🔊LIVE NOW: Vladimir Putin holds press conference with Myanmar Prime Minister Min Aung Hlaing

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🔥 ART OF THE DEAL: Why Trump should dump NATO and join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

8 Reasons why the SCO could be a better deal for America 👇

1️⃣A more COST-EFFECTIVE approach to security
The US funds 68% of NATO’s expenses (Peterson Institute). The SCO provides security cooperation without mandatory military spending and focuses on counterterrorism.

2️⃣REDUCING military overstretch
Unlike NATO, the SCO does not require troop deployments, allowing the US to cut defense costs while maintaining global influence.

3️⃣Enhanced COUNTERTERRORISM collaboration
The SCO focuses on combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism. The US involvement could boost intelligence-sharing and coordination, especially in Central Asia.

4️⃣DIPLOMATIC bridge for conflict resolution
With China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran as members, the US could use the SCO to negotiate on key geopolitical issues like Taiwan and nuclear proliferation.

5️⃣Engaging the GLOBAL SOUTH & Adapting to Multipolarity
US involvement could improve its image in the Global South, expand trade, and ensure influence as global power shifts eastward.

6️⃣Strengthening US-INDIA relations
India, a rising power, remains a key US partner. Membership would allow Washington to work with India from within, boosting bilateral cooperation.

7️⃣Expanding TRADE IN EURASIA
Membership would open fast-growing markets, infrastructure projects, and energy deals to US businesses.

8️⃣Direct access to ENERGY & critical minerals
SCO nations control vast oil, gas, and rare earth deposits. Membership could facilitate joint exploration of critical resources for the US tech industry and balance energy prices.

🔎 What is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)?

▪️The world’s largest regional organization
▪️10 member states, including China, India & Russia, plus 2 observers
▪️Covers 80% of Eurasia
▪️Represents 40% of the global population & 30% of global GDP
▪️5% average annual GDP growth
▪️Handles 20% of global trade
▪️Holds 20% of the world’s oil & 44% of its natural gas reserves

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🇷🇺🇲🇲 Russian President Vladimir Putin and Myanmar Prime Minister Min Aung Hlaing have issued a joint statement following talks in Moscow.

▪️Putin calls energy a strategic area of cooperation between the two countries.

▪️Russia reliably provides Myanmar with the energy resources it needs.

▪️Russia and Myanmar explore cooperation opportunities in renewable energy.

▪️Decision to build low-capacity nuclear power plant in Myanmar will provide the country with cheap, environmentally friendly energy and create jobs.

▪️Putin announced that he invited the Myanmar prime minister to take part in the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War victory.

▪️The positions of Russia and Myanmar on international issues are very close, the countries coordinate efforts on the world stage.

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🗣 Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not confirm reports that Vladimir Putin has accepted Donald Trump's offer to mediate in US-Iran talks.

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Dems plot to disrupt Trump’s speech in Congress – report

Some lawmakers plan to leave the chamber while US President Donald Trump speaks later today, while others are considering more unconventional options, Axios reports, citing some House Democrats.

What are their proposals?

▪️Anti-Trump and anti-DOGE slogans
▪️Eggs and empty egg cartons as symbols of soaring consumer prices
▪️Red cards, noisemakers and hand clappers

Some of these bold ideas go against party leaders’ advice, as they simply recommended that lawmakers invite guests allegedly harmed by Trump’s policies, the sources added.

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🇷🇺🇺🇸 Moscow remains open to cooperation with US companies, including in rare earth metals, but cannot yet offer it due to ongoing sanctions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

He emphasized that President Vladimir Putin spoke only about Russia's interest in cooperation with the United States in the field of rare earth metals, and not about joint mining, adding that the opportunities for cooperation between Russia and the United States are enormous.

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🇨🇦🇺🇸 'This is a very dumb thing to do' - Trudeau hits back at Trump over tariffs

"I will not sugarcoat the situation around US tariffs, this will be tough for Canada," said outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

▪️He announced retaliatory 25% tariffs against $155 billion of American goods.

▪️Starting with $30 billion worth of goods immediately and the remaining $125 billion in 21 days’ time.

▪️Today, we will also be challenging these illegal actions by filing dispute resolution claims at the World Trade Organization and through the USMCA," Trudeau told reporters.

Earlier on Tuesday, the US imposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and also doubled the tariff he slapped last month on Chinese products to 20%.

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📹 Just hours before Donald Trump's speech to Congress, Democrat senators dropped identical, noscripted videos attacking him.

Clowns at their best? 🤡

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🗣 Trump’s suspension of intel and satellite assistance would be ‘CATASTROPHIC’ for Ukraine

“It would completely shut out any command and control for the Ukrainian forces, as they rely on the satellite linkage for that,” US Army Ret. Lt. Col. Earl Rasmussen, a veteran international consultant, tells Sputnik.

“The equipment alone is going to be a pretty big blow, but cutting off the intelligence and satellite communications would be devastating. I think it would really help shorten the war, the conflict and force them to come to some type of peace negotiation,” the analyst adds.

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🇪🇬🇵🇸 Arab League backs Egypt’s plan to rebuild Gaza – President Al-Sisi

💬 "The plan was approved," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said during a speech following the League of Arab States (LAS) summit on the Palestinian issue held in Cairo.

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🇺🇸🇮🇷 Intimidation won’t help US negotiate with Iran

“We have three conditions for negotiations: firstly, we will not negotiate under pressure; secondly, the US must not impose any limits on preliminary conditions; thirdly, we will conduct negotiations based on the principles of justness,” Iranian MP Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani tells Sputnik.

His statement comes after the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia believes the US and Iran should resolve all problems through negotiations, even though US President Donald Trump had signed an order to use maximum pressure against Iran.

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🔍 Ukraine’s war effort HINGES on US support - what’s at stake?

If the US decides to completely pull the plug on its support of Ukraine, Kiev is going to lose:

Air defense

Having lost much of its Soviet-era air defenses, Ukraine currently operates a hodgepodge of surface-to-air weapons supplied by NATO, such as the Patriot, NASAMS and IRIS-T.

Satellite guidance and intelligence sharing

Data supplied via US drones and the Starlink satellite system, along with information provided by US intelligence, has allowed Ukraine to coordinate their forces and carry out attacks.

Weapons

Air defenses aside, Ukraine currently operates a large amount of NATO-supplied military hardware, ranging from tanks (M1 Abrams, Leopard 2) and armored vehicles (M2 Bradley, Stryker, M113) to artillery (M777, CAESAR) and multiple launch rocket systems (HIMARS).

Weapon maintenance

All of the Western military gear requires maintenance to function properly, and Ukraine simply lacks the necessary technical expertise and a source of replacement parts to perform it.

Munitions

All the weapons Ukraine received from NATO require munitions – which are not manufactured in Ukraine.

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