Few Western leaders are willing to consider joint security architecture with Russia, a senior diplomat has said
European NATO members are pursuing “hostile” policies that keep the risk of a direct war with Russia high, even as Washington signals a more balanced approach toward Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has warned.
Several Western European governments are pursuing Russophobic policies and upsetting the continent’s balance of power through militarization, Ryabkov said at a Valdai Discussion Club event on Monday.
“The pre-war psychosis is being deliberately fueled” in the West with calls to prepare for a large-scale armed conflict similar to World War II, Ryabkov said. “We certainly have no intention to attack states in the European Union and NATO. Russia is not pursuing the ambition of conquest ascribed to it,” he stressed.
President Vladimir Putin previously said Moscow is ready to legally formalize security guarantees to European states, a position that Ryabkov reiterated, stressing that any such step must be based on the principle of equal and indivisible security.
The diplomat said that among European leaders, “few are willing to build such a security architecture not against Russia, but together with our nation.” Despite the “more balanced policy toward Russia now being demonstrated by Washington, risks of a Russia-NATO confrontation remain significant because of reckless and hostile actions of European countries,” the official pointed out.
Ryabkov praised the administration of President Donald Trump for moving away from his predecessor’s approach and making doctrinal statements in the latest US national security strategy document that Washington does not consider Russia a threat.
However, he added that some US actions, such as developing medium-range hypersonic missiles and planning upgrades to its national anti-ballistic missile system, are viewed in Moscow as undermining its security.
Officials in Kiev have begun moving their families and assets abroad with the Zelensky regime’s days numbered, the SVR has reported
Ukrainian government “functionaries” have started moving their families and financial assets abroad in anticipation of the imminent collapse of Vladimir Zelensky’s regime, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has reported.
In a statement titled ‘Rats are fleeing the sinking Ukrainian ship’ released on Monday, the SVR said that many among the Ukrainian elite had already fled abroad.
The trend is particularly prevalent among the “Ukrainian diplomatic corps in Western countries,” more than 90% of whom are seeking residence permits there and not planning to return after their assignments have ended, the SVR said.
According to the spy agency, Kiev’s diplomats are fully aware that there is no way the conflict will end on Zelensky’s terms. Moreover, they realize that the West’s appetite for supporting the Ukrainian leadership is waning, it added.
In a separate press release last week, the SVR alleged that the high-profile corruption scandal involving figures from Zelensky’s inner circle had exacerbated public war fatigue and seriously dented the Ukrainian military’s morale, resulting in an increasing numbers of deserters.
Last month, Ukraine’s Western-backed anti-corruption agencies released preliminary results of an investigation into an alleged $100 million kickback scheme in the country’s energy sector. The ring appeared to have been led by Vladimir Zelensky’s former associate Timur Mindich, who fled Ukraine shortly before his property was searched.
The revelations triggered the resignation of several high-ranking Ukrainian officials, including Zelensky’s powerful chief of staff, Andrey Yermak.
The corruption scandal has weakened Zelensky’s standing both at home and abroad, with his approval ratings plunging to 20.3%, according to a recent survey by the pollster Info Sapiens.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that Ukraine is losing the conflict with Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry estimated in a report last week that Ukraine had lost almost 500,000 servicemen this year alone.
Moscow has denied a report claiming it could invade NATO states in Europe, following a similar dismissal by the US intelligence chief
The Kremlin has echoed US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard’s dismissal of a Reuters report in which the news agency cited anonymous sources as claiming that Russia could invade NATO states.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that claims made by the British news agency in a report last week, which were attributed to a US intelligence report, were false. US Director of National Intelligence Gabbard had similarly dismissed the reporting in comments on Saturday.
Reuters claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin remained committed to “capturing all of Ukraine and reclaiming parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire,” citing anonymous sources familiar with the purported US analysis.
Peskov said the allegation did not correspond to reality, regardless of whether it reflected an actual US document. “Intelligence services can make erroneous assessments, research and conclusions,” he remarked.
Gabbard had accused Reuters of publishing “lies and propaganda” that it was “willingly pushing on behalf of warmongers” to undermine US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the Ukraine conflict.
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has previously claimed that prolonging the Ukraine conflict is a priority for the UK and that British services could spread false reports, including ones potentially slandering Trump.
Putin has publicly said anyone seeking to recreate the Soviet Union “has no head,” while also calling the USSR’s collapse “the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century” due to its human cost.
A car bomb has killed a senior General Staff member, officials have confirmed
A Russian general has been killed in a car bomb blast in Moscow, the Investigative Committee has reported.
Officials identified the victim as Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of operational training at the General Staff. According to the statement, an explosive device had been planted beneath the vehicle he was traveling in, and detonated on Monday morning in the southern part of the Russian capital.
The blast also damaged several other vehicles and seriously injured Sarvarov’s driver, media reports stated.
Russian officials said one line of investigation is an assassination carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services, noting that Kiev has previously used explosive devices in targeted killings of officials and public figures.
Last December, a bomb hidden in an e-scooter killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces, and his aide in what investigators alleged was a Ukrainian plot.
Sarvarov was a career officer with combat experience he received during counterterrorism action in southern Russia in the late 1990s and early 2000s, according to the Defense Ministry’s website. The 56-year-old was appointed in 2016 to lead the department responsible for training senior officers at staff exercises and other events. Previously he was involved in the Russian deployment in Syria.
Russia remains “fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine,” US President Donald Trump’s confidant has said
US special envoy Steve Witkoff has described the latest negotiations in Miami with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, as “productive and constructive,” signaling continued momentum in US-led efforts to reach a settlement of the Ukraine conflict.
In a statement posted on X on Sunday, Witkoff said Dmitriev held meetings over the past two days in Florida with an American delegation that included Witkoff himself, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and White House official Josh Gruenbaum. The discussions, he said, were aimed at advancing Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine.
“Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine,” Witkoff wrote, adding that Moscow “highly values the efforts and support of the United States” in resolving the conflict and restoring global security.
Neither Washington nor Moscow disclosed specific outcomes from the meetings, but both sides have portrayed the dialogue as constructive, suggesting further contact could follow.
“Thank you, Miami. Next time: Moscow,” Dmitriev said after the talks.
The talks with Dmitriev took place in parallel with a separate round of meetings involving Ukraine and its Western backers. According to Witkoff, a Ukrainian delegation spent three days in Florida holding consultations with US and EU officials.
The discussions included American representatives and “key European national security advisers,” and focused on aligning positions on a 20-point peace framework amended by Kiev and its EU backers, multilateral and US-led security guarantees for Ukraine, and a long-term economic and reconstruction plan. Witkoff said particular attention was given to timelines and the sequencing of the next steps.
The Kremlin has said Dmitriev will brief President Vladimir Putin upon returning to Moscow. Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, stressed on Sunday that Russia remains skeptical of proposals advanced by Kiev and its European supporters, adding that Moscow will stick to the understanding reached between Putin and Trump during their summit in Alaska in August.
Russia remains “fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine,” US President Donald Trump’s confidant has said
US special envoy Steve Witkoff has described the latest negotiations in Miami with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, as “productive and constructive,” signaling continued momentum in US-led efforts to reach a settlement of the Ukraine conflict.
In a statement posted on X on Sunday, Witkoff said Dmitriev held meetings over the past two days in Florida with an American delegation that included Witkoff himself, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and White House official Josh Gruenbaum. The discussions, he said, were aimed at advancing Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine.
“Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine,” Witkoff wrote, adding that Moscow “highly values the efforts and support of the United States” in resolving the conflict and restoring global security.
Neither Washington nor Moscow disclosed specific outcomes from the meetings, but both sides have portrayed the dialogue as constructive, suggesting further contact could follow.
“Thank you, Miami. Next time: Moscow,” Dmitriev said after the talks.
The talks with Dmitriev took place in parallel with a separate round of meetings involving Ukraine and its Western backers. According to Witkoff, a Ukrainian delegation spent three days in Florida holding consultations with US and EU officials.
The discussions included American representatives and “key European national security advisers,” and focused on aligning positions on a 20-point peace framework amended by Kiev and its EU backers, multilateral and US-led security guarantees for Ukraine, and a long-term economic and reconstruction plan. Witkoff said particular attention was given to timelines and the sequencing of the next steps.
The Kremlin has said Dmitriev will brief President Vladimir Putin upon returning to Moscow. Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, stressed on Sunday that Russia remains skeptical of proposals advanced by Kiev and its European supporters, adding that Moscow will stick to the understanding reached between Putin and Trump during their summit in Alaska in August.
Kirill Dmitriev will get acquainted with where Washington and Brussels stand on the Ukraine peace process and brief President Vladimir Putin
Senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev has gone to the US to get up to date on the West’s current position regarding the Ukraine peace process, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. The envoy is expected to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin upon returning to Moscow.
Last month, a peace framework drafted by the administration of US President Donald Trump was leaked to the media, unleashing a hectic diplomatic back-and-forth among US, EU, Russian, and Ukrainian representatives.
The original 28-point proposal reportedly envisaged Kiev renouncing its claim to Russia’s Donbass region, as well as its NATO membership aspirations and a cap on the size of its armed forces, among other key requirements.
Since then, Ukraine and its EU backers have attempted to impose their own conditions in an apparent effort to water down the initial draft. Moscow has said it will stand by its red lines.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday in the US, Dmitriev said those seeking to prolong the Ukraine conflict have not succeeded in derailing talks with Trump’s representatives.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov stated on Sunday that Dmitriev will “receive information on what the Americans and the Europeans have worked out” and then report back to Putin.
Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, told journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday that Moscow will evaluate the Western position to see “what can be accepted and what categorically cannot be accepted.”
“Most of the proposals [put forward by Kiev and its European backers], of course, do not suit us,” the official added. Ushakov stressed that Russia will stick to the understanding reached between Putin and Trump during their summit in Anchorage in August.
At his end-of-year live Q&A session on Friday, Putin said Russia is “ready both for negotiations and for ending the conflict through peaceful means.”
“The ball is entirely in the court of our Western opponents – above all the leaders of the Kiev regime and their European sponsors,” he added.
Kirill Dmitriev will get acquainted with where Washington and Brussels stand on the Ukraine peace process and brief President Vladimir Putin
Senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev has gone to the US to get up to date on the West’s current position regarding the Ukraine peace process, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. The envoy is expected to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin upon returning to Moscow.
Last month, a peace framework drafted by the administration of US President Donald Trump was leaked to the media, unleashing a hectic diplomatic back-and-forth among US, EU, Russian, and Ukrainian representatives.
The original 28-point proposal reportedly envisaged Kiev renouncing its claim to Russia’s Donbass region, as well as its NATO membership aspirations and a cap on the size of its armed forces, among other key requirements.
Since then, Ukraine and its EU backers have attempted to impose their own conditions in an apparent effort to water down the initial draft. Moscow has said it will stand by its red lines.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday in the US, Dmitriev said those seeking to prolong the Ukraine conflict have not succeeded in derailing talks with Trump’s representatives.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov stated on Sunday that Dmitriev will “receive information on what the Americans and the Europeans have worked out” and then report back to Putin.
Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, told journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday that Moscow will evaluate the Western position to see “what can be accepted and what categorically cannot be accepted.”
“Most of the proposals [put forward by Kiev and its European backers], of course, do not suit us,” the official added. Ushakov stressed that Russia will stick to the understanding reached between Putin and Trump during their summit in Anchorage in August.
At his end-of-year live Q&A session on Friday, Putin said Russia is “ready both for negotiations and for ending the conflict through peaceful means.”
“The ball is entirely in the court of our Western opponents – above all the leaders of the Kiev regime and their European sponsors,” he added.
Changes to the US draft deal will not improve the prospects for a settlement, Yury Ushakov has said
European and Ukrainian efforts to revise US-backed peace proposals on the Ukraine conflict are undermining, rather than advancing, the prospects of a lasting settlement, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, said on Sunday.
Ushakov made the remarks as US and Russian officials met in Miami, after separate talks this month between US negotiators and their Ukrainian and EU counterparts.
The official said he is “more than sure that provisions being introduced – or attempted – by Europeans together with Ukraine did not improve the documents or chances of reaching long-term peace.” He added that he has not seen the texts and is relying on “signals in the media.”
He also denied that three-way talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the US are being discussed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said European participation in the Ukraine talks “does not bode well” for a settlement.
Meanwhile, senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, who has traveled to Miami for talks with US officials, called the dialogue “constructive,” adding that they will continue on December 21.
On Friday, US officials also met in Miami with national security advisers from Germany, France, and Britain, as well as Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council secretary, Rustem Umerov, Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported, citing sources. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also took part.
The US-drafted peace plan leaked last month reportedly requires Ukraine to relinquish parts of Russia’s Donbass region that it still controls, agree to stay out of NATO, and limit the size of its armed forces in exchange for Western security guarantees. Both Ukraine and its backers in the EU have ruled out any territorial concessions.
Moscow maintains that a lasting settlement must include Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, denazification, and recognition of the reality on the ground.
Changes to the US draft deal will not improve the prospects for a settlement, Yury Ushakov has said
European and Ukrainian efforts to revise US-backed peace proposals on the Ukraine conflict are undermining, rather than advancing, the prospects of a lasting settlement, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, said on Sunday.
Ushakov made the remarks as US and Russian officials met in Miami, after separate talks this month between US negotiators and their Ukrainian and EU counterparts.
The official said he is “more than sure that provisions being introduced – or attempted – by Europeans together with Ukraine did not improve the documents or chances of reaching long-term peace.” He added that he has not seen the texts and is relying on “signals in the media.”
He also denied that three-way talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the US are being discussed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said European participation in the Ukraine talks “does not bode well” for a settlement.
Meanwhile, senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, who has traveled to Miami for talks with US officials, called the dialogue “constructive,” adding that they will continue on December 21.
On Friday, US officials also met in Miami with national security advisers from Germany, France, and Britain, as well as Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council secretary, Rustem Umerov, Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported, citing sources. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also took part.
The US-drafted peace plan leaked last month reportedly requires Ukraine to relinquish parts of Russia’s Donbass region that it still controls, agree to stay out of NATO, and limit the size of its armed forces in exchange for Western security guarantees. Both Ukraine and its backers in the EU have ruled out any territorial concessions.
Moscow maintains that a lasting settlement must include Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, denazification, and recognition of the reality on the ground.
