President Vladimir Putin is mediating in the Iran situation to try to quickly de-escalate tensions, the Kremlin said on Friday, after the Russian leader spoke to Israeli Prime Minister ​Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The US raid on Venezuela has exposed the limits of ties between Moscow and Caracas – while pointing the way for potential strategic opportunities for Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Washington’s new era of gunboat diplomacy.

Donald Trump dismisses idea of U.S. mission to capture Putin after Maduro’s arrest, noting Russia’s heavy losses and economic decline.

Russian President Vladimir said on Thursday that the international situation had deteriorated and that the world was getting more dangerous but he was silent on the situation in Venezuela and Iran.

Putin and Netanyahu discussed developments in the Middle East and Iran in a phone call on Friday, Russia said.

A nuclear-capable missile fired into Ukraine near Poland sent a message to Europe days after its leaders agreed to postwar security guarantees, Russian analysts said.

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One of the more extraordinary aspects of this turbulent start to 2026 has been the near silence over American adventurism from Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is a man never previously shy to accuse the US of being imperialist,

Numerous pundits and opinion pieces suggested that Trump’s Venezuela raid would send a welcome signal to Russia and China: Spheres of influence are back, and the U.S. will dominate the Western Hemisphere while allowing China to invade Taiwan and Putin to freely go after the countries that were once part of the Warsaw Pact.

Vladimir Putin has been lying to Donald Trump and the world about the war in Ukraine, and his false claims have proven costly for both Ukraine and Russia.