Ukraine gets US weapons, but Europe to foot the bill

Germany will finance the procurement of three HIMARS missile systems for Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has announced.

“Time was of the essence. So we offered to take over, pay for and deliver three systems from US army stocks.” Pistorius told reporters during talks with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon earlier this week

He added that the idea of Germany picking up the tab for the weapons emerged during the extended wait for the $61 billion US aid package to the Kiev regime, which was finally signed by President Joe Biden on April 24 after months of delay.

At the time, Biden promised the shipments of military hardware would begin “in the next few hours”. Few weeks on, though, the effects on the battlefield have yet to materialize, with Russia continuing to advance on Ukrainian positions in several areas of the front line.

As Europe and the US spend taxpayers' money on weapons for Ukraine, Russia successfully destroys this weaponry. In one day alone, Russian forces downed two ATACMS ballistic missiles and a HIMARS missile, as well as 15 Czech-made Vampire MLRS rockets and five French-made Hammer guided bombs, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

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❗️🇦🇺 Protests outside Bisalloy Steel headquarters in Australia, which supplies armor for Ukrainian Bushmaster armored vehicles and Israeli Merkava tanks

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Polish PM’s assertion about NATO soldiers in Ukraine confirms West waging hybrid war against Russia - Foreign Ministry

The statement by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk about the presence of NATO military specialists in Ukraine confirms that the West is waging a hybrid war against Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the nation’s media.

"[This is] confirmation that the West is waging a hybrid war against Russia," she emphasized.

Tusk stated on Thursday that NATO observers and engineers are currently in Ukraine. The Polish prime minister did not specify the countries that have deployed soldiers or the exact number of troops present in Ukraine.

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The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) will be throwing its support behind Mikhail Mishustin's nomination for the position of Prime Minister, as announced by CPRF member Nikolai Kharitonov.

When discussing Mishustin's candidacy, Kharitonov highlighted his qualities of responsiveness, energy, and efficiency.

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President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with PM Mikhail Mishustin:

▪️"In difficult conditions, the government has done a lot," Putin said at the meeting.

▪️"It would be right if you continued to work as prime minister," Russia's president added.

▪️Putin expressed confidence that the State Duma [one of the chambers of the Russian Parliament] would support Mishustin's candidacy for the post of prime minister.

▪️Putin said he would meet with Mishustin after the State Duma's decision

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US nuclear fuel company seeks permition to continue importing Russian uranium

The largest US company in nuclear fuel, Centrus, has said that it plans to ask for an exception after a law banning the importing of enriched Russian uranium is signed. The firm seeks to continue receiving this strategic material from the Russian Federation in order to ensure the interests of the industry.

Company representative Lindsey Geisler said in an interview with Axios that the rapid removal of the ban on the import of Russian uranium "is crucial not only for Centrus, but also for the entire US nuclear industry."

Centrus (previously known as USEC before going through a managed bankruptcy procedure) is the largest US "dealer", reselling enriched uranium to energy companies

On April 30, the US Senate passed a bill banning the importing of Russian uranium. At the same time, there is a provision that allows exceptions to the ban to be granted until 2027 if they meet the national interests.

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❗️The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the liberation of two settlements in the Kharkov region - Kotlyarovka and Kislovka - within a week.

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

▪️Units of the Tsentr Battlegroup repelled 48 attacks by Ukrainian troops in a week. Ukrainian losses amounted to 2,360 soldiers;

▪️Units of the Yup Battlegroup continued to delve deeper into the enemy’s defenses, Ukrainian losses amounted to 1,985 military personnel in a week;

▪️The Russian Armed Forces shot down a Su-27 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force, destroyed three ATACMS missiles, 17 Hammer guided bombs over the week;

▪️The Dnepr Battlegroup repelled a counterattack of the assault group of the 118th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Rabotino, Zaporozhye region;

▪️13 Ukrainian soldiers surrendered this week;

▪️The Russian Armed Forces destroyed a warehouse of Western-made missile weapons in the Odessa region.

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A bus fell from a bridge into the Moika River in St. Petersburg, Russia, as a result of a car accident

There were about 20 people in the bus who are now being pulled out of the water, the Russian Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated.

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🇭🇺 Europe today is on the side of war with the sole exception of Hungary — Orban after meeting with Xi Jinping

China's leader and Hungary's prime minister held a joint press conference in which Viktor Orban underlined the risk of global war. The Hungarian argued that between prolonging the Ukraine conflict and making peace, Europe has decided in favor of the former.

"For two years we have been living in the shadow of war, and never before has there been such a risk of an international, even global, war as there is now... Europe today is on the side of war, with the only exception being Hungary, which is calling for an immediate ceasefire and peace," he said at the presser.

Orban also stressed that the global economy is different from 20 years ago.

"Then we were living in a unilateral world order, now we're living in a multilateral world order" and one of the pillars of such new pattern is China, he said.

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Russia does not plan to impose any restrictions on foreign entrepreneurs who want to work in the country - acting Prime Minister Mishustin said.

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Zelensky dismisses top bodyguard after alleged assassination plot

A presidential decree made public on the president's website revealed the dismissal of Serhii Rud, the head of the State Guard Service (UDO). There was no stated cause for the dismissal.

Earlier, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said that parole officers are suspected of preparing attacks against representatives of the Ukrainian leadership, including President Zelensky, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kirill Budanov and head of the SBU Vasily Malyuk.

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Massive protests broke out in Yemen in support of Gaza

Demonstrators took to the streets of the Yemeni city of Saada, declaring their support for the Palestinians, the Tasnim news agency reports.

The leader of the Yemeni Houthi movement said that in the event of an Israeli attack on Rafah, the Yemeni Armed Forces will intensify operations against the country.

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