Russia Morning Memo

Latest — 28 Nov 2025

0956GMT//Putin says he won't stop war in Ukraine; Hungarian PM Orban heads to Moscow; judo allows Russians to compete under national flag

UKRAINE PEACE DEAL: Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Ukraine needed to retreat from all areas of Donbas before he would negotiate a peace deal. He also said that he wouldn't sign a peace deal with Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he considers to be an illegitimate leader. Putin'

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0650GMT//Putin woos Kyrgyz Pres. Japarov; coup deposes pro-Russia African leader; leaks from negotiations favour Russia

PUTIN IN KYRGYZSTAN: Vladimir Putin on Wednesday offered to upgrade relations with Kyrgyzstan at a meeting with the Kyrgyz. Pres. Sadyr Japarov in Bishkek. He praised Japarov and said that under his leadership, Kyrgyzstan was a "stable and reliable" partner. Putin will attend a summit meeting of the

0810GMT//Trump to send Whitkoff to Moscow; Russia boosts recruitment of foreign soldiers; Russian regions' economic problems rise

UKRAINE PEACE TALKS: Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is sending Steve Whitkoff, his chief negotiator, to meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow to iron out the "last few points of disagreement". He also said that he wanted to meet with both Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky "

0756GMT//Putin flies to Bishkek for talks; Russian car and smarthphone sales collapse; China raises prices for Russian imports of 'dual-use' products

UKRAINE PEACE TALKS: Russian and US negotiators are due to meet in Abu Dhabi today to discuss a revised 19-point peace plan for Ukraine. US and Ukrainian negotiators thrashed out the new plan in Switzerland on Monday. In Ukraine, a large Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv killed at

0856GMT//Putin says US-Russia Ukraine deal "lays foundation" for peace; Russian regions run out of cash; street musicians released

UKRAINE PEACE PLAN: Vladimir Putin said on Friday that a plan to end the war in Ukraine drawn up by US and Russian negotiators earlier this month could "lay the foundation" for a Ukraine peace deal. He also threatened to capture more Ukrainian territory if Ukraine refused to

0759GMT//Putin gives Kazakh president the 'red carpet' treatment; Lavrov is missing once again; the Kremlin will issue bonds in yuan to reassure investors

PUTIN-TOKAYEV TALKS: Vladimir Putin and Kassym Jomart Tokayev, the Kazakh president, concluded two days of talks on Wednesday, designed to bolster Kazakhstan-Russia relations. Putin gave Tokayev top-level treatment, escorting his plane in with fighter jets, taking him to the ballet and holding a dinner in his official residence. (COMMENT>

0734GMT//Lukoil's problems mount; have Putin and Lavrov had a tiff?; the Kremlin tries to plug its labour gap

LUKOIL'S PROBLEMS: Gunvor, the Switzerland-based trading company, abandoned its $22 billion takeover of Lukoil's foreign assets after the US described it as "a Kremlin puppet". These sanctions come into force on Nov. 21. (COMMENT>> This scuppers the Kremlin's attempts to

0815GMT//Putin threatens nuclear tests; two Kremlin propagandists marry; Russia to train overseas students as prison guards

NUCLEAR TESTS: Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered his military to draw up plans to test-fire Russia's nuclear weapons for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. He said that Russia's resumption of nuclear weapons testing was a response to a proposal

0749GMT//Putin brags about his missiles (again); China cancels Russian oil imports; Russian 'monogorods' given cheap loans

MISSILE FETISH: Vladimir Putin on Tuesday held a special ceremony in the Kremlin to praise the designers of two new missiles that he unveiled last month. Putin said that the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon torpedo would ensure "security and strategic parity" for Russia "for

0830GMT//Putin test-fires another missile; death toll from Russian weapons factory blast rises; protest banned in Vladivostok

ANOTHER NEW WEAPON: Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia had test-fired a nuclear-powered underwater drone that can be fitted with a nuclear warhead. This was Russia's second nuclear weapons test since Sunday, when it launched the Burevestnik cruise missile. (COMMENT: Once again, Putin said that Russia'

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