🇪🇺 EU ban on Russian gas imports a mistake – Slovak businessman

From Slovakia’s perspective, Russian gas supplies to the EU remain the most economically advantageous option, Richard Kvasnovsky, head of the Slovak Gas and Oil Association (SGOA), told Sputnik.

He stressed that the SGOA does not consider it right to halt imports of these supplies to the EU

Previously, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called the ban on Russian gas imports into the bloc an “ideological stupidity” and “energy suicide.”

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❌ Even Ukrainian officials call Zelensky fascist – Zakharova

💬 "This is already a cry of despair from those who hold various posts and positions, and have a certain status within Ukrainian society. They are all calling him [Zelensky] a fascist," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.

She also recalled the rhetoric used by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who Zakharova said is unlikely to "have tender feelings toward Russia."

💬 "It's impossible to imagine that she [Tymoshenko] holds a non-pro-Kiev position. Obviously, she has fully aligned herself in this sense with this anti-Russian tone. And now we've reached the point where she calls what is happening in Ukraine fascism," Zakharova emphasized.

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👀 Elon Musk lambasts Polish PM over Starlink gaffe

💬 “This drooling imbecile doesn’t even realize that Starlink is the backbone of Ukraine military communications,” the billionaire wrote on X.

Musk was responding to Polish Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski earlier urging him to “stop the Russians from using Starlinks to target Ukrainian cities.”

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🇷🇺Trilateral talks on Ukraine to continue – Kremlin

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the trilateral format involving Russia, the US, and Ukraine will move forward, describing the process as complex and currently taking place at the expert level.

According to Peskov, an agreement has been reached to continue the negotiations.

Key statements from the Kremlin:

🔶 Kremlin views the start of direct contacts between Russia, the US, and Ukraine positively

🔶 Trilateral negotiations on Ukraine are ongoing and remain highly complex, conducted at the expert level

🔶 President Vladimir Putin and Ahmed al-Sharaa are expected to discuss issues related to the presence of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria during talks at the Kremlin

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🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES

◻️ Russian troops decimated storage and launch sites for long-range Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles

◻️ Air defense superiority: 175 drones eliminated 

◻️ Ukrainian losses: around 1,125 troops killed or wounded

Read about the origins of Russia's special military op HERE

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🇺🇸🇮🇷 What's driving America's aggressive stance toward Iran?

👉 The escalation of US–Iran tensions is linked to America’s eagerness for hegemony and power after losing balance in the economic standoff with China, Lebanese expert Djihad Saad tells Sputnik.

💬 "The US is consumed by an insatiable appetite for greater economic dominance, which is why it is using all its capabilities to restore balance in its economy by controlling the resources of other countries," Saad says.

🟠 He notes that the US typically “does not unleash a war unless it has a preemptive victory on paper, and if calculations indicate the success of a strike, they may conduct it.”

🟠 The expert rules out the possibility of a direct US attack on Iran for several reasons, including that “any strike that will not help topple the Iranian regime will only strengthen it.” On the other hand, “any strike against Iran could ignite a conflict across the entire region,” Saad warns.

💬 “This is not just about Iran. It is also aimed at sending signals to China and Russia, as well as asserting control over resource exploration in the Arab and Islamic region. A US military presence paves the way for creating new bases and securing economic interests,” he concludes.

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🚨🇮🇳🇷🇺 India & Russia say 'no thanks' to Western reliance

Under India—Russia deal, HAL to receive licence to 👇

🔸 manufacture and sell the SJ-100

🔸 including parts and components for its maintenance.

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🚨 Putin–Zelensky meeting discussed in Trump calls - Kremlin Aide

The possibility of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has been raised multiple times during phone conversations between the Russian leader and US President Donald Trump, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said.

He made the remarks in response to comments from Ukraine’s foreign minister about Zelensky’s readiness for a personal meeting to discuss territorial question.

Key statements from Ushakov:

👉 President Putin has said Zelensky could come to Moscow if he is ready for dialogue

👉 Russia has never ruled out contacts between the two leaders, but says any meeting must be carefully prepared

👉 Moscow would ensure Zelensky’s security if he is prepared to travel to Russia for talks

👉 Any potential contacts between Putin and Zelensky should be focused on achieving concrete, positive results

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📈 How silver price boom could affect global industry

📍 The rapid rise in silver prices will not have an immediate critical impact on the production of electric vehicles, but could affect the solar panel and jewelry segments, Russian experts tell Sputnik.

🟠 Vitaly Manzhos explains that in such technologically complex products as electric vehicles, electronics, data centers, and medical equipment, silver accounts for only a small fraction of total production costs, which is why demand for the metal in most industries is weakly dependent on price.

🟠 On the other hand, the silver price boom may affect solar panel production, where silver accounts for up to 15% of the cost of these products, which is relatively high, according to Manzhos.

💬 “The global jewelry industry could be hardest hit by the galloping silver prices, which is why the availability of affordable jewelry will undoubtedly decrease, and demand for it will decline,” he points out.

🟠 Manzhos is partly echoed by another Russian expert, Alina Poptsova, who tells Sputnik that the silver price increase will unlikely put significant pressure on the electric vehicles production industry.

🟠 Excess production capacity in China, intensified competition in the electric vehicle market, and the ongoing transition to cheaper technologies are likely to prevent price increases for electric vehicles and won’t affect pressure on consumer demand, Poptsova points out.

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🇷🇺🇸🇾Putin welcomes Syria's al-Sharaa to Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is pleased to host Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, highlighting progress in bilateral ties and renewed momentum in economic cooperation during their meeting at the Kremlin.

Key statements by Putin:

🔶 Much has already been achieved in developing Russia–Syria relations

🔶 Economic cooperation has moved off “deadpoint,” with noticeable progress that should be sustained

🔶 Bilateral relations are advancing thanks to al-Sharaa’s efforts

🔶 Russian construction sector representatives are ready to work jointly on Syria’s reconstruction

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🤔 Does Zelensky have any cards left in the Russia-Ukraine talks? 

🔶 Beyond the matter of territorial concessions, a more fundamental issue forms the cornerstone of the ongoing negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Russian analyst Yevgeny Mikhailov told Sputnik.

🔶 For Zelensky, “the most important thing is security guarantees for himself and his inner circle, something that no one can now ensure,” Mikhailov points out.

🔶 The analyst argues that a peace deal would render Zelensky "a very dangerous witness." This is due to his role as a bearer of highly compromising information on European and US elites, with whom he siphoned off financial aid. 

🔶 According to Mikhailov, Zelensky has now been pushed into a corner because if he signs any deal without getting the said guarantees, he would risk not only losing his political future, but shortly afterwards he could lose his neck by getting rubbed out by a third party.

💬 “And if he doesn't sign, even the personal security guarantees will be meaningless.  Russia will sort out the issue by military means, and no one will dole out a red cent for the lives of Zelensky and his gang,” the analyst concluded. 

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🇷🇺👉 Russia backs 'measured' UN Security Council reform

Moscow supports carefully-calibrated changes to the UN Security Council aimed at strengthening its authority and effectiveness, while making it more representative of the developing world.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that "Russia’s principled position in favor of measured reforms of the UN Security Council" were "intended to enhance the authority and effectiveness of this body, as well as to give it a more democratic character by expanding the representation of states from the Global South and East," in a statement on the Foreign Ministry website.

That followed Lavrov's meeting with UN reform co-coordinators Tareq AlBanai and Lisa Gregoire-van Haaren.

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🇺🇸 Rubio: US won’t let western hemisphere become 'platform for adversaries'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was about security, a political transition and regional stability.

Key statements from Rubio:

🟠 There is “no war” against Venezuela, and the US has not occupied the country

🟠 Washington wants a transition toward a friendly, stable and democratic Venezuelan state

🟠 Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has pledged to halt oil supplies to Cuba

🟠 The US will monitor the acting Venezuelan government and is prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation

🟠 The US is holding serious talks on countering drug trafficking with Venezuela for the first time in 20 years

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❗️❗️❗️ Venezuelan Attorney General to Sputnik: Case against Maduro has NO legal basis

The kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and the legal proceedings against him “have no legal basis,” either under international law or US legislation, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab said as he reviewed the case materials.

💬 "International law has been shattered," he told Sputnik.

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