RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Russian retaliation ‘inevitable’ – Medvedev Russia will “inevitably” respond to recent Ukrainian attacks on its territory despite continuing diplomatic efforts to reach a peaceful settlement of the conflict, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated on Tuesday. His comments follow suspected acts of Ukrainian sabotage on railways in Russia and drone strikes on multiple Russian airfields at the weekend. Despite this, Russian officials traveled to Istanbul on Monday for another round of direct negotiations with Ukrainian representatives. In a social media post, Medvedev addressed domestic calls for a more forceful military response, declaring that Russian retaliation was “inevitable.” “Our…

Three people reported killed and dozens wounded near aid site in Gaza, medics say Israeli fire killed at least three Palestinians and wounded dozens of others near an aid distribution site operated by the U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, local health authorities said on Monday. The Israeli military said it was aware of reports of casualties and the incident was being thoroughly looked into. It said in a statement that troops operating overnight in Rafah, which is under full Israeli military control, in the southern Gaza Strip, had fired warning shots "to prevent several suspects approaching them", adding the incident took…

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Russian and Ukrainian chief negotiators held secret private meeting Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia’s diplomatic delegation at the Istanbul talks, held a private bilateral meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, which played an “important role” in preparing the general session of negotiations on Monday. The second round of direct talks between Moscow and Kiev concluded on Monday after more than an hour. Prior to the formal session, Medinsky and Umerov held an unannounced meeting that helped facilitate the broader negotiations. “There was a meeting. It played an important role in the preparation of the general session,”Medinsky…

Gaza ministry says Israel kills more than 30 aid seekers, Israel denies More than 30 Palestinians were killed and nearly 170 injured on Sunday in south Gaza near a food distribution site, the health ministry said, as witnesses reported Israeli soldiers fired on people trying to collect aid and Israel denied it. The U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said food was handed out without incident on Sunday at the distribution point in Rafah and there were no deaths or injuries. GHF released undated video to support its statement that showed dozens of people gathering around piles of boxes. Reuters could not…