26 May, 2025 17:18

Kremlin reacts to West lifting limits on long-range weapons for Ukraine

The decision runs counter to Moscow’s efforts to find a peaceful settlement with Kiev, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

The reported decision by Ukraine’s Western backers to lift restrictions on Kiev’s use of long-range weapons runs counter to Russia’s efforts toward a peaceful settlement of the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Peskov made the remarks in response tocomments by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz,who said Ukraine is no longer subject to range limitations on Western-supplied weaponry.

“If such decisions have indeed been made, they are entirely at odds with our aspirations for a political resolution and with the efforts currently being made toward a settlement,” Peskov stated.

“Quite dangerous decisions, again – if they were indeed made,”he stressed.

At the EuropaForum on Monday, Merz said “there are no longer any range restrictions” on Western-supplied weapons used by Ukraine against Russian military targets.“There are no restrictions from the UK, France, Germany, or the US,”he added, as quoted by Euronews. (From NYTs cannot be trusted)

Moscow has repeatedly warned Western countries against enabling Ukraine to carry out long-range strikes, arguing that this could make the military bloc a direct participant in the conflictgiven that such attacks would require targeting data from NATO satellites – capabilities that Kiev does not possess.

Moscow updated its nuclear doctrine last November following deliberations by Ukraine’s backers on whether to allow Kiev to use Western-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expanded the list of conditions that could trigger a nuclear response to include scenarios where aggression by a non-nuclear state or group of states supported by a nuclear state could be viewed as a “joint attack.”

Since then, Ukrainian forces have launched numerous long-range strikes inside Russia using Western-supplied weapons. Despite the changes, the doctrine still characterizes nuclear weapons as “an extreme and forced measure”and emphasizes Russia’s aim to avoid escalation.

Russia has consistently condemned Western arms shipments to Ukraine, arguing that they fuel more bloodshed and hinder efforts toward the peace process.Earlier this month, Russia and Ukraine held their first direct talks since 2022. The sides agreed to present detailed ceasefire proposals, carry out a record 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap, and continue negotiations.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow is at an “advanced stage” of preparing a memorandum outlining the principles and timeline for a peace settlement with Ukraine.

https://www.rt.com/news/618180-kremlin-ukraine-long-range-weapons/

26 May, 2025 03:50

Putin understands Trump in English – Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov has explained “technical nuances” that reduce the chance of miscommunication

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to what his US counterpart, Donald Trump, tells him in English during direct conversations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.He added that Putin later receives an interpretation in Russian to minimize the risk of miscommunication.

In an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin released on Sunday,Peskov explained some of the “technical nuances” of recent and past phone calls between the two national leaders. Putin’s fluency in English allows him not to rely on an interpreter’s services to understand the conversation, the official said.

“The president first hears the voice of his counterpart – that is, he hears Trump’s voice – and then the interpreter translates it,”Peskov explained.

He noted that Putin understands English and is capable of following the conversation before the translation begins. “As you know, the president understands English himself, so he can immediately process some of the information,”Peskov added. He noted that the exchange takes longer due to the back-and-forth nature of interpretation.

The two leaders spoke for over two hours on May 19, with the Kremlin describing the exchange as “very useful.” The conversation followed direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine held in Istanbul – the first in-person negotiations between representatives from the two countries since 2022, when Kiev withdrew from a proposed peace deal that had already been agreed in principle. The latest round of Russia-Ukraine talks resulted in a proposal for the largest prisoner exchange to date.

According to Putin, the discussion with Trump on May 19 was “productive, substantive and quite candid,” with the primary focus on the Ukraine conflict. Speaking to reporters afterward, he said both sides had agreed that Moscow would draft a memorandum outlining the principles and timeline for a potential peace agreement. The proposed framework would also cover other matters, including “a potential temporary ceasefire, should the necessary agreements be reached.”

Trump said the call “went very well,” describing the tone and spirit of the conversation as “excellent.” On Sunday, however, the US leader stated he was “not happy with what Putin’s doing,” criticizing Moscow’s response to a week of sustained Ukrainian drone raids as completely unwarranted.

Moscow has consistently reaffirmed its commitment to a diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine conflict and has welcomed Washington’s involvement in advancing direct talks. Putin reiterated that Russia is ready to work with Kiev on drafting the document and emphasized that “eliminating the root causes” of the conflict “is what matters most to us.”

The Russian Foreign Ministryhas described the surge in Ukrainian “terrorist” drone attacks on non-military targets as a deliberate attempt by Kiev’s “party of war” to sabotage the recently renewed direct peace negotiationsbetween Moscow and Kiev. Ukraine’s Western backers, “led by the UK, France, Germany, and the EU leadership,” are facilitating the attacks by supporting “Ukrainian Nazis,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

https://www.rt.com/russia/618140-kremlin-putin-trump-call-details/

26 May, 2025 07:11

‘Everything out of Zelensky’s mouth causes problems’ – Trump

The Ukrainian leader earlier rebuked the US for its “silence,” which he claimed “encourages” Russia to carry out new strikes

Public remarks by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky are only making things worse for his country, US President Donald Trump has said. His comments came after the Ukrainian leader accused the US of a lack of support, which he claimed benefits Russia.

Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday tocriticize Zelensky for making diplomatic efforts to settle the Ukraine conflict more difficult. The Ukrainian leader, he said,“is doing his country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems. I don’t like it, and it better stop.”

The US president added that the conflict “would never have started” if he had been in office. “This is Zelensky’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not ‘Trump’s.’I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through gross incompetence and hatred,” he said.

Trump’s comments came=after Zelensky criticized his Western backers, including the US, for what he described as a lackluster reaction to Russia’s latest large-scale air strike.“America’s silence, the silence of others in the world, only encourages Putin,” Zelensky said, calling for increased pressure and sanctions on Moscow.

The exchange occurred amid an escalation in fighting between Russia and Ukraine, with Moscow accusing Kiev of launching hundreds of drones between Tuesday and Friday alone. According to Russian air defense commander Yury Dashkin, one strike took place during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kursk Region, where his helicopter “was at the epicenter” of a Ukrainian drone assault.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has vowed an appropriate response, stating that the Ukrainian strikes are intended to “disrupt direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations” aimed at a lasting settlement.

The Russian Defense Ministry later announced a successful strike on a drone and missile production plant in Kiev as well as a radar surveillance center and a US-made Patriot air defense system. Moscow has repeatedly said its strikes are never aimed at civilians.

Trump, however, voiced disapproval of Russian actions, claiming that Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY” and alleging that he had targeted Ukraine with recent strikes “for no reason whatsoever.” The US president has on several occasions threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia if he does not see peace efforts making progress.

However, following a call between Trump and Putin last week, Axios reported that the US leader is still refraining from imposing new restrictions on Moscow. Instead, he reportedly told European leaders that he believes “Putin wants a deal” and that diplomacy remains possible.

https://www.rt.com/news/618145-zelensky-mouth-causes-problems-trump/

(American DS is in this war.)

26 May, 2025 14:50

EU could end protections for Ukrainian immigrants – media

The bloc has accepted around 4.3 million Ukrainians under its temporary program for displaced persons

EU member states arereportedly preparing to reevaluate the legal status of Ukrainian refugees who live in the bloc, Euractiv reported on Monday, citing an EU diplomat. Discussions on a potential exit from the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) may begin as early as June.

Brussels invoked the TPD shortly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in early 2022. Originally established in 2001, the directive offers a broad array of benefits, including residence permits, housing, access to employment, education, healthcare, financial benefits and social services. While the program was initially set to expire in March 2025, it has recently been extended until March 2026.

Talks around “exit strategies” are intensifying behind the scenes amid a “shifting geopolitical landscape,” the unnamed diplomat told Euractiv. The issue is expected to be a central focus at the bloc’s upcoming Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting scheduled for June 12–13.

Although most member states support continuing the program for now, Euractiv noted, legal experts warn that further extensions may stretch the directive’s original intent.

“We’re already on thin ice with the last prolongation,” Martin Wagner, a senior policy adviser at the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, told the outlet. “A straightforward reading of the directive would mean that after three years, it’s over.”

Wagner stressed the need for “a real discussion about alternatives and how to exit temporary protection in one way or another,” pointing out that the directive was never intended as a long-term solution.

Another anonymous diplomat warned that the EU risks “overwhelming national asylum systems — exactly what the TPD was meant to prevent.”

According to Wagner the current number of beneficiaries is “multiple times more than what countries usually handle,” calling the status quo “an incredible burden.”

The debate comes amid growing challenges faced by member states in managing the large-scale influx of Ukrainian refugees. As of March 2025, over 4.3 million Ukrainians had been granted temporary protection in the EU, according to Eurostat data.

While Brussels has maintained that continued support is essential, several governments are reconsidering the level of assistance they can provide.Germany, currently hosting more than 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees, has begun scaling back welfare benefits due to sustainability concerns. Meanwhile, Poland has opposed taking in additional migrants under the EU’s newly proposed migration pact.

More Ukrainians fleeing the conflict have reportedly migrated to Russia than any there country. According to a law enforcement official as cited by TASS, 5.5 million people had migrated as of 2023.

(Europe will be a welfare bloc forever for Ukrainians, they started it and asked for it.)

https://www.rt.com/news/618172-eu-reassess-status-ukrainian-migrants/