Putin Visits Kursk Region for First Time Since Ejecting Ukrainian Forces 

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Talent and Success Foundation as he visits the Sirius educational center near Sochi in the Krasnodar region, Russia, May 19, 2025. (Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Talent and Success Foundation as he visits the Sirius educational center near Sochi in the Krasnodar region, Russia, May 19, 2025. (Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via Reuters)
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Putin Visits Kursk Region for First Time Since Ejecting Ukrainian Forces 

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Talent and Success Foundation as he visits the Sirius educational center near Sochi in the Krasnodar region, Russia, May 19, 2025. (Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Talent and Success Foundation as he visits the Sirius educational center near Sochi in the Krasnodar region, Russia, May 19, 2025. (Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the western Kursk region for the first time since Russian forces ejected Ukrainian troops from the area last month.

The Kremlin said that during the visit on Tuesday Putin met volunteer organizations in the region and visited the Kursk-II nuclear power plant.

State television showed Putin meeting volunteers and local officials in the region including acting governor Alexander Khinshtein. Putin was accompanied by Sergei Kiriyenko, Kremlin first deputy chief of staff.

Russia said in late April that it had ejected Ukrainian troops from Kursk region, ending the biggest incursion into Russian territory since World War Two.

Just over two years after Russia's 2022 invasion, Ukraine on Aug. 6 launched its boldest attack, smashing through the Russian border into the Kursk region, supported by swarms of drones and heavy Western weaponry.

At its height, Ukrainian forces claimed nearly 1,400 square kilometers of Kursk.



Sunday's US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled

Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in location given as Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a handout video released on June 14, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/Handout via REUTERS
Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in location given as Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a handout video released on June 14, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/Handout via REUTERS
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Sunday's US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled

Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in location given as Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a handout video released on June 14, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/Handout via REUTERS
Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in location given as Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a handout video released on June 14, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/Handout via REUTERS

The latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks.

Albusaidi's statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon.

A senior official of US President Donald Trump's administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday's talks had been cancelled.

Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped "the Iranians will come to the table soon," the official said.

Earlier Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, called further nuclear talks with the United States “meaningless” after the Israeli strikes on the country.

“The US did a job that made the talks become meaningless,” Baghaei was quoted as saying. He added that Israel has passed all Iran’s red lines by committing a “criminal act” through its strikes.