European nations fear Russian economic retaliation for assets’ confiscation - report

France, Germany and the European Central Bank executives fear that using Russian assets to fund Ukraine will trigger Russia to target European assets on its territory, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.

Another concern is that such a move could undermine trust in Western currencies with nations of the Global South deciding to avoid dealing with the European financial system.

Earlier, Russian officials, including Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, vowed a harsh response if Russian assets frozen abroad were somehow used.

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Scholz refuses to supply Taurus due to lack of trust in Ukraine - report

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's refusal to supply long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine is linked to his mistrust of the Kiev regime. This opinion was expressed by Fabian Hoffman, an expert at the University of Oslo, in the material of the news portal Focus-online.

"The refusal to supply cannot be explained by the technical characteristics of the Taurus cruise missiles and the peculiarities of their operation. The real problem lies in the Chancellor's mistrust of Ukraine. ... In fact, Scholz fears that the Ukrainians will use Taurus missiles not only on Ukrainian territory but also against targets in Russia," despite Kiev's repeated attempts to convince its (alleged) Western allies of the absence of such intentions.

Earlier, speaking at a conference organised by the DPA agency, Scholz opposed supplying Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, arguing that refusing them would risk his country being drawn into the conflict. The chancellor said he was "very annoyed" by the "lack of balance" between what Kiev really needed and the discussions about Taurus.

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France will not send its troops to Ukraine to conduct military operations, the French will not die for Ukraine, said the foreign minister of the republic.

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Biden cannot hold a conversation without teleprompter cards

Commenting on Biden's ability, former US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said

"He would read from the cards... And if you go off the cards, he can't go on without them."

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It is necessary to send a request to the Bundestag to investigate the information about the recording of German officers discussing plans to attack the Crimean bridge, said the Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin.

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📹 🪖 A Russian sniper from a central group of troops has neutralized a number of Ukrainian servicemen in the Avdeyevka region who attempted to rotate during the night.

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Throwback to 2001: Senator J. Biden compares Putin to Peter the Great

"I'm almost amazed at how far Putin seems to have come in throwing his lot in with the West... I don't think anyone since Peter the Great has made such a significant, at least initial, move," Ol' Joe said.

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US President Joe Biden is trailing former leader Donald Trump in all seven swing states that are likely to decide the outcome of the upcoming presidential election, according to the results of a poll published by Bloomberg.

According to the poll, nearly twice as many voters say Biden, 81, is too old compared to Trump, 77.

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The German Ministry of Defense refused to comment on Sputnik's request for answers regarding the recording of a conversation between the German military on the attack on the Crimean bridge.

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The Kremlin does not want to publish the draft text of the peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, the process was terminated by Kiev on the orders of London, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

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❗️Russia has no plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an operational meeting with Russia's Security Council.

"We have already discussed the fabrications that some figures in the West are making about our alleged plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space. I say 'alleged' because, as I have already said and as we know, we have no such plans," he stressed.

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Gagauzia* wants Russia's support, said Evgenia Gutsul, the head of the autonomous unit of Moldova.

At the meeting with the Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia Valentina Matvienko, the head of Gagauzia also:

▪️ noted the need to improve transportation accessibility so that residents have the opportunity to travel to Russia;

▪️ stated that the rights of the region are being suppressed by Kishinev, and that this goes beyond all limits;

Matviyenko noted that Russia is watching the events in Moldova with great dismay and called Kishinev's course Russophobic.

*Gagauzia is an autonomous region in the south of Moldova that has traditionally advocated rapprochement with Russia, while Kishinev has declared a course toward European integration.

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Key statements of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov at the briefing:

▪️ The statements of the head of the Pentagon on the conflict between NATO and Russia in the event of the loss of Ukraine are irresponsible and lead to increased tension.

▪️ The statements made by the Pentagon Chief confirm the correctness and justification of the special operation carried out by Russia.

▪️ There was a lot of reaction from the West to Putin's message to the parliament, but there were no telephone conversations with foreign partners.

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