Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed appreciation to Serbs who "have been Russia's most reliable allies for centuries" at the closing ceremony of the World Youth Festival.
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“Relations between Russia and Serbia are of a special nature... I want to stress that Serbs have been Russia’s most reliable allies for centuries. We know, remember, and appreciate this,” Putin said.
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Three crew members of the True Confidence commercial vessel were killed after a Houthi missile hit the ship as it sailed through the Gulf of Aden, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a press release.
"The missile struck the vessel, and the multinational crew reports three fatalities, at least four injuries, of which three are in critical condition, and significant damage to the ship," CENTCOM explained.
The crew abandoned the ship and coalition warships responded and are assessing the situation, the release said.
According to CENTCOM, Wednesday's attack is the fifth anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in the last two days, two of which hit the shipping vessels MSC Sky II and True Confidence.
The US and UK reportedly launched air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen following the deadly Houthi attack.
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"At approximately 11:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) March 6, an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) was launched from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen toward M/V True Confidence, a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier, while transiting the Gulf of Aden," the statement said.
"The missile struck the vessel, and the multinational crew reports three fatalities, at least four injuries, of which three are in critical condition, and significant damage to the ship," CENTCOM explained.
The crew abandoned the ship and coalition warships responded and are assessing the situation, the release said.
According to CENTCOM, Wednesday's attack is the fifth anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in the last two days, two of which hit the shipping vessels MSC Sky II and True Confidence.
The US and UK reportedly launched air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen following the deadly Houthi attack.
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Kamala Harris’ call for ‘ceasefire’ ignores reality of Israel’s brutal occupation
Harris made headlines this week with a speech in which she called for a six-week ceasefire in Gaza, but critics say the US Vice President’s rhetoric offers little of substance.
“What sort of a two-state [policy] can you have with all the settlers within the West Bank basically preventing some sort of a contiguous territory to come under the Palestinian Authority?” Dr. Hasan Unal, a professor of political science and international relations at Bashkent University in Ankara, Turkiye, told the program.
Nevertheless, the US continues to provide Israel with billions of dollars in military aid each year, Thomas noted, even while claiming sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians.
“Democrats and Republicans respond pretty similarly,” he noted.
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Harris made headlines this week with a speech in which she called for a six-week ceasefire in Gaza, but critics say the US Vice President’s rhetoric offers little of substance.
“They're acting like Kamala Harris went rogue,” said host of Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Jamarl Thomas as Harris’ speech has been characterized in liberal media outlets as a break from official White House policy. “Kamala Harris just articulated [US President Joe] Biden's position, which is basically the Israeli position with the idea that they're going to occupy Gaza after the fact, or put in an administrator that they choose.”
“What sort of a two-state [policy] can you have with all the settlers within the West Bank basically preventing some sort of a contiguous territory to come under the Palestinian Authority?” Dr. Hasan Unal, a professor of political science and international relations at Bashkent University in Ankara, Turkiye, told the program.
Nevertheless, the US continues to provide Israel with billions of dollars in military aid each year, Thomas noted, even while claiming sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians.
“There is a lobby in the United States, specifically on behalf of Israel, and they funnel lots of money, they have lots of influence, and the interesting thing about them is that their lobbying – or at least how our politicians respond to the lobbying – it is on both sides,” Unal clarified.
“Democrats and Republicans respond pretty similarly,” he noted.
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Even Democrats warn Biden that an Israeli invasion of Rafah risks violating military aid conditions.
A group made up of 37 House Democrats sent a letter to US President Joe Biden telling him that an Israeli invasion of Rafah could violate the administration’s requirement that US military aid be used in accordance with international law, a report revealed.
“Intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies as provided for under the Geneva Conventions, is a war crime,” said the International Rescue Committee, according to the report.
Receiving both military and diplomatic support from the US, Israeli officials seem to have set a deadline to invade Rafah on the Muslim holiday of Ramadan starting on March 10. Roughly 1.4 million Palestinians are estimated to be seeking refuge in the southern city.
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A group made up of 37 House Democrats sent a letter to US President Joe Biden telling him that an Israeli invasion of Rafah could violate the administration’s requirement that US military aid be used in accordance with international law, a report revealed.
“An extensive Israeli offensive in Rafah would further deteriorate the already dreadful conditions for civilians, more than half of whom are on the brink of famine, as well as risk the lives of the 130 Israeli and American hostages still held in Gaza by exposing them to the threat of aerial bombardments and derailing a negotiated agreement that could lead to their release,” the representatives stressed.
“Intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies as provided for under the Geneva Conventions, is a war crime,” said the International Rescue Committee, according to the report.
Receiving both military and diplomatic support from the US, Israeli officials seem to have set a deadline to invade Rafah on the Muslim holiday of Ramadan starting on March 10. Roughly 1.4 million Palestinians are estimated to be seeking refuge in the southern city.
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Russian air defenses shot down two Ukrainian drones over the Tula region. No injuries or damage were reported per preliminary information, according to the local authorities.
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Nuland stepped down disenchanted with waning support for Ukraine
✅ "I consider it plausible that Nuland had become frustrated with the slowing down or lessening of support within DC corridors of power for continuing the conflict in Ukraine," Dr. Matthew Crosston, professor of national security and director of academic transformation at Bowie State University, told Sputnik.
The professor believes that Nuland's temporary replacement, seasoned US diplomat John Bass, won't be the holder of any great responsibility in terms of formulating new policy in his new role. American media believes Team Biden is likely to tap current US ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith to fill Nuland's shoes in the near future.
Crosston specified that he doesn’t think that Bass' appointment automatically means that the US is going to throw Ukraine under the bus. Still, "one thing is certain: as long as Nuland remained in that chair, there was literally no chance such talk could even be theorized. Now it can," the professor concluded.
"She undoubtedly understood that if American support lessons or wanes, Ukraine loses. Period. Perhaps she did not want to be in the administration that would be responsible for that outcome," he said.
The professor believes that Nuland's temporary replacement, seasoned US diplomat John Bass, won't be the holder of any great responsibility in terms of formulating new policy in his new role. American media believes Team Biden is likely to tap current US ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith to fill Nuland's shoes in the near future.
Crosston specified that he doesn’t think that Bass' appointment automatically means that the US is going to throw Ukraine under the bus. Still, "one thing is certain: as long as Nuland remained in that chair, there was literally no chance such talk could even be theorized. Now it can," the professor concluded.
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NATO countries supplied $873 million worth of wine to Russia last year, according to Sputnik's calculations.
Under a proposed 200% customs barrier, Latvia, Lithuania, and Italy will lose the most money - these countries account for 87% of all supplies, or $757 million in wine exports.
On March 5, the Association of Winegrowers and Winemakers of Russia said that it had asked the government and the parliament to strengthen measures to protect the Russian market.
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Under a proposed 200% customs barrier, Latvia, Lithuania, and Italy will lose the most money - these countries account for 87% of all supplies, or $757 million in wine exports.
On March 5, the Association of Winegrowers and Winemakers of Russia said that it had asked the government and the parliament to strengthen measures to protect the Russian market.
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Cash, troop and ammo-strapped Ukraine finds time to wage ‘anti-Russia’ proxy war in Africa
A report by the Wall Street Journal citing Ukrainian and Sudanese officials has alleged that Ukraine deployed special forces troops to Sudan in 2023 to fight rebel Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries as part of a “global” conflict with Russia.
A Ukrainian commando offered details about the purpose of the operations, saying that “if [Russia has] gold mines in Sudan, we need to make them not profitable.”
WSJ admitted that Kiev’s commitment, supposedly made following a personal request to President Zelensky, “comes with significant political risk at a moment when Western support for Ukraine is wavering,” particularly after US officials explicitly warned other countries not to get involved in the Sudanese crisis.
“War is a risky business. We are in a full-fledged war with Russia. They have units in different parts of the world, and we sometimes try to strike them there,” Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov told the newspaper. Budanov was recently added to Russia’s registry of terrorists and extremists.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq Ali told Sputnik there’s no truth in WSJ’s reporting on a Ukrainian diplomatic or military presence in the African nation, and emphasized that Russia “has historically been and remains a friend of Sudan.”
A report by the Wall Street Journal citing Ukrainian and Sudanese officials has alleged that Ukraine deployed special forces troops to Sudan in 2023 to fight rebel Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries as part of a “global” conflict with Russia.
A Ukrainian commando offered details about the purpose of the operations, saying that “if [Russia has] gold mines in Sudan, we need to make them not profitable.”
WSJ admitted that Kiev’s commitment, supposedly made following a personal request to President Zelensky, “comes with significant political risk at a moment when Western support for Ukraine is wavering,” particularly after US officials explicitly warned other countries not to get involved in the Sudanese crisis.
“War is a risky business. We are in a full-fledged war with Russia. They have units in different parts of the world, and we sometimes try to strike them there,” Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov told the newspaper. Budanov was recently added to Russia’s registry of terrorists and extremists.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq Ali told Sputnik there’s no truth in WSJ’s reporting on a Ukrainian diplomatic or military presence in the African nation, and emphasized that Russia “has historically been and remains a friend of Sudan.”
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🇨🇳🤝🇷🇺 Mutual political trust between China and Russia continues to deepen under the leadership of the two countries' leaders, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
Russia and China, he emphasized, have created a new pattern of major-country relations that are completely different from the Cold War era. The countries are deepening cooperation, relying on the principles of non-confrontation and non-direction against third parties.
With Russian gas in thousands of Chinese homes and Chinese cars driving on Russian streets, Wang Yi believes that this fully reflects the stability and broad prospects of cooperation.
Russia and China will continue strengthening international cooperation, maintaining regional and global security and stability, the minister stressed.
Russia and China have created a new model of relations between large counties that is completely different from the Cold War era, Wang Yi emphasized.
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Russia and China, he emphasized, have created a new pattern of major-country relations that are completely different from the Cold War era. The countries are deepening cooperation, relying on the principles of non-confrontation and non-direction against third parties.
With Russian gas in thousands of Chinese homes and Chinese cars driving on Russian streets, Wang Yi believes that this fully reflects the stability and broad prospects of cooperation.
Russia and China will continue strengthening international cooperation, maintaining regional and global security and stability, the minister stressed.
Russia and China have created a new model of relations between large counties that is completely different from the Cold War era, Wang Yi emphasized.
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Germany considers connoscription: What are the Bundeswehr’s capabilities?
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius wants to make a decision on the reintroduction of compulsory military service before the 2025 elections, with Spiegel learning that the MoD has been instructed to “present options for a German military service model” capable of making “scalable, threat-adapted” adjustments by April 1.
▪️The Bundeswehr currently has about 181,500 active-duty military personnel, 81,600+ civilian contractors, and as a reserve pool of up to 930,000 reservists.
▪️About 33.6 million men and women age 16-49 would be eligible for military service if connoscription, abolished in 2011, were to be reintroduced. At its zenith in 1990, the Bundeswehr had nearly 600,000 troops. That’s not counting troops from the East German Nationale Volksarmee (which had 176,000 soldiers before the German Democratic Republic’s annexation by the FRG in October 1990).
▪️Germany has a defense budget of €71.75 billion ($78 billion US) in 2024. It is a major manufacturer of an array of weapons, from small arms to tanks.
▪️The Bundeswehr operates dozens of army, air and naval bases, military academies, and training areas across the country.
▪️The United States has over 40 bases in Germany. The facilities, built after the Second World War, coexisted alongside Soviet and Russian bases in eastern Germany until the 1990s, after which all Russian troops left. The US did not follow suit, with American boots on the ground on German soil for nearly 80 years now.
▪️American bases in the country include facilities used to transfer troops to Europe and the Middle East for America’s wars of aggression. The Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate has been used as a drone warfare control center for campaigns in in the Mideast and Asia. When German media found out about the base’s purpose in 2015, the government claimed to have no knowledge about Ramstein’s functionality.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius wants to make a decision on the reintroduction of compulsory military service before the 2025 elections, with Spiegel learning that the MoD has been instructed to “present options for a German military service model” capable of making “scalable, threat-adapted” adjustments by April 1.
▪️The Bundeswehr currently has about 181,500 active-duty military personnel, 81,600+ civilian contractors, and as a reserve pool of up to 930,000 reservists.
▪️About 33.6 million men and women age 16-49 would be eligible for military service if connoscription, abolished in 2011, were to be reintroduced. At its zenith in 1990, the Bundeswehr had nearly 600,000 troops. That’s not counting troops from the East German Nationale Volksarmee (which had 176,000 soldiers before the German Democratic Republic’s annexation by the FRG in October 1990).
▪️Germany has a defense budget of €71.75 billion ($78 billion US) in 2024. It is a major manufacturer of an array of weapons, from small arms to tanks.
▪️The Bundeswehr operates dozens of army, air and naval bases, military academies, and training areas across the country.
▪️The United States has over 40 bases in Germany. The facilities, built after the Second World War, coexisted alongside Soviet and Russian bases in eastern Germany until the 1990s, after which all Russian troops left. The US did not follow suit, with American boots on the ground on German soil for nearly 80 years now.
▪️American bases in the country include facilities used to transfer troops to Europe and the Middle East for America’s wars of aggression. The Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate has been used as a drone warfare control center for campaigns in in the Mideast and Asia. When German media found out about the base’s purpose in 2015, the government claimed to have no knowledge about Ramstein’s functionality.
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‘Back to the Future’: Russia honors anti-colonial past as the West backs neo-Nazis
The Soviet Union was an ally of South Africa’s anti-apartheid cause as well as various popular movements in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Meanwhile, the West’s foreign alliances increasingly recall unflattering aspects of their history, including the 20th-century emergence of fascism in Europe.
The infamous recognition of Yaroslav Hunka by the Parliament of Canada last year shocked the world. A Ukrainian World War II veteran who was revealed to have fought in a Nazi-aligned unit was given a standing ovation by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and lawmakers from all major political parties.
“As Russia honors its Soviet past, the West is now honoring its Nazi past,” concluded Kovalik.
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“Russia's proud of that past, it's part of their legacy, and they continue to carry that forward,” said author and human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik on Sputnik’s The Critical Hour program, referring to the Soviet Union’s 20th-century support for anti-colonial forces around the globe. “And so you even see Putin, for example, hosting various Palestinian factions in Moscow, trying to get them together to agree to work as one. That is some old-timey, Soviet-like diplomacy there.”
The Soviet Union was an ally of South Africa’s anti-apartheid cause as well as various popular movements in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Meanwhile, the West’s foreign alliances increasingly recall unflattering aspects of their history, including the 20th-century emergence of fascism in Europe.
The infamous recognition of Yaroslav Hunka by the Parliament of Canada last year shocked the world. A Ukrainian World War II veteran who was revealed to have fought in a Nazi-aligned unit was given a standing ovation by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and lawmakers from all major political parties.
“What we're seeing right now in Gaza is open genocidal warfare akin to the Holocaust,” said Kovalik bluntly, claiming Israel’s military operation in the besieged territory brings to mind the worst horrors of the 20th century. “You're starting to see images out of Gaza of these emaciated bodies who look like people who've been in a Nazi concentration camp. And, of course, they have been in a Nazi-like concentration camp, and that's called Gaza.”
“As Russia honors its Soviet past, the West is now honoring its Nazi past,” concluded Kovalik.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the main base of the Korean People's Army, inspected training facilities and even conducted practical exercises of military units.
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The US exploited a “loophole” to sell weapons to Israel, The Washington Post revealed.
The US has reportedly made more than 100 "quiet" weapons sales to Israel, including thousands of bombs, since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas. Despite half-baked calls from the administration for Israel to spare civilian lives, the US has continued to restock their supply of weapons, helping to create one of the most intense bombing campaigns in military history.
The sales were reportedly made in silence - as they escaped congressional oversight - meaning they were processed without any public debate because they each fell under a specific dollar amount that requires the executive branch to notify Congress, the paper said.
Public sales to Israel already included: $320 million in precision bomb kits in November and 14,000 tank shells costing $106 million and $147.5 million of fuses and other components needed to make 155mm artillery shells in December. The deliveries made in December were made under an emergency authority.
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The US has reportedly made more than 100 "quiet" weapons sales to Israel, including thousands of bombs, since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas. Despite half-baked calls from the administration for Israel to spare civilian lives, the US has continued to restock their supply of weapons, helping to create one of the most intense bombing campaigns in military history.
The sales were reportedly made in silence - as they escaped congressional oversight - meaning they were processed without any public debate because they each fell under a specific dollar amount that requires the executive branch to notify Congress, the paper said.
Public sales to Israel already included: $320 million in precision bomb kits in November and 14,000 tank shells costing $106 million and $147.5 million of fuses and other components needed to make 155mm artillery shells in December. The deliveries made in December were made under an emergency authority.
“That’s an extraordinary number of sales over the course of a pretty short amount of time, which really strongly suggests that the Israeli campaign would not be sustainable without this level of U.S. support,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, a former senior Biden administration official and current president of Refugees International.
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Was neocon slay queen Victoria Nuland forced out?
Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern speculated that political differences between Under Secretary of State Nuland and Biden administration officials may have led to her surprise ouster this week.
“‘The president doesn't really want to strike these ammo depots in Russia or knock down the [Crimean] Bridge. So, we got to rein her in, I guess it's time for her to go to early retirement,’” said McGovern, speculating that Biden administration officials may desire a less confrontational stance towards Russia as the US-led Ukrainian proxy war has failed to weaken the country.
The discussion then turned towards French-Russian relations, which took a nosedive last week after French President Emmanuel Macron mused about the possibility of sending European troops to assist the Kiev regime in the Donbass. Russian State Duma chairman Vyacheslav Volodin responded by referencing Russia’s 19th-century victory over Napoleon Bonaparte after the French emperor launched an invasion from the west.
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Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern speculated that political differences between Under Secretary of State Nuland and Biden administration officials may have led to her surprise ouster this week.
“My best guess here is that the CIA and the Defense Department and the NSA got this message around saying, 'look, Victoria's got her own agenda here,’” said McGovern on Sputnik’s The Critical Hour program, saying the leaked recording of Nuland appearing to plan an attack on Russia with German officials may have led to her downfall.
“‘The president doesn't really want to strike these ammo depots in Russia or knock down the [Crimean] Bridge. So, we got to rein her in, I guess it's time for her to go to early retirement,’” said McGovern, speculating that Biden administration officials may desire a less confrontational stance towards Russia as the US-led Ukrainian proxy war has failed to weaken the country.
The discussion then turned towards French-Russian relations, which took a nosedive last week after French President Emmanuel Macron mused about the possibility of sending European troops to assist the Kiev regime in the Donbass. Russian State Duma chairman Vyacheslav Volodin responded by referencing Russia’s 19th-century victory over Napoleon Bonaparte after the French emperor launched an invasion from the west.
“The Russians remember that with particular pride,” said McGovern of France’s crushing defeat, which serves to prove the adage that it’s never wise to attack Russia during the winter. A certain mustachioed German chancellor would learn the same lesson more than a century later as millions of Russians made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world from Nazism.
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🇳🇬Nigeria intends to apply for membership in BRICS, the country's Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told Sputnik.
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▪️ The success of the World Youth Festival demonstrates that sanctions against Russia have failed, Putin said
▪️The US House of Representatives passed legislation with approximately $460 billion in spending
▪️The US and the UK launched two strikes against the Hodeidah international airport in western Yemen. Meanwhile, the Houthis hit a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, reportedly killing three crew members.
Check out more stories:
▪️Nuland stepped down disenchanted with waning support for Ukraine
▪️Leaks show Western elites won't be able to intimidate Russia into imploding
▪️Germany considers connoscription: What are the Bundeswehr’s capabilities?
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▪️The US House of Representatives passed legislation with approximately $460 billion in spending
▪️The US and the UK launched two strikes against the Hodeidah international airport in western Yemen. Meanwhile, the Houthis hit a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, reportedly killing three crew members.
Check out more stories:
▪️Nuland stepped down disenchanted with waning support for Ukraine
▪️Leaks show Western elites won't be able to intimidate Russia into imploding
▪️Germany considers connoscription: What are the Bundeswehr’s capabilities?
Subscribe to @SputnikInt
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The US does not fulfill its promises and continues to impose unilateral sanctions against China to curb its development, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Washington's policy undermines trust between major powers, and the Sinophobia of the United States indicates its self-doubt, he believes.
Wang Yi called on the US to recognize China's right to development, abandon attempts to maintain its hegemony, and adjust its words and actions to build stable and healthy Sino-American relations.
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Washington's policy undermines trust between major powers, and the Sinophobia of the United States indicates its self-doubt, he believes.
Wang Yi called on the US to recognize China's right to development, abandon attempts to maintain its hegemony, and adjust its words and actions to build stable and healthy Sino-American relations.
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Ukraine has become a "graveyard of tanks," wrote the National Interest about the destruction of Western equipment in the conflict zone.
As columnist Peter Suciu notes, three Abrams were destroyed in less than a week, and they "burned like other tanks—and the thousands of other tanks before."
He also highlights several problems: Ukraine needs hundreds of tanks, not dozens; Ukrainian forces have experience only with Soviet-made MBTs; and there is not enough accelerated training.
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As columnist Peter Suciu notes, three Abrams were destroyed in less than a week, and they "burned like other tanks—and the thousands of other tanks before."
He also highlights several problems: Ukraine needs hundreds of tanks, not dozens; Ukrainian forces have experience only with Soviet-made MBTs; and there is not enough accelerated training.
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