The deployment of the West's troops into Ukraine is an escalation and another step towards conflict in Europe and a global conflict, Putin said.

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❗️ Russia is ready to continue the negotiation process on Ukraine, but what will be offered to it is unknown, Putin said.

It is not Russia that has stopped negotiations on Ukraine, he added.

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🎥 Putin’s full answer to the question about Zelensky’s legitimacy

He noted that the Constitution of Ukraine provides for the extension of the powers of only the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, but not the president.

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🤖 Russia’s robotizing its capital Moscow!

Moscow has given the go-ahead for the first stage of an unmanned tram service.

The most up-to-date lidars (light detection and ranging system) have been installed on the vehicle to obtain data on the tram's location as accurately as possible and provide a 360-degree view.

During the first stage of testing, a driver is in the cab and the system repeats almost all of his actions and corrects human decisions in case of mistakes. The tram sees obstacles in advance and stops in time if someone steps on the tracks.

By the end of 2025, Moscow plans to launch a completely driverless tram for passenger travel, Deputy Mayor of Moscow Maxim Liksutov has said.

👉 Check our video to see the new driverless tram, as well as other autonomous mechanisms operating in Moscow.

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Moldova is accumulating military equipment at a training ground near the village of Bulboaca near the borders of unrecognized Transnistria, according to Tiraspol authorities.

The Moldovan military is conducting training there on how to conduct real combat operations, and mobilization resources are being checked.

At the same time, it is only 12 km from Bulboaca to Transnistrian Bender, noted co-chairman of the control commission Oleg Belyakov.

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Where are US tactical nukes deployed in Europe?

Right now, an estimated 100 US tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs) - intended for use on the battlefield or for a limited strike - remain at six bases in five NATO countries in Europe and West Asia, including:

◾️ Buchel Air Base in Germany (reportedly houses 15 TNWs)

◾️ Kleine Brogel Air Basein in Belgium (15 TNWs)

◾️ Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands (15 TNWs)

◾️ Aviano & Ghedi Torre Air Bases in Italy (35 TNWs)

◾️ Incirlik Air Base in Turkiye (20 TNWs)

(All the figures are based on last year’s data obtained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists non-profit organization).

The US nuclear arsenal in Europe consists of B-61 gravity bombs, designed to be dropped from allied bombers or fighter aircraft. The B-61 is known to be three times more powerful than the US’ atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg earlier said the time had come for allies to untie the Ukrainian military’s hands and allow Kiev to use its Western-sourced long-range strike systems to target Russian rear areas.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded by saying that Stoltenberg had exceeded his authority, and that his behavior had been berated by NATO members themselves. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in turn, said that NATO is toying with military rhetoric, raising the degree of escalation and plunging into what he called a warlike "ecstasy".

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Who is who in the Taliban government?

Russia is considering delisting the Afghan political movement The Taliban - also known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan - as a terrorist organization. Moscow's initiative "reflects an awareness of reality" of the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan and may pave the way for Russia's recognition of the new government in Kabul. The Taliban was designated as terrorists by the Russian Supreme Court on February 14, 2003.

What's known about the Taliban government?

▪️Since the movement's victory in August 2021, the Taliban's emir, Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, has reasserted his status as a supreme leader of Afghanistan. He is officially referred to as the leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, commander of the faithful, and scholar of the Quran and the hadiths.

▪️The Leadership Council of the emirate, also known as Rahbari Shura, is the movement's consultative and decision-making body. The supreme leader elects the Shura members, convenes and chairs the council.

▪️Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who is understood to be tapped by Sheikh Akhundzada, has served as the acting prime minister of Afghanistan since September 7, 2021. Akhund has two deputies, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Mullah Abdul Salam Hanafi.

▪️The Taliban government's cabinet has 33 ministry posts, including Interior Ministry (headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani); Defense Ministry (Mohammad Yaqoob); Foreign Ministry (Amir Khan Muttaqi); Culture and Information Ministry (Khairullah Khairkhwah); and Energy and Water Ministry (Abdul Latif Mansoor), to name but a few.

▪️Zabihullah Mujahid is the acting information minister and the Taliban's main spokesman.

*under UN sanctions for terrorism.

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❗️The Georgian Parliament overthrew the president's veto on the law on foreign agents by a majority vote.

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Silent secrets: Inside NATO's nuclear sharing program

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has kept mum about Warsaw's progress on its push to join NATO’s nuclear sharing program only a few weeks after President Andrzej Duda confirmed his country’s readiness to become part of the scheme.

So what is the program all about?

▪️It stipulates “the sharing of the alliance’s nuclear deterrence mission and the related political responsibilities and decision-making,” according to NATO’s website.

▪️The concept, in particular, allows NATO members without nuclear weapons of their own to take part in the planning for the use of nukes by the alliance.

▪️As of November 2009, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkiye have been hosting a total of 100 US tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs) - intended for use on the battlefield or for a limited strike - as part of NATO's nuclear sharing policy.

▪️The scheme specifically provides for involvement of the armed forces of the aforementioned countries in delivering nuclear weapons in the event of their use;

▪️A possible nuclear mission with the program’s framework can only be undertaken after explicit political approval is given by NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) and authorization is received from the US president and the UK prime minister;

▪️In line with the program, participating countries conduct consultations and make common decisions on nuclear weapons policy, as well maintain technical equipment, such as nuclear-capable aircraft;

▪️NATO annually practices its nuclear sharing arrangements in a two-week-long exercise known as “Steadfast Noon,” hosted by a different NATO member states each year.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said last month that Brussels has no plans to expand the nuclear sharing program by deploying additional US TNWs to any NATO country.

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NATO members divided on Ukraine's plans to hit Russia with Western weapons

Western powers, who initially supplied Kiev with weapons for defense, now suggest using them to strike deep into Russia.

Who favors such attacks:

▪️Last week, NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged the bloc’s members who supplied weapons to Ukraine to stop barring Kiev from using these weapons to attack Russia. - Stoltenberg’s sentiment was recently echoed by Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics who announced that he sees no reason to impose such restrictions on Ukraine.

▪️Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala claimed that Ukraine has the right to use Western weapons to attack Russia, arguing that it is “logical.”

▪️Estonia’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said he hopes every country who provided Ukraine with weapons would allow Kiev to attack Russia with this gear.

▪️Dutch Defense Minister Kasja Ollongren said that the situation where Ukraine would strike inside Russia should not even be a matter of discussion.

The opposition:

▪️Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo insists that all military gear his country provides to Ukraine should be used on Ukrainian territory.

▪️Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani also argued that Western armaments provided to Kiev should be used within Ukraine’s boundaries.

Ambiguous:

▪️US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that Kiev “will have to make its own decisions” about conducting attacks beyond Ukraine’s borders, even as the Biden administration officially prohibits the use of US-supplied weapons such as ATACMS missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory.

▪️Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner said that her country is "militarily neutral according to our constitution".

Moscow warns that Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory using Western-supplied military hardware could lead to direct conflict with NATO.

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🇹🇭 The Thai government has approved the country's draft letter of intent to become a member of BRICS.

"At the Cabinet meeting, it was decided to approve a draft letter expressing Thailand's intention to join as a member of the BRICS group of countries with the approval of the prime minister or a representative designated by the prime minister."

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US President Joe Biden's failure to acknowledge the USSR's role in defeating fascism is part of a trend for "common ignorance" in the West, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"Now, to this deep historical illiteracy there have added attempts to transform the knowledge of history, pervert the knowledge of history and erase from there everything that concerns the role of the Soviet Union and the Soviet people in saving the world from fascism. This is common ignorance and unawareness, and the leaders of countries are actually following this trend, repeating all the same things," Peskov said.

On Monday, Biden said that it was the US armed forces that saved the world from Nazism and freed Europe in World War II, without ever mentioning the role of the Soviet Union and other allies in the victory over Nazi Germany.

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🤡 Supplies to Ukraine of long-range weapons capable of hitting Russian military targets are not an escalation of the conflict, French President Emmanuel Macron has claimed.

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🇷🇺🇹🇩 Russian forces rescue Chadian soldiers from militant captivity in joint operation

The Russian military - jointly with colleagues from Chad - freed 21 Chadian soldiers held captive for nine months by Islamic militants. Captured in Tibesti region during a mine-clearing operation, the soldiers were tortured and held in inhumane condition.

After receiving medical care and surgery by Russian medics at a temporary base, they were escorted home by Russian soldiers.

Chad's defense minister praised Russia's reliability as an African partner, contrasting it with France, the UK, and the US. In January 2024, official meetings in Moscow aimed at strengthening interdepartmental cooperation between Russia and Chad.

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Ukraine should be allowed to hit only those targets on Russian territory from which shelling is being conducted, Macron said.

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Why time is ripe to delist Taliban as terrorist entity

Moscow has signaled it is considering delisting the Taliban* as a banned organization, thus paving the way for the recognition of the new Afghan government and deepening economic, political and security ties with the country.

"This solution is absolutely adequate. We see that Russia maintains relations with the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan," Kirill Semenov, political analyst and expert of the Russian Council for International Affairs who specializes on the Middle East, tells Sputnik.

"[Russia] has an embassy in Afghanistan. There are also representatives of the Taliban at the Afghan Embassy in Moscow."

Having returned to power in August 2021 after the US botched a hasty withdrawal, the Taliban established an interim government and a cabinet of ministers to rule the country. The Taliban's emir, Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, reasserted his status as the supreme leader of Afghanistan, while Mohammad Hasan Akhund was tapped as the acting prime minister.

"They are trying to pursue socially oriented policies. They are not taking any steps to worsen relations with their neighbors, but are only trying to normalize them and, conversely, take them to a new level," notes Semenov, adding that the Taliban is also trying to develop industry and the economy, despite having very limited resources.

Russia's neighbor, Kazakhstan, removed the Taliban from its list of prohibited organizations at the end of 2023. The expert believes that other countries of Central Asia, as well as China, are likely to do the same.

"This process is underway," Semenov says. "I believe it is irreversible."

*under UN sanctions for terrorism.

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