😁 At the end of his remarks to the National Safer Communities Summit, President Biden said, "God save the Queen," which then went viral

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📹 Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has checked the fulfillment of the state defense order at a military-industrial enterprise in the Omsk region, where tanks and heavy flamethrower systems are produced

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Russia has set the task of maintaining coal production at over 440 million metric tons this year, while export is planned at above 220 million tonnes

"We set ourselves the task of maintaining the figures of 2022, which was quite difficult for the coal industry, it was a transitional year, we changed the entire flow of goods after the introduction of the embargo. Therefore, the number one task is to preserve the parameters, that is, coal production at a level above 440 million tonnes and export above 220 million tonnes," Russian Deputy Energy Minister Sergey Mochalnikov said.

Russia's coal supplies to China and India showed year-on-year growth in the first five months of 2023, the deputy energy minister added.

"The coal industry and our companies also have something to be proud of. So far, [coal exports] are also ahead of the previous year. The main market, as usual, is the Asia-Pacific region and the Global South, so all our consumers are mainly there," Mochalnikov said, speaking about Russian coal supplies to China and India in January-May.

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❗️ WATCH LIVE: Day Four of St Petersburg International Economic Forum

#SPIEF2023

Amid the growing flaws of the dollar-centric financial system and the concerning geopolitical weaponization of the reserve currency, participants at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) discuss the transition from a unipolar currency-based international financial system to a new world order centered around a multipolar currency.

▪️What has led to this rapid de-dollarization in recent years? 

▪️How can the New Development Bank assist in building a multipolar currency system that is friendly to developing countries and emerging markets?

👉 Find out in our article Amid the De-Dollarization Trend, SPIEF 2023 Explores Multipolar Financial Order

❗️ The governor of Russia's Bryansk region said that tonight air defense units repelled an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Druzhba oil refinery, three aircraft-type drones were destroyed

📹 Pacific Fleet exercises continue in Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk

Naval anti-submarine aircraft practice searching for and destroying enemy submarines and carried out aerial refuelling.

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The US views China as its “primary rival” and “the most consequential geopolitical challenge,” which is “a major strategic misjudgment”

Speaking to reporters ahead of US Secretary Antony Blinken’s visit to China slated for this weekend, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that while there is a competition between the two countries in such fields as economics and trade, there should be “no vicious zero-sum competition,” as well as no attempts to contain or suppress one another in the name of rivalry and deprive China of its legitimate right to development.

"This is not 'responsible competition,' but irresponsible bullying. It will only push the two countries towards confrontation and create a divided world," the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman stressed.

He called on the US to give up the illusion of dealing with China "from a position of strength," adding that both sides should bolster relations on the basis of mutual respect and equality, respect their difference in history, culture, social system and development, and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns.

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📹 Footage showing the destruction of a Ukrainian stronghold by Russia's FPV drones carrying RPG-7 grenades

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❗️ More than 900 agreements were signed at this year's #SPIEF2023 for a total of 3.8 trillion rubles ($46.1 billion)

According to the Russian president's adviser Anton Kobyakov, among them are 43 agreements with representatives of foreign companies.

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🇷🇺 🌍 Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to meet the leaders of a number of African countries in St. Petersburg on Saturday as they continue their peace delegation

The presidents of South Africa, Comoros, Zambia and Senegal will hold talks with the Russian leader in St. Petersburg, while Egypt will be represented by its prime minister, Uganda by its minister of foreign affairs, and Congo by its minister of state.

The talks follow a chaotic visit to Kiev on Friday, in which the South African delegation suffered travel disruption in Poland

👉 READ OUR PREVIEW OF THE HISTORIC MEETING

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⚡️ Russia launched group strike on decision-making center of Ukraine's armed forces on Friday, target destroyed - Russian Defense Ministry

US debt is inflated and looms over the Asia-Pacific region as its main holder

“The US debt has jumped 10-fold from $3 trillion to over $31 trillion over the past 30 years. This is two times ahead of the economic growth rate and the cost of servicing it can reach $1 trillion a year, which is a fifth of the budget, and this figure is growing," Igor Sechin, head of Russia's energy company Rosneft said.

He stressed that the Asian-Pacific countries are the main holders of the US debt and thus are facing the biggest risks.

Sechin also touched upon the matter of Europe's dependence on US energy resources.

According to him, as a result of the refusal to buy Russian gas and in the absence of other sources of LNG, Europe has found itself completely dependent on energy supplies from the US.

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❗️Latest statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️ The World has shown great interest in the President's speech at SPIEF; it is being analyzed.

▪️ Peskov denied information that no one has connected Scholz and Macron with Putin: there were no proposals from their side.

▪️ The list of those who confirmed their participation in the Russia-Africa summit is impressive.

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❗️Russia's MoD’s briefing on the special military operation’s progress in Ukraine:

▪️ The Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to attempt an offensive in the DPR and in the Zaporozhye region;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces repelled three attacks in the area of the Vremevsky ledge in a day;

▪️ During the fighting in the DPR, up to 340 Ukrainian soldiers were eliminated;

▪️ The Russian Army repelled seven attacks in the DPR;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces destroyed up to 50 soldiers and two self-propelled guns Gvozdika near Krasny Liman;

▪️ Russian troops repulsed three enemy attacks in a day in the Zaporozhye region;

▪️ The total Ukrainian losses per day amounted to over 235 soldiers in the Zaporozhye region and the DPR;

▪️ The Ukrainian DRG was destroyed near Kupyansk, their total losses per day amounted to more than 40 servicemen;

▪️ Russian troops hit two P-18 radars of Ukrainian forces in the DPR and Kherson region.

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BRICS expansion: US-led organizations ‘have lost their credibility'

Non-members are attracted to join BRICS due to its multilateralism and emphasis on supporting diverse regional needs, according to Professor Fulufhelo Netswera.

With 13 states applying for membership and 20 expressing interest, BRICS - consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - is gaining popularity. Netswera highlighted the loss of credibility of Washington-led groups, citing violations of UN resolutions and military interventions as factors driving interest in BRICS.

BRICS' appeal lies in being a multipolar organization that opposes proxy wars, benefits poorer nations, and advocates for peaceful resolutions. The group also aims to reduce reliance on the US dollar by considering local currencies and the potential establishment of a new BRICS currency.

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Rosneft's discovered Arctic resources stand at 20bln tonnes of oil equivalent

Russian oil giant Rosneft's discovered resources in the Arctic amount to about 20 billion tonnes of oil equivalent, the company's head Igor Sechin said Saturday at #SPIEF2023.

“Climate change brings new opportunities related to accessing the resources of the Arctic zone, where the resources already discovered by our company alone amount to about 20 billion tons of oil equivalent,” Sechin said in his keynote address at the energy panel.

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🇿🇦📹 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived at St. Petersburg International Airport, where he will join other African leaders participating in the Africa Peace Initiative for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin

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❗️ US will not make it easier for Ukraine to join NATO, Kiev must meet all the requirements for members of the alliance - Joe Biden

Scott Ritter: Ukrainian Counteroffensive’s Second Week Ends in Failure

As the operation enters the second week of Ukraine’s long-awaited and highly-touted counteroffensive, some basic conclusions can be drawn even though the fighting continues, and will continue to rage, for some time to come.

Read the full analysis of Sputnik's columnist Scott Ritter