US Deputy Finance Chief says debt ceiling talks running constructively as default looms

"The conversations are constructive between all the parties and now the president looks forward to getting together with the leaders to talk about how we continue to make progress," Wally Adeyemo told an American broadcaster.

The White House and Republicans in Congress have been locked in a dispute on a deal that would avert an unprecedented national default as early as June. Adeyemo described the prospect as "catastrophic."

President Joe Biden told his press pool on Saturday that the talks were moving along but that they were "not there yet." He has also suggested invoking the 14th Amendment to unilaterally raise the debt limit.

Asked whether Biden was really considering the move despite Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen calling it legally questionable, Adeyemo said that Biden "did not think the 14th Amendment would solve our problems now."

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🇫🇷 France vows to send further arms shipment to Kiev regime

The government of Macron, whose approval rating has plunged to the mid-twenties amid widespread outrage over his efforts to circumvent Parliament to force an increase to the retirement age, is “focusing its effort in supporting Ukraine’s air defense capacities,” Paris and Kiev insisted in a joint statement.

💬 “In the coming weeks, France will train and equip several battalions with tens of armored vehicles and light tanks, including AMX-10RCs,” the statement indicated.

Both countries are also demanding that yet another round of sanctions be imposed on Moscow, they announced.

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🇮🇩🇺🇸 US pushes Indonesia to ramp up military cooperation, Jakarta pledges neutrality

A US Army’s top general was deployed to Indonesia in an effort to solidify the country’s position in the American orbit this week amid Washington’s ongoing efforts to encircle China militarily and constrain its growth.

The Army’s Chief of Staff, James McConville, described his meeting with Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto as a relatively benign effort to bring peace to the Indo-Pacific region.

For his part, Subianto described peace and stability in the region as a “common concern,” but insisted Indonesia would maintain its neutrality, pledging to continue pursuing relationships with all world’s nations – “especially all the major powers.”

But it’s unclear that Jakarta’s leaders are as willing to sign up for a battle with Beijing as their counterparts in Manila. Last November, Subianto promised to restore joint military exercises with China following a meeting with the nation’s defense minister.

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🇹🇷 Erdogan has 49.24%, Kilicdaroglu – 45% after 100% of the ballots counted, state media says

More than 26 million people have voted for Erdogan, over 23.8 million — for Kilicdaroglu, and more than 2.7 million — for Sinan Ogan of the ATA Alliance.

The Supreme Election Council also invalidated more than 1 million out of 53.9 million ballots. The turnout has exceeded 88.8%.

Ballots cast abroad are still being processed.

🇮🇷 Iranian flotilla approaches home waters after round-the-world trip through ‘America’s backyard’

The Iranian’s Navy’s 86th Flotilla – consisting of the Dena frigate and the Makran forward base ship, arrived in the southwestern Omani port of Salalah on Sunday on the final leg of its world-spanning tour, which included a much-publicized stopover in the Western hemisphere, to Washington’s annoyance.

The flotilla, which has traveled over 63,000 km, broke the record set by the Makran and the Sahand in 2021.

The Makran and the Dena began their journey on September 20, 2022, steaming east through the Indian Ocean, into the South China Sea, then into the Pacific and on to the Atlantic, including a stopover in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil before heading out toward Cape Town, South Africa, where another stopover was made.

The US military closely monitored the flotilla along its route, with the State Department expressing its “deep disappointment” over Brazil’s decision to allow the Iranian warships to dock in Rio. Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols told a Congressional committee that the Islamic Republic’s vessels “have no place in our hemisphere,” parroting the rhetoric of the 19th century’s Monroe Doctrine, which holds that the entire Western Hemisphere is the exclusive security domain of the US.

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❗️Ukrainian forces hit Lugansk, emergency services are on the scene, Sputnik's correspondent reports

A Storm Shadow cruise missile has hit a section of the former Aviation School of Navigators in Lugansk, former LPR officer Marochko told Sputnik

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❗️Alliance led by Erdogan's party wins majority in parliament, securing more than 320 seats as 100% of ballots in Turkiye processed, state media says

🇫🇮 'Somewhat surprising': Finnish petrol prices soar to all-European highs

A litre of 95-octane petrol now costs 1.94 euros ($2.11), putting Finland in first place ahead of Denmark and France. Finland also finished a close second in diesel prices, being edged out by Sweden by a matter of 3 cents at 1.83 euros ($1.99)

The differences in fuel prices among the EU countries have generally been attributed to salary levels and purchasing power. In Finland, however, taxation was singled out as the main reason for the high prices.

Furthermore, Finland's energy crisis, largely in line with that of the entire EU, has been fueled by Helsinki's backfiring "retribution" against Russia and its energy over Moscow's special operation in Ukraine.

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Ukraine fired three Storm Shadow, 15 HIMARS missiles at LPR in past week

The reports comes from the LPR representative office in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of issues related to Ukraine's war crimes. As a result of the attacks, one person was killed and 16 others, including six children, were injured, the office added.

Storm Shadows, which UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed last week are either "going into" or are already "in the country itself," are cruise missiles with a range of up to 250 km for the export version and up to 560 km for the domestic variant. If fired over northeastern Ukraine, the export variant Anglo-French weapons would have sufficient range to target major Russian cities like Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh or Sevastopol, as well much of Belarus – including its capital, Minsk.

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🇹🇷🗳 Erdogan secures 49.40%, Kilicdaroglu gets 44.96% in Turkish general elections, voting watchdog says

The Turkish election commission has announced that 99% of the ballot boxes inside the country have been counted. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has secured 49.40% of the vote, while opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu clinched 44.96%; Sinan Ogan gained 5.2%; and Muharrem Ince received 0.44%. Meanwhile, the vote counting continues.

In total, 1,529 ballot boxes for overseas voting have not been counted. Inside Turkey, 27 remain uncounted.

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📹 Russian Ka-52 helicopters in action as part of the special military op

Helicopter crews launched an attack at Ukrainian forces, resulting in the destruction of a Ukrainian control center and a cluster of armored vehicles.

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🇮🇷 IRGC Navy gets ultra-long-range cruise missile superior to Tomahawk

In an interview with local media published Saturday, IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri revealed that multiple ships of the IRGC Navy have received new Qadr-474 cruise missiles with a 2,000 km range.

If the missile’s range characteristics can be independently verified, it would make the Iranian missile superior in range to most variants of the Tomahawk – a US subsonic anti-ship and land attack cruise missile that has long been the mainstay of the US Navy.

Tomahawks have a range between 460 km (anti-ship) and 1,700 km (land attack), with only the nuclear and ground-launched variants capable of flying distances beyond that – up to 2,500 km.

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❗️Latest statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️London's military assistance to Kiev will only create more difficulties for Ukraine;

▪️Britain's plans to provide additional weaponry to Ukraine will not affect the course of the conflict;

▪️Kremlin strongly disagrees with the words of French President Emmanuel Macron regarding Russia's dependence on China. The relationship between Russia and China is based on strategic partnership rather than dependence on anyone;

▪️The Kremlin is closely monitoring the elections in Turkiye and will respect the choice of the Turkish people.

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Scott Ritter: Ukraine’s ‘counteroffensive’ - myth or reality?

The former US intel officer explains how the standard for measuring Ukraine success on the battlefield is “unrealistically high,” and describes how the US and NATO war with Russia is a “two-way street” in terms of human and economical toll.

💬 “The United States, Germany, and France have all promised to increase the amount of military assistance to Ukraine. The question that remains is when will Ukraine believe it has sufficient forces for the conduct of a successful offensive operation? The answer is more than likely “never,” says Ritter.

Read the rest of his analysis on Sputnik’s website

⚡️An explosion has occurred in the center of Lugansk, and according to preliminary information there are casualties - media reports

‼️An explosion in the center of Lugansk occurred at a barbershop near a local TV building, according to a Sputnik correspondent.

According to preliminary information, due to the explosion in the center of Lugansk, five people were injured, including three in critical condition, as reported by military expert and retired Lieutenant Colonel of the Lugansk People's Republic Andrey Marochko.

The first footage from the barbershop in Lugansk, where the explosion occurred, has emerged

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❗️Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces destroyed up to 145 Ukrainian troops, two armored combat vehicles, one D-20 howitzer, and two Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers;

▪️In the Krasny Liman direction, Russian forces neutralized up to 75 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, as well as one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer and one D-30 howitzer;

▪️In the Donetsk direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 235 servicemen, one tank, four armored combat vehicles, as well as a D-20, D-30, and Msta-B howitzer;

▪️In the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Russian forces destroyed over 150 Ukrainian troops;

▪️In the Kherson direction, Russian troops neutralized up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, and one US-made AN/TPQ-37 counter mortar radar;

▪️Russian air defenses shot down a Ukrainian an Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopter, one Storm Shadow cruise missile, one HARM anti-radar missile, 10 HIMARS projectiles, and 21 unmanned aerial vehicles in the LPR, DPR, and Kharkov region.

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❗️ The head of the Turkish election commission has officially announced that the second round of the presidential election will be held on May 28

According to the results of the first round after opening 100% of the ballot boxes, Erdogan scored 49.51%, while Kilicdaroglu got 44.88%.