Former NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen said that a group of NATO countries might take individual actions and deploy troops in Ukraine 

"If NATO cannot agree on a clear path forward for Ukraine, there is a clear possibility that some countries individually might take action. We know that Poland is very engaged in providing concrete assistance to Ukraine. And I wouldn’t exclude the possibility that Poland would engage even stronger in this context on a national basis and be followed by the Baltic states, maybe including the possibility of troops on the ground ... I think the Poles would seriously consider going in and assemble a coalition of the willing if Ukraine doesn’t get anything in Vilnius," the UK media quoted Rasmussen as saying.

Rasmussen said security guarantees need to cover intelligence sharing, joint Ukraine training, NATO interoperability, enhanced ammunition production and arms supply.

The ex-NATO official also said that "some NATO allies might be in favour of the security guarantees to actually avoid a real discussion on Ukraine’s membership aspirations," adding that "they hope that by providing security guarantees, they can avoid this question."

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Former US Vice President Mike Pence: "I have no interest of pardoning those who vandalized our Capitol"

Former US Vice President Mike Pence shut down any assertion that he would issue pardons to individuals who participated in the 2021 Capitol riot, telling voters during a town hall event that the option was not on the table.

While Pence used the appearance to note he was running in the 2024 election cycle because he believes America is in trouble, one of the more key takeaways from the event saw Pence blast Trump's actions on January 6.
Pence underscored that he would always side with the Constitution if elected president.

"I have no interest or no intention of pardoning those that assaulted police officers or vandalized our Capitol. They need to be answerable to the law," said Pence. "I said that those that failed to do that [to leave the Capitol] should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and I continue to believe that today."

He emphasized that the US "cannot ever allow what happened on January 6 to happen again in the heart of our democracy."

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The Pentagon has not discovered any information to support claims that secret programs exist that are in possession of extraterrestrial material

Earlier this week, media reported that former US National Reconnaissance Office representative to the government’s unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) task force David Grusch filed a complaint alleging that disclosures on the recovery of non-human objects were illegally withheld from Congress.

"To date, AARO [All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office] has not discovered any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently," Defense Department spokesperson Sue Gough said in a statement.

The AARO will follow the data and its investigation wherever it leads, Gough said, adding that any former or current government employee or contractor who believes they have information relevant to the historical review is welcome to aid the program, Gough added.

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❗️ Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to advance in the Zaporozhye region. So far, all their attempts to break through the defenses have ended in failure and huge losses, Vladimir Rogov, a senior official of the Zaporozhye regional administration, told Sputnik

According to Rogov, the enemy sent its maximum military forces and equipment to this sector of the front.

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📹 Four armored fighting vehicles of the enemy wiped out in DPR

The Ka-52 ground-attack and reconnaissance helicopters eliminate armored vehicles and militants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the DPR.

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❗️ The acting head of Russia's Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin said in an interview with Sputnik that the situation in the recently liberated city of Bakhmut, also known as Artemovsk, was difficult because of constant shelling by Ukrainian troops. But he added that it was under control.

▪️He said the city was being shelled by artillery guns, mortars and drones.

▪️Pushilin said Ukraine's claims that it had retained a presence in Bakhmut were false.

▪️DPR’s leader added that after the restoration of Artemovsk, an official referendum on the name of the city could be held, but even now there is an understanding that local residents support the option which has now been approved.

▪️He also said that Ukrainian troops today need to be moved at least 500km from the administrative borders of the new regions and a new frontier could pass along the Dnepr, but it is necessary to liberate the entire territory of Ukraine.

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❗️ Five people died after the sabotage at the Kakhovka HPP and 41 were hospitalized, local authorities said

🎥 In this week’s episode of the New Rules podcast, host Dimitri Simes Jr. speaks with economist Michael Hudson about the Biden administration's 'class war' against working Americans, why US reindustrialization efforts are unlikely to succeed, the real purpose of sanctions, and de-dollarization.

"The United States calculated two years ago that it cannot compete with Eurasia. It's losing. It knows that it's lost the long term fight for not only dominance, but also the long term fight to be a major player," Michael Hudson said. "So [Washington] says, 'What can we do?' We know that we cannot compete with Eurasia, with China, Russia, Iran and the rest. But the one thing we can do is to lock in American prosperity by making Western Europe and the English-speaking countries, Australia and New Zealand, completely dependent on us."

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📹 MLRS "Grad" crews of the Russian Armed Forces used the method of "fire combing" in the zone of the special military operation, which enabled it to inflict significant damage on the enemy

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The US, Japan, and Taiwan are planning to begin sharing real-time data from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)

Washington is purportedly determined to boost military coordination between its allies under the pretext that if China were to attack Taiwan, such a scenario would call for building a “common operational picture” using reconnaissance drones’ capability.

Four MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones – a maritime version of the American Reaper UAV - are to be delivered to Taipei by the US defense contractor General Atomics Aeronautical Systems sometime in 2025, sources were cited as saying. The drones, which can be configured with cross-domain capabilities for a broad range of maritime surveillance operations, are touted as successful in locating, tracking, and targeting enemy ships and radars. The UAVs, once they arrive in Taiwan, would be allowed to integrate into the system deployed by the US military and the Japanese Self-Defense Force in the region. Accordingly, reconnaissance information gathered simultaneously by the drones would be available to all the partners of the system.

Taiwan’s military would then be taught how to operate the new drone system, in conjunction with US and Japanese counterparts, added the report.

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📹 Russia's military, using a Lancet-3 kamikaze drone, destroyed the radar station of the IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile system supplied to Kiev by NATO countries

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📹 Footage showing the combat work of Russia's mobile anti-tank units

▪️These mobile groups have made an important contribution to repelling recent attacks by Ukrainian troops.

▪️High cross-country ability and great maneuverability of these units allow them to be moved along the frontline quickly so that they can get into a position advantageous for a shot.

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Catch our Fault Lines show, where we provide updates and analysis on all the most vital stories! Here's our lineup for today:

🔺To kick things off, we'll be focusing on reports of the US knowing in advance about the Nord Stream attack
🔺Next, we’ll speak about the ballooning trade deficit
🔺Finally, we’ll delve into the latest on Ukraine

More trending stories coming your way! Watch the live broadcast on Rumble or tune in to Radio Sputnik at 7am EST|4am PST|1pm CET via the website or app

📻Also in the United States at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will continue inspections of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) until the situation around it stabilizes

"The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant is on the front line. And we are in charge of an important effort to try to prevent a nuclear accident... I believe that, as the head of the IAEA, I should not be simply talking about it [securing the ZNPP], but going there assessing for myself what is going on, talking to the current management there, talking to the operators there, talking to everybody, having an assessment," Director General Rafael Grossi said.

Grossi underscored that he will focus on the consequences of the attack on the Kakhovka dam during his upcoming visit to the Zaporozhye NPP, adding, "basically this is the reason [for the visit]."

The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest, uses water from the Kakhovka reservoir for cooling purposes. The Kakhovka dam suffered heavy damage in an attack on Tuesday morning, causing an uncontrollable outflow of water to towns downstream. If the cooling capability of the NPP is affected, possible risks include a meltdown, damage to the reactors themselves, radiological consequences, etc.

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📹 The Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter has fired non-guided bombs to engage the enemy

Video courtesy of Russian MoD.

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Vladimir Putin is keeping the situation in the Kherson Region under control after the sabotage at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant

"Putin keeps the situation in the Kherson Region under control after the sabotage and the explosion of the dam. Yesterday, as you know, he instructed the Ministry of Emergency Situations to strengthen its presence there and provide assistance to people and also actively engage in work to eliminate the consequences of this disaster," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Putin has not current plans of holding a meeting in the Kherson Region after the sabotage, Peskov added.

Emergency teams are selflessly working in the region to deal with the aftermath of the destruction of Kakhovka HPP, even under the conditions of ongoing shelling, the spokesman underscored.

Kremlin spokesman also commented the recent explosion at the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, naming it another issue that complicates the extension of the grain deal.

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German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has announced that it was awarded a contract from Norway to deliver nearly 300 advanced TG3 MIL 8×8 military trucks

The contract was signed in Oslo by Gro Jeare, director of the Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency (NDMA), and Michael Wittlinger, chairman of the board of management of Rheinmetall, and is worth over €150 million. This is the largest single order of trucks to date coming from Norway.

Michael Wittlinger of the German arms giant boasting 25,000 workers stressed that "more and more NATO armed forces are opting for our TG and HX vehicles" and emphasized it as an "important step toward greater interoperability and resilience." Rheinmetall's known for making the main gun on the Leopard 2 tank.

The country's chief of defense, Erik Kristoffersen, asked to increase the military allocations by NOK 8 billion every year from 2025 to 2031.

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❗️Russian Defense Minister Shoigu: Today at 1:30 am in the Zaporozhye direction, Ukrainian forces attempted to break through the defense with up to 1,500 personnel and 150 units of armored vehicles.

The Ukrainian military was promptly detected and a preemptive strike was carried out by artillery, aviation, and anti-tank means.

Aerial footage of Kakhovka HPP destruction and flooded surrounding areas

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Most Europeans choose 'neutrality' in US-China conflict, call Beijing 'necessary partner' - poll

Over 60% of respondents, surveyed in 11 countries of the European Union, stated that they would prefer their country not to take any side in case a conflict between Washington and Beijing erupted over Taiwan, according to the new survey from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

No more than 23 percent revealed they would opt to side with Washington.

Individuals in the 11 EU member states were asked the question: generally speaking, thinking about China, which of the following best reflects your view on what it is to Europe?
Most respondents in the ECFR poll perceived Beijing more as a strategic partner than a rival.

When asked about the relationship between China and Russia, some 70 percent of respondents recognized that the two countries were close partners.

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RFK Jr. reveals terrible truth about Ukraine Pentagon 'concealed from Americans'

"What we’re doing in Ukraine now is just a massive assault on Ukrainians. We have trapped Ukraine in a proxy war against [Russia] and they are being devoured by the geopolitical machinations of neocons in the White House who have this comic book depiction that a lot of Americans have swallowed about what is happening," RFK Jr. said, speaking to Canadian psychologist and media commentator Jordan Peterson.

RFK Jr. recalled Biden’s slip of the tongue that the US's real goal in Ukraine was to cause regime change in Moscow.

"The Russians have wanted to settle this from the beginning and they’ve been very clear about what they want. They want NATO to make a pledge to not come into Ukraine, which we should have done. We shouldn’t have put NATO into fourteen countries. We told the Russians when they dismantled the Soviet Union in 1991 and they moved 400000 troops out of Germany," he said.

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