Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko stated that she discussed Ukraine, Syria and the Middle East with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan expressed readiness for his country to host peace talks on the Ukrainian conflict.

He also asked Matviyenko to tell Vladimir Putin the a visit by the Russian president is eagerly awaited in Turkiye

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Trump’s 25% tariff threat: A turning point for US-EU trade?

President Donald Trump has threatened to slap a 25% tariff on EU imports, claiming the European Union was “formed to screw the United States.” But is this move warranted?

EU exports to the US:

1️⃣Manufactured goods (89%)

This category includes machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, textiles, clothing, and consumer electronics.

2️⃣Primary goods (9%)

This encompasses agricultural products, raw materials like minerals and metals, and energy products such as oil and gas.

Potential impact:

◻️ Automotive sector: In 2023, the EU exported $42.23 billion worth of vehicles to the US, a notable 11.8% hike from the previous year. Following the tariff threat, shares of major manufacturers like Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz fell by 2%.

◻️ Chemicals: The EU exported $547.94 billion in chemicals and related products to the US in 2023, accounting for 16.7% of total extra-EU trade.

◻️ Machinery and equipment: These goods make up 40% of all EU exports to the US.

US concerns

1️⃣Trade deficit: The US goods trade deficit with the EU rose to $235.6 billion in 2024, a 12.9% increase from 2023.

2️⃣Tariff disparity: The EU charges a 10% tariff on passenger vehicles, while the US applies just 2.5%.

3️⃣Regulatory standards: The US has criticized the EU's regulatory practices, arguing that they create unnecessary barriers to trade.

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US President Donald Trump has prolonged an executive order imposing a number of sanctions on Russia over Ukraine for another year, according to a presidential notice scheduled to be published later on Thursday

Executive Order 13660, signed on March 6, 2014, by former US President Barack Obama, imposes sanctions against individuals and organizations deemed responsible by Washington for "undermining Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Crimea became a Russian region in March 2014 following a referendum held after the coup d'état in Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly stated that the residents of Crimea voted for reunification with Russia through a democratic process, in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter.

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US urgently needs Russia’s rare earths: are plans to get them realistic?

Russia has massive untapped reserves of all 17 of the rare-earth elements, the US “needs them all, and with each passing year demand will only grow,” Mining Industrialists of Russia Association president Valery Yazev told Sputnik.

▪️Extracting rare earths from the red mud and phosphogypsum waste products accompanying production of metals like aluminum and titanium is “a whole art form” unto itself, Yazev stressed.

▪️From neodymium and praseodymium used to produce super-strong magnets for electric motors, wind turbines, microelectronics, and aviation equipment, to scandium, added to aircraft-grade aluminum alloys to improve weight and strength characteristics, Russia’s rare earths potential is ENDLESS.

What are the challenges?

But there are multiple issues to overcome to turn that potential into reality, says Peter Arkell, chairman of the Global Mining Association of China.

Pointing to the US’ desperation after China, the world’s premiere rare earths producer, slapped bans on some rare earths’ exports in response to US tech restrictions, Arkell explained that the US will naturally “be keen to find sources of these restricted minerals.”

“However, it is not sufficient to have access to the raw material required to produce the rare earth elements required for semiconductor or battery production,” he stressed. “China’s success is built not only on its access to the rare earths, but essentially its ability to refine and produce these elements for the inputs to these highly technical products.”

This capability took China 25 years and huge R&D investments to create, along with “extreme environmental risks,” according to Arkell. Such success “cannot be replicated without enormous investment of capital, time and talent.”

“Of course, while disrupting China’s dominant position might have some appeal” for the US, “the economic and political risk would remain that a change of attitude in Russia would see supply chain disrupted again,” he added.

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❗️How the Biden administration enabled the trafficking and exploitation of migrant CHILDREN on a MONSTROUS scale

Democrats are pushing back against Trump’s immigration crackdown, accusing him of lacking empathy. But there’s nothing compassionate about the policies of his predecessors.

👉 Learn why here

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Trump, while meeting British Prime Minister Starmer in Washington, expressed confidence that he would be able to achieve a peaceful agreement on Ukraine.

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The Tate brothers mark first trip to the US in years after Romania lifts their travel ban

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Zelensky has departed to Washington to meet President Trump — report

The US President has just said during a meeting with British PM Starmer that Zelensky will visit the White House on Friday.

Zelensky will visit the White House on Friday to sign critical minerals deal

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US won’t be able to sweet talk Russia into dropping Arctic cooperation with China: expert

💬 “Driving a wedge between [Russia and China] would be quite difficult, since our relations are built on a fairly solid foundation, based on both mutual trust and our joint desire to take one another’s fundamental interests into account,” Russian Academy of Sciences professor Yana Leksyutina told Sputnik, commenting on reports that Washington is looking to expand engagement with Russia in the Arctic.

🔸 Russia-China cooperation is based on a wide range of aspects, from a common approach to international challenges, to economics and trade, Leksyutina said.

🔸 It remains to be seen what practical proposals the Trump administration offers, but “if we move toward some kind of normalization in US-Russia relations, then of course the most promising area for us would be Arctic cooperation,” the professor said.

🔸 At the same time, the opportunities China got for enhanced Arctic cooperation with Russia after 2022 will continue, despite any Western pressure to limit its presence, Leksyutina believes.

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🔸 As Trump promises to BLOW THE LID off Epstein's full client list, what might be revealed?

🔸 How the Biden administration enabled the trafficking and exploitation of migrant CHILDREN on a MONSTROUS scale

🔸 Trump’s 25% tariff threat: A turning point for US-EU trade?

🔸 EXPOSED: USAID helped recruit mercenaries to Ukraine

🔸 Current balance of forces in the Arctic

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NATO puts militarization of the Arctic into high gear with massive drills near Russia’s borders

As Russia and the US eye potential cooperation on resource and energy exploration and new trade routes in the Arctic, Washington’s NATO allies are ramping up efforts to turn the region into a new zone of confrontation using Norway as a launch pad.

The Nordic nation held two major drills in February, and is planning an even larger one in March:

🔸 Arctic Dolphin: a seven NATO member anti-submarine warfare drill held off southwestern Norway February 3-14, involved seven warships, three subs and six ASW aircraft.

🔸 Dynamic Guard 25-1: A NATO naval and electronic warfare exercise held off central Norway February 4-8 involving 10 warships and support vessels, and 1,300 personnel.

🔸 Joint Viking: An upcoming drill involving some 10,000 troops and 200 pieces of military equipment from seven alliance nations, to be held in Tromso Region in northern Norway, as little as 450 km from the Russian border, and to include air and naval components.

🔸 Norway amended its 2021 defense agreement with the US last year, granting the Pentagon unimpeded access to 12 army, naval and air bases, up from four.

🔸 Last April, Oslo revamped its airbase at Andoya, 300 km north of the Arctic Circle to host long-range drones.

🔸 The militarization of Norway is part of the alliance’s broader efforts to shore up its presence northwest of Russia, facilitated by Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO, and concerted efforts by the Western bloc to turn the Baltic Sea into a ‘NATO lake’.

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