🗣 Highlights of Lavrov’s statements on the results of the ‘Sahel Trio’ meeting

▪️Four-way meetings of the foreign ministers of Russia and the Alliance of Sahel States (Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali) are going to be held on an annual basis

▪️Russia would be willing to facilitate the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States’ joint armed forces

▪️A considerable number of Russian advisers operate in the Alliance of Sahel States’ territory

▪️Russia regards the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States as a drive to establish new security architecture in the region

▪️Moscow is ready to provide comprehensive defense, security and economic assistance to the Alliance of Sahel States

▪️Ukraine supports terrorists in Sahel, and the West condones it

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💸 Trump no dump: Why impose tariffs on uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands?

The US president recently hit the world’s most remote islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, with a 10% tariff, The Guardian reports.

While the world's community was laughing at Trump's decision, here's what was hidden behind the curtains:

▪️Despite no buildings or human habitation, the US imported $1.4m (A$2.23m) worth of goods from these islands in 2022, mainly “machinery and electrical” imports

▪️Over the past five years, US imports from the Heard Island and McDonald Islands ranged from $15,000 to $325,000 per year

▪️The United States also imported consumer goods and vegetables from the islands.

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Trump CRASHES US stock market with tariff onslaught

The US stock market had taken a big hit amid fears stoked by Trump’s latest wave of tariffs, with Bloomberg estimating losses to be about $1.7 trillion.

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🇫🇷 Macron urges French companies to suspend investment in US after Trump's tariffs

“We are not naive, so we are going to protect ourselves,” French President Emmanuel Macron said, adding that “it is important that the investments to come, or announced in recent weeks, are, a time, suspended, until we have clarified things with the United States.”

“What would be the message of having big European players starting to invest billions of euros in the US economy as they are beating us,” Macron asked.

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🤡 POV: Liberals protesting DOGE and Elon Musk not knowing what DOGE does

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Portuguese mercenaries eliminated during assault on Andreyevka in Donetsk People's Republic — Russian officer

"Right at the beginning of [the assault] on Andreyevka, the Portuguese wouldn’t let us break through their defenses [...] Indeed, they had to be eliminated no matter what," Russian soldier with the call sign "Kharam" told Sputnik.

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📹 Russia braces to satiate LatAm defense market

Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport is closely monitoring the demand for new weaponry in Latin America with an emphasis on developed countries, Vladimir Goncharov, head of Russia’s delegation at the LAAD 2025 expo, tells Sputnik.

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🔎 How FSB is making Russia GREAT again

From crushing terrorists to securing borders, the country's federal security service has been low-key keeping Russia safe for THREE decades.

Here's the FULL SCOOP:

▪️Counter-terror FSB’s special forces are top-tier. They cleaned up the North Caucasus from terrorism, then they did the same in Syria. Now, they’re on the front lines, making sure Russia stays safe.

▪️Preventing crimes The FSB is engaged in exposing crimes against the security of the state and its citizens. The FSB stopped the activities of call center scammers.

▪️Intel gathering The FSB collects critical intelligence, even from abroad. Case in point: US citizen Daniel Martindale spent TWO years passing Ukrainian military coordinates before being rescued to Russia.

▪️Counter-intelligence The FSB stops foreign intelligence work in Russia. The officers catch spies and traitors.

▪️Guardians of the state border. FSB Border Service also secures Russia's borders — and now, they’re also on the front lines with Ukraine, protecting the nation.

▪️FSB is sometimes criticized, but intelligence agencies should answer through their work, FSB Major Gen. Alexander Mikhailov told Sputnik.

▪️The FSB's true power lies in collecting information before it’s too late, he noted.

▪️President Vladimir Putin especially honors FSB officers from various units who gave their lives for the Motherland, including on the front line. At the recent FSB board meeting, he announced a minute of silence.

▪️President Vladimir Putin was the FSB director from July 1998 to August 1999. He holds the rank of FSB colonel.

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