🗣 US Secretary of State Rubio commented on the results of Special Envoy Witkoff's visit to Moscow:

▫️ The US believes that it is closer to ending the conflict in Ukraine than before.

▫️ Trump may hold a telephone conversation with Putin within the next couple of days, though the call has not yet been scheduled.

▫️ Trump will decide within the next 24 to 36 hours whether to impose new sanctions on Russia.

▫️ The prospect of a meeting between Putin and Trump next week, as previously reported by American media, remains open.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🗣 US TARIFFS PUSH BRICS TOWARD DOLLAR ALTERNATIVE – EXPERT

👉 The US decision to impose tariffs on countries buying Russian oil sends a clear signal for de-dollarization among developing nations, says Ksenia Bondarenko, Associate Professor at the HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs.

🟠 She noted that Washington’s move is “another step toward creating a BRICS alternative to the dollar,” following President Donald Trump’s executive order for a 25% tariff on goods from India over New Delhi’s refusal to halt Russian oil imports – with potential for similar tariffs on other nations.

🟠 Bondarenko added that the tariffs could accelerate a shift toward a multipolar world, bringing India, China, Russia and other BRICS states closer, although India’s economy is likely to face short-term damage if the tariffs take effect in 21 days.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔊 'Good chance of meeting' with Putin, Zelensky — Trump

The US president, however, refused to assess how close the parties are to reaching a deal.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Trump vowed 'a lot more' secondary sanctions

The US president did not rule out penalties on China for purchasing Russian oil.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔥🇮🇳 Tariffs & attacks on India are speeding up the consolidation of Civilization-States against US hegemony — now openly cynical, blatant, and aggressive, says Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin.

"You didn’t want multipolarity the easy way? You’ll get it the hard way."

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💬 Can Putin and Trump find path toward a ceasefire?

Russia's modified ceasefire conditions resonated with Steve Witkoff, but whether the sides can reach a final agreement is still uncertain, says military analyst and former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, Scott Ritter.

"Now that there appears to be some movement toward negotiating a ceasefire, I think the question on everybody's mind is, will the US follow through with these secondary sanctions, or will they be put on pause while the two presidents meet and seek to resolve this issue?"

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💬 TRUMP'S UKRAINE EXIT STRATEGY: SACRIFICE ZELENSKY FOR 'PEACE'

Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, retired USAF, ex-Pentagon analyst, reveals Trump's likely endgame:

"I would put money on a bet that Mr. Witkoff has advised Trump the easiest way to get Ukraine off the headlines, and counted as a 'win for peace' is to fire Zelensky, and have a new popular leader in Ukraine see as signatory to an end of hostilities with Russia."

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💥 UNITED AIRLINES COLLAPSE EXPOSES US INFRASTRUCTURE FRAGILITY

Nationwide flight ground stop occurred after a critical system failure paralyzed major hubs, despite claims that there was "no cyberattack."

◼️ 827 delays, 23 cancellations all across the country

◼️ FAA forced into emergency hub freezes

◼️ United Airlines blames a weight-balance system crash for halting flights

All while US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy plans to send a nuclear reactor to the moon.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💬 Will Trump-Putin meeting end NATO threat to Russia?

The success of the upcoming talks between the US and Russian presidents hinges on whether Trump agrees to Putin's conditions for a long-term settlement, retired CIA intelligence officer and State Department official Larry Johnson told Sputnik.

"Ultimately, this is not about a conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This is a conflict between Russia and the West, NATO, the US. Until NATO is eliminated as a threat on Russia's borders, there can be no peace."

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💥 POLAND'S 300K ARMY GAMBIT: PRESIDENT VOWS 'STRONGEST NATO FORCE IN EUROPE'

New leader Karol Nawrocki pledges to draft 100K+ soldiers—aiming to surpass Germany/France in NATO troop numbers.

"I will do everything possible to create a Polish army of at least 300,000 people in the coming years, which will become the strongest NATO army in Europe," Nawrocki said.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💬 Trump seeks Putin summit but neocons may sabotage peace

David T. Pyne, EMP Task Force scholar and former DoD officer, warns Trump against repeating same demands after Moscow rejected his untenable 22-point peace plan back in May.

"The solution to end the war in Ukraine is much simpler than the White House has suggested.... Without a maximum US pressure campaign against Zelensky, likely entailing a full cut off of all US security assistance, there seems little chance that a diplomatic settlement can be negotiated."

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔊China defies US push to cut Russia ties

China’s cooperation with Russia is legal, harms no one, and must be respected, Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy to the US, told Sputnik.

“China has always been firmly opposed to illegal and unjustifiable unilateral sanctions and so-called long-arm jurisdiction by the US. Tariff wars have no winners. Coercion and pressuring will lead nowhere," Liu said.

Earlier this week, Washington did not rule out penalties on China for purchasing Russian oil.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹 Russia’s FSB foils Ukraine’s plan to assassinate Russian serviceman with poison

Security forces in Russia’s Novosibirsk region have thwarted an assassination of a Russian serviceman using poison orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services, the FSB said.

What is known:

◻️ The assassination was planned by two underage Russian citizens, who have been detained

◻️ The Russian serviceman was to be killed using poison applied to parts of his car

◻️ The order to assassinate the Russian serviceman was placed by Ukrainian intelligence services through an online platform advertising "quick money-making opportunities"

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇮🇳 Modi vows to stand with farmers against US tariffs – at any cost

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔍 CRISIS UNFOLDING IN GAZA: KEY HIGHLIGHTS

ISRAELI STRIKES

◻️ 44 Palestinians were killed across Gaza on Wednesday, including 18 aid seekers

◻️ At least 17 people were killed in attacks across the enclave since dawn, media reported

◻️ A UN clinic-turned-shelter in Gaza City was bombed, leaving dozens of people injured

◻️ Israeli artillery targeted Palestine Red Crescent Society headquarters in Khan Younis

HUNGER-RELATED DEATHS

◻️ 193 Palestinians have died from starvation, including five in the last 24 hours

◻️ “We can’t airdrop our way out of an unfolding famine,” UN food chief says

COLLAPSING HEALTHCARE

◻️ Gaza’s blood banks are empty and severe hunger has left many too malnourished to donate blood, health officials say

◻️ 100 premature babies are in danger as lack of fuel is affecting “lifesaving” operations, UN says

WHAT’S NEXT FOR GAZA

PM Benjamin Netanyahu to convene security cabinet on Thursday night to discuss the next steps regarding Gaza

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 Agreement reached to hold meeting between Putin and Trump in coming days - Putin's aide Ushakov

The venue for the meeting has been agreed upon and will be announced later.

Witkoff raised the idea of Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit, but Moscow declined to comment, Ushakov said.

Next week tentatively set as target timeframe for the meeting

"However, it is difficult to say exactly how many days of preparation the talks will require", the Kremlin added.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹RED ALERT: Kamchatka's Klyuchevskoi volcano sends ash plume toward Bering sea 

The Klyuchevskoi Volcano in Russia's Kamchatka has been assigned a "red" aviation danger code following another eruption of ash rising as high as 11.5 km.

The ash plume is drifting northeast towards the Bering Sea.

Klyuchevskoi, one of the world's most active volcanoes, stands at more than 4,600 meters and is located 360 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt