Merkel backs plans for Geneva talks on Ukraine

The window of opportunity that opened up in Russia-US relations after the change of US administration "has made it possible not only to resume political dialogue but also to revive cultural ties between our countries," Alexander Darchiev said

Moscow market participants pointed out that they had only seen "small signs of tepid foreign interest"

Milica Durdevic-Stamenkovski recalled that Serbia began the process of European integration at a time when the idea of EU membership was much more attractive to the public in Serbia and in other potential candidate countries

"I also emphasize that there is still a lot of uncertainty in the parameters of the scheme, and we expect to receive clarifications from the local authorities," Andrey Kelin added

At the same time, the president noted that once upon a time "Vladimir Lenin gave away the whole of Ukraine when he created the Soviet Union"

The top US diplomat specified that "under the previous administration, this office spent millions of dollars to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving"

Van Damme added that he would like to talk with the Russian leadership "only about peace, sport and happiness"

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, April 16th

The attacks involved unmanned aerial vehicles, FPV drones and artillery, including HIMARS rocket launchers

Robert Fico noted that during his visit to Russia he intended to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and take part in the Immortal Regiment march

The Ukrainian state budget is currently deficient and will not be able to bear the burden of buying weapons, noted Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Anna Skorokhod

During the meeting, the chairman expressed concern over the state of affairs in global trade amid a rise in the application of unilateral restrictions, Platonov noted

Kazakh Foreign Minister also proposed that the GCC initiated the creation of a unified tourist route through Central Asia for travelers from the Gulf states

According to Javier Milei, Europe is currently incapable of claiming global leadership

The energy ceasefire has been in effect since March 18

Maria Zakharova stressed that "Russian forces have never carried out deliberate strikes on the civilian population, and they will never do that"

Between April 8 and 14, the price of automobile gasoline increased in 56 Russian regions

"I think we should express our gratitude to the leadership, the political wing of Hamas for agreeing to meet us halfway and performing this act, a humanitarian act of releasing you," he added

By 9:37 p.m. Moscow time the gold price continued growing to 1.72% and reached $3,354.4 per troy ounce

Fasyeh Hamid believes that US actions on Ukrainian soil "have exacerbated the crisis of trust in NATO's security across the Atlantic," transforming the EU into a "militarized anti-American bloc"

Andrey Marochko said that during active battles in the Kupyansk direction, our troops managed to improve tactical positions

"80 years ago, this is how the fascists forced those who were considered ‘second-class citizens’ to abandon their homeland, ethnicity, and faith," the diplomat stated

"Serbia made a significant contribution to the fight against fascism, something we take pride in, unlike many countries that are attempting to rewrite history on global, continental, regional, and even local levels," the Serbian leader stated

Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev emphsized that the Ukrainian soldiers could not operate these long-range weapons

"According to public statements from Bundeswehr officials, various options are being explored for the potential creation of a cluster to meet the increasing demand for national reconnaissance capabilities from space," Alexander Stepanov stated

The new national project "aims to cover all areas most important for Russia, ranging from the creation of its own multi-satellite groups of various applications and national orbital station to farther space exploration programs"

According to Gao Jian, the current US administration is attempting to reshape the global trade structure to suit its own interests

Milorad Dodik stressed the need to honor the dates associated with the anti-fascist struggle in Europe during World War II. He believes that it is necessary for the sake of the continent's future

According to Alexander Syrsk, Ukraine cannot rotate troops due to problems with recruiting new servicemen

At the same time, US imports from China are expected to fall sharply

During a meeting with former Gaza hostage Alexander Trufanov, Russian president added that everything that has happened to Trufanov "is a tragedy"

"A study revealed the following: sonic devices were not used to disperse the rally," Serbia’s Security Information Agency report says

Ukrainian attacks come in violation of the seven principles of nuclear safety and five principles of safety at the ZNPP established by the IAEA at a UN Security Council meeting, the nuke plant emphasized

Andrey Safonov reiterated that earlier this year Moldova’s President Sandu and her Prime Minister Dorin Recean bluntly opposed natural gas supplies from Russia to Transnistria in the form of humanitarian aid to achieve "an agreement of withdrawing the only real guarantee of peace on the Dniester - Russian troops’ - as well as to eliminate the unrecognized republic"

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, April 11th

According to the reports, the Danish Armed Forces are planning to send soldiers to a training camp in Ukraine

In the Valuysky district, Ukrainian servicemen fired 17 munitions and eight drones at five settlements

Russian air defense forces shot down 223 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 11 JDAM smart bombs over the past day, the ministry reported

The head of Russian state reiterated that given how complicated space technologies can be, cooperation becomes all the more important

The Ukrainian troops are reluctant to surrender this location, which overlooks the entire agglomeration north of Konstantinovka, Igor Kimakovsky noted

The Bank of Russia and the economic bloc of the government want to achieve reduction of mortgage lending to improve the macroeconomic situation, including as regards inflation, the Russian leader stressed

The foreign minister stressed that "Russia has consistently upheld the belief that reliance on enduring values common to all major world religions and cultures along with respect for the unique identities of all nations and their right to sovereign development is key to building a fairer multipolar world order"

The Russian Defense Ministry specified that 49 UAVs were downed over the Kursk Region

Russian Defense Ministry received hundreds of letters, Sergey Shoigu told reporters

The politicians are part of the Leaders category

"For more than a decade now, these two words have characterized most of the events, steps, and statements that we hear and see from the so-called collective West and all those who pledge loyalty to it," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stressed

The current stock level is 6% below the five-year average typical for this time of the year

The Russian leader noted that the Europeans had decided to go for a suspension

A BRICS film festival showcasing feature films from Russia, China, Iran, India, Egypt, and other countries will be held as part of the MIFF

Army General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and first deputy defense minister, said on March 12 that around 430 Ukrainian soldiers had been captured in the Kursk Region

The radicals were still "examining the proposal, handed over by the mediators", according to Al Qahera Al Ekhbariya

The drills, set to last until May 2, will also involve 1,100 troops

A mission to Mars would be very hard, the Russian leader noted

The Russian president highlighted the need to give a boost to Russia’s space program "so that it becomes a driving force" behind national progress, technological advancement and improved quality of life

According to Mikhail Shvydkoy, any peace initiative at this time deserves attention

The President emphasized that Russia and China have "major plans - interesting, ambitious, and grandiose"

The strike on the target eliminated more than 60 Ukrainian army personnel, Russia’s Defense Ministry said

The Russian leader stressed that it looked like a very distant goal at the moment

The meeting took place prior to the launch of the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft with NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky on board

Andrey Kostin emphasized that an increasing number of countries are becoming convinced of the risks associated with dependence on the US currency

The Admiral Vladimirsky left Kronshtadt on March 13

Andrey Kelin also saw a desire to respond to the dialogue established between Moscow and Washington in the European initiative

Media reports saying that the US may impose tariffs of up to 245% on all imports from China are "misleading," according to the statement

Rheinmetall is Germany’s largest defense company

This technology has already started to be deployed, and the effects are already being felt, Vladimir Saldo stressed

A group of Federal Security Service experts said in a report published by Serbia’s Security Information Agency on Wednesday that the government of Serbia did not use sonic devices to disperse the March 15 rally in Belgrade

According to the Kremlin press service, the leaders will discuss pressing issues related to bilateral cooperation, with a focus on trade, economic and humanitarian relations

Andrey Kelin also pointed to London's desire to prevent a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis

Over recent years, Russia and Qatar have intensified their engagement, which has continued to grow amid heightened global and regional tensions, particularly in the Middle East. As Doha maintains its role as an effective intermediary in conflict resolution, it has emerged as a nexus for both global and regional interests. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov alone has traveled to the Qatari capital on two occasions in the past six months

The ministry explores the possibility to develop internal instruments akin to USDT

According to Andrey Kelin, artificial irritants like a continuation of the Skripal case and fabricated stories about espionage and sabotage have been created to turn Britain and its partners against Russia

An UAV attack alert has been issued in Shuya in the Ivanovo Region

"The repeated appearance of the B-1B aircraft underscores that the US and its satellites seek to create a hostile, confrontational atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula as their actions escalate military tensions," the Korean Central News Agency said

According to OCHA, since March 18, "Israeli forces have escalated bombardment from the air, land and sea across the Gaza Strip and expanded ground operations, resulting in hundreds of casualties, destruction of civilian infrastructure"

The Mongolian side has endorsed preferences on nearly all significant EAEU goods, including confectionery and dairy products, petroleum products and petrochemicals, and vehicles, under the Russia-Mongolia economic corridor initiative

The corresponding ban was introduced by former US President Joe Biden on April 21, 2022

Abbas Araghchi highlighted Tehran’s "determination to continue interacting and cooperating with the IAEA based on its international legal obligations" in order to resolve the situation around Iran’s nuclear program

"This is getting more real," Kirill Dmitriev said

Armin Papperger said that classic artillery shells are capable of turning the situation around

The agency also stated that analysts are not surprised by London's leading destructive role in the Ukrainian conflict

The US has established nine military bases and three outposts in Kurdish-controlled areas of Syria in 2015-2018

"The court granted the petition of the investigation and ruled to take into custody former Kursk Region Governor Alexey Smirnov until June 15 while pending trial," the statement says

According to Andrey Belousov, solemn events involving military personnel will be held in 370 settlements

The People’s Republic of China has huge plans, interesting and promising ones, the Russian leader noted

Alexey Smirnov's former first deputy Alexey Dedov have also been detained

Head of the association the Union of Aviation Engine Construction Viktor Chuiko emphasized the value of working with external partners

According to the New York Times, the US authorities are also considering banning DeepSeek from purchasing US technologies, including artificial intelligence chips

US leader Donald Trump "has chosen diplomacy over military action" for now, the New York Time writes

On April 11 and 12, Ukrainian and American representatives held technical talks to discuss the terms and conditions of the deal on Ukrainian natural resources

Iskander Lutsko, the Dubai-based head of research and portfolio management at Istar Capital, noted a visible thaw in relations between Moscow and Washington, which, in his view, also played a role in making the Russian currency more attractive to investors

"An understanding was reached with Hamas that his release will be a priority during phase two of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal," according to the Kremlin's handouts to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with former Gaza hostage Alexander Trufanov

According to the Kremlin, the plan is to discuss pressing issues of Russia-Qatar cooperation in various areas with a focus on trade, economic and humanitarian areas

On February 28, when answering questions from the media ahead of negotiations, Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky clashed verbally, during which Trump pointed out Zelensky’s lack of respect toward the United States

BMD-4M can be airlifted and dropped on a parachute from Il-76MD-90A(E) aircraft

"The Ukrainian army regularly used civilians as human shields for military facilities in violation of international humanitarian law," the Russian embassy in the kingdom said