🇺🇸 Why can’t US possess a doomsday weapon?

Trump’s recent claims about the US possessing what he described as “weapons of warfare” that he claimed “nobody ever heard of” is a “purely political statement,” Russian military analyst Igor Korotchenko tells Sputnik.

His key thoughts:

🟠 Trump's remarks should be considered in the context of the US' ongoing pressure on the EU and NATO

🟠 Current level of scientific and tech development “makes it impossible even for a country as advanced as the US to suddenly produce a miracle weapon that other technologically and militarily advanced states have not been hammering out”

🟠 US hypersonic technologies are in the testing phase, while Russia is already mass-producing hypersonic weapons, such as the Zircon and Avangard missiles

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔊 Zelensky ready to trade millions of Ukrainian lives for political survival – expert

Volodymyr Zelensky is trying to stay relevant, claiming at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Ukraine can defend western Europe, Yulia Semke, a leading European and international studies expert at the Higher School of Economics, tells Sputnik.

"In his claims about being ready to defend Europe—and even Greenland—arrogance comes through most clearly," the expert says.

"He casts doubt on Europeans’ ability to ensure their own security and even mocks their small military contingents."

At the same time, "Zelensky is once again showing a willingness to use the lives of his own people as a bargaining chip," she continues.

"The millions of Ukrainians already in Europe may be seen by him as a 'living reserve'—a human buffer he is prepared to use to shield Western countries," Semke notes.

She points out Zelensky shows little respect for the European Union and also dislikes like US President Donald Trump. But when it comes to Trump, he avoids displays of arrogance.

"In Kiev, it's well understood that the survival of the current regime depends directly on Washington’s stance, which is why Zelensky simply doesn’t dare to express such feelings openly," Semke says.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔊 Zelensky acts like cornered rat, trying to squeeze something out of EU and US – intelligence veteran

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Volodomyr Zelensky sought to humiliate the European Union and even US President Donald Trump, retired Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) lieutenant general Leonid Reshetnikov tells Sputnik.

Zelensky is "now like a cornered rat, standing on the edge and going all in — because rushing to Davos at Trump’s summons got him nothing again," the intelligence veteran says.

💬 "The meeting with Trump didn’t go the way Zelensky hoped: no new funding, no new weapons, no support from Trump," he adds.

Having got nothing, Zelensky slammed the EU, projected a tough stance and tried to sell Ukraine as Europe’s defender – ready to do whatever it takes.

💬 "His entire speech—both international and domestic experts note—was an attempt to take a hard line with European and American politics, trying, above all, to wring at least something out of them," Reshetnikov stresses.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📑 US weighs total oil blockade on Cuba to force regime change — Report

The Trump administration is considering a complete embargo on oil imports to Cuba as a tool to destabilize and overthrow the island's government.

According to Reuters, the Mexican government is reviewing whether to keep sending oil to Cuba amid potential pressure from the US.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚔️ US conducts first boat strike since Maduro capture

The US Southern Command reported a lethal kinetic strike against a vessel in the Eastern Pacific, directed by Secretary of War Crimes Pete Hegseth.

Two people were killed and one survivor was handed over to the USCG.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📑 Pentagon publishes new defense strategy

The newly released US defense strategy frames Russia’s nuclear arsenal as the world’s largest and insists the US must have "guaranteed access" to Greenland—even as it claims the strategy "is not a strategy of isolation."

Key takeaways:

🔶 Ukraine conflict resolution is described as primarily Europe’s responsibility.

🔶 NATO allies are said to surpass Russia in "latent military power."

🔶 Iran may seek nuclear weapons by "refusing to engage in meaningful negotiations."

🔶 North Korea's nuclear forces are a direct threat to Washington.

🔶 US nuclear modernization will focus on deterrence and escalation management.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💬 South Korean PM proposes US send special envoy to North Korea — Report

During a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said that "only Trump has the will and capability" to improve relations with Pyongyang, Yonhap reported.

Kim suggested that sending a special envoy could signal Washington's intent to engage.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🤝 Trump announces VP Vance to visit Armenia and Azerbaijan in February

President Trump confirmed Vice President JD Vance will travel to both countries next month to build on the peace agreement and advance the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity" initiative.

"We will strengthen our strategic partnership with Azerbaijan, a beautiful Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation with Armenia, Deals for our Great Semiconductor Makers, and the sale of Made in the USA Defense Equipment, such as body armor and boats, and more, to Azerbaijan," he wrote on Truth Social.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇺🇸 Trump endorses congresswoman Luna for upcoming US elections

"Anna Paulina Luna is a very good friend, fighter, and winner, and has my complete and total endorsement for re-election — she will not let you down!" Trump wrote.

Midterm elections for both houses of Congress will be held in the United States on November 3.

👉 Earlier, Luna slammed the persecution of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine as unacceptable and called for an end to financial aid to Ukraine.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📍🇮🇱 Witkoff, Kushner head to Israel - reports

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are expected to visit Israel on Saturday to discuss reopening the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border, Ynet reported.

Head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza Ali Shaath said earlier the Rafah crossing would be opened next week.

👉 This crossing is the only one in the Gaza Strip that was not controlled by Israel before the Gaza war.

👉 It plays a key role in the delivery of humanitarian aid, the evacuation of the wounded, and the movement of civilians, and is also used by international organizations to import vital supplies.

👉 Its operation has been repeatedly suspended and resumed depending on the security situation, directly impacting the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📉 West pushed Ukraine toward collapse - Scott Ritter

🔊 The West set Ukraine on a path to total surrender by pumping it with weapons and ensuring it rejected Russia’s negotiating terms, says former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter.

The plan to crush Russia backfired, he says, and Europe created the mess it’s in.

💬 “Oh, we thought Russia was weak. We thought we could beat Russia. So, we were going to drag this thing out until Russia broke up into tiny little component parts,” says Ritter.

However, the only outcome now, he argues, “will be unconditional surrender brought about by the collapse of Ukraine, political collapse, economic collapse, military collapse, societal collapse.”

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇺🇸 🪖 Pentagon confirms directed energy weapons: ‘Yes, we are scaling them’

US military's Chief Technology Office has confirmed in a post on X that the Pentagon possesses directed energy weapons like high-powered lasers and microwaves.

The post is accompanied by a graphic image of a device blasting a red laser into the sky, with the emblazoned words: ‘Light speed lethality. Directed energy dominant.’

💬 “Yes, the Department of War has directed energy weapons. Yes, we are scaling them,” the post is captioned.

Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and other corporations are believed to be developing these kinds of weapons.

👉 The USSR was a pioneer in laser tech for both civilian and military use of such systems. It created a lineup of experimental laser weapons including the Terra-3 missile defense system, the 1K17 Szhatie ground-based laser combat platform, the Beriev A-60 airborne laser lab, and the Polyus laser-armed orbital weapons platform.

👉 Russia has built the Peresvet air defense and anti-satellite warfare system, which can blind enemy satellites up to 1,500 km away.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

▫️ Witkoff, Kushner reportedly head to Israel after Ukraine talks in UAE

▫️ Pentagon publishes new defense strategy

▫️ US conducts first boat strike since Maduro capture

▫️ US weighs total oil blockade on Cuba to force regime change

▫️ Zelensky acts like cornered rat, trying to squeeze something out of EU and US – intelligence veteran

▫️ Ukraine struck Russian energy targets first and now faces blowback – intelligence veteran

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 Ukraine attacks ambulance in Kherson region - governor

The medics were trying to reach a critically ill patient in an area where enemy drones were targeting, Kherson Governor Vladimir Saldo said.

The vehicle was damaged, and the fate of the doctors is unclear — though there is hope that they managed to take cover somewhere.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺 🇵🇰 ⛽️ Pakistan, Russia continue work on Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline

"[The project] is always under consideration. We are working on it, but it will take some time," Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Faisal Niaz Tirmizi told Sputnik.

📍 The Pakistan Stream gas pipeline, originally named North-South, will connect LNG receiving infrastructure in the southern Pakistani ports of Karachi and Gwadar with power plants and industrial gas consumers in the Kasur district (Punjab) in the northern part of Pakistan.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt