⚡️ The United States considers the approval of Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes with American weapons inside Russian territory as an “acceptable response” to the escalation of the conflict, the State Department said.

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Russia has been led a pretty dance for eight years over the Minsk Agreements, Putin said, noting that Moscow has made every effort to find a formula for a settlement in Ukraine through peaceful means.

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🗣 Putin on events in Ukraine: we did not attack, we defended ourselves.

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The supply of missiles to Ukraine by Germany completely destroys relations with Berlin, Vladimir Putin said.

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❗️Pentagon says it cannot confirm if US weapons are being used to strike Russia, refers questions to Ukraine.

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🗣 Russia's losses during the conflict are several times less than Ukraine's losses, Putin said.

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❗️There are 1,348 Russian soldiers and officers in captivity in Ukraine, and 6,465 such Ukrainian in Russia, Putin said. The ratio of irretrievable losses between Russia and Ukraine, according to the president, is also approximately one to five.

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Mobilization in Ukraine is only to make up for losses, Putin said. The total mobilization going on in Ukraine does not solve the problems with personnel, Putin said, adding that Ukrainian losses per month are approximately 50,000 people.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces mobilize about 30,000 people a month, Putin said. The United States insists on lowering the mobilization age threshold in Ukraine to 18 years, this is an “open secret,” Putin said at a meeting organized with the heads of global news agencies.

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📹 Vladimir Putin on the real interests of the USA in Ukraine

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Putin believes that the White House will force the leadership of Ukraine to lower the age of mobilization, and then get rid of Zelensky - there are candidates to replace him.

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🇷🇺🇮🇷 Relations between Russia and Iran are developing well in many areas, Putin said. Moscow hopes that everything that was created in contact with the recently deceased President Raisi will be continued.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 China remains Russia's main economic partner, Putin said, emphasizing that these relations did not develop situationally, but in stages. At the same time, the countries manage to diversify trade turnover.

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Putin considers the West’s desire to slow down the development of the Chinese economy to be erroneous: in order for Western countries to be successful, they need to integrate into the Chinese economy, and not interfere with it.

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Vladimir Putin called the use of the US dollar as a tool of sanctions a big mistake for the United States; they undermine confidence in this currency.

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⚡️Ukrainian military personnel can participate in selecting targets for long-range missiles, but the decision is made by those who supply the weapons, Vladimir Putin said.

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The West's supply of weapons to Ukraine is direct participation in the conflict, Putin said, adding that supplying Kiev with long-range, high-precision weapons is the path to very serious problems.

The response to the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine may be asymmetrical, we will think about it, the president said, noting that the Russian Federation will improve its air defense systems.

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Will Von der Leyen resign and who could replace her?

Ahead of the European Parliament (EP) elections, speculation is rife on the future of the European Commission’s (EC) head – Ursula von der Leyen. Will the 65-years-old Atlanticist and supporter of sending arms to Ukraine resign? Or will her bid for another five years succeed?

Experts note that Ursula von der Leyen, commonly known as VDL, was little known when she won unfairly in 2019. She was then less popular than her main rival, a fellow German CDU politician Manfred Weber. He initially got full support of the EP, but VDL was “installed” by the European Council – a body uniting the heads of the EU member states, Der Spiegel reported in 2019.

This time, the European Council’s chairman Charles Michel happens to be VDL’s avowed enemy, Politico has reported, claiming that “Michel plots revenge” against VDL because of her authoritarian ways. Michel may not put forward his candidacy, but, reportedly, he can put the breaks on her second “installment” by the council or support the alternative candidates Nicholas Schmit (Euro-commissioner) or Walter Baier (European Left party).

In order to win, VDL will need 361 votes of the MEPs’ total of 720. The European People’s Party (EPP), which proposed VDL’s candidacy in the first place, is expected to get only 170 votes, according to Politico.

It means that VDL will have hard choices before her. For example, she may curry favor with Italy’s premier Georgia Meloni in order to get her vote in the Council. But Meloni’s party Fratelli d’Italia is now trying to form a single faction in the European Parliament with France’s National Rally of Marine Le Pen and with the party Fidesz of Hungary’s Victor Orban. The EPP is at loggerheads with Orban after EPP expelled Fidesz from its faction inside the EP in 2021. So, it will be hard for VDL to please both Meloni and her party, the Guardian has suggested.

Whether VDL stays or not will apparently be resolved by political horse-trading, where a voter’s role is zero.

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The United States must stop supplying Ukraine with weapons and the conflict will end in 2-3 months - Putin.

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The desire of a number of countries to achieve the goal of defeating the Russian Federation prevented the conclusion of a peace treaty between Moscow and Ukraine - Putin.

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The situation in Gaza is not like a war, it is the total destruction of the civilian population, the Russian president said.

Putin called the situation around Israel and Palestine the result of the actions of the United States, which monopolized policy in this area.

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