❗️ The Pentagon denied reports that it had changed its position on sending US troops or contractors to Ukraine: Biden's position has not changed, the Defense Department told Sputnik.

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The conversation between Austin and Belousov was initiated by the US, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said.

The last contact between the Russian and US defense ministers was on March 15 of last year, Ryder said.

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❗️ The US has no plans to send American troops to Ukraine now or in the future, the Pentagon said.

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"'Make Europe Great Again'. That sounds like a plan, if only anyone was on hand to implement it," concludes a disappointed The Economist.

The newspaper notes that Europe has many presidents but lacks a clear leader:

"Alas, all the putative leaders are currently hobbled. The most swiftly debased leader of Europe is Emmanuel Macron," sighs the author of the article.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz could fill the void, but his weak commitment to the EU and fragile coalition in Berlin limit his influence, writes the publication. It adds that with national capitals failing to perform their duties, Brussels has a chance to seize power. However, the terms of the EU's institutional leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, are coming to an end. The meeting on 17 June, aimed at appointing "three presidents"(to lead the commission, chair meetings of EU leaders and preside over the parliament), failed to reach a consensus.

Most likely, her candidacy will be nominated, the author predicts, noting that "even assuming the parliament backs her next month—which is not yet guaranteed—Mrs von der Leyen will spend much of the rest of the year haggling with national capitals and MEPs to build a team of commissioners."

In the interim, the EU's rotating presidency offers a temporary figure. From 1 July, this role will be taken on by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, known for his eurosceptic stance. On 18 June, he introduced the council's new slogan: "Make Europe Great Again." "That sounds like a plan, if only anyone was on hand to implement it," concludes the author.

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Russian Defense Ministry published video of Russian military personnel returned from Ukrainian captivity. Ninety Russian servicemen have been returned from territory controlled by Kiev in exchange for 90 Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war.

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❗️Law enforcement personnel are present in the area of Gadzhiyev and Korkmasov streets in Russia's city of Makhachkala and asking the population to leave the area, the city authorities said.

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The head of the press service of the Dagestani Interior Ministry told Sputnik a manhunt had not been launched in the Russian city of Makhachkala.

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The situation on University Square in the Russian city of Makhachkala is calm and security measures have been strengthened as law enforcement personnel patrol the streets, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.

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❗️ Police officers inspected the territory of the university square in Russia's Makhachkala and no violations of public order were found, the Dagestan Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.

A witness reported sighting an armed man on the street in Makhachkala but the information was not borne out, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan said.

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❗️ The plane carrying Julian Assange has landed on the island of Saipan, where the WikiLeaks founder is expected to be released after a hearing, Flightradar data shows.

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The beach was not the intended target of the Ukrainian attack on Sevastopol that killed four civilians and the Kiev regime chooses targets itself, the Pentagon told Sputnik.

On Sunday, the Ukrainian armed forces attacked Sevastopol, the largest city on the Crimean Peninsula, using US-supplied ATACMS missiles with cluster warheads, killing four people, including two children, and injuring 153 others.

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North Korea launched an unspecified ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The launch has been detected by the South Korean military but there are no further details on the matter, the news agency reported.

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The US government's case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange brought to light the importance of protecting free speech and freedom of the press in the United States, Congressman Paul Gosar's office said in a statement to Sputnik.

“The case against Julian Assange brought to light the importance of protecting free speech and free press and the consequences of restricting them," the statement said. "Assange had been unjustly imprisoned for daring to expose government misconduct and the true nature of the United States military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan and for releasing emails showing the Democratic National Committee colluded with Hillary Clinton."

Gosar's office added that although Assange will be free, he spent five unnecessary years in prison in the United Kingdom.

The US Justice Department expects Assange's guilty plea and sentencing to happen on Wednesday morning at a federal court in the Northern Mariana Islands, according to a court document provided to Sputnik.

Assange is expected to return to Australia at the conclusion of the proceedings, the Justice Department noted.

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US accuses China of saber rattling — but is the main trouble-maker in the region

Washington will try to prevent Russia's military-technical cooperation with the North Korea and Iran, and also expects to reduce China's economic ties with Russia, US State Secretary Antony Blinken told a joint press event with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

“So if China in particular, which professes to have a strong interest in ending the war – if it really means it, it will stop fueling the war machine, and we’ll continue to do everything we can to cut off the support that countries like Iran and North Korea are providing,” Blinken said.

His comments came a the US further stoked tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. As part of the swathe of joint military exercises, the Freedom Edge drills between United States, Japan and South Korea were agreed on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue summit in June. The expansive US-Philippines Balikatan war games in April were held near the South China Sea, where both China and the Philippines have territorial claims.

In late June, the US State Department approved a potential $60.2 million sale of Switchblade 300 missile systems plus a possible $300-million-worth of ALTIUS 600M-V Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Taiwan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about Washington’s attempts to provoke Beijing into attacking Taiwan. Xi has repeatedly stressed that the Taiwan issue is a major red line in China-US relations that must not be crossed. Beijing has also urged Washington to stop sending “erroneous signals” to Taiwanese separatists.

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrived at the courthouse on the US-owned island of Saipan, where he is expected to partially plead guilty and be released.

"Julian Assange has arrived on US territory at Saipan Island to formalize the plea deal that should never have had to happen," the organization wrote on its X social media account.

Assange's hearing will be held Wednesday on Saipan, the largest island in the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Pacific territory administered by Washington.

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Court is in session in the case of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange at the District Court of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Australian channel ABC reported.

"In the U.S. District Court on the island of Saipan, the long-awaited hearing in the case of Julian Assange has begun. Assange sits in the courtroom in a black suit. Behind him are Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd, Australian Ambassador to the UK Stephen Smith and human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson. All stood up when Chief Justice Romana Manglona entered the courtroom. Assange is expected to plead guilty to one criminal charge but will be released shortly with time served in a British prison," the outlet noted on its website.

Assange is accompanied in the courtroom by Australian Ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd, the Australian outlet 9News reported.

According to a schedule on the court's website, the hearing in the case of the US v. Julian Paul Assange will be open to the public, but online streaming as well as video and audio recording of the session is prohibited under US law. The schedule indicates Assange will appear in the courtroom, followed by his formal arraignment and the defendant's statement to the court.

The judge for the hearing will be Ramona Manglona, who has served as chief judge of the Northern Mariana Islands District Court since 2011.

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⚡️ Julian Assange has pled guilty to an espionage charge, The Washington Post reported.

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