Inside Russia-Outside Russia is a news insight by the Federation of the Russian Embassy in Bangladesh on 27.02.25
Dhaka February 27 2025:
INSIDE RUSSIA
Interest to relocate to Russia rising among citizens of unfriendly countries
Yevgeny Primakov noted that currently, many people residing abroad view Russia as a haven of sanity, stability and normal life
MOSCOW, February 26. /TASS/. More and more citizens from unfriendly countries are showing an interest in relocating to Russia, head of Russia’s Agency for International Humanitarian Cooperation Yevgeny Primakov said.
Speaking at a TASS press conference on immigration issues and the two-year results of “The Way Home” relocation center, he noted that, among other reasons, the increased interest is due to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decree on providing humanitarian support to individuals who share traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.
Primakov added that currently, many people residing abroad view Russia as a haven of sanity, stability and normal life.
“We are holding individual and group consultations – last year, there were about 500 of them, – for our compatriots in 38 countries on relocating to Russia. Both in an in-person format, in our Russian Houses, and in an online format, information is shared about benefits provided to the participants of the state relocation program,” the official stressed.
He added that in the future, a digital service will streamline the relocation and repatriation process.
Russia opposes NATO troop deployment to Ukraine
French and British suggestions that NATO peacekeepers could be sent to Ukraine are meant to heat up the conflict, the foreign minister said
Moscow is not considering the possibility of a NATO peacekeeping force being deployed to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a press conference in Qatar on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump had previously claimed that he had discussed the issue of “some form of peacekeeping” with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Speaking after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump claimed that Putin had “no problem” with the idea as long as it’s “acceptable to everybody.”
Lavrov, however, stated that the Russian side has not been consulted on the matter.
“We cannot consider any options. I don’t know what Macron said, but Trump… said that the decision to deploy peacekeeping forces is possible only with the consent of both parties, apparently meaning us and Ukraine. No one has asked us about this,” Lavrov said.
He went on to say that the idea of deploying foreign troops to Ukraine is being pushed by “the Europeans, primarily France and also the British,” and suggested that this is being done to “further heat up the conflict and stop any attempts to calm it down.”
Lavrov also claimed that the EU is intentionally seeking to derail the Ukraine peace process, pointing to Brussels’ recent announcement of new military aid packages for Kiev, as well as their continued encouragement for Ukrainian forces to keep fighting. He added that Macron’s demands to introduce an urgent ceasefire before negotiating any form of settlement of the conflict is “deceit” and only aims to “pump Ukraine with weapons again.”
The foreign minister insisted that any discussions about a peacekeeping force in Ukraine are “empty” and that the main priority right now should be to resolve the underlying issues of the conflict – including the attempts to drag Kiev into NATO in order to deploy Western military infrastructure to the country which could be aimed at Russia.
On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also dismissed Trump’s claim that Russia would accept NATO troops in Ukraine as part of a peace deal. He stressed that any sort of presence of armed forces from NATO countries, even under the EU flag, is “completely unacceptable.”
Russia’s envoy to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, has stated that Moscow would only ever accept a foreign troop deployment to Ukraine as part of a UN Security Council mandate.
“’Peacekeepers’ cannot operate without a mandate from the UN Security Council,” he said in an interview earlier this month, adding that any other military contingents on the ground would be treated as regular combatants.
OUTSIDE RUSSIA
Russia is a ‘reliable partner’ – Guinea-Bissau leader — RT Africa
Guinea-Bissau’s president has discussed cooperation with Russia during the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin
Bissau-Guinean President Umaro Sissoco Embalo lauded Russia as “a reliable partner” during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday.
“We thank you for increasing the quota for our military personnel, police officers, and students. Some [Russian] companies are also interested in developing relations with Guinea-Bissau. We [Russia and Guinea-Bissau] are reliable partners,” Embalo said.
Trade between Russia and African countries grew by 10% in 2024, Putin announced during the meeting. He emphasized the need for stronger economic ties between Russia and Africa and expressed hope for accelerating growth, citing solid foundations and promising opportunities. The Russian president noted increasing interest from Russian companies in African markets.
Speaking to RT, Andrey Maslov, head of the Center for African Studies at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, stated that Guinea-Bissau, a fast-growing West African economy with 5-6% annual GDP growth, seeks investment and infrastructure development. The country exports cashew nuts, seafood, timber, and high-quality hibiscus, though these industries remain in early commercialization stages.
According to Maslov, Bissau’s regional ties are also significant. “Its neighbors – Guinea and Senegal – are among Africa’s fastest-growing economies and are priority partners for developing trade and economic ties,” he said.
The meeting follows the signing of a memorandum on economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two nations. The Russian Ministry of Economic Development announced on Wednesday that the agreement had been signed by Russian Minister of Economy Maxim Reshetnikov and Guinea-Bissau’s minister of economy, planning, and regional integration, Soares Sambu.
“The memorandum will allow Russia and our colleagues from Guinea-Bissau to maintain a regular and constructive dialogue between the business communities of our countries on issues of trade development, elimination of obstacles to the free movement of goods and services, as well as modernization of the regulatory framework in the economic sphere,” Reshetnikov stated.
In late January, Putin and Embalo held a phone conversation to discuss trade, investment, and humanitarian cooperation. This followed the Bissau-Guinean leader’s visit to Moscow on May 9 last year, which was the third time he came to Russia.
Lavrov announces new round of Russia-US talks
The high-level meeting will be held in Istanbul this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said
High-level diplomats from Russia and the US are set to meet this week to discuss the operations of their respective embassies, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
Lavrov made the remarks on Wednesday at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, specifying that the meeting will take place in Istanbul, Türkiye, on February 27 and will focus on normalizing the work of both countries’ embassies. The outcome of the upcoming talks would determine how “quickly and effectively we can move forward,” the diplomat added.
The two sides are expected to address “systemic issues” stemming from the “previous US administration’s unlawful actions to create artificial obstacles” for the Russian embassy’s operations, according to Lavrov.
Russia and the US have a lengthy history of diplomatic tensions, including mutual expulsions of embassy staff even before the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. A major flashpoint came in late 2016 when the administration of President Barack Obama restricted Russian diplomats’ access to residences in New York and Maryland, later seizing additional Russian properties.
Tensions escalated further under President Joe Biden, leading to operational restrictions on embassies in both countries, significantly affecting diplomatic staffing and overall embassy functions.
Since 2023, the US diplomatic mission in Russia has been headed by Ambassador Lynne Tracy. Russia’s former ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, stepped down from his post in October 2024. Some Russian media outlets have since reported that the Foreign Ministry has nominated Aleksandr Darchiev, head of its North American Department, for the position. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RIA Novosti this month that Moscow has put forward a candidate but has yet to receive Washington’s approval.
The development comes on the heels of high-level Russia-US talks in Saudi Arabia on February 18, where both nations agreed to work towards ending the Ukraine conflict and improving diplomatic and economic ties. Lavrov described the meeting in Riyadh as a first step toward rebuilding relations, stressing that Moscow and Washington need to “clean up the legacy” left by the Biden administration. Lavrov said that a swift appointment of ambassadors in Washington and Moscow would be an important step toward restoring full-scale cooperation.
Lavrov in Qatar speaks out on new US talks, frozen Russian assets
According to the foreign minister, Russian and US diplomats are set to meet in Istanbul on February 27
DOHA, February 26. /TASS/. Russia is waiting for Europeans to stop lying that Moscow is refusing to engage in talks on Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a news conference as he wrapped up his trip to Qatar.
He also said the issue of frozen Russian assets will not disappear from the Ukraine settlement agenda.
According to the minister, Russian and US diplomats are set to meet in Istanbul on February 27 to discuss the work of the two countries’ embassies.
TASS has put together key statements by Lavrov.
Talks with the US
On February 27, Russian and American diplomats will meet in Istanbul to discuss problems in the work of the two countries’ embassies, which stacked up as a result of “illegal activities” of the previous US administration, which Moscow had to reciprocate by creating “uncomfortable conditions” for the work of the US embassy. The meeting in Istanbul will make it clear “how fast and efficiently the sides can move forward.”
The issue of frozen Russian assets is unrelated to the operation of the embassies. It will not disappear from the agenda of settling the conflict in Ukraine.
“As for our assets, which have been stolen primarily by Europeans, no, you know, there has been no talk about it. But I have no doubts that this issue will not disappear as part of the settlement.
Rare earth metals
When Russia and the US met in Riyadh, they didn’t discuss cooperation in rare earth metals, but the sides said “it is necessary to remove contrived obstacles to the development of mutually beneficial economic and other ties.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to foreign investors to work together on rare earth metals implies “the entire territory of the Russian Federation in full compliance with its Constitution,” including the new regions.
Ukrainian conflict
Russia is waiting for Europeans to stop “lying that Russia blocks negotiations.” Europe is advancing a “hopelessly outdated and failed” policy on Ukraine and is pushing Kiev to continue fighting.
“When the political balance of power regarding Ukraine changes, as was evident in the United Nations vote, Europe immediately tries to undermine this trend, announcing new large military aid packages to Kiev, pushing it to continue fighting, and openly stating, as I think the Danish prime minister did, that peace is worse than war for Ukraine in this situation.”
Moscow believes that “the best aid from those who sincerely want to help resolve the conflict is to come to realize what caused it.”
Russia is not considering any options that involve a deployment of European peacekeepers in Ukraine.
“The approach that is being imposed by the Europeans, first of all France and the British, is aimed <…> at heating up the conflict further and stopping any attempts to calm it down.”
“Tricks” like a deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine will not do it. It is needed to look at the root causes of the conflict.
One of the reasons, “which the West has been downplaying and now continues to play down,” is the Kiev regime’s policy to pass laws “to exterminate all things Russian: education, news media and culture.”
Whatever “remains of Ukraine should be freed from racist laws.”
“There are people living there that are more comfortable speaking Russian, that want to preserve the traditions of their ancestors, who were brought up in Russian culture.”
Syria
Russia is interested in making sure that Syria is not plunged into infighting. “Such risks remain.”
The Europeans suggested easing sanctions against Syria on the condition of “throwing out” Russia. This is the mentality that has characterized Europe in recent times: You are either with us, or against us.
Syria no longer wants to be a ground for external players to solve their geopolitical problems.
The separatist ideas that were nurtured in Syria for years under the previous US administration, including by the Kurds, are strongly unacceptable to all countries in the Middle East and could “lead to a major war in the region.”
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Russia and Qatar are concerned about the actions of the Israeli military that are not stipulated by the agreements with Hamas and Lebanon and that “create facts on the ground that are contrary to the agreements and contrary to the UN Security Council resolutions on both Palestinian affairs and the Lebanese problem.”
Resettling the Palestinians across the region “will only plant a ticking time bomb.”
Germany’s Merz
Christian Democratic Union Chairman Friedrich Merz, a candidate for German chancellor, has a “peculiar” approach to Russia.
“He, for example, unlike [Chancellor Olaf] Scholz, insisted on sending long-range Taurus missiles to the Ukrainians for deeper attacks into the territory of the Russian Federation. When Germans actively nurture such ideas, it certainly brings back memories. It should first of all bring back memories for the Germans themselves.”
SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE
Ukrainian terror plot thwarted in Russia
The suspect was preparing attacks in Stavropol Region, directed by a handler based in Ukraine, according to the FSB
A man accused of plotting a series of terrorist attacks against Russian security facilities has been arrested in the city of Stavropol, the Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Wednesday.
According to an official statement provided to RT, the suspect is from a country in Central Asia and is a supporter of a Ukrainian paramilitary group that is banned in Russia. The FSB report says he was directed by a handler based in Ukraine and was preparing attacks using Molotov cocktails against key government and security facilities in Stavropol Region.
The suspect’s intended targets reportedly included the regional offices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, a military commissariat, a military hospital, and the administration of Stavropol’s Industrial District.
The authorities revealed that the suspect had conducted reconnaissance, acquired chemical components, and assembled incendiary devices. Following the planned attacks, he allegedly intended to flee to Ukraine and join the country’s armed forces.
The FSB has also released a video of the suspect’s arrest and interrogation, in which he confesses to being ordered to carry out the attacks. It shows Molotov cocktails and communication devices found in his apartment, including messages containing instructions from his Ukrainian contact.
Officials have not yet disclosed the suspect’s identity, nor have they specified which terrorist group he was affiliated with.
The FSB frequently reports on foiled sabotage operations linked to Ukraine. Late last month, Russian security officers said they had prevented a planned attack on a train operating between Kislovodsk and Mineralnye Vody, with the suspect arrested in Stavropol Region.
Moscow has long accused Kiev of employing terrorist tactics in the ongoing conflict, citing targeted assassinations of civilians and covert operations carried out by Ukraine’s intelligence services.
Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik warned that Ukraine may resort to terrorist attacks in an effort to derail peace talks, echoing a similar statement from the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.
INSIGHTS
USAID freeze offers South Africa opportunity for new funding model – analyst — RT Africa
Corrin Varady says the shift in the aid environment could enable African nations to decolonize their education systems
South Africa must see the aid sector uncertainty as an opportunity for the country and the continent to establish a self-sufficient and distinctly “African model” for sustainable education funding, education analyst and CEO of IDEA, Dr Corrin Varady said on Monday.
”The shift in the aid environment, if seen as a new horizon for the Global South, will enable African nations to shape their own educational identities, decolonising their education systems and influencing global education standards,” he said in a statement.
“With more responsibility, African continental governments can better educate their workforce and contribute to global conversations that affect the youth in their nations.”
Varady argued that while the future is unsure in the aid sector in terms of USAID and US funding for South Africa, the withdrawal of large tranches of education aid will strengthen South Africa’s engagement with the Global South.
He added that similar shifts across the continent, not just in trade but in the economics of education, could bring the country closer to its BRICS partners following US President Donald Trump’s freezing aid for South Africa.
”Some are seeing the US executive order as an attack, but in education, we must see this as a catalyst for change, driving a resilient and independent education model prioritising learners over foreign funding interests,” Varady said.
He said governments should invest in long-term, locally created, and run private sector initiatives that deliver real impact rather than relying on agenda-driven aid projects, sometimes serving as bureaucratic tick boxes.
In addition, he highlighted the need for funding models that empower private organisations and incentivise the government to work more openly with the private sector so that both are accountable in procurement decisions.
Meanwhile, Professor Ntobeko Ntusi, CEO and president of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), explained to University World News that the country’s universities have historically received US government funding mainly via two streams.
The first stream—which Trump has now frozen—consisted of funding from the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The second primary stream of US government funding comes from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS.
Ntusi says this has not been affected by Trump’s executive order freezing foreign aid, but there are fears that it might fall victim to future cuts.
