Ushakov says three hours and 10 minutes. Three other lengths went out, and one report puts Treasury officials in a room the rest keep them out of.
Witkoff and Kushner saw Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday evening. Eight of the reports we hold give the meeting a length, and between them they give four — one published while the two sides were still talking. Three name the US Treasury's acting sanctions chief, all three say he was not with Putin, and one White House sentence about who was there comes back three different ways.
Both sides call it substantive; neither says what was in it. Witkoff and Kushner met Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday evening, Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev alongside. Ushakov says the Americans "formulated a number of considerations on ways to a settlement". The White House, via Axios, says the two sides "discussed concrete initiatives", to be announced in coming weeks. Espreso says Ushakov did not specify which; the envoys left without comment.
One meeting, four lengths.
| Length | Published by | Attributed to |
|---|---|---|
| more than two hours | Vedomosti, 19:23, mid-meeting | no source |
| about three hours | Vedomosti, 20:11 | no source |
| more than three hours | Regnum 20:11 · Vedomosti 21:30 · Espreso 05:30 · Kyiv Post 06:02 | Ushakov in three |
| three hours and 10 minutes | Ukrainska Pravda 22:30 · Kyiv Post 06:02, 07:00 | Ushakov, via TASS |
Kyiv Post's 06:02 report appears twice: it carries both. None of the eight says it is correcting an earlier length.
Who was in the room. One White House sentence comes back three ways. Ukrainska Pravda has National Security Council, State and Treasury officials "present at the meeting with Witkoff, Kushner and Putin". Kyiv Post puts them in the wider delegation; Interfax and Regnum have them visiting Moscow. All three that name Gene Lange, the Treasury's acting sanctions chief, say he was not with Putin.
What this does not settle. Nobody but Ushakov timed the meeting. Neither side names what was proposed. No participant says sanctions were discussed; that rests on where one official spent his afternoon.
This story is about a US attempt to broker an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, and whether sanctions on Russia are now part of the bargaining.
How it got here. - Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and backed armed separatists in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions. That is when the war began. - In February 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion. Its forces still hold parts of southern and eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's airspace has been closed to civilian flights ever since, Ziarul de Gardă notes. - The US, the EU and others have imposed sanctions on Russia since 2014 and widened them sharply in 2022. In the US, the Treasury administers them. - Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025 promising to end the war. He has used personal envoys rather than the usual diplomatic channels.
Who is involved. - Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, are his lead negotiators. Espreso reports this was their first visit to Moscow since January. - Vladimir Putin, Russia's president. At his side were Yuri Ushakov, his foreign-policy aide, and Kirill Dmitriev, his envoy for economic cooperation. Dmitriev is Moscow's link on business and investment. - Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president. Ukraine has pressed for a ceasefire along the whole front line. - The US Treasury. Days before the trip, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US would not give Russia economic relief until it ends the war. Ukrainska Pravda and Espreso both report this.
What is at stake. Russia says any settlement must deal with what it calls the war's "root causes". Ukraine wants the fighting stopped first. Sanctions are among Washington's main points of leverage. If they are being traded, that changes what each side can ask for.
Where it stands. Before the Moscow meeting both capitals paused strikes on each other. Putin said Russia never agreed to the wider three-day truce Ukraine proposed. The White House says next steps will be announced "in the coming weeks". The envoys were due in Kyiv on Sunday 6 September. According to Ziarul de Gardă, citing the BBC, it would be their first trip there. Neither side has said what was proposed.
The story so far
- Kyiv's outlets and ASTRA name the Ryazan refinery; Interfax and Vedomosti name no facility at all · 6 Sep 2026
- Witkoff thanks Putin for a three-day truce. Putin says none was agreed — and Espreso counts five air-raid alerts over Kyiv. · 6 Sep 2026
Earlier stories The AI Times filed on this thread.
What is being argued about
- How long the meeting ran — every figure traces back to one Kremlin aide, and no one else has given a time.
- What the Americans put on the table: "considerations" in the Kremlin's telling, "concrete initiatives" in the White House's, named in neither.
- Whether sanctions were discussed at all, or whether one official's travel has been read as an agenda.
- Who was actually with Putin: the same White House sentence puts Treasury officials in the meeting in one report and on the trip in three.
Claims and verdicts
Kremlin and White House call Trump envoys' Moscow talks "constructive and substantive"
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Read it at Ukrainska Pravda →
What we have measured
Actor named shortages are described with no one named as causing them ×1Actor named The cancellation is pinned on a named Hungarian official's refusal. ×1Actor named The town is called 'occupied', but the lede does not name who occupies it or who blocks aid. ×1Actor named Names the EU and partners as the ones paying ×1
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K
Kyiv Post
US Envoys Hold 3-Hour Kremlin Talks With Putin
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What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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E
Espreso TV
Переговори Путіна з Віткоффом і Кушнером тривали більше трьох годин, у Кремлі та Білому домі назвали їх змістовними
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Read it at Espreso TV →
What we have measured
Actor named Russia is named as the actor in the shift to combat use. ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor in the data-centre strike. Nobody is named behind the DDoS attack. ×1Actor named for the decision Names the EU Council as the body that acted and gives the date and the new expiry date. ×1Adopted wording The company's own word 'minor' sits next to the report's flat statement that customers could not send or receive parcels. ×1
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R
Regnum
Переговоры Путина с Уиткоффом и Кушнером продлились более трех часов
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Read it at Regnum →
What we have measured
Actor label Calls Ukraine's president the head of a regime in the report's own voice. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's forces as the attacker of the town ×1Actor named Ukraine's armed forces are named outright as the side attacking the town ×1Actor named Names the organiser and says he is under arrest ×1
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V
Vedomosti
Ушаков: беседа Путина с Уиткоффом и Кушнером продолжалась больше трех часов
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Read it at Vedomosti →
What we have measured
Actor named names Russia as the state actor, not the company, and frames it neutrally ×1Asserted vs attributed the headline attributes the attacks to Novak ×1Asserted vs attributed Attributes the attack count to Novak in the headline. ×1Attribution figure stated flat with no source named, and tied to 2027 ×1
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V
Vedomosti
Переговоры Путина с Уиткоффом и Кушнером завершились
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Read it at Vedomosti →
What we have measured
Actor named names Russia as the state actor, not the company, and frames it neutrally ×1Asserted vs attributed the headline attributes the attacks to Novak ×1Asserted vs attributed Attributes the attack count to Novak in the headline. ×1Attribution figure stated flat with no source named, and tied to 2027 ×1
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V
Vedomosti
Переговоры Путина с Уиткоффом и Кушнером идут более двух часов
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Read it at Vedomosti →
What we have measured
Actor named names Russia as the state actor, not the company, and frames it neutrally ×1Asserted vs attributed the headline attributes the attacks to Novak ×1Asserted vs attributed Attributes the attack count to Novak in the headline. ×1Attribution figure stated flat with no source named, and tied to 2027 ×1
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US delegation to Moscow included Treasury official in charge of sanctions, Axios says
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Read it at Ukrainska Pravda →
What we have measured
Actor named shortages are described with no one named as causing them ×1Actor named The cancellation is pinned on a named Hungarian official's refusal. ×1Actor named The town is called 'occupied', but the lede does not name who occupies it or who blocks aid. ×1Actor named Names the EU and partners as the ones paying ×1
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Interfax
Ответственный за санкции сотрудник Минфина США посетил РФ вместе с Уиткоффом и Кушнером
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Read it at Interfax →
What we have measured
A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1
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K
Kyiv Post
US Sanctions Chief Joins Moscow Talks as Putin Cites War Goals
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What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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I
Interfax
Путин также обсудил с американскими переговорщиками экономическую тематику
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Read it at Interfax →
What we have measured
A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1
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R
Regnum
Axios: представители Госдепа и Минфина вошли в состав делегации США в Россию
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Read it at Regnum →
What we have measured
Actor label Calls Ukraine's president the head of a regime in the report's own voice. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's forces as the attacker of the town ×1Actor named Ukraine's armed forces are named outright as the side attacking the town ×1Actor named Names the organiser and says he is under arrest ×1
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В Белом доме заявили, что посланники Трампа обсудили в Москве дальнейшие инициативы по Украине
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Read it at Interfax →
What we have measured
A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1
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I
Interfax
Ушаков сообщил, что США сформулировали ряд идей по украинскому урегулированию
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Read it at Interfax →
What we have measured
A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1
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E
Espreso TV
Переговори Путіна з Віткоффом і Кушнером тривали більше трьох годин, у Кремлі та Білому домі назвали їх змістовними
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Espreso TV →
What we have measured
Actor named Russia is named as the actor in the shift to combat use. ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor in the data-centre strike. Nobody is named behind the DDoS attack. ×1Actor named for the decision Names the EU Council as the body that acted and gives the date and the new expiry date. ×1Adopted wording The company's own word 'minor' sits next to the report's flat statement that customers could not send or receive parcels. ×1
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U
Ukrainska Pravda
Kremlin and White House call Trump envoys' Moscow talks "constructive and substantive"
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Read it at Ukrainska Pravda →
What we have measured
Actor named shortages are described with no one named as causing them ×1Actor named The cancellation is pinned on a named Hungarian official's refusal. ×1Actor named The town is called 'occupied', but the lede does not name who occupies it or who blocks aid. ×1Actor named Names the EU and partners as the ones paying ×1
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V
Vedomosti
Белый дом: о следующих шагах по Украине объявят в ближайшие недели
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Read it at Vedomosti →
What we have measured
Actor named names Russia as the state actor, not the company, and frames it neutrally ×1Asserted vs attributed the headline attributes the attacks to Novak ×1Asserted vs attributed Attributes the attack count to Novak in the headline. ×1Attribution figure stated flat with no source named, and tied to 2027 ×1
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R
Regnum
Reuters: США и Россия обсудили дальнейшие шаги в переговорах по Украине
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Read it at Regnum →
What we have measured
Actor label Calls Ukraine's president the head of a regime in the report's own voice. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's forces as the attacker of the town ×1Actor named Ukraine's armed forces are named outright as the side attacking the town ×1Actor named Names the organiser and says he is under arrest ×1
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Who wrote it
Coverage, outlet by outlet
LIVE TEXT/ De la Moscova la Kiev. Emisarii lui Trump urmează să discute cu Zelenski, după întâlnirea cu Putin. Război în Ucraina, ziua 1656
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Read it at Ziarul de Gardă →
What we have measured
Actor named Ties the shell to Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, citing the Border Police. ×1Asserted vs attributed the attack is stated flat, then sourced to a Russian official ×1Asserted vs attributed The headline states the attack flat, while the body gives Novak as the only source for it. ×1Attribution sabotage charge attributed to Estonia ×1
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US Sanctions Chief Joins Moscow Talks as Putin Cites War Goals
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Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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US Envoys Hold 3-Hour Kremlin Talks With Putin
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Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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Белый дом: о следующих шагах по Украине объявят в ближайшие недели
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Read it at Vedomosti →
What we have measured
Actor named names Russia as the state actor, not the company, and frames it neutrally ×1Asserted vs attributed the headline attributes the attacks to Novak ×1Asserted vs attributed Attributes the attack count to Novak in the headline. ×1Attribution figure stated flat with no source named, and tied to 2027 ×1
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Переговори Путіна з Віткоффом і Кушнером тривали більше трьох годин, у Кремлі та Білому домі назвали їх змістовними
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Espreso TV →
What we have measured
Actor named Russia is named as the actor in the shift to combat use. ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor in the data-centre strike. Nobody is named behind the DDoS attack. ×1Actor named for the decision Names the EU Council as the body that acted and gives the date and the new expiry date. ×1Adopted wording The company's own word 'minor' sits next to the report's flat statement that customers could not send or receive parcels. ×1
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Ушаков назвал переговоры Путина с делегацией США полезными и своевременными
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Read it at Regnum →
What we have measured
Actor label Calls Ukraine's president the head of a regime in the report's own voice. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's forces as the attacker of the town ×1Actor named Ukraine's armed forces are named outright as the side attacking the town ×1Actor named Names the organiser and says he is under arrest ×1
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US delegation to Moscow included Treasury official in charge of sanctions, Axios says
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Read it at Ukrainska Pravda →
What we have measured
Actor named shortages are described with no one named as causing them ×1Actor named The cancellation is pinned on a named Hungarian official's refusal. ×1Actor named The town is called 'occupied', but the lede does not name who occupies it or who blocks aid. ×1Actor named Names the EU and partners as the ones paying ×1
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— independent
Ответственный за санкции сотрудник Минфина США посетил РФ вместе с Уиткоффом и Кушнером
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Read it at Interfax →
What we have measured
A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1
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В Белом доме заявили, что посланники Трампа обсудили в Москве дальнейшие инициативы по Украине
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Read it at Interfax →
What we have measured
A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1
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Axios: представители Госдепа и Минфина вошли в состав делегации США в Россию
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Read it at Regnum →
What we have measured
Actor label Calls Ukraine's president the head of a regime in the report's own voice. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's forces as the attacker of the town ×1Actor named Ukraine's armed forces are named outright as the side attacking the town ×1Actor named Names the organiser and says he is under arrest ×1
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Reuters: США и Россия обсудили дальнейшие шаги в переговорах по Украине
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Read it at Regnum →
What we have measured
Actor label Calls Ukraine's president the head of a regime in the report's own voice. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's forces as the attacker of the town ×1Actor named Ukraine's armed forces are named outright as the side attacking the town ×1Actor named Names the organiser and says he is under arrest ×1
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Kremlin and White House call Trump envoys' Moscow talks "constructive and substantive"
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Read it at Ukrainska Pravda →
What we have measured
Actor named shortages are described with no one named as causing them ×1Actor named The cancellation is pinned on a named Hungarian official's refusal. ×1Actor named The town is called 'occupied', but the lede does not name who occupies it or who blocks aid. ×1Actor named Names the EU and partners as the ones paying ×1
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— independent
В Кремле подтвердили, что Путин и Трамп продолжат контакты
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What we have measured
A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1
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—
Ушаков: Уиткофф и Кушнер знают о нацисткой сущности Киева
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What we have measured
Actor label Calls Ukraine's president the head of a regime in the report's own voice. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's forces as the attacker of the town ×1Actor named Ukraine's armed forces are named outright as the side attacking the town ×1Actor named Names the organiser and says he is under arrest ×1
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Ушаков сообщил, что США сформулировали ряд идей по украинскому урегулированию
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Read it at Interfax →
What we have measured
A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1
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Путин также обсудил с американскими переговорщиками экономическую тематику
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Read it at Interfax →
What we have measured
A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1
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Ушаков: беседа Путина с Уиткоффом и Кушнером продолжалась больше трех часов
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Read it at Vedomosti →
What we have measured
Actor named names Russia as the state actor, not the company, and frames it neutrally ×1Asserted vs attributed the headline attributes the attacks to Novak ×1Asserted vs attributed Attributes the attack count to Novak in the headline. ×1Attribution figure stated flat with no source named, and tied to 2027 ×1
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Переговоры Путина с Уиткоффом и Кушнером завершились
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Read it at Vedomosti →
What we have measured
Actor named names Russia as the state actor, not the company, and frames it neutrally ×1Asserted vs attributed the headline attributes the attacks to Novak ×1Asserted vs attributed Attributes the attack count to Novak in the headline. ×1Attribution figure stated flat with no source named, and tied to 2027 ×1
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—
Переговоры Путина с Уиткоффом и Кушнером продлились более трех часов
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Read it at Regnum →
What we have measured
Actor label Calls Ukraine's president the head of a regime in the report's own voice. ×1Actor named names Ukraine's forces as the attacker of the town ×1Actor named Ukraine's armed forces are named outright as the side attacking the town ×1Actor named Names the organiser and says he is under arrest ×1
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—
Переговоры Путина с Уиткоффом и Кушнером идут более двух часов
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Read it at Vedomosti →
What we have measured
Actor named names Russia as the state actor, not the company, and frames it neutrally ×1Asserted vs attributed the headline attributes the attacks to Novak ×1Asserted vs attributed Attributes the attack count to Novak in the headline. ×1Attribution figure stated flat with no source named, and tied to 2027 ×1
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—