📹 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

❗️LIVE NOW: Vladimir Putin meets with leaders of African countries in St. Petersburg

Join the live stream here or follow this link to Sputnik’s website

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🇩🇪 Member of the Bundestag on Germany's assistance to Ukraine: I want to ask, Mr. Habek, are you really OUR economy minister? Or the Minister of Economy of Ukraine?

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Saudi Foreign Minister pays first official visit to Iran in 7 years

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud arrived in Iran on Saturday for his first visit to the country since Riyadh and Tehran severed diplomatic ties seven years ago, Iranian media reported.

The Saudi minister arrived in the Iranian capital of Tehran, Iranian news agency reported.

The agency said on Thursday that the top Saudi diplomat would arrive in Tehran on June 17 to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The Saudi embassy in Tehran is also expected to reopen during the visit, the report said.

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❗️ Putin shows the African delegation the agreement on security guarantees and peace for Ukraine, which was agreed upon by the sides in March last year

The president notes that the document was agreed upon by the Kiev negotiators, but as soon as Russia withdrew the troops from Kiev, its Western masters threw out this treaty

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🎙 Dimitri Simes Jr. from Sputnik International discusses why Poland has become a regional leader with former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl at #SPIEF2023

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