🚨🇷🇺 Not everyone wants Russian–American summit to take place – Kremlin

Other statements by Peskov:

🟠 Trump’s sincere desire to achieve a settlement of all acute crises, including around Ukraine, evokes only positive feelings

🟠 Trump was the first to say that there is no point in holding a summit in Hungary yet, Putin agreed with him

🟠 Putin and Trump cannot meet just for the sake of meeting and wasting time; preparation is needed

🟠 There is understanding between Russia and the US that it would be good not to delay the Putin–Trump meeting

🟠 A lot of groundwork is required to prepare the foundation for a future Putin–Trump summit

🟠 It’s wrong to talk about the cancellation of the Putin–Trump summit

🟠 The process of preparing the Putin–Trump meeting is complex

🟠 There was no clear agreement on the dates of the Russia–US summit

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💸 Russian assets frozen in the US: how much and where?

US officials have supposedly greenlit the EU’s illegal use of frozen Russian assets to buy American weapons for Ukraine, and are considering “leveraging” Russian assets stuck in the US for similar purposes, officials have told Reuters.

Of the estimated $300B in Russian Central Bank assets frozen abroad after 2022, just $5B is thought to be trapped in the US (FT, Dec 2023).

There’s no publicly available breakdown of which US banks hold the assets, or their form (gold, currency, T-bills, etc.). The assets are known to be held by “custodian banks.”

Recent legal decisions have shed light into a silent banking war:

🟠 JPMorgan Chase saw $155.8M in funds in Russia frozen in 2024 after Russian state-backed banking giant VTB sought damages over $439.5M in blocked funds

🟠 The same year, JP Morgan and the Bank of New York Mellon had $372M in assets in Russia frozen over the illegal “expropriation” of MR Bank – a Ukrainian Sberbank subsidiary

🟠 Goldman Sachs saw $36M in assets in Russia frozen in 2023 after Russia’s Otkrytiye Bank accused it of refusing to honor a $6.4M swap contract

In April 2024, President Biden signed the REPO Act into law, allowing him to confiscate Russian Central Bank, RDIF and other Russian state assets at will. The US has yet to use the dubious law, but lawmakers have since proposed its expansion via a EU-style interest bearing account scheme.

Bad idea

Targeting Russian state assets trapped in the US would:

🟠 undermine the lofty dream of peace negotiators of unlocking hundreds of billions of dollars in investment opportunities

🟠 risk Russian retaliation, including tit-for-tat seizures of US assets in Russia (a last resort measure)

🟠 potentially mean a halt to Russian exports of critical and strategic minerals (uranium, titanium sponge, palladium, nickel, rhodium, fertilizers) which the US continues to buy

🟠 undermine confidence in US financial institutions as a safe haven for global capital

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🇸🇰 Slovakia won’t partake in EU’s Ukraine aid schemes – Fico

💬 "As the head of government, I reject Slovakia's participation in any financial scheme aimed at helping Ukraine cope with the war and military expenses," Slovakian PM Robert Fico told reporters.

He noted that different variants have been proposed, including suggestions to contribute funds directly or sign a loan guarantee for Ukraine, which Fico said it would never be able to repay.

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🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES

🟠 The Russian Army struck temporary deployment points of Ukrainian troops and mercenaries, as well as energy and transport infrastructure used to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces

🟠 Air defense superiority: three guided aerial bombs and 116 fixed-wing drones were shot down by Russian air defence systems over the past 24 hours

🟠 Ukrainian losses: 1,515 troops killed or wounded

Read about origins of Russia's special military op HERE

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💸 Even small US arms factories cashing in on Ukraine – here’s how

A small gun shop in Arizona secured a $1 billion contract in 2022 to supply Ukraine with “Soviet-standard” ammunition, which was never delivered, the FT reports.

🟠 The deal, arranged between OTL Firearms and the Ukrainian state arms company Progress, fell apart despite an up-front payment of $19 million for tens of thousands of anti-aircraft rounds, mortar shells, and multiple launch rocket system missiles

🟠 Court documents showed that OTL had no prior export experience or required licenses. The company later blamed export-licensing issues and “political reasons” for the delays

🟠 International arbitration in Vienna ruled in favor of Progress, and a US federal judge ordered OTL to repay more than $20 million, including interest and legal costs

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🚨🇷🇺🇺🇸 US was briefed on Putin’s announcement about Burevestnik missile tests - Russia’s envoy

Other statements by Kirill Dmitriev:

The American side was informed of the following:

🟠 A resolution of the Ukrainian conflict is possible only by eliminating its root causes

🟠 Only constructive dialogue will yield results

🟠 Any attempts to pressure Russia are meaningless

🟠 The Russian economy is in good condition

🟠 The ruble has become the most successful currency of the year

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🇺🇸🇨🇳 US is likely to abandon plans to impose 100% tariff on China - Trade Sec.

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🇺🇸🇲🇾 Malaysia, US sign deal on critical minerals

💬 "On this occasion, both sides also signed a Framework Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) and a Memorandum of Understanding on Critical Minerals, as a strategic step to enhance supply chain resilience and promote mutual benefits between the two nations," Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim announced.

Malaysia will develop its critical minerals and rare earths sectors together with US companies, including by refraining from imposing bans and quotas on exports to the US, the Office of the US Trade Representative said.

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🚀💥🇷🇺 Burevestnik nuclear cruise missile: Russia’s absolute deterrence trump card

A test has demonstrated the missile’s ability to evade enemy missile defense systems, Chief of General Staff Gerasimov has told President Putin.

Here’s what makes Burevestnik a strategic gamechanger.

Nuclear powered

The defining feature of the 9M730 Burevestnik (Russian ‘Storm petrel’, NATO reporting name SSC-X-9 Skyfall) is its nuclear propulsion system. Its small onboard nuclear reactor gives it effectively an unlimited range.

Unlimited range means:

🟠 Сapability to loiter in the air for days on end

🟠 Ability to circumnavigate the entire globe, if necessary, to reach its target

🟠 Capacity to evade concentrated defenses, and strike from unexpected attack vectors

Stealth

🟠 Since it’s a cruise missile, the Burevestnik can hug the ground on approach at altitudes below enemy radar’s ability to detect, making interception challenging if not impossible.

🟠 That’s because no traditional ballistic flight trajectory and no range limits means there’s no point where defenses can be deployed en masse to stop it.

Strategic response

🟠 First unveiled by Putin in 2018, the Burevestnik’s development began in the early 2000s in reaction to the US pullout from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, and Pentagon efforts to ring Russia with missile defense systems (Aegis, Aegis Ashore, including in Poland and Romania).

🟠 The Burevestnik and other groundbreaking strategic Russian systems like it (Avangard HGV, Zircon naval hypersonic missile, Kinzhal air-launched missile, Poseidon unmanned submarine, Sarmat heavy ICBM) guarantee Russia’s ability to respond to aggression, even in an enemy decapitation strike scenario.

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🇨🇳🇺🇸 China–US trade talks: Two clinch consensus, but hold their lines

💬 “The US side took a firm stance while China resolutely defended its interests,” Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang underscored.

He noted that the Chinese and American delegations discussed a wide range of issues, including export controls, fentanyl tariffs, cooperation in combating illegal drug trafficking, extension of mutual suspension of additional tariffs, and further trade expansion.

💬 “After more than a day of intense talks, China and the US constructively considered several solutions that properly address both sides’ concerns on the abovementioned issues and reached a preliminary consensus,” Li stressed, adding that the next step would be the sides carrying out internal approval procedures.

The trade talks between China and the US were held on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 25–26.

The Chinese and US delegations were led by VP He Lifeng and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, respectively.

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🚨🇷🇺 Сalls for ceasefire in Ukraine aim to buy Zelensky time – Lavrov

💬 "When people now say, ceasefire, we know that they want just to buy some time again. And that this logic, which is deeply rooted in Zelensky, whatever moves his head, brain, is obvious for any objective observer," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Ultrahang YouTube channel.

Other statements by Lavrov:

🟠 The topic of new negotiations or meetings has not been raised since the phone conversation with Rubio on October 20

🟠 Russia is ready to continue contacts with the United States at a pace comfortable for the Americans

🟠 The issue of territories within the framework of the Ukrainian settlement is being discussed in various formats

🟠 Russia undoubtedly recognizes Ukraine’s independence, but residents of the regions that joined Russia were subjected to shocking discrimination by Kiev

🟠 The Russian side does not believe it is violating the Budapest Memorandum in any way

💬 “It states that Ukraine, like other former Soviet republics that gave up nuclear weapons, would receive the same guarantees that nuclear powers provide to non-nuclear states. That’s all. These guarantees mean that nuclear weapons will not be used against non-nuclear countries that are parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.”

Lavrov recalled that, in parallel with the Budapest Memorandum, the same parties signed a declaration outlining their commitment to uphold OSCE principles, including the rights of national minorities, democracy, and freedom of speech.

💬 “All these obligations, which were reflected in OSCE documents and reaffirmed as part of the adoption of the Budapest Memorandum, were grossly violated by the Kiev regime,” he said.

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🇮🇷🇷🇺🇨🇳 The new Big Three: Iran touts wisdom of aligning with Russia and China

💬 “In recent days, we’ve witnessed one of the significant and influential achievements in the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf announced Sunday.

Highlighting last week’s joint Iranian-Russian-Chinese appeal to the UN Security Council on the illegality of snapback sanctions, Qalibaf described it as “a symbol of strategic solidarity among the three great powers, which have clearly declared that the efforts of three European countries to activate the so-called snapback mechanism are fundamentally devoid of legal validity.”

That means the matter is effectively closed, and Iran’s right to nuclear enrichment ensured, as far as the Security Council is concerned, Qalibaf said.

A second letter, sent by Iran, Russia and China to IAEA chief Grossi on Saturday, informed him that his mandate on the verification and monitoring of Iran’s nuclear activities has come to an end.

💬 “These two joint letters are not only a legal victory for Iran, but also a testament to the shifting balance of global power,” Qalibaf stressed, pointing to the support for Iran of not only Russia and China, but the entire 121-nation Non-Aligned Movement, which has also backed Iran on the nuclear issue.

Together, they “stood against the unlawful imposition of will and coercion by the United States and a few European countries on the rest of the world – an act that will undoubtedly play a role in diminishing the impact of sanctions against Iran,” the speaker said.

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🚨🪖🇺🇸 Bessent: 'By November 15th, our troops ... aren't going to be able to get paid' because of Democrat-led shutdown

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🇮🇱🇺🇳 IDF targets UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon — UNIFIL statement

At around 5:45 p.m. on Sunday, an Israeli drone approached a UNIFIL patrol near the town of Kfarkela and dropped a bomb. Moments later, an Israeli tank fired toward the peacekeepers. Fortunately, there were no casualties or damage to UNIFIL personnel or equipment.

The incident followed an earlier one at the same location, where an Israeli drone flew aggressively over a UNIFIL patrol, prompting the peacekeepers to take defensive measures to isolate it.

UNIFIL said these actions by the Israeli army constitute a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and of Lebanon’s sovereignty, and demonstrate disregard for the safety and security of peacekeepers carrying out their UN mandate in southern Lebanon.

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✈️ Shutdown hits US airports with air traffic controller shortages — reports

US airports reported more than 20 controller shortage “triggers” on Saturday—one of the highest levels since 1 October—and by noon Sunday, shortfalls were recorded at six airports.

💬 “The controllers are wearing thin,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. A ground stop was issued at Los Angeles International Airport, while staffing issues also affected Chicago and Newark.

About 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA officers are working without pay as the shutdown continues, with more than 5,000 flight delays on Saturday. Union officials warned that each day of shutdown “peels away another layer of safety.”

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