{{dayPoint.date | date : 'd MMMM yyyy'}}

{{newsPoint.title}}

{{newsPoint.title+ ' '}}

{{newsPoint.subtitle}}

Sachs calls NATO's existence absurd, urges putting stop to alliance’s expansion

Jeffrey Sachs added that as a multilateral model of the world develops, it is necessary to stop the "residual wars of hegemony," and accepting the fact of the development of multipolarity in the modern world should become a "peaceful root forward"

MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. NATO expansion should be stopped, as the very existence of the alliance after 1990 seems absurd, a renowned US economist and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University (New York), Professor Jeffrey Sachs said.

"NATO must stop expanding. The whole idea [of its existence] was preposterous after 1990," he noted, speaking via video link at a meeting of the Board of Governors of the BRICS New Development Bank, taking place in Moscow.

Sachs added that as a multilateral model of the world develops, it is necessary to stop the "residual wars of hegemony," and accepting the fact of the development of multipolarity in the modern world should become a "peaceful root forward."

In January, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also noted that any "sense in preserving NATO has completely disappeared: The Alliance is an atavism, a relic of a past era," since it was created "to contain the USSR and its geopolitical allies."

Progress made in understanding key elements of Ukrainian settlement — US State Department

Christopher Smith noted that the negotiations are live

Russia places ex-British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on wanted list

The criminal charges against Wallace were not specified

Russia’s Battlegroup North kills 10 Ukrainian soldiers in Sumy Region

The strike also destroyed a pickup truck carrying supplies and ammunition, the crew commander, call sign "Groza," said

Xi, Trump complete meeting in Beijing — TV

According to China Central Television, the meeting lasted for slightly more than two hours

Zelensky rejects any idea of territorial loss — Slovak deputy parliament speaker

According to Tibor Gaspar, it’s hard to talk about the resumption of talks and an ultimate solution to the conflict

US Congress may consider bill on $1.3 billion in military aid to Kiev — media

The bill also provides new sanctions against Russia

US allows 15 humanitarian ships to sail in first month of Iran’s naval blockade — CENTCOM

The US military did not explain what kind of cargo the vessels were carrying

Iran expedites Hormuz passage for Chinese ships — agency

According to Fars report, the decision was made that a number of Chinese vessels, upon Beijing's request and after agreeing on the passage rules, would be able to follow through the Strait of Hormuz unhindered

US military aircraft struck by Iran makes it to Kuwait — TV

Iran also fired at two US UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters conducting a search and rescue operation

Gladkov’s, Bogomaz’s resignations, Putin’s visit to China: topics of Kremlin’s briefing

According to Dmitry Peskov, the Russian leader’s visit to China will take place soon, and the dates will be announced shortly

Russian State Duma ratifies agreement on trade in services, investment between Russia, UAE

It provides for the creation of a free trade zone covering services and investment in accordance with Article V of the General Agreement on Trade in Services, and provides more favorable conditions for Russian companies to enter the UAE market and expand their presence

IN BRIEF: Sarmat launch sends signal to Western 'friends' in proving Russia’s superiority

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin noted that Sarmat test-launch showed that Russia’s nuclear shield had improved

Slovakia not to relinquish its right of veto within EU — senior lawmaker

Tibor Gaspar emphasized that the loss of this right will mean "a significant curtailment of sovereignty" for Slovakia

Rossotrudnichestvo sees strong interest in cooperation with Russia from Islamic countries

Cooperation is being carried out across various projects, the agency’s deputy head Pavel Shevtsov noted

Sarmat ICBM superiority over Western counterparts, laser technology: Manturov’s statements

Russia is at least several years ahead of its foreign partners in the technologies used in the Sarmat system, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said

Fuel situation in Cuba critical — energy minister

According to Vicente de la O Levy, 100,000 tons of Russian oil has been the only fuel supply to Cuba since December 2025

Iran sets forth five conditions to resuming negotiations with US — agency

According to Fars, the five conditions are to stop hostilities on all fronts, particularly in Lebanon, to lift the anti-Iranian sanctions, to unblock Iran’s immobilized assets, to compensate for the war-related damage, and to recognize Iran’s right to sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz

UEC becomes world leader in combat aircraft engine production in 2025

UEC CEO Alexander Grachev noted that, being cut off from international cooperation in 2021, the corporation had to work "in isolation" for five years

Russian troops pressing ahead along entire engagement line in Ukraine operation — Shoigu

The Russian Armed Forces currently firmly hold the strategic initiative, the Russian Security Council secretary noted

Between 18,000 and 23,000 militants are operating in Afghanistan — Shoigu

According to the Russian Security Council secretary, the situation in Afghanistan is of particular importance for ensuring security in the SCO space

Relations between Russia, Norway hit new post-World War II low — embassy

According to the statement, the Russian side is concerned about Norway's changing security policy

Kremlin comments on Sarmat reaction, EU participation in Ukrainian conflict, Yermak case

Dmitry Peskov said the criminal case against Andrey Yermak, the former head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office, will not affect the peace process

US, Israel will ultimately lose from aggression against Iran, expert says

Ramazan Abdulatipov noted that transnational corporations led by the United States deliberately escalated the Middle East situation, expecting large profits

Yermak denies quarrel with Zelensky, contacts with fortune-tellers, pledges to go to front

Andrey Yermak said that when he was dismissed, his conversation with Vladimir Zelenskyy was not as emotional as the press had reported

Orban rejects new government’s remarks about Hungary in decline

On the first day of the new cabinet led by Peter Magyar, the former prime minister listed the achievements of his government over the past 16 years

China would like to reunify with Taiwan peacefully — top US diplomat

According to Marco Rubio, Washington believes that attempting to resolve the situation with Taiwan by force "would be a terrible mistake"

IN BRIEF: Xi-Trump talks address Ukraine, Middle East, Korean Peninsula

According to the media outlet, the two leaders also agreed to support each other

Kremlin spokesman comments on Sarmat launch, prospects for Ukraine talks in daily briefing

According to Dmitry Peskov, Russia hasn’t heard any official reaction from Washington to Tuesday’s launch of the Sarmat missile

Around 1,500 scam call centers operate in Ukraine — Russian Foreign Ministry

According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky, the revenue from a single call center averages up to $1 million per day

Double standards undermine states’ trust in UN — candidate for secretary-general

According to Maria Fernanda Espinosa, the legitimacy and authority of the UN secretary-general cannot be established formally

IN BRIEF: What is known about court order handed down to Zelensky's right-hand man Yermak

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court in Kiev ordered Yermak to be put in detention for 60 days, allowing his release if a bail of about $3.1 million is paid

Meeting between US-Chinese leaders draws global attention — Xi

According to the Chinese president, his meeting with the US leader is taking place "amid unprecedented and dynamic changes"

Some EU politicians want Ukrainian war to continue — senior Slovak lawmaker

Tibor Gaspar pointed out that the latest 90-billion-euro loan, which Slovakia in not taking part in, "is a vivid sign that some of the EU representatives want to continue this war or help Ukraine wage it"

Washington, Kiev implementing military-biological program in Ukraine — Russian MFA

Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky noted that since 2001, the United States has blocked efforts to develop a legally binding protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention

Kiev’s inability to negotiate, $590 billion in frozen assets: Shoigu's statements

The root cause of the current global upheavals is the US’ and its allies' desire to maintain their dominance, the Russian Security Council secretary noted

Duma authorizes use of armed forces to protect Russians arrested abroad

The proposed legislation aims to clarify and expand the authority, allowing the president to direct the Russian Armed Forces to protect citizens from prosecution by foreign and international courts operating outside Russia’s jurisdiction

Trump says Iran has 48 hours to make deal or open strait

Time is running out: 48 hours remain before all hell rains down on them, US President said

Ukrainian Border Guard confirms reopening all checkpoints on border with Slovakia

They had been temporarily closed for security reasons

Slovakia not to yield to pressure, to remain committed to independent course — senior MP

Tibor Gaspar also drew attention to the ongoing changes in Europe, citing as an example Romania where "the government has fallen because of promoting views the majority of people disagree with"

Iran expands area of control in Strait of Hormuz

According to the senior officer, the strait’s width, which used to be estimated at 32 to 48 km, has increased to between 321 and 482 km

West may be plotting new staged massacre in Ukraine, Russian diplomat in Vienna says

Russia has noticed reports saying that NATO officials yesterday held three meetings with film directors, script writers and producers active in the film industry in Brussels, Los Angeles and Paris, Yulia Zhdanova said

US secretary of state calls Chinese military second strongest in world

Marco Rubio said the pace of growth in the Chinese military over the last 10 years has no precedent

Sarmat, Oreshnik missiles can take out Europe’s entire military infrastructure — expert

"The maximum range of the Sarmat system can exceed 35,000 km on a suborbital trajectory," Alexander Stepanov said

Araghchi promises to hold to account countries 'colluding' with Israel against Iran

Enmity with the Great People of Iran is a foolish gamble, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said

Russia, Ukraine finalizing lists for prisoner-of-war swap — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov said this is the most difficult part of the process

Putin appoints Kovalchuk, Shuvayev acting governors of Bryansk, Belgorod Regions

Vyacheslav Gladkov and Alexander Bogomaz were relieved of the governor posts

Return of foreign military to Afghanistan unacceptable — Russian Security Council

The United States and its allies must acknowledge full responsibility for their 20-year presence in Afghanistan and assume the main burden of its post-conflict reconstruction, Sergey Shoigu emphasized

Iran to earn twice as much from controlling Hormuz Strait as from exporting oil — army

Iranian Army Spokesman Mohammad Akraminia pointed out that Iran’s naval presence in the Strait of Hormuz would prevent the US from restoring military facilities at its bases in the Gulf countries

Russian combat aircraft a cut above NATO weapons in combat — UAC CEO

According to Vadim Badekha, the country’s aircraft manufacturing industry became much more efficient

Top Russian security official sees US desire for dominance as cause of global shocks

Sergey Shoigu noted that international relations continue to decline

IN BRIEF: Lavrov speaks of US plans to control energy flows, Western neocolonialism

The West uses unscrupulous methods to prevent countries from purchasing Russian oil, the Russian foreign minister said

Participation in Aurora 26 drills gives Kiev legal status as NATO proxy — expert

According to Alexander Stepanov, the goal of these drills is to expand Ukraine’s sabotage and terrorist experience to the Baltic, Northern European, and Arctic regions

Russia yet undecided about preferred candidate for UN chief — senior diplomat

Russia is following the process ans doesn't rule out that new candidates may appear, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov said

China-US confrontation to lead to mutual losses — Xi

Mutual support and prosperity will make it possible for Beijing and Washington "to elaborate a new approach to the relations between the great powers in the new era," Xi Jinping said

Soyuz-5 is completely new rocket, not version of Zenit — expert

Vyacheslav Smolenko noted that fundamentally different technological approaches and components were used in the creation of the Soyuz-5 rocket

Venezuelan-US diplomatic agenda focuses on sanction lifting — acting president

Delcy Rodriguez noted that negotiations with the United States and European countries include issues of lifting sanctions off Venezuela’s production sector

Ukraine issue: what is known about summons of Russian ambassador to Hungarian MFA

The Hungarian Foreign Ministry has so far refrained from making any comments

Russia’s small missile ship Grad conducts gun practice in Baltic Sea

The sailors conducted practice firing from the A-190 and AK-630M2 naval artillery systems at simulated aerial targets and small naval targets representing unmanned boats of the mock enemy

UK to ramp up defense spending, maintain commitments to NATO — Charles III

The UK King said the ministers will seek to improve relations with European partners as a vital step in strengthening European security

Press review: Russia not done building nuke triad and Trump taps Xi to help with Iran

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, May 14th

State Duma appoints Yana Lantratova as Russia’s human rights commissioner

The term of Russia’s previous human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova expired in April 2026

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

Russia develops Svarog 1.0 drone carrier boat with operational range of up to 500 km

The boat is multifunctional and can be used both for supply and logistics and as a kamikaze vessel

Russian diplomat names countries where terrorists use Western weapons got from Ukraine

These weapons have fallen into the hands of terrorist groups across multiple countries, including Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, the Central African Republic, and Chad

US wants to restore Nord Streams, buy them from Europeans for next to nothing — Lavrov

Washington intends to do this in order to subsequently dictate its own gas prices, the Russian foreign minister indicated

US ready to promote settlement of Ukrainian crisis — Rubio

US Secretary of State also stressed that Donald Trump's team stands prepared to facilitate a diplomatic end of the war

Slovakia hopes EU will not plunge into conflict in Ukraine — senior lawmaker

Deputy speaker of the Slovak parliament Tibor Gaspar stressed that it is better to invest money in healthcare, schools, and economy rather than in weapons

Rubio views China as Washington’s key geopolitical 'challenge'

US President Donald Trump arrived in China on Wednesday

US hopes to convince China to play more active role to settle situation with Iran — Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also noted that the conflict in the Middle East threatens to destabilize Asia more than any other part of the world

US loses control of its biolabs around world — expert

According to Alexey Shablya, the theory that the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in one of these labs, while not 100% confirmed, also cannot be disproved

Russia ready to work with Iran to settle crisis in region — Security Council

Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexander Venediktov expressed his condolences over the irreparable loss during the attacks by Washington and Tel Aviv on the Iranian statesmen and military leaders

Handling Taiwan issue incorrectly risks China-US conflict — Xi Jinping

The Chinese leader added that pursuing "island independence" and maintaining peace in the region are mutually exclusive

Xi-Trump talks begin in Beijing — TV

The two leaders began their talks with discussing bilateral and international issues

First Russian-Arab summit to be held in late summer-fall 2026

The venue has not yet been chosen, Secretary General of the World Peoples Assembly Andrey Belyaninov said

UAE denies reports about Netanyahu’s secret visit to UAE — foreign ministry

The UAE reaffirms that its relations with Israel are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements

US wants to purchase 10,000 low-cost cruise missiles — media

According to the newspaper, the missiles, developed under the Low-Cost Containerized Missiles program, are expected to cost several hundred thousand dollars each

Trump praises his talks with Xi Jinping as 'great'

After bilateral talks at the Great Hall of the People, the two leaders arrived at the Temple of Heaven

Rubio calls in question NATO’s purpose due to allies’ denial of access to their bases

Marco Rubio recalled that the US pays " two thirds of the bill"

Trump leaves Vance succession instruction should anything happens to him — official

The US leader has been the target of three assassination attempts

Russian troops pound Ukrainian army’s energy, transport infrastructure over past day

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,060 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

Russia has had enough of Western neocolonialism — Russian Foreign Ministry

Director of the Russian MFA Department of Economic Cooperation Dmitry Birichevsky said the global majority sees ongoing injustice

Zelensky acknowledges extensive damage in almost all regions of Ukraine

The damage primarily affected the western regions of the country

Lasting peace in Ukraine possible only if all root causes eliminated — Security Council

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said the Ukrainian crisis clearly exemplifies double standards

Europe constantly lies, does everything it can to eliminate political rivals — Dodik

According to the Bosnian Serb leader, the current European liberals "cannot live in peace unless they seize new colonies in a modern form"

Soviet developments in rocket engineering and challenges: Putin's statements

The Russian president said that Russia will continue to modernize and develop its strategic nuclear forces

Russia’s Western 'friends' become closer to it following Sarmat launch — Medvedev

The Security Council deputy chairman also posted a video of the Russian Defense Ministry’s test results

Russia continues favoring peaceful settlement of Ukraine conflict — intel chief

The full liberation of the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic from Ukrainian armed formations has been the latest proposal that Moscow has put forward to Kiev, Sergey Naryshkin said

Russia’s Sarmat ICBM test marks a major breakthrough — top security official

Sergey Shoigu shared the Russian president’s assessments of the Sarmat ICBM test-launch, calling it a serious step

Trump says no understanding with Russia on Donbass so far

The withdrawal of troops from Donbas is one of Moscow's most important conditions for an active peaceful settlement with Kiev

Press review: Iran, US edge closer to renewed war and Russia flexes missile muscles

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, May 13th

Russia guarantor of security in Middle East crisis — Iranian Security Council

According to Ali Bagheri, "the actions of the Americans on the international stage have shown that they seek to turn the world into a kind of jungle where there is no place for the rule of law"

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

Russian troops delivered a massive strike by precision weapons, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles on Ukrainian military-industrial sites and military airfields over the past 24 hours

Air defenses destroy 66 Ukrainian UAVs over Russian regions within seven-hour period

In particular, drones were intercepted over Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Veliky Novgorod, Pskov, Smolensk, Tver and Moscow Regions and the Republic of Crimea

Ukraine deploys Colombian mercenaries to Sumy without support

The Russian Defense Ministry previously reported that the Ukrainian armed forces hire mercenaries from various countries

Kiev court sentences Yermak to 60 days in custody

The bail is set at about $3.1 million

Press review: Putin V-Day speech gives life to Ukraine peace and Iran's new superweapon

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, May 12th

Slovakia hopes Russia-Ukraine conflict will soon be settled — senior lawmaker

Deputy speaker of the Slovak parliament Tibor Gaspar also emphasized that as long as Slovakia is in a state of sanctions against Russia, cooperation will be limited

Russia ready to settle Ukrainian conflict through negotiations — Security Council

Russia wants Ukraine to go back to being a fully non-nuclear, non-aligned nation

Germany’s drone deal with Ukraine to make it complicit in Russia strikes — expert

Alexander Stepanov added that Western European countries can be considered Kiev’s high-tech military-industrial echelon

The West wants to turn Central Asia into springboard against Russia, China — expert

"While this is not currently the case, it’s crucial to recognize that Western countries are diligently working toward this end," Timofey Bordachev said

Russian ambassador to Hungary discusses Ukraine with new foreign minister

The meeting lasted approximately 25 minutes