🎥 In this week's episode of the New Rules podcast, host Dimitri Simes Jr. speaks with Jacques Sapir, a French economist, about why Western sanctions failed to inflict serious damage to the Russian economy.

Jacques Sapir, Director of Studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris, one of the leading European experts on the Russian economy warned that European economy is headed for turbulent waters over the next decade, including a potential energy crisis in the winter of 2023-24.

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❗️ South African FM to Sputnik: African Nations Deserve Better Representation in UNSC

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🤭 Fake news alert

🧐 Footage of the collapse of a house in the United States was passed off as the consequences of a drone attack on Moscow

🥴 American journalists mixed everything up and showed a destroyed building in Davenport in a story about a terrorist attack on the Russian capital. The fake newsmakers were not even embarrassed by the signs in English that can be seen in footage…

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💭 "India🇮🇳 shouldn’t become the Ukraine of Asia – i.e., a geopolitical pawn for 🇺🇸 America to contain China," SL Kanthan, an Indian geopolitical analyst and writer has told Sputnik.

Ahead of Lloyd Austin's visit to India this week, Sputnik reached out to Kanthan to hear his opinion on Indo-American ties, US attempts to embroil India in tensions of its own making and India's foreign policy guided by strategic autonomy — a concept that is increasingly gaining traction.

👉 READ FULL INTERVIEW

Scott Ritter on his trip to Russia: sanctions against Russia failed. I saw It firsthand.

"Upon my arrival to Russia, I expected to see a nation heavily impacted by the consequences of American-led sanctions. Instead, I saw a nation undergoing an economic revival, in large part thanks to the policies Russia was compelled to undertake because of Western sanctions," former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and Sputnik columnist Scott Ritter says.

Read the full story of Scott Ritter's trip across Russia on our website

🗣️”So the significance of this is yet another step in what we're just seeing happening across the globe and these are pushes towards a more regional integration”: Beirut-based journalist and editor of The Cradle, Esteban Carrillo, on the current tendency of regional integration

🎧Listen to more of Carrillo’s analysis in our podcast Fault Lines

What do Democrats and Republicans think of US debt ceiling bill?

The House has cleared the US debt ceiling deal that was earlier clinched between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to avert a looming government default. How did Republicans and Democrats react to the bill and what was the GOP presidential candidates’ stance on the matter?

Sputnik answers these and other questions

🗣️”The whole point of a proxy war is you're fighting a war against your adversary without you actually putting your blood and your treasure on the line. You're doing it through someone else. You're doing it through Ukraine. It doesn't matter to you if they all die”: Ex-US Marine Corps independent geopolitical researcher and writer based in Bangkok, Brian Berletic, on the main point of a proxy war

🎧Listen to more of Berletic’s analysis in our podcast The Critical Hour

🎙 General press conference of BRICS foreign ministers is about to start

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EU 'disappearing' as global economic player due to high energy costs

French economist Jacques Sapir highlights the challenges Europe faces in rebuilding competitiveness and addressing the consequences of boycotting Russian gas. Despite Europe managing to avoid a severe energy crisis last winter, the substitution of Russian gas with liquefied natural gas (LNG) remains a concern. The complete transition from Russian gas to LNG will take several years, and if the upcoming winter is harsh, Europe could encounter significant problems.

The reliance on Russian gas, which had provided affordable energy for European economies, was disrupted by Western sanctions, resulting in higher costs and increased expenditure to protect households from rising energy prices. Sapir emphasizes the need to rebuild European competitiveness in the next decade, as the entry costs for oil and gas have risen and other countries like China and India benefit from lower prices.

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📹 The Russian Defense Ministry published a video of attacks on Ukrainian terrorists who tried to enter the territory of Belgorod region in the morning

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❗️ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, when asked about the expansion of the BRICS, replied that the issue of admitting Saudi Arabia was indeed discussed.

He also laughed off the question about rumors over the possible transfer of the BRICS summit from South Africa to China.

"As far as I understand, this news was published only in one yellow English newspaper. And I don't read English newspapers," Lavrov answered.

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DeSantis presidential campaign gets kiss of death from anti-Trump establishment

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' presidential run is facing challenges as he receives endorsements from Republican 'Never-Trumpers,' according to an attorney Tyler Nixon.

Despite his disciplined messaging, DeSantis is criticized for his lack of warmth and noscripted demeanor. His campaign's pitch to move on from Trump is met with resistance from socially-conservative Republicans who supported Ron Paul and were galvanized by Trump's defiance of the Republican establishment. DeSantis' support from establishment figures like Jeb Bush and Dick Cheney further undermines his attempts to portray himself as a conservative rebel.

Moreover, DeSantis is criticized for aligning himself with unpopular policies such as supporting Biden's arms supplies to Ukraine. The attorney argued that DeSantis is adopting positions that are not widely supported, including overseas interventions and militarism.

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Joe Biden falls again, this time at US Air Force Academy graduation ceremony

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🗣️”I think the first response is going to be sanctions, it is going to be that. But at this point, we've seen it proven time and again that economic sanctions are useless. They do not achieve the goal that the politicians want to achieve”: Beirut-based journalist and editor of The Cradle, Esteban Carrillo, on the US' possible moves not to allow countries to create a regional currency

🎧Listen to more of Carrillo’s analysis in our podcast Fault Lines

US advocacy group releases emails challenging Biden's statements on son's connections

America First Legal (AFL) has released a new package of emails challenging President Joe Biden's claim of ignorance regarding his son Hunter's business connections with foreign individuals. The emails, obtained from the National Archives, span from December 2009 to June 2010 and reveal communication between Hunter's former business partner and top aides of then-Vice President Biden. AFL highlighted an email discussing a "China lunch" before a visit by former Chinese President Hu Jintao, which the National Archives redacted due to its confidential nature.

The released emails suggest that Hunter received privileged information from the Vice President's Office about a state visit to Africa in 2010. AFL argues that these records, while only a fraction of the National Archives collection, provide further evidence of the Biden family's involvement in influence peddling and personal enrichment.

America First Legal's Vice President and General Counsel Gene Hamilton stated that each release contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the interplay between the Biden family's business interests and official US affairs.

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🔺Senator Lindsey Graham says US financing of Ukraine war against Russia is "the best money we’ve ever spent"
🔺Gun put to South Africa's head: the West is putting "extraordinary pressure" on Africa to renounce its neutral position over the Russia-Ukraine conflict
🔺Zelensky and Macron are planning a "peace summit" without Russia

The Critical Hour will cover these and more stories! Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 6pm EST|3pm PST|12am CET via the website or app

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