Anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Russia

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, categorically dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent "peace proposal," describing it as lacking seriousness and devoid of any genuine negotiation intent.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, dismissed the security agreement between the US and Ukraine as merely a "piece of paper" with no substantive value, according to reports from quoting Agence France Press.

Russia will cease fire and begin negotiations if Ukraine withdraws from the four occupied Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia and abandons its aspirations for NATO membership, stated President Vladimir Putin in a speech at the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. This proposal, he emphasized, is not for a temporary truce but for a complete end to the conflict in Ukraine.

A man takes pictures of the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan (L) and the rescue and salvage tugboat Nikolai Chiker (R), part of the Russian naval detachment visiting Cuba, after its arrival at Havana's harbor on June 12, 2024.

Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, quoted by Russian news agencies, said on Tuesday he hoped to meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan next month at a regional meeting in Kazakhstan.

"I hope that very soon, on the 3rd or 4th of July, he will be in Astana as far as I know," Putin told visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, referring to the capital of the former Soviet state.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on June 11 during his visit to Russia to attend a session of the BRICS group of emerging economies.

The discussions between the two officials covered bilateral and regional relations, with a particular focus on the latest situation in Gaza, Turkish diplomatic sources said.

Russia on Monday claimed the capture of another village in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, the latest in a string of gains ahead of a major Ukraine summit in Switzerland.

Russia is preparing to identify American assets for potential confiscation in retaliation for any seizure of its own assets in the United States, as reported by Reuters. A decree issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin has authorized a special commission to compile a list of assets that could be targeted, encompassing real estate, stocks, movable assets, and property rights.

The warm climate that Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin made a point of cultivating during the Russian president's official visit to China confirms that we are at the beginning of a new cold war. "Together we are defending the principles of justice and a democratic world order reflecting multipolar realities and based on international law," Putin told Xi.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has referred to the Bulgarian government as a "ruling regime," criticizing its handling of Victory Day commemorations and Europe Day events.