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James Kilner

0625GMT//Russians complain of pressure to join new Kremlin instant messaging app; Armenia wants to quit Kremlin-led economic bloc

RUSSIA KILLS UKRAINIAN CIVILIANS: Russian drones and missiles hit sites across Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least 23 civilians. The targets included British and EU offices in Kyiv. (COMMENT: This was the largest Russian attack on Ukraine since July. Talks to end the war in Ukraine feel a long way

0656GMT//Putin to head to China for military parade; The Kremlin bans fuel exports; Dodgy internet hits profits at Russian e-scooter company

PUTIN TO CHINA: Vladimir Putin will travel to China next week for a four-day visit, his top aide Yuri Ushakov said yesterday. This will be Putin's first trip to China since May 2024. (COMMENT: Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping is Putin's most important ally, so a trip

0645GMT//Iran criticises Russia; The Kremlin "lures" African women to Russia to make drones

IRANIAN CRITICISM OF RUSSIA: An Iranian official on Tuesday accused the Kremlin of giving Israel the coordinates of its air defence systems during its 12-day war last month. Seyed Mohammad Sadr, who advises Iran's Supreme Leader, told Iranian media that the "strategic alliance" between Russia and

0654//Lavrov suggests a delay to peace talks; inflation slows raising prospect of interest rate cut

PUTIN-ZELENSKY TALKS: Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, suggested on Thursday that a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky wasn't imminent. He challenged Zelensky's legitimacy as Ukraine's president because he has not faced an election since 2019 and said that all the

0615GMT//Kremlin still thinking about Putin-Zelensky talks; US to compete in Kremlin propaganda song contest

PUTIN-ZELENSKY TALKS: The Kremlin has still not confirmed whether Vladimir Putin is prepared to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky for Ukraine war peace talks. Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said on Wednesday that "it is necessary to prepare them most thoroughly", and a source in the Kremlin

0655GMT//Preperations for Putin-Zelensky talks; Primary schools in Russia to hold 'indoctrination lessons'

PUTIN-ZELENSKY TALKS: Frantic diplomatic preparations are continuing to try to set up a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Switzerland and Hungary have both been put forward as potential venues. (COMMENT: The Kremlin hasn't officially commented on moves

0654GMT//Trump wants trilateral peace talks; Russian missile hits Azerbaijani gas infrastructure in Odesa; Russian military recruitment falls

PEACE TALKS: After meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders in the White House, Donald Trump telephoned Vladimir Putin to ask for a trilateral meeting. Yuri Ushakov, Putin's top aide, said the telephone conversation lasted 40 minutes. US media even reported that Trump hopes that this meeting

0635GMT//Putin wins Alaska talks; Smug Russian media gloats; Blast at Russian gunpowder factory kills 20

TRUMP-PUTIN MEETING: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met on Friday in Alaska to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. This was their first meeting since Trump became US president for the second time. (COMMENT: The talks lasted three hours and were inconclusive. Putin dominated these talks .) KEY MOMENT

0601GMT//Putin heads to Alaska to meet with Trump; Kazakh GDP/capita overtakes Russia; The Kremlin hosts meeting with African juntas

TRUMP-PUTIN MEETING: Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said he didn't expect any documents to be signed in Alaska when Vladimir Putin meets with Donald Trump. (COMMENT: The Kremlin has been tight-lipped all week on what exactly it expects from the meeting.) The Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska is expected

0612GMT//Russia's birth rate slows; criminal general applies to fight on the frontline

WEAK MEDIA LINE ON TRUMP-PUTIN MEETING: The Kremlin still appears to have dodged giving its media a strong editorial line for the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska on Friday. Stories linked to the meeting focus on side issues, such as Putin's security detail, rather than policy outcomes. (COMMENT: This