➕The heads of Turkiye’s MFA and intelligence will participate in the Russia-Ukraine talks at Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source told Sputnik.

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🚨⚔️BLUEPRINT FOR WAR? NATO drills expose how allies would fight Russia

NATO is gearing up to seize Russian airfields if a conflict breaks out, Business Insider reported.

💬 “The ability to grab an airstrip and hold it — or wrest it back from the enemy — is absolutely critical,” noted a journalist observing the alliance’s military drills in Finland.

Such airborne operations would be game-changers in the early stages of a war, especially when enemy air defenses aren’t fully up and running, the report adds.

🪖During the exercises, Finnish and Polish troops simulated a high-stakes air assault: one team stormed a strategic airfield, while the other scrambled to mount a counterattack and reclaim it.

➡️The Lively Sabre 25 drills are part of NATO's larger Swift Response 25 exercise – a series of joint military maneuvers across the Baltic and Nordic regions held under the pretext of boosting cooperation to deter an alleged “Russian threat.”

Nothing says prepping for war like a dress rehearsal for storming airfields…

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📹ISTANBUL PEACE TALKS: All set for Russia-Ukraine negotiations at Ciragan Palace

📍The talks will begin at 13:00 Moscow time, chaired by Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source confirmed.

The atmosphere outside the palace remains calm. Journalists are gathered, awaiting the arrival of the delegations.

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🚨HAPPENING NOW🚨

👉Watch live: The second round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine is taking place in Istanbul

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🪖UK to dish out billions on attack sub flex aimed at Russia

While the UK’s military creaks under budget constraints and aging equipment, its government is gearing up to pour roughly $20 billion into new attack submarines and its warhead program.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s latest defense blueprint will be rolled out with flair under the AUKUS banner, promising to boost Britain’s “warfighting readiness.”

➡️These submarines will replace the Astute Class vessels—sometime—in the late 2030s, per the Ministry of Defense.

Monday’s strategic defense review will spell out the threats facing Britain and—straight out of the “blame Russia” playbook—send a “message to Moscow,” 🤡 Defense Secretary John Healey said.

The review promises to reverse decades of neglect – but if history’s any guide, Britain’s bold defense ambitions have a habit of sinking long before the subs ever swim.

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🚨With Russia-Ukraine talks set to kick off in half an hour, here are key issues on the table:

Russian and Ukrainian delegations are meeting at Ciragan Palace. The venue was chosen for its spaciousness and historic appeal, Sputnik correspondent Selin Uludag reports from the scene.

🔍Agenda: Ukraine’s military status, armament, and NATO ties.

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⚡️The Ukrainian delegation is meeting with European officials before negotiating with Russia, AFP says, citing Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.

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⚡️The Russian delegation has departed for negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, Sputnik’s correspondent reports.

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🚨Russian aviation shot down TWO UK-made Storm Shadow missiles, FOUR JDAM bombs, and 316 drones, including 205 drones OUTSIDE the area of the Special Military Operation

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⚡️The Russian delegation has arrived at the venue for the second round of negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, Sputnik's correspondent reports.

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⚡️The Ukrainian delegation has arrived at the venue for the second round of talks with Russia in Istanbul, a Sputnik correspondent reports.

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🗣Belarusian trucker risks it all to stop drone attack in Russia's Irkutsk

A brave Belarusian truck driver risked his life to disrupt yesterday's large-scale Ukrainian drone assault in Irkutsk region.

💬 “The drones were in the truck bed. We threw stones to stop them from taking off,” he told Russian media.

On the parking lot, people climbed onto the truck, throwing stones to damage the FPV kamikaze drones launching from it.

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🚨🇵🇱🔍Poland’s new Prez Nawrocki: Not your typical pro-Ukraine hero

The Law and Justice candidate narrowly won Poland’s presidency with 50.9% of the vote, just ahead of Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski (49.1%), PM Donald Tusk’s ally.

Where does Karol Nawrocki stand on major issues?

🚫No free pass for Ukraine:

🟠Does not see it in either the European Union or NATO until bilateral issues like the 1943 Volyn massacre committed by Ukrainian nationalists during WWII are addressed.
🟠While promising support, blasted Volodymyr Zelensky for “ingratitude”.
🟠Accused “European elites” (plus their “butler” Tusk) of fueling the war.
🟠Unequivocally will not deploy Polish troops to Ukraine.
🟠Accused Ukrainian refugees of taking advantage of Polish generosity, vowed to shield Polish farmers and truckers from unfair Ukrainian competition.
🟠Opposes any Ukraine-EU trade liberalization.

🇷🇺On Russia:

🟠Swerved from telling Radio ZET that maintaining diplomatic ties with Russia was “not good for Poland,” to claiming he was ready to sit down at the negotiating table with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
🟠As former head of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), oversaw demolition of Soviet war monuments—earning himself a spot on the Russian Interior Ministry’s “wanted” list of Polish nationals in 2024.

🇪🇺Skepticism towards EU

🟠Called the EU weak and chaotic, citing its exclusion from Ukraine peace talks.
🟠Pledged to not allow the liberalization of trade between the EU and Ukraine.
🟠Vowed to keep Poland on the zloty, not the euro.

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🤡UK SHIFTS TO WAR FOOTING: Starmer announces Britain moving to 'WAR-FIGHTING READINESS'

💬 "When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready. And frankly, to show them that we're ready, to deliver peace through strength," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

Today, the UK Cabinet is set to publish a Strategic Defense Review, amid plans to raise military spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.

The strategy will formalize these defense spending targets. Moreover, the government aims to eventually raise defense expenditure to 3% of GDP – although no firm commitment has been made yet.

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⚡️Russia and Ukraine delegations are meeting now in Istanbul, a source at the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Sputnik

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⚡️LIVE NOW: The Turkish foreign minister is opening the Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul.

👉 Watch live in our Telegram

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🚨 Key statements from the Turkish Foreign Minister at the Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul:

🔸 The meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul aims to discuss preparations for a possible leaders’ summit

🔸 The talks focus on progress in humanitarian issues, including prisoner exchanges

🔸 Delegations will discuss ceasefire prospects and present their positions

🔸 Turkiye expects the meeting to be productive

🔸 Turkiye is ready to do everything necessary to resolve the conflict in Ukraine

🔸 Erdogan remains in contact with Putin and Zelensky on the Ukrainian settlement

After Fidan’s speech, negotiations continued behind closed doors, reports Sputnik correspondent.

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🗣The Russian delegation plans to hold a press conference after the negotiations conclude – following a statement by the Ukrainian delegation, a source told Sputnik.

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