The crowd booed Israel as their team sailed down the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris.

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Israeli air defense systems intercepted a rocket fired from the northern part of the Gaza Strip towards the perimeter of the area, while two other rockets landed in open terrain.

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EU's redistribution of revenue from Russian assets to Ukraine: A 'liberal democracy' test amid geopolitical tensions

The European Union signaled on July 26 that it is transferring 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) from revenues stemming from immobilized Russian assets to support the Kiev regime's military effort. The European Commission specified that the money will be channeled through the European Peace Facility (EPC) and the Ukraine Facility.

💬 "The EPF was established in 2021 to financially support European security policies," Tiberio Graziani, Chairman at Vision & Global Trends - International Institute for Global Analyses, told Sputnik.

"The fact of replenishing the fund's coffers with expropriated financial contributions introduces an element of innovation that could prove counterproductive for the nations of the entire West, based on the principles of liberal democracy."

Euronews reported on Friday the tranche will be wired directly into Ukraine's budget. Previous military aid from the EU was transferred via the EPF, which partially refunded member states for the arms supplied to the Ukrainian military. However, earlier this week Budapest announced it would block the EPF until Ukraine allows the transit of Russian oil to Hungary through its territory.

Following the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, the EU and G7 countries froze approximately €300 billion in Russia's foreign exchange reserves. The lion's share of this money is held in the EU, mainly by Belgium's Euroclear, one of the world's largest settlement and clearing systems.

Moscow has qualified the EU's decision to use profits from Russia's immobilized assets to arm Ukraine as nothing short of a theft and warned about counter-measures.

"This is not a reason for an immediate reaction, but certainly a reason for thoughtful actions in response to such illegal decisions by the European Union," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said commenting on the bloc's sending the first tranche of stolen funds to Ukraine.

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The Israel Defense Forces said they dismantled a one-kilometer-long tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF also claimed that they found weapons, anti-tank missiles, electrical infrastructure, and means for a long-term hideout inside the tunnel.

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Russian FM Lavrov and US SecState Blinken sat opposite each other at ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting

During a meeting with Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken were sitting directly opposite each other, footage circulated by the Russian Foreign Ministry shows.

Lavrov began his three-day trip to Laos on Thursday. On Friday, he participated in the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Council in the Russia-ASEAN format. The minister is also expected to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum on Saturday.

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Sputnik is live from Vientiane, Laos, where Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov is holding a press conference following the ASEAN Summit.

👉 Watch live on our Telegram channel or on Sputnik's website

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❗️ASEAN countries are interested in Russia’s proposal on Eurasian security, Russian FM Lavrov said at a press conference following the ASEAN Summit.

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❗️Western countries escalate confrontation by deploying new weapons in the Asia-Pacific region - Lavrov

Russian FM Lavrov's other key statements at the press conference following the ASEAN Summit:

🔸 Western countries are escalating confrontation in the region, deploying new weapons in the Asia-Pacific;

🔸 Russia is concerned about US and South Korean plans carry out joint nuclear planning;

🔸 Moscow hopes ASEAN understands the danger of the possible deployment of US long-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region;

🔸 Russia wants the IAEA to use its authority in the region due to AUKUS’ presence.

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❗️Russia will not capitulate to Ukraine, all the goals of the special military operation will be achieved - Russian FM Lavrov

China's foreign minister informed Lavrov about his talks with Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba, but Beijing’s position on Ukraine remains unchanged, according to the Russian foreign minister.

"I do not listen to what Kuleba and Zelensky say, including about the prospect of negotiations, they both often say directly opposite things," Lavrov said.

"I do not think it is necessary to comment on the numerous ideas [for a peace settlement] that have now sprung up like from a cornucopia in conditions when the West realizes the futility of counting on Russia's defeat and when the West increasingly realizes the worthlessness of Zelensky and his regime,” the minister added.

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❗️Lavrov will meet with South Korea's new foreign minister in Laos on Saturday, Russia’s FM says

Sergey Lavrov will discuss US maneuvers around the Korean Peninsula at meeting with his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul.

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