📊 Who’s getting the bigger slice of the US aid pie?

Ukraine has received more US money than both Israel and victims of the LA wildfires, with billions allocated to support the Kiev regime in the ongoing conflict.

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Hamas not yet agreed to deal on Gaza, hostages - Netanyahu's office

Israeli Prime Minister’s office denied reports that Palestinian movement Hamas had allegedly agreed to a proposed deal on the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages.

"Contrary to reports, the Hamas terrorist organization has not yet responded to the deal," the statement said.

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🤝 Who has signed strategic partnership deals with Russia? Part 1 👉 Part 2

On January 14, Armenia and the US signed a strategic partnership charter, with Russia and Iran due to ink a similar document in the next few days. Let’s delve into some other strategic partnership agreements Moscow has previously clinched.

🇮🇷 Russia-Iran: A soon-to-be-inked comprehensive deal covers all aspects of bilateral relations, including trade and economy, but does not aim to form a military alliance.

🇻🇪 Russia-Venezuela: A strategic partnership and cooperation agreement is set to be signed during Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s visit to Russia later this year. The document is expected to expand the existing bilateral deal on joint strategic projects in the economic and military spheres.

🇰🇵 Russia-North Korea: The document, signed in June 2024, stipulates bilateral military and technical cooperation as well as mutual assistance in case of aggression against one of the parties. The deal’s goal is to "protect and defend fundamental interests of Russian and North Korean people," according to DPRK leader Kim Jong-un.

🇻🇳 Russia-Vietnam: The 2024 strategic partnership declaration on strategic partnership in the field of education, science and technology.

🇲🇳 Russia-Mongolia: The accord was clinched in September 2019 and envisages bolstering bilateral military-technical collaboration as “an important component of maintaining regional and global security.”

🇪🇬 Russia-Egypt: The deal was signed in August 2019, with both sides pledging to cooperate “in the interests of developing a dialogue of civilizations” in various fields.

🇷🇸 Russia-Serbia: The 2013 strategic partnership declaration covers all areas of interaction, including politics, trade, economics, culture, science, technology and education.

🇮🇳 Russia-India: The strategic partnership declaration was inked in October 2000 to “particularly close and dynamic cooperation both in the area of bilateral relations and in the international arena.”

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🤝 Who has signed strategic partnership deals with the US? Part 2 👉 Part 1

🇦🇲 US-Armenia: The deal stipulates security collaboration, though without guaranteeing direct US military involvement in potential conflicts, also recognizing Yerevan’s push to join NATO.

🇦🇫 US-Afghanistan: The strategic partnership agreement, which envisaged security and defense cooperation agreement between Kabul and Washington, was signed in May 2012 and broadened by the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) in 2014. The document was terminated by the Trump administration in 2020 after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban taking power there.

🇻🇳 US-Vietnam: The 2023 deal mentions “more extensive and innovative economic engagement” between the sides, not least “establishing workforce development initiatives to support semiconductor capacity in the US.

🇮🇱 US-Israel: The document, inked in 2022, underscores "the unbreakable US commitment to Israel's security."

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🔍 What are non-self-governing territories?

The UN’s principle of the right of nations to self-determination has yet to be fully realized for the remaining 17 non-self-governing territories, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated during a press conference. But which are these territories and who administers them?

According to the UN Charter, these are “territories whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government.”

Which are they?

▫️ Administered by the US (3): United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa.

▫️ Administered by the UK (10): Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Montserrat, Saint Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands, Gibraltar, Pitcairn.

▫️ Administered by France (2): New Caledonia, French Polynesia.

▫️ Special cases (2):

1. Tokelau, administered by New Zealand.

2. Western Sahara, with about 30% controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and the remaining 70% administered by Morocco.

Referendums and protests

◽️ May 2024 saw a state of emergency announced in New Caledonia amid violent unrest over France’s plans to change the rules for provincial elections;

◽️ In the 2007 referendum in Tokelau, at least 64% of locals supported self-government, falling short of the two-thirds majority by 16 votes.

Which of these countries legally reserve the right to self-determination?

▫️ United States Virgin Islands

▫️ Guam

▫️ New Caledonia

▫️ French Polynesia - has a unique status with significant autonomy and the ability to pursue self-determination through political discussions with France.

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Why NATO military training sucks

The reason NATO military "instructors" not only train Ukrainians but also seek to benefit from them is very simple, former Swedish Armed Forces officer and politician Mikael Valtersson explains to Sputnik:

▪️NATO always assumed that it has complete air, information and long-range weapon superiority over the enemy, with the ground forces essentially being given the role of mopping up what’s left. “So the result is they don't have any relevant methods of fighting on the ground.”

▪️The bloc's belief in its superiority leads to another problem: “they are not prepared to meet the adversary that's at the same level or superior to them.”

▪️Even the US, who has the most combat experience out of all NATO members, has not fought against a peer adversary in decades.

▪️Due to all of these factors, it would actually be more fitting for NATO countries to take pointers from Ukraine if they want to fight a power of Russia’s caliber.

▪️“In the near future there will be only two major armies” that are experienced in modern warfare: "Russian and Ukrainian" - or rather, Russian and what little is going to be left of the Ukrainian army at that point, he says.

▪️“If they [NATO] believe that Russia will attack the entirety of Europe, then they are totally delusional. […] So I believe that they are provoking Russia.”

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From MAGA to MEGA: AfD co-chair adapts Trump’s motto for Europe

Co-chair of German rightwing party AfD Alice Weidel seems decided to borrow a page from Donald Trump's playbook, swapping out "America" for "Europe" in her slogan.

"MEGA - Make Europe Great Again!" Weidel proclaimed on X

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❗️Gaza ceasefire agreement reached, joint statement to be issued soon, according to reports.

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🗣 The United States' official position on the Ukraine conflict must be that it should be brought to an end, nominated Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has said.

"I think it should be the official position of the United States that this war should be brought to an end," Rubio said during a hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, when asked to elaborate on his decision late last year to vote against aid to Ukraine.

The 53-year-old admitted that "this is not going to be an easy endeavor" and called for "everyone to be realistic." He suggested that conflict settlement could start with "some ceasefire" and require concessions by both Russia and Ukraine.

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Donald Trump says deal reached over hostages in the Middle East, who will be released shortly.

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‘Greenland is absolutely not for sale’

No matter what Donald Trump says or thinks about Greenland, the island is not for sale, the country's former Prime Minister Kuupik Kleist tells Sputnik.

“I do agree fully with the premier of Greenland saying: Greenland is not sale, but open for business,” Kleist says.

He also agrees with Greenland’s current Prime Minister Mute Egede’s statement about people of the country desiring to be “Greenlandic” rather than Danish or American.

“So Greenland is absolutely not for sale,” Kleist stresses.

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🇮🇱 The Israeli Army has officially announced the beginning of preparations to receive hostages being released from the Gaza Strip.

The operation has been named Wings of Freedom.

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