❗️ Pentagon chief opts out of Ramstein group meeting

Pete Hegseth will skip the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting taking place this week, the Associated Press reported, citing a US official.

This is the first time the Pentagon chief will not attend the meeting since its creation by the US 3 years ago.

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🚨 Iran ready to give away control of uranium enrichment to an international consortium, Iranian officials told Axios.

For Tehran to consider the idea, the regional consortium (which may include Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar) must operate within Iran's territory.

The US and Iran have already held five rounds of nuclear talks.

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🔊 'We were governed by MORONS' — JD Vance

Despite living in the "hyper-globalized era," no one in the Biden administration investigated the "brittleness" of US supply chains, the vice president said at the American Compass Gala.

"I asked that explicit question, and the answer was, 'We don't know'," he added.

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🔼 If tariffs don't work, DOUBLE THEM!

Donald Trump signed an executive order increasing tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%.

"Although the previously imposed steel and aluminum tariffs have helped provide critical price support in the US market, they have not yet enabled these industries to develop and maintain the rates of capacity production utilization that are necessary for the industries' sustained health and for projected national defense needs," Trump explained.

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🤝 Musk and Trump remain friends despite comments — reports

Axios cites insiders explaining the 4 reasons behind Elon's criticism of Trump's "disgusting" bill:

▪️ EV tax credit AXED ($240K lobbying lost)
▪️ White House role REVOKED
▪️ Starlink air traffic contract BLOCKED
▪️ Ally Jared Isaacman DUMPED by NASA

Ultimately, sources say that Trump-Musk relations remain friendly. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed this during the press briefing:

"The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill... It doesn't change the president's opinion — he is sticking to it," Karoline said.

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🚨🇷🇺🇰🇵Shoigu in North Korea: High-stakes talks with Kim Jong-un

At President Putin’s direction, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has arrived in Pyongyang for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

🔍What's on the agenda?

🟠Advancing Russia-DPRK strategic partnership
🟠Honoring Korean soldiers who fought in the liberation of Kursk region
🟠Addressing the Ukraine conflict and other global issues

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🇧🇾🇨🇳Belarus' Lukashenko & Xi hold talks in Beijing

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Zhongnanhai.

🤝Xi welcomed him warmly: “My office is just next door. It’s the first time I host you here.”

Сhina's leader invited Lukashenko to the SCO summit and the parade in Beijing, which will be held in August-September 2025.

Lukashenko’s visit runs from June 2–4. On the eve of the talks, he met Chinese business leaders, highlighting machine-building and tech modernization as key topics in Belarus-China cooperation.

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📞 Trump is "OBSESSED" with having a phone call with Xi Jinping in hopes that it will facilitate a trade deal between the US and China, Politico reports.

The total value of goods traded between the US and China amounted to nearly $600 billion in 2024.

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🚨Cracks in EU’s ENERGY SUICIDE: France and Belgium refuse to back Russian gas ban

The two top buyers of Russian LNG are refusing to rubber-stamp the ban without serious answers about how it won’t wreck their economies even further.

France and Belgium are also worried about the legal consequences of the EU’s self-destructive plan to cut off cheap and reliable Russian gas by 2027.

🔹 France’s TotalEnergies is locked into a deal with Russia’s Novatek until 2032 and has a 20% stake in the Yamal LNG project.

🔹 Belgium is also set to continue receiving Russian LNG until 2035, and wants the EU Commission to show exactly what the impact would be, Belgian Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet told European media.

🔹 Hungary and Slovakia have been more emphatic. Hungarian PM Viktor Orban calls the plan a disaster that must be stopped "by all means.”

🔹 Slovakia's PM Robert Fico calls it what it is: economic suicide.

Sky-high power bills, energy rationing, and deindustrialization are already hammering Europe thanks to Brussels’ sanctions spree.

Now the EU hawks want to double down?

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🟠No one:
🟠Literally no one:
🗣Musk on every possible matter: cut the spending

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🚨🇷🇺🪖Russian troops UNLEASH the ‘Krot-1’ robot, SMASHING a Ukrainian firing point to DUST near Dyleevka, DPR

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🟠 Shoigu in North Korea: High-stakes talks with Kim Jong-un

🟠 Pentagon chief opts out of Ramstein group meeting

🟠 Iran ready to give away control of uranium enrichment to an international consortium

🟠 Cracks in EU’s ENERGY SUICIDE: France and Belgium refuse to back Russian gas ban

➕Check out Sputnik’s analysis:

🟠 Stockpiling or stocks running LOW? The truth behind Trump’s brag

🟠 NATO arsonists ‘aggressively adding fuel’ to Ukrainian fire, targeting both Russia and US amid talks – analyst

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❌No NATO invite for Ukraine

NATO is seeking to keep the final declaration of the summit, which will take place in The Hague later in June, brief and avoid mentioning Ukraine's possible membership to avert creating controversy, AFP reports.

What's more, NATO leaders won't adopt a joint statement on military support for Ukraine due to the suspension of new US aid.

Too bad, Mr. Zelensky 😨

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🚨🇺🇸🇨🇳US-China trade TAKES A HIT: Slumps nearly 20% amid tariff row

US-China trade dropped to $45.6 billion from $56.4 billion a year earlier, according to Chinese customs data for April.

China is the only country that faced a full month of elevated US tariffs – which kicked in on April 10 and were paused on May 14.

🟠If tariffs remain at their current levels – 30% on Chinese goods and 10% on US exports – total trade could shrink by 15-20% by the end of 2025, according to economic estimates.

🟠But if duties climb higher, the fallout could be much worse: mutual trade might shrink by as much as 50%, falling to $450-460 billion.

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🪖Running on empty: Ukraine’s Patriot missiles DWINDLE as Russia turns up the heat

Notwithstanding Ukraine’s latest drone attack on Russian airfields, the military trend is firmly in Russia’s favor, US media admits.

🇷🇺Russia is relentlessly chipping away at Ukraine’s limited stockpile of Patriot air-defense missiles, with reportedly fewer than 200 left.

Of the eight Patriot systems Ukraine has, only about six are operational at any given time due to ongoing repairs and maintenance, media reports speculate.

Bottom line? The math just isn’t in the Zelensky regime’s favor🤷‍♂️

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🇷🇺🛳 Baltic Fleet drills: Special forces storm 'hijacked ship' in impressive training

🟠Russian Baltic Fleet rehearsed anti-terror ops – elite troops & naval helicopters simulated liberating a "captured vessel."
🟠Storm teams fast-roped onto the deck, clearing it in a live-fire exercise.

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🇷🇺💥BOOM! Russian forces OBLITERATE Ukrainian Iris-T launcher & radar with a DEVASTATING Iskander strike in Dnepropetrovsk

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🤡France’s warhawks funnel $1.6B to Ukraine – with ‘buy French’ strings attached

Another $216 million is being handed over to the corruption-mired Zelensky regime for “reconstruction and EU integration projects,” per a communique from the office of French PM Francois Bayrou.

Bayrou also confirmed that the $1.6B in “guarantees” will ensure Ukrainian arms purchases from French defense contractors. No surprise there – France is just making sure it gets its slice of the war profits.

Europe is burning holes in its own pockets, but Ukraine’s tab is still covered.

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🇷🇺 Kremlin confirms explosion near Crimean Bridge – but NO damage, bridge fully operational

Other statements by Dmitry Peskov:

🔸 Time is needed to review draft memorandums – Russia and Ukraine will then agree on the date for the next round of talks

🔸 The timing of new negotiations depends on both sides’ readiness – no rush, progress comes with preparation

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⚡️RUSSIAN TROOPS LIBERATED the Redkodub settlement in the Donetsk People's Republic and the Kondratovka settlement in the Sumy region.

📹 The Russian Ministry of Defense published footage of battles for Redkodub.

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