Russia

MOSCOW, February 23. /TASS/: Talks on Ukraine may take place if Western countries and the Kiev regime lay down their arms and stop shelling Russian cities, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said in an interview with TASS.

"If the West and Kiev want to sit down at the negotiating table, they should, above all, stop bombarding Russian cities and lay down their arms. After that, it will be possible to hold a discussion based on new geopolitical realities," the senior diplomat noted.

MOSCOW, February 23. /TASS/: A Russian Su-25 ground attack plane crashed while returning to its airfield in the Belgorod Region, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

"A Su-25 plane of the Russian Aerospace Forces crashed while returning to its airfield in the Belgorod Region after accomplishing a combat mission. The pilot died," the ministry said in a statement.

The plane crashed in a desolate place and there is no destruction on the ground, it specified.

MOSCOW, February 23. /TASS/: The future, like the truth, belongs to Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a conversation with combat veterans on Defender of the Fatherland Day on Thursday.

"I see a group of young men standing behind us. When I delivered address to the Federal Assembly the day before yesterday, my final remarks were that the truth belongs to us. But looking at those guys I want to add - the future, without a doubt, also belongs to us," the president said.

MOSCOW, February. /TASS/: Moscow is studying Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's peace proposals for Ukraine, but it is taking into account the evolving situation "on the ground", Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said in an interview with TASS.

MOSCOW, Feb 23 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia would pay increased attention to boosting its nuclear forces by deploying a much delayed new intercontinental ballistic missile, rolling out hypersonic missiles and adding new nuclear submarines.

A year since ordering the invasion of Ukraine, Putin has signalled he is ready to rip up the architecture of nuclear arms control - including the big powers' moratorium on nuclear testing - unless the West backs off in Ukraine.

MOSCOW, February 22. /TASS/: The Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs on Wednesday recommended to the lower house the adoption of a bill suspending Russia's participation in the Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START, New START).

MOSCOW, February 22. /TASS/: A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and South Ossetian President Alan Gagloyev in Moscow on Wednesday has been postponed after the latter tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"It has been decided to move Wednesday’s scheduled meeting between Vladimir Putin and President of South Ossetia Gagloyev to a later date," Peskov said. "Unfortunately, Gagloyev’s test for COVID-19 returned a positive result."

MOSCOW, February 22. /TASS/: US President Joe Biden dared to make a ‘brave’ visit to Kiev only after obtaining guarantees of security from Russia, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing Wednesday.

"Biden did not dare to visit Kiev without warning Russia and without asking the Russian side to ensure his safety," she noted.

The spokeswoman noted that "the US leader’s visit was staged with drama, but, in reality, resembled a failed stage of in a provincial theater."

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Russia's flagship frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles has arrived in the South African port of Richards Bay for exercises that will include China, Russia's RIA state news agency reported on Wednesday.

South Africa was due to launch the joint exercises on Friday. It calls the drills routine but they have fuelled domestic criticism and fears they could endanger relations with Western partners.

MOSCOW, Feb 22 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that China's Xi Jinping would visit Russia, saying relations had reached "new frontiers" amid U.S. concerns that Beijing could provide material support to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Chinese weapons supplies to Russia would threaten a potential escalation of the Ukraine war into a confrontation between Russia and China on the one side and Ukraine and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance on the other.