🗣 Enough is enough: US wants to disentangle from the bloody Ukrainian mess

The US recent ceasefire initiative is born out of a necessity to “stop throwing money into a black hole” that is the Ukrainian conflict, Argentinian international relations expert Samuel Losada tells Sputnik.

Facing economic problems at home, US President Donald Trump wants to put an end to the mess in Ukraine, which was started by the previous US administration, and to put an end to the multibillion-dollar Ukrainian aid scheme just as Elon Musk tries to optimize US government spending.

Losada also points out the insignificance of Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelensky in this whole situation, noting that the latter did not even participate in the recent US-Ukrainian talks in Saudi Arabia.

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💸 France mulls stealing frozen Russian assets

President Emmanuel Macron has tasked Finance Minister Eric Lombard with investigating the potential consequences of confiscating frozen Russian assets, according to government spokeswoman Sophie Primas.

"The issue is what the systemic effects on the economy are," she told Sud Radio.

While she clarified that the government doesn't support full seizure, she admitted to having no issues with taking the interest generated by these assets.

Moscow has warned that any such move would be considered theft, regardless of it's supposed justification.

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⚡️Trump's Special Envoy Witkoff making way to Moscow this week to "urge" Russia to agree to ceasefire, the White House said.

It’s not clear yet whether Vladimir Putin will meet with him.

Earlier, it was reported that US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart on a Ukraine peace settlement.

Putin previously stated that the goal of resolving the conflict in Ukraine should be long-term peace, not a brief ceasefire. As the Russian president noted, a ceasefire could give the Kiev regime the opportunity to focus on preparing and strengthening its forces.

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📹 Trump: EU treats US ‘very badly’

US President Donald Trump again accused the European Union of unfair treatment during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin.

In January, Trump also called out the EU at the World Economic Forum in Davos, stating, "From America’s standpoint, the EU treats us very unfairly."

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⚡️Vladimir Putin on Wednesday held a meeting at one of the command points of the Kursk group of forces, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

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🔊LIVE NOW: Vladimir Putin visits command point in Russia's Kursk region

👉 Watch live in our Telegram

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📹 Putin visited the Kursk region, which had suffered from an attack by Ukrainian forces. He was dressed in camouflage.

Putin also received a report from Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov:

▪️Russian troops have liberated over 1,100 square kilometers in the Kursk border area.

▪️Gerasimov reported that the Ukrainian forces have lost over 67,000 soldiers in the Kursk border region.

▪️86% of the region, previously occupied by Ukrainian forces, has been liberated.

▪️ Ukrainian forces also lost more than 7,000 pieces of equipment during their incursion.

▪️Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region are surrounded, isolated, and being systematically destroyed, Gerasimov reported to Putin.

▪️According to the chief of the General Staff, Russian troops continue to liberate the Russian region with the goal of reaching the state border in the shortest possible time.

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❗️Ukraine wanted to create a foothold in the Kursk region and use the situation as a bargaining chip, Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to Putin.

Plans of the Kiev regime in the Russian region have failed.

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❗️Our task is to DEFEAT the enemy entrenched in the Kursk region in the SHORTEST possible time - Putin

Vladimir Putin instructed to "give special thought" to the creation of a security zone along the Russian-Ukrainian border.

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⚡️Prisoners taken in the Kursk region should be treated as TERRORISTS - Putin

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❗️Putin reminded that foreign mercenaries are not covered by the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War.

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🔎 Trump’s tariffs reportedly helping US-based foreign steelmakers

Donald Trump’s 25% steel import tariffs have led to a sharp rise in US steel prices, which favors American producers like Nucor and US Steel.

Surprisingly, foreign steelmakers with a strong presence in the US market have also profited from this situation. Namely, the Australian BlueScope and Japanese Yamato Kogyo, as reported by the Financial Times.

Despite the short-term benefits for US manufacturers, experts claim that higher production costs could fuel inflation since steel is critical in the automotive industry.

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