Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday discussed the war in Ukraine in a call with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is casting himself as a possible peacemaker.There was a thorough exchange of views on Ukrainian issues, the Kremlin said in its readout of the call, adding that Putin said Kyiv had adopted a destructive position that ruled out a peace agreement.The call was initiated at Orban's request, the Kremlin said, and comes a day after Budapest's top diplomat said Hungary would forge ahead with its self-styled Ukraine peace mission.Orban met United States President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to secure a peace deal within hours of coming to office in January, at his Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this week.Viktor Orban expressed interest in assisting the joint search for political-diplomatic paths to resolve the crisis, the Kremlin said.The Hungarian leader the closest political partner of both Trump and Putin in the European Union has repeatedly called for peace talks and refused to send military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.He infuriated fellow EU leaders in July by conducting breakaway diplomacy with Russia to explore a path to ending the conflict, just days after taking over the bloc's rotating six-month presidency.Orban and Putin also discussed energy projects, the Kremlin said.To the frustration of Brussels, Budapest remains a major buyer of Russian energy almost three years after Moscow ordered troops into Ukraine.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Orban for undermining European unity with his call to Putin."No one should boost personal image at the expense of unity, everyone should focus on shared success.
Unity in Europe has always been key to achieving it," Zelensky said in a post on X.





Unlimited Portal Access + Monthly Magazine - 12 issues


Contribute US to Start Broadcasting - It's Voluntary!


ADVERTISE


Merchandise (Peace Series)

 


Lavrov Names Sanctions Relief and Return of Frozen Assets as Preconditions for Ukraine Ceasefire


[Russia] - Former Russian National Guard Official Arrested on Bribery, Abuse of Power Charges


[Russia] - Black Sea Oil Spill Reaches Abkhazia's Shores


[Russia] - Russian Anti-Terrorism Police Warn of Foreign Spying Disguised as Photo Contests


Russian Army Says It Seized First Village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Region


[Russia] - Former Transportation Minister Roman Starovoit Found Dead With Gunshot Wound After Being Sacked by Putin


[Russia] - Russia Targets Emigres in Kazakhstan With Back Tax Demands


Ukrainian Drone Attacks Trigger Major Flight Disruptions at Russia’s Busiest Airports


[Russia] - New Details Emerge in Bribery Case Against Rusagro Founder


[Russia] - Far-Flung Kamchatka Peninsula Restricts Mobile Internet to Thwart Alleged Ukrainian Sabotage


Rosstat Stops Publishing Monthly Population Data Amid War Deaths, Demographic Crisis


[Russia] - Russian Gold Mining Tycoon Barred From Leaving Country Amid Nationalization Efforts


Putin Sacks Transportation Minister Roman Starovoit


[Russia] - Ukraine Says 4 Killed, Over 30 Wounded in Russian Strikes


Russia Says Captured 2 More East Ukraine Settlements in Donetsk and Kharkiv Regions


UN Condemns Russia's Largest Drone Assault on Ukraine


Trump Says He’s ‘Very Unhappy’ With Putin Call, Hints at New Sanctions


Russia Removes Peace Symbol from School Textbook Cover


[Russia] - Head of Moscow Region's Azerbaijani Diaspora Stripped of Russian Citizenship


Russia Adds 14-Year-Olds to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List


[Russia] - What Ukraine Is Missing as U.S. Holds Back Air Defense and Battlefield Weapons


[Russia] - Russian Firms Seek North Korean Translators to Support Influx of Workers


[Russia] - Dutch and German Intelligence Say Russia Increasingly Uses Chemical Weapons in Ukraine


[Russia] - Russia Carries Out 8th Prisoner Exchange With Ukraine Since Istanbul Talks


[Russia] - Professionals: Russia Recognizing Taliban Rule in Afghanistan Largely a Symbolic Move


Storm Batters St. Petersburg With High Winds, Rising Water Levels


St. Petersburg Naval Parade Canceled Over Security Concerns – Fontanka


[Russia] - Russian Car Market Expected to Contract by 24% This Year


[Russia] - Transneft Vice President Dies in Apparent Fall From Window, Reports Say


Russia Launches Largest Air Attack Since Invasion as Ukrainian Drone Strike Kills Woman in Rostov


Russia Becomes First Country to Recognize Taliban Government


Chechnya's Dependence on Federal Funding Hits New High


No Way Home: The Exiled Russian Speakers Fighting Their Own War in Syria


[Russia] - Russian Tycoons Earn Record $20 Billion in Dividends Amid Recession Worries


[Russia] - Russians Report Nighttime Police Raids in Azerbaijan as Tensions Flare


Former Kremlin-Backed Mayor of Luhansk Killed in Explosion


Putin Congratulates Trump on U.S. Independence Day During Hourlong Call


[Russia] - Russian-Made Jet Prices Soar as Moscow Struggles to Ditch Boeing and Airbus


Teen Facing Death Threats From Family Disappears in Ingushetia, Rights Group Says


Britain Links Azerbaijani Traders With Rosneft Ties to Russia’s Shadow Fleet


[Russia] - Russian Deputy Navy Commander Killed in Kursk Region


Russia Moves to Nationalize Country’s Third-Largest Gold Mining Firm


Orenburg Mayor Resigns to Continue Military Service in Ukraine


Durov Hints at Anti-Telegram Smear Campaign as Russia Readies Homegrown Competitor


FSB Arrests Woman Who Tried to Place Bomb Under Defense Worker’s SUV


[Russia] - Elderly Woman Killed in Ukrainian Drone Strike on Lipetsk Region


Emergency Contraceptives Disappear from Russian Pharmacies – Vyorstka


[Russia] - Putin Signs Decree Seeking to Lure Foreign Investors Into Russian Stock Market


Khakassia Governor Vetoes Local Government Reform Bill


[Russia] - From Plane Crash to Deadly Arrests: What's Behind the Russia-Azerbaijan Standoff


[Russia] - Kids of Russian Soldiers Increasingly Placed in State Care, Regional Officials Say


Russian Companies See Sharp Rise in Wage Arrears


Putin Praises Kyrgyzstan for ‘Special Status’ of Russian Language


Azerbaijani and Russian Investigators in ‘Constant Contact’ Amid Diplomatic Crisis


Russia’s Natural Gas Exports to Europe Plunge to Historic Lows


Security Forces Raid Russia's Third-Largest Gold Producer Over Environmental, Safety Violations


[Russia] - Kremlin Welcomes Halt in U.S. Arms Shipments to Ukraine


Fatal Car Crash Sparks Anti-Roma Protests in Saratov Region


Foreign Automakers Scale Back New Model Launches in Russia


Anti-War University Student in St. Petersburg Released From Prison


Russia Eyes Industrial Levy to Shield Domestic Producers and Plug Budget Gaps


[Russia] - Yekaterinburg Court Places 6 Azerbaijanis in Pre-Trial Detention Amid Cold-Case Probe


[Russia] - Macron Urges Ukraine Ceasefire in First Call With Putin Since 2022


[Russia] - Taliban Diplomat to Take Role as Moscow Ambassador


Russia’s VTB Reports Increase in Overdue Retail Loans


[Russia] - Kremlin Launches Online Bot Campaign to Defend Steep Utility Rate Increases


[Russia] - Su-34 Crashes During Training Flight in Central Russia


[Russia] - Russia to Disconnect Foreigners Who Have Not Submitted Biometric Data From Mobile Internet


[Russia] - Ex-Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison


Kremlin Dismisses Trump Envoy’s Claim That It Is Stalling Peace Talks


[Russia] - Russian Manufacturing Activity Sees Sharpest Decline Since Early Months of Ukraine Invasion


[Russia] - Azerbaijan Launches Murder Probe After Autopsy Finds Brothers Died From Beatings in Russian Police Custody


[Russia] - Russia's Top Ferroalloy Producer to Cut Workweek Amid Metallurgy Crisis


[Russia] - Russia Now Occupies All of Ukraine's Luhansk Region, Kremlin-Installed Official Says


[Russia] - Ukrainian Drone Attack on Izhevsk Kills 3 and Wounds Dozens More


[Russia] - Ukrainian Drone Attack on Izhevsk Kills and Wounds Multiple People


[Russia] - Kim Jong Un Honors North Korean Soldiers Killed Fighting for Russia


[Russia] - Significant Kuzbass Coal Mine Halts Operations, Leaving Hundreds Without Pay


Financial Insecurity Is Russians' Top Reason Not to Start a Family & Poll


[Russia] - Leading Russian Coal Producer to Receive State Support Amid Deepening Industry Crisis


Mariupol Children Undergo Pro-Russian Indoctrination at St. Petersburg ‘Wellness Camps’


Prosecutors Seek Criminal Charges Against YouTuber Yury Dud Over ‘Foreign Agent’ Law Violations


[Russia] - Sberbank Approves Record $10Bln Dividend Payout


[Russia] - Government Price Caps Put Russia's Breadmakers in Jeopardy, Producer Warns


‘Jesus of Siberia’ Cult Leader Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison


FSB Recruits Ukrainian Teenagers for Espionage and Sabotage – FT


[Russia] - Samara Region Police Open 'Nazi Rehabilitation' Probe After Teenagers Sing Ukrainian Song


Russian Advances Toward Sumy Continue – WSJ


Russia Moves to Limit Exemptions for Military Conscripts


[Russia] - Lavrov Warns West Against Backing 'Color Revolution' in Serbia as Protests Heat Up


[Russia] - Azerbaijan-Russia Rift Deepens After Deaths of Azeri Men in Police Arrests