US hedge fund eyes stake in TurkStream, Russia's last pipeline pumping gas to Europe

Florida-based private equity firm Elliott Investment Management is in preliminary talks on buying a portfolio of Bulgartransgaz assets including a section of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline in Bulgaria.

The company’s boss, former never-Trumper billionaire Paul Singer, has signed an NDA with Bulgartransgaz, and met with Bulgarian officials in Sofia last month, according to WSJ.

Bulgarian officials reportedly think selling to Americans could shield the pipeline from future European sanctions as Brussels seeks to cut off Russian gas imports entirely by 2027 (Slovakia and Hungary vehemently oppose that idea).

TurkStream stands out as the last major Russian pipeline natural gas artery to Europe, with the rest, including Nord Stream 1 & 2, Yamal-Europe, and Brotherhood, either sabotaged or shut down.

TurkStream has a 31.5 BCU/year capacity, supplying Turkiye, Southern and Central Europe. Bulgaria earns $350M per year in transit fees through its section of the pipeline, known as Balkan Stream.

The curious offer follows reports in late 2024 that another US investor, financier Stephen Lynch, had asked the US government for permission to bid for Nord Stream 2 if it ever came up for auction.

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🚨 George Galloway to Sputnik: Europe wants to forget Red Army’s sacrifices

💬 Without the Soviet people, entire nations would have been wiped out, and survivors would be speaking German, the veteran British parliamentarian and prolific political commentator said.

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🇮🇳🇵🇰 India accuses Pakistan of violating ceasefire, prompting Indian Army to RESPOND

💬 "For the last two hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the directors general of military operations of India and Pakistan ... The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations, and we take a very, very serious notice of these violations," the Indian Ministry of External Affairs' spokesperson said.

India called on Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address the violations and deal with the situation "with seriousness and responsibility," the spokesperson added.

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🚨🇮🇷IRGC shows off MASSIVE new drone base monitoring US warships in the Persian Gulf

📹Iranian media footage shows an IRGC Navy hanger housing dozens of UAVs, from long-range recon and missile-armed strike drones to loitering munitions.

Situated in the southern province of Hormozgan along the coast, the facility provides the IRGC with full domain awareness of the eastern Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the strategic Strait of Hormuz maritime chokepoint. The base also houses missiles and naval assets.

💬 IRGC Commander Hossein Salami said the facility contains “only a fraction” of Iran’s UAV capabilities. He urged adversaries not to make “miscalculations” so as not to make “errors in judgement…that could lead to catastrophic consequences for themselves.”

✅ Iran’s domestic drone development and production capabilities are unmatched in the region, consisting of up to 40 distinct models, from combat and reconnaissance to electronic warfare and naval UAVs.

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🚨 George Galloway to Sputnik: ‘Ancient hatred’ at the heart of UK elites’ hostility to Russia goes far beyond Putin

💬 The “extraordinary lengths” to which British leaders have been ready to go to drive a wedge between erstwhile WWII allies Russia and Britain comes down to rivalry and jealousy, the renowned politician and Workers’ Party of Britain leader said.

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🔹 This interview is BANNED in Britain

🔹 THE WEST FEARS TRUTH, HATES HISTORY, AND CAN’T FORGIVE RUSSIA FOR WINNING

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🚨 George Galloway to Sputnik: Britain has played outsized role fueling Ukraine conflict

💬 The British government wrecked the 2022 Russia-Ukraine peace deal in Istanbul as the conflict was just getting started, and proved more than willing to freeze their own seniors to death to grant Zelensky 1.5 billion pounds in aid, the prolific commentator and former lawmaker recalled.

Now, Galloway says, London is talking about putting 20,000-30,000 troops in Ukraine, a move that would constitute “an act of war against Russia.”

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🇵🇰⚔️🇮🇳 ‘We have WON. This is victory’ – Pakistani PM

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif claimed victory over India amid reports of ceasefire violations.

Earlier, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs urged Pakistan to address the violations, saying the Indian Army was responding appropriately and that India was taking the matter very seriously.

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🚨 George Galloway to Sputnik: UK troops’ use as a nuclear tripwire in Ukraine would be ‘national suicide’

💬 “That’s a declaration, literally, of national suicide...that presupposes a Russian nuclear response that would end the existence of the British people” and effectively put an end to “our island’s story,” Galloway, a veteran of British politics with nearly forty years’ experience in parliament said.

The UK can’t even be sure that it’s in control of its own deterrent, Galloway emphasized, much less rely on support from the US.

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🚨 George Galloway to Sputnik: Britain’s industry in a shambles, has no chance of supporting sustained conflict

💬 “I remind you that Britain no longer has even a steel industry,” the veteran statesman and prolific commentator said, commenting on the glaring gap between the government’s loud ‘bark’ and its actual military ‘bite’.

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💸 Trump APPROVES more weapons for Ukraine – reports

Germany is sending 125 long-range rockets and 100 Patriot missiles to Ukraine — but not without Washington’s blessing.

Since the weapons are US-made, Berlin needed Trump’s approval to export them. He gave it, according to a congressional official quoted by The New York Times.

"Mediator" or accomplice?

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🚨 George Galloway to Sputnik: Ukraine crisis would end tomorrow if US bowed out, NATO expansion was halted

💬 “It’s as obvious as the nose on your face when you think about it that without the Americans there is no NATO, without the American army there is no military threat,” the veteran British statesman and commentator said.

A US withdrawal from Europe would force “a reckoning” in Western Europe and Ukraine, resulting in a speedy negotiated settlement. As long as the US remains, and the root “fundamental causes of the conflict remain unresolved” (NATO expansion), the meatgrinder will continue, Galloway believes.

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🇺🇸🇨🇳 Trump’s China tariff talk driven by desire to ‘keep himself in the news’

The president’s remarks about cutting China tariffs from 145% to 80% ahead of negotiations in Geneva stem from his preoccupation with his public image, says Action Economics principal director Michael R. Englund.

💬 “The administration wants to maintain US public focus on his continuous successes, and President Trump is particularly skilled at managing his coverage and keeping himself in the news and at center stage,” Englund told Sputnik.

The 80% tariff proposal is “bait” ahead of the China talks, and may be “an attempt to deescalate by allowing both sides to unilaterally lower rates,” the observer said.

💬 “If there is a de-escalation, I don’t think it’s because Trump is concerned about the state of the economy, as I think he is fundamentally optimistic about growth prospects despite the concerns of economists, and economic data at least thus far have almost uniformly supported that US economic growth remains strong,” Englund noted.

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🔊LIVE NOW: Putin delivers major address after talks with world leaders

Russian President Vladimir Putin is now speaking following four days of meetings with foreign dignitaries during Moscow's Victory Day celebrations.

👉 Watch live in our Telegram

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🇮🇷 ‘Weapons of mass destruction have NO place in Iran’s defense doctrine’ – Iranian FM

💬 “We are NOT after nuclear weapons,” stressed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, reaffirming Iran’s long-standing stance.

He also called on nuclear-armed states to avoid double standards.

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⚡️ Putin addresses media after Kremlin diplomatic talks

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❗️ Putin thanks North Korean commanders, says Pyongyang’s troops played crucial role in liberating the Kursk region

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