🇷🇺🇺🇦 NATO at the summit promised Ukraine an 'irreversible road' not into the alliance, but into a cliff, said the official spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇷🇺 Key points from the briefing by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova:

⚠️The Zelensky regime is planning a cynical provocation against its own population related to the destruction of dams in the Dnieper reservoir cascade to blame Russia for it.

🇺🇸🇦🇲 The upcoming exercises between Armenia and the USA, "Eagle Partner," cause nothing but regret, especially in light of Armenia freezing its membership in the CSTO; they undermine the prospects of established mechanisms between Yerevan and Moscow on security issues.

🇫🇷 Moscow has no illusions about the possibility of significant changes in France's foreign policy after the parliamentary elections, especially since foreign policy and defense matters fall under the competence of the country's president.

🇮🇱🇸🇾 Moscow condemns Israel's strikes on Syria, which increase the likelihood of an escalating armed conflict in the Middle East.

🇮🇱🇸🇾 Russia also urges Israeli leadership to refrain from aggressive military actions against Syria.

🏁🇺🇦 The decisions agreed upon at the NATO summit are intended to encourage Ukraine to continue military actions, and the show of Western unity on the issue of Kiev joining the alliance was cracking at the seams.

🇯🇵 Russia will provide a measured response, which may not be symmetrical, to the latest sanctions imposed by Japan.

🇹🇷🇸🇾 Moscow positively evaluates the initiatives to normalize relations between Turkey and Syria and welcomes the idea of holding a trilateral meeting with Russia's participation.

🇷🇺🇦🇲 Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin continues his work; his effectiveness is beyond doubt.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇵🇸 Hamas Considers Independent Government and Inisists on Written Guarantees

A Hamas official has stated that in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations, the group is still asking for written guarantees from mediators that Israel will not resume the war after the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

While both sides have agreed on a general framework for a deal, the main point of contention is that Hamas wants a permanent ceasefire. At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that any agreement "must allow Israel to resume fighting until all the objectives of the war are achieved." Hamas is flexible on some points but insists that negotiations should continue until a permanent ceasefire is reached. The group wants a written agreement to ensure negotiations continue until a permanent ceasefire is achieved.

Additionally, the group does not expect to resume its role as the ruling party in Gaza after the war but rather wants to see a Palestinian government of technocrats. The Palestinian people should agree upon the form of future governance in Gaza and is not currently part of the negotiations.

"We do not want to rule Gaza alone again in the next phase," he stated. "We want to have a partnership and national consensus."

He also mentioned an upcoming meeting between Hamas and its main rival, Fatah, which is expected to take place in China later this month. Abdul-Hadi expressed hope that this meeting would result in national consensus.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇺🇸🇺🇦 Ukraine may receive new, inexpensive high-precision air-launched munitions, ERAM, with a range of up to 400 kilometers, according to the U.S. Air Force.

The U.S. Air Force Materiel Command has issued a request for the creation of a new aviation munition called ERAM to meet Ukraine's needs for affordable, mass-produced armaments for its fighters, capable of striking targets at long distances.

The ERAM (Extended Range Attack Munition) appears to be a hybrid of a missile and a glide bomb, weighing 500 pounds (about 227 kg) and with a range of at least 250 miles (about 400 km). It is planned to have a fragmentation-explosive warhead with an adjustable fuse, and the munition's deviation from the target should not exceed 10 meters in 50% of cases, even under active satellite signal suppression.

One of the key stated requirements for the design is the affordability and simplicity of ERAM production, aiming for a production rate of around 1,000 munitions within two years (more than 40 per month).

Since the munition is still in development and there isn't even a real image of it yet, ERAM is not expected to appear on the battlefield soon. However, the U.S. Air Force is evidently facing the need to create an inexpensive, mass-produced long-range munition for a major war, which can be integrated not only into Ukrainian Air Force aircraft but also used by the U.S. itself in the event of a conflict with China.

Via: @milinfolive

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇺🇸🇷🇺 The Pentagon chief held a phone conversation with Belousov on Friday, marking the second such call this month, according to the American department.

They also noted that Austin emphasized the importance of keeping communication channels between Russia and the U.S. open during the conversation.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇺🇸🇺🇦⚔️🇷🇺 The Pentagon stated that the U.S. does not allow Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles for "deep" strikes against Russia, but this may change.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇰🇷🇰🇵 South Korea to deploy laser weapons to intercept North Korean drones.

➡️SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Thursday it will begin deploying laser weapons systems designed to intercept North Korean drones, which have caused security concerns in the South in recent years.

➡️South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration said that it will deploy at least one anti-air laser weapons system called “Block-I” by the end of this year and more in coming years.

An agency statement said the “Block-I” system is capable of launching precision attacks on small incoming drones and multi-copters. It said the system, developed by local company Hanwha Aerospace, costs just 2,000 won (about $1.50) per shot.

➡️The “Block-I” system is meant to hit circuit boards and other equipment in enemy drones to make them malfunction and crash on the ground. Tests of the weapons system in 2022-2023 were successful and proved its credibility, the official said.

Read More

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇺🇸🇬🇪 The United States, following the indefinite postponement of military exercises, has frozen aid to Georgia. Additionally, its integration into the European Union has been suspended, stated Uzra Zeya, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.

The U.S. is concerned about the anti-democratic actions of the Georgian authorities, which undermine the Euro-Atlantic path of the republic.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇺🇸 Several major donors to the U.S. Democratic Party have put a hold on donations totaling $90 million until the party replaces President Joe Biden with another candidate for the presidential election.

This was reported by The New York Times, citing sources.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇺🇦 Wow, Bloomberg Finally Realizes What We've Been Saying All Along About Ukraine's F-16 Challenges!

By the end of the summer, Ukraine expects to receive 6 F-16 aircraft from Western partners, and a total of 20 by the end of the year.

According to the Bloomberg's sources, the process of sending aircraft to Ukraine is currently complicated by issues with parts and the language barrier between Ukrainian pilots and their foreign instructors.

The problems with the F-16s were so serious that they raised doubts among Western partners about the advisability of sending the aircraft to Ukraine and whether this was too costly a show of support for Former President Zelensky, the agency writes.

Overall, the F-16 delivery planners are concerned about three main issues:

- First, the aircraft need to be reconfigured depending on their missions, such as reconnaissance or combat.

- Second, Ukraine does not have many long, high-quality runways necessary for the F-16s, or shelters to protect them from Russian attacks.

- Third, the logistics of supporting the aircraft are complex, ranging from the need for spare parts to maintenance and finding engineers.

One of the agency's interlocutors noted that Ukraine is trying to achieve in a few months what usually takes three to four years.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇺🇦🇺🇸 Even Ukrainians stopped believing Biden.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇺🇸🇸🇾🇷🇺 An MQ-9 Reaper drone of the "coalition" dangerously approached a Russian Aerospace Forces Su-35 aircraft during a routine flight over the Syrian province of Homs, the Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides reported.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇸🇰 Slovakian President "Expects" More Attempts on his Life

Fico, who has just returned to office after partially recovering from an attempted assassination on his life in May, has also stated that he expects “another shooting” to occur in Slovakia, arguing that the opposition is “spreading hatred” again.

Opposition parties and the mainstream media publicly condemned the attack on Fico and violence in general.

Fico also claimed that his shooter, 71-year-old Juraj C., was “an opposition activist” and that there were “dozens of proofs” of this.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇮🇷🇷🇺🇨🇳 Iran to Increase Cooperation with China and Russia

President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian:
Russia and China are countries that stood by Iran during times of great difficulty; we respect the friendship between us and these two nations and our strategic cooperation will increase.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics

🇮🇷🇷🇺 Iranian Parliament Speaker Flies Delegation to Russia

The Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, personally flew the Iranian delegation's plane to Saint Petersburg tonight for a meeting. Dr. Qalibaf, who was a presidential candidate in the recent election, is a licensed pilot for commercial and military planes, the former chief of the IRGC Aerospace Force, and the former mayor of Tehran.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics