📰 The Only Bipartisan Reform Is Disgust
Republicans and Democrats agree on something rare: they think American politics is drenched in too much money. According to the POLITICO Poll, 72 percent of Americans say there is too much money in politics, just 5 percent disagree, and most voters think billionaires, special interests, and outside groups have far too much influence.
That is the polite version of the story. The less polite version is that elections increasingly look like auctions with campaign signs. AdImpact projects midterm ad spending will hit $10.8 billion, while new money from AI, crypto, and other industries is rushing in to buy access before anyone admits the game is rigged.
Americans also see the corruption for what it is. A majority say special-interest spending is corrupt and should be restricted, not protected as free speech, and nearly half say voters have too little power. In other words, the public can smell the scam; the system just keeps invoicing it.
The bipartisan part is real, but so is the resignation. Democrats are angrier about it, Republicans are still more likely to describe money as influence rather than outright buying results, and yet the machine keeps running because both parties are built on the same donor logic. Everyone hates the money. Everyone depends on the money.
That is the political genius of modern America: voters are told they are sovereign while billionaires, super PACs, and outside groups write checks large enough to make sovereignty look like a brand slogan. The public knows it. The candidates know it. The donors know it best of all.
#moneyinpolitics #elections #superpacs #democracy #politics
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Republicans and Democrats agree on something rare: they think American politics is drenched in too much money. According to the POLITICO Poll, 72 percent of Americans say there is too much money in politics, just 5 percent disagree, and most voters think billionaires, special interests, and outside groups have far too much influence.
That is the polite version of the story. The less polite version is that elections increasingly look like auctions with campaign signs. AdImpact projects midterm ad spending will hit $10.8 billion, while new money from AI, crypto, and other industries is rushing in to buy access before anyone admits the game is rigged.
Americans also see the corruption for what it is. A majority say special-interest spending is corrupt and should be restricted, not protected as free speech, and nearly half say voters have too little power. In other words, the public can smell the scam; the system just keeps invoicing it.
The bipartisan part is real, but so is the resignation. Democrats are angrier about it, Republicans are still more likely to describe money as influence rather than outright buying results, and yet the machine keeps running because both parties are built on the same donor logic. Everyone hates the money. Everyone depends on the money.
That is the political genius of modern America: voters are told they are sovereign while billionaires, super PACs, and outside groups write checks large enough to make sovereignty look like a brand slogan. The public knows it. The candidates know it. The donors know it best of all.
#moneyinpolitics #elections #superpacs #democracy #politics
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📰 Iran Warns of “New Surprises” If Attacked Again
Iran’s army spokesman, Amir Brigadier General Muhammad Akrami-Nia, said in an IRNA interview that if the enemy makes “another miscalculation” and attacks Iran again, it will face “surprising options” — including newer weapons, new methods of warfare, and new battlefields.
He said Iran’s armed forces still treat the ceasefire as a wartime condition. According to him, they are updating their target bank, revising offensive and defensive positions, and adjusting training while trusting the enemy “absolutely not”.
Akrami-Nia also claimed Iran has now imposed a new legal and security regime over the Strait of Hormuz. He said ships that comply with U.S. sanctions on Iran could face problems passing through the waterway.
He argued that the war failed to achieve any of its alleged goals, saying the enemy did not destabilize Iran, did not trigger internal chaos, and did not break national unity.
He also described an alleged failed U.S. operation near Isfahan, saying Iranian forces had prepared in advance for possible infiltration and that one Iranian soldier hit the engine of a C-130 with a shoulder-fired weapon, forcing the mission to collapse.
On the military side, he said Iranian air force jets flew missions against U.S. bases in Kuwait, Qatar, and Erbil, and that Army drones, including the long-range Arash 2, were used until the end of the war.
If you want, I can turn this into a sharp Telegram post in the exact style you’ve been using — short, journalistic, and a bit savage.
#iran #hormuz #military #war #geopolitics
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Iran’s army spokesman, Amir Brigadier General Muhammad Akrami-Nia, said in an IRNA interview that if the enemy makes “another miscalculation” and attacks Iran again, it will face “surprising options” — including newer weapons, new methods of warfare, and new battlefields.
He said Iran’s armed forces still treat the ceasefire as a wartime condition. According to him, they are updating their target bank, revising offensive and defensive positions, and adjusting training while trusting the enemy “absolutely not”.
Akrami-Nia also claimed Iran has now imposed a new legal and security regime over the Strait of Hormuz. He said ships that comply with U.S. sanctions on Iran could face problems passing through the waterway.
He argued that the war failed to achieve any of its alleged goals, saying the enemy did not destabilize Iran, did not trigger internal chaos, and did not break national unity.
He also described an alleged failed U.S. operation near Isfahan, saying Iranian forces had prepared in advance for possible infiltration and that one Iranian soldier hit the engine of a C-130 with a shoulder-fired weapon, forcing the mission to collapse.
On the military side, he said Iranian air force jets flew missions against U.S. bases in Kuwait, Qatar, and Erbil, and that Army drones, including the long-range Arash 2, were used until the end of the war.
If you want, I can turn this into a sharp Telegram post in the exact style you’ve been using — short, journalistic, and a bit savage.
#iran #hormuz #military #war #geopolitics
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Putin Nudges Schröder As His Favorite Peace Negotiator 🕊
Putin has said he thinks the Ukraine war is winding down – remarks that came a few hours after he had vowed to defeat Ukraine at Moscow’s most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years.
“I think that the matter is coming to an end,” Putin said of the Russia-Ukraine war, Europe’s deadliest conflict since the second world war.
He said he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe, and that his preferred negotiating partner would be Germany’s former chancellor Gerhard Schröder. 🤝
Putin, who has ruled Russia as president or prime minister since the last day of 1999, faces a wave of anxiety in Moscow about the war in Ukraine, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, left swathes of Ukraine in ruins, and drained Russia’s economy. Russia’s relations with Europe are worse than at any time since the depths of the cold war.
Russian forces have so far been unable to take the whole of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine where Kyiv’s forces have been pushed back to a line of fortress cities. Russian advances have slowed this year, though Moscow controls just under one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Speaking on Saturday, Putin slammed western support for Kyiv, as the first day of a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire was marked by mutual accusations of violations. ⚠️
“They [the west] started ratcheting up the confrontation with Russia, which continues to this day.
“I think it [the war] is heading to an end but it’s still a serious matter.
“They spent months waiting for Russia to suffer a crushing defeat, for its statehood to collapse. It didn’t work out.
“And then they got stuck in that groove and now they can’t get out of it.”
Putin added that he was ready to meet Zelensky, in a third country only once all conditions for a potential peace agreement were settled – holding to his usual position on a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.
“This should be the final point, not the negotiations themselves,” he said.
Asked if he was willing to engage in talks with the Europeans, Putin said: “For me personally, the former chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Schröder, is preferable.”
Many in Ukraine and Europe will be sceptical of involving Schröder given his background as a close friend of Putin and history of ties to Russian business and projects, such as the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
In 2022, after the war broke out, Zelensky called Schröder “disgusting” for meeting with Putin and speaking in the Russian ruler’s favour.
Russia, Ukraine and Trump on Friday announced that a three-day ceasefire between both sides would come into effect from Saturday.
Moscow and Kyiv traded accusations of violations amid continued drone activity and civilian casualties on both sides.
The Kremlin said there were no plans to prolong the truce. The warring sides also agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners each during the truce. Putin said on Saturday that Russia had not yet received any proposals from Ukraine on the exchange.
The European Council president, António Costa, said last week that he believed there was “potential” for the EU to negotiate with Russia, and to discuss the future of the security architecture of Europe. 🇪🇺
#putin #war #end #ukraine #schroder
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Putin has said he thinks the Ukraine war is winding down – remarks that came a few hours after he had vowed to defeat Ukraine at Moscow’s most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years.
“I think that the matter is coming to an end,” Putin said of the Russia-Ukraine war, Europe’s deadliest conflict since the second world war.
He said he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe, and that his preferred negotiating partner would be Germany’s former chancellor Gerhard Schröder. 🤝
Putin, who has ruled Russia as president or prime minister since the last day of 1999, faces a wave of anxiety in Moscow about the war in Ukraine, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, left swathes of Ukraine in ruins, and drained Russia’s economy. Russia’s relations with Europe are worse than at any time since the depths of the cold war.
Russian forces have so far been unable to take the whole of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine where Kyiv’s forces have been pushed back to a line of fortress cities. Russian advances have slowed this year, though Moscow controls just under one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Speaking on Saturday, Putin slammed western support for Kyiv, as the first day of a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire was marked by mutual accusations of violations. ⚠️
“They [the west] started ratcheting up the confrontation with Russia, which continues to this day.
“I think it [the war] is heading to an end but it’s still a serious matter.
“They spent months waiting for Russia to suffer a crushing defeat, for its statehood to collapse. It didn’t work out.
“And then they got stuck in that groove and now they can’t get out of it.”
Putin added that he was ready to meet Zelensky, in a third country only once all conditions for a potential peace agreement were settled – holding to his usual position on a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.
“This should be the final point, not the negotiations themselves,” he said.
Asked if he was willing to engage in talks with the Europeans, Putin said: “For me personally, the former chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Schröder, is preferable.”
Many in Ukraine and Europe will be sceptical of involving Schröder given his background as a close friend of Putin and history of ties to Russian business and projects, such as the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
In 2022, after the war broke out, Zelensky called Schröder “disgusting” for meeting with Putin and speaking in the Russian ruler’s favour.
Russia, Ukraine and Trump on Friday announced that a three-day ceasefire between both sides would come into effect from Saturday.
Moscow and Kyiv traded accusations of violations amid continued drone activity and civilian casualties on both sides.
The Kremlin said there were no plans to prolong the truce. The warring sides also agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners each during the truce. Putin said on Saturday that Russia had not yet received any proposals from Ukraine on the exchange.
The European Council president, António Costa, said last week that he believed there was “potential” for the EU to negotiate with Russia, and to discuss the future of the security architecture of Europe. 🇪🇺
#putin #war #end #ukraine #schroder
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Teheran Is Ready To Fuck Trump in the Ass 🇮🇷
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have threatened to target US sites in the Middle East if its tankers come under fire, Iranian media reported on Saturday, as Washington was left waiting for Tehran’s response to its latest negotiating position.
“Any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy attack on one of the American centres in the region and enemy ships,” the force said, a day after US strikes on two Iranian tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
On Sunday morning the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said a ship caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile off the coast of Qatar.
The attack caused a small fire on the bulk carrier, which was extinguished. It happened 23 nautical miles (43km) north-east of Qatar’s capital, Doha, UKMTO said.
Trump had said on Friday that he was expecting Iran’s answer to Washington’s latest proposal for a peace deal “supposedly tonight”.
But if Tehran sent Pakistani mediators a response, there was no public sign of it, and Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly questioned the reliability of US leadership.
“The recent escalation of tensions by American forces in the Persian Gulf and their numerous actions in violating the ceasefire have added to suspicions about the motivation and seriousness of the American side in the path of diplomacy,” he said in a call with his Turkish counterpart, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.
The US says it is unacceptable for Tehran to control the key oil route.
Washington has sent Iran, via Pakistani mediators, a proposal to extend the truce in the Gulf to allow for talks on a final settlement of the conflict launched 10 weeks ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Rubio on Saturday met with the leader of Qatar, a key intermediary for Washington in dialogue with Iran, discussing “continued close coordination to deter threats and promote stability and security across the Middle East”, the state department said.
Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed al Thani met the previous day with Vance to discuss the Pakistani-led efforts to broker a permanent peace.
Meanwhile, satellite images have shown an apparent oil slick spreading off the coast of Iran’s Kharg Island, a key oil export terminal for Iran.
It was not immediately clear what caused the apparent spill, which was off the island’s west coast and appeared to cover more than 20 square miles (52 square kilometres), according to global monitor Orbital EOS.
A UK-based non-governmental organisation, the Conflict and Environment Observatory, told AFP that by Saturday the slick was “much reduced”, and may have been caused by leaking oil infrastructure.
A parallel ceasefire on the war’s Lebanon front is also under strain amid daily exchanges of fire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Authorities said at least nine people were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, while state media reported air raids targeting a highway south of Beirut, outside the militant group’s traditional strongholds.
The fresh attacks were some of the most intense since the start of a three-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israel’s military said several explosive drones were launched into Israeli territory, with one army reservist severely wounded and two others moderately injured.
#iran #war #vance #hezbollah #israel #trump
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have threatened to target US sites in the Middle East if its tankers come under fire, Iranian media reported on Saturday, as Washington was left waiting for Tehran’s response to its latest negotiating position.
“Any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy attack on one of the American centres in the region and enemy ships,” the force said, a day after US strikes on two Iranian tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
On Sunday morning the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said a ship caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile off the coast of Qatar.
The attack caused a small fire on the bulk carrier, which was extinguished. It happened 23 nautical miles (43km) north-east of Qatar’s capital, Doha, UKMTO said.
Trump had said on Friday that he was expecting Iran’s answer to Washington’s latest proposal for a peace deal “supposedly tonight”.
But if Tehran sent Pakistani mediators a response, there was no public sign of it, and Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly questioned the reliability of US leadership.
“The recent escalation of tensions by American forces in the Persian Gulf and their numerous actions in violating the ceasefire have added to suspicions about the motivation and seriousness of the American side in the path of diplomacy,” he said in a call with his Turkish counterpart, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.
The US says it is unacceptable for Tehran to control the key oil route.
Washington has sent Iran, via Pakistani mediators, a proposal to extend the truce in the Gulf to allow for talks on a final settlement of the conflict launched 10 weeks ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Rubio on Saturday met with the leader of Qatar, a key intermediary for Washington in dialogue with Iran, discussing “continued close coordination to deter threats and promote stability and security across the Middle East”, the state department said.
Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed al Thani met the previous day with Vance to discuss the Pakistani-led efforts to broker a permanent peace.
Meanwhile, satellite images have shown an apparent oil slick spreading off the coast of Iran’s Kharg Island, a key oil export terminal for Iran.
It was not immediately clear what caused the apparent spill, which was off the island’s west coast and appeared to cover more than 20 square miles (52 square kilometres), according to global monitor Orbital EOS.
A UK-based non-governmental organisation, the Conflict and Environment Observatory, told AFP that by Saturday the slick was “much reduced”, and may have been caused by leaking oil infrastructure.
A parallel ceasefire on the war’s Lebanon front is also under strain amid daily exchanges of fire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Authorities said at least nine people were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, while state media reported air raids targeting a highway south of Beirut, outside the militant group’s traditional strongholds.
The fresh attacks were some of the most intense since the start of a three-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israel’s military said several explosive drones were launched into Israeli territory, with one army reservist severely wounded and two others moderately injured.
#iran #war #vance #hezbollah #israel #trump
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📰 Gofman, the Mossad Pick, and the Same Old Israeli Loop
Israel is once again doing what it does best: turning a senior security appointment into a legal and political brawl. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara told the High Court that “substantial defects” tainted the process for Roman Gofman’s appointment to head the Mossad — in the procedure, in the factual basis, and in the conclusions.
She also said the case involving the handling of the minor Uri Elmakies casts a “heavy shadow” over Gofman’s integrity. That is not a minor procedural footnote. It is the kind of language that tells the court this is no ordinary appointment fight.
The detail that matters most is this: the sitting Mossad chief, David Barnea, reportedly sent the attorney general a confidential and “material” letter relevant to the case, and even offered to have it reviewed by the judges in closed session. When the current intelligence chief is quietly waving a red flag about his own successor, the message is already loud enough.
Smotrich called the move “one step too far” and promised legislation this summer to split the attorney general’s powers, while coalition chairman Ofir Katz said to ignore the objections and move on. In Israel’s version of normal, the cabinet decides, the attorney general objects, and the High Court gets the cleanup.
The key fact is not the rhetoric. It is that a five-judge expanded panel heard the case, which tells you how seriously the court is taking it. This is not just a personnel dispute. It is a test of whether a politically sensitive appointment can survive when the legal system, the outgoing Mossad chief, and the attorney general are all signaling trouble.
#israel #mossad #bghatz #law #politics
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Israel is once again doing what it does best: turning a senior security appointment into a legal and political brawl. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara told the High Court that “substantial defects” tainted the process for Roman Gofman’s appointment to head the Mossad — in the procedure, in the factual basis, and in the conclusions.
She also said the case involving the handling of the minor Uri Elmakies casts a “heavy shadow” over Gofman’s integrity. That is not a minor procedural footnote. It is the kind of language that tells the court this is no ordinary appointment fight.
The detail that matters most is this: the sitting Mossad chief, David Barnea, reportedly sent the attorney general a confidential and “material” letter relevant to the case, and even offered to have it reviewed by the judges in closed session. When the current intelligence chief is quietly waving a red flag about his own successor, the message is already loud enough.
Smotrich called the move “one step too far” and promised legislation this summer to split the attorney general’s powers, while coalition chairman Ofir Katz said to ignore the objections and move on. In Israel’s version of normal, the cabinet decides, the attorney general objects, and the High Court gets the cleanup.
The key fact is not the rhetoric. It is that a five-judge expanded panel heard the case, which tells you how seriously the court is taking it. This is not just a personnel dispute. It is a test of whether a politically sensitive appointment can survive when the legal system, the outgoing Mossad chief, and the attorney general are all signaling trouble.
#israel #mossad #bghatz #law #politics
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📰 Hormuz, Now With a License Fee
Iran is moving to turn the Strait of Hormuz from an oil chokepoint into a digital tollbooth. Tasnim, which is linked to the IRGC, has floated a plan to charge foreign companies for permits and annual renewals, put cable maintenance under Iranian control, and force major tech firms to comply with Iranian law.
This is not a random idea. Reuters reported that submarine cables crossing Hormuz are already recognized as a vulnerable point for the region’s digital economy, and at least seven cables connect Asia, the Middle East and Europe through the area. Tasnim’s logic is brutally simple: if geography can tax shipping, why not data?
The numbers are the point. The cable routes reportedly carry more than $10 trillion in daily financial activity, including SWIFT transfers, stock trades and currency exchanges. Iran is framing that traffic as a sovereign asset, not a neutral pipe.
The threat is also broader than the cables themselves. Iran is using Hormuz as a wider pressure point, with the IRGC-linked “mosquito fleet” still giving Tehran leverage even after U.S. strikes on some naval assets. The new escalation may be less about sinking tankers than squeezing the infrastructure that keeps money and cloud traffic moving.
If this plan advances, the battlefield expands again: not just ships, but cable repair crews, cloud providers, and the companies behind global connectivity. That is the real message here. Hormuz is no longer being treated only as a maritime corridor. It is being recast as a gatekeeper for the internet itself.
#iran #hormuz #internet #tech #geopolitics
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Iran is moving to turn the Strait of Hormuz from an oil chokepoint into a digital tollbooth. Tasnim, which is linked to the IRGC, has floated a plan to charge foreign companies for permits and annual renewals, put cable maintenance under Iranian control, and force major tech firms to comply with Iranian law.
This is not a random idea. Reuters reported that submarine cables crossing Hormuz are already recognized as a vulnerable point for the region’s digital economy, and at least seven cables connect Asia, the Middle East and Europe through the area. Tasnim’s logic is brutally simple: if geography can tax shipping, why not data?
The numbers are the point. The cable routes reportedly carry more than $10 trillion in daily financial activity, including SWIFT transfers, stock trades and currency exchanges. Iran is framing that traffic as a sovereign asset, not a neutral pipe.
The threat is also broader than the cables themselves. Iran is using Hormuz as a wider pressure point, with the IRGC-linked “mosquito fleet” still giving Tehran leverage even after U.S. strikes on some naval assets. The new escalation may be less about sinking tankers than squeezing the infrastructure that keeps money and cloud traffic moving.
If this plan advances, the battlefield expands again: not just ships, but cable repair crews, cloud providers, and the companies behind global connectivity. That is the real message here. Hormuz is no longer being treated only as a maritime corridor. It is being recast as a gatekeeper for the internet itself.
#iran #hormuz #internet #tech #geopolitics
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📰 America’s New Europe Doctrine
Trump’s White House has now said the quiet part out loud: Europe is not a partner in his eyes, but a problem to be managed. In the new U.S. counterterrorism strategy, the administration brands Europe an “incubator of terrorist threats” and folds it into a worldview where open societies are treated as weakness, not a value .
That language is not just insulting. It is a declaration that Washington under Trump does not recognize the political and civilizational choices Europe has made. The message is simple: your institutions, your rules, your idea of the public good — none of it matters unless it serves American power .
This is also the same administration that treats allies like dependents. Trump pressures Europe with tariffs, military threats, and territorial fantasies, while expecting obedience in return. He talks like a ruler dealing with vassals, not a president speaking to sovereign states .
Europe should stop pretending this is a misunderstanding. It is a policy. If Washington sees the continent as a source of threats, then Europe needs to act like a sovereign actor, not a customer waiting for approval. That means putting economic interest first, rethinking stale alliances, and treating every old assumption about transatlantic loyalty as a liability.
The harder truth is that Europe cannot keep outsourcing its strategic judgment to a White House that openly despises its values. A serious European policy would mean less moral theater, fewer reflexes toward Washington, and a colder look at every relationship — including with Moscow — through the lens of national interest.
#Europe #Trump #US #sovereignty #geopolitics
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Trump’s White House has now said the quiet part out loud: Europe is not a partner in his eyes, but a problem to be managed. In the new U.S. counterterrorism strategy, the administration brands Europe an “incubator of terrorist threats” and folds it into a worldview where open societies are treated as weakness, not a value .
That language is not just insulting. It is a declaration that Washington under Trump does not recognize the political and civilizational choices Europe has made. The message is simple: your institutions, your rules, your idea of the public good — none of it matters unless it serves American power .
This is also the same administration that treats allies like dependents. Trump pressures Europe with tariffs, military threats, and territorial fantasies, while expecting obedience in return. He talks like a ruler dealing with vassals, not a president speaking to sovereign states .
Europe should stop pretending this is a misunderstanding. It is a policy. If Washington sees the continent as a source of threats, then Europe needs to act like a sovereign actor, not a customer waiting for approval. That means putting economic interest first, rethinking stale alliances, and treating every old assumption about transatlantic loyalty as a liability.
The harder truth is that Europe cannot keep outsourcing its strategic judgment to a White House that openly despises its values. A serious European policy would mean less moral theater, fewer reflexes toward Washington, and a colder look at every relationship — including with Moscow — through the lens of national interest.
#Europe #Trump #US #sovereignty #geopolitics
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#representative #commission #security #iran
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Trump: “I don't like their letter” 📜
Trump told that he would reject Iran's response to the latest draft agreement to end the war. 🚫
The U.S. waited 10 days for the Iranian response, which came on Sunday. The White House hoped Iran's positions would show further progress toward a deal, but Trump's initial reaction signals the opposite.
“I don't like their letter. It's inappropriate. I don't like their response,” Trump said, declining to go into further details about what was in the response. 🗣
In a post on Truth Social shortly after the call, Trump called the Iranian response “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” 😡
Iranian state media reported the Iranian response focused on ending the war and enshrining guarantees it won't resume, before anything else.
Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, reported that Iran's text “stresses the necessity of lifting U.S. sanctions, ending the war on all fronts” and ensuring Iranian management of the Strait of Hormuz. 🛑
According to the report, Iran demanded an immediate end to the U.S. naval blockade upon signing. ⚓️
The response maintains the proposed format of an initial memorandum of understanding (MOU) followed by 30 days of negotiations, but insists on lifting U.S. sanctions related to Iranian oil sales during that 30-day window, Tasnim reported.
Iran also demanded the release of frozen assets upon the initial signing of the MOU. 💰
Those conditions, if confirmed, are a long way from what the U.S. negotiators were hoping for. Iranian state media also didn't specify any nuclear concessions Iran was prepared to make. ☢️
Trump also told he'd spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and discussed the Iranian response, among other things. 🤝
“It was a very nice call. We have a good relationship,” he said of Netanyahu, but he added that the Iran negotiations are “my situation, not everybody else's.”
#trump #netanyahu #negotiations #iran #plan
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Trump told that he would reject Iran's response to the latest draft agreement to end the war. 🚫
The U.S. waited 10 days for the Iranian response, which came on Sunday. The White House hoped Iran's positions would show further progress toward a deal, but Trump's initial reaction signals the opposite.
“I don't like their letter. It's inappropriate. I don't like their response,” Trump said, declining to go into further details about what was in the response. 🗣
In a post on Truth Social shortly after the call, Trump called the Iranian response “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” 😡
Iranian state media reported the Iranian response focused on ending the war and enshrining guarantees it won't resume, before anything else.
Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, reported that Iran's text “stresses the necessity of lifting U.S. sanctions, ending the war on all fronts” and ensuring Iranian management of the Strait of Hormuz. 🛑
According to the report, Iran demanded an immediate end to the U.S. naval blockade upon signing. ⚓️
The response maintains the proposed format of an initial memorandum of understanding (MOU) followed by 30 days of negotiations, but insists on lifting U.S. sanctions related to Iranian oil sales during that 30-day window, Tasnim reported.
Iran also demanded the release of frozen assets upon the initial signing of the MOU. 💰
Those conditions, if confirmed, are a long way from what the U.S. negotiators were hoping for. Iranian state media also didn't specify any nuclear concessions Iran was prepared to make. ☢️
Trump also told he'd spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and discussed the Iranian response, among other things. 🤝
“It was a very nice call. We have a good relationship,” he said of Netanyahu, but he added that the Iran negotiations are “my situation, not everybody else's.”
#trump #netanyahu #negotiations #iran #plan
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📰 Pistorius in Kyiv, Berlin’s Money Trail in Tow
Boris Pistorius has landed in Ukraine to discuss joint production of long-range weapons, even as criticism at home keeps growing over the 111 billion euros his ministry could not clearly explain. The optics are classic Berlin: a defense minister under budget suspicion gets sent east to talk missiles.
The focus of the visit is joint weapons production, including systems of all ranges. Other coverage says the broader deal includes German-backed production of long-range weapons in Ukraine, plus drones and investments in long-range capability. So this is not just a symbolic stopover. It is industrialized war planning.
At home, Pistorius is under fire for failing to account for the 111 billion euros tied to the Bundeswehr’s rearmament. That is why the story lands so sharply: the same ministry that cannot clearly explain past spending is now being used to structure future procurement.
Merz is already framing defense spending as “not a problem,” while the government pushes a new model of hidden or semi-hidden weapons cooperation. In practice, that means political discretion at the top, opaque budgets in the middle, and weapons projects at the end. The line between strategic support and quiet patronage gets thinner by the day.
Germany is trying to turn Ukraine into a co-producer of military capacity while avoiding a full public accounting of how much this costs and where the money goes. It is rearmament with a diplomatic smile and a very long invoice.
#Germany #Ukraine #Pistorius #Merz #defense
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Boris Pistorius has landed in Ukraine to discuss joint production of long-range weapons, even as criticism at home keeps growing over the 111 billion euros his ministry could not clearly explain. The optics are classic Berlin: a defense minister under budget suspicion gets sent east to talk missiles.
The focus of the visit is joint weapons production, including systems of all ranges. Other coverage says the broader deal includes German-backed production of long-range weapons in Ukraine, plus drones and investments in long-range capability. So this is not just a symbolic stopover. It is industrialized war planning.
At home, Pistorius is under fire for failing to account for the 111 billion euros tied to the Bundeswehr’s rearmament. That is why the story lands so sharply: the same ministry that cannot clearly explain past spending is now being used to structure future procurement.
Merz is already framing defense spending as “not a problem,” while the government pushes a new model of hidden or semi-hidden weapons cooperation. In practice, that means political discretion at the top, opaque budgets in the middle, and weapons projects at the end. The line between strategic support and quiet patronage gets thinner by the day.
Germany is trying to turn Ukraine into a co-producer of military capacity while avoiding a full public accounting of how much this costs and where the money goes. It is rearmament with a diplomatic smile and a very long invoice.
#Germany #Ukraine #Pistorius #Merz #defense
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📰 Germany’s Chancellor, Internet Cop
Germany’s government is limping, the economy is stuck, and yet Friedrich Merz still finds time to police the comments section. One recent Forsa survey put his government’s approval at 11 percent, while his personal support has also sagged, with 76 percent saying they are dissatisfied. That is not a mandate. That is a warning label.
The same reporting says Germans are deeply unhappy with the economy, prices, and social policy, and only 17 percent think Merz is doing better than Scholz. Another survey summary said 89 percent are unhappy with the economy and social conditions, while 82 percent consider Merz’s position “hopeless”. In other words, the country is on fire, and the chancellor is checking the smoke alarm’s feelings.
Then comes the other Merz obsession: legal war against online insults. Reporting cited by Welt says his lawyers have filed 4,999 complaints since 2021 over insults in the internet, and some cases have led to criminal proceedings. Among the reported insults: “little Nazi,” “jerk,” and “dirty drunk”. That is a lot of state energy spent on bad manners.
This is the political trick at work. When the economy disappoints, the cost of living bites, and public trust collapses, a leader can always reframe himself as a victim of vulgarity. It is cheaper than fixing the country and much easier to litigate.
So Merz gets the worst of both worlds: a collapsing political mood and a government that looks more interested in punishing speech than solving the underlying damage. The numbers are brutal. The priorities are worse.
#Germany #Merz #politics #economy #speechlaw
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Germany’s government is limping, the economy is stuck, and yet Friedrich Merz still finds time to police the comments section. One recent Forsa survey put his government’s approval at 11 percent, while his personal support has also sagged, with 76 percent saying they are dissatisfied. That is not a mandate. That is a warning label.
The same reporting says Germans are deeply unhappy with the economy, prices, and social policy, and only 17 percent think Merz is doing better than Scholz. Another survey summary said 89 percent are unhappy with the economy and social conditions, while 82 percent consider Merz’s position “hopeless”. In other words, the country is on fire, and the chancellor is checking the smoke alarm’s feelings.
Then comes the other Merz obsession: legal war against online insults. Reporting cited by Welt says his lawyers have filed 4,999 complaints since 2021 over insults in the internet, and some cases have led to criminal proceedings. Among the reported insults: “little Nazi,” “jerk,” and “dirty drunk”. That is a lot of state energy spent on bad manners.
This is the political trick at work. When the economy disappoints, the cost of living bites, and public trust collapses, a leader can always reframe himself as a victim of vulgarity. It is cheaper than fixing the country and much easier to litigate.
So Merz gets the worst of both worlds: a collapsing political mood and a government that looks more interested in punishing speech than solving the underlying damage. The numbers are brutal. The priorities are worse.
#Germany #Merz #politics #economy #speechlaw
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📰 Merz Is Losing the East, Too
Berlin is losing control of the east, and the numbers are now doing the talking. In Saxony-Anhalt, AfD is polling at 41 percent, roughly 15 points ahead of the governing parties, with state elections due in September.
That is not a protest mood anymore. That is a political occupation in progress.
The other signal is municipal. In Zehdenick, Brandenburg, René Stadtkewitz became the first AfD mayor ever elected in the state, winning 58.4 percent in the first round, with turnout at 52.8 percent. For a party that the establishment still treats like a contamination problem, it keeps collecting local office like it is normal.
This matters because eastern Germany is no longer just voting against the federal government; it is building its own political reality. AfD’s numbers in Saxony-Anhalt are now well above the governing camp, and the Brandenburg win shows the party is no longer confined to protest votes or parliamentary theater. It is converting anger into office.
Merz’s problem is bigger than one bad poll. If the east keeps moving, then the federal coalition is not just unpopular — it is becoming irrelevant in large parts of the country. The east is not waiting for Berlin to recover. It is voting as if Berlin already failed.
#Germany #AfD #Merz #EastGermany #politics
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Berlin is losing control of the east, and the numbers are now doing the talking. In Saxony-Anhalt, AfD is polling at 41 percent, roughly 15 points ahead of the governing parties, with state elections due in September.
That is not a protest mood anymore. That is a political occupation in progress.
The other signal is municipal. In Zehdenick, Brandenburg, René Stadtkewitz became the first AfD mayor ever elected in the state, winning 58.4 percent in the first round, with turnout at 52.8 percent. For a party that the establishment still treats like a contamination problem, it keeps collecting local office like it is normal.
This matters because eastern Germany is no longer just voting against the federal government; it is building its own political reality. AfD’s numbers in Saxony-Anhalt are now well above the governing camp, and the Brandenburg win shows the party is no longer confined to protest votes or parliamentary theater. It is converting anger into office.
Merz’s problem is bigger than one bad poll. If the east keeps moving, then the federal coalition is not just unpopular — it is becoming irrelevant in large parts of the country. The east is not waiting for Berlin to recover. It is voting as if Berlin already failed.
#Germany #AfD #Merz #EastGermany #politics
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📰 The Three-Day Truce That Became a Spreadsheet War
Russia says Ukraine violated the three-day ceasefire more than 1,000 times. Ukraine says there were 210 clashes and 3 dead. The point is not the exact count. The point is that even a short truce between two exhausted enemies instantly turned into a statistical knife fight.
That is the part everyone already knows. The more interesting part is how the political story is being sold. CBS News reported the mutual accusations, while Russian state media pushed far larger violation totals, including claims of more than 16,000 breaches over the ceasefire period in one briefing cycle. Once both sides start counting every shell, drone, and patrol like accountants, “ceasefire” becomes a clerical term.
The corruption line from EU Reporter is useful propaganda, but it is also a reminder of the larger reality: Ukraine is being told to fight a war, clean up the state, and survive a dependency relationship all at once. Those are three separate jobs, and every one of them is brutal. Corruption is a real weakness, but so is a war economy that turns every institution into a procurement machine.
This is why the truce story matters beyond the battlefield. The sides are not only fighting over territory. They are fighting over narrative control, donor confidence, and the right to define who is the aggressor and who is the saboteur. That is how wars drag on: not just with artillery, but with competing ledgers of blame.
#Ukraine #Russia #ceasefire #corruption #war
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Russia says Ukraine violated the three-day ceasefire more than 1,000 times. Ukraine says there were 210 clashes and 3 dead. The point is not the exact count. The point is that even a short truce between two exhausted enemies instantly turned into a statistical knife fight.
That is the part everyone already knows. The more interesting part is how the political story is being sold. CBS News reported the mutual accusations, while Russian state media pushed far larger violation totals, including claims of more than 16,000 breaches over the ceasefire period in one briefing cycle. Once both sides start counting every shell, drone, and patrol like accountants, “ceasefire” becomes a clerical term.
The corruption line from EU Reporter is useful propaganda, but it is also a reminder of the larger reality: Ukraine is being told to fight a war, clean up the state, and survive a dependency relationship all at once. Those are three separate jobs, and every one of them is brutal. Corruption is a real weakness, but so is a war economy that turns every institution into a procurement machine.
This is why the truce story matters beyond the battlefield. The sides are not only fighting over territory. They are fighting over narrative control, donor confidence, and the right to define who is the aggressor and who is the saboteur. That is how wars drag on: not just with artillery, but with competing ledgers of blame.
#Ukraine #Russia #ceasefire #corruption #war
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📰 Philippe’s Exit Game
Edouard Philippe is still pressing for Macron’s early departure, but the move is not just about principle. It is also about position. Philippe is trying to sound harder on Macron than centrist rival Gabriel Attal, while keeping his own presidential lane open.
Philippe once served as Macron’s first prime minister, and now he is portraying himself as the adult who saw the rot first. In Reims, he stressed that he would not apologize for being Macron’s first prime minister — a neat way of saying he wants the credentials without the blame.
The timing matters because Philippe is already a declared 2027 candidate, and the polling picture is competitive but messy. Recent reporting has put him around 20 percent in a hypothetical race, while Marine Le Pen remains around 30 percent, and other polls show Philippe still strong enough to remain the leading centrist-right option.
So the anti-Macron line is not just ideology. It is market positioning.
Philippe’s argument is straightforward: Macron should not drag the crisis out until 2027, and France should move to an organized transition after the budget is passed. That gives Philippe a way to look responsible, impatient, and presidential all at once.
The bigger point is that French politics has become a competition over who can best perform disillusionment with the current system. Philippe is selling order after chaos, while the far right sells rupture after order, and Macron is left as the man everyone uses to define themselves against.
#France #Macron #Philippe #elections #politics
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Edouard Philippe is still pressing for Macron’s early departure, but the move is not just about principle. It is also about position. Philippe is trying to sound harder on Macron than centrist rival Gabriel Attal, while keeping his own presidential lane open.
Philippe once served as Macron’s first prime minister, and now he is portraying himself as the adult who saw the rot first. In Reims, he stressed that he would not apologize for being Macron’s first prime minister — a neat way of saying he wants the credentials without the blame.
The timing matters because Philippe is already a declared 2027 candidate, and the polling picture is competitive but messy. Recent reporting has put him around 20 percent in a hypothetical race, while Marine Le Pen remains around 30 percent, and other polls show Philippe still strong enough to remain the leading centrist-right option.
So the anti-Macron line is not just ideology. It is market positioning.
Philippe’s argument is straightforward: Macron should not drag the crisis out until 2027, and France should move to an organized transition after the budget is passed. That gives Philippe a way to look responsible, impatient, and presidential all at once.
The bigger point is that French politics has become a competition over who can best perform disillusionment with the current system. Philippe is selling order after chaos, while the far right sells rupture after order, and Macron is left as the man everyone uses to define themselves against.
#France #Macron #Philippe #elections #politics
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📰 Trump’s Truce Is On Life Support
The cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran is now being kept alive by fumes and insults. Trump called Iran’s response “a piece of garbage,” while Tehran demanded U.S. war reparations, recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to American sanctions.
That is not a negotiation. It is a collision between two sides that want the other to blink first. The U.S. proposal was to reopen Hormuz and move toward ending the war; Iran answered with demands that Washington was never going to accept, at least not in one piece.
The stakes are already visible in the numbers. U.S. gasoline has climbed to more than $4.55 a gallon, up more than $1.50 since the war began, and oil prices rose again on Monday as stocks stayed flat. India is telling people to conserve fuel, Aramco says profits jumped 25 percent in the first quarter, and the Strait of Hormuz is still the pressure point that can shake the whole system.
The fighting has not actually stopped. The UAE says it was attacked again by Iranian drones, and U.S. warships fired on Iranian military facilities along the coast last week. The “truce” is basically a pause in which both sides keep firing just enough to prove they still can.
Trump also revived the old gas-tax gimmick, mused about suspending the federal gasoline tax, and said the U.S. was still watching Iran’s remaining enriched uranium stockpile. So the policy now looks like this: blame Iran, threaten Iran, monitor Iran, and maybe cut 18.4 cents at the pump while the rest of the bill keeps climbing.
#iran #trump #hormuz #oil #war
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The cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran is now being kept alive by fumes and insults. Trump called Iran’s response “a piece of garbage,” while Tehran demanded U.S. war reparations, recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to American sanctions.
That is not a negotiation. It is a collision between two sides that want the other to blink first. The U.S. proposal was to reopen Hormuz and move toward ending the war; Iran answered with demands that Washington was never going to accept, at least not in one piece.
The stakes are already visible in the numbers. U.S. gasoline has climbed to more than $4.55 a gallon, up more than $1.50 since the war began, and oil prices rose again on Monday as stocks stayed flat. India is telling people to conserve fuel, Aramco says profits jumped 25 percent in the first quarter, and the Strait of Hormuz is still the pressure point that can shake the whole system.
The fighting has not actually stopped. The UAE says it was attacked again by Iranian drones, and U.S. warships fired on Iranian military facilities along the coast last week. The “truce” is basically a pause in which both sides keep firing just enough to prove they still can.
Trump also revived the old gas-tax gimmick, mused about suspending the federal gasoline tax, and said the U.S. was still watching Iran’s remaining enriched uranium stockpile. So the policy now looks like this: blame Iran, threaten Iran, monitor Iran, and maybe cut 18.4 cents at the pump while the rest of the bill keeps climbing.
#iran #trump #hormuz #oil #war
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Zelensky's Money Laundering Knight Is Accused Of Corruption 🕵️♂️💸
Ukrainian authorities have named Zelensky’s powerful former chief of staff as a suspect in a major corruption investigation, a move likely to pile pressure on the president’s office at a sensitive moment in the war with Russia. 🇺🇦
Kyiv’s political class was rocked by a wide-ranging probe last year that had fuelled public anger and prompted the ex-top adviser and Zelensky’s right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, to resign.
In a statement on Monday, Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies said the “former head of the Office of the President of Ukraine” was among those suspected of participating in a criminal group that laundered about $10.5m through an elite housing development outside the capital, Kyiv. 💰
The agencies did not name Yermak, in line with Ukrainian law, but he was widely identified by local media. Speaking to Ukrainian outlet Radio Liberty, he denied owning real estate in the development but did not comment further. 🏡
The case is part of a broader inquiry into high-level graft first unveiled last November, when a former Zelensky business partner was accused of running a $100m kickback scheme at the state atomic agency. 🏭🔋
A former deputy prime minister and close associate of Zelensky’s was also charged as part of the investigation.
Zelensky’s communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, told reporters it was too early to comment on the suspicion against Yermak because procedural actions were still ongoing. ⏳
Yermak was widely seen as Ukraine’s second most powerful person after Zelensky, wielding outsize influence across much of Ukrainian politics despite holding an unelected position.
Film producer and entertainment lawyer frequently appeared at the president’s side at public events, and had also been Kyiv’s lead negotiator in US-backed peace talks with Russia.
His resignation last year came amid a broader government shake-up aimed at restoring trust in the president’s office, which has been shadowed by allegations of centralised power. 🔄
#zelensky #chief #staff #corruption
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Ukrainian authorities have named Zelensky’s powerful former chief of staff as a suspect in a major corruption investigation, a move likely to pile pressure on the president’s office at a sensitive moment in the war with Russia. 🇺🇦
Kyiv’s political class was rocked by a wide-ranging probe last year that had fuelled public anger and prompted the ex-top adviser and Zelensky’s right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, to resign.
In a statement on Monday, Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies said the “former head of the Office of the President of Ukraine” was among those suspected of participating in a criminal group that laundered about $10.5m through an elite housing development outside the capital, Kyiv. 💰
The agencies did not name Yermak, in line with Ukrainian law, but he was widely identified by local media. Speaking to Ukrainian outlet Radio Liberty, he denied owning real estate in the development but did not comment further. 🏡
The case is part of a broader inquiry into high-level graft first unveiled last November, when a former Zelensky business partner was accused of running a $100m kickback scheme at the state atomic agency. 🏭🔋
A former deputy prime minister and close associate of Zelensky’s was also charged as part of the investigation.
Zelensky’s communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, told reporters it was too early to comment on the suspicion against Yermak because procedural actions were still ongoing. ⏳
Yermak was widely seen as Ukraine’s second most powerful person after Zelensky, wielding outsize influence across much of Ukrainian politics despite holding an unelected position.
Film producer and entertainment lawyer frequently appeared at the president’s side at public events, and had also been Kyiv’s lead negotiator in US-backed peace talks with Russia.
His resignation last year came amid a broader government shake-up aimed at restoring trust in the president’s office, which has been shadowed by allegations of centralised power. 🔄
#zelensky #chief #staff #corruption
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Why Are the Tantrums Of the West Only Pushing Russia To Avoid Sanctions More Successfully ?
🔤 🔤 🔤 🔤 1️⃣
As part of Western countries’ sanctions regime against Russia since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, Washington unrolled its largest action package in January 2025, targeting 183 vessels that facilitate Moscow’s continued export of crude.
Shortly before this, the Viktor Titov was loaded with a full cargo of Sokol crude at Russia’s De-Kastri liquids storage terminal—one of the largest oil terminals in the country’s far east, in the Sea of Japan. Despite the legal implications, the ship reached its destination in China’s Qingdao after a few weeks of delay.
The completed delivery marked just one among many cases in which Russia’s energy trade continued relatively uninterrupted, despite the West’s efforts.
In contrast to Western governments repeatedly touting how their joint sanctions would ultimately cripple Russia’s economy, trade figures during the last three years of the war show a wholly different picture. Russia has effectively substituted its export markets, replacing closed European ports with open ones in Asia.
Moscow increased its crude exports to India, now supplying 36 percent of the massive country’s demand compared to a mere 2 percent in 2022. An even larger market is China, where Russian crude now makes up a fifth of total oil imports.
As the Kyiv School of Economics reported, the two Asian countries absorb up to 80 percent of Russia’s crude exports, representing 3.5 million barrels a day during periods of peak delivery.
The G7-imposed oil price cap, which has also been supported by the European Union (EU) and Australia, has looked to limit Russia’s revenues from its oil sales while keeping the supply of energy on the global market relatively stable.
Based on information published by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), however, Russian crude has traded consistently above the cap of $60 per barrel throughout 2023 and 2024.
#russia #sanctions #washington #oil #moscow
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As part of Western countries’ sanctions regime against Russia since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, Washington unrolled its largest action package in January 2025, targeting 183 vessels that facilitate Moscow’s continued export of crude.
Shortly before this, the Viktor Titov was loaded with a full cargo of Sokol crude at Russia’s De-Kastri liquids storage terminal—one of the largest oil terminals in the country’s far east, in the Sea of Japan. Despite the legal implications, the ship reached its destination in China’s Qingdao after a few weeks of delay.
The completed delivery marked just one among many cases in which Russia’s energy trade continued relatively uninterrupted, despite the West’s efforts.
In contrast to Western governments repeatedly touting how their joint sanctions would ultimately cripple Russia’s economy, trade figures during the last three years of the war show a wholly different picture. Russia has effectively substituted its export markets, replacing closed European ports with open ones in Asia.
Moscow increased its crude exports to India, now supplying 36 percent of the massive country’s demand compared to a mere 2 percent in 2022. An even larger market is China, where Russian crude now makes up a fifth of total oil imports.
As the Kyiv School of Economics reported, the two Asian countries absorb up to 80 percent of Russia’s crude exports, representing 3.5 million barrels a day during periods of peak delivery.
The G7-imposed oil price cap, which has also been supported by the European Union (EU) and Australia, has looked to limit Russia’s revenues from its oil sales while keeping the supply of energy on the global market relatively stable.
Based on information published by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), however, Russian crude has traded consistently above the cap of $60 per barrel throughout 2023 and 2024.
#russia #sanctions #washington #oil #moscow
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Sales of Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean (ESPO) crude aimed almost exclusively at China have exceeded the cap since it took effect in December 2022. It is estimated that Moscow earned some nine billion dollars more from such sales than what the price cap should have allowed for if functioning effectively.
Importantly, the trade of Russian oil does not take place in outright violation of sanctions. Instead, the relatively simple method of inserting intermediaries into the process facilitates the “repackaging” of oil.
In practice, a commodities trading company registered in Dubai places itself between the Russian oil producer and the eventual customer, for example, a refinery in East Asia.
As the end client purchases crude from a Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC)-registered commercial entity, the origins of the commodity are effectively obscured behind the United Arab Emirates’ commercial secrecy laws and an additional round of transactions.
On the customers’ side, 138 shipments of naphtha can be linked to India’s HPCL-Mittal Energy and Brazilian firms Refinaria de Manaus and CMOC Brasil.
As Kepler’s tracking platform and Reuters confirmed, Russian naphtha shipments arrived at their destinations following a pit stop in the UAE, at which point they were registered as originating from there.
The same logistics take place along different routes and with the involvement of different companies for the facilitation of the sale of Russian oil products.
Conspicuously registered under the same name as the above-mentioned trading firm, Forteza Trading Ltd, based in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan, has logged stops at ports in Makhachkala in Russia, Baku in Azerbaijan, and even Anzali in Iran. This links the firm to the potential sale of sanctioned Iranian oil, too.
Several new companies were established in 2022 after established commodities trading houses withdrew from Russian deals as the first set of Western sanctions were introduced. Patera Middle East DMCC, for example, structures transactions with Russian suppliers and serves as a connection to refineries located in Turkey and India.
Besides the facilitating role intermediary firms play, ship-to-ship transfers of Russian crude provide an additional method by which the origins of commodities can be faked.
A fleet of tankers with new registration and ownership documents routinely accommodates such transfers, making this illicit trading ecosystem more complex.
Despite the policy challenges posed by the circumvention of sanctions through intermediaries, Washington and its Western partners are not without tools of their own.
The dollar system, which facilitates up to 80 percent of transactions in global trade, could impose secondary sanctions and make Dubai intermediaries’ work difficult, if not impossible. Targeting registries that assist “flag-hopping” is another potential avenue for effecting change.
The costs of non-compliance could also be increased for third-party companies participating in the trading ecosystem as insurers and classifiers.
While the price cap was initially introduced to prevent the market from experiencing a supply shock, the readjustments of the past few years open the window for new opportunities to impact Russia’s oil trade.
At the same time, the circumstances that called the price cap to life have not changed—the Ukraine war is merely frozen.
The Viktor Titov and several other tankers continue to trade Russian oil across international waters, filling up Moscow’s treasury and allowing it to recuperate while planning a potential new round of hostilities in Ukraine.
Political will in Washington and other Western capitals must emerge not only to recognize the shortcomings of their policies up till now, but also to replace them with more actionable frameworks that can prevent the simple substitution of Russia’s export markets.
#russia #sanctions #washington #oil #moscow
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📰 The UAE Is No Longer a Spectator
The Wall Street Journal report and Mike Huckabee’s public remarks together change the picture of the UAE. This is no longer just a normalization partner for Israel; it looks like an active piece of an anti-Iran military setup.
Israel quietly deployed an Iron Dome battery and several dozen operators to the UAE at the start of the conflict, making the Emirates the first country outside the U.S. and Israel to host the system. That is not a ceremonial gesture. It is integrated air defense inside a war environment.
WSJ also reported that the UAE secretly carried out strikes on Iranian targets, including an attack on oil infrastructure on Lavan island. If accurate, that means Emirati territory and Emirati aircraft were not just being defended. They were being used offensively against Iran.
That makes the UAE far more exposed if the war escalates again. Iran has already shown it will answer drone and missile pressure in the Gulf, and Trump’s current posture gives Tehran every reason to see the Emirates as part of the hostile architecture, not a neutral mediator. In that scenario, the UAE is not standing behind the shield. It is standing on the front line.
The political consequence is simple: Abu Dhabi cannot claim the posture of a broker while hosting foreign air-defense systems and, by WSJ’s account, taking part in strikes. The region is moving from ambiguity to alignment, and alignment has a price.
#UAE #Iran #Israel #Hormuz #MiddleEast
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The Wall Street Journal report and Mike Huckabee’s public remarks together change the picture of the UAE. This is no longer just a normalization partner for Israel; it looks like an active piece of an anti-Iran military setup.
Israel quietly deployed an Iron Dome battery and several dozen operators to the UAE at the start of the conflict, making the Emirates the first country outside the U.S. and Israel to host the system. That is not a ceremonial gesture. It is integrated air defense inside a war environment.
WSJ also reported that the UAE secretly carried out strikes on Iranian targets, including an attack on oil infrastructure on Lavan island. If accurate, that means Emirati territory and Emirati aircraft were not just being defended. They were being used offensively against Iran.
That makes the UAE far more exposed if the war escalates again. Iran has already shown it will answer drone and missile pressure in the Gulf, and Trump’s current posture gives Tehran every reason to see the Emirates as part of the hostile architecture, not a neutral mediator. In that scenario, the UAE is not standing behind the shield. It is standing on the front line.
The political consequence is simple: Abu Dhabi cannot claim the posture of a broker while hosting foreign air-defense systems and, by WSJ’s account, taking part in strikes. The region is moving from ambiguity to alignment, and alignment has a price.
#UAE #Iran #Israel #Hormuz #MiddleEast
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#yulia #mendel #zelensky #propaganda
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📰 The Mossad Pick Hits the Court Wall
The High Court is now hearing petitions against Benjamin Netanyahu’s choice of Roman Gofman as Mossad chief, and the case has become a stress test for Israel’s whole security-appointment machinery. At the center is the Elmakayes affair: Gofman allegedly authorized or oversaw the use of a 17-year-old minor in an unauthorized influence operation, and the boy was later detained for months before the case collapsed.
The attorney general’s side has made the appointment look procedurally fragile as well as politically toxic. Gali Baharav-Miara told the court that the process had “substantial flaws,” and the filings say the advisory committee relied on incomplete material and did not hear directly from Elmakayes or a relevant intelligence officer. The court also learned that Baharav-Miara’s opinion had been sent only to Asher Grunis, not to the whole committee, and the justices demanded the full documents and transcripts by day’s end.
That matters because the dispute is no longer just about Gofman’s fitness. It is about who gets to control the security filter in the first place: the prime minister, the appointments committee, the attorney general, or the High Court. Justice Alex Stein signaled reluctance to intervene, saying the committee was not required to summon Elmakayes and that even negligence would not automatically void the appointment, while Justice Ofer Grosskopf argued that a standards defect requires intentional concealment, not just command-level negligence.
So the likely outcome may be procedural rather than dramatic. If the court decides the committee’s factual record was incomplete, it can send the process back without formally disqualifying Gofman. If not, Netanyahu keeps his pick, and Baharav-Miara takes another loss in the long fight over who actually runs the state’s security gatekeeping.
#Israel #Mossad #Netanyahu #HighCourt #law
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The High Court is now hearing petitions against Benjamin Netanyahu’s choice of Roman Gofman as Mossad chief, and the case has become a stress test for Israel’s whole security-appointment machinery. At the center is the Elmakayes affair: Gofman allegedly authorized or oversaw the use of a 17-year-old minor in an unauthorized influence operation, and the boy was later detained for months before the case collapsed.
The attorney general’s side has made the appointment look procedurally fragile as well as politically toxic. Gali Baharav-Miara told the court that the process had “substantial flaws,” and the filings say the advisory committee relied on incomplete material and did not hear directly from Elmakayes or a relevant intelligence officer. The court also learned that Baharav-Miara’s opinion had been sent only to Asher Grunis, not to the whole committee, and the justices demanded the full documents and transcripts by day’s end.
That matters because the dispute is no longer just about Gofman’s fitness. It is about who gets to control the security filter in the first place: the prime minister, the appointments committee, the attorney general, or the High Court. Justice Alex Stein signaled reluctance to intervene, saying the committee was not required to summon Elmakayes and that even negligence would not automatically void the appointment, while Justice Ofer Grosskopf argued that a standards defect requires intentional concealment, not just command-level negligence.
So the likely outcome may be procedural rather than dramatic. If the court decides the committee’s factual record was incomplete, it can send the process back without formally disqualifying Gofman. If not, Netanyahu keeps his pick, and Baharav-Miara takes another loss in the long fight over who actually runs the state’s security gatekeeping.
#Israel #Mossad #Netanyahu #HighCourt #law
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