🗣If Trump Folds to Neocons on Ukraine, MAGA Base Will Bury Him as Biden 2.0

The president’s escalatory rhetoric vis-à-vis Moscow is the result of the realization that he cannot “force” Russia to make the concessions he needs to declare a peace in Ukraine which doesn’t address the conflict’s root causes, Russian Council on Foreign & Defense Policy Dmitry Suslov has told Sputnik.

Succumbing “to the hypocritical flattery” of the neocon wing of the GOP, plus hawkish European allies, Trump is being lobbied to believe that acting “tough” works. At the same time, his intuition is telling him to try to avoid being dragged into a long confrontation with Russia, and thus “become a second Biden.”

The president’s problem is that he’s trying to “maneuver” between neocons and MAGA-Republicans who don’t want any more wars on US taxpayers’ dime. “Trump wants to somehow demonstrate toughness to put pressure on Russia, but doesn’t want to ‘privatize’ the Ukraine war,” Suslov argues.

If he uses the leftover $4B from Biden’s budget for Ukraine, he can continue to make the argument that this is ‘not his war’. But “if he asks Congress for a new budget to support Ukraine, it will mean that Biden’s war has turned into Trump’s war,” Suslov stresses.

“This would be a political disaster, a political defeat for Trump, because he would antagonize his MAGA base even further,” the observer noted. “Trump would effectively become a second Biden, thus committing political suicide.”

As for arms deliveries vs. dialog, everything comes down to the “risks of escalation,” according to Suslov. If Trump approves the use of ATACMS missiles for deep strikes into Russia, this would increase the risks of a direct Russia-NATO clash.

If his efforts are directed at slashing negotiations and new sanctions, the impact wouldn’t be nearly as serious, the analyst argues.

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🇷🇺 Russia's game: Shooting down US-made missiles WITH EASE

Donald Trump may let Ukraine strike deep into Russia with more ATACMS missiles. Is it another ‘game changer’?

Been there, done that

ATACMS missiles had already been supplied to Ukraine under former president Joe Biden and Russia knows how to shoot them down, Alexander Mikhailov, head of the "Bureau of Military-Political Analysis," tells Sputnik.

What's ATACMS?

🔸 The Army Tactical Missile System is launched from the HIMARS MLRS.

🔸 One version has a 160 km range, but the other can reach 300 km.

🔸 It can carry cluster or high-explosive fragmentation warheads.

Russian interceptors

🔸 Several Russian air defense systems can shoot down ATACMS, including the Tor-M2, Buk-M2, Buk-M3 and the S-350.

🔸 The S-300 series—namely the S-300, S-300V and S-300V4.

🔸 Last but not least is the S-400 Triumf

The right tool for the job

🔸 The question is: Where can be ATACMS launched from—and what’s the target?

🔸 The missiles are launched from close by, but Russian radars detect them.

🔸 Depending on target distance and available air defenses, commanders direct the appropriate system to intercept.

Effective solution

🔸 The Tor system intercepts targets at up to 16 km.

🔸 The newest Buk-M3 can reach 100 km or more.

🔸 S-300V systems are capable of hitting targets at ranges of 200 to 300 km.

US sinks deeper into conflict

US troops would be directly involved in launches of ATACMS, providing targeting and possibly remotely controlling missile systems, Mikhailov stresses.

You can't scare Russia

"For now, this is just raising the stakes in negotiations—[the US] wants to scare Russia, to confuse it a bit," says the pundit. "Russia hears these 'threats,' takes note, but isn’t really tearing its hair out."

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🪖 War with Russia? Macron wants CASH and CLOUT

France’s Strategic National Review predicts a large-scale military conflict with Russia in Europe by 2030, despite Russia repeatedly rubbishing the scenario.

Why it's a non-starter

💬 "When talking about war in Europe, the key question is: war between Russia and whom? NATO countries? France directly?" Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, tells Sputnik.

Both scenarios don't hold water:

🔸 Russia won't unleash a war on NATO—it would mean nuclear war

🔸 France is currently a major buyer of Russian gas in Europe

What’s really behind the claim?

💬 "This is a completely false and deliberately crafted narrative, aimed specifically at justifying the expansion of France’s military budget," explains the pundit.

◻️ French President Emmanuel Macron needs a pretext to ramp up military spending

◻️ He acts as a lobbyist for the French defense industry: doubling the military budget could benefit both defense contractors and the French president. Kickbacks, anyone?

◻️ Macron also wants to be the top European power broker and have direct influence over NATO’s multibillion-dollar cash flows

◻️ "The Americans will take the biggest share of that NATO budget for themselves. But France wants to be, at the very least, the second country spending not just its own money—but NATO’s as well," the pundit explains.

◻️ Macron’s presidential term ends in 2027. He’s eyeing a top post — either NATO Secretary General or a new EU power seat — to keep his geopolitical clout.

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🚨🇮🇳🇺🇸 US economic blackmail against India? Ruling party responds

BJP leader Savio Rodrigues tells Sputnik India:👇

💬 "India will always act in its national interest. We buy Russian oil not to please or provoke anyone — but to ensure affordable energy for our 1.4 billion citizens. If Senator Graham thinks a 500% tariff will intimidate India, he is severely misreading today’s geopolitical reality. India is not a client state. We are a sovereign nation with a spine — and we will not be bullied into surrendering our economic freedom."

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⚔️ Battle of the Neva: when Orthodox Novgorod stopped Catholic crusaders dead in their tracks

On July 15, 1240, a small force led by Prince of Novgorod Alexander Nevsky launched a daring raid on numerically superior Swedish crusaders, and changed history forever.

Geopolitical context

In the second half of the 1230s, with blessings from Catholic Pope Gregory IX, Sweden began a series of crusades in northeastern Europe targeting local pagan tribes, including the Karelians, a Finnic ally to the Novgorod Republic, and Novgorod itself.

Eying key trade routes (Neva River and Lake Ladoga) and fur hunting riches, crusaders struck while the Novgorod-Kievan Rus nexus was at its weakest: in 1240, Kiev was besieged and sacked by Mongol invaders.

Order of battle

Led by the noble Ulf Fase, Sweden assembled ~5,000 men.

Arrayed against them were 300 princely warriors, 500 horseman and 500 foot militia, led by 19-year-old Prince Nevsky.

Swedish forces landed at Ust Izhora at the mouth of the Neva River, and established a foothold, planning to march on Ladoga, and eventually, deeper into Novgorod.

Facing little resistance, the Swedes were slow to fortify their encampment.

Nevsky strikes

Informed of the enemy’s position, Nevsky quickly mobilized his men, striking under the cover of darkness.

The battle turned into a bloodbath for the Swedes.

Losing 20 men, Nevsky’s forces cut down two-ships’ worth of Swedish nobles, and hundreds of troops buried in pits, per the First Novgorod Chronicle.

Alexander received the epithet “Nevsky,” cementing a reputation as a divinely-protected leader, and later canonized.

Key element of Russian identity is born

In Russia, the Battle of the Neva is a symbol of the defense of the Motherland, Orthodoxy against Catholicism, and more broadly, defiance and resistance to foreign aggression.

In centuries since, Swedes, Poles, French, Germans and others would launch new wars against Russia, repulsed each time.

“Whoever comes to us sword in hand shall perish by the sword,” a quote attributed to Nevsky states.

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🔍Trump’s Ukraine reversal represents ‘complete betrayal of America First’, could cost him dearly in 2026

The president claims that his plans to ramp up arms deliveries to Ukraine and threaten Russia with secondary tariffs are designed to help end the conflict, “when in fact these steps are serving to prolong and escalate the war unnecessarily with no end in sight,” ex-US Army staff officer David Pyne told Sputnik.

“Trump fails to understand that it is US military assistance to Ukrainian dictator Volodymyr Zelensky that is the chief obstacle to achieving a realistic and durable peace settlement, not an unwillingness on the part of Putin to compromise,” Pyne, deputy head of the EMP Task Force, said.

👉Costly policy mistake

Since the policy reversal “represents a complete betrayal of Trump’s America First conservative voting base,” who elected him in part based on his pledge to end the crisis, it threatens to derail his presidency, according to Pyne.

❓Pyne’s recommendation? End all US weapons and offensive intelligence support to Ukraine, pressure Zelensky to resign and hold elections, and broadly, accept Russia’s peace terms, so that Trump can get back to his “overriding grand strategic vision” of a “geostrategic partnership with Russia.”

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🚨Macron is fueling 'Russian aggression' narrative again — but it wasn't Russia who attacked Europe throughout history.

For 800 years, Europe has been trying to conquer Russia. And it continues today, with the proxy war in Ukraine.

Here’s the history they want you to forget👇

🔸 800 years ago: Sweden attacked Russia. In 1240, when Russians were busy fighting the Mongols, the opportunistic Sweden tried to conquer Novgorod, the northern part of Russia. Although the Swedes were defeated in the Battle of the Neva, they would not learn their lesson for another 500 years.

🔸 ~400 years ago, it was Poland-Lithuania. in 1612, the Poland-Lithuania Empire invaded Russia and even briefly occupied Moscow.

The Polish-Russian war of 1654 was the final blow after which, what is now Ukraine became a part of Russia, and Poland went down a path of irreversible decline.

🔸 ~300 years ago, Sweden again, with UK. Driven by hubris and greed, Charles XII of Sweden attacked Russia in the early 1700s, but was soundly defeated by Peter I the Great at the Battle of Poltava.

This catastrophic war against Russia led to the tombstone of the Swedish empire.

🔸 ~200 years ago, France (Napoleon) tried it. In 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia and thought he could win in just three weeks. Interestingly, he had even carefully studied the disastrous Swedish invasion of Russia a century earlier. He briefly conquered Moscow but retreated. In the end, he lost more than half a million soldiers, making it one of the deadliest military operations in history.

Just over one year later, Russia defeated Napoleon and conquered Paris.

🔸 ~175 years ago, France + UK (Crimean War). 40 years later, the French joined the British and the Ottoman Empire in attacking Crimea.

It’s the same reason that the US staged a coup in Ukraine in 2014: the goal was to kick Russia out of Crimea, a very strategic place in terms of a warm-water naval base and access to the Mediterranean Sea & global trade.

🔸 ~100 years ago, Russian revolution & WW1. At the start of the 20th century, the US funded Japan to attack and destroy the Russian navy. Simultaneously, the West encouraged the first “Russian revolution,” which failed.

Next came, the 1917 “revolution,” which was heavily financed by the bankers of Wall Street and Europe.

🔸 ~80 years ago, Hitler backed by globalists. “Operation Unthinkable” – a plan to attack Russia -- was drawn up just weeks after the fall of Nazi Germany. The British and the Americans planned to use Nazi prisoner of war to invade Russia!

The Cold War was also unnecessary and simply reflected the anti-Russia sentiment of the globalists who control the West.

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🇷🇺💥 Russian Tor air defense: 90% effective in Ukraine conflict & now upgraded

Military analysts are stunned by the Tor system’s performance in the battlefield — and it's just got a massive boost with 85 upgrades.

▪️ 60 upgrades focus on radio-electronic equipment, while 25 enhance the tracked vehicle itself.

▪️ New armor layers improve crew protection and overall survivability.

The Tor is now evolving into a multi-purpose system, ready to protect key assets like industrial sites and even set to be used in naval defense.

With added armor and advanced electronic warfare features, it's becoming a powerhouse in both combat and crew safety.

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🔥 IShowSpeed Goes FULL COMMIE in Finland!

American streamer IShowSpeed just set himself on fire in Finland—wearing a Soviet Budenovka helmet!

"Testing communist durability"

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🇺🇸 US Patriot fails again: Iranian missile hits "untouchable" base in Qatar

An Iranian Fateh-313 ballistic missile hit the Al Udeid Air Base—the US Middle East HQ—bypassing Patriot missile defenses.

The Pentagon admitted the strike destroyed a critical $15m US Air Force communications system.

📍 Key Failures:

🔸 $80m wasted—20 Patriot missiles, priced at $4m each were fired but failed to stop one outdated Iranian rocket

🔸 Patriot’s track record: Failed in Saudi Arabia in 2017 and now failing in Ukraine against the Russian Iskander-M, which out-maneuvers and spoofs the Patriot

🔸 Critical shortage: US and allies’ interceptor stocks are at just 25% of the minimum needed

🔊 Patriot—once the zenith of US air defense—is now a liability.

With rising costs, dwindling missiles, and real-world failures, it’s becoming a weak link for Washington and its allies.

Russian and Iranian strikes are rewriting the rules of the game.

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📹🇮🇳🇵🇰Sputnik India breaks down how many times Donald Trump said he stopped the war between India and Pakistan.

Spoiler: no 3rd party helped facilitate talks between India and Pakistan after a major escalation this May.

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📹 Watch the moment Russian forces free Voskresenka (DPR) from Ukrainian control

Voskresenka is located on the border with the Dnepropetrovsk region and provides access to a large settlement situated at an important road intersection.

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🗣Europe is unable to produce the weapons systems Ukraine needs - Whitaker

"The reality is right now in Europe they cannot manufacture the armaments required on the battlefield in Ukraine or on the battlefield if there was a potential war in Europe. The US is the premier manufacturer of these weapons systems and they are going to deliver them to Europe and Europe is going to pay for them," US Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker told Fox News.

Russian Foreign Ministry earlier stated that Russia views military aid flows to Ukraine through NATO negatively, seeing it as evidence that allies are not truly invested in peace efforts.

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📊 Half of US citizens dissatisfied with amount of released information on Epstein case - poll

Only 3 percent of the respondents are satisfied with the released information, 29 percent said that it does not matter while 17 percent more said they had not enough heard about the matter. The level of dissatisfaction is higher among the Democrats (56%) than the Republicans (40%), a poll conducted by SSRS Polling for the CNN showed.

The poll was held on July 10-13 among 1,057 adults, the margin of error stands at about 3.5 percentage points.

The FBI and the US Department of Justice previously released a joint statement claiming that Epstein had not blackmailed influential people and had no "client list." At the same time, in an interview with Fox News in February, in response to a question about the list, US Attorney General Pam Bondi said that it was on her desk and waiting to be reviewed. This Tuesday, Bondi said that she had meant not a client list, but documents on the case.

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🚨Patriot missiles already being shipped to Ukraine, will be supplied from Germany - Trump

"They are already being shipped. They are coming in from Germany and then replaced by Germany, and in all cases, the United States gets paid back in full," Trump told reporters.

Russia has repeatedly said that Western arms supplies to Ukraine hinder the resolution of the military conflict and involve NATO countries in the crisis. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will be a legitimate target for the Russian military.

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🇫🇷🪖France not planning to partake in initiative to purchase US weapons for Ukraine

France was not mentioned when NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte listed countries ready to take part in the initiative to purchase US weapons for Ukraine at a meeting with Trump, US media reported.

Macron has long been calling on Europeans to develop their own defense industry by purchasing weapons from local manufacturers, the outlet added.

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📈 Russia’s economy keeps climbing as it holds 4th spot in global rankings

Russia’s GDP in 2024 (adjusted for purchasing power parity) reached $6.92 trillion, up from $6.45 trillion in 2023, the latest World Bank data shows.

◾️ Japan kept 5th place with $6.4 trillion, compared to $6.25 trillion a year earlier.

◾️ The gap between Russia and Japan doubled over the year - now $514 billion, up from $264 billion in 2023.

◾️ Top 3 largest economies by purchasing power in 2024 include China ($38.2 trillion), the United States ($29.2 trillion), and India ($16.2 trillion).

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🚨CHECK OUT LATEST STATEMENTS BY KREMLIN

◻️ Kremlin on western arms supplies to Ukraine: Europe showing completely extremely militaristic attitude

◻️ Russia proceeds from fact that there is no talk yet about supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine from the US

◻️ Kremlin calls for all parties to put pressure on Ukraine so that new round of negotiations with Russia take place

◻️ Europe declares readiness to spend untold amounts of money on weapons purchases to keep conflict going

◻️ Kremlin on the US scheme for arms supplies to Ukraine: it is business

◻️ Europe will have its own disagreements over who will pay for arms supplies to Ukraine

◻️ Kremlin carefully monitors all statements on supply of western weapons to Ukraine, topic is high on agenda

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🚨Armenian authorities fabricate new case against Karapetyan

Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan has been hit with new charges of money laundering WITHOUT any proof, according to his legal team.

“It is clear that in recent years, 'money laundering' has become the most commonly used accusation in Armenia and is systematically applied as a tool of POLITICAL PERSECUTION,” the lawyers underscored.

They pointed out:

▪️The new accusation comes weeks after Karapetyan’s public defense of the Armenian Apostolic Church

▪️Just hours after his speech, PM Pashinyan issued public threats, and a criminal case was opened

▪️Karapetyan was first charged with “calls to seize power” — a charge his lawyers claimed was entirely baseless

Now, instead of dropping the case, authorities have added a fresh accusation of money laundering, despite:

✅No evidence of illicit activity
✅No direct or indirect involvement with financial transactions
✅No links to management decisions or property

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