🎙 Russian #G20 Sherpa Svetlana Lukash spoke to Ubuntu Radio on the sidelinens of the Third Sherpa Meeting in Sun City Resort (June 26, 2025)

❓What are Russia's key priorities for the G20 agenda, and how do you see the group addressing the current global economic challenges?

💬 Svetlana Lukash: We think that South African priorities are very well placed to also achieve the goals set by the Russian Federation in the G20. That is promotion of inclusive global growth. That is job creation. That is development of artificial intelligence, and approaches to governing artificial intelligence. That is issues of critical minerals, which are important for strengthening both South African and Russian economies. And overall, that is the issue of the change in the system of global governance.

☝️ It's time to really make global governance institutions work in the interests of emerging and developing economies, in the interests of the Global South. And that's what we will put on the table as our main priorities and, as I said, those go fully in line with the South African presidency's topics.

❓In light of the current global issues, how does Russia see the G20 contributing to the promotion of multilateralism and strengthening international relations?

💬 Svetlana Lukash: I think just having the presidency in Africa for the first time, and putting the interests of Africa and of the Global South at the top of the G20 agenda, already gives the strongest signal to the world community that the time has changed.

Besides, South Africa invited many stakeholders, many countries, many partners, many guest countries to enrich our dialogue. So G20 should not be just a closed format, where only 20 economics discuss the topics that are important for the whole world. What the South African presidency did is that it helped to open G20, first in the interests of the rest of the world — of the global majority. And second, to be as transparent and as open as possible to African neighbors. So that is amazing. So I really praise what the presidency is doing this year.

❓How does Russia envision the G20 promoting global economic cooperation, particularly in areas such as trade, energy, and finance?

💬 Svetlana Lukash: Well, a difficult question, taking into account the current geoeconomic fragmentation of the global economy, geopolitical tensions, and the spiral of sanctions and tariff wars. And in this situation, what G20 can do is really continue cooperation. And despite all the controversial views and interests, still try to address these issues — still try not to silence that sanctions are in place, and they disturb global energy and food markets.

We really need more inclusive global institutions, like, for instance, the WTO — the World Trade Organization — which needs to work in the interest of development, and which needs to address issues it was invented for. And I think the G20, under the leadership of the South African presidency, is moving in this direction.

We will see by November whether we can overcome all the current difficulties, all the current geopolitical tensions, to focus on the mandate of the G20 — on economic cooperation and preventing and dealing with possible financial crises. So, let's see. But we are very optimistic about that, because we have very good leaders this year.

#G20SouthAfrica

🎙 Following the EAEU summit, President of Russia Vladimir Putin answered questions from Russian journalists

#EAEU

As for the outcomes of today’s EAEU summit, we are satisfied with the results and have drawn certain conclusions.

The President of Belarus has already noted that our development strategy, which was designed to run until this year, is nearing completion. We are considering how to structure our joint efforts moving forward. However, overall, the results of our work cannot but satisfy us. They satisfy all of us. Why? Because the key aggregate indicator of economic performance is the growth rate.

In the EAEU, it exceeds the global average. As is known, global growth stands at 3.3 percent. The EAEU’s growth is over 4 percent – significantly higher. In some countries, it is substantially greater, reaching 5 percent or even approaching 6 percent, in my view. This is, among other things, a direct result of our joint efforts, as the very purpose of our work is to eliminate trade and other economic barriers to cooperation. Without exaggeration, this multiplies the potential for economic growth.

#Ukraine

Regarding the memorandums [Russian and Ukrainian], as expected, there were no surprises. I will not tell you anything surprising, either. These are two absolutely opposing memorandums, but that is precisely why talks are set up and held – to find ways to bring positions closer. The fact that they were diametrically opposed does not seem surprising to me, either. I would not like to go into details, as I believe it would be counterproductive – even harmful – to get ahead of the talks.

With regard to what has been achieved so far following the talks, I think you can see it for yourself. Today, if I am not mistaken, another exchange took place… or was it yesterday? Today, right? And this is important. The humanitarian aspect matters because, as diplomats say, it creates conditions for substantive discussions on core issues. We agreed that after completing these exchanges and the humanitarian operation which we proposed – specifically, the transfer of the servicemen’s bodies – we would press ahead with more contacts.

We have already handed over more than 6,000 bodies and are ready to transfer nearly 3,000 more, but it is now up to the Ukrainian side to agree to accept the remains of their fallen soldiers.

We agreed that after this phase is completed, we would hold the third round of talks. We are ready for it overall. The venue and the time need to be agreed upon. I expect President Erdogan to keep unchanged his supportive stance with regard to this process. We are very grateful to him for that. We stand ready to hold this meeting in Istanbul. As for the exact timeframe, the heads of the negotiating teams from both sides – who remain in constant, direct contact and regularly get on the phone with each other (which, I believe, is a good sign) – are discussing the date for the next meeting.

The agenda? In my opinion, the discussion should focus on the memoranda from both sides.

#EU #NATO

We are planning to cut the defence expenses next year and the year after, as well during the next three years. The Defence Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Economic Development have yet to reach the final agreement, still, in general, everybody is thinking along these lines. And Europe is thinking about raising its defence expenses.

So, who is getting ready for any aggressive actions, us or them?

Yes, we do want to complete the special military operation with the result we need. Certainly. This is what we take into account when planning our defence expenses, not aggressive aspirations against Europe and NATO countries. And we want to decrease the expenses, while they want to increase them.

📄 Read in full

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answers to media questions following a meeting of the CSTO Council of Ministers (Cholpon-Ata, June 30, 2025)

❓ Question: How do you assess the current developments in Armenia? Was this issue addressed during today’s closed meeting? Do CSTO member states plan to respond in the event of a sharp escalation in Armenia?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: Yes, the situation in Armenia was discussed. All participants expressed deep concern over the events unfolding within the republic. While it is understood that this is an internal matter for our neighbours, we are particularly troubled by the attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church – a canonical institution with a thousand-year history.

The church has traditionally been a cornerstone of Armenian society, and Russia is concerned about any unjustified and unprovoked actions directed against it.

We note that the public movement in defence of the church reflects a strong sentiment within Armenian society, rooted in its deep Orthodox traditions inherent to Armenia. Russia hopes the current tensions will be resolved promptly, in full accordance with Armenia’s Constitution and with respect for the rights of believers and fundamental human rights.

As for today’s discussions concerning Armenia’s participation in the #CSTO, we took note of the fact that Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan once again declined to attend the event. We proceed from the understanding that, during meetings within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, our heads of state acknowledged Armenia’s current stance towards the CSTO.

We continue to regard Armenia as a full member of the Organisation. However, full membership entails active participation and adherence to all obligations set forth in CSTO’s foundational documents, including the payment of membership dues.

Statements from the Armenian leadership suggest that the country is pursuing a multi-vector approach. Recently, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan indicated that Armenia will soon need to make a choice between the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union. Additionally, representatives of the Armenian leadership have acknowledged that a definitive decision regarding their membership in the CSTO will need to be made in the near future.

Russia is exerting no pressure on Armenia’s leadership and prefers to wait for clarity on these important matters. It is widely understood that should Armenia distance itself from its allies, closest partners, and neighbours, such a course is unlikely to serve the interests of the Armenian people.

❓ Question: Are you following the developments in Belgrade? What is your assessment of current events over there?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: We are following the developments, of course. We are interested in the unrest being quelled, as President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic said, based on the Constitution and laws of this friendly state.  

Our great hope is that the Western nations, which, as usual, are attempting to use some or other domestic events in various countries to promote their own interests to the detriment of those of partners in relevant countries, will not, in this case, engage in colour revolutions. <...>

❓ Question: Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski went on record as saying that Russia would collapse if it continued to build up its military spending. NATO increased its military budget by an order of magnitude just a few days ago. What is your comment on statements of this sort?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: Well, if Mr Sikorski is a prophet on this scale, he may perhaps visualise that what I see as a disastrous boost in the NATO military budget will lead to the collapse of this organisation. 

Russia, for its part, is planning to cut its military expenditures, as President Vladimir Putin told a news conference following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Minsk on June 27, 2025.

Russia is guided by common sense, not by imaginary threats, as do NATO member countries, such as e.g. Mr Sikorski’s Poland.

Read in full

🕊️ South African Journalist Gillian Schutte Responds Critically to The Washington Post’s Narrative on Ukrainian Children
✍️

South African Journalist Gillian Schutte has published a critical commentary in response to an article originally published by The Washington Post and later republished by South African news platform IOL. The piece in question details the story of a 12-year-old Ukrainian boy allegedly taken to Russia and later “rescued.” According to Schutte, the article represents a highly stylised narrative designed more to mobilise emotion than to inform public understanding.

Her response, titled
“The Spectacle of Innocence: How the Narrative of ‘Stolen Children’ Became the West’s Weapon of War,” was published by African Stream and offers a sober reassessment of the narrative widely promoted in Western media regarding alleged “child abductions” during the Ukraine conflict.

📌 Key Points from Schutte’s Analysis:


1. Discrepancy Between Reported Figures and Verified Data
Schutte notes the striking difference between media claims and officially documented figures.

🗨 “Ukrainian officials inflate the figure still further: ‘maybe 50,000, maybe 100,000.’ No one knows for sure. No one can prove anything.”

🗨 “According to Russia’s official delegation at the Istanbul peace talks… the only list ever presented to Moscow by Ukraine includes 339 names. Russia says it has already returned 101 of these children.”

2. Lack of Balanced Coverage of Humanitarian Actions
She highlights the absence of media attention to cases where Russian forces reportedly evacuated children from conflict zones and facilitated family reunifications.

🗨 “Many [children] were found alone in buildings or hospitals. Others were taken to safety at great personal risk by Russian soldiers, some of whom died in the effort.”

3. Selective Framing of Child Suffering
Schutte questions why only certain child stories are given prominence in the international media, often those that reinforce a specific political message.

🗨 “There is no Pulitzer bait in the case of a child returned to a reunited family in Donetsk. These children do not cry in English. They are not crying for NATO.”

4. Historical Pattern of Emotional War Narratives
She draws parallels with earlier emotionally charged media campaigns used to justify foreign intervention.

🗨 “Western soft power thrives on emotional shorthand: Saddam’s incubator babies, Gaddafi’s Viagra-fuelled soldiers, and now Putin’s child kidnappers.”

5. A Call for Balanced Humanitarian Concern
Schutte urges readers to approach such narratives with compassion — but also with critical thinking and insistence on factual accuracy.

🗨 “We should care for every child affected by war. But we should be suspicious of which children we are told to care about, and why.”

📎 Read the full article (English):
👉 https://africanstream.media/opinion/the-spectacle-of-innocence
✍ Author: Gillian Schutte

#MediaLiteracy #InformationSecurity #ChildrenInConflict #NarrativeWars #HumanRights #RussiaSouthAfrica #AfricanVoices #GillianSchutte

#Think4Yourself

🎥 Cults: The Cia's Secret Weapon — an RT Doc Film.

Synopsis: A story how Ukrainian neo-Nazis turned generations of Russian-speaking and even ethnically Russian kids into nationalists and Russophobes, full of hate and having acquired lethal skills.

Gennady Mokhnenko presented himself as a pastor and was involved in recruiting orphaned children as soldiers for the Ukrainian army, leading a neo-Nazi totalitarian sect in Severodonetsk.

The transformation of children from orphanages into cold-blooded killers was actively supported by foreign religious organizations. Security service personnel are finding traces of their involvement in nearly every liberated settlement of Donbass.

The strange Ukrainian 'religion' is the result of a secret CIA project called 'Prolog,' which emerged right after the end of #WWII. Even back then, US intelligence agencies aimed to foster separatist and nationalist sentiments in Soviet Ukraine.

Today, the Ukrainian nationalist cult 'RUNVira' still promotes the ideas of Ukrainian exceptionalism and harbours hatred towards Russians and Jews.

This documentary tries to give answers to the following questions:

❓ How did Ukraine become a centre for neo-Nazi cults, and who is responsible for it?

❓ How did this country become one of the global centers of spiritual permissiveness?

❓ Why are the newly formed Ukrainian 'churches' seizing Orthodox holy sites?

❓ What are the main goals of these sectarians?

✍South African journalist Gillian Schutte has published a critical article titled “The Spectacle of Innocence: How the Narrative of ‘Stolen Children’ Became the West’s Weapon of War,” in response to a piece originally published by The Washington Post under the headline “Thousands of Ukraine’s children vanished into Russia. This one made it back” and later republished by South African IOL

Schutte’s article directly challenges the accusations against Russia presented in the original story, offering a sober reassessment of the narrative widely promoted in Western media regarding alleged “child abductions” during the Ukraine conflict.

🔍 Key Points:

📌 Discrepancy Between Reported Figures and Verified Data

“Ukrainian officials inflate the figure still further: ‘maybe 50,000, maybe 100,000.’ No one knows for sure. No one can prove anything.”

"According to Russia’s official delegation at the Istanbul peace talks… the only list ever presented to Moscow by Ukraine includes 339 names. Russia says it has already returned 101 of these children.”

📌Deliberate omission of Russia’s humanitarian actions: evacuation of children from conflict zones by Russian forces

“Many [children] were found alone in buildings or hospitals. Others were taken to safety at great personal risk by Russian soldiers, some of whom died in the effort.”

📌 “Western soft power thrives on emotional shorthand: Saddam’s incubator babies, Gaddafi’s Viagra-fuelled soldiers, and now Putin’s child kidnappers.”

📌“A child is the cipher of innocence, the mirror of adult failure, the vessel into which we pour our grief, outrage, and moral certainty.”

📌“The story reads like it was written by a Pentagon-funded scriptwriter, with emotional cues planted at every paragraph break, not to report on the tragedy of war, but to mobilise sentiment for war.”

📌“Western soft power thrives on emotional shorthand: Saddam’s incubator babies, Gaddafi’s Viagra-fuelled soldiers, and now Putin’s child kidnappers.”

📌“Medinsky’s statement in Istanbul was clear. Russia is open to verification. Russia is returning children. Russia is establishing regular exchanges.”

📌 “We should care for every child affected by war. But we should be suspicious of which children we are told to care about, and why.”

🔗 Read the full article
✍ Author: Gillian Schutte

#russianMFA

💫Примите участие в Открытой международной астрономической олимпиаде (Open World Astronomy Olympiad 2025 (OWAO).

❗В команду могут входить участники различных возрастов (до 18 лет включительно). C заданиями прошлого года можно ознакомиться тут.

🗓В 2025 году олимпиада пройдёт с 20 по 27 сентября на федеральной территории «Сириус».

👉Подробности


💫Take part in the Open World Astronomy Olympiad (OWAO) 2025.

❗Teams are made up of the participants of various ages. The age of the Olympiad participants included in the team must not exceed 18 years. Click here to get acquainted with last year’s assignments.

🗓The Olympiad will take place at Sirius Federal Territory on September 25-27, 2025.

👉More info

🎙 Comment by Yury Ushakov, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, on the outcomes of Russia's President Vladimir Putin’s telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump (July 3, 2025)

💬 Yuri Ushakov: Dear colleagues,

🇷🇺🇺🇸📞 Another almost hour-long telephone conversation between President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and President of the United States Donald Trump has just concluded.

Donald Trump began the conversation by announcing that the US Congress passed his administration's flagship bill envisaging reforms in taxation, immigration, and the energy sector. President Trump himself calls it the 'One Big Beautiful Bill.'

Vladimir Putin wished Donald Trump success in implementing the changes he envisioned and, naturally, offered greetings for Independence Day, the national day of the United States, which will be celebrated tomorrow.

At the same time, it was noted by our side that Russia had played a significant part in the establishment of the United States as a nation, including during the War of Independence, fought 250 years ago, and later during the Civil War, which ended 160 years ago.

It was stated that our countries are bound not only by their alliance during World Wars One and Two, but also by deeper historical ties.

Incidentally, Vladimir Putin mentioned that just before speaking with Donald Trump, he had a conversation with representatives of Russia's business community. One of the ideas suggested during that meeting was holding an exchange of motion pictures promoting traditional values, which both we and the Trump administration hold dear. President Trump reacted immediately and said he liked this idea.

There was a detailed discussion of the situation surrounding Iran, and the state of affairs in the Middle East in general. The Russian side emphasised it was crucial to settle any and all contentious issues, differences, and conflicts exclusively via political and diplomatic means. The two leaders agreed to maintain contact on the issue between the respective foreign services, defence ministries, and presidential aides.

The latest developments in Syria were addressed as well. Similarly, the Russian and US sides intend to continue the dialogue on the matter.

Naturally, the issues surrounding Ukraine were also discussed. Donald Trump has once again raised the issue of ending the hostilities as soon as possible. In turn, Vladimir Putin noted that we still continued the search for a political, negotiated solution to the conflict. He informed his counterpart on the progress in implementing the humanitarian agreements reached during the second round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks held in Istanbul. He also noted Russia was willing to pursue negotiations.

☝️ Additionally, the President of Russia said that Russia would strive to achieve its goals, namely the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, the bitter confrontation that we are seeing now. Russia will not back down from these goals.

While exchanging views on bilateral matters, the two sides confirmed their mutual interest in implementing a number of promising projects in economy, notably the energy sector and space exploration.

Overall, I would like to point out that the conversation between the two Presidents has, as always, shown that they are on the same page. It was candid, business-minded, and concrete. The two Presidents will naturally continue communicating and will have another conversation soon.

📄 XVII BRICS Summit Rio de Janeiro Declaration "Strengthening Global South Cooperation for a More Inclusive and
Sustainable Governance"

Full text of the Declaration

Excerpts from the Declaration:

• We reiterate our commitment to reforming and improving global governance by promoting a more just, equitable, agile, effective, efficient, responsive, representative, legitimate, democratic and accountable international and multilateral system in the spirit of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.

• We reaffirm our commitment to multilateralism and upholding the international law, including the Purposes and Principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations (UN), in their entirety and interconnectedness as its indispensable cornerstone, and the central role of the UN in the international system.

🇺🇳 We reiterate our support for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries in the Council’s memberships so that it can adequately respond to prevailing global challenges and support the legitimate aspirations of emerging and developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, including BRICS countries, to play a greater role in international affairs, in particular in the United Nations, including its Security Council.

🌐 We acknowledge that multipolarity can expand opportunities for EMDCs to develop their constructive potential and enjoy universally beneficial, inclusive and equitable economic globalization and cooperation.

• We condemn the imposition of unilateral coercive measures that are contrary to international law, and reiterate that such measures, inter alia in the form of unilateral economic sanctions and secondary sanctions, have far-reaching negative implications for the human rights, including the rights to development, health and food security, of the general population of targeted states, disproportionally affecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations, deepening the digital divide and exacerbating environmental challenges. We call for the elimination of such unlawful measures, which undermine international law and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter.

• We reaffirm that BRICS member states do not impose or support non-UN Security Council authorized sanctions that are contrary to international law.

• We condemn the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since 13 June 2025, which constitute a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and express grave concern over the subsequent escalation of the security situation in the Middle East.

• We recall that the Gaza Strip is an inseparable part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. We underline, in this regard, the importance of unifying the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under the Palestinian Authority, and reaffirm the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine.

• We reiterate that the principle 🌍 “African solutions to African problems” should continue to serve as the basis for conflict resolution on the African continent.

❗️ We condemn in the strongest terms the attacks against bridges and railways infrastructure deliberately targeting civilians in Bryansk, Kursk and Voronezh regions of the Russian Federation on 31 May, 1 and 5 June 2025, resulting in multiple civilian casualties, including children.

• We commend 🇧🇷 Brazil’s BRICS Chairship in 2025 and express our gratitude to the government and people of Brazil for holding the XVII BRICS Summit in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

• We extend full support to 🇮🇳 India for its BRICS Chairship in 2026 and the holding of the XVIII BRICS Summit in India.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at Session II of the XVII BRICS Summit «Strengthening multilateral world order, financial and economic issues, artificial intelligence» (Rio de Janeiro, July 6, 2025)

📄 Read in full

Key talking points:

• Strengthening the multilateral world order while the international system goes through fundamental transformations is one of the crucial tasks for #BRICS and for the entire international community.

• Multipolarity is not a choice but rather an objective reality which succeeds the outdated neoliberal model that actually builds on neocolonial practices. The traditional paradigm of globalization where the predominant role is played by the so-called developed states of the West is becoming a relic.

• Countries of the Global South and East are becoming a main driving force of the global economic growth. Regional organizations such as the African Union, CELAC, ASEAN, SCO, EAEU are playing an increased role. In this context conceptual and practical approaches are being developed to establish a new architecture of world economy based on the principles of equality, multilateralism and non-discrimination in trade, financial settlements, technology, logistics.

• BRICS countries account for more than 40% of the global gross domestic product based on purchasing power parity, and together with partner countries this figure is at 45% or 93 trillion dollars. Today BRICS represents more than 20% of global trade and almost a half of world population.

• The share of BRICS countries in trade with Russia is constantly growing and in 2014 it exceeded 48%, with 90% of mutual settlements made in national currencies.

• It is of significant importance to pursue the reform and depolarization of the Bretton-Woods institutions which should reflect a real state of affairs in the world economy. The continued use of the IMF and WB with a view to preserve neocolonial practices is unacceptable.

• The increasingly aggressive attempts by the West to introduce ideological ultimatums into the dialogue as what are virtually the main criteria – based on Western interpretations of human rights and democracy – are having an extremely negative impact on the delivery of the UN sustainable development goals.

• To address imbalances and to mobilize resources for development Russia introduced an initiative to create within BRICS a New Investment Platform with the participation of the New Development Bank (NDB). We thank colleagues for showing their interest to the promising initiative.

• Artificial Intelligence is becoming a critical technology. Experts estimate that AI contribution to the global domestic product will be at 20 trillion dollars by 2030.

• We will need to address issues related to ensuring universal access to advance developments in this field. Secret initiatives put forward by a number of countries and with restricted participation with a view to promote non-consensus approaches are fraught with the most serious consequences.

• The challenges associated with the development of digital technologies are transnational in nature and require collective response.

• I am convinced that BRICS nations together with like-minded countries will continue to lead in promoting a just multipolar world order that will provide favourable conditions for sustainable development of all States without exception.