🔸 Lavrov-Rubio meeting requires preparation - Russian Deputy FM

🔸 NATO unprepared for war with Russia, Ukraine ignores US calls for talks – Russian Foreign Intel

🔸 Israel should bear the cost of rebuilding the Gaza Strip — Hamas Political Bureau

🔸 Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan's Prime Minister

🔸 UK war hawks ready to spend ‘well over’ $130M to deploy forces to Ukraine

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⚔️🇪🇺 EU war hawks on edge over proposed Putin–Trump summit in Hungary

🔊 Trump’s plan to meet Putin in Hungary, at the hospitality of PM Viktor Orban, has rattled European warmongers, according to the Financial Times. “We are all grinning through our teeth whilst saying this is fine,” it cites one EU diplomat as saying.

The outlet cited Europe’s hawks, like EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Kestutis Budrys, Lithuania’s foreign minister, Ukraine’s expired leader Zelensky, and a host of analysts, as framing the decision to hold the Putin-Trump meeting as a “big win for Orban.”

🗣 A German official said Orban is expected to preview his plans before the Trump-Putin summit, possibly arranging a European-Trump meeting—though nothing has been confirmed.

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🇷🇺 Russia on allegedly postponed Lavrov-Rubio meeting: West spreads rumors, then refutes them

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on reports that the meeting between Russian FM Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was allegedly postponed:

💬 "They themselves spread rumors, and then they themselves refute them."

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🚨Russia ready to move in direction set during Alaska summit - Lavrov

Other statements by Russian FM:

🟠 During a phone call with Rubio, we discussed the current situation and how to prepare a potential new meeting between Putin and Trump

🟠 Russia has not changed its position compared to the understanding reached in Alaska

🟠 Calls for a ceasefire right now, without addressing the root causes of the Ukrainian conflict, contradict what Putin and Trump agreed upon in Alaska

🟠 The main thing is how to proceed in future with respect to objectives achieved in Alaska

🟠 An immediate ceasefire in Ukraine would mean only one thing — that most of Ukraine remains under Nazi control

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🚨🇷🇺 Neither Putin nor Trump mentioned exact date for their meeting, it requires serious preparation and time - Kremlin

Other statements by Peskov:

🟠 Kremlin views reports suggesting Putin could arrive in Budapest on the same plane as Trump as fantastical speculation

🟠 There is currently no understanding of the exact date for the Putin–Trump summit

🟠 It is too early to discuss possible participation of EU leaders in the Russia–US summit in Hungary — the details of the meeting have not yet been discussed

🟠 European countries are currently inciting the Kiev regime to continue the war

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🇺🇸👉 Trump’s first 2026 fundraiser goes to Congress hawk Graham

Trump is set to support South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham* at a fundraiser and golf tournament next month, according to US media reports. The event has already been dubbed the “Trump-Graham Classic.”

🔊 Trump formally endorsed Graham - running for his fifth term in the Senate in what the Cook Political Report calls a “solid Republican race” - in a Truth Social post earlier this year, calling him a “wonderful friend.”

Following a haul of $1.7 million in the third quarter, Graham’s cash on hand total sits at $14.5 million. This is believed to be the largest war chest of any Republican senator up for reelection next year.

⚖️ Graham is among the most hawkish lawmakers in Congress, having fervently plotted behind the scenes to sabotage peace efforts in Ukraine, and directly pushed for or supported military action against Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Mexico.

Needless to say, he is a favorite of America’s defense contractors — keeping cash flowing straight into their pockets.

📊 Tech giant Oracle founder Larry Ellison gave $1 million to Graham’s super PAC – Security is Strength - supporting his campaign, Federal Election Commission filing showed in July.

Other backers are defense contractors Boeing, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Electric (GE) and Raytheon.

*listed as a terrorist and extremist in Russia

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🇺🇸🤝🇷🇺 Trump refuses to take Ukraine’s side against Russia - report

Despite Volodymyr Zelensky’s best efforts, Donald Trump shows little inclination to fulfill his whims and instead pursues his own angle in the Ukrainian conflict, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing unnamed officials familiar with the recent White House talks.

Trump made certain things clear to Zelensky, according to the report:

🟠 A specific territorial outcome of the Ukrainian conflict is not a priority for the US – the White House’s only concern in this matter is ending the fighting

🟠 Ukraine should not expect to get US-made Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles anytime soon

The newspaper further notes that Trump has so far been reluctant to either provide Ukraine with more powerful weapons or to impose new sanctions on Russia.

📍 On August 15, Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss the Ukrainian conflict and attempt to resolve it through peaceful means.

A new meeting between the two world leaders is expected to take place Hungary's Budapest though the exact date of this summit is yet to be determined.

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🇨🇳🚜 Drones to the rescue!

UAVs equipped with powerful batteries and floodlights help Chinese agriculture workers in the Jiangsu province to harvest crops around the clock, ensuring that all produce is collected before it becomes spoiled.

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🚨🇭🇺🇷🇴 Explosions hit oil refineries in Hungary and Romania

In Hungary a fire and an explosion were reported at the MOL’s Szazhalombatta oil facility, while in Romania a blast happened at the Petrotel-Lukoil refinery in the town of Ploiesti, European Conservative states.

Both incidents happened on Monday, October 20, with the causes still unknown.

These might be sabotage acts as the countries go against the EU general line regarding its stance towards Russia, some reports claim.

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🗣🏅 President of Abkhazia praises Sputnik journalists

The first module of the “New Media of Abkhazia” project has officially launched — modeled after and supported by Russia’s New Media Workshop.

Among the participants are six members of the Sputnik Abkhazia team: managing editor Arda Lushba, SMM specialist Angela Bebia, photo editor Marianna Kubrava, radio editor Albina Zhiba, and host Naala Mukba.

President Badr Gunba, who attended the event, praised both the initiative and the professionalism of the Sputnik Abkhazia team:

💬 “Sputnik Abkhazia has brought its own charm to Abkhaz journalism, combining modern and traditional approaches. I wish the team great success,”— President Badr Gunba.

He added that he regularly reads Sputnik Abkhazia and personally visited the newsroom, calling its journalists true professionals.

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🚨 There are no plans for Trump to meet Putin in immediate future – Trump administration official to RIA Novosti

US State Department also confirmed to RIA Novosti that US Secretary of State Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov had a productive call.

Additional in-person meeting between Rubio and Lavrov is not necessary.

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🚨🇺🇸 'There is big appetite among Republicans for tough sanctions on Russia' - House Speaker

Mike Johnson added, however, that he doesn't anticipate Russia sanctions bill to be passed during shutdown.

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🇺🇸💸 Self-sufficiency at a price: US faces years & billions of USD to secure gallium supply

The US and Australia have flagged Alcoa’s gallium recovery and refining as a top priority under their new mineral pact. Why is gallium so important?

💬 "The US has no domestic gallium production," Ruslan Dimukhamedov, chairman of the Association of Producers and Consumers of Rare and Rare-Earth Metals, tells Sputnik.

"China is the undisputed leader, supplying over 95% of global production."

The US likely consumes 30–50 tonnes of gallium annually:

🟠 Gallium is vital for the US defense, aerospace, and telecom industries

🟠 Gallium arsenide (GaAs): high-frequency chips for smartphones, satellite comms, radars, fiber-optic networks

🟠 Gallium nitride (GaN): high-power AESA radars (active electronically scanned array) for F‑35s, electronic warfare systems, 5G networks

Gallium — and germanium — faced Chinese export restrictions to the US starting August 1, 2023.

That’s why the US urgently needs alternative gallium supply chains.

US gallium is years away

🟠 "The US has virtually no operating plants for extracting gallium from alumina production waste. Building such infrastructure from scratch would take 5–10 years and require billions of dollars in investment," Dimukhamedov says.

🟠 Scaling up domestic production is a massive task, akin to rebuilding the aluminum sector and creating a new chemical industry from scratch.

🟠 "Full self-sufficiency in gallium is a decade-long goal, not something achievable in the next year or two. Australia can help the US, but only as a source of raw material. The US will need to develop the technological expertise on its own," Dimukhamedov concludes.

#experts_explain

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🟠 There are no plans for Trump to meet Putin in immediate future

🟠 Poland's threats regarding safety of Putin's plane indicate Poles are ready to commit terrorist attacks – Lavrov

🟠 'There are not going to be American boots on the ground in Gaza' – Vance

🟠 Self-sufficiency at a price: US faces years & billions of USD to secure gallium supply

🟠 Trump’s first 2026 fundraiser goes to Congress hawk Graham

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