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Iran’s mission to the U.N. on Wednesday dismissed recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, stating that Tehran will not engage in negotiations or accept peace imposed through pressure. "No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House," the mission said in a post on X, responding to Trump's recent claim that Iranians "even suggest that they come to the White House." "The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to 'take out' Iran's Supreme Leader," it added. Reaffirming its defiance against pressure, the mission said: "Iran does NOT negotiate...

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to take questions Wednesday from international journalists on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Putin scheduled a roundtable session with senior news leaders of international news agencies, including The Associated Press. Among other issues, he’s expected to spell out Moscow’s position on the conflict between Israel and Iran that he offered to help mediate in a weekend call with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Russia has strongly defended Iran’s right to maintain peaceful nuclear installations. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Iran had the right to such facilities in the past, holds it now, and will continue to do so in the future. She made these remarks while speaking to Sputnik Radio, stressing that peaceful nuclear sites are now under direct attack. Zakharova warned that the threat of nuclear conflict in the Middle East is no longer a theory but a real and growing danger. She said these attacks are not only increasing tensions but also posing a serious threat to both the...

Ukraine's air forces shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet on Saturday morning, the Ukrainian military said. "This morning, on June 7, 2025, as a result of a successful Air Force operation in the Kursk direction, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet was shot down," the military said on the Telegram messenger. It gave no more details. Russian forces have not yet commented on the matter while Reuters could not independently verify the report.

Russia, if you believe the Kremlin, is eager for peace with Ukraine. -snip- For more than a year, Russian forces have made incremental but glacial gains, seizing roughly 1,500 square miles of Ukrainian territory in 2024 – the equivalent of 0.7 percent of the country’s total landmass. But the cost in human blood has been enormous. According to Ukrainian estimates, Russia suffered 434,000 casualties last year: roughly 270 killed or wounded for every square mile seized. Now, however, momentum may be shifting. Last month, Russian forces advanced at the fastest pace since last November, seizing an average of 5.5 square...

Massive security breach reveals over two million sensitive documents exposing Russia’s entire nuclear weapons modernization plan and underground tunnels.A catastrophic security breach has exposed Russia’s nuclear weapons infrastructure blueprints, revealing extensive modernization and expansion efforts at multiple strategic missile sites.Over two million sensitive documents containing architectural plans, security system details, and internal layouts of nuclear facilities were discovered in publicly accessible databases.The leaked information includes details of the Avangard hypersonic missile system sites and underground tunnels, representing what experts call “a huge breach of security.” • • Western materials from companies like Knauf were used in modernizing Soviet-era nuclear facilities,...

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday greeted Muslims all over the world on Eid al-Adha, also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice and known in Russia as "Kurban Bayram." In a statement posted on the Kremlin website, Putin noted that this holiday marks the completion of a pilgrimage to ancient religious rituals, promotes unity among people, and gives believers joy by connecting with their ancestors' rich historical and spiritual legacy. "Following ancestral teachings and traditions, Muslims celebrate Kurban Bayram by performing kind and compassionate deeds, sincerely caring for those in need of help and sympathy," he said. The Russian...

After Ukraine launched a huge drone strike on Russian airbases last weekend, Putin vowed retaliation. In a phone call with President Trump, Vladmir Putin was reportedly insistent that Russia must respond to Ukraine’s attack, which damaged over 40 aircraft. Now, we have reports that that retaliation may be underway. Russia has launched a massive overnight drone and ballistic missile strike on Ukraine, targeting Kiev and several other major cities. Alleged footage of the strike is going viral online: VIDEOS AT LINK..................... The Kyiv Independent said: Russia barraged Ukraine with missiles and drones throughout the night, threatening every region in the...

“ The strike on Russian airfields was a tactical victory for Ukraine, but a strategic failure - at least in the eyes of the closest circle of the American leader Donald Trump. The rhetoric has changed dramatically. Kiev is no longer an ally, but a potential threat to global security. One of those who is sure that Kiev screwed up and at the same time exposed not only itself, is retired US Air Force General Blaine Holt. On the air of the Newsmax TV channel, he stressed that the attack of Ukrainian drones on airfields in Russia had affected a...

The recent drone attack on Russian nuclear bombers doesn’t mean much strategically, in military terms. Bomber aircraft are an early 20th century technology used to deliver and drop bombs on targets, only because the bombs couldn’t get there themselves. Today, Russia has hypersonic missiles that are entirely self-directed; and they are up to ten times faster than any aircraft that could deliver them. Fighters and bombers are antiquated last-generation relics. They create some symbolic prestige and that’s about all.Moreover, even if all of Russia’s bombers were disabled, how would that stop them from launching weapons from submarines, ships, or silos?...

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a Wednesday interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s behavior is growing increasingly “desperate” as his war against Ukraine continues three years after Russia’s attempted takeover of its eastern European neighbor. “He seems to be more out of control than he used to be,” she told “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade. “He was always an imperialist, but there is something about him now that seems almost more desperate in wanting to extinguish Ukraine.” -snip- “It shows that the Ukrainians are very advanced in what they are doing in their defense industry with...

A meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul aimed at paving the way for a potential ceasefire is expected to take place at 10:00 GMT, or 1 p.m. local time, at the Ciragan Palace, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said on Sunday. Ukraine's delegation to a second round of peace talks will include its defense minister, deputy foreign minister, as well as several military and intelligence officials, according to an executive order by President Volodymyr Zelensky published on Sunday.

More than 200 settlements in Sumy region under evacuation orders after Russia takes control of two villages. Ukrainian officials issued evacuation orders on Saturday for 11 more villages in the northern Sumy region after continued Russian gains led to fears that Moscow could be gearing up for a fresh ground offensive. Russia advanced deeper into Ukrainian territory on Saturday, taking control of two more villages in Sumy and killing two people in a missile and drone barrage. More than 200 settlements in the region were already under evacuation orders. The attacks came as Ukrainian diplomats continue to discuss participating in...

When President Vladimir Putin traveled to the Kursk region this month for the first time since Russia expelled Ukrainian forces, his helicopter reportedly came under fire from Ukrainian drones. And that’s exactly how the Kremlin designed it. As ordinary Russians continue to bear the domestic brunt of Putin’s war, the Kremlin and the security services staged this PR stunt to convince the public that Putin, too, is making sacrifices for the country, four current and former Russian officials told The Moscow Times. All of these sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details related to Putin’s security. With...

Former United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned US President Donald Trump on Saturday against recognizing Crimea as Russian territory, claiming that would be "a mistake of epic proportions." "I get the frustration … I'm not naive about what’s physically possible in this moment, but that doesn’t mean one should go and say, ‘and we are giving up for all time," Pompeo, who served as the top US diplomat during Trump's first term, stated at the Black Sea Security Forum in Odessa. "This is one of the things I hope to communicate," he added.

While President Trump is striving to bring about peace to one of the bloodiest wars on the planet, one of the Senate’s most notorious war hawks is rattling his sabers, angling for more turmoil. Senators Lindsey Graham (RINO-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) arrived in Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. Per a press release from Zelenskyy’s office, the three discussed U.S. legislation that would strengthen sanctions against Russia, coordinating diplomatic efforts to achieve “a just and lasting peace,” and developing bilateral relations between Ukraine and the United States. Look at how warmly Zelenskyy and Graham greet each...

Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has urged Washington’s chief negotiator with Moscow, Steve Witkoff, to consult European leaders before placing trust in Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Witkoff has been part of U.S. delegations leading talks with Moscow and Kyiv since February, after Trump tasked members of his administration to help negotiate an end to Russia’s three-year war in Ukraine. However, he has faced criticism from Kyiv for peddling Russian narratives, including a suggestion to hand over four partially occupied eastern Ukrainian regions to Moscow. In March, Witkoff said that Putin has no intention to “take all of...

SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reassured allies in the Indo-Pacific on Saturday that they will not be left alone to face increasing military and economic pressure from China, while insisting that they also contribute more to their own defense. He said Washington will bolster its defenses overseas to counter what the Pentagon sees as rapidly developing threats by Beijing, particularly in its aggressive stance toward Taiwan. China has conducted numerous exercises to test what a blockade would look like of the self-governing island, which Beijing claims as its own and the U.S. has pledged to defend. China’s...

President George W. Bush famously underestimated Vladimir Putin. Asked about his impressions of the Russian president, the then-US president claimed that he had “looked into Putin’s eyes” and “saw his soul.” His secretary of state, Colin Powell, said that he, too, had looked into Putin’s eyes “and I saw the KGB.” Bush found out what was behind Putin’s eyes a little too late. Toward the end of Bush’s second term, in 2008, Putin’s Russia invaded the neighboring country of Georgia... Ever since Putin repeated his Georgian maneuver on a much grander scale in Ukraine in 2022, there are still people...

A claim by the Russian Defence Ministry that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin was "in the epicentre of a drone attack" has turned out to be a staged performance by the Kremlin. Russian state media claimed earlier this week that when Putin visited Kursk Oblast for the first time since the hostilities began in the area, his helicopter came "under fire from Ukrainian drones". In reality, this was not a combat incident but a meticulously staged event. Four sources within the government and the Kremlin told The Moscow Times that security officials promoted this shocking and "risky" episode in the media...