Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said NATO's efforts to turn Ukraine into a military base left Moscow with no choice but to launch its 2022 operation. In an interview, he blamed NATO expansion and Ukraine's alleged persecution of Russians for escalating tensions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised the need to expand the use of national currencies in mutual settlements among BRICS countries, calling for the "creation of an independent settlement on the BRICS platform" to make transactions "faster, more efficient and safer."
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the latest large-scale Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, reiterating his call for an "immediate and unconditional" ceasefire as a critical step towards achieving a "just, comprehensive and sustainable peace"
Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman held a series of high-level bilateral meetings with her counterparts from Russia, Brazil, and China on the sidelines of the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
The Russian military has carried out a series of strikes on Ukrainian military-related targets in response to "terrorist" raids by Kiev deep into Russia, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said any Ukraine conflict resolution must fully address Moscow's security concerns, including NATO expansion and rights of Russian-speaking populations. He stressed that partial solutions are unacceptable, RT reported.
While speaking to reporters on Thursday (local time), Trump stated that he and Putin discussed a lot of things, including Iran and Russia-Ukraine conflict.
"Just a couple of days ago, I received a report that the territory of the Luhansk People's Republic has been 100 percent liberated," Leonid Pasechnik said, although not everyone agreed.