Putin says Russia ready to talk with Ukraine "without preconditions": Kremlin

China

Putin says Russia ready to talk with Ukraine "without preconditions": Kremlin

2025-04-27 02:39 Last Updated At：15:47

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Russia's readiness to negotiate with Ukraine without preconditions during his earlier talks with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Saturday.

During the talks with Trump's envoy Witkoff, Vladimir Putin reiterated that Russia is ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine without any preconditions, Peskov said, adding that Putin has spoken about it repeatedly.

Putin and Witkoff discussed the possibility of direct Russia-Ukraine talks during their meeting in Moscow, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on Friday.

This is the fourth round of talks between Putin and Witkoff this year, which lasted for three hours with the attendance of Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Russian special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries.

Ushakov said the talks focused on the possibility of restarting direct negotiations between representatives from Russia and Ukraine, and said the meeting helped to further align the positions of Russia and the United States, both on Ukraine and on other international issues.

He called the talks constructive and useful, adding that dialogue between Moscow and Washington would continue at various levels.

Film IP fuels expansion of consumer market

China's movie industry is increasingly deriving its earnings from broader consumer economy.

Released during the 2025 summer season, the film "Nobody" became China's highest-grossing two-dimensional animated film -- and its success went beyond theaters.

Through licensing and brand partnerships, the movie has generated 2.5 billion yuan (about 358.3 million U.S. dollars) in retail sales to consumers, with more than 800 licensed products on the market.

Ranging from plush toys to food and home goods, the movie-related merchandise can be purchased from over 3,000 online and offline outlets.

Meanwhile, souvenir stores are crowded at Shanghai Disneyland's Zootopia themed land, with hats, plush toys, and collectibles seeing steady demand from visitors.

"China's film industry is no longer defined by box office revenue alone. It has become a new growth engine that links and energizes multiple cultural sectors. At the heart of every successful film is strong storytelling. High-quality productions create cultural value, which in turn enhances the commercial value of intellectual property and opens up new consumption opportunities. I believe China's film industry delivered an outstanding performance in the past year," said Chen Xiaoda, vice dean of Shanghai Vancouver Film School.