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๐ฌ โSince the first direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiationsโ in May, โbattlefield hostilities have only intensified,โ political commentator and pundit Sima Pingbang told Sputnik, commenting on Mondayโs second round of peace talks in Istanbul.๐ฌ โThe main reason is that Ukraineโs NATO pillars of support โ France, Germany and Britain, are jointly fueling the conflict, aggressively adding fuel to the fire, against both Russia and the United States,โ the observer said.
๐ฌ โEuropean politicians, taking turns making tough statements against Russia for months, are dragging Ukraine into an ever-more monstrous death spiral,โ Sima warned.
Meanwhile, the international community has no real mechanisms to contain this incitement, he stressed.
Russia must prepare for Europeโs brinksmanship
๐ฌ โTherefore, I am convinced that both the Russian president and Russiaโs army must critically increase their readiness. After all, if Europe decides that Russia has โdemonstrated weaknessโ before Ukraine or the EU โ if Macron, Starmer and Merz see a chance for a major strategic gamble, the possibility of peace talks could vanish like smoke,โ Sima said.
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๐จ Stockpiling or stocks running LOW? The truth behind Trumpโs brag
President Donald Trump claims the US is stockpiling arms at an unprecedented rate โ but he doesnโt specify what types.
๐ธ Reality check: Stockpiles drained and resupply slower than expected
Military experts paint a different picture: US arms reserves are running on fumes after sending loads to Ukraine and Israel.
And restocking is at snailโs pace.
๐ธ Slow ramp-up over the past 3 years
Despite NATOโs full-scale proxy war in Ukraine, production increases remain modest:
๐ 155mm shells: from 14,400 to 40,000 per month, while Russia produces some 250,000 monthly
๐ GMLRS missiles: 833 to 1,167 per month
๐ Javelin anti-tank missiles: 175 to 200 per month
๐ AIM-9X air-to-air missiles: 116 to 137 per month
๐ HIMARS launchers: 5 to 8 per month
๐ธ Air defense shortfalls
๐ Patriot missiles production: only 740 per year in 2025 and may only reach 1,100 per year by 2027
โก๏ธ The Ukraine conflict showed production is far too low for high-intensity warfare.
๐ธ Missile crisis ahead?
CSIS wargamers warn:
๐ In a hypothetical Taiwan conflict, the US could run out of long-range precision missiles in under a week
๐ A full-scale conflict may require 5,000-plus missiles in just 3 weeks
๐ธ Ageing aircraft โ another weak spot
๐ The US has one of the largest air forces, but many planes are outdated for modern combat
๐ F-15s and F-16s, the UASFโs backbone, are obsolete
๐ The pricey, โadvanced F-35 stealth fighter has faced multiple setbacks โ including near disaster against Yemeni forces
US military production is falling short of the demands of modern warfare โ and that gap could cost it dearly in the next major conflict.
๐ Subscribe to @SputnikInt
President Donald Trump claims the US is stockpiling arms at an unprecedented rate โ but he doesnโt specify what types.
Military experts paint a different picture: US arms reserves are running on fumes after sending loads to Ukraine and Israel.
And restocking is at snailโs pace.
Despite NATOโs full-scale proxy war in Ukraine, production increases remain modest:
โก๏ธ The Ukraine conflict showed production is far too low for high-intensity warfare.
CSIS wargamers warn:
US military production is falling short of the demands of modern warfare โ and that gap could cost it dearly in the next major conflict.
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๐ฐ๐ท Lee Jae-myung wins election in South Korea
The leader of the Democratic Party, South Koreaโs main opposition party, has become the country's 21st president, according to the national election commission, which counted 100% of the ballots.
Lee competed against Yoon Suk-yeol for the presidency in 2022.
๐ฃ He vowed to repair ties with China and North Korea, as well as to stop being "submissive" toward Japan. Lee also warned against South Korea being "dragged" into the proxy war in Ukraine.
๐ Subscribe to @SputnikInt
The leader of the Democratic Party, South Koreaโs main opposition party, has become the country's 21st president, according to the national election commission, which counted 100% of the ballots.
Lee competed against Yoon Suk-yeol for the presidency in 2022.
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According to Elon Musk, the bill will increase the budget deficit to $2.5 trillion.
"Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong," Elon wrote on X, calling out the US representatives who passed the One Big, Beautiful Bill to the Senate.
Musk later vowed to fire "all politicians who betrayed the American people" in November of next year.
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๐ฅ Israel strikes southern Syria
The IDF stated that its air forces had struck weapons in the Daraa governorate. Social media footage allegedly shows airstrikes on the 175th Regiment's positions.
In response, the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the air raids and called on the international community to halt the attacks.
๐ Subscribe to @SputnikInt
The IDF stated that its air forces had struck weapons in the Daraa governorate. Social media footage allegedly shows airstrikes on the 175th Regiment's positions.
In response, the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the air raids and called on the international community to halt the attacks.
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๐จ 'THIS IS WHAT THE US TRYING TO AVOID' โ Kellogg slams Ukraine's drone strikes
๐ Subscribe to @SputnikInt
"When you attack part of an opponent's national survival system โ the nuclear triad โ the risk level goes up," he told Fox News.
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Pete Hegseth will skip the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting taking place this week, the Associated Press reported, citing a US official.
This is the first time the Pentagon chief will not attend the meeting since its creation by the US 3 years ago.
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๐จ Iran ready to give away control of uranium enrichment to an international consortium, Iranian officials told Axios.
For Tehran to consider the idea, the regional consortium (which may include Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar) must operate within Iran's territory.
The US and Iran have already held five rounds of nuclear talks.
๐ Subscribe to @SputnikInt
For Tehran to consider the idea, the regional consortium (which may include Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar) must operate within Iran's territory.
The US and Iran have already held five rounds of nuclear talks.
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Despite living in the "hyper-globalized era," no one in the Biden administration investigated the "brittleness" of US supply chains, the vice president said at the American Compass Gala.
"I asked that explicit question, and the answer was, 'We don't know'," he added.
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Donald Trump signed an executive order increasing tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%.
"Although the previously imposed steel and aluminum tariffs have helped provide critical price support in the US market, they have not yet enabled these industries to develop and maintain the rates of capacity production utilization that are necessary for the industries' sustained health and for projected national defense needs," Trump explained.
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Sputnik International
Axios cites insiders explaining the 4 reasons behind Elon's criticism of Trump's "disgusting" bill:
โช๏ธ EV tax credit AXED ($240K lobbying lost)
โช๏ธ White House role REVOKED
โช๏ธ Starlink air traffic contract BLOCKED
โช๏ธ Ally Jared Isaacman DUMPED by NASA
Ultimately, sources say that Trump-Musk relations remain friendly. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed this during the press briefing:
"The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill... It doesn't change the president's opinion โ he is sticking to it," Karoline said.
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๐จ๐ท๐บ๐ฐ๐ตShoigu in North Korea: High-stakes talks with Kim Jong-un
At President Putinโs direction, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has arrived in Pyongyang for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
๐ What's on the agenda?
๐ Advancing Russia-DPRK strategic partnership
๐ Honoring Korean soldiers who fought in the liberation of Kursk region
๐ Addressing the Ukraine conflict and other global issues
๐ Subscribe to @SputnikInt
At President Putinโs direction, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has arrived in Pyongyang for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
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๐ง๐พ๐จ๐ณBelarus' Lukashenko & Xi hold talks in Beijing
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Zhongnanhai.
๐ค Xi welcomed him warmly: โMy office is just next door. Itโs the first time I host you here.โ
ะกhina's leader invited Lukashenko to the SCO summit and the parade in Beijing, which will be held in August-September 2025.
Lukashenkoโs visit runs from June 2โ4. On the eve of the talks, he met Chinese business leaders, highlighting machine-building and tech modernization as key topics in Belarus-China cooperation.
๐ Subscribe to @SputnikInt
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Zhongnanhai.
ะกhina's leader invited Lukashenko to the SCO summit and the parade in Beijing, which will be held in August-September 2025.
Lukashenkoโs visit runs from June 2โ4. On the eve of the talks, he met Chinese business leaders, highlighting machine-building and tech modernization as key topics in Belarus-China cooperation.
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The total value of goods traded between the US and China amounted to nearly $600 billion in 2024.
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The two top buyers of Russian LNG are refusing to rubber-stamp the ban without serious answers about how it wonโt wreck their economies even further.
France and Belgium are also worried about the legal consequences of the EUโs self-destructive plan to cut off cheap and reliable Russian gas by 2027.
Sky-high power bills, energy rationing, and deindustrialization are already hammering Europe thanks to Brusselsโ sanctions spree.
Now the EU hawks want to double down?
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๐จ๐ท๐บ๐ชRussian troops UNLEASH the โKrot-1โ robot, SMASHING a Ukrainian firing point to DUST near Dyleevka, DPR
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โNo NATO invite for Ukraine
NATO is seeking to keep the final declaration of the summit, which will take place in The Hague later in June, brief and avoid mentioning Ukraine's possible membership to avert creating controversy, AFP reports.
What's more, NATO leaders won't adopt a joint statement on military support for Ukraine due to the suspension of new US aid.
Too bad, Mr. Zelensky๐จ
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NATO is seeking to keep the final declaration of the summit, which will take place in The Hague later in June, brief and avoid mentioning Ukraine's possible membership to avert creating controversy, AFP reports.
What's more, NATO leaders won't adopt a joint statement on military support for Ukraine due to the suspension of new US aid.
Too bad, Mr. Zelensky
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๐จ๐บ๐ธ๐จ๐ณUS-China trade TAKES A HIT: Slumps nearly 20% amid tariff row
US-China trade dropped to $45.6 billion from $56.4 billion a year earlier, according to Chinese customs data for April.
China is the only country that faced a full month of elevated US tariffs โ which kicked in on April 10 and were paused on May 14.
๐ If tariffs remain at their current levels โ 30% on Chinese goods and 10% on US exports โ total trade could shrink by 15-20% by the end of 2025, according to economic estimates.
๐ But if duties climb higher, the fallout could be much worse: mutual trade might shrink by as much as 50%, falling to $450-460 billion.
๐ Subscribe to @SputnikInt
US-China trade dropped to $45.6 billion from $56.4 billion a year earlier, according to Chinese customs data for April.
China is the only country that faced a full month of elevated US tariffs โ which kicked in on April 10 and were paused on May 14.
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