❗️ Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic confirmed that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had signed the order to increase combat readiness and added that the situation in Kosovo and Metohija was dramatic.

The Minister noted that the Serbian Armed Forces had begun their actions on the orders of President Vučcic.

“Someone must understand that what Albin Kurti is doing is leading us to red lines, leading to a complete collapse of the dialogue, leading to an escalation,” Vucevic said.

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Pepe Escobar: Eurasian center rises to challenge the West

Xi Jin Ping told Vladimir Putin in Moscow in March that we’re now facing “great changes not seen in a century”, but there are also some shifts that last happened as many as 2,000 years ago.

Read about the epic return of the Silk Road to the world map and how Moscow and Beijing are trying to protect and revive the geopolitical Heartland in different ways in the article by our columnist Pepe Escobar.

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🎙 In today’s episode of the #AfroVerdict podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa, our regular host Viktor Anokhin sits down with a biochemical researcher to talk about astaxanthin - the molecule responsible for the red colour in salmon and the health benefits it offers.

Kremlin says Putin ready to talk with Scholz to protect Russia's interests

Dialogue is necessary, so Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to talk with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in order to protect Russia's national interests, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

"President Putin remains open to dialogue, while, of course, pursuing the main goal of protecting the interests of our country," Peskov stressed.

However, the Kremlin has no information that Germany initiated a telephone conversation with the Russian president, the spokesman added.

Previously German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told German media that "it has been a while since my last phone conversation [with the Russian president]. But I am planning to talk to Putin again in due course."

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❗️ Russian Foreign Ministry reveals details of meeting between Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Special Representative Li Hui:

▪️ Lavrov reaffirmed his commitment to a political and diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine conflict.

▪️ The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted the obstacles created by Kiev and Western curators for the resumption of negotiations.

▪️ The minister expressed gratitude to Beijing for its balanced position on the Ukraine crisis.

▪️ Both sides expressed readiness to strengthen cooperation between the two countries aimed at maintaining peace.

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⚠️ WARNING: content may be disturbing to some viewers

Sputnik has obtained footage of the combat work of Russian strike drones over Ukrainian positions in the Kharkov region

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🐻 Shower and swing time: orphaned Asian black bear Cub Tono enjoys playful day!

📹 Watch our video for details!

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📹 Russian Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missile system destroys Ukrainian UAV near Krasny Liman

With the help of an all-round radar station, the anti-aircraft missile system crew detected the movement of Ukrainian drones.

After identifying the targets, missiles were launched and the enemy drones were destroyed.

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🔬 Elon Musk's Neuralink has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to conduct its first human trials. But is it as safe as described?

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Why is Russia deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus?

Announcing this week’s signing of a deal on maintaining Russian tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil, Russia and Minsk reiterated that this is a response to the aggressive policies pursued by unfriendly countries.

What prompted Moscow to deploy its non-strategic nukes in Belarus?

Reinclusion of Russian banks would facilitate implementation Of Grain Deal - UN spokesperson

Reinclusion of Russian banks would facilitate full implementation of the Black Sea grain deal, but the decision is not up to the United Nations, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.

“It is clear that the reinclusion of Russian banks involved in the trade in fertilizer and food, which are not under sanctions, would facilitate the implementation, but as you well know, that is not a decision that is with the UN’s own wheelhouse,” Dujarric told reporters.

The UN is trying to push things forward on different tracks, he added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that if Rosselkhozbank would not be connected to SWIFT, and without progress on other systematic problems of blocking of Russian exports, it would be necessary to find alternatives for the grain deal.

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The final countdown: Goldman Sachs economists expect US default by June 9

Two economists from Goldman Sachs have issued a warning that the US government has approximately two weeks before it faces a debt default. By June 2, they estimate that the US will have only $30 billion left to fulfill its debt obligations, and the account will enter negative territory by June 9. The deadline given by the US Treasury to Congress for raising the debt ceiling is June 1, leaving minimal room for negotiation.

The debt ceiling issue has been ongoing for months, with Republicans refusing to extend it as a means to pressure Democrats into accepting significant budget cuts. While the Treasury has utilized temporary measures to continue making payments, these options are limited, as emphasized by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other experts. Talks between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have been underway, with the hope of reaching a deal before a default occurs.

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