrate the day" Zelensky leaves office

Former NATO chief urges UK to spend on 'guns vs butter'

George Robertson opined that the responsibility of government is the defense and safety of its population, and that must come first, then other items of public expenditure come later

Mirotvorets site’s Western trace and silencing crimes against media: Nebenzya’s statements

Against the backdrop of deteriorating freedom of access to information, the Kiev regime is clamping down on what information its people take in, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya noted

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The termination of Kazakh oil supplies to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline could lead to dire consequences for Berlin and Kiev, Politico reported

Middle East peace, strategic partnership: Putin meets with Iranian foreign minister

The Russian leader noted that the Iranian people are fighting "courageously and heroically" for their sovereignty

Archaeologist Butyagin’s release: what we know about swap on Belarusian-Polish border

Alexander Butyagin was detained in Poland on December 4, 2025

Press review: US-Iran talks stall as Trump may seek gain after assassination attempt

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Trump sceptical about Iran’s proposal for talks — WSJ

According to the newspaper, the US leader did not reject Tehran’s proposal outright but voiced concerns that Iran was unwilling to meet Washington’s key demand of abandoning uranium enrichment

Russian Foreign Ministry delivers note of protest to German Ambassador Lambsdorff

The ministry stressed that the German side had been warned in advance about "the detrimental nature" of a German parliament’s member meeting the head of a terrorist organization banned in Russia

US, Iran discussing return to pre-conflict status quo — CNN

According to the TV channel, although the second round of talks has not yet taken place, the two sides "are not as far apart as they seem"

FACTBOX: Russian response to 20th package of EU sanctions

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, new European sanctions are incapable of influencing the foreign policy of Russia

Kiev starts using new types of radar at Konstantinovka in DPR — expert

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Iran calls on Saudi Arabia to ‘eject’ US troops from region

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed that Iran respects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and considers it a brotherly nation

Russian diplomat calls for dropping hawkish plans to resume Middle East war

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Mali extremely grateful to Russia’s Africa Corps for helping to thwart attempted coup

Fousseynou Ouattara, Vice President of the Defense and Security Commission within the Transitional National Council, noted that Russian specialists were on the front lines from the very beginning

Russia develops system to counter fiber-optic drones

According to the patent description, during a large-scale attack, the system can activate a "wall of fire" extending tens of kilometers

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Vladimir Putin has always condemned acts of violence and attempts on the lives of heads of state, including the recent plot against Donald Trump, Dmitry Peskov said

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A fire broke out at an oil refinery in Tuapse in Russia’s Krasnodar Region after it was hit by debris from a downed drone

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The Bank of Russia chief noted that the regulator did not see any risks to the financial stability of the economy

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Russia’s Defense Ministry reported earlier on April 27 that its Battlegroup North had liberated the settlement of Taratutino

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Dmitry Peskov expressed confidence that over time diplomatic efforts on the Ukrainian direction would intensify

Washington seeks deal with Iran that is 'good' for US, world — White House

White House Spokeswoman Olivia Wales said that Washington had been clear about its red lines

Zelensky's attempts to become Europe's ‘defender’ will not end well — Lavrov

Vladimir Zelensky has already established an openly Nazi regime in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister said

Chancellor Merz ranks last in German politicians' popularity ranking — newspaper

The German chancellor’s declining popularity is seen not only nationwide but also within his own electorate

It took three days to organize Iran-requested Araghchi meeting with Putin — Kremlin aide

It was quite easy to organize it, Yury Ushakov said

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Ukrainian drones damage dwelling houses, power substations in Kamensko-Dneprovsky

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Nuclear powers continue to modernize their arsenals — report

In January 2024, there were some 12,121 nuclear warheads in the world, of which 9,585 were on alert

Russian troops strike Ukrainian mobile fire group by Geran drones in Dnepropetrovsk Region

The strike was carried out near the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk

Transfer of enriched uranium to Russia to help Iran reach agreement with US — expert

Ruhollah Modabber suggested that had Tehran initially accepted Moscow's mediation offer and supplied half of its enriched uranium to Russia, the negotiation process with Washington might have progressed more swiftly

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Dmitry Kasatkin emphasized that Iran's attacks and the Hormuz blockade had demonstrated that getting Tehran to protect everyone's interests in OPEC would be impossible

Liberation of Ilyinovka in Donetsk region gives access to Konstantinovka urban area

Ilyinovka had been a major defensive area of the Ukrainian army and was liberated thanks to well-coordinated operations by Russian reconnaissance units, artillery support and effective actions by unmanned systems teams

US secretary of state says he never spoke with Iranian foreign minister

Marco Rubio recalled that for a long time there was a prohibition in the Iranian system against speaking directly to Americans

IN BRIEF: What we know about consequences of drone attack on Tuapse refinery

On Russian President Vladimir Putin's instructions, Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov flew to the Krasnodar Region to control the extinguishing of a fire at the oil refinery

Russia’s Foreign Ministry expects IAEA to stand firm against Ukraine's lawlessness

Russia is convinced that the international community is obliged to impose a well-deserved and harsh sentence on the Kiev regime, forcing it to stop attacks on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and other peaceful nuclear facilities, Maria Zakharova said

US shouldn't view Putin-Araghchi meeting in a negative way — Kremlin aide

This is part of regular diplomatic work, Yury Ushakov said

First LNG tanker since start of Iran conflict passes through Strait of Hormuz — agency

According to Bloomberg, the Liberian-flagged tanker Mubaraz loaded a cargo from Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.’s Das Island facility in the UAE

Russia’s Battlegroup East destroys 29 Ukrainian UAV control centers over past 24 hours

Mikhail Gerasimov also said that two Starlink satellite communications stations and 19 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed

Coup attempt thwarted in Mali: Russian Defense Ministry’s statements

Approximately 12,000 militants were involved in the attempted coup

Kalashnikov Group delivers Granat-4-E UAV surveillance system to customer

The defense manufacturer said the UAV system provides laser target acquisition for precision-guided munitions with passive laser guidance in the close-in tactical zone

Number of Colombian, South American fighters in Ukrainian army 'rapidly growing' — expert

According to a verified list of foreign fighters compiled by Laurent Braillard, Colombians rank first with 1,725 individuals

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Sergey Stepashin noted that Russia has excellent relations with all Middle Eastern countries

Finnish activist says Nazi tendencies exist in EU

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US believes Iranian supreme leader is alive — secretary of state

Thus Marco Rubio said when asked if the Iranian supreme leader was alive

Rebel attack in Mali results in casualties among Russia’s Africa Corps — diplomat

According to Georgy Borisenko, the attacks were repelled in most locations, including Bamako

Attempt made to seize power in Mali — PM

The government forces "managed to neutralize hundreds of terrorists throughout the country", Prime Minister for the transitional period Abdoulaye Maiga said

Another spiral of US-Iran escalation risks to be much wider — Russian expert

The 40-day war in Iran, as it is called by Iranian specialists, has ended in a fragile balance, said Adlan Margoyev, an expert on Iranian affairs and a researcher at the Institute of International Studies at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Institute of International Relations

Moldova can't withdraw from CIS and still reap benefits of membership — Russian envoy

Oleg Ozerov noted that traditional CIS markets remain crucial for certain categories of goods, primarily agricultural products

Liberating Ilyichovka, Russian troops to be able to advance to Slavyansk — expert

Andrey Marochko believes that the main objective of the advance near Ilyichovka is to reach the Seversky Donets

Iran may have tens of thousands of drones, missiles — senior Russian MP

According to Alexey Pushkov, this conflict is a matter od survival for Iran and it will "hold out to the last"

Kiev mines border with Transnistria for troop redeployment — senior Moldovan official

Valeriu Chiveri claimed that the operational group of Russian troops in Transnistria posed a threat to the security of both Moldova and Ukraine

EU being dragged deeper into Ukraine conflict — Russian defense chief

Andrey Belousov stressed that Russia was closely monitoring production and supply chains related to the weapons the West provided to Ukraine

Iran conflict shows NATO unprepared for confrontation with Russia — newspaper

One of the alliance’s vulnerabilities is its limited capacity to produce ammunition quickly and on a large scale

Moldova assembles EW systems, UAVs for Ukraine, risking becoming conflict party — expert

According to Dmitry Sorokin, the transfer of production facilities from Ukraine to Moldova was prompted by the systematic destruction by Russian troops of Ukrainian weapons depots

Europe closer to 'nuclear winter' amid nuclear ban lift in Finland — human rights activist

According to Florian Eblenkamp, more and more nuclear weapons in Europe "don't make the region safer"

Ukrainian counterintelligence officer rejects repatriation

Sergey Mikhailov emphasized that he would prefer to stay in Russia

US can no longer impose its policies on other countries — Iranian Defense Ministry

General Reza Talaei-Nik labeled the United States and Israel as "symbols of state terrorism"

Kazakhstan to reroute 260,000 tons of oil to Germany via Russia in May

According to the Kazakh Energy Ministry, adjusting the delivery schedule will not affect Kazakhstan’s annual oil production plan

FACTBOX: What is known about UAE's decision to quit OPEC, OPEC+

According to the Emirates state news agency, the UAE's decision to exit OPEC and OPEC+ "reflects the UAE’s long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile"

Serbian president urges West to stop demonizing Russia

Aleksandar Vucic pointed out that "there are many grey nuances, it's not everything that is black and white"

Rebels capturing Mali’s Kidal pose major problem — senior Russian diplomat

Armed clashes continue in some regions of the country

US secretary of state calls straits economic equivalent of nuclear weapons

About a fifth of global oil exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz

Iran to adopt law on Strait of Hormuz after parliament reconvenes — MP

"Many meetings were held to consider the legal and international aspects of the Strait of Hormuz Security Plan," Alaeddin Boroujerdi said

Spirit of Elbe symbolizes what US, Russia can accomplish when they work together — MFA

Alexander Gusarov, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s North Atlantic Department, emphasized that the Russian side "sacredly honors the fearlessness and valor" of Soviet and US soldiers

EU preparing for possible energy supply crisis due to conflict in Iran — Spanish newspaper

The EC assures that there is currently no risk to supplies, though markets are feeling the impact of rising Brent crude oil prices, which has led to higher gas and oil prices in Europe

By taking Taratutino Russian army penetrates 7 km deep into Ukrainian defenses — expert

The area around Taratutino represents the most significant advancement in Russia's military operations within the Sumy Region

Trump unlikely to accept Iran’s latest proposal to resolve conflict — TV

CNN said the proposal leaves questions about Tehran’s nuclear program for later negotiations