Lavrov: "Who needs World War III?" And in Rome today there is talk of reconstruction

03:13 26 April

Lavrov: "Who needs a third world war?"

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded by asking "who needs it?" to a question about the possibility of a third world war during a press conference at the United Nations.

The RIA Novosti news agency quotes Lavrov: "We live on the same land. Right now we were talking about World War III. Well, who needs this?" "When you start talking about this topic, everyone immediately points the finger at Russia, they say it's leading the world into World War III." Lavorv added that he hoped that those who make statements such as "'if Ukraine loses, a third world war cannot be avoided' or vice versa show "responsibility" and are still "sane".

03:09 26 April

Rome, the Bilateral Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine kicks off today

The Bilateral Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine is held in Rome today at the Palazzo dei Congressi.

It will start at 08:45 with a closed-door session consisting of 7 thematic tables on as many sectors identified as priorities for reconstruction: infrastructure and transport, energy and environment, agro-industry, health, digital and services, space and avionics, steel.
At 11.00 there will be a plenary session introduced by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Edmondo Cirielli, followed by speeches by international financial institutions.
At 12.00 the institutional interventions of the Italian and Ukrainian authorities are scheduled.

The meeting will be opened by the Vice President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani, with the participation of the Vice President of the Council and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, the Minister of Economy and Finance Giancarlo Giorgetti and the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso. On the Ukrainian side, the ministers responsible for the matter, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko will be present. The conclusions of the Conference, preceded by the intervention of the Vice President for Internationalization of Confindustria, Barbara Beltrame, will be entrusted to the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

The Bilateral Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine - explains a note from the Foreign Ministry - "is an opportunity to collect directly from the Ukrainian authorities the needs necessary for the reconstruction of the country and allow the Italian Government, bodies and companies to formulate concrete proposals to respond to Kiev's needs both in the short and medium-long term".

"I am proud of the work we have done to prepare the Conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine", declares the Vice President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani: "Italian companies with their entrepreneurial spirit and their know-how in sectors such as infrastructure, energy, agribusiness, health, digital, space and steel - continues Tajani -, will be able to make an essential contribution to the reconstruction of the country". It is a process, according to Tajani, that "can, indeed, must be started without having to wait for the end of the war".

03:00 26 April

Putin signs a decree for the temporary management of "assets of people from hostile countries"

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree introducing the "temporary management of the assets of people from hostile countries" in response to the seizure or restriction of rights to Russian property abroad.

This was reported by the Tass agency, according to which the decree speaks of the "need to take urgent measures" in response to the illegal actions of the United States and other countries aimed at depriving or limiting the property rights of the Russian Federation, its companies and citizens.
In these cases, temporary administration is introduced in relation to the property and assets of persons from hostile countries.

02:59 26 April

Lavrov: "Ukrainians burn Russian books in the streets, like the Nazis"

"Ukraine banned education in Russian, burning Russian books in Nazi-style squares."
Moscow Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this during a press conference at the UN, during which he warned that the Kremlin does not want discrimination in Ukraine against Russian speakers and believers of the Russian Orthodox Church.