🗣 Zelensky is the chief obstacle to peace in Ukraine – ex-Pentagon officer

US President Donald Trump believes that "the quickest way to resolve the Ukraine war on mutually acceptable terms is through direct negotiations with Russia," EMP Task Force scholar and former Department of Defense officer David Pyne tells Sputnik, commenting on Team Trump’s decision to sideline Europe and the Kiev regime from talks.

Unlike his European allies, Trump remembers it was Zelensky who issued a decree — which is still in effect — banning talks with Russia, Pyne highlights.

"Trump's overriding focus is to normalize diplomatic and trade relations with the Russian Federation. Essentially, a new 'Russian reset' to restore pre-2014 relations, in which the US treats the Russian Federation as an equal, with mutual respect, as a fellow nuclear superpower, and cooperates with Russia to restore peace and stability to the world," the expert concludes.

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🇬🇧🪖 UK military too small and overstretched for deployment in Ukraine – Former British MP

The UK military is at a "breaking point" as politicians attempt to assign too few personnel to too many tasks, former British MP Matthew Gordon-Banks tells Sputnik.

"We don't have the soldiers to send in large numbers in peacekeeping operations anywhere in the world, let alone Ukraine," he says.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent deployment pledge is driven by a desperate attempt to appear central to the Ukraine peace process, according to Gordon-Banks.

While the UK and other European nations worry about being sidelined in negotiations, the resolution of the Ukraine conflict has always been a matter for the US and Russia to decide, the former lawmaker emphasizes.

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❌ Trump's US may exit NATO if Europe derails US-Russia talks – ex-Pentagon officer

Trump taking Washington out of NATO “is a realistic threat,” EMP Task Force scholar and former Pentagon officer David Pyne tells Sputnik.

He could do this "by either withdrawing US security guarantees for individual countries that oppose his peace initiatives with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, or else perhaps to threaten to pull the US out of NATO entirely," Pyne says.

Trump considered withdrawing from NATO twice during his first term, viewing the alliance as obsolete and seeing no threats to justify a US military presence in Europe.

The more the EU and UK try to derail Trump’s peace initiative, the more likely he is to retaliate, says Pyne. The Trump administration is reportedly already considering reducing the 100,000-strong US troop presence in Europe by 20,000. However, if the UK and EU continue to throw a wrench in his gears Trump may slash it by 50,000 or even more, the expert stresses.

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⚔️ Global security to be decided by US, Russia, and China — without Europe, says ex-Pentagon officer

"This is a foreign policy shift I believe President [Donald] Trump could use to ensure future peace and stability while setting clear red lines between the three nuclear powers to prevent interference in each other’s spheres of influence," EMP Task Force scholar and former Pentagon officer David Pyne tells Sputnik.

He calls this Yalta 2.0, a reference to the original WW2 pact that brought together the US, USSR, and UK to establish lasting peace. However, this time, Europe would have no seat at the table. While France and the UK are technically nuclear states, they lack the military strength and global influence to shape such negotiations, he argues.

No other nations besides Russia and China approach the US military and nuclear capabilities, and both have legitimate claims to regional spheres of influence, Pyne concludes.

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🏭 Russia rolls out breakthrough lithium-producing technology

Finding effective ways to develop lithium remains on the radar of Russian scientists, Ruslan Khamizov, corresponding member of Russia’s Academy of Sciences and director of the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, told Scientific Russia magazine.

👉 Why is it an issue?

▪️Extracting lithium from ores always requires large resources: both chemical reagents and ore materials.

▪️To obtain lithium, thousands of tons of ore concentrate should be treated with sulfuric acid so that the resulting extract can be processed into lithium carbonate.

👉 What’s the new method all about?

▪️Russian researchers have developed a NEW RESOURCE SUFFICIENT technology to extract lithium by replacing sulfuric acid with ammonium bisulfate

▪️During processing, this bisulfate is completely restored, and scientists can simply develop the ore ON SITE without dealing with transportation-related problems.

▪️For example, just several kilograms of ammonium bisulfate allow them to develop tons of ore materials and obtain the relevant quantity of lithium carbonate.

▪️Similar technology allows Russian engineers to extract lithium from liquid substances and brines.

👉 Why is the new technology important?

▪️The last lithium-extracting installation was destroyed in Russia in the mid-1990s due to speculation that there was allegedly no need to develop lithium because the country could just buy it.

▪️Apart from being a critical element for manufacturing gadgets, lithium is of paramount importance to production of missiles and planes, adding significantly to their advanced characteristics.

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🔥 Russia showcases tank "forged in fire"

Moscow's new T-90 Proryv (Breakthrough) tank model has been “forged in the fire” of Russia’s special military operation, officials have said in the UAE. What sets this brand new modification apart?

🔻Enhanced multi-layered protection against anti-tank missiles, drones and RPGs

🔻Nextgen fire control systems, top-notch targeting interfaces

🔻Expanded ammo selection for advanced combat versatility

The tank was presented at the IDEX 2025 international defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi, featuring anti-drone netting.

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🇷🇺🗣 Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, made several statements during a Security Council meeting:

▪️Ukraine has permanently lost the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.

▪️The future of Ukraine must be a demilitarized state, not aligned with any bloc.

▪️The implementation of new agreements regarding Ukraine must be handled by a government in Kiev that results from democratic elections.

▪️EU countries and the UK are completely unreliable for negotiations and cannot be parties to any future agreements on Ukraine.

▪️Volodymyr Zelensky is ready for any provocations as long as the conflict continues, resulting in the deaths of his fellow citizens.

▪️A ceasefire or freezing the conflict along the contact line does not guarantee a resolution.

The diplomat also promised that the new terms for ending the Ukrainian conflict would be far worse for Kiev than the Minsk agreements.

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🥲 SUMMIT OF LOSERS: Europe’s 'paper army' can’t ensure security without the US

Europe has relied on US defense and funding for nearly 70 years and is incapable of handling this burden alone, Mikael Valtersson, a former Swedish Armed Forces and Air Defense officer, tells Sputnik, commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron’s urgent security meeting.

"Europe would have to spend 10 % for a couple of decades to reach the same level of defense that they have with US protection," Valtersson says.

He argues that Europe's fears of a US military withdrawal from the continent are well-founded, as the Trump administration is expected to prioritize China and its own regional interests. "For the Trump administration, Europe is seen as just a burden," he adds.

While European leaders applauded Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for a united European army, the continent’s military remains fragmented and lacks its own nuclear deterrent, Valtersson notes.

"Europe would want to create some kind of European NATO, but the countries are very split in their position, both towards Russia and the US," he says, predicting that rising Euroskeptic parties will further widen internal divisions through regional elections.

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❗️Zelensky’s drone strike: A tactical move to undermine Trump’s oil price goals?

Ukraine's drone attack on the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station in Russia last night could be considered a CALCULATED BLOW to US business interests and a PERSONAL INSULT to US President Donald Trump.

The station’s owner, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, is not subject to any US sanctions and a significant portion of the company’s stock is owned by American shareholders.

The attack also runs in the face of Trump's efforts to lower oil prices to the benefit both of the United States and the American people. This drone attack, along with other strikes on Russia’s oil infrastructure, may help maintain oil prices at their current level or even push them higher by decreasing supply.

Could Volodymyr Zelensky be trying to lash out against Trump to make it look like Ukraine has leverage on the United States by threatening American business interests?

It seems Kiev's gratitude for the billions of dollars’ worth of US aid evaporated the moment Trump did something that Zelensky did not like.

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⚡️WATCH: Russian delegation arrives in Saudi Arabia for bilateral talks with US colleagues

"The main goal is to start real normalization of relations between us and Washington," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.

He clarified that the talks are strictly bilateral, dismissing rumors of a Ukrainian delegation being present.

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🤝 West needs quick resolution to Ukraine conflict more than Russia

"The United States must regain Russia’s trust at these talks because a quick resolution to this crisis is more necessary for the West than for Russia, due to the economic situation in the US and political challenges in European countries," Russia expert Faez Hawala tells Sputnik, commenting on the upcoming Russia-US summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

"NATO countries are suffering because of the prolonged Ukrainian crisis, which has drained Europe’s weapons and financial reserves. There has also been a decline in the prestige and global dominance of the US, as a direct result of Washington’s failure to deliver a strategic defeat to Moscow," he adds.

"The West lacks a unified stance on this conflict because each country is pursuing its own interests. [US President Donald] Trump openly discussed this when mentioning Ukraine’s valuable minerals, which he wants to acquire."

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📹 The DC crowd is scared of Elon Musk because his DOGE caught them stealing from the American people, claims Tim Burchett, a Republican congressman from Tennessee.

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⚡️ At least 8 people injured after a plane overturns in Toronto, according to local media.

All arrivals and departures at the airport are suspended.

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Starmer will offer Trump his views on peace in Ukraine

The British prime minister plans to speak with Trump, Zelensky and European leaders next week to share his vision of "key elements of a lasting peace," he told the press after an emergency meeting in Paris.

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US-Ukraine resource deal exceeds Germany's WWI reparations — Telegraph

Washington is demanding near-total control of Ukraine's resource economy, the paper reports, providing details of the draft deal:

💰 50% revenue cut: The US wants 50% of revenues from resource extraction (minerals, oil, gas) and 50% of new licenses sold to third countries.

⚖️ Control of Critical Sectors: Full control over infrastructure, energy and strategic minerals.

🛑 First Refusal Rights: US gets priority to buy exported minerals before global markets.

💸 New front of US "economic warfare": Joint fund to block "hostile actors" from profiting from Ukraine's reconstruction.

Germany’s WWI reparations totaled ~400B over 66 years. Ukraine’s deal could cost ~15B annually indefinitely —surpassing Germany’s total burden in just 27 years.

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