Biden OKs training Ukrainians on F-16s but timeline remains uncertain

In regards to actually providing the military jets, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan revealed during a news conference in Japan indicated it was far too early to say when exactly the highly-desired multirole fighter aircraft would be handed over to Ukrainian forces.

💬 "Our view is that where the F-16 fits into the fight is not right now," Sullivan said, adding that the US and its allies, as Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly the F-16s, will decide which countries will supply these aircraft to Kiev and in what number.

Sullivan took the opportunity to also reiterate during the briefing that the capabilities provided to Ukraine is based on the proposition that the US does not enable or support attacks on Russian territory.

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‘Pat-S’ self-propelled howitzer getting revived in Russia

The Kurganmashzavod manufacturing company, which is part of Russia’s state-owned defense corporation Rostec, is working on modernizing the 152-mm "Pat-S" self-propelled artillery installation, a company spokesperson told Sputnik.

The "Pat-S" is an experimental 152-mm self-propelled artillery mount developed in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, based on the BMP-3 chassis. It was not mass-produced, only one prototype was made. "Pat-S" is the world's first large-caliber howitzer capable of overcoming water obstacles afloat by itself.

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🇵🇱🇬🇧 'Poor Man of Europe': Poland will be richer than UK by 2030, billionaire says

Brexit has driven the United Kingdom into a “sort of geriatric decline” and will be left in the dust in the not-too-distant future, famed British billionaire Guy Hands has claimed.

💬 “I look at the UK and see that, in 2030, Poland will be healthier than we are,” Hands said, adding, “In 2040, we will be the poor man in Europe.”

Hands contends the UK should have never left the EU and laments that British politicians aren’t talking about the possibility of going back.

The billionaire said Brexit has pushed the UK back to the 1970s, a time of strife for the country that included high inflation, high unemployment, frequent power outages and worker strikes.

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🇷🇺🇺🇸 Emerging economies to turn backs on Washington due to sanctions’ harm, Russian envoy to US says

💬 "Doesn't the [US] administration understand that with its steps it is damaging its own long-term goals? Clearly, emerging economies will see the harm that the policy of the United States is doing to their vital interests and will turn their backs on Washington," Anatoly Antonov said.

The ambassador said that the new package of sanctions reiterates what has already been done and contains no real new measures, adding that Washington's intention is to try to scare off partners from the Russian market.

💬 "To confuse the business circles, experts and the public. Convince them that we are under some kind of ‘cap of restrictions.’ Of course, this is far from being true," he said. "Russia, not in words, but in action, has proved its ability to cope with attempts to stop its progress, to force it to give up its basic principles."

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🇧🇬🇺🇸 US Secret Service agent recalled, placed under investigation after altercation in Bulgaria

The offending incident occurred as preparations were underway for former US president Bill Clinton's visit to Bulgaria for the Clinton Global Initiative.

The Secret Service officer, who was assigned to provide support for protective functions during the overseas trip to Sofia, was withdrawn from the mission along with another employee who witnessed the altercation. Both individuals were removed from the scene before the arrival of the protectee.

All employees implicated in the incident have been placed on administrative leave, and their access to Secret Service sites, facilities, and computer systems has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.

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❗️Zelensky arrived in Hiroshima

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📹 Russian Tornado-G MLRS disrupts rotation of Ukrainian troops in LPR

The 9K51M Tornado-G is a Russian modernized multiple launch rocket system. The main difference between the 9K51M and its predecessor - the 9K51 "Grad" MLRS - is a more advanced fire-control system with satellite navigation and computerized ballistic calculations.

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🇯🇵 Hiroshima bombing survivor speaks against Zelensky's arrival

Kunihiko Sakuma, who heads the Association of Hiroshima Atomic-bomb Survivors, told at a press conference that he could not accept Volodymyr Zelensky's visit in the present political climate.

💬 "In the future he could come, see Hiroshima, learn about the bombing. But in the present political conditions, the motive of political bargaining is very strong in coming to Hiroshima, and in these conditions with visiting Hiroshima, I don't know as for you, but I can't agree," Sakuma said.

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Video of George Soros saying he feels “no guilt” over helping Nazis while a child in WWII goes viral on social media

Since Elon Musk remarked that Soros “hates humanity”, a fragment from an interview between the Hungarian-born billionaire and Steve Croft on the program 60 Minutes has been making waves online.

In the interview Soros confirmed that, although Jewish himself, he helped to confiscate property from Jews during the Second World War, while pretending to be a Christian - but he felt no remorse about doing that.

The fragment that has drawn the most fury involved Soros comparing the situation with free-market economics: “If I hadn't done it, someone else would be taking it away.”

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🇪🇺 ‘Why don’t we promote peace?’: Irish MEP Mick Wallace slams hypocritical EU economic policy

💬 “We are prepared to pull out all the stops to increase our production capacity for ammunition - imagine if we did the same to deal with poverty or the housing crisis,” he said.

Residents of the European Union and Britain have borne the brunt of the economic toll of the West’s sanctions crusade against Russia, with inflation hitting highs unseen in decades and energy costs skyrocketing, leaving the continent on the brink of recession.

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🇷🇺 "Self-determination is at the epicenter of the storm. Russia and the world on the turn of history" is the main topic of the XXXI Assembly of the Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, which has opened in the Moscow region, Sputnik correspondent Denis Bolotsky reports.

▪️One of the main points of the program is a speech by the minister of foreign affairs, a veteran of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Sergey Lavrov, scheduled for the afternoon session.

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s official representative, Maria Zakharova, said ahead of the event that special attention during the upcoming assembly is expected to be paid to the recently approved new edition of Russia's Foreign Policy Concept, as well as "the tasks of diplomatic activity at the current stage of the formation of a multipolar world order."

▪️The first session of the assembly began on Saturday morning under the slogan "Will we go our own way? Russian society facing the challenges of irreversible changes."

The participants - leading representatives of the academic and expert community, diplomats, military top brass, entrepreneurs, journalists - will assess the prospects and opportunities of Russia in the changing environment and discuss forecasts for events in the coming years.

▪️Established on February 25, 1992 in Moscow, the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy includes politicians, heads of associations of business circles, entrepreneurs, public and state figures, as well as representatives of law enforcement agencies, the military-industrial complex, scientists, and journalists in its ranks.

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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 55 Ukrainian troops, two armored combat vehicles, one D-20 howitzer;

▪️In the Krasny Liman direction, Russian forces neutralized up to 60 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, as well as one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer and one D-30 howitzer;

▪️In the Artemovsk direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 95 servicemen, one tank, one armored personnel carrier, as well as one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer;

▪️In the Donetsk direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 210 servicemen, one tank, two ammunition depots, as well as a Polish Krab self-propelled howitzer and a D-20 howitzer;

▪️In the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Russian forces destroyed over 85 Ukrainian troops and a Msta-B howitzer;

▪️In the Kherson direction, Russian troops neutralized up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen and two armored combat vehicles;

▪️In the Kharkov region, one US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter mortar radar was destroyed;

▪️Russian air defenses shot down one US-made GBU-32 guided bomb, 12 Storm Shadow cruise missiles and HIMARS projectiles as well as 18 unmanned aerial vehicles in the LPR, DPR, and Kharkov region.

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🇷🇺"Self-determination is at the epicenter of the storm. Russia and the world on the turn of history" is the main topic of the XXXI Assembly of the Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, which opened in the Moscow region.

Waiting for the speech of the Russian FM Sergey Lavrov.

ℹ️ The rest of discussions are being held behind closed doors.

Situation in Ukraine and Russia's special military operation are among key topics.

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🇷🇺 31st Assembly of Council on Foreign and Defense Policy: What’s on the agenda

Fyodor Lukyanov, chairman of the Presidium of the non-governmental organization Council for Foreign and Defense Policy, in an exclusive interview with Sputnik.

While Ukraine is one of the main themes of the summit, the event will focus on how Russia is faring when faced with both the special military operation and the unprecedented clash with the West, Lukyanov said.

💬 “The question is – how to develop and explore a completely new model of development for Russia, because the previous status quo does not exist anymore. The goal of the council will be to formulate new guidelines, identifying what will happen and what should be done and discussed before decisions will be taken.”

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❗️F-18 crashes at Zaragoza air base in Spain

An F-18 from the Spanish Air Force has crashed at Zaragoza Air Base during a family day exhibition. The pilot managed to eject before impact, Spanish media reported. There were no casualties among the civilian observers.

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Lots of media attention to Sergey Lavrov's speech at the 31st Assembly of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy.

Russian FM just entered the venue.

Stay tuned, will bring you the latest shortly.

❗️LIVE NOW: Sergey Lavrov speaks at 31st Assembly of Council on Foreign and Defense Policy
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