🇪🇺🪖 Kallas' 'grand plan' hits a snag

Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal have balked at EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas' €40 billion military aid plan for Ukraine. According to La Stampa, the initial amount might dwindle to a mere €5 billion, just enough for large-caliber ammunition.

Kallas has clarified that the proposal, set for approval at the March 20 EU summit, as being "voluntary," adding that "countries far from Russia don't see the threat as clearly as their neighbors."

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has raised numerous questions about Kallas' plan. Meanwhile, EU leaders will discuss Ursula von der Leyen's €800 billion defense spending boost that relies on increasing national debt — a tough sell for budget-constrained nations like Italy, France, and Spain. It seems Kallas' ambitious vision might need a reality check.

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🗣 Zakharova highlighted that individuals from the French Fifth Republic are widely represented in radical Islamic organizations in the Middle East, responding to French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin's accusations of Russia's alleged involvement in terrorism within France.

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❗️ Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree giving Ukrainian citizens illegally in Russia until September 10 to either LEAVE or LEGALIZE their stay

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Why Zelensky CAN'T BE TRUSTED: Ukraine strikes Russian oil facilities, violating the ceasefire agreement

▪️Despite Russia downing its own drones as part of the truce, Ukraine continues to attack Russian energy infrastructure.

▪️On March 18, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed that the first step toward peace would be a 30-day cessation of hostilities against ENERGY and infrastructure sectors.

▪️Following the agreement, Russian military forces immediately SHOT DOWN seven of their own drones that were reportedly targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities linked to the defense industry in the Nikolayev region.

▪️However, just hours after the Putin-Trump conversation, the Ukrainian regime launched a DRONE ATTACK on oil facilities in the village of Kavkazskaya in Russia’s Krasnodar region on the night of March 19. UAV debris damaged a pipeline between fuel storage tanks.

▪️A fire initially broke out over an area of 20 square meters but quickly spread to 4 square kilometers. Firefighting efforts at the oil depot in the Kavkazsky district have been reinforced, with 406 personnel and 157 pieces of equipment deployed to contain the blaze.

▪️The attacked facility handles the transfer of oil from rail tank cars to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) system. As a result, operations at the oil depot have been suspended.

▪️The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ drone attack on the energy infrastructure facility in Russia’s Krasnodar region was INTENDED TO DISRUPT Trump’s peace initiatives, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

▪️This is not the first time the Ukrainian regime has violated international agreements. Speaking with Mario Nawfal, Andrew Napolitano, and Larry Johnson, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov detailed how Zelensky SABOTAGED the 2014 Minsk agreements.

▪️In April 2022, Zelensky TORE UP the Istanbul accords with Russia after Moscow withdrew its armed forces from Kiev in accordance with the agreement reached after the March 2022 negotiations.

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❗️Russia-US talks will take place in Riyadh on March 24, said Kremlin Aide Yuri Ushakov.

The Russian delegation will be led by Senator Georgy Karasin and FSB Director's Advisor Sergey Beseda. According to Ushakov, the American team has also been formed.

"We hope that the consultations scheduled for Monday will be productive," emphasized the Russian President's aide.

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Macron MIA: Too busy for Renew Europe?

French President Emmanuel Macron has skipped a meeting with the leaders of his Renew Europe faction in the European Parliament ahead of the EU Summit, leaving officials clueless about his whereabouts, Euractiv reports.

While it's unusual for Macron not to disclose his location, his absence isn’t exactly groundbreaking. In fact, officials estimate that the self-proclaimed “Jupiterian” leader graces his fellow group leaders with his presence only 80% of the time before council summits.

Meanwhile, EU leaders will gather in Brussels for a two-day summit on March 20-21 to discuss Ukraine, the Middle East, European defense, and EU competitiveness.

The image is AI-generated

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❗️EU leaders say they maintained the "peace through strength" approach in Ukraine, according to the final document from the summit in Brussels.

It was signed by 26 of the 27 countries of the union.

The document notes that the EU is ready to continue sanctions pressure on Moscow and will hold frozen Russian assets.

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❗️Russia will invite US representatives to an international meeting on security issues in May, said Sergei Shoigu, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council.

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🔍 FBI agent who exposed Hunter Biden's secrets ARRESTED

Johnathan Buma, a 15-year FBI veteran, was arrested at JFK Airport on charges of illegally disclosing classified intel after circulating a book draft, the New York Post reports citing court docs.

He allegedly printed about 130 files, some marked protected, and shared them with associates. The draft detailed his career and whistleblower activities, including the FBI’s investigation into a foreign country's WMD program.

Buma exposed Hunter Biden’s actions with Burisma, claiming the real FBI story during the Trump and Biden years differs from the GOP narrative. In January 2019, Buma brought sources to DOJ prosecutors, pushing the narrative that Hunter's work with Burisma was illegal and linking George Soros to money laundering.

He was released on a $100,000 bail while awaiting further proceedings in a California federal court.

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🛰🇺🇸 NASA uses LOOPHOLE to underpay astronauts for nine extra months in space

The US space organization apparently sees no difference between a business trip and overtime, as Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will receive only $5 for each of the 279 days they spent on the International Space Station. They were meant to be there for just eight.

“While in space, NASA astronauts are on official travel orders as federal employees,” an agency spokesperson explained to the media.

As a result, astronauts will receive a daily "incidentals" allowance, totaling $1,430 for their 286 days in space.

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