Harris promises to “always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself”

“Let me be clear ... I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself,” the US Vice President said.

“The scale of suffering [in Gaza] is heartbreaking,” Harris admitted, claiming the Biden Administration is “working to end this war,” ensuring that “the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination.”

Yet it is the United States that vetoed Palestine's request for full membership at the United Nations during a vote at the UN Security Council on April 18, thus refusing to recognize the Palestinian state and denying the Palestinians “their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination."

Harris also took the opportunity to repeat debunked atrocity propaganda about mass rapes allegedly committed on October 7. Such claims have repeatedly been investigated and found to be unsupported by evidence.

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North Korea condemns US decision to approve sale of 36 Apaches to South Korea

The North Korean Foreign Ministry condemned the US State Department’s decision to approve the sale of 36 AH-64E Apache helicopters to South Korea, North Korean state-run news agency KCNA reported on Friday.

On Monday, the State Department approved the sale of 36 Apache helicopters and related equipment and services to South Korea for $3.5 billion.

"We strongly oppose and reject the U.S. and its vassal forces' arms buildup posing a grave danger to the regional security environment and escalating the military tension and warn them seriously of the consequences to be entailed by it," the ministry was quoted as saying by the news agency.

The sale of American weapons to US allies in the Asia-Pacific region is an unacceptable challenge to the security of the region, the report read.

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Finland hosts new NATO tank brigade next to Russian border

NATO will deploy a tank brigade of up to 5,000 servicemen on Finland’s territory, the Finnish daily, Iltalehti, reported, citing government sources. This marks another step towards the country’s militarization since it became a new NATO member. 

Finland started the dismantlement of its neutrality back in the 1990s, denouncing the postwar years of “Finlandization” as a “weakness.” It joined NATO’s forays into the Balkans and Afghanistan. In 2014, Finland took a hawkish line in its defense policy, signing treaties authorizing entry of NATO troops and legalizing dozens of joint drills with NATO forces. In 2023, Finland formalized this policy by officially joining NATO. 

🔺In March 2024, “the biggest and the most important NATO exercise in 40 years”, according to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, named Nordic Response, was held on Finnish territory. Citing Russia as a ‘projected enemy,', 20,000 NATO servicemen (mostly Americans), 13 NATO countries, 50 warships and 100 military aircraft took part in the drills. 

🔺In April, Finland agreed to have on its territory the headquarters of the central command of NATO’s ground forces. It will be built in the town of Mikkeli, in the southeast of the country, Helsinki announced in a statement.

🔺In 2023, Finland hosted NATO drills, Freezing Winds, with 4,000 servicemen muscle-flexing next to Russian northern capital, St. Petersburg.

🔺In the same year, Finland sealed off its 830-mile-long border with Russia and started building an electrified fence on it, making it almost impossible to visit the country. 

🔺According to WSJ, since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in 2022, Finland has boosted its defense budget above 2%, snapping up US rocket systems, as well as Israeli antitank and air-defense systems. WSJ adds that Finland plans to base F-35 jet fighters from the US, just over 100 miles from its border with Russia.

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🔸Pentagon approves of Ukraine using US weapons for Kiev's terrorism in Russia's Kursk region

🔸Harris brags about contacts with Zelensky, promises to “stand strong with Ukraine” and “stand up for Israel”

🔸Finland hosts new NATO tank brigade next to Russian border

Check out Sputnik analysis:

🔸Ukrainian ecocide and the fall of Germany 'engineered by Western powers'

🔸‘Act of madness’: US soft launches new nuclear plans refocusing on Russia and China

🔸Beyond McCarthyism: FBI promises continued crackdown on US journalists, dissidents

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The families of Colombian mercenaries killed in Ukraine may file a lawsuit against Kiev over the loss of their relatives' bodies, a widow of one of the families told Sputnik.

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Ukrainian forces are forced to expose different sections of the front near Kharkov due to the expenditure of forces on the attack on Russia's Kursk region, the head of the Russian administration of the Kharkov region, Vitaly Ganchev, told Sputnik.

It is possible, he added, that mercenaries in the Kharkov region "cover holes in the defense" that arose due to the transfer of forces of Ukrainian troops.

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The US top diplomat who couldn’t: Blinken fails to clinch Gaza ceasefire deal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has essentially confirmed this week that he does not have what it takes to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and peacefully resolve the latest escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The decision by US President Joe Biden to sell weapons to the tune of $20 billion dollars to Israel, made shortly prior to Blinken’s trip, might have had a detrimental effect on Washington’s peacemaking efforts, the Wall Street Journal suggests.

Sputnik has looked into the chronology of Blinken’s Middle East tour:

🔹 On August 19, Blinken traveled to Israel and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During the visit the US top diplomat claimed that Netanyahu accepted the “bridging proposal” meant to help Hamas and Israel finally reach a ceasefire.

🔹 On August 20, Blinken visited Egypt where he held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt’s head of state promptly told Blinken that the time is nigh to end the Gaza War and warned him about the consequences of this conflict spreading across the region.

🔹 That same day Blinken headed to Qatar to meet with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, though due to the latter feeling unwell, the meeting did not take place and they talked over the phone instead. Blinken also met with Qatar’s Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi who confirmed Doha’s commitment to help mediate the Gaza conflict resolution.

🔹 On August 21, Blinken held phone conversation with Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan about his Mideast trip and efforts to broker the much-sought-after ceasefire in Gaza.

That said, no ceasefire or peace agreement was attained during or after Blinken’s voyage across the Middle East, with the fighting in Gaza continuing unabated.

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💬Ukraine, like the banned IS, has terrorist schemes in its arsenal, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.

Zaporozhye and Kursk nuclear power plants are objects of criminal terrorist acts of the Kiev regime, she added.

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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators burn the US flag on the last day of the ongoing Democratic National Convention in Chicago

The "Brat" flag, representing the Charli XCX music album and used as a symbol of Kamala Harris' campaign, was also burned by protesters.

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Ukrainian forces occupy illegal combat posts in residential zones

The American private military company, Forward Observation Group, which published photos of its fighters in the Kursk region, posted a photo of a mortar crew taking combat position next to a children's playground.

It was not specified where and when this photo was taken at a typical post-Soviet building, but judging by the young foliage, it can be assumed that the picture was taken in spring.

Russia regularly points out that Ukraine is taking up combat positions near residential buildings. This is a gross violation of international humanitarian law.

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📹 Another bites the dust

Аn enemy tank effectively eliminated by a Lancet loitering munition on the borders of the Kursk region.

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Here we go again: Ukraine 'invites' Russia for another so-called peace conference

The head of Zelensky's office, Andrei Ermak, reiterated the possibility of inviting a representative of Russia to a new "peace" conference on Ukraine.

According to Ermak, who gave an interview to India Today, following the results of the first conference, a settlement plan will be developed for presentation to Russia at the second conference.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that Russia does not accept ultimatums and is not going to participate in such events.

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