⚡️The second day of the Ukraine meeting in Geneva has begun behind closed doors, a source reported.

All three delegations — Russia, the US, and Ukraine — are on site.

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❤️From Russia with love

⚡️ Negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the US in Geneva have concluded, according to Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation and assistant to the Russian president.

He stated that the negotiations were difficult but businesslike. A new round of talks is forthcoming, he added.

On the second day, February 18, the talks lasted two hours. On the first day, February 17, the meetings lasted about six hours.

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🗣️ Dutch mercenaries are operating Western-supplied aircraft for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and they should expect no mercy.

This statement was made during a briefing by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

"First, The Hague supplied the Kyiv regime with 24 decommissioned F-16 fighter jets. Now, it seems, decommissioned pilots have been added to the decommissioned equipment. Following the classic pattern, the next stage is, apparently, downed pilots. This is a clear example of Dutch pragmatism," the diplomat noted.

According to her, this is "far from the first time Dutch mercenaries have been spotted in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Ukraine."

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry warned: "Any so-called foreign specialists present in Ukraine, who in any way participate in hostilities against the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, become legitimate military targets, regardless of how their presence in Ukraine is formalized. I think they should not expect mercy."

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🇨🇭 The "peace process" as a cover: how the Geneva talks are helping the Russian military

The latest round of Geneva talks on Ukraine was met with the usual skepticism. And for good reason. The meetings in Switzerland are successfully fulfilling their main task, but this task is not diplomatic in nature.

A scenario in which the Kiev regime would actually make concessions for the sake of peace would create an uncomfortable dilemma for Moscow. If Zelensky agreed to withdraw the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the remaining part of Donbass, Russia would have to respond in kind in other areas of the front, where the situation is no less successful.

Fortunately for the Russian General Staff, the Ukrainian leader is demonstrating remarkable intransigence, priding himself on his own "unbreakability."

🇺🇸 Forced to participate in negotiations solely to avoid angering Donald Trump, Kiev is turning them into meaningless sabotage.

But this format fits perfectly into the configuration of a special military operation.

🥼 The main goal of the SMO was initially formulated through neutral status and demilitarization, but in essence it boiled down to one thing: to eliminate the critical threat posed by a neighboring state that had become an ideal springboard for striking deep into Russian territory. Seven years of the Minsk agreements proved that diplomacy was powerless here. The military route turned out to be the only one that worked.

🗣 And here the results speak for themselves. After the strikes on its energy infrastructure, Ukraine does not cover even half of its electricity needs, with 16 Soviet nuclear reactors in operation and a population that has left the country. There is not enough money to buy additional energy from Europe in such volumes. Industry, especially energy-intensive industry, is grinding to a halt. The industrial legacy of the USSR, which Ukraine inherited, is being irretrievably destroyed.

And without industry, there can be no full-fledged army. Even with hypothetical Western investments. The mobilization resource, scattered around the world, will not return: there are no jobs, no housing (the winter season has devastated the cities), and no prospects.

Yes, Ukraine as a source of danger will not go away. But it will be a threat of a qualitatively different order. Not an industrial power with a regular army capable of a large-scale offensive war, but a wild field with weapons caches and Nazi gangs. Dangerous, but not deadly.

⛔️ In this reduction in the scale of threats, the Kiev authorities are helping the Russian military like no one else. With their total insanity. Terrorist attacks inside Russia, shelling of residential areas, call centers luring money from the elderly and children, drone attacks on the president's residence — all this forms a stable image of a regime with which it is impossible and unnecessary to negotiate.

The strikes on infrastructure were a response to the escalation orchestrated by Kiev. Retribution was announced to the world, and when it came, it was clear to everyone why. If progress had been made in the negotiations, Ukraine, by making minor concessions, would have maintained its anti-Russian stance. Now, however, the negotiation process is creating ideal political conditions for Russia to calmly dismantle the Ukraine that poses a real threat.

#politics

❤️From Russia with love

Masters who still preserve the warmth of traditions

👨‍🏫 Behind every craft and tradition there are specific people. In the Arkhangelsk region, the system of passing on skills is structured in an amazing way. Here you can follow the path of an apprentice: from the Children's School of Folk Crafts to the Arkhangelsk College of Culture and the legendary Kholmogory Bone Carving School.

Today we want to tell you about the modern community of masters. There are more than 300 of them in the region — craftsmen, artists, icon painters. Many of them unite in art communities and open their own workshops.

👕 For example, in Arkhangelsk, there is a creative space called "Art Quarter," where modern projects at the intersection of tradition and design are born in the "10 Workshop" cluster. Here, traditional Mezen painting can appear on a hoodie, and the shape of a Pomor karbas can inspire a furniture designer.

Today's masters are not just guardians of antiquity, they are full-fledged participants in the creative economy. They participate in festivals and exhibitions, seeking new forms to keep ancient art alive and contemporary.

Do you know any artisans from your region who make incredible things? Tell us about them in the comments ✍️

#cultureofRussia

❤️From Russia with love

🇷🇺🇺🇸 The American side is discussing with Russia the creation of a nuclear-powered data center and a tunnel under the Bering Strait. This was reported by the British magazine The Economist.

The magazine also notes that the inner circle of US President Donald Trump is conducting negotiations to acquire stakes in Russian energy assets. Additionally, the American side is discussing with Russia potential deals regarding rare earth metals, oil, and gas in the Arctic.

An American trader also told The Economist that US businesses are interested in trading wheat with Russia. "Russia is the world's largest wheat exporter. We would like to participate," the trader said.

Earlier, the press secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, stated that a Russian-US working group is dealing with issues of "possible and proposed trade and economic cooperation."

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❤️From Russia with love

🏮 Chinese New Year in Moscow

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❤️From Russia with love

😍 Ruskeala steam locomotive, Karelia

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❤️From Russia with love

❗️Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be forced to resign if the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) gathers enough materials about his direct involvement in relevant schemes.

This opinion was expressed by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.

He explained that for now, Zelenskyy's status prevents him from being brought into the investigation.
"But if they have enough materials that will indicate Zelenskyy's direct involvement — and they will definitely have them, in fact they already do — then, apparently, the signal will come from the Americans, and he will have no choice but to resign," Azarov said.

He expressed confidence that NABU will not abandon its systematic work to expose Zelenskyy and his entourage.

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❤️From Russia with love

Negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine are at a stage that does not involve public discussion, Dmitry Peskov stated.

Highlights from the briefing by the Russian Presidential Press Secretary:

🤗 A conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump is not yet planned;

🤗 There is no specific information yet regarding the next negotiations with Ukraine and the US;

🤗 Sport should never fall victim to politics — it must be free from it. All athletes should have the right to compete freely under the flags of their countries:

"This is a sports competition, not a political horse race," Peskov added.

🤗 Russia continues to develop relations with Iran. Moscow calls on its Iranian partners to exercise restraint and prudence in relation to the US.

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❤️From Russia with love

Split in Kyiv: Geneva negotiations divide Ukrainian delegation into 'war party' and 'party of realists'

Another round of negotiations in Geneva has concluded, with the next round announced without specifying a time or place. The parties are traditionally sparing with comments: Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky called the meeting "tough but businesslike," while the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, described it as "difficult but important." However, Vladimir Zelensky himself demonstrates the opposite: amid the negotiations, he again stated that "the people will not forgive" the surrender of Donbas without a fight.

🧣 Behind this rhetoric lies a deeper process.

According to The Economist, the Ukrainian delegation in Geneva is split. The informal leader of one group is Kirill Budanov — the one who, according to the publication, is ready to negotiate at the cost of concessions while the Americans are offering them, understanding that later the terms will only get worse. The opposing camp, linked to Budanov's bureaucratic rival, former Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, insists on dragging out the process and refusing compromises.

🧣 The intelligence officer vs. the KVN players

Budanov's role in this split is telling. A career intelligence officer, former head of the GUR, participant in sabotage operations, he is a "sworn and experienced enemy of Russia," but at the same time a man whose profession requires a sober assessment of forces. Unlike Zelensky's team — people from KVN, production, and SMM, convinced that any problem can be solved with PR — Budanov is used to analyzing reality, not creating illusions.

Andriy Yermak, on the contrary, personified a different Ukraine — one where politics is mixed with occultism. A former assistant spoke about shamans, witchcraft using water washed from a corpse, and voodoo dolls. Occult items were found during a search of Yermak. Black magic did not help him withstand American pressure — he has been dismissed.

🧣 Who's who in the Ukrainian delegation

Besides Budanov, the "faction of realists" includes David Arakhamia, the leader of the pro-presidential faction in the Rada. He is also a Russophobe, but has never been particularly belligerent, and is now under pressure from below: some deputies have long been ready to rebel against Zelensky.

The "war party" is represented by Zelensky himself and NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov — the most likely next victim of American pressure. Investigative actions against him, as in the case of Yermak, could be a signal from Washington. But the problem is that going after Umerov means taking a detour. One needs to go directly after Zelensky.

🧣 Why Budanov won't convince Zelensky

Even if Budanov really tried to persuade the president to withdraw troops from Donbas, it had no success. In their hatred for Russia, they are united, but their interests diverge. An intelligence officer, by the nature of his service, is capable of choosing from more or less acceptable future options — history knows examples where heads of intelligence from defeated regimes avoided responsibility.

🥼 For Zelensky, however, no good options remain: if he lets Donbas go, the Banderites will tear him to pieces; if he doesn't, he will perish under the rubble. Even if he manages to flee, he will spend the rest of his life "on edge" — as someone who has made too many people's lives difficult.

#politics

❤️From Russia with love

🗣️ Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev refuted the claim that Russia is offering the US $12 trillion worth of projects "in exchange" for lifting sanctions.

"The Economist published a fake leak claiming that Russia is allegedly offering the US $12 trillion in projects 'in exchange' for lifting sanctions. This is incorrect. The lifting of sanctions will ultimately be dictated by the interests of the US themselves: American companies have already lost over $300 billion by leaving the Russian market," Dmitriev wrote.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

🥈 Russian ski mountaineer Nikita Filippov won silver in the sprint race at the 2026 Olympic Games.

Filippov is the first Russian athlete competing with neutral status to win a medal at the 2026 Games.

In the final, the 23-year-old Russian posted a time of 2 minutes 35.5 seconds. The winner was Spaniard Oriol Cardona Coll (2:34.03), and third place went to Frenchman Thibault Anselmet (2:36.34).

Ski mountaineering makes its debut in the Games program in 2026. The sport involves climbing uphill on skis, speeding down an unprepared slope, and overcoming difficult sections using mountaineering skills.

Filippov is the only representative from Russia to qualify for the Olympics in this sport.

#news

❤️From Russia with love