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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📊 This year, May 25-31 marks the International Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories (NSGTs), established by the UN in 1999 to highlight the continuing struggle of those living in such lands and promote self-determination rights.

The United Nations Charter defines a Non-Self-Governing Territory as one "whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government," with the countries in control known as the administering Powers.

In 1946, a number of UN Member States jointly listed territories under their administration that were not self-governing. While since then, most of the mentioned territories have acquired self-governance, the list still includes 17 items, with the UK, the US, France and New Zealand being the administering powers of such territories

See Sputnik's infographic to learn more!

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NATO to upgrade Ukraine’s partner atatus without offering membership

NATO diplomats told media that the alliance will have to find the right balance between maintaining the open-door policy and supporting Kiev's aspirations without directly admitting the country to the bloc.

The proposed Ukraine-NATO Council should serve this purpose. Kiev will become a "full-fledged" party to the body and will have greater opportunities to communicate with the alliance, the sources said. Ukraine will be able to engage in closer intelligence sharing, joint exercises, as well as receive more options for financial support and development of its own armed forces in accordance with NATO standards, according to the report.

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Just like us? Octopuses have nightmares too, new study suggests

A recent study conducted by scientists from Rockefeller University in New York City suggests that octopuses may experience both positive and negative dreams, similar to humans. The study, which is awaiting peer review, observed a captive male Brazilian reef octopus named Costello exhibiting behavior during sleep that resembled nightmares. The octopus changed colors and patterns while sleeping, potentially reflecting the contents of its dreams, and sometimes abruptly awoke, flailing its arms and releasing ink as if trying to escape from a predator.

The researchers compared this sleep behavior to parasomnia and defensive behavior observed in humans, and suggested that octopuses may experience similar disturbances during sleep, potentially including nightmares.

However, as the study focused on only one octopus, it remains uncertain if such behavior is widespread among all octopuses. The scientists hope that their findings will encourage further observation of octopus behavior to validate their conclusions.

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Arms industry rips off US taxpayers to tune of trillions for 'Sub-Par' systems

According to Daniel McAdams, a peace campaigner interviewed by Sputnik, the high cost and failure of many US weapons systems can be attributed to corruption and the close relationship between the Pentagon and the arms industry. Despite the US spending a staggering $1 trillion annually on defense, the recent retreat from Afghanistan and attempts to arm Ukraine have exposed the inefficiency of the bloated military-industrial complex. The campaigner highlighted the flawed philosophy of US military hegemony and the influence of defense contractors and think tanks in promoting exaggerated threats to justify increased spending.

The peace campaigner also pointed out issues with specific weapons systems, such as the Lockheed-Martin F-35 stealth strike fighter, which continues to face significant technical problems despite being sold widely. The revolving door between the Pentagon and the arms industry, exemplified by General Lloyd Austin's transition from the military to a director position at Raytheon Technologies, was criticized as perpetuating corruption. The campaigner argued that the entire system is corrupt and prioritizes profit over the defense and well-being of the American people.

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🇿🇦 🇺🇸 South African Communist Party Chief slams US foreign policy as ‘disrespectful to all of humanity’

The US doesn't respect other countries and never treats anyone as an equal, said SACP General Secretary Solly Afrika Mapaila in an exclusive interview with Sputnik Africa.

🗣 "It’s quite condescending and disrespectful to all of humanity that the US continues to act in this way...Equality is a paper they sign on, but upon the signing of the paper, they think that they are the superpower of the world, anyone must kowtow to them...or else they punish you," Mapaila argued.

Mapaila noted that such US behavior can be changed if countries work together to create a multipolar system.

🗣 "But that is why, for instance, we have always understood even the special military operation of Russia in Ukraine as a continuation of assertion of independence by Russia and a commitment towards multipolarity," said Mapaila.

👉 Full interview

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Would be beneficial for Germany to pay reparations to Poland for damage during Second World War: Polish PM

According to Mateusz Morawiecki, if this happens, "the attitude of Poland towards Germany, the attitude of the Poles towards the Germans would undoubtedly improve."

“I know it may be shocking, but for our Polish-German relations... repairing these eternal losses, those tears and seas of blood, at least to a minimal extent, through the recognition of reparations, would be something very positive.”

Earlier, Warsaw estimated the damage suffered during the war at $1.3 trillion and asked the UN to help get reparations from Berlin.

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Former Russian President Medvedev’s comments on possible US default:

▪️ It’s not a fact that it is in our interests;

▪️ In 2008 the bubble burst in the US, but it impacted everyone;

▪️ It might not be so good for the yuan either;

▪️ Most likely there will be no default, they will once again increase the national debt;

▪️ However, the printing press can no longer be stopped, no one knows how the world economy will react to this;

▪️ It can withstand $30 trillion in debt, but would not withstand $50 trillion, and then there will be a global collapse;

▪️ In any case, the confidence of different countries in the dollar has been seriously undermined.

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The Kiev authorities have disrupted the rotation of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) staff at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant

The IAEA mission has been present at the ZNPP since September 2022. A total of seven IAEA staff rotations have taken place since then, the last one having been completed at the end of April.

"Initially, the rotation was supposed to take place on May 25, then, at the request of Kiev, it was postponed to the 26 and, as a result, was disrupted by the Ukrainian side," Vladimir Rogov, a senior official of the Zaporozhye regional administration, said.

The senior official specified that three IAEA inspectors were supposed to arrive at the ZNPP: from Argentina, Ireland and Morocco.

"On the eve of the [IAEA] mission’s arrival, the regime of [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky gave the order to subject the city of Vasylivka, through which the usual route of the monitoring mission runs, to massive shelling from heavy weapons," Rogov told Sputnik.

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⚡️ The unmanned boats that attacked the Black Sea Fleet's "Ivan Khurs" were launched from the naval operations center, which was opened with the participation of the United States in Ochakov; the drones are controlled using Starlink, an informed source told Sputnik.

At the same time, according to the source, a batch of new Western-made drones, probably built by Britain, was transferred to Kiev for naval attacks and provocations in the Black Sea.

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❗️ Ukrainian troops use British missiles to shell the rear areas of the Zaporozhye region, a senior regional official said

📹 Russian howitzers fire in action (video by Russian MoD)

The 152-caliber MSTA-B howitzers, serving as fire support for the Russian troops, fired at enemy self-propelled artillery and forces.

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