🇵🇸 🇮🇱 The Non-Aligned Movement strongly condemns the Israeli "aggression" in Gaza and calls for an immediate ceasefire.

The 19th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) concluded with the release of the Kampala Declaration, which reaffirmed the need for progress towards ending the Israeli occupation and achieving the independence and sovereignty of the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the pre-1967 borders.

🌍 Additionally, the statement condemned Israeli actions to change the status of the occupied Syrian Golan and expressed support for increased representation for Africa in the reformed Security Council.

🇺🇬 The NAM, a forum of 120 countries, met in Uganda, where President Yoweri Museveni officially assumed the chairmanship for the next three years.

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The Czech Republic will sign an agreement to purchase 24 fifth-generation F-35A Lightning II fighter jets from the United States by the end of March, said Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova.

"It will definitely be signed before the end of March or even earlier. We are now looking for a suitable form and a suitable date, including due to the illness of [US Defense] Secretary [Lloyd] Austin," Cernochova told the CNN Prima NEWS broadcaster.

The broadcaster reported that Prague would pay the US 105.8bln Czech korunas ($4.64bln), adding that the total costs for the purchase and use of these aircraft by the Czech Republic for the period until 2069 will reach 322 billion korunas.

Maria Zakharova, an official spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, earlier noted that US' efforts to sell its own weapons "have already damaged the global economy and affected the well-being of the population of many countries far beyond Europe."

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Sergey Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, has arrived in New York, where he will take part in the events organised by the UN Security Council, Sputnik reports.

The minister's visit to the UN is expected to last from 22 to 24 January. He will take part in the quarterly open debates of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue, as well as in the Security Council meeting on the Ukrainian issue initiated by Russia.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters earlier that Lavrov had no planned contacts with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

The minister made his last visit to New York in September 2023 to participate in the UN General Assembly High-level Week.

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The US military has called off the search and rescue for two US Navy SEALs who were lost at sea after attempting to board an unflagged ship allegedly shipping Iranian arms to Houthi rebels.

US Central Command said in a statement that the two SEALs are presumed dead and the search continues for their bodies. Japan and Spain also assisted in the search, which covered 21,000 square miles.

On January 11, the US Navy boarded the ship, but one of the SEALs fell into the water and another attempted to rescue him. Both are now presumed dead. Their names have not yet been released as the families have yet to be notified.

“We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors, and we will forever honor their sacrifice and example,” said Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command in a statement. “Our prayers are with the SEALs’ families, friends, the US Navy and the entire Special Operations community during this time.”

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Looking at Ukraine, Taiwan is no longer hopeful about the US

As Taiwan's administration watches the US stalemate over military aid to Ukraine and Israel, the local population's faith in America is dwindling, The New York Times reports.

Recent surveys show the following: fears are growing that US does not have the strength or interest to provide real help.

Survey participants talked about feeling like passengers. At the same time, many see the US as an unpredictable driver who can get them to safety but might as well throw them off the wheel. The scepticism that reigns in Taiwan today is mostly about the possibility that the US might cease its support, experts say.

The сatastrophic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021, the Ukraine conflict and US decision not to participate directly in it, Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in 2022, which caused negative aftermath - these events have negatively affected Taiwanese public opinion of the US.

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📹💥 Su-25SM crews inflicted fire damage on Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel and armored vehicles in Krasny Liman.

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Sarmat deployment does not change the formula of the strategic equation with the US - Russian Foreign Ministry

Even before the suspension of the New START Treaty, the mechanism for introducing a new type of intercontinental ballistic missiles into the scope of the treaty was observed, and putting Sarmats on combat duty in Russia does not change the formula of the strategic equation with the United States, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik.

"Putting this complex on duty does not change the strategic equation. The Russian strategic nuclear forces are a 'breathing organism'. Their composition is adjusted in accordance with modernization programs, not only by adding new systems, but also by gradually decommissioning old complexes. That is why there are no sharp quantitative jumps," Ryabkov explained.

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EU seeks to pressure Israel for two-state solution - report

On January 22, the summit of the European Union foreign ministers will determine the “consequences” for Israel, should Tel-Aviv continue to oppose the establishment of the Palestinian statehood, the Financial Times reported, citing internal EU documents.

This comes after Israeli PM Netanyahu repeatedly rejected Hamas' terms of ending the hostilities, including the proposal to release all hostage in exchange for the IDF withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu insists that Israel should maintain “security control over the entire area west of [the river] Jordan”, virtually denying the possibility of the two-state solution.

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European Commission will allow countries bordering Ukraine to restrict imports of agricultural products from there - Report

Poland has won concessions from the EU in its fight to limit food exports from Ukraine, the Financial Times reported.
Brussels will control the influx of agricultural products if it risks leading to lower prices in Poland and other nearby countries, the paper said, citing a senior trade official of the bloc.

Poland and Hungary unilaterally banned imports of Ukrainian products in April 2023 in response to widespread protests by farmers against cheap exports from Ukraine, which caused grain glut in their domestic markets. The ban violated the EU's common trade law.

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Musk will not vote for Biden in 2024

On his X page (formerly Twitter), the billionaire posted that he would not vote for Biden, despite having voted for him in previous elections.

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▪️Read Sputnik correspondent Russell Bentley's column on how Ukrainian authorities are killing Donbass civilians again.

▪️Watch Ron DeSantis' video announcing his withdrawal from the US presidential race and endorsement of Trump.

▪️What is the fate of two US Navy SEALs who were lost at sea after attempting to board an unflagged ship?

▪️What do EU foreign ministers have in store for Israel after Netanyahu repeatedly rejects Hamas’ terms of ending the hostilities?

▪️Learn what hi-tech tools keep Russian tanks intact and their crews alive.

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EU to create fund to provide aid to Ukraine, bypassing Hungary's veto - report

The EU foreign service is drafting a new plan to help Ukraine that would create a special fund to bypass Hungary's veto on military aid to Kiev, the Wall Street Journal reported.

As per plan on a draft which was seen by the newspaper, EU members will provide Ukraine with over 20 billion euros ($21.8 billion) in military aid over the next four years.

The draft proposes the creation of "a dedicated Ukraine military fund, which would absorb around 6.5 billion euros ($7 billion) in the European Peace Facility’s assets and be given up to 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) a year between 2024 and 2027.”

The proposal will reportedly be discussed by EU leaders at their summit scheduled for February 1, with a final decision likely to take weeks.

In December, Hungary vetoed an expansion of the EU's 2024-2027 budget to include 50 billion euros ($54.5 billion) in macro-financial aid for Ukraine, arguing that the money should not come from the EU budget.

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❗️The United States has moved to form a colonial administration in Ukraine, according to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.

In December 2023, recommendations on personnel changes were brought to Zelensky: Washington is to promote Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova to the post of Prime Minister, Alexander Kava to the post of Finance Minister, and Taras Kachka to the post of Economy Minister.

At the same time, the Americans demanded that a number of people who had lost the trust of the White House be removed from state posts - otherwise the United States threatened to publish the "killer" corruption dossier on Zelensky's entourage, the FIS said.

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A day of mourning for the victims of the aggression of the Ukrainian troops against the civilian population has been declared in the DPR.

On the morning of January 21, Ukrainian forces shelled Donetsk with at least six 155mm artillery shells in the Kirovsky district of the city. The area of the market came under Ukrainian shelling, resulting in the deaths of 28 people.

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Footage of survivors of Falcon 10 crash in Afghanistan

Afghan radio station Hurriyet has published footage showing four survivors and the wreckage of the downed Falcon 10.

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❗️French volunteers from the SOS Donbass organization have provided Sputnik with a list of 13 French mercenaries who allegedly were in Kharkov during the Russian attack on the base and whose fate - alive or dead - is being clarified.

The list of mercenaries includes Albert Emerick (born on December 22, 1999), Alexis Drion (June 13, 1986), Beranger Guillaume Alain Minot (December 30, 1978), Charles Bertin Roussel (September 1, 1996), Emmanuel Tanguy Kenneth Delange Grandal (September 26, 1998), Gilles Bernard Sylvain (October 27, 1980), Jacques-Pierre Gabriel Evrard Philippe (September 29, 1987).

Also on the list are Jean-Pierre Bono Chris Ayre (07/17/1999), Marceline Demon (05/23/2002), Maurice Andre Dubois Clement (09/28/1995), Sabastien Claude Remy Benard (04/04/1974), Thomas Jeremy Nathan Gourrier (02/24/1996) and Valentin Dupois Mehl (01/02/1994).

The list is not exhaustive, there may have been other mercenaries in the area during the strike.

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Volodimir Zelensky has submitted a bill to the Verkhovna Rada on multiple citizenship for Ukrainians abroad and volunteers.

This will make it possible for foreign mercenaries to obtain a Ukrainian passport.

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Two Russians who disappeared in the Falcon 10 plane crash in Afghanistan have still not been found, no bodies have been found, emergency services told Sputnik.

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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will meet with Zelensky in Kiev today.

The visit comes amid disagreements over grain: Kiev announced that it would impose an embargo on some Polish agricultural products in response to Ukraine's extension of its grain embargo.

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❗️Two Russians on board the Falcon plane that crashed in Afghanistan have died, emergency services told Sputnik. The bodies of the dead will be picked up by a special flight, which will fly to Kabul on Tuesday.

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Kiev mayor slams Zelensky for turning into dictator in interview with Globe and Mail

"The movement, what we see right now, I can’t say it’s democracy. It smells of the vertical and of authoritarianism," Vitaly Klitschko said.

In an interview with the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, Klitschko reproached Zelensky for his dictatorial habits, complaining about the lack of freedom of speech and the persecution of opponents with alternative viewpoints. He also stressed that Zelensky places "exclusively his own people" in government posts.

"Behind this is the wish of some people – I can’t say their names – but they wish everything to be centralized, and that’s why I see centralized media and TV in Ukraine, and they also try to centralize the power, to build a vertical," the Kiev mayor said.

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