Lavrov sends Rubio Independence Day greetings
In a message released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov expressed support for US unity and the American Dream, while expressing hope for improved ties between the two nations.
'I expect that together we can put the relations between our nations on a creative vector, make them stable and predictable based on mutual respect for national interests determined by history, geography, and 'realities on the ground,'' he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his best wishes to US President Donald Trump in a phone call the previous day. According to presidential aide Yury Ushakov, Putin wished Trump success in advancing major reforms and noted Russia's historical contribution to America's struggle for independence from Britain.
Moscow has expressed a more favorable view of the Trump administration compared to the previous administration of Joe Biden – who set the strategic defeat of Russia as a core objective of his foreign policy and pledged military support to Ukraine 'for as long as it takes' to achieve victory in the conflict with Russia.
Trump has criticized Biden's approach as costly and harmful to US interests. His administration has resumed high-level talks with Moscow and is working toward mediating an end to the Ukraine conflict, with a stated goal of fostering future economic cooperation.
While expressing optimism about Trump's intentions, Russia has criticized some of his recent actions. Last month, Trump ordered a military operation against Iran in support of Israel's effort to dismantle the Iranian nuclear program – which Moscow condemned as unlawful and highly destabilizing for global security.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Russia and Ukraine carry out latest prisoner swap – MOD (VIDEO)
Russia has returned more of its service members from Ukrainian captivity, while releasing a group of Kiev's soldiers, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said. In a statement on Friday, the ministry said that the exchange was carried out according to the Russian-Ukrainian deal agreement reached on June 2 in Istanbul. Officials, however, did not provide details on how many Russian or Ukrainian soldiers were released. The ministry added that the Russian military personnel are now in Belarus, where they are receiving all the necessary psychological and medical assistance, and will later be taken to Russia for further medical treatment and rehabilitation. According to an RT source, Ukraine also returned two residents of Russia's Kursk Region, located near the Ukrainian border, which Kiev invaded last summer, before being pushed back in late April. Footage shared by the ministry shows around two dozen Russian service members carrying national flags as they board a bus. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky confirmed the exchange, saying that most of the prisoners had been in Russian captivity since 2022 and included personnel from the military, national guard, border and transport services, as well as an undisclosed number of civilians. 'The exchanges must continue, and I thank everyone who ensures this. Ukraine's goal is to free all our people from Russian captivity,' he added. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Macron reveals topics he discussed with Putin
French President Emmanuel Macron said his first phone conversation in nearly three years with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin focused mostly on nuclear non-proliferation, following a series of Israeli and US strikes against Iran. Macron told journalists that the call centered on Iran's nuclear program and the need to preserve the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), according to a video broadcast by BFMTV on Friday. 'I called him first on the Iranian issue and the necessity of maintaining the non-proliferation treaty,' Macron explained. 'It was very important to reach an agreement, because France also bears responsibility for ensuring stability.' The French president described the conversation as 'important for France,' noting that both nations, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, share obligations under the NPT. Following a series of Israeli and US bombings of its nuclear and other strategic sites, Tehran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing it of failing to condemn the attacks on facilities under its supervision. Iran also claimed the UN agency colluded with its adversaries, alleging it had passed the identities of nuclear scientists to Israel, several of whom were later assassinated. According to the Kremlin's readout of the July 1 call, both Putin and Macron emphasized the need to respect Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy while fulfilling its obligations under the non-proliferation treaty. Moscow and Paris also agreed to continue diplomatic engagement to avoid further escalation in the Middle East. Macron also said he could not report any 'progress' on Ukraine in his discussion with Putin, echoing sentiments expressed by US President Donald Trump following his own call with the Russian leader on Thursday. 'We shared our disagreements,' Macron said, insisting that 'there needs to be a ceasefire first, followed by the resumption of negotiations.' He added that Western sanctions, including those already imposed by the EU and new ones proposed by the US Congress, were essential to applying pressure. The Kremlin confirmed that Putin reiterated Russia's view that the Ukraine conflict stems from years of Western disregard for its security concerns. The Russian president maintained that any settlement must be 'comprehensive and long-term,' address the 'root causes' of the crisis, and take into account what Moscow describes as the 'new territorial realities.' Russia and Ukraine resumed Türkiye-hosted talks earlier this year after nearly three years without direct diplomatic contact, following Kiev's withdrawal of its demand for an unconditional ceasefire as a precondition for negotiations. Macron's outreach comes amid a shift in his stance on the conflict. While previously advocating the deployment of French and other NATO troops to Ukraine, the French president has more recently proposed that the EU begin considering a broader dialogue on regional security that includes Russia as part of a potential peace framework.
Russia Today
9 hours ago
- Russia Today
WATCH LIVE: Trump signing Big Beautiful Bill
US President Donald Trump is set to sign a sweeping multitrillion-dollar tax and spending package he dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill' into law. It comes just a day after the legislation was approved in a narrow vote in the US House of Representatives. The signing ceremony is taking place place at the White House on Friday, July 4, during an Independence Day picnic hosted by the US president for military families. The nearly 900-page-long piece of legislation extends the 2017 tax cuts from Trump's first term and temporarily lowers taxes on tips and overtime pay. It also includes hundreds of billions in new spending allocated for the president's border and national security agenda. In particular, it includes funding for the US-Mexico border wall and large-scale deportations of migrants. To partially offset the costs, the bill imposes deep cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, and clean-energy subsidies. Nearly 12 million Americans relying on Medicaid will lose their medical insurance by 2034 and 3 million will lose their eligibility for food stamps, also known as SNAP benefits, as a result of the cuts, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates. The legislation is expected to raise the national debt by $3.3 trillion over the next decade by incurring revenue losses amounting to $4.5 trillion and bringing only $1.2 trillion in spending cuts, the budget office estimated. It also contains a provision increasing the national debt ceiling by $5 trillion to allow further borrowing. The House vote on Thursday, just a day before the July 4 deadline set by Trump, followed a tense 24 hours of internal GOP negotiations. GOP holdouts in the Republican-led House initially blocked a procedural vote on Wednesday. Trump had to personally call lawmakers into the early hours of Thursday to win them over. Only two Republicans – Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania – ended up breaking rank to vote against the legislation. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
