Hand of Soros: Georgian prime minister denounces US color revolution tactics

A major scandal emerged in 2016 over the disproven conspiracy theory that Russian “meddling” influenced the outcome of the US presidential election. But what adherents of the unfounded Russiagate narrative failed to acknowledge is that the United States is guilty of precisely the same type of political interference it accuses others of, and on a far larger scale.

Claims of such foreign meddling came to a head Friday when Georgia’s prime minister slammed US support for “violence” and “revolution attempts” amidst anti-government protests in the country’s capital of Tbilisi. PM Irakli Kobakhidze is promoting draft “Transparency of Foreign Influence” legislation forcing foreign-backed organizations and media outlets to disclose the sources of their funding.

The United States and European Union have criticized the proposed bill, even though similar laws exist in numerous Western countries. The US frequently opposes such legislation elsewhere because it threatens its “soft power,” represented by the funding of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in foreign countries to the tune of billions of dollars.

Investigation has uncovered that the US government agency USAID has poured $1.9 billion into political interference in Georgia alone. The annual budget for its ongoing projects amounts to some $70 million. Numerous opposition leaders and media outlets have been revealed to be on the United States’ payroll, with George Soros’ Civil Society Foundation also spending millions of dollars in the country.

US lawmakers have threatened to sanction the country if it moves forward with the planned transparency legislation.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Sullivan reveals conditions of potential US defense deal with Saudi Arabia

The Biden administration will only sign a defense pact with Saudi Arabia if the kingdom agrees to normalize relations with Israel, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has made it clear in an interview with The Financial Times.

“The integrated vision is a bilateral understanding between the US and Saudi Arabia combined with normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, combined with meaningful steps on behalf of the Palestinian people. All of that has to come together... you can’t disentangle one piece from the others,” Sullivan said.

Riyadh-Tel Aviv normalization is “the path that we [the US] believe could produce a more secure Israel and a more peaceful region,” he added.

The remarks come a few days after State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that Washington is “very close to reaching an agreement on the bilateral pieces of the package between the United States and Saudi Arabia.”

Riyadh, however, made it plain that it will not sign off on the deal unless there is calm in Gaza and a path to an independent Palestinian state, according to Miller.

Bloomberg News earlier reported that the US and Saudi Arabia are “nearing a historic pact” to offer the kingdom “security guarantees and lay out a possible pathway to diplomatic ties with Israel, if its government brings the war in Gaza to an end.”

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹💥Russia’s Dnepr battlegroup destroyed a Ukrainian army strike drone dubbed “Warmate" in the sky over the Kherson region with a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Is a power-sharing deal between Israel and Arab states for postwar Gaza feasible?

Senior Israeli officials reportedly mull inviting Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to help oversee the postwar Gaza Strip, plans that stipulate normalized relations between Tel Aviv and Riyadh.

“There are a number of plans that the Israelis and Americans are thinking about. The only problem is that these plans and the realities on the ground do not match. They wanted to destroy Hamas. And they have not been able to do that in the last seven months,” Dr. Foad Izadi, Associate Professor at the faculty of world studies at Tehran University, told Sputnik.

When asked whether Tel Aviv’s plans contradict the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that’s been called for by the UN Security Council and the Arab states, the pundit pointed out that such a solution “has been dead for many years.”

“Israelis could actually implement the agreement. And if they had done that, we would not see all this bloodshed today. But they continued to refuse to do it. They don't want to do what is right with regard to the Palestinians,” Izadi stressed.

He was echoed by Dr. Shaul Bartal, a retired lieutenant colonel, researcher at Bar-Ilan University’s Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, who said that he doesn’t see “any Arab or international entity volunteering to enter the Gaza Strip and control it." "Israel needs to understand that the solution is ultimately Israeli military rule, or a Palestinian government in which the Palestinian Authority with the consent of Hamas will enter the territory and operate in it," Bartal said.

Currently, any solution to the Gaza Strip issue is a temporary one and “even if a multinational or Egyptian force enters the Gaza Strip it will be limited in time,” Bartal concluded.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Time to cough up the money: Western bondholders pressure Ukraine to resume debt payments

A consortium of investment funds headed by BlackRock and Pimco is pressuring Ukraine to begin repaying interest on its debt as early as next year, the WSJ reports citing sources.

These financial giants collectively hold approximately one-fifth of Ukraine’s $20 billion in outstanding Eurobonds. They have already assembled a team of lawyers to negotiate with Kiev. The proposed offer is as follows: the bankers would write off a significant portion of Ukraine's debt in exchange for $500 million in annual interest payments.

If the Kiev regime does not reach an agreement, the country may face default in August, when the two-year bondholder-debt holiday provided by Western nations comes to an end.

Ukraine is among the most indebted nations globally, with its national debt reaching 94% of GDP.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️Russian troops have taken full control of the settlement of Ocheretino in the DPR – the Russian Defense Ministry announced

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️Russian troops destroyed another Abrams tank in the special military operation zone, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Peace at last: Lugansk People’s Republic's capital hosts the circus

After many years of enduring the onslaught of the Kiev regime's forces, some semblance of peace and normalcy finally return to the Lugansk People’s Republic, formerly a Ukrainian region that proclaimed its independence in 2014 and joined Russia in 2022.

A dazzling show is being held in Lugansk as part of the ongoing tour by the Moscow Circus, with the venue packed virtually every day. The attendees are being treated to a variety of circus acts that include jugglers, acrobats, gymnasts, clowns, horseback riders and lion tamers and tigers.

The show, organized by the Zapashny Brothers, is a tribute to the 100 years of the history of circus in Russia. Edgard and Askold Zapashny are Russian circus entrepreneurs and former animal tamers who come from a famous dynasty of Russian circus performers.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ In Odessa, Russian forces destroyed a warehouse for Western-made missiles, as well as a fuel warehouse and rocket fuel production workshops during the day.

🇷🇺🪖 More statements from the daily briefing of the Russian Defense Ministry on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️Battlegroup Zapad improved its position at the front line and repelled six attacks by Ukrainian forces;

▪️Units of the Dnepr Battlegroup hit the concentrations of troops of three Ukrainian brigades during the day and repelled one counterattack;

▪️Battlegroup Vostok took more advantageous positions. Ukrainian losses amounted to 135 soldiers;

▪️Russian air defense forces shot down 20 Ukrainian drones and two guided Hammer bombs during the day.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

The Israeli government has unanimously voted to shut down Al Jazeera in the country

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺🇦🇺 Russian flags were seen today at a protest in Melbourne against the Australian government’s plans to ramp up online censorship and institute a nationwide digital ID.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Israel is ready to conclude a temporary truce with Hamas in exchange for hostages, but will not give up on achieving all the goals of the war, Netanyahu said in a video message to the nation.

The Israeli prime minister accused Hamas of hindering the cease-fire deal, calling its demands unacceptable.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

"The Hamas movement continues to strive to reach a comprehensive, interconnected agreement that will put an end to the [Israeli] aggression, guarantee the withdrawal of troops and allow for a serious prisoner exchange deal," Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas' politburo, said in a statement.

Haniyeh, in his statement, also blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “the continuation of the aggression and the expansion of the circle of conflict, and sabotaging the efforts made through the mediators and various parties.”

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️🇦🇺 Globalists view Australia as ‘guinea pig’ for new online censorship regime

Protestors all across Australia rallied against the government’s plans to institute a digital-ID for citizens. This comes amid a broader push by the Australian government to censor so-called ‘misinformation’ online, which has seen the country’s regulators threaten X, Telegram, and other free speech platforms.

This showdown is part of a larger battle between globalists and patriots taking place all across the world, according to Simeon Boikov (@AussieCossack).

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

There are no signs that Hamas intends to reach a ceasefire deal, the head of the Israeli Defense Minister believes.

He also announced an operation in Rafah in the near future.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Shiite militias of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said they had launched an attack on the port of Haifa in Israel's north using a cruise missile.

"As we continue our policy of resisting the occupation and supporting our people in Gaza … fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted the port of Haifa in the occupied territories with an Arqab cruise missile," the armed groups said on Telegram.

They also pledged to continue destroying "enemy strongholds" in response to Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for many attacks on targets in Israel and US bases in Syria and Iraq since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict last October.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Switzerland will not supply weapons to Ukraine despite efforts to pass emergency legislation to roll back the country's neutral status, according to the Swiss president

President Viola Amherd explained that she does not support the possible adoption of emergency legislation that would allow neutral Switzerland to supply Kiev with arms.

“The [proposed] emergency law can only be used in cases of extreme necessity, for example, during the COVID crisis,” she stated.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt