News about Russia
Rosselkhoznadzor imposes temporary restrictions on the import of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green crops and strawberries originating and shipped from Armenia from May 30, 2026 “until the development of an appropriate algorithm to ensure the safety of shipped products”.
Today, May 28 in Astana, President of Kazakhstan Kasym-Jomart Tokayev and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in Kazakhstan on a state visit, signed a joint statement “On the seven foundations of friendship and good-neighborliness of the peoples of Kazakhstan and Russia”.
The EU has decided not yet to appoint a representative for possible talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted that the conflict in Ukraine might end only in ten years and expressed hope that by that time Ukraine would retain its independence and sovereignty.
European businesses that have remained in Russia have cooled sharply in their assessments of the immediate future of the Russian economy. Whereas a year ago half of the companies believed in growth, now only 17% do. At the same time, the number of those who expect the situation to worsen has almost doubled.
The Lithuanian Prosecutor General’s Office reports that unknown persons have copied 600,000 records from the database of the Center for State Registers. It is suspected to be a Russian intelligence operation.
The European Union has officially cut off access to the digital ruble and Russian-linked cryptocurrency platforms. On May 24, the 20th package of EU sanctions came into force, which for the first time imposes large-scale restrictions against Russian cryptoinfrastructure.
European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Valdis Dombrovskis said Russia is using the crisis in the Middle East to make profits, but the EU will not relax the sanctions regime for the sake of cheaper oil or gas supplies. Even in the face of global energy fluctuations.
A US official will visit the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) for the first time in several years. Rodney Mims Cook, head of the US Federal Commission of Fine Arts, will come to St. Petersburg this year.
Russia has transferred nuclear warheads to warehouses in Belarus as part of a major nuclear exercise: this was confirmed by defense agencies both in Moscow and Minsk.
The European Commission has faced mounting pressure from a number of European politicians and EU countries after it postponed without explanation the publication of a bill to completely ban Russian oil imports.
Recently, UAVs have been appearing more and more frequently near the borders of the Baltic States. Since the beginning of the month, the airspace of the Baltic States and Finland has already been violated six times by real or suspected drones, which is a cause for concern for all European countries.
From September 1, a new training profile “artificial intelligence” will appear in the curriculum of Russian schools, which will be taught as part of the subject “computer science”.
In the 2026/27 season, Ukraine will increase sunflower production, sunflower oil production and exports after a weaker 2025/26 marketing season. However, Russia is still ahead of Ukraine and will retain its status as the largest sunflower oil producer in the world. This is evidenced by the USDA forecast.
The Kremlin announced on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Beijing on May 19-20 to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss deepening bilateral cooperation and addressing key international issues. The leaders are expected to sign a joint statement and a number of agreements during the visit.
Russia will not be able to annex all of Ukraine. But Kiev will lose control over part of the country’s territory. As it happened with Finland as a result of the Soviet-Finnish “Winter War”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree simplifying the acquisition of Russian citizenship for residents of Transnistria. The document was published on the official legal information portal of the Russian Federation.
The UK has announced the introduction of a new package of sanctions against Russia, calling it “one of the toughest” in the entire period of London’s sanctions policy. Eighty-five individuals and legal entities that the British authorities link to information campaigns and support for Russian actions abroad have fallen under the restrictions.
The European Union intends to hold a meeting of foreign ministers of member states by the end of May to determine the topics and formats of possible negotiations with Russia. This was announced by the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, on 11 May.
US President Donald Trump has said he would like to see a “significant extension” of the ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
