💬 NATO membership for Ukraine? Scholz says 'not closed, but not on the agenda'

"The American government rejects this. NATO's decisions are such that this is not closed, but it is also not on the agenda. Therefore, in this situation, it is not about Ukraine's NATO membership – I want to emphasize that," Scholz said during a televised election debate with Friedrich Merz.

Donald Trump said during his election campaign that Ukraine should not be part of NATO.

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🇷🇺 Russia will defend post-WWII order against adversaries and neocolonialism

Russia will uphold a world order based on the legal outcomes of World War II, despite the efforts of its adversaries and the resurgence of neocolonialism, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a message marking Diplomatic Workers' Day, published on the ministry's website.

"We will continue to do everything necessary to protect our national interests, support the foreign policy aspects of the special military operation, and create secure, favorable conditions for the country's development and the well-being of our citizens," Lavrov stressed.

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⚔️Europe’s ready to fire back at Trump’s new tariffs

The EU will respond to Trump’s new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed.

“We responded to this in 2018, and WE’LL DO IT AGAIN,” he pointed out.

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💬Russia demands concrete proposals for Ukraine talks

Moscow has not received any concrete proposals for negotiations on Ukraine that would be acceptable to Russia, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Sputnik.

He dismissed claims from the West and Ukraine about the possible start of talks as a "media warm-up" designed to shape a favorable atmosphere and gain a strategic advantage.

"We take such statements realistically," Galuzin said. "What matters is that words are backed by concrete steps that consider Russia's legitimate interests, address the root causes of the crisis and acknowledge the new realities."

"So far, no such proposals have been received," he added.

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🤝California for a trillion? Denmark’s got bigger plans than Trump’s Greenland

In Denmark, activists have proposed buying California from the US for a trillion dollars, following Donald Trump’s infamous obsession with Greenland.

The petition has already garnered nearly 200,000 signatures, with the authors highlighting California’s 300 sunny days and promising to rename Disneyland to "Hans Christian Andersenland."

Seems like Trump’s Greenland dreams are just the beginning!

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📊As if the energy crisis in Europe wasn’t “exciting” enough

European gas prices have topped $620 per thousand cubic meters for the first time since February 8, 2023 – a rise of almost 4% since Friday, the London ICE exchange said.

The average price for gas futures on the European exchange last year was $386.5, 16.3% lower than in 2023.

Prices were much higher in 2021-2022, with the highest ever recorded in the history of European gas hubs since their inception in 1996. It hit a record $3,892 per thousand cubic meters in early spring 2022.

The price surge has been driven by European Union (EU) sanctions on Russian gas imports.

By cutting off its biggest source, the EU has found itself increasingly reliant on more expensive alternatives, driving up costs for businesses and consumers across the continent.

The move, intended to damage Russia, has instead fueled inflation and energy insecurity within the EU, damaging industry and energy stability.

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There is currently no meeting scheduled between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik.

But he did not rule out the possibility as the situation becomes clearer.

At the same time, Russia and the US are maintaining diplomatic contacts through their foreign ministries.

Ryabkov stressed that while the process is ongoing, there is no point in disclosing further details at present.

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🌪 46-meter sand tornado causes stir in India’s Saputara

Footage from social media

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🪖Drones fly, German Army wonders why

The German Bundeswehr has been struggling since January to counter drones at the Schwesing air base near Husum – where Ukrainian Air force personnel are trained to use the US Patriot air defense system.

Despite the Luftwaffe deploying jammers and other countermeasures, the "professional" drones continue to evade detection and interception.

The Schleswig-Holstein State Criminal Police Office has stepped in to investigate, but so far there is no sign of any criminal activity—just an increasingly baffling case of drones outsmarting the armed forces.

The drones show impeccable timing and precision while the Bundeswehr is stuck in catch-up mode.

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📹British farmers stage protest outside UK parliament

The protesters oppose Labour's plan to impose a 20% inheritance tax on farms valued over £1 million ($1.2 million), Daily Mail reports.

With over 148,000 signatures on an e-petition, they demand tax exemptions remain, but Labour remains firm, insisting no U-turn will happen.

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🔍USAID with a British accent: FCDO’s ‘international development’ fraud exposed

The surprise dismantling of the US’s #1 soft power tool has left allied aid agencies scrambling to fill the gap. Among them is the UK’s FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), created in 2020 after Boris Johnson shut down the Department for International Development.

The FCDO’s predecessor was closed amid scrutiny and “difficulties” assessing “value for money” stemming from:

🟠lack of oversight, leading to scandals like the 2018 revelation of Oxfam staff using aid money to hire prostitutes in Haiti and Chad and trying to cover it up.

🟠waste from lack of planning on the “optimal uses of resources,” including millions spent on consultants and contractors engaged in profiteering (the 2017 Adam Smith International scandal is just one example).

In its five years, the FCDO has racked up its own share of controversy, including:

🟠sending aid to countries in Africa and Ukraine accused of rights abuses and the embezzlement of funds (Ukraine got £796 mln - $986 mln US, in ‘humanitarian’ and ‘governance’ aid from 2021-2023 alone).

🟠scrutiny of a government pledge to spend 0.5% of GDP on foreign aid despite funding crises facing services like the NHS.

🟠ballooning of Britain’s asylum aid budget from £500 mln ($620 mln) in 2019 to £4.3 bln ($5.33 bln) in 2023, which ex-administrator Mark Lowcock said made it ripe for “scam and scandal.”

🟠systemic underreporting of money lost to fraud (£2.2 mln ($2.7 mln), or 0.02%, in 2020-2021) despite evidence of misuse of far more than that (including £2 mln+ ($2.4 mln) in Sierra Leone alone in a diesel fuel purchasing scandal, or £3.5 bln ($4.33 bln) in wasted aid in Afghanistan from 2020-2020).

🟠funding for partners like Relief International, accused in 2021 of making payments to a mystery “armed opposition group in a conflict zone” somewhere in the Middle East.

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