Moscow withdraws from military cooperation agreement with Germany
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on July 18 signed an order withdrawing Moscow from a military technical cooperation agreement with Germany.
Russian relations with Western countries have been strained amid sanctions imposed against Moscow and widespread support for Ukraine. Russia regularly faces toughened sanctions as it continues its full-scale war.
Germany and Russia first signed the agreement in 1996 following the fall of the Iron Curtain and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Russia's Foreign Ministry earlier claimed the bilateral agreement lost its significance due to Germany's "hostile" policies toward Moscow.
"(U)nder the current circumstances, the agreement has lost its meaning and practical significance due to the openly hostile policy of the (German) authorities and the increasingly aggressive militaristic ambitions of the German government," Russia's Foreign Ministry said.
Russian relations with Western countries have been impacted for years by Moscow's unrecognized annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the onset of Russia's initial war against Ukraine the same year.
The Kremlin has instead turned to cooperation with North Korea, Iran, and China as it aims to maintain trade and regional influence.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the eastern city of Wonsan on July 12 during a three-day visit to North Korea.
Kim said his nation would "unconditionally" support Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in the meeting with Lavrov.
On July 6, Lavrov met with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi at a BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Moscow reaffirmed its support for Iran's right to atomic energy, and also offered to store Iranian uranium as part of a potential solution to disputes over Tehran's nuclear program.
On June 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow could provide advanced weapons to certain regions to enable strikes against "sensitive" Western targets in response if Ukraine strikes Russia with Western-supplied arms.
