‘Worst Deal in History’: Former Australian PM Slams AUKUS Submarine Purchase

Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating slammed the current government’s plans to purchase nuclear submarines from the US and the UK as "the worst deal in history" in an extensive question-and-answer session at Australia’s National Press Club on Wednesday.

"For $360 billion we’re gonna get eight submarines – the worst deal in history," Keating said, when asked what the so-called AUKUS deal represents for the country. As to where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s much-heralded submarine acquisition plan announced earlier this week leaves Australians, Keating was similarly pessimistic.

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📹 The West has unleashed World War III, which is being waged by the Nazis in Ukraine in the format of a proxy war and by the hands of terrorists in Syria, but modern weapons, especially nuclear weapons, do not allow the confrontation to escalate into the traditional format of world war, Syrian President Bashar Assad told Sputnik.

💬 "I believe that World War III is underway, but it differs in its form," the Syrian president said. "What I mean is that world wars used to be conventional in the past. Armies of several states were fighting against each other."

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❗️ Key statements made by Syrian President Bashar Assad in an interview with Sputnik:

▪️ Russian military bases in Syria should have the most advanced weapons to ensure the effective deterrence of threats;

▪️ World War III is underway, but it differs in its form;

▪️ Wars are now moving toward becoming proxy wars;

▪️ President Volodymyr Zelensky is now waging a war on behalf of the West, using "its army of Nazis";

▪️ Syria has recognized the new borders of the Russian Federation, in the wake of last year's referendums on their accession to Russia;

▪️ The people of Syria support Russia in conducting the special military operation in Ukraine;

▪️ Russia's military presence in Syria should not be temporary or only be related to fighting terrorism;

▪️ Superpowers today cannot defend themselves or play a role by staying within their own borders;

▪️ Russia and Syria will sign an agreement on economic cooperation, which will cover several projects that will be evaluated and approved individually, in the coming weeks;

▪️ The Syrian leadership has evidence that the United States is training terrorists on the territory of the Al-Tanf military base;

▪️ The United States may redeploy terrorists from Syria to Ukraine in a bid to confront Russia;

▪️ The Syrian President expressed gratitude to the Russian President for the humanitarian aid that Russia delivered to Syria after the earthquake.

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❗️Latest statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️ The Kremlin regrets Finland's orientation toward joining NATO;

▪️ The Kremlin calls Putin-Assad talks substantive, says they touched upon normalizing relations between Syria and Turkiye;

▪️ At the talks between Putin and Assad, decisions were made that will allow the signing of documents on the economy in the near future;

▪️ The Kremlin on the prospects for a meeting between Assad and Erdogan: it should be preceded by contacts at the working level, they are ongoing;

▪️ The Kremlin on US State Department statement that Russia is still bound by the New START terms: Russia suspended its participation;

▪️ The Kremlin on media reports about 'Russia's plan' for Moldova: it is fake;

▪️ Russia is open to mutually beneficial relations with Moldova and regrets that Kishinev is affected by the Russophobic bacillus.

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🇺🇸📹 The US Air Force has published a video of two Su-27s approaching the American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea.

▪️ The footage shows that there was no collision, contradicting what was previously reported by the United States.

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Catch our Fault Lines show where we provide updates and analysis on all the most vital stories! Here's our line-up for today:

🔺To kick things off, we’ll be discussing Bashar al-Assad’s visit to Moscow
🔺Next, we’ll touch upon China’s reaction to AUCUS as well as the biggest US-Philippines drills
🔺Finally, we’ll speak about Credit Swiss going down and its implications for the world economy

More trending stories coming your way! Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 7am EST|4am PST|12pm CET via the website or app!

📻Also in the United States at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

Ex-Pentagon Analyst: Reaper Could be Sent by US to Assist with Combat Ops Against Russia

The MQ-9 Reaper drone's recovery will be challenging as it sank to a significant depth in the Black Sea, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has admitted at a Pentagon briefing as the US and Russia both race to retrieve the wreckage.

"The evidence on exactly what happened will be forthcoming, and if this drone is able to be retrieved from the water, we will know what it was actually carrying and its transponder setting," retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, a former analyst for the US Department of Defense, told Sputnik.

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❗️ Key statements from Putin's speech at the plenary session of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Congress:

▪️ Russian economy begins to develop according to a new model;

▪️ The recession of the Russian economy in summer 2022 was connected to sanctions; since July, the Russian economy has been growing;

▪️ Russian GDP is expected to grow in the second quarter of this year;

▪️ Russia's foreign trade up by more than 8% last year;

▪️ Inflation in Russia in March will be less than in Europe, which is waiting for the collapse of the Russian economy. It is expected that by the end of March, inflation in the Russian Federation will be about 4%, and in April inflation in Russia will reach target levels;

▪️ A decline in the consumer sector was predicted for Russia, but the West now offers its residents turnips instead of salads, but they will have to turn to us for it.

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🇷🇺 Speaking at the congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, President Putin noted that the Russian economy is beginning to develop according to a new model, emphasising that GDP growth is expected already in the II quarter

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