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"Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example."
By order of the President of Russia, the Russian side announces a ceasefire for the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War
By order of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the Russian side, guided by humanitarian motives, announces a ceasefire for the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War to last from May 8, 00:00 Moscow time to May 11, 00:00 Moscow time. Any military operations will be ceased during this period.
Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example.
In the event of any violations of the ceasefire by the Ukrainian side, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will give a proportionate and efficient response.
The Russian side reiterates its willingness to enter peace talks without preconditions, with a view to eliminating the root causes behind the Ukraine crisis and establishing constructive interaction with international partners.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s written interview with Brazilian newspaper O Globo, April 28, 2025
Russia believes in a balanced reform of the Security Council as one of the main UN bodies, which is primarily responsible, as per the UN Charter, for maintaining international peace and security… We believe that Brazil, which is conducting an independent foreign policy and can make a substantial contribution to settling international problems, is the right candidate for a permanent seat on the UNSC. We also support the nomination of India, on the condition that Africa would be represented at the Security Council as well…
We got the impression that our American counterparts now have a better understanding of Russia’s stance on the situation around Ukraine. We hope that this will help them during their dialogue with Kiev and individual European countries.
We remain open to negotiations, but the ball is not in our court. Kiev has not shown readiness for negotiations so far. The latest evidence of that is the Ukrainian armed forces’ inability to respect the 30-day moratorium on strikes on energy facilities (March 18 to April 17) or the 30-hour Easter truce (from 6 pm on April 19 to midnight on April 21). Zelensky’s regime has shown that is lacks the political will for peace and the ability to stop the war, which is being fuelled by the Russophobic circles of certain EU countries, primarily France and Germany, as well as Britain…
It was Kiev which withdrew from the negotiating process in April 2022. It acted this way at the request of its Western curators. In September of the same year, Vladimir Zelensky outlawed all talks with Russia. This piece of legislation remains in force. It must be cancelled. Otherwise, talks cannot resume…
We have made no secret regarding our position on the settlement. Russia proceeds from the premise that Kiev’s non-accession to NATO, as well as reaffirming its neutral and non-aligned status as per the 1990 Declaration on Ukraine’s State Sovereignty – these factors form one of the two pillars for a final settlement to the Ukraine crisis that would meet Russia’s security interests. The second pillar consists of overcoming the legacy of the neo-Nazi regime which took power in Kiev after the February 2014 putsch, including the initiative by its perpetrators to eradicate and cancel, in both physical and legislative terms, everything Russian, be it the Russian language, media, culture, traditions, or the canonical Orthodox faith.
The international recognition of Crimea, Sevastopol, the DPR, the LPR, the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions as part of Russia is another imperative.
All the commitments Kiev assumes must be legally binding, contain enforcement mechanisms and be permanent.
Demilitarising and de-Nazifying Ukraine is also on the agenda, along with lifting sanctions, withdrawing lawsuits and cancelling arrest warrants, as well as returning Russian assets subjected to the so-called freeze in the West.
We will also insist on obtaining solid security guarantees for the Russian Federation in order to shield it from any threats emanating from hostile activities by NATO, the European Union and some of their member states along our western border.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at the meeting with Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi on the sidelines of the BRICS Council, Rio de Janeiro, April 28, 2025
Dear friend,
Colleagues,
Indeed, we meet regularly and frequently, which allows us to remain in good shape.
You said that we are likely to live for a long time in an era of change. As far as I know, there is an old Chinese proverb that says, “God forbid you should live in an era of change.” But that saying dates back a long time. Today, China is one of the main drivers of global change, and perhaps such change is indeed necessary.
As you mentioned, there is an ongoing struggle between those trying to preserve a unipolar system, rooted in colonial and neocolonial practices long used by the West to conduct world affairs, and those who are working to build a just, multipolar world order. This new order must be based, as stated in the UN Charter, on the principle of sovereign equality among all states.
Together with China, our BRICS and SCO partners, and other allies, we are active participants in this transformation and stand at the forefront of the movement for justice and equality. This imposes a special responsibility on us, especially in fulfilling the objectives set by the leaders of our countries.
We look forward to the official visit of President Xi Jinping to the Russian Federation to take part in the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, for which we are actively preparing.
On April 29, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko will visit Volgograd
On April 29, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will take part in commemorative events for the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War to be held in Volgograd.
[the travel arrangements must be interesting]
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