* Russian presidential press secretary Alexei Gromov said:
- President Vladimir Putin returned to Moscow after the G8 summit
- Putin and India's prime minister held bilateral talks focusing on economic cooperation on the sidelines of the G8 summit
* President Vladimir Putin said:
- The situation in Lebanon is not yet out of control but the return of the abducted Israeli soldiers might not necessarily end the conflict
- An international peacekeeping force can only be sent to Lebanon after the UN Security Council makes a decision and the parties in the conflict agree
- Oil prices may exceed $80 per barrel if instability continues in oil-producing regions, mainly the Middle East
- It is premature to speak about possible sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear program
- The Group of Eight nations believe the disputes around Iran, North Korea's nuclear programs should be resolved by diplomatic means
- An early resumption of negotiations is crucial for resolving the North Korean nuclear problem
- G8 countries have elaborated common approaches to ensuring global energy security and developing nuclear energy
- Russia is only willing to sign up to the Energy Charter on equal conditions with other countries
- Differences between Russia and the United States stem from forces that are still influenced by Cold War ideas
- Russia can acquire energy assets in Central Europe in exchange for access to mineral deposits in Russia
* Russian presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said:
- Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush are seeking to prevent a crisis in the Middle East and to resolve the situations around Iran's and North Korea's controversial nuclear programs
- Russia will not oppose the possible deployment of international peacekeeping forces in Lebanon
- Russia will use at Israel's request its positions in the Middle East to influence forces linked with the kidnappers of Israeli hostages in Lebanon
- Russia is not planning to send a senior-level delegation to Lebanon any time soon
- Vladimir Putin discussed democracy in Russia and his plans for the country's development with other leaders from the industrialized world at this weekend's summit
- G8 leaders could adopt a separate statement on North Korea's missile program
- Russia has no differences with its G8 partners on the details of resolving Iran's nuclear problem
- Russia and Japan are seeking to improve bilateral cooperation despite a dispute over a peace treaty dating back to World War II
- Vladimir Putin and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili could meet this weekend in Moscow
* Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Russia and Japan had agreed on a project to build the East Siberia-Pacific oil pipeline
* Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said another 8,000 peacekeepers might be needed in the Lebanon-Israel conflict zone
* French President Jacques Chirac said armed units in Lebanon should be disarmed
* Russian nationals have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip and are heading toward Jordan through Israel, a diplomat involved in the evacuation said
* The Russian Foreign Ministry said:
- Russia's foreign minister will meet with his Southeast Asian counterparts later this month as the region's largest grouping gathers in Malaysia for an annual forum
- Russia is in talks with countries bordering on Lebanon to ensure the safe evacuation of its citizens from the country
* Ukraine's parliamentary speaker Oleksandr Moroz said all 26 parliamentary committees, as well as a special commission on privatization, would be formed at a plenary session Tuesday
* Mikhail Pogosyan, the head of aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi, said the family of new Russian Regional Jet (RRJ) aircraft had been renamed Sukhoi SuperJet-100
* The Moscow Arbitration Court rejected a suit filed by Moravel Investment Ltd. to enforce a decision by a London arbitration tribunal to recover $680 million from Yukos Oil Company
* Ukraine's opposition parties recognized the legitimacy of the new "anti-crisis" coalition, opposition leaders said following a session of the conciliatory commission in parliament
* An emergency system shut down the second power unit at Ukraine's Yuzhno-Ukrainskiy nuclear power plant, the national nuclear energy company Energoatom said
* The presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan signed a declaration on long-term cooperation in the refining and sales of gas produced at a deposit in western Kazakhstan
* MTS, Russia's largest mobile phone operator, said it had purchased a 74.99% share package in Dagtelecom LLC
* A Russian official said over 60 Russian defense industry companies would present their products at the 2006 Farnborough International Airshow
