Macron's words on possible sending of troops to Ukraine 'unacceptable', Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko says

"The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly commented on recent remarks by the French president about a possible sending of military personnel of the alliance's member states to the hostilities zone. Again, these ideas have been immediately disavowed by the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Washington and the majority of other capitals of the bloc's states. Nevertheless, these statements show the readiness to follow the path of escalation at a time when the West itself is suffering a strategic defeat 'on the ground.' Such 'claims,' no matter what foreign or domestic political goals they pursue, are unacceptable for responsible politicians, especially in times of the already heated military and political situation in Europe," Grushko has said.

He added that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg "has repeatedly said that the alliance is not at war with Russia and is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine."

In late February, following a Paris-hosted conference on Ukraine, Macron said that Western leaders had discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine and, although no consensus had been reached in this regard, nothing could be ruled out.

Following Macron's statement, other EU countries rushed to dismiss such plans, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying that NATO had no intention of sending its troops to Ukraine. The Kremlin, in response to Macron’s comments, has said that a deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine would make a direct conflict between the alliance and Russia inevitable.

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Adrian McRae, an MP of the Australian city of Port Hedland who acted as an independent observer at the Russian presidential election, has told RIA Novosti that after returning home he began receiving threats related to his positive assessment of the Russian election.

McRae also said that the ABC television website had published an article citing complaints by an organization representing Ukrainians in Australia.

The article claims that McRae's independent comments with a positive assessment of the Russian election "caused concern in the local community" and therefore are allegedly sufficient reason to demand the politician's immediate resignation as a Port Hedland MP.

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Any security threat from NATO to Russia will not be left without a response, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik.

Grushko recalled the recent words of Russian President Vladimir Putin in his address to the Russian Federal Assembly, who said that "we remember the fate of those who once sent their contingents to the territory of our country, but now the consequences for possible interventionists will be much more tragic."

Russia in recent years has claimed unprecedented NATO activity near Western borders. NATO is expanding initiatives and calls it "deterring Russian aggression". Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the alliance's force buildup in Europe. The Kremlin has noted that Russia is not threatening anyone, but will not ignore actions potentially dangerous to its interests.

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US wants ‘another Kosovo’ in Syria’s northwest, keep control of oil, wheat

The US wants to create “another Kosovo” in Syria while cutting off the country’s resources from its adversaries in the region, investigative Syrian-US journalist Hekmat Aboukhater told Sputnik’s Political Misfits.

The US controls the northeast of Syria and is in charge of humanitarian aid in the northwest. ”This area happens to be the place where we have our oil derricks, all of Syria’s natural resources are there, along with the wheat,” he explained, noting that Syria produces 350-400,000 barrels of oil a day. “These revenues are going [towards] sustaining this Kurdish enclave that’s supported by the US and funds the operation.”

“They want to create another Kosovo in the northwest of Syria to see Syria further segmented and balkanized into a million different pieces, which was always a dream of the State Dep. starting in 1979 when Syria was placed on the official state sponsor terrorism list.”

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US Pentagon Austin expresses 'his outrage' at Israel's strike on WCK aid convoy to Israeli Defense Minister Gallant

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in a phone conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, has expressed "his outrage" at the Israeli strike on World Central Kitchen's (WCK) humanitarian convoy in the Gaza Strip that led to the death of seven aid workers, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder has said in a release.

"Secretary Austin expressed his outrage at the Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid convoy that killed seven aid workers, including an American citizen," Ryder said.

He added that "Secretary Austin stressed the need to immediately take concrete steps to protect aid workers and Palestinian civilians in Gaza after repeated coordination failures with foreign aid groups."

The US and Israeli defense chiefs will conduct a "swift and transparent" investigation into the incident and share conclusions publicly, as well as "hold those responsible to account," the release said.

"Secretary Austin stated that this tragedy reinforced the expressed concern over a potential Israeli military operation in Rafah, specifically focusing on the need to ensure the evacuation of Palestinian civilians and the flow of humanitarian aid," the spokesperson said.

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Hungary against NATO strengthening coordinating role in supplying arms to Ukraine

Hungary is the only NATO ally that opposed the idea of strengthening the alliance's coordinating role in supplying arms to Ukraine and training Ukrainian soldiers, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

"Now proposals have been put forward which unfortunately carry the threat of NATO crossing red lines. And NATO may be closer to this war than ever before. The proposals are for NATO to increase its coordinating role in agreeing arms deliveries and training soldiers in Ukraine," Szijjarto said in a video address, posted on his social media.

The minister added that the vast majority of NATO countries, 31 countries, agree with this idea.

"But we said today that Hungary is not willing [to participate] and will not participate in this," Szijjarto said.

The foreign minister told Hungarian journalists after the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels that it is clear that Ukraine will not be invited to join NATO during the alliance's summit in Washington in the summer of 2024.

"Since it is clear that Ukraine will still not be invited to NATO during the summit in Washington, these [proposals] are rather substitute actions, very dangerous and very expensive," Szijjarto said.

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A 6.0-magnitude earthquake was recorded on Thursday off the coast of Japan's Fukushima Prefecture, but no tsunami warnings were issued, data from the Japan Meteorological Agency showed.

The earthquake was recorded at 12:16 p.m. Japan time (03:16 GMT) east of Fukushima Prefecture at a depth of 40 kilometers (25 miles).

Earth tremors were felt in 19 prefectures of Japan, including a slight shaking in Tokyo.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

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As a result of the adventurous actions of even one or two NATO member states, the Ukrainian crisis could go beyond its geographic boundaries and reach a completely different scale, Grushko told Sputnik.

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US foreign policy has become a practice in “incompetence and foolishness” Dr. Anthony Monteiro, an activist and scholar, told Sputnik’s The Critical Hour.

“The world is changing,” Monteiro explained. “US empire and US imperialism is in decline. And they can do nothing more than create crises where there were none.”

“We are dealing with a ruling class that has lost its mind, a ruling class that has become so pathological that [it is] not only a danger to the rest of humanity, but they are a danger to themselves and to this nation.”

Monteiro also noted that the increase in depression and suicide is another reflection of the increasingly bleak future for the US.

“The [leaders] have messed things up for the people of this country that we the people don’t see a future, or a way out of this dilemma and the paradoxes produced by the domestic and foreign policies of this ruling class,” he said “And we have to use that language: the ruling class. We have to call them out by name.”

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Frontline Su-34 bombers attacked the Ukrainian military with ODAB-500 aerial bombs, which cannot be hidden from in trenches or dugouts, the Russian Ministry of Defense said.

The strike was delivered against an enemy strong point and manpower. The bombs were equipped with universal planning and correction modules that have a wing, rudders, and control system, turning conventional bombs into high-precision munitions. Each Su-34 bomber can carry four of ODAB-500 bombs.

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Secret CIA military bases are “preparing for escalation” against the south and east of Venezuela from the Essequibo region, which is disputed with Guyana, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said.

According to Maduro, Irfaan Ali "does not govern Guyana" and that "Guyana is governed by the Southern Command, the CIA and ExxonMobil."

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The situation in the Russia-NATO relations has been deteriorating "predictably and deliberately," while communication channels have been reduced to a critically low level, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko has said in an interview with Sputnik.

The diplomat recalled that NATO halted civilian and military cooperation with Russia in April 2014.

"After that, Russian diplomats were expelled from the permanent mission to the alliance under far-fetched pretexts three times. In response to unfriendly steps, Russia was forced to suspend the work of its permanent mission to NATO. At the same time, the accreditation of the staff of the NATO Military Liaison Mission in Moscow was withdrawn, and the activities of the NATO Information Office in the Russian capital were terminated," Grushko said.

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Key highlights of Russian Ambassador to Belgium Alexander Tokovinin interview to Sputnik:

◾️ In the current situation, dialogue between Russia and NATO is not maintained. Obviously, it is difficult to talk about its resumption until the United States and its allies abandon their aggressive course of undermining Russia’s security and inflicting 'strategic defeat' on it. The channel for information exchange, if necessary, through the Russian Embassy in Brussels remains open.

◾️NATO goal is to escalate Ukrainian crisis fraught with slide into direct military clash between nuclear powers.

◾️Future security architecture in Europe must meet Russia's interests, NATO will not be able to build it against Moscow.

◾️NATO will continue course towards confrontation with Russia and increasing tensions in Europe at July summit in US.

◾️The hybrid war unleashed by NATO countries against Russia is truly an unprecedented phenomenon that has no analogues in the forty-year history of the Cold War.

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More key statements of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko's interview with Sputnik:

🔸Russia has no intentions to engage in a military conflict with NATO or member states of the alliance;

🔸There is no point in discussing possible security agreements with the West as long as NATO considers Russia to be a direct threat.

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High-ranking Ukrainian officers complain that Russia is ready to effectively counter F-16s

"...often, we just don’t get the weapons systems at the time we need them — they come when they’re no longer relevant. Every weapon has its own right time. F-16s were needed in 2023; they won’t be right for 2024,” one senior Ukrainian officer said, as quoted by Politico.

The officers also said they now need more basic traditional weapons as well as drones and shells: four million shells and two million drones.

Moscow has repeatedly said that the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine won't help the Kiev regime gain any advantages on the battlefield. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, for his part, has said that it would take the country's armed forces 20 days to destroy all the F-16s the West would supply to Ukraine.

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◾️Jaish al-Adl terrorist group attacks two police stations in Iran

◾️‘Conflict May Go Beyond Ukraine if NATO Allies Make Adventurous Moves’: check out the highlights from Sputnik’s interview with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grushko

◾️Maduro says ‘secret CIA military bases are preparing for escalation’ against the south and east of Venezuela from the Essequibo region

◾️Sy Hersh: US warning of terrorist attack in Russia had ‘urgent’ mark, didn’t mention Crocus

More stories

◾️The CIA directing the conflict against Russia on the ground in Ukraine, says US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene

◾️Hungary is against NATO strengthening coordinating role in supplying arms to Ukraine

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Israeli military’s strike on aid workers in Gaza was a ‘deliberate attack’ – WCK head

Israeli forces carried out a “deliberate attack” on World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers in Gaza, WCK founder Jose Andres has claimed in a spate of interviews.

The strike on April 1 that killed the seven victims was not an “unfortunate mistake,” as Israeli forces intentionally targeted the WCK team "systematically, car by car," Andres told Reuters. He ruled out the possibility the deadly strike had been a “bad luck situation where, ‘oops,’ we dropped the bomb in the wrong place.”

“Even if we were not in coordination with the (Israel Defense Forces), no democratic country and no military can be targeting civilians and humanitarians,” he stated.

The WCK head reiterated that the aid team had coordinated the use of the route with the Israeli military.

The celebrity chef also told Israel's Channel 12 news that the strike was “a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by everybody at the IDF."

He added that the team had been “in a deconflicted zone,” and “an area that was highly controlled by the IDF.”

The WCK convoy consisted of three cars; two of them were armored and had the group's frying pan logo on the roof. It was hit while leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, "where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route," as per the charity. Three Britons, an Australian, Palestinian, Pole, and US-Canadian were killed in the strike.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF’s strike on the convoy was "unintentional," and apologized. Tel Aviv has promised an independent investigation.

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Fifteen terrorists who attacked police stations in Iran have been killed, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reports.

The attack occurred at night in the cities of Rask and Chabahar, and was carried out by the Sunni group Jaish al-Adl. Three security force members were reported killed. The terrorists had links to Israel, regional authorities have claimed.

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What was the reaction to Stoltenberg's €100 billion Ukraine fund plan?

There were some ministers who rolled their eyes as they listened to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg’s presentation of a plan to create a €100 billion fund to help Ukraine, Politico reported, quoting an unnamed diplomat who was present at the meeting.

The secretary general's idea to set up a five-year military aid fund drew a mixed response from NATO foreign ministers, he added.

Some West European countries worry that giving NATO that much money and power would undermine efforts for the European Union to play a larger role in defense. The NATO proposal also raised a lot of questions about the details. A key issue is whether the financial target consists of fresh money, or is merely made up of existing programs that allies are sending individually to Ukraine, the report says.

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US journalist Tucker Carlson said Zelensky ignored multiple requests by him for an interview. He wanted Zelensky to explain why the US should continue funding his war efforts.

Carlson previously recorded a bombshell interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the number of views of which has exceeded 150 million.

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Russia and Iran’s absence from nuclear summit in Belgium spells event’s failure, says Moscow

The organizers' decision not to invite Russia and Iran to the nuclear energy summit in Belgium sealed its fate as a failure, and nuclear power should remain outside the realm of politics, said Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

On her Telegram channel, she noted the organizers had touted the Brussels summit as a “global” and “historic” event, while “key Eurasian states engaged in the peaceful use of nuclear energy globally, including Russia, were not invited.”

The diplomat also spotlighted the absence of Iran from the venue, “whose nuclear program takes center stage in the entire world media.”

The first Nuclear Energy Summit was held in Brussels on March 21-22, with a central focus on nuclear energy's contribution to addressing worldwide challenges such as reducing reliance on fossil fuels, enhancing energy security, and fostering economic growth.

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