🇷🇺🇰🇿 This morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan for talks, where he was met by his Kazakh counterpart

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy: “Ukraine is not a paragon of democracy. This is a country that has banned 11 opposition parties. It has consolidated all media into one state TV media arm. That’s not democratic. It has threatened not to hold elections this year unless the U.S. forks over more money. That is not democratic.”

“It celebrated a Nazi in its ranks — the comedian in cargo pants, a man called Zelensky — doing it in their own ranks. That is not democratic."

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

The Houthis showed a video in which they allegedly shoot down an American MQ-9 Reaper UAV over Yemeni territorial waters. A few hours later, the Pentagon confirmed the report.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

An American military base near the Al-Omar oil field east of the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor came under fire several times last night, an Arab TV channel reported.

According to the channel, at least 15 rockets were fired at the base.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇫🇷 France should withdraw from the European Union and give its place to Ukraine, said the leader of the French Patriots party Florian Philippot on social network X.

"The EU has just informed Zelensky that Ukraine can join the union! Negotiations officially begin! Let's leave room for Ukraine and leave as soon as possible!" - the politician suggested.

He called the EU's decision to start accession talks with beggar and corruption-prone Ukraine "colossal madness" that will only make things worse for the EU.

"Let the EU deal with Ukraine on its own and we will leave," Filippo summed up.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇺🇸 During the Miami debate, GOP presidential candidates weighed in on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict:

▪️ Ron DeSantis stressed Israel should “finish the job once and for all with these butchers, Hamas,” adding that he was “sick of hearing other people blame Israel for defending itself.”

▪️ He was echoed by Nikki Haley, who said that Israel must wipe out the Palestinian militant group and that “The only thing we should be doing is supporting them in eliminating Hamas.”

▪️Chris Christie insisted the US “would have to work with Israel to degrade Hamas and ensure “something like this can’t happen to kill 1,400 individuals again.”

▪️ Senator Tim Scott demanded to "cut off the head of the snake" [Iran], and Israel should "wipe Hamas off the face of the Earth" - the US will support him.

▪️ Vivek Ramaswamy said: “What I would tell Bibi is that Israel has the right and the responsibility to defend itself.”

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

What about Ukraine?

▪️ Commenting on possibly sending American troops to Kiev, DeSantis said he would rather "send troops to our southern border."

▪️ Ramaswamy slammed Ukraine as corrupt, adding, “To frame this as some kind of battle of good versus evil: Don’t buy it. Ukraine is not a paragon of democracy.”

▪️ Scott noted the lack of accountability on US weapons sent to Kiev.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇵🇸🇮🇱 Latest updates on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict:

▪️ Now is not the time to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip and how it will be governed - today we need a ceasefire, said Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia.

▪️ The escalation of the conflict has caused public anger against the US, the State Department admitted.

▪️ The IDF claimed to have destroyed 130 Hamas tunnel shafts since the start of the war, as Israel continues to "expand" its ground operation in Gaza.

▪️ The US has taken "additional measures to communicate directly with Iran" that it does not seek to escalate the conflict in the Middle East amid the conflict, a senior US defense official said.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Watch LIVE: Putin Meets with Kazakh President Tokayev

Follow the live on Sputnik website

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

👀 Biden was scheduled to speak at the American Possibilities interactive exhibit at the White House. But... something went wrong.

Instead, Biden suddenly walked backstage and the broadcast was abruptly interrupted.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺🇰🇿 Tokayev met Vladimir Putin at his residence in Astana, where negotiations between the leaders of the two countries are scheduled to be held

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Documents worth about $100 million have been prepared for signing at the forum of interregional cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, Putin shared.

Settlements between Russia and Kazakhstan in national currencies are expanding, and cooperation in the agricultural sector is growing, he added.

❗️ The next Russia-Kazakhstan interregional cooperation forum will take place in 2024 in Russia’s city of Ufa, Vladimir Putin stated