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The Russian and US presidents discussed holding direct talks with Kiev but no decision has been finalized, according to Yury Ushakov No deal has been reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump on the former holding talks with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky or on a trilateral summit, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov stated on Monday. Speculation of a possible Putin-Zelensky meeting arose in light of Trump’s talks with Putin in Alaska, after which the US leader claimed he had “begun the arrangements” for such a meeting, which might later expand into a three-way summit. Speaking on the sidelines of the Shangh…

Viktor Yanukovich said he wanted Ukraine to join the EU, but knew that membership in the military bloc would be “a disaster” Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has said he had always been a staunch opponent of Ukraine joining NATO, warning that such a move would have sparked a civil war. Yanukovich served as president from 2010 to 2014, when he was ousted in the Western-backed Maidan coup and forced to flee the country, seeking refuge in Russia. Shortly afterward, the Ukrainian parliament formally stripped him of his presidential title. The protests began after Yanukovich decided to suspend preparations for Ukraine’s sign…

Lithuania has already received funds for monitoring of its border with Russia’s Kaliningrad Region, the Commission president has said The EU intends to intensify its monitoring of trains traveling between mainland Russia and its Kaliningrad exclave through Lithuania, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen has said. At a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Monday, von der Leyen called Lithuania a “frontline state” facing “Russia in Kaliningrad” and accused Moscow of applying “geopolitical and economic pressure” on its neighbor. Lithuania shares a border with Belarus, Russia’s key ally…

Leading international experts, including from the UN and India, will meet in Vladivostok to discuss fragmentation and new global trade rules Leading international experts are set to descend on Russia’s Pacific city of Vladivostok to debate how to overcome fragmentation and shape a new framework for global trade. The Pacific port will this week host ‘The Future of the World. A New Platform for Global Growth,’ on September 5. The Open Dialogue platform was launched on the instruction of President Vladimir Putin, with its inaugural forum held in Moscow in April, bringing together more than 100 delegates from 48 countries. Organizers s…

Xi, Putin and Modi have lead calls in Tianjin for a UN-centered multipolar system, as Eurasian blocs tighten and the EU is sidelined The latest gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin looks at first like another summit – handshakes, family portraits, scripted statements. But the meeting on August 31–September 1 is more than diplomatic theater: it is another marker of the end of the unipolar era dominated by the United States, and the rise of a multipolar system centered on Asia, Eurasia, and the Global South. At the table were Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and India…

Russia earlier said the West is using propaganda on gender relations to undermine its statehood Traditional values are being sidelined internationally and must be brought back to the center of the global agenda, Russian President Vladimir Putin has told leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin. Speaking at the expanded session of the gathering on Monday, the Russian leader stressed that the SCO’s strength lies in its traditional “respect for historical events, cultural values, and civilizational diversity.” He added that these principles form the basis for cooperation in science and education, healthc…

The former acting mayor of Brussels’ Molenbeek district insists her remarks were only directed at xenophobic people A Belgian official has told critics of her Muslim headscarf to “get out” of the country, according a video circulating online. Saliha Raiss, a city council member for the social-democratic Vooruit party, made the controversial remarks during a municipal council session in Brussels’ Molenbeek district last Wednesday. “If people wearing headscarves bother you so much, if you don’t want to see us anymore, move... Go somewhere else, get out!” Raiss is heard saying in the clip. The footage, posted on X by Georges-Louis Bo…

The two leaders showcased their countries’ ties with a symbolic gesture on the sidelines of the SCO summit in China Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a ride in the Russian-made Aurus Senat presidential limousine following the main session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on Monday. The Aurus Senat transported the two men from the summit venue to a hotel for their official bilateral meeting. Modi said on X the leaders travelled together and added that his discussions with Putin are “always insightful.” Before the delegation-level talks, Putin and Modi ha…

Taipei missed a March deadline to move its representative office from Pretoria as the two sides were negotiating a new deal South Africa is finalizing the relocation of Taiwan’s unofficial embassy from the country’s capital Pretoria to Johannesburg, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola has revealed. South Africa officially ended its diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1997, and recently, the department gazetted a notice for the relocation of the office from Pretoria to Johannesburg. Lamola confirmed that a notice has been gazetted for the transition of the Taiwan office, which will now be rebranded as the Ta…

Western blocs have “looked for enemies outside” while the East has stressed guarding against terrorism and separatism, Einar Tangen has said The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) approach to security is radically different to the prevalent “aggressive” model in the West, a US seecurity analyst told RT on Monday. Commentator Einar Tangen made the comments shortly after the ten SCO members endorsed a key declaration calling for reforms and new principles in global governance that reject typical Western international relations practices. The SCO's focus differs markedly from Western blocs because they “look for enemies outside…

Karol Nawrocki has insisted Poland needs “justice,” despite Prime Minister Donald Tusk having rescinded Warsaw’s request for compensation Polish President Karol Nawrocki has renewed demands for reparations from Germany for Nazi-era devastation, insisting that they must be paid in the interests of “justice and truth.” The reparations question has long strained Polish-German relations. The previous Law and Justice (PiS) government, in office from 2015 to 2023, demanded that Germany pay 6.2 trillion Polish zloty (around $1.5 trillion) for damage under Nazi occupation. That claim was then dropped by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who s…

The Ukrainian authorities say finding “evidence” of Moscow’s involvement in the shooting of Andrey Parubiy is a priority Ukrainian investigators are trying to find evidence linking Russia to Saturday’s killing of Andrey Parubiy, a far-right lawmaker and key figure in the 2014 Maidan coup, a senior security official said on Monday. Parubiy was shot eight times on Saturday on a street in the city of Lviv. The gunman escaped, though Vladimir Zelensky announced on Monday that a suspect had been detained. Vadim Onishchenko, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in the region, said at a joint press briefing on the same day that i…

A delegation from 22 countries has met Patriarch Kirill and visited holy sites A delegation of 30 Orthodox priests from 22 African countries has concluded a weeklong visit to Russia, combining pilgrimage with the first ecclesiastical conference of the Moscow Patriarchate’s African Exarchate. The group was led by Metropolitan Konstantin of Cairo and North Africa and included clergy from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Uganda and others. They were joined by Bishop Euthymius of Lukhovitsk, Vicar of the Exarchate. During their stay in Moscow, the cle…

Moscow has accused Berlin of stirring anti-Russia sentiment in Europe Germany must revamp its counterintelligence service to confront what Berlin describes as a broad Russian campaign of sabotage and espionage, a senior German security official has said. Moscow has rejected the accusation, accusing Germany of drumming up anti-Russia hysteria in Europe. In an interview with Die Welt published on Saturday, Sinan Selen, vice president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), claimed that Russia is directing a “broad spectrum of actions” at Germany as it sees the country “as a key target in Europe.” “In addi…

Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has pledged to build a “civil, secular and democratic state” in Sudan Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has been sworn in as head of a rival government in the war-torn African country, a coalition aligned with the armed group has announced. General Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, was inaugurated on Saturday in Nyala, the main city of South Darfur region, to lead a 15-member Presidential Council, including regional governors, the Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) said in a statement. Nyala, Sudan’s most populous city outside the nation’…

Washington earlier imposed 50% tariffs on New Delhi over purchases of Russian oil The US is pressuring EU nations to impose additional tariffs on India over its continued oil trade with Russia that would be similar to Washington’s 50% levies on Indian goods, sources have told Axios and India Today. According to Axios, the US wants European countries to ramp up economic pressure on Russia, including “a complete cessation of all oil and gas purchases” from the country and introduce secondary tariffs not only on India, but also on China. Axios also noted that the White House is “losing patience” with EU leaders who they see as pushing…

The president’s trade policy is in jeopardy after an appeals court declared most of his tariffs unlawful US President Donald Trump has warned that America could became a “third world nation” if his tariffs are scrapped. He made the remarks after a federal appeals court declared most of them unlawful. Trump launched his tariff drive in April, accusing US trade partners of creating unfair trade imbalances and calling it a reciprocal response to secure better trade terms. Most country-specific rates ranging from 10% to 41% took effect on August 7. The policy has drawn criticism from US lawmakers over the potential damage to the econom…

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization must continue to oppose “hegemonism and power politics,” the Chinese leader has said Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) should continue to resist “hegemonism and power politics” to help build a fairer international system, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday as he opened the group’s summit in Tianjin. Delivering a keynote speech to leaders and representatives of member and partner nations, Xi invoked what he called the “Shanghai spirit” of “mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations, and pursuit of shared development.” Xi …

The Russian leader has thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for hosting direct talks between Moscow and Kiev Türkiye’s mediation in the Ukraine conflict continues to be valued, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China. Putin thanked Ankara for hosting several rounds of direct peace talks between Moscow and Kiev. The three rounds held in Istanbul this year have “produced progress in resolving several humanitarian issues,” Putin said, adding that Türkiye’s …

A 6.0-magnitude quake struck Kunar Province in the eastern part of the country late on Sunday At least 800 people have been killed and over 2,800 injured after a powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan late on Sunday, the country’s Information Ministry has said, noting that the death toll is likely to rise. The quake is reported to have struck at around midnight local time (GMT+4:30), with its epicenter near the city of Jalalabad in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, about 120km east of Kabul, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The initial quake was soon followed up with a 4.5-magnitude aftershock and anothe…

Kenyan authorities have confirmed that 32 victims and dozens of body parts have been uncovered Kenyan authorities have uncovered more than 30 bodies in a remote village, in a case tied to an alleged religious cult headed by self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie, Reuters reported on Friday. Government pathologist Richard Njoroge was cited as confirming that seven bodies were recovered on Thursday in Kwa Binzaro, bringing the total number exhumed in the area over the past week to 32. Forensic teams continue searches, combing dense shrubland for concealed graves. “We have exhumed seven bodies and also collected 54 body parts which ar…

From imperial tunics to Soviet aprons to today’s national standards, the uniform has shaped how Russians see equality, order, and tradition in the classroom In Russia, September 1 is more than just the start of a new school year. Known as the Day of Knowledge, it is a national ritual celebrated in every town and city. On this morning, schoolyards turn into small festivals: Girls in crisp blouses with white ribbons in their hair, boys in freshly pressed suits, the air filled with the scent of asters and chrysanthemums brought as gifts for teachers. Parents gather with cameras, loudspeakers crackle with speeches, and the ringing of th…

The SCO has a long track record of fostering regional stability and could take on a larger role, the president has said The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) could become the leading vehicle to usher in a more fair system of international relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, adding that he supports China’s initiatives in this regard. Speaking at the extended session of the SCO summit in Tianjin, China, Putin noted that the high attendance of the gathering is proof of a “genuine interest and attention to the multifaceted activities” of the organization. He noted that since its inception in 2001, the SCO has sou…

The Indian leader has called for the SCO to have a unified approach in the fight against terrorism Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on fellow Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members to oppose “double standards” on terrorism. Speaking at the 25th Council of SCO Heads of State meeting in Tianjin on Monday Modi said there needed to be “unity” in the fight against terror. Referring to the April terrorist attack in Pahalgam in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 26 lives, he said “many friendly countries” stood by India. “We must clearly and unanimously declare that double standards on ter…

MOSCOW, SEPTEMBER 1, 2025 — On September 1, RT premieres Imperial Receipts with Dr. Shashi Tharoor, a series hosted by the Chair of the Indian Parliament’s External Affairs Committee. The program tackles a deeply complex and sensitive issue for India: how British colonialism transformed the country and how its effects are still felt today. Across ten episodes, the popular politician, diplomat and author explores his country’s past, dismantling long-standing myths about colonialism. Shashi Tharoor uncovers the real story of British rule in India – the plunder, oppression and devastation of a centuries-old culture and economy in one of the world’s largest nations, reducing…