Does US aim at muscling out Russia and China from Central Asia?

Apparently not content with fomenting conflicts and dissent in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, America is also hard at work trying to spread its influence across Central Asia and combating the perceived Russia and China.

The US is “engaged in an important struggle” in Central Asia against Russia and China, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu said in his testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week.

Lu said the Biden administration seeks some $220.7 million for the diplomatic operations in Central Asia, as USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia Anjali Kaur claimed the funding for the next year will allow the US to act as a “reliable alternative” in the region in question to Russia and China.

Kaur also boasted that USAID allegedly managed to reduce the consumption of Russian media content in Central Asia by up to 10%.

Earlier this month, acting Special Coordinator for the Partnership on Global Infrastructure Investment at the US State Department Helaina Matza revealed G7 countries are willing to invest up to $200 billion in infrastructure projects in Central Asia.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said in May that Moscow is aware of the attempts by the US and its European allies to establish control over Central Asia’s resources and over the “transport arteries” that run across the region.


📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

'A more important task here – sport': Moscow holds World Wakesurf Cup 2024

"Moscow's dedication to wakesurfing is unparalleled and truly inspiring,” said John Shields, President of the Competitive Wake Surf Association, as the golden stage of the ALFA BANK Wakesurf Cup 2024 concluded in Moscow.

Shields praised the organization and atmosphere of the Moscow event, emphasizing that “the political situation cannot influence the decision to hold the competition.”

He reaffirmed the association's commitment to inclusivity in sport, stating, “We don't suspend athletes if they don't violate the rules of the association. If someone wants to involve politics, be my guest. But we have a more important task here – sport.”

Alexander Vainshtein, President of the Russian Surfing Federation, echoed this sentiment, noting the high standard of international competitions in Russia since 2019.

“The international competitions were held at the highest level and brought together athletes and spectators from different parts of the world: both from Asia and Europe. The Wakesurf Cup 2024 was a true sporting event where the strongest wins,” Vainshtein remarked, highlighting the event’s festive atmosphere, complete with sun, water, and vibrant festival activities.

The event drew 86 athletes from 11 countries, including Japan, Tunisia, South Korea, Zimbabwe, Portugal, Israel, China, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Belarus, and Russia. Competitors showcased their skills in both wakesurfing and wakeskiing, across professional (Pro) and amateur (Amateur) categories, demonstrating the sport's global appeal and growing diversity.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

"Homelessness and drugs epidemic destroys America"

A video in which a woman talked about what was happening on the streets in Seattle, Washington, and sharply criticized the US authorities for allocating huge sums of money to other countries while having a lot of problems at home has gone viral online.

"Nothing is here because we have a huge epidemic of drugs going on here, homelessness. These people, it is horrific, it is terrifying, it is horrifically sad, this is what is going on," the woman said in the video.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🕊 An urgent peaceful message

Activists from Tanzania and South Africa have made a special show of solidarity with Palestine on social media, calling on the international community to end the suffering of Palestinians who are being subjected to Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Videos from social media

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

German ex-foreign minister criticizes lack of public debate on US missile

The lack of public debate on the upcoming deployment of nuclear-capable long-range US missiles in Germany is alarming, former Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in an interview.

"It is not the deployment that bothers me, but the fact that there is no public debate about it in Germany. It is simply decided on, whereas the use of such weapons to increase defense and deterrence capabilities always requires one thing: that our people understand the reasons for such deployment and that it is supported by at least a majority," Gabriel told the Rheinische Post daily.

Gabriel said that the US missile deployment was a "complex issue" for Germans because, while the logic of the nuclear parity itself does not imply using nuclear weapons, Europe and Germany have always been perceived as a potential battleground in a stalemate between the US and Russia.

"This is the reason why the US has always made it clear that it would only use its strategic nuclear weapon potential against Russia if it were itself threatened by nuclear weapons. But not if Europe were hit. This clearly defines the potential nuclear battleground: It lies in Europe," Gabriel explained.

"That is the reason why Germany has always been so decisively supportive of nuclear disarmament. I am surprised at how little that issue is being discussed," he added.

The Pentagon said in July that the US would begin episodic deployments of long-range weapons in Germany as part of planning for ensuring the stationing of these weapons in the future by 2026. This includes the SM-6, Tomahawk, and developmental hypersonic missiles.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇮🇹 A protest took place in front of a NATO base in Lombardy, Italy, on Sunday in response to the decision to deploy the headquarters of the alliance's new Allied Reaction Force (ARF) there.

Hundreds of protesters unfurled banners and chanted slogans including "no NATO, no wars."

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔸Pentagon conducted hypersonic test, not clear whether it was successful

🔸Watch Venezuelan capital Caracas plagued by protests after presidential election

🔸No public debate on US missile deployment bothers German ex-foreign minister

🔸Militarization going full throttle: what's behind the Pentagon's Japan command upgrade?

🔸Does US aim at muscling out Russia and China from Central Asia?

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹The Russian Navy has begun planned exercises on the use of forces by the Baltic, Northern and Pacific Fleets, and the Caspian Flotilla, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. 

They involve about 300 surface ships and boats, submarines and support vessels, up to 50 aircraft, more than 200 units of military and special equipment, and over 20,000 military and civilian personnel.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💬Kamala Harris urges against having children due to climate change — JD Vance

"The [Democratic] party has become explicitly anti-family in some of their policies. In fact, you just heard Kamala Harris talk about how it’s a bad idea to have kids because of climate change anxiety," the vice presidential candidate told Fox News. 

JD Vance added that Democrats believe people who have kids are "somehow being selfish." He concluded by voicing his disapproval of the Dems' opinion.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Olympics opening ceremony a disgrace — Trump

The US presidential candidate has condemned the 2024 Paris Olympics:

"The opening ceremony was a disgrace, actually. I thought it was a disgrace... I thought it was terrible."

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺New Chersonese Museum and Park opens in Russia's Sevastopol, Crimea.

The Chersonese park has a great significance for the Russian people - it's here that Knyaz Vladimir, who baptized the whole of Russia in the 10th century AD, was baptized. It's here that Russian Christianity originates.

"For us, this place is sacred in a certain sense. This is the source of our statehood and the Russian people," Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

Chersonese should become a symbol of our identity and Russia's victory, Putin stressed.

During his earlier visit to Chersonese in 2015, Putin spent time at the baptismal font of Knyaz Vladimir, and voiced the idea of creating a historical and cultural center of Christianity in the ancient city.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️The Russian troops liberated the settlement of Leninskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry announced.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt