📢 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 Hegseth says "this war must end" but a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is "an unrealistic objective."

⬛️ The new Defense Secretary signaled a shift in American foreign and defence policy away from Europe.

🔶️ Here are the three concrete conditions Trump agreed on in a communication with Putin as presented by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: 1) no NATO membership for Ukraine; 2) no American troops in Ukraine; 3) no article 5 and no-Nato peace mission in Ukraine.

🇲🇽 The U.S. is facing threats to OUR homeland. We are focusing on our own borders first, not Europe's.

🔗 Sky News

🇺🇸 🇷🇺 🇺🇦 Trump Putin Agree to Start Peace Negotiations

🔶️ We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now.

🔶️ I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful. Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end.

🔶️ No more lives should be lost! I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call, and for the release, yesterday, of Marc Fogel, a wonderful man that I personally greeted last night at the White House. I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!"

🔗 Donald J. Trump

🇺🇦 🇺🇸 🇷🇺 Zelensky:

🔶️ Just spoke with Donald Trump. Had a long conversation. About the possibilities of achieving peace.

🔶️ Grateful to President Trump for his interest in what we can do together.

🔶️ President Trump informed me of the details of his conversation with Putin.

🔶️ We are defining our joint steps with America to stop Russian aggression and guarantee a reliable, lasting peace. As President Trump said, let's get it done.

🔗 Clash Report

🗳 🇺🇸 🌺 U.S. Senate CONFIRMS Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence, 52-48.

🔗 CSPAN

📞 🇷🇺 🇸🇾 President Putin had a conversation with President of the transitional phase of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa

🤝 Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia’s invariable readiness to help improve socio-economic situation in Syria, incl. the provision of humanitarian aid.

🔗 MFA Russia

🇸🇩 🤝 🇷🇺 Russia and Sudan Finalize Agreement on Naval Base

🔶️ Sudan on Wednesday said it had agreed a deal for Russia to establish a naval base on the war-torn country’s Red Sea coast, marking a rare success for Moscow’s drive to expand its network of military bases in the region.

🔶️ Asked about the progress of talks on the base, Sudan’s foreign minister Ali Al-Sharif said on a visit to Moscow: “We agreed, we agreed, we reached an agreement on everything.”

🔶️ The deal comes as the Sudanese Armed Forces have succeeded in shifting momentum in the war with a series of battlefield victories. The army and allied Islamist militias are readying for a final push into the capital Khartoum after seizing once affluent northern suburbs this month.

🔗 Financial Times

💰 🇰🇷 🇺🇸 South Korea’s Mint Halts Gold Bar Sales as Supply Tightens

🔶️ South Korea’s Mint has temporarily suspended sales of gold bars, adding to signs of widespread tightness across markets for physical precious metals.

🔶️ The Korea Minting and Security Printing Corp. said it’s facing problems with sourcing supply and managing demand, and that it will try and resume sales as soon as possible, according to a notice on its website.

🔶️ The move comes as traders worldwide rush to deliver bullion to the US ahead of potential tariffs on the metal. Prices for gold on New York’s Comex have surged above international benchmarks, resulting in unprecedented tightness and record outflows from London vaults.

🔶️ The precious metal has made fresh highs in 2025, as growing trepidation surrounding US President Donald Trump’s disruptive tariff announcements drives demand for haven assets. Investors are trying to get a read on the potential implications for the global economy, reinforcing bullion’s role as a store of value in uncertain times.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-12/south-korea-s-mint-halts-gold-bar-sales-as-supply-tightens

https://archive.ph/47vP3

🇨🇳 🇰🇷 🇯🇵 Online retail gold is disappearing in China, South Korea and the same will likely happen in Japan soon.

💰 📝 Bai, Xiaojun: Not only in South Korea, but also on JD.com, the largest e-commerce platform in China and the world's largest gold retail e-commerce platform, multiple gold bar varieties are out of stock.

🔗 dekopac

💰 📉 Bitcoin exchange reserves have hit a 3-year low of 2.5 million as demand continues to grow, per CryptoQuant.

🔶️ People are demanding physical gold and more Bitcoin. Interesting times.

🔗 Kobeissi Letter

📈 🇷🇺 🇪🇺 Russia's military spending last year is equivalent to $462 billion on the basis of purchasing power parity, which 'now outstrips all of Europe's defence budgets combined'.

🔶️ The IISS forecast that this year total Russian defence spending — including so-called voluntary payments by regional authorities and companies — would increase 13.7 per cent to reach Rbs15.6tn, equivalent to 7.5 per cent of GDP or almost 40 per cent of Russian federal spending.

🔶️ By contrast, if Europe increased defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP, that would equate to an extra $250bn, according to IISS. If it rose to 5 per cent of GDP, defence spending would rise by about $800bn — almost twice Russia’s current level of spending.

🔶️ Trump has also said Europe should spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence, compared with its current average of about 1.7 per cent.

🔗 Financial Times

🇷🇺 🇱🇹 🇪🇺 “Russia's military capabilities are three times greater than they were before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė has said.”

🔶️ Russia is expanding its military industry, cooperating effectively with China, North Korea and Iran, and is capable not only of fighting in Ukraine, but also of rebuilding and expanding its capabilities, she said.

🔶️ "Russia is reforming its military forces, expanding its personnel, developing its military industry, and doing so very rapidly. Europe should also step up in this area," Šakalienė said.

🔶️ "The moment the front in Ukraine stops or slows down to the point where the losses on the Russian side are significantly reduced, the accumulation of capabilities for the next stages of the war, possibly with other countries, accelerates," she said.

https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2483081/russia-s-military-power-grows-threefold-since-invasion-says-lithuanian-minister

🇺🇸 🇷🇺 🇸🇦 Trump says he expects to meet Putin in Saudi Arabia after phone call on Ukraine war

🔶️ Donald Trump says he will likely meet with Vladimir Putin, probably in Saudi Arabia

🔶️ Both Trump and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the two presidents agreed to visit each other's nations during the call

🔗 BBC News

🇦🇷🚧
Like Nayib Bukele, the governor of Santa Cruz, Claudio Vidal, announced that the prisoners began to work on the public works of the province

It is a way of giving back to society a gesture for the mistakes made, and a way for them to adapt to work when they regain their freedom.

• FOLLOW US •

🇺🇸 ❌️ 🇲🇽 Congressman Tim Burchett on X:

🔶️ "I'll be introducing the "Cartel Marque and Reprisal Authorization Act of 2025" which would authorize lDonald Trump to commission privately armed and equipped individuals or groups to seize persons and property of any cartel, cartel member, or cartel-linked organization."

🔗 Rep. Tim Burchett

✂️ 🇺🇸 💸 President Trump freezes all funding for the National Endowment for Democracy.

🔶️ The NED has been long accused of using American funds to orchestrate regime change abroad.

🔶️ It is has puppeteered color revolutions in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, and funded opposition movements in countries like Belarus, Serbia, Egypt, Iran, and Venezuela.

https://www.thefp.com/p/trump-starves-the-national-endowment-for-democracy-elon-musk-doge

🔗 AF Post

🇺🇸 🇮🇱 🇮🇷 Another critical fight for the future of the Trump admin: Neocons are circulating a letter on Capitol Hill trying to stop Elbridge Colby nomination at the Pentagon for daring to question the intelligence of war with Iran on Tucker Carlson's show.

🔗 Saagar Enjeti