Potential security agreement between US and Ukraine likely ‘obliges nothing’
The potential security guarantee between the US and Ukraine will likely reflect the security agreements signed by European NATO nations, Nicolai Petro, a professor of political science at the University of Rhode Island told Sputnik’s The Critical Hour.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr said that he has begun negotiations with Washington on a long-term bilateral security cooperation deal. Ukraine has already signed several 10-year security agreements with other NATO countries but none included a mutual defense pact.
However, if peace talks did begin, there “would be something to negotiate” for the Kiev regime, and Petro speculated that the agreements are there to help the leaders involved “save face.”
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The potential security guarantee between the US and Ukraine will likely reflect the security agreements signed by European NATO nations, Nicolai Petro, a professor of political science at the University of Rhode Island told Sputnik’s The Critical Hour.
“Ukraine has signed a number of such agreements with European countries, and they basically oblige those countries to [do] nothing, to just look sympathetically at Ukraine’s needs for the next 10 years,” Petro explained. “It’s likely that the US agreement will do the same.”
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr said that he has begun negotiations with Washington on a long-term bilateral security cooperation deal. Ukraine has already signed several 10-year security agreements with other NATO countries but none included a mutual defense pact.
“The countries involved are showing that they intended - intended - to make a long-term security commitment. But, if Kiev falls, well, the details weren’t worked out,” Petro explained.
However, if peace talks did begin, there “would be something to negotiate” for the Kiev regime, and Petro speculated that the agreements are there to help the leaders involved “save face.”
“Zelensky could now sell the idea of negotiating a ceasefire as a victory because ‘look what we’ve already gained,’” Petro said, adding that full “NATO membership is really not” in the cards for Ukraine.
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US Congress drafting bill against International Criminal Court if warrants issued to Israeli officials
US lawmakers are drafting legislation designed to retaliate against the International Criminal Court should it issue arrest warrants to senior Israeli officials over alleged war crimes in Gaza, Axios reported.
The report said that the legislation could include sanctions against certain ICC officials.
Earlier in the day, the White House said the ICC has no jurisdiction and does not support its investigation.
Earlier on Monday, US media reported, citing an Israeli official familiar with the matter, that the ICC may issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and other senior officials as early as this week.
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US lawmakers are drafting legislation designed to retaliate against the International Criminal Court should it issue arrest warrants to senior Israeli officials over alleged war crimes in Gaza, Axios reported.
The report said that the legislation could include sanctions against certain ICC officials.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly asked President Joe Biden to intervene to try to block any potential arrest warrants against Israeli officials.
Earlier in the day, the White House said the ICC has no jurisdiction and does not support its investigation.
Earlier on Monday, US media reported, citing an Israeli official familiar with the matter, that the ICC may issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and other senior officials as early as this week.
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Biden uses Ukraine 'to have his political cake and eat it too'
Discussing the recent commitment by the Biden administration to fund Ukraine for the next decade, financial and geopolitical analyst Tom Luongo emphasized that the Ukrainian conflict goes beyond mere profiteering by the Military-Industrial Complex.
He highlighted the role of the US and its allies in pursuing a neocolonial agenda, contrasting it with Russia's rejection of such terms.
In response to claims by the Biden administration that military aid to Ukraine creates jobs in the US, Luongo dismissed it as a distraction tactic. He pointed to recent reports of job losses in the US and criticized the "the Bureau of Labor Statistics has consistently put out numbers that defy denoscription trying to paint a rosy picture for the US economy" amidst rising inflation and other challenges.
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Discussing the recent commitment by the Biden administration to fund Ukraine for the next decade, financial and geopolitical analyst Tom Luongo emphasized that the Ukrainian conflict goes beyond mere profiteering by the Military-Industrial Complex.
"This is much... bigger than the petty corruption of some US MI-complex oligarchs. This conflict is about perpetuating a neocolonial system of extraction by the West and monopoly control of trade routes around the main waterways connection Europe, Asia and Africa", argued Luongo.
He highlighted the role of the US and its allies in pursuing a neocolonial agenda, contrasting it with Russia's rejection of such terms.
In response to claims by the Biden administration that military aid to Ukraine creates jobs in the US, Luongo dismissed it as a distraction tactic. He pointed to recent reports of job losses in the US and criticized the "the Bureau of Labor Statistics has consistently put out numbers that defy denoscription trying to paint a rosy picture for the US economy" amidst rising inflation and other challenges.
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Ukrainian forces launched an attack with ATACMS missiles on Crimea overnight. Air defense systems worked over Dzhankoy and Simferopol, head of the regional civic movement "We Are Together with Russia" Vladimir Rogov said.
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Ukrainian forces hide mines in animal carcasses
Ukrainian troops conceal mines by hiding them in the carcasses of dogs and other animals they leave on the road, a Russian sapper with the call sign "Ului" told Sputnik.
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Ukrainian troops conceal mines by hiding them in the carcasses of dogs and other animals they leave on the road, a Russian sapper with the call sign "Ului" told Sputnik.
"They kill a dog and take a PTM [anti-tank mine with a remote target sensor that reacts to changes in the magnetic field around the device]. They throw it as if it were just an animal carcass lying on the road. You wouldn’t walk far around a carcass, would you? The mine reacts at 1.5 meters," the sapper said.
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▪️Tucker Carlson interviewed Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin whose daughter ‘was murdered by the Ukrainian government’
▪️The first US-made M1 Abrams tank destroyed near Avdeyevka is shown by the Russian Defense Ministry
▪️Texas state police have started arresting pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Austin
▪️Macron’s tough talk on European ‘sovereignty’ is just an election fodder
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▪️The first US-made M1 Abrams tank destroyed near Avdeyevka is shown by the Russian Defense Ministry
▪️Texas state police have started arresting pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Austin
▪️Macron’s tough talk on European ‘sovereignty’ is just an election fodder
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Putin is a 'political leader defending traditional values' - Dugin to Tucker Carlson
In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin said that President Vladimir Putin's defense of traditional values triggers hatred in the West.
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In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin said that President Vladimir Putin's defense of traditional values triggers hatred in the West.
"If your main task and main goal is to destroy traditional value[s], traditional family, traditional states, traditional relations, traditional beliefs, and someone with nuclear weapon... stands strong defending traditional value[s], you are going to abolish, I think they have some basis for this Russophobia and the hatred for Putin," he noted.
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German inflation surges as backlash from flawed sanctions policies drives energy costs
Inflation in Germany surged higher than predicted in April, the Federal Statistical Office said on Monday. Headline inflation was at 2.2 percent year-on-year – the same as in March. Consumer prices increased 2.4 percent in the year to April, according to Destatis. Economists polled by Bloomberg had expected price growth to remain at 2.3 percent.
Germany’s headline inflation was driven by persistently elevated energy and food costs, and is “likely to make another upward leap in the coming month,” a Bloomberg economist was cited as saying.
The same statistics show that consumers in Germany had to pay 0.5 percent more for food in April than a year before. In some of the country's states, a significant rise in district heating prices was registered.
Formerly Europe's economic powerhouse, Germany has been hit the hardest by sanctions implemented by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his government on Russian gas, oil, and coal imports over the Ukraine crisis.
Europe's one-time leader was forced into a technical recession last year, facing deindustrialization and stinging inflation.
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Inflation in Germany surged higher than predicted in April, the Federal Statistical Office said on Monday. Headline inflation was at 2.2 percent year-on-year – the same as in March. Consumer prices increased 2.4 percent in the year to April, according to Destatis. Economists polled by Bloomberg had expected price growth to remain at 2.3 percent.
Germany’s headline inflation was driven by persistently elevated energy and food costs, and is “likely to make another upward leap in the coming month,” a Bloomberg economist was cited as saying.
The same statistics show that consumers in Germany had to pay 0.5 percent more for food in April than a year before. In some of the country's states, a significant rise in district heating prices was registered.
Formerly Europe's economic powerhouse, Germany has been hit the hardest by sanctions implemented by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his government on Russian gas, oil, and coal imports over the Ukraine crisis.
Europe's one-time leader was forced into a technical recession last year, facing deindustrialization and stinging inflation.
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Multiple flaws & 'component failures' plague new Lockheed Martin-made F-35s
Five new Lockheed Martin-made F-35C Joint Strike Fighters delivered to a US Marine Corps fighter squadron in 2023 displayed alarming quality problems, according to a memo obtained by Defense News.
The memo written by VMFA-311 commander Lt. Col. Michael Fisher deplored an array of “persistent aircraft delivery discrepancies and premature component failures occurring at Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 311.”
Almost all the jets, estimated to cost around $94.4 million apiece, displayed flaws such as:
▪️Fuel contaminated with Krytox, a high-temperature lubricating grease.
▪️ Metal shavings in fuel that had to be disposed of.
▪️ Failed parts, such as electronic units, power and thermal management system controllers, an electric-hydrostatic actuator, panoramic cockpit display, backup oxygen system bottle, etc.
▪️ Incorrectly assembled parts with seals and segments not installed correctly.
▪️ A plastic scraper found protruding from the wing fold of a jet post-flight.
Fixing the issues required over 700 hours of work, the memo added.
Earlier this year, a Pentagon report revealed that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter still suffers from at least 65 basic deficiencies, failing to meet basic testing specifications.
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Five new Lockheed Martin-made F-35C Joint Strike Fighters delivered to a US Marine Corps fighter squadron in 2023 displayed alarming quality problems, according to a memo obtained by Defense News.
The memo written by VMFA-311 commander Lt. Col. Michael Fisher deplored an array of “persistent aircraft delivery discrepancies and premature component failures occurring at Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 311.”
Almost all the jets, estimated to cost around $94.4 million apiece, displayed flaws such as:
▪️Fuel contaminated with Krytox, a high-temperature lubricating grease.
▪️ Metal shavings in fuel that had to be disposed of.
▪️ Failed parts, such as electronic units, power and thermal management system controllers, an electric-hydrostatic actuator, panoramic cockpit display, backup oxygen system bottle, etc.
▪️ Incorrectly assembled parts with seals and segments not installed correctly.
▪️ A plastic scraper found protruding from the wing fold of a jet post-flight.
Fixing the issues required over 700 hours of work, the memo added.
Earlier this year, a Pentagon report revealed that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter still suffers from at least 65 basic deficiencies, failing to meet basic testing specifications.
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US-made M88A1 tank has arrived at the exhibition of captured Western military hardware in Moscow
The US armored recovery vehicle (ARV) M88A1 was delivered to the exhibition of the trophy NATO weapons from the conflict zone, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The main purpose of the ARV is to evacuate damaged tanks from the battlefield. This vehicle was captured by Russian forces near Avdeyevka.
The exhibition of captured weaponry is organized by the Russian Defense Ministry on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow and will open its doors tomorrow, May 1st.
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The US armored recovery vehicle (ARV) M88A1 was delivered to the exhibition of the trophy NATO weapons from the conflict zone, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The main purpose of the ARV is to evacuate damaged tanks from the battlefield. This vehicle was captured by Russian forces near Avdeyevka.
The exhibition of captured weaponry is organized by the Russian Defense Ministry on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow and will open its doors tomorrow, May 1st.
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The Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, commented on the statement by the White House's Karine Jean-Pierre that "US authorities believe the International Criminal Court's investigation into Israel's actions in Gaza and the issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli officials in this regard exceed the court's jurisdiction":
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"To be honest, this is an example of the stratification of consciousness among White House strategists. I would like to remind you that, on the one hand, the International Criminal Court judges are under US sanctions. On the other hand, Washington has fully supported, if not even encouraged, the issuing of ICC warrants against Russian leaders. And, thirdly, the US political system does not recognise the legitimacy of this organisation with regard to itself or its satellites.
The twists of exceptionalism: the feeling of absolute permissiveness leads to the absurdity of thinking".
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❗️Russian air defenses shot down six US ATACMS missiles and two Hammer guided bombs made in France in one day, the Russian Ministry of Defense has reported.
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Sputnik International
❗️Russian air defenses shot down six US ATACMS missiles and two Hammer guided bombs made in France in one day, the Russian Ministry of Defense has reported. Subscribe to @SputnikInt
❗️Russian Battlegroup Zapad repelled five Ukrainian attacks in the Lugansk People's Republic of Russia and in the Kharkov region. Ukraine lost up to 90 militants, three motor vehicles, and one US-made 155-mm M777 howitzer.
🇷🇺🪖 More statements from the daily briefing of the Russian Defense Ministry on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:
🔺Ukrainian militants were attacked by Russian Battlgroup Yug in the Donetsk People's Republic of Russia, resulting in the capture of enemy positions on the front line and Ukrainian losses amounting to up to 440 militants, two tanks, one armored fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, one 155-mm US-made M198 howitzer, one 122-mm D-30 howitzer, and one electronic reconnaissance station.
🔺Russian Battlegroup Tsentr repelled 9 Ukrainian counter-atacks in the Donetsk People's Republic of Russia. Ukrainian losses amounted to up to 145 militants, three Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, one US-made 155-mm US-made M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery system, and one 105-mm US-made M101 howitzer.
🔺As a result of successful combat operations by the Russian Battlegroup Vostok, Ukraine lost up to 100 militants, two pickup trucks, and two 155-mm US-made M777 howitzers.
🔺Russian Battlegroup Dnepr attacked clusters of Ukrainian militants near Rabotino (Zaporozhye region) and Novotyaginka (Kherson region). The enemy lost more than 20 militants.
🔺Russian troops engaged one hangar for assembling light-engine strike unmanned aerial vehicles, two hangars with military equipment, as well as Ukrainian militants and hardware in 108 areas.
📊 In total, 593 airplanes and 270 helicopters, 23,619 unmanned aerial vehicles, 509 air defense missile systems, 15,888 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,275 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 9,216 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 21,396 units of special military equipment, were destroyed during the special military operation.
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🇷🇺🪖 More statements from the daily briefing of the Russian Defense Ministry on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:
🔺Ukrainian militants were attacked by Russian Battlgroup Yug in the Donetsk People's Republic of Russia, resulting in the capture of enemy positions on the front line and Ukrainian losses amounting to up to 440 militants, two tanks, one armored fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, one 155-mm US-made M198 howitzer, one 122-mm D-30 howitzer, and one electronic reconnaissance station.
🔺Russian Battlegroup Tsentr repelled 9 Ukrainian counter-atacks in the Donetsk People's Republic of Russia. Ukrainian losses amounted to up to 145 militants, three Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, one US-made 155-mm US-made M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery system, and one 105-mm US-made M101 howitzer.
🔺As a result of successful combat operations by the Russian Battlegroup Vostok, Ukraine lost up to 100 militants, two pickup trucks, and two 155-mm US-made M777 howitzers.
🔺Russian Battlegroup Dnepr attacked clusters of Ukrainian militants near Rabotino (Zaporozhye region) and Novotyaginka (Kherson region). The enemy lost more than 20 militants.
🔺Russian troops engaged one hangar for assembling light-engine strike unmanned aerial vehicles, two hangars with military equipment, as well as Ukrainian militants and hardware in 108 areas.
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The IDF will carry out an operation in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip regardless of whether or not a deal is reached with Hamas to release the hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
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Sputnik International
Ukrainian forces launched an attack with ATACMS missiles on Crimea overnight. Air defense systems worked over Dzhankoy and Simferopol, head of the regional civic movement "We Are Together with Russia" Vladimir Rogov said. Subscribe to @SputnikInt
The head of the Crimean region, Sergei Aksenov, has warned local residents that submunitions were scattered in the Simferopol area after air defenses repelled an attack by US-made ATACMS missiles.
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Outlook for Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome
Russia conducted a successful launch of the Angara A5 rocket on April 11 at the Vostochny Cosmodrome with a far-reaching plan to build a new national orbital station.
The facility, located in Russia's Far East, is a modern spaceport designed to support the nation's space exploration and satellite launching activities.
Explore Sputnik’s infographic to learn more about the Vostochny Cosmodrome's future development:
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Russia conducted a successful launch of the Angara A5 rocket on April 11 at the Vostochny Cosmodrome with a far-reaching plan to build a new national orbital station.
The facility, located in Russia's Far East, is a modern spaceport designed to support the nation's space exploration and satellite launching activities.
Explore Sputnik’s infographic to learn more about the Vostochny Cosmodrome's future development:
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Not very united: NATO drills in Latvia against Russia-like mock enemy faced ‘comms & disparate arms kinks’
Major drills involving NATO troops from 14 nations against "invaders" in the woods outside the Latvian capital Riga failed to show unity among allies. According to The Wall Street Journal, the exercise to fend off the fictional enemy “Occacus” was plagued with language barriers, communications problems, and NATO weaponry compatibility.
A battalion led by Latvian Army Lt. Col. Gaidis Landratovs operated alongside US troops during the exercise. In line with the simulated scenario, enemy forces crossed Latvia’s border with Russia and were heading towards the capital. It is an easy guess that implied under the “invading nation” was Russia, even though it was never mentioned outright.
The exercises were an inherent part of Steadfast Defender 2024 – NATO’s biggest drills since the Cold War.
Russia, which has repeatedly stressed that its armed forces do not threaten anyone, warned that the alliance’s exercises raised the risk of unintended military confrontation.
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Major drills involving NATO troops from 14 nations against "invaders" in the woods outside the Latvian capital Riga failed to show unity among allies. According to The Wall Street Journal, the exercise to fend off the fictional enemy “Occacus” was plagued with language barriers, communications problems, and NATO weaponry compatibility.
A battalion led by Latvian Army Lt. Col. Gaidis Landratovs operated alongside US troops during the exercise. In line with the simulated scenario, enemy forces crossed Latvia’s border with Russia and were heading towards the capital. It is an easy guess that implied under the “invading nation” was Russia, even though it was never mentioned outright.
The exercises were an inherent part of Steadfast Defender 2024 – NATO’s biggest drills since the Cold War.
Russia, which has repeatedly stressed that its armed forces do not threaten anyone, warned that the alliance’s exercises raised the risk of unintended military confrontation.
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"Boycott Israel at the Paris Olympics!"
A number of associations supporting Palestine have gathered in Paris in front of the headquarters of the Organising Committee of the 2024 Olympic Games. They are calling for Israel to be excluded from the Games.
Among the slogans one can hear: "Boycott Israel at the Paris Olympics!" "Genocide is not an Olympic sport", "No Olympics for those who commit genocide".
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A number of associations supporting Palestine have gathered in Paris in front of the headquarters of the Organising Committee of the 2024 Olympic Games. They are calling for Israel to be excluded from the Games.
Among the slogans one can hear: "Boycott Israel at the Paris Olympics!" "Genocide is not an Olympic sport", "No Olympics for those who commit genocide".
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