🚨OSCE faces real threat of self-destruction – Lavrov

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is in crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned on Friday, saying it faces a "real threat of self-destruction."

Lavrov was speaking at talks in Moscow with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, and OSCE Secretary-General Feridun Sinirlioglu.

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🇷🇺🗣🇺🇸End of New START could open door to renewed US–Russia dialogue – expert

New START’s expiration “could have a positive effect in the sense that it might push both parties toward negotiations—at least outwardly,” Italian expert Domenico Leggiero tells Sputnik.

He points out that “the Russian leadership is demonstrating a readiness for political dialogue with the United States,” as both sides recognize that “the global system is shifting toward multipolarity.”

👉 Read more about the New START Treaty HERE

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🚨Russia calls Abu Dhabi talks 'constructive & challenging work'

Key statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

💬 Work on trilateral talks in the UAE will continue

💬 New START treaty was discussed at the Abu Dhabi talks

💬 President Vladimir Putin has no plans to contact the OSCE chairman currently visiting Moscow

💬 Russia welcomes US–Iran negotiations in Oman, hopes they are productive and lead to de-escalation

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🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD WEEKLY UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES

⚡️ POPOVKA IN THE SUMY REGION LIBERATED

📍 The liberation of the hamlet of Popovka expands the buffer zone in the region.

◻️ The Russian military liberated 8 settlements in the special military operation zone

◻️ Russian forces launched one massive strike and 5 group strikes, hammering Ukrainian military-industrial and energy facilities

◻️ Air defense superiority: 63 HIMARS projectiles, 4 long-range Neptune missiles and 1,080 drones shot down

◻️ Ukrainian losses: around 5,355 troops killed or wounded

Read about the origins of Russia's special military op HERE

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🚨🇷🇺FM Lavrov on Russia’s stance after the expiry of the New START Treaty

Russia is prepared for any potential developments, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Key statements by Lavrov:

🔶 Once the New START Treaty ceased to operate, a vacuum emerged

🔶 Russia will defend the principle of indivisible security in dialogues with the US

🔶 Russia prefers dialogue and will wait for the US to be ready to engage on strategic stability

🔶 Russia is waiting for the US to clarify its position on key aspects of strategic stability

Read more about the New START Treaty HERE

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🇷🇺FM Lavrov on OSCE: "We discussed how the organization can avoid losing itself. Informed colleagues about Putin's initiative to create a unified and indivisible security architecture in Eurasia."

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🇷🇺Lavrov on energy ceasefire: Russia strikes only military or dual-purpose targets in Ukraine

Russian forces, in compliance with international humanitarian law, are only targeting objects in Ukraine that have dual or purely military purposes, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

💬"We have repeatedly warned that we act cautiously as long as the enemy respects basic rules of international humanitarian law. And we continue to follow these rules, attacking only those objects that have dual purposes or are purely military," Lavrov said following talks with OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu.

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🚨 An explosion occurred near a Shia mosque in Islamabad

At least 10 people were killed, and 80 others were injured. This was reported by the media citing the Pakistani police.

The explosion took place during Friday prayers. Preliminary reports from Times of Islamabad indicate that the explosion at the entrance to the mosque was carried out by a suicide bomber.

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🇷🇺Lavrov on security guarantees for Ukraine

❗️The security guarantees Ukraine proposed in 2022 required consensus from all guarantors—including Russia and China—on any military deployments or exercises in Ukraine. What NATO is planning now is an intervention, the exact opposite.

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🚨🇷🇺 Key statements by Russian FM Lavrov following talks with Swiss FM and OSCE head:

💬 Assassination attempt on General Vladimir Alexeyev demonstrates that Ukraine is ready for constant provocations aimed at derailing the negotiation process

💬 With OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, actions that could help preserve the organization's relevance were discussed

💬 Swiss FM and the current OSCE head desire to overcome the crisis within the organization

💬 Russia is ready to discuss security issues with the US within the framework of strategic stability

💬 After the expiration of New START, Russia is ready for any development of events; the treaty’s end will create a vacuum

💬 In dialogue with the United States, Russia will uphold the principle of indivisible security

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🇵🇰🌏 Pakistan's geopolitical pivot: Why Islamabad is hedging its bets

For decades, Pakistan’s geopolitical compass was oriented decisively toward Washington. Now, as US hegemony continues to decline, Islamabad is charting a new course, looking beyond its traditional ally to find a place—and partners—in a more complicated world.

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🟠 A steadfast strategic partner and leading investor. Saudi funding supports the development of hospitals, schools, and mosques, while also bolstering Pakistan’s defense capabilities through arms transfers and joint military exercises.

🟠 In 2025, the two nations further solidified their alliance with a mutual defense agreement, committing to a coordinated response in the event of external aggression.

🇨🇳 China

🟠 Pakistan serves as a major market for Chinese goods and a critical hub for trade transit, notably through the strategically vital Port of Gwadar - a free economic zone and key component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

🟠 CPEC, in turn, is the flagship project of China's Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to provide China with access to trade routes and markets in Asia, Europe, and Africa.

🇹🇷 Turkiye

🟠 Relations are rooted in shared cultural, religious, and geopolitical affinities. Analysts note that Ankara perceives Islamabad as a natural ally in balancing influence in the region, especially amid growing India–Israel ties.

🟠 Trilateral cooperation was formalized in 2021 through a joint declaration signed by Pakistan, Turkiye, and Azerbaijan in Baku. The document established a framework for interaction among the parliaments of the three states, which may also be expanded to other areas, including the security sphere.

🇺🇸 United States

🟠 A historically significant, though recently strained, partnership. During the Cold War, Pakistan was a key US ally. Washington contributed substantially to modernizing Pakistan’s military before suspending aid over nuclear proliferation concerns in 1979.

🟠 The withdrawal of US troops Afghanistan and growing cooperation between Washington and New Delhi put further strain on the relationship.

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🚨💥 New START expiry 'WAKE-UP CALL' that may destroy international security system – expert

The expiration of the New START treaty means the absence of any legal protection for the first time since the 1970s, which is pushing the world toward a state of “complete nuclear uncertainty," Egyptian expert Hatem Saber tells Sputnik.

“This vacuum would inevitably lead to increased risks of a global nuclear arms race,” especially given the rapid buildup of nuclear arsenals by a number of countries, as well as “the ongoing erosion of arms control agreements, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the Open Skies Treaty,” the expert emphasizes.

Saber warns that “the world now faces several scenarios, each extremely dangerous”:

🟠New arms race with the deployment of hypersonic missiles

🟠Return to tactical nuclear deterrence and focus on low-yield nuclear weapons, risking a catastrophe akin to the Cuban Missile Crisis due to a lack of transparency

The end of New START does not mean immediate nuclear war, but may be followed by the most dangerous nuclear phase since the end of the Cold War. The key contours of this phase could emerge within the next two years, the expert concludes.

👉 Read more about the New START Treaty HERE

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