🔍Germany doesn't have money for Merz's defense boost – ex-AfD MEP

Berlin plans to change its fiscal rules and “invest” €500 billion ($543 billion) in infrastructure and defense, as explained by the chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz.

It's alarming that Merz is prioritizing military spending because of the mythical Russian threat, especially amid efforts for peace in Ukraine, Gunnar Beck, a legal academic and former AfD MEP, tells Sputnik.

Merz has long pushed for higher defense spending. Last December, he stated the Bundeswehr would need at least $87 billion annually, up from the current $57 billion. German media also reported a proposed $433 billion defense fund.

"Germany hasn't got the money," Beck stresses. "It's got to borrow the money. It's at the expense of social spending and badly needed investments in infrastructure and research and development."

"It’s not only Germany that's proposing to increase military spending. The EU, under von der Leyen, has announced it will borrow another €800 billion ($866 billion) to support Ukraine. When you add up these figures, it's already more than a trillion. And they are clearly coordinating their policies," Beck concludes.

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❗️❗️❗️Ukraine still buys Russian gas—funding its own enemy, Slovak MEP reveals

Even though Zelensky cut direct Russian gas supplies, his regime has to buy gas transiting to Slovakia, Ľuboš Blaha, Slovak MEP and the deputy leader of Slovakia’s Smer party told Sputnik.

“When there was a direct transit to Ukraine from Russia, in this first case, it was beneficial for Ukraine, because they had some money from this. This second option has even no benefits for Ukraine. They are just funding the war of Russia against Ukraine in this logic. HE'S CRAZY.”

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❗️Trump said he wants to negotiate a deal with Iran on its nuclear weapons program and sent them a letter, Fox News reports.

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Friendly fire reported in Pentagon’s DEI purge

The DoD’s “digital content refresh” directive of removing photos, articles, videos and social media posts promoting DEI, critical race theory, gender ideology and identity politics-based programs has hit a snag, gobbling up content accidentally flagged as being DEI-related.

The casualties?

🟠The infamous Enola Gay Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber that nuked Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, flagged for removal for the word “gay” in photo noscripts.

🟠Photos of Army officers whose last name happens to be “Gay.”

🟠An image of Army Corps biologists at work since the denoscription mentioned the “gender” of fish.

A total of 26K images is said to have been flagged for removal, but one anonymous official told AP that up to 100K could be purged in the end.

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❗️❗️❗️Slovak MEP calls out Zelensky for behaving like a ‘HOOLIGAN’

Zelensky’s behavior shows that he’s neither a “statesman,” nor a “leader,” deputy leader of Slovakia’s Smer party Ľuboš Blaha revealed to Sputnik.

“He was writing the statuses which even my 12-year-old boy wouldn't write, because he's well-educated, and he has a normal father who is trying to say that this is NOT DECENT, it's NOT NORMAL. But Zelensky probably has some problems,” the politician said.

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🤑 Macron’s Russophobic ranting: Serving French interests or his Rothschild masters? Part 1 👉 Part 2

Amid the French president’s characterization of Russia as a “threat to France and Europe,” announcement of readiness to deploy European troops to Ukraine and extend the French nuclear umbrella over Europe, it’s important to remember who he owes his allegiance to.

Here’s a refresher on Emmanuel Macron’s ties to one of the most powerful banking families in the world.

❓Marionette President?

🔸 Macron worked as an investment banker at Rothschild & Cie Banque from 2008-2012. Recruited at the end of 2008, Macron was promoted to a partner with the bank in 2010.

🔸 Macron earned about €2.9M ($3.1M) while working for the Rothschilds, per FT.

🔹 During his 2017 presidential campaign, Macron was chastised as the "candidate of finance". He ran as an independent with a newly assembled party, ‘En Marche!’ but managed to rapidly raise €13M ($14M).

🔹 The funds were primarily sourced from a powerful network of bankers, financiers and businessmen, according to independent French investigative outlet Mediapart. French law allowed the campaign to keep its list of donors private.

🔹 After assuming office, Macron carried out a series of reforms favoring finance and big business. He reduced the corporate tax rate from 33% to 25%, slashed taxes for manufacturers, introduced a 30% flat tax on investment earnings, and replaced a wealth tax on the ultra-rich with a tax on real estate assets valued above €1.3M ($1.4M).

👉 Part 2

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🤑 Macron’s Russophobic ranting: Serving French interests or his Rothschild masters? Part 2 👉 Part 1

All the pieces fit: How the Rothschilds brought their financial empire together again under Russophobe Macron

🔹 In a September 2018 report, FT dubbed Macron David de Rothschild's "protégé" and cited the banker’s praise for the French president as a "decisive", "extremely intelligent" and "courageous" leader "doing what he said he would do." When asked about Macron's "unlikely ascent to the presidency", de Rothschild slyly responded: "Planets have aligned".

🔹 The Rothschilds appear to have had the motive for supporting Macron – a predictable politician playing into the hands of the rich: the Rothschild banking structure had previously been nationalized twice in the modern French history – by the Vichy regime in 1940 and the Socialist coalition of President François Mitterrand in 1981.

🔹 In 1984, Eric de Rothschild received permission to found a new bank, but was banned from using the family name. The restriction was lifted under PM Jacques Chirac in 1986, and the financial institution was renamed Rothschild et Associes Banque and later Rothschild et Cie. Banque.

🔹 During Macron's presidency, the Rothschilds restructured their financial empire, with their major company Rothschilds & Co. taken private in 2023 in a family-led €3.7B ($4B) deal. In March 2023, Reuters placed emphasis on the Rothschilds’ "recent expansion into private banking and asset management" and "very active and dynamic" nature.

In their September 2024 Monthly Macro Insights report, the Rothschild & Co. wrote that the French economy needs a boost, adding that "the lingering question over how to reconcile the need for fiscal discipline with incessant demands for public spending" must be resolved by the Macron government.

👉 Part 1

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📞 Putin and Vučić discussed strengthening Russian-Serbian strategic partnership, the Kremlin stated.

Other details of the phone call between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Russian President Vladimir Putin:

🟠 Putin expressed support for the legitimately-elected government.

🟠 Vučić confirmed that he will visit Moscow for the 80th anniversary Victory Day celebration – and a Serbia army unit will march in the parade.

🟠 Putin stressed his rejection of external interference in Serbia's internal political affairs.

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❗️❗️❗️Mercs, Soros, USAID: Who was behind anti-Fico protests?

The Slovak opposition, which stirred up mass protests after PM Robert Fico visited Moscow, has ties with the infamous Georgian Legion's* mercs from Ukraine, deputy leader of Slovakia’s Smer party Ľuboš Blaha has revealed to Sputnik.

"They are the fighters in Ukraine who are waging really war crimes. And I think that their leader, his name is Mr. Mamulashvili, was in Slovakia. He's funded by neoliberal funds, by neoliberal movements, [and] NGOs. These NGOs are getting MONEY FROM USAID AND FROM SOROS."

*The Georgian Legion is recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia

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📹Throwback: Putin rips ICC, recalls how court ‘shut up’ after getting snapped at by US

The court holds a “low standing” in Russia’s eyes, given its lack of universality or independence, President Putin said at a meeting with BRICS journalists back in October 2024.

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'Russia is absolutely pounding Ukraine on the battlefield'

Trump wrote on his Truth Social page, also urging Russia and Ukraine to "get to the table right now"

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❗️Iran will not engage in direct negotiations with the US as long as they continue their policy of maximum pressure, stated the Iranian Foreign Ministry following Trump's announcement about a letter to Tehran.

Iran's mission to the UN also stated that it has not yet received any message for the country's Supreme Leader, Khamenei, from the US President.

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Călin Georgescu has submitted documents to the Central Electoral Commission to register as a candidate for the presidency of Romania, local TV reports.

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🗣US Envoy to Ukraine and Russia Kellogg DECODES Trump’s ‘in 24 hours’ pledge for settling the Ukrainian conflict.

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The Romanian authorities intend to prevent Călin Georgescu from participating in the presidential elections in the country in May, FT reports.

Georgescu led after the first round of the presidential elections in Romania held in November, the results of which were annulled.

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