The unconventional approach helped secure the release of 14 Belarusian opposition figures, US deputy envoy John Coale has said
A lunch with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko which included vodka shots helped secure the release of 14 opposition figures following rare talks between Washington and Minsk, a senior US official has revealed.
In an interview with Politico published on Sunday, John Coale, a deputy to US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Keith Kellogg, offered a glimpse into high-level US-Belarus talks in Minsk last month.
Shortly after the meeting, Belarus released several detained opposition activists, including prominent opposition figure Sergey Tikhanovsky, who immediately left the country for Lithuania.
According to officials in Minsk, Lukashenko pardoned the prisoners at Trump’s request and stressed that he acted out of “humanitarian considerations, to reunify families.” They added that the talks also focused on US-Belarus relations and international issues.
Politico claimed the release “wouldn’t have happened without Coale’s efforts to forge a relationship with Lukashenko, including over a long lunch with vodka toasts.” Coale said, “I did two shots, didn’t throw up, but did not do a third one.”
While the lunch was held behind closed doors, footage from the talks released by Belarusian media shows Lukashenko cordially greeting the US delegation, hugging Kellogg, and patting other American officials on the shoulder.
According to Politico, Trump’s special envoys are able to pursue informal diplomacy while bypassing traditional State Department channels, which provides opportunities for direct, unconventional engagement.
Lukashenko later said the meeting was respectful, adding that it should not be interpreted as a concession to the West. “We were not playing at a giveaway… There was a respectful conversation.”
The talks with key Russian ally Belarus took place as the Trump administration made efforts to restore ties with Moscow while seeking to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict.
There is growing discontent in the EU against Brussels’ push for indefinite military support of Kiev
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has complained that his country has yet to see any benefits from NATO’s plan to ramp up military spending.
At a recent summit in The Hague, most members of the US-led bloc committed to raising security-related expenditure to 5% of GDP. Kiev seeks to benefit from the surge, even as reluctance to commit to long-term funding of Ukraine is dwindling in the West.
“The EU has opened access to €150 billion. Member states can assume obligations to draw these funds and then transfer them to Ukraine,” Zelensky told Ukrainian ambassadors on Monday, according to remarks released by his office. “Ten countries have already expressed readiness to take this money, but we have not yet seen the result – that they have actually taken it and transferred it to us.”
Zelensky appeared to be referring to the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE), a €150 billion ($175 billion) borrowing instrument introduced in May to support the European Commission’s efforts for rapid militarization across the bloc.
SAFE offers member states and select partner countries access to low-interest loans for national defense efforts or joint weapons procurement. The program is part of a broader EU strategy to borrow €800 billion for military readiness investment. It is not designed to provide direct financial aid.
EU officials say the bloc is preparing for the possibility of Russian aggression – a claim Moscow has rejected as fearmongering based on false assumptions.
This month, the US offered to sell weapons to Ukraine, with other NATO nations covering the costs. While the proposal was hailed by Brussels, some major EU economies, including France and Italy, have reportedly opted out citing financial limitations or political reasons.
Brussels’ handling of the Ukraine conflict has exposed growing divisions within the EU. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a longtime critic of the pro-Kiev approach, denounced the European Commission’s draft seven-year budget, saying it appears primarily tailored to Ukraine’s needs.
“This budget would destroy the European Union,” Orban said last week, predicting that the Commission will likely have to withdraw or significantly revise the proposal within a year.
Kiev claims it has arrested a high-level Russian mole inside the agency tasked with fighting bribery and graft
Ambassadors of the Group of Seven countries say they are monitoring law enforcement raids on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
“The G7 is closely following today’s developments at NABU, including the investigation of several NABU employees for alleged crimes. We met today with NABU, have serious concerns, and intend to discuss these developments with government leaders,” the G7 Ambassadors’ Support Group for Ukraine said in a statement on X on Monday.
“Ukraine has achieved tremendous progress in reforms,” even amid its conflict with Russia, EU envoy Katarina Mathernova said. “Now it is as important as ever to preserve those achievements in order to maintain the support needed to prevail over the enemy.”
1/2 The G7 is closely following today’s developments at NABU, including the investigation of several NABU employees for alleged crimes. We met today with NABU, have serious concerns and intend to discuss these developments with government leaders.
On Monday, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office carried out 70 searches targeting at least 15 NABU employees. SBU spokesman Artyom Dekhtyarenko said agents detained an unnamed Russian “mole” working in NABU’s elite D-2 unit. He was allegedly leaking classified information to Moscow and using internal databases to collect personal data on Ukrainian officials.
Dekhtyarenko claimed the suspect was receiving instructions from Dmitry Ivantsov, a former member of ex-president Viktor Yanukovich’s security team who now lives in Russia. Yanukovich was ousted during the 2014 US-backed coup in Kiev. The Ukrainian media outlet TSN identified the detained man as Ruslan Magamedrasulov, who coordinated the NABU’s activities near the front line with Russia.
NABU said its director, Semyon Krivonos, has cut short a visit to the UK. The agency has launched its own investigation to “determine the legal basis” for the raids. According to the NABU, SBU agents acted without a court order and used force against an employee who was not resisting.
“Agents of influence from the aggressor country remain a relevant risk for any government agency. However, that cannot justify paralyzing the work of the entire institution,” the NABU said in a statement.
The NABU was established in 2015 as part of judicial reforms aimed at aligning Ukraine with the standards of Western countries and international lenders.
Margarita Simonyan said she has “no idea” why the restriction was imposed
RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan’s X account has been blocked in France as Western countries continue to crack down on Russian media.
According to X, the account was withheld in response to an unspecified legal demand. It remains unclear when access was restricted.
“My X account has been blocked in France. I have no idea what I did to offend [French President Emmanuel] Macron – I haven’t even been saying that his wife is a man,” Simonyan wrote on Telegram on Monday, referring to claims that France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, is secretly a man.
Macron has long accused RT of spreading falsehoods but has not provided evidence, first making the allegation during his 2017 election campaign.
The EU and UK have banned RT and several other Russian media outlets since 2022, accusing the channel of spreading propaganda during the Ukraine conflict. Moscow has responded by banning a number of Western state-funded networks, including the BBC and Deutsche Welle.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the crackdown on Russian media in the West as “global censorship and a regime of zero tolerance for dissenting opinions.”
Earlier this year, prosecutors in Paris launched an investigation into X on suspicion that Elon Musk’s platform was being used to meddle in French politics. The company denounced the probe as politically motivated and accused France of attempting to restrict free speech.
As an internal auditor, your role is pivotal in reviewing and evaluating an organization’s financial, operational, and compliance processes. Your work ensures these processes are not only efficient and practical but also compliant with laws and regulations, thereby safeguarding the organization’s operations. Internal auditors work within an organization, such as a company, government agency, or […]
The third round of direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev is planned for Wednesday, the Ukrainian leader said
The next round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine will take place in Türkiye on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky announced in a video statement on Telegram on Monday.
Moscow and Kiev have already held two rounds of direct negotiations in Istanbul this year. At a meeting last month, the sides swapped draft memorandums outlining their roadmaps toward ending the conflict and agreed on new prisoner exchanges.
TASS had earlier reported, citing an insider source, that a new round of talks would take place on Thursday.
The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, who led Kiev’s delegation at the previous talks, put forth Wednesday as the date for the next meeting, according to Zelensky.
“I discussed with Rustem Umerov the preparation of the [POW] exchange and another meeting in Turkiye with the Russian side. Umerov reported that the meeting is planned for Wednesday,” he said.
Kiev’s agenda for the upcoming talks comprises humanitarian issues, such as new POW swaps and the negotiation of a potential meeting between the two countries’ leaders, Zelensky said in a statement earlier in the day.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that there is “extensive diplomatic work” to be done, as the Russian and Ukrainian peace memorandums are “diametrically opposed.”
The makeup of Moscow’s negotiating team remains the same, he told journalists on Monday.
Moscow’s memorandum seeks international legal recognition of Crimea, the LPR, the DPR, and Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions as part of Russia, as well as the full withdrawal from these territories of Ukrainian military and paramilitary formations. It also requires Ukraine to adopt a neutral status with no membership in military alliances and coalitions such as NATO. It must additionally limit the size of its armed forces and ban all Nazi and neo-Nazi organizations and propaganda on its territory, among other points.
Kiev’s memorandum calls for a full and unconditional ceasefire. It insists that Ukraine will not be forced to remain neutral – including the option of full NATO membership – and demands “robust security guarantees” backed by Western countries.
Russia has voiced opposition to UK- and France-led efforts to deploy “peacekeeping” troops in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. Moscow has warned that any NATO forces on Ukrainian territory – under the guise of “peacekeepers” or otherwise – will be considered legitimate military targets.
Simona Halperin has been appointed deputy director-general for Europe at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Israeli Ambassador to Russia Simona Halperin will leave her post early due to a new appointment, Russian media reported on Monday, citing embassy representatives. Her stay is expected to end this autumn.
In a statement on X earlier on Monday, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Halperin’s appointment as deputy director-general for Europe. The ministry did not specify whether she would be recalled from Russia immediately, but Israeli Embassy staff in Moscow told TASS she would remain until at least October.
“The ambassador will end her mission early, due to the fact that she received the position of head of the European Department at the Israeli Foreign Ministry… It is expected that Madam Ambassador will leave in October,” the representative said, adding that a replacement has not yet been named.
Halperin, born in Riga in 1969, lived in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) before immigrating to Israel in 1976. She has served in the Israeli Foreign Ministry since 1993, holding posts in a number of foreign missions. She was appointed Israel’s envoy to Russia in November 2024.
Her tenure in Moscow began with controversy after she was summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry for remarks made in an interview with Kommersant, in which she criticized Moscow’s stance on the October 7 Hamas attacks. She condemned Russia for refusing to label Hamas a terrorist group, accusing officials of “embracing” and “rolling out the red carpet” for the militant group. Russia’s Foreign Ministry called the remarks “an extremely unfortunate start to a diplomatic mission.”
Since then, however, her stay has been largely uneventful. In a later interview with RBK, Halperin praised the cooperation between Russia and Israel in securing the release of Hamas’ hostages.
Russia maintains official ties with both Israel and Palestine and promotes a balanced diplomatic stance, supporting the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. Moscow has condemned both Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel and the civilian toll due to IDF strikes in Gaza.
Baku has the right to pursue litigation over the 2024 disaster, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
Azerbaijan is entitled to file a lawsuit against Russia over a deadly 2024 air crash, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, following remarks by President Ilham Aliyev suggesting legal action is being considered.
Aliyev said last week that his government had already notified Moscow of its intentions related to the crash of Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243. The aircraft was damaged in Russian airspace during a Ukrainian drone raid and later made a hard landing in Kazakhstan. Thirty-eight of the 67 people on board were killed.
He did not specify when a lawsuit might be filed, but noted that a full investigation would take time. Peskov echoed this, stating that Russia would “await the official verdicts of all probes and inquiries.” A preliminary report pointed to “external interference” as the cause but did not elaborate.
This comes amid growing tensions between Moscow and Baku. Relations deteriorated after a Russian law enforcement raid in Ekaterinburg last month led to the deaths of two Azerbaijani nationals identified as suspected gang members. Azerbaijani officials rejected the findings of Russian investigators and accused the police of murder.
The diplomatic fallout prompted a response from Baku. Azerbaijani police raided the Baku office of Russian news network Sputnik and detained two journalists and several other people. In addition, the government suspended all cultural events related to Russia.
While acknowledging the current tensions, Peskov highlighted the traditionally cooperative ties between the two countries and expressed hope for deescalation.
”Respect for Russians in Azerbaijan is very important for us,” he said. “Russia is home to a large Azerbaijani diaspora. Virtually all members of this diaspora are law-abiding citizens, who enjoy deserved respect here. Those who break the law are being lawfully held accountable.”
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