🎆 The celebrations of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory over Nazism concluded with a dazzling display of fireworks across the country.

The sky over Moscow was lit with vibrant colours and figures, bringing the celebrations to a spectacular close.

Thousands of people — Muscovites and the Russian capital's guests alike — gathered in large crowds, smiling and applauding to the breathtaking pyrotechnic show.

#Victory80

⚡️ Russia's President Vladimir Putin's Statement (May 11, 2025)

💬 #President Putin: We suggest the authorities in Kiev to resume direct talks, which they themselves interrupted in the end of 2022.

We propose to start the talks without delay, next week, on May 15, in Istanbul.

Full transcript to be added later

⚡️ Press statement by the President of Russia

Key points:

❗️ Despite everything, we propose that the authorities in Kiev should resume the negotiations that they interrupted at the end of 2022 and resume direct talks. And, I stress, without any preconditions.

👉 We are set on serious negotiations with Ukraine. Their aim is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and to achieve a long-term lasting peace for a historical perspective.

• We suggest starting without delay next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul, where they were held earlier and where they were interrupted.

• Tomorrow we are going to have a conversation with the President of Turkiye, Mr Erdogan. I would like to ask him to provide such an opportunity to hold talks in Turkiye. I hope that he will confirm his desire to contribute to the search for peace in Ukraine.

• We do not rule out that in the course of these negotiations it will become possible to agree on some kind of new truce and a new ceasefire. And a real ceasefire that would be observed not only by Russia but also by the Ukrainian side.

• Our proposal is, as they say, on the table. The decision is now up to Ukrainian authorities and their supervisors, who are seemingly guided by their personal political ambitions, rather than the interests of their peoples, want to continue the war against Russia at the hands of Ukrainian nationalists.

***

• We honour all those who contributed to the common victory over Nazism, including our allies in the anti-Hitler coalition, Chinese soldiers, participants in the anti-Fascist resistance in Europe, fighters of the people's liberation movements in Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, and volunteers from Latin American countries.

• Together with our friends and like-minded people, we share a common memory and respect for history, heroic deed of true heroes who fought for freedom, and of course, our responsibility for the future, for building a more just and safer world. The issues that directly affect the stable, sustainable development of the entire world community – Eurasia and other world regions – were at the center of the bilateral and the multilateral meetings held in Moscow.

• Despite threats, blackmail and obstacles caused, including the closure of airspace, the leaders of several European countries – Serbia, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina – came to Moscow. I would like to reiterate: we understand the massive pressure they faced, and therefore we sincerely appreciate their political courage, firm moral position, decision to share the holiday with us, to pay tribute to the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, World War II, who fought for their Fatherland and for deliverance from the brown plague of the whole world, of the entire mankind without any exaggeration.

• We are grateful to the leaders of the 13 states who sent units of the national armed forces to participate in the parade on Red Square. Their shoulder-to-shoulder march with our ceremonial units filled the common holiday with special energy and the spirit of military brotherhood, tempered during the Second World War.

• It is important for us that millions of Europeans, state leaders that pursue sovereign policies, remember this. This gives us optimism and hope that sooner or later, based on the lessons of history and the opinion of our peoples, we will begin to move towards restoring constructive relations with European states.

• Our comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction with the People's Republic of China can serve as a genuine example of modern equal relations in the 21st century.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Joint statement by the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on Global Strategic Stability (May 8, 2025)

In the context of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War and of the founding of the United Nations, the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the two Sides) emphasize the utmost importance of maintaining and strengthening global strategic stability.

Taking into account the serious challenges facing the international community in the sphere of international and regional security, adhering to the strong consensus reached by the Heads of the two States, and acting in the spirit of previous joint documents on this subject and the principled approaches set out therein, the two Sides state the following.

• The two Sides call upon all States to adhere to the principle of equal and indivisible security on global and regional levels, make maximum efforts to eliminate conflicts in relations between States, build comprehensive, integrated and sustainable security throughout the world on a collective basis.

• Nuclear-weapon States, which bear special responsibility for international security and global strategic stability, should reject Cold War mentality and zero-sum games, resolve contradictions via dialogue on an equal footing and mutually respectful consultations, build confidence to avoid dangerous miscalculations and refrain from actions that generate strategic risks.

• The two Sides note with concern that against the backdrop of aggravation in the relations between nuclear-weapon States, which in some cases has escalated to the threat of a direct military clash, a critical mass of problems and challenges has accumulated in the strategic sphere, and the risk of nuclear conflict has increased.

• One of the most pressing strategic risks to be urgently addressed remains the highly destabilizing expansion of existing and newly formed military alliances and coalitions that is being carried out by some nuclear-weapon States close to the frontiers of other nuclear-weapon States in an attempt to establish or expand permanent footholds in such areas, which are particularly sensitive to them, for the purposes of projecting military power, exerting forceful pressure and committing other hostile activities that threaten the core security interests of those States.

• Deeply destabilizing in nature is also the recently announced “Golden (Iron) Dome for America”, a large-scale program designed to establish unconstrained, global, deeply layered and multi-domain missile defense system to protect against any missile threats, including all types of missiles from “peer and near-peer adversaries”.

• In order to safeguard world peace, ensure equal and indivisible security for all, and improve the predictability and sustainability of the exploration and peaceful use of outer space by all States, the two Sides agree to promote on a global scale the international initiative/political commitment not to be the first to deploy weapons in outer space.

• The two Sides reaffirm their commitment to The Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapons States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races of January 3, 2022 and to the principle enshrined therein that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.

• The two Sides state that the efforts undertaken by the AUKUS (US-UK-Australia) partnership to establish military infrastructure of two nuclear-weapon States in support of the activities of their nuclear forces in the territory of a State Party to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty undermine strategic stability and provoke an arms race in the region.

• The two Sides intend to continue in the most active manner to enhance the coordination of their approaches and to deepen the practical cooperation on maintaining and strengthening global strategic stability, as well as to jointly address common challenges and threats in this sphere.

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#RussiaChina

✍️ From the article “Lost Illusions, or How the International Criminal Court has become a legal nonentity” by Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman, Security Council of the Russian Federation, PhD in law

🔹 The world keeps changing, and not always for the better. We have witnessed the rapid degradation of many supranational legal structures, which have fallen victim to their dependence on the will, funding and values of the so-called collective West. This is true, for instance, for the International Criminal Court (the Hague Criminal Court).

🔹 As of February 2025, 125 states are parties to the Rome Statute (in the UN there are 193 members). Despite their number, the ICC does not represent the international community of states as a whole and does not act in its name. Three out of five permanent members of the UN Security Council are not parties to it (Russia, China and the USA), along with industrialised and densely populated Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia), many Arab countries.

🔹 It is no coincidence that former Chair of the African Union Commission Jean Ping told journalists that the Court is a toy of declining imperial powers. Opinions spread that apparently the ICC was only interested in prosecuting Africans who confronted the Western influence, and used Africa as a laboratory for testing international criminal justice.

🔹 Yet it was in terms of the arrest warrants issued for heads of sovereign states that the ICC reached the pinnacle of nonsense and disutility, including Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in respect of the situation in Ukraine. Passing such decisions the ICC officials were well aware of the fact that they would never bring any practical result, saving propaganda consequences obviously in the interests of the same Anglo-Saxon world.

🔹 Unfortunately, at this point we need to recognise [ICC’s] total inefficiency in performing its main task – bringing to liability all those guilty of genocide, aggression, war crimes, those who escaped punishment under national law. All of them, including citizens of Western countries and NATO member states. Of course, it is doubtful that the Hague Criminal Court in its present form and role will make efforts to this end. That is why it shall sink into oblivion.

🔹It seems entirely possible to develop on the regional level (for instance, in the framework of BRICS) a concept of establishing an international legal body as an alternative to the Hague Criminal Court. This new judicial body in BRICS could reiterate the common commitment of its member states to the UN Charter principles, including the principles of immunity of heads of sovereign states from any foreign jurisdiction and non-interference into internal affairs of the states, including by way of unlawful foreign instructing of opposition leaders.

Read in full
English & Chinese versions

#ICC #InternationalCriminalCourt #neocolonialism #StopColonialism

🇷🇺🇱🇦 О визите вежливости Посла Лаоса в Посольство России в Сингапуре

13 мая 2025 г. Посол Российской Федерации в Республике Сингапур Н.Р. Кудашев принял с приветственным визитом Посла Лаосской Народно-Демократической Республики в Сингапуре Вилатсона Висоннавонга.

В ходе беседы стороны обсудили текущее состояние и перспективы двустороннего и регионального сотрудничества, в том числе в контексте диалога Россия-АСЕАН.


🇷🇺🇱🇦 Courtesy Call by the Ambassador of Laos to the Russian Embassy in Singapore

During a courtesy call on May 13, 2025, H.E. Mr Nikolay Kudashev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Singapore, received H.E. Mr Vilatsone Visonnavong, Ambassador of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to Singapore.

The parties discussed the current state and further prospects of bilateral and regional cooperation, including in the context of the Russia-ASEAN dialogue.

🎥 Предлагаем вашему вниманию репортаж телеканала RT о прошедшей 24 апреля в Посольстве России в Сингапуре памятной акции "Бессмертный полк".

В репортаже также представлено интервью с Послом России в Республике Сингапур Н.Р.Кудашевым, в котором он рассказал о важности сохранения исторической памяти.

#Бессмертныйполк #Победа80

🎥 Watch the RT report on the "Immortal Regiment" & H.E. Ambassador Nikolay Kudashev’s interview

During the event, participants honored the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic Warby carrying their portraits and sharing family stories of courage and sacrifice.

The report also features an interview with H.E. Mr Nikolay Kudashev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic ofSingapore, who spoke about the importance of preserving historical memory.

#ImmortalRegiment#Victory80

⚡️ Statement by the Head of Delegation of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky on the outcomes of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul (May 16, 2025)

💬 Dear colleagues,

The direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side, held on the initiative of the President of Russia, have just concluded.

In general, we are satisfied with the outcome and are ready to continue contacts.

This is what we agreed on:

1. In the coming days there will be a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war — 1,000 for 1,000.

2. The Ukrainian side has requested direct talks between the heads of state. We have taken notice of this request.

3. We agreed that each side would present its vision of a possible future ceasefire. This will be outlined in detail.

Once this vision has been presented, we believe it would be appropriate, as also agreed, to continue our negotiations.

⚡️ President of Russia Vladimir Putin’s statement to the media following a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump (May 19, 2025)

💬 Vladimir Putin: Good evening.

Our colleagues asked me to briefly comment on the outcome of my telephone conversation with the President of the United States.

This conversation has effectively taken place and lasted more than two hours. I would like to emphasise that it was both substantive and quite candid. Overall, I believe it was a very productive exchange.

First and foremost, I expressed my gratitude to the President of the United States for the support provided by the United States in facilitating the resumption of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine aimed at potentially reaching a peace agreement and resuming the talks which, as we know, were thwarted by the Ukrainian side in 2022.

The President of the United States shared his position on the cessation of hostilities and the prospects for a ceasefire. For my part, I noted that Russia also supports a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis as well. What we need now is to identify the most effective ways towards achieving peace.

We agreed with the President of the United States that Russia would propose and is ready to engage with the Ukrainian side on drafting a memorandum regarding a potential future peace agreement. This would include outlining a range of provisions, such as the principles for settlement, the timeframe for a possible peace deal, and other matters, including a potential temporary ceasefire, should the necessary agreements be reached.

Contacts among participants of the Istanbul meeting and talks have resumed, which gives reason to believe that we are on the right track overall.

I would like to reiterate that the conversation was highly constructive, and I assess it positively.

The key issue, of course, is now for the Russian side and the Ukrainian side to show their firm commitment to peace and to forge a compromise that would be acceptable to all parties.

☝️ Notably, Russia’s position is clear. Eliminating the root causes of this crisis is what matters most to us.

Should any clarifications be necessary, Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov and my aide, Mr Yuri Ushakov, will provide further details on today’s telephone talks with President Trump.

Embassy comment

We have read another article by The Straits Times Global Affairs Correspondent Mr Jonathan Eyal, titled “Crossed wires: Much-hyped Trump-Putin call fails to deliver ceasefire deal on Ukraine.” This piece is yet another toxic screed designed to portray diplomacy and dialogue around settlement in Ukraine as doomed from the outset. The recent phone call between the Russian and American presidents is cynically dismissed as mere political excuse, with no attempt to acknowledge the value of sustained dialogue in resolving conflict. For the author, peace efforts are only worth mentioning if they can be twisted into a narrative that demonizes one side or both.

The author finds it more convenient to level baseless attacks against Russian and American leaders than to confront the far more pressing question: the origins of the conflict and the problems of the negotiation process – driven, in no small part, by Europe’s steady goading of Kiev. Behind a façade of noble rhetoric, European powers seem far more committed to prolonging the conflict than to ending it.

This kind of commentary does little to inform and much to inflame. It offers no path forward, only recycled narratives and selective jabs. Meanwhile, readers interested in a substantive perspective would do well to review the official commentary from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19kdWFh3SZ/