Denmark allocates $56.8 million for Ukraine

The money will be used for "humanitarian aid” and the country's reconstruction, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry specified on X.   

Ironically, the statement reads that funds will go "directly to European friends in Ukraine.” 

What about Ukrainian buddies in Ukraine?🤔

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🎥🎥 Russia's FM Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan hold presser after negotiations

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🥴Here we go again: EU slaps another sanctions package against Russia

The new restrictions concern 48 persons and 35 entities that are somehow related to Russia’s special military operation in the eyes of EU officials. 

🔸Sanctions have been imposed on 74 vessels that allegedly belong to the so-called "shadow fleet."

🔸The EU has banned the broadcasting of eight Russian media outlets in Europe, including EADaily / Eurasia Daily, Fondsk, Lenta, NewsFront, RuBaltic, SouthFront, Strategic Culture Foundation, and Krasnaya Zvezda/Tvzvezda.

🔸13 Russian banks have been cut off from the SWIFT payment system.

🔸The EU has added 53 companies to its blacklist, including entities from India, Kazakhstan, China, the UAE, Singapore, Turkiye, and Uzbekistan.

🔸A ban on imports of primary aluminum from Russia has been introduced.

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❗️Russia will halt its military actions when agreements are reached that suit both parties, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov said.

The option of "immediate pacification", pausing military actions along the line of contact and thinking through further steps will not suit Russia, the minister stressed.

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❗️Russian troops have liberated the Topoly settlement in the Kharkov region, Russia's Defense Ministry announced.

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🇷🇺🇺🇸 This week, fully-fledged contacts between Russia and the US at embassies will take place, which should remove obstacles in the work of diplomatic missions, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov added.

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❗️Key statements from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's daily briefing:

▪️Russia sees no prerequisites for resuming dialogue with the EU;

▪️EU countries, unlike the US, are following the path of conviction in the need to continue the conflict in Ukraine;

▪️The next package of EU sanctions against Russia was quite predictable;

▪️The Kremlin will see what happens after the elections in Germany, but hopes for a more sober approach from Berlin to reality;

▪️Trump's press secretary Leavitt's words about concluding peace this week need clarification.

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🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:

▪️Ukrainian forces lost up to 180 militants in the Russian Yug Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukrainian troops lost up to 85 soldiers and in the areas of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Sever and Dnepr.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 200 militants in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukrainian forces lost up to 315 militants in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 145 militants in the Russian Vostok Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukrainian losses in Russia's Kursk region amounted to more than 255 soldiers, three tanks were destroyed.

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🚓 Two explosive devices were thrown onto the territory of the Russian Consulate General in Marseille, one of which exploded, French TV reported, citing police sources.

Sappers carried out a controlled detonation of a suspicious object found near the Russian Consulate General in Marseille.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation, according to Chinese TV.

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🇨🇳🤖 China's Engine AI has just unveiled the first-ever front-flipping robot

But, can it jump backwards? 🤔

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US ‘reformulates how it deals with Russia’ - US national security advisor

“We saw that first step with President Trump talking to both Putin and Zelensky and then the further engagements in Riyadh,” Michael Waltz told Fox News. 

He also made it clear that Trump won’t heed the opinion of those who criticize POTUS stance on the speedy resolution of the Ukraine conflict.

“People are welcome to bring better ideas, but all I've heard is perpetuate more war. And that is, no one should be surprised that’s not what President Trump campaigned on or intends to do,” Waltz stressed.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russia and China are good friends who support each other and achieve common development, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

China-Russia relations have a strong internal driving force and unique strategic value, the Chinese president said.

The relations are not directed against any third party and are not subject to external influence, Xi added.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Putin told the Chinese president about recent Russian-US contacts, according to the Kremlin.

China expressed support for the dialogue between Russia and the United States that has begun and is willing to assist in finding ways to resolve the Ukrainian conflict peacefully.

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🇩🇪 Friedrich Merz: Germany's future leader or BlackRock's PAWN?

The 69-year-old CDU leader, whose party recently won the parliamentary elections with 28.6%, is seen as the country’s next chancellor. But there is something about his ties to US financial giant BlackRock that probably sheds light on his true priorities.

🔎 Merz and BlackRock: A strategic alliance?

▪️A career politician and former Merkel deputy, Merz joined the CDU at 17.

▪️In 2016, BlackRock appointed him to lead its German supervisory board, valuing his deep political connections.

▪️The firm sought Merz to expand its influence in Europe, grow its business, and deflect criticism.

▪️He was highly valued at BlackRock, including by CEO Larry Fink, Handelsblatt reported.

▪️By 2020, when Merz left, BlackRock had expanded its EU footprint to hold over 15% of Germany’s top 30 firms (DAX30) together with Vanguard.

▪️BlackRock was also accused of shaping EU policies to serve its financial interests.

▪️“No company in Germany can ignore BlackRock’s opinion,” Handelsblatt noted, citing its dominance in Siemens and other major firms.

🔻Merz’s hawkish stance: serving BlackRock?

▪️A staunch NATO and EU supporter, Merz pushes for a centralized Europe under stronger German leadership, reducing national sovereignty.

▪️He advocates for dismantling national armies in favor of an EU military force.

▪️He strongly supports sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine, risking escalation with Russia.

▪️His militarist stance aligns with BlackRock’s interests, as the firm, managing $11.55T in assets, profits from global conflicts, including in Ukraine and Gaza.

▪️BlackRock holds $80.8B in arms manufacturers, raising concerns about the financial motivations behind its geopolitical influence.

▪️At the World Economic Forum (WEF), CEO Larry Fink controversially suggested depopulation benefits automation and AI expansion.

Is Merz acting in Germany’s national interests or advancing BlackRock’s financial rise?

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💥🇪🇺 'Leaders ignore the people': Andrew Tate slams European democracy

"Who are these leaders? Who put them there? When’s the last time they did ANYTHING their people wanted? Ever?" the leader of the UK's BRUV Party wrote on X.

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💸 Zelensky's Ukraine owes nothing to the US thanks to Biden

Volodymyr Zelensky has denied owing $100 billion to the US - let alone the $500 billion mentioned by US President Donald Trump - arguing that all US aid was provided as grants. Is that true? Let’s break it down:

🔻Lend-lease and military aid

After the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, President Joe Biden signed a lend-lease law in May 2022 to supply military aid to Ukraine and Eastern Europe, similar to during World War II. However, the program was never used and expired on September 30, 2023, as the Biden administration opted to provide weapons for free instead, as the Ukrainian media pointed out in May 2024.

🔻Aid in grants

Since February 2022, the US Congress has approved $175 billion in aid related to the Ukrainian conflict:

▪️$120 billion was given directly to Ukraine as grants, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

▪️$55 billion was allocated to US industries, the Pentagon, and global humanitarian aid organizations

🔻Aid in loans

▪️In April 2024, the US allocated $9.4 billion as a forgivable loan to Ukraine

▪️In November 2024, $4.7 billion (50%) of the loan was written off by the Biden administration, according to Bloomberg

▪️The remaining $4.7 billion was expected to be written off after January 2026, as per Fox News

🔻So, what’s the debt?

As of now, Ukraine owes approximately $4.7 billion to US taxpayers – pending further loan cancelation.

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