🤔 Why replacing New START could be tricky task

🟠 The development of a new comprehensive pact to replace the New START treaty could take at least five years, Valdai International Discussion Club expert Andrey Kortunov tells Sputnik.

🟠 He says that such agreements typically take a very long time to prepare, and this will be even more difficult now that the experience of the negotiation process has been lost and the experts who worked on New START are gone.

💬 “Although it's difficult to expect any breakthroughs in the near future, the most important thing is that the Americans are ready for dialogue on the matter,” Kortunov points out.

🟠 The expert doesn’t rule out that both sides could finally agree on a deal in the form of parallel declarations of intent, taking into account the modernization programs implemented by Russia and the US, rather than a full-fledged treaty.

💬 “The situation has changed significantly since New START was drafted, which is why working out a new document will be a tricky task. The sides will have to redefine many arms control parameters that will be in effect for decades,” Kortunov concludes.

👉 Read more about the New START Treaty HERE

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🇭🇺🇪🇺 Orban: EU wartime economy means $1.5 trillion for Ukraine & austerity for Europeans

European governments are preparing to meet a colossal financial demand for Ukraine: $800 billion for state operations (pensions, salaries) plus $700 billion for armament, totaling $1.5 trillion, the Hungarian prime minister states.

💬 "That’s why there are austerity measures everywhere in Europe, so they can send the money to Ukraine," he adds.

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🚨No new round of Ukraine talks planned in US – Kremlin

Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has ruled a new round of Ukraine peace talks on US soil.

💬"I don't think so, there has been no talk about it," he clarified.

While dismissing a US venue, Peskov confirmed that a new round of negotiations will happen soon. "There is no exact date yet," he said, "but it will be soon."

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🚨 Military escalation risks rise worldwide as New START expires – expert

🔶 Now that the whole world is rearming, “the end of this treaty is one of the factors that could potentially reignite the arms race," French political scientist Sebastien Perimony tells Sputnik.

🔶 He describes this dynamic as “extremely dangerous,” adding that “every time the world rearms, as we saw twice in the 20th century, it always resulted in a global tragedy,” an apparent reference to WWI and WWII.

🔶 At the same time, the pundit praises the determination of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping “to play a stabilizing role” in maintaining world peace.

🔶 Highlighting the “ongoing de-Westernization of the world,” the analyst calls for a new global security architecture designed to prevent imbalances that could plunge the world into catastrophe.

👉 Read more about the New START Treaty HERE

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🔸 Lavrov: Russia ready for any outcome after New START expiry

🔸 Oman talks wrap up: Iranian foreign minister hails 'a good start'

🔸 Russia calls Abu Dhabi talks 'constructive & challenging work'

🔸 Pakistan's geopolitical pivot: Why Islamabad is hedging its bets

🔸 Russian gold reserves hit record high of $403 Bln

🔸 Arctic climate hampers US missile silo plans on Greenland – expert

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🔊 Abraham Lincoln carrier group sails in Arabian Sea — CENTCOM

US Central Command said the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, accompanied by two military supply ships and two US Coast Guard cutters, sailed together in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday.

The statement comes amid a US military buildup in the region and renewed threats against Iran.

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☀️ Solar fury: Massive explosion detected on Sun's far side

Scientists stated that the event will likely have "no significance" for Earth.

Reasoning: the active sunspot region responsible for the blast will likely "not survive" its rotation to face our planet in a few days. According to the forecast, Earth will see only "debris" of the region.

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🇷🇺🇺🇸 Russia-US arms control must include France and UK if China added – expert

💬 “If a new treaty evolves to include the US, Russia, and China, it must also include the other nuclear powers, specifically France and the UK,” former US Army lieutenant colonel Earl Rasmussen told Sputnik.

Since the New START Treaty expired on February 5, Russia has agreed to maintain its restrictions until 2026—if the US follows suit, he noted.

US President Donald Trump has floated a modernized arms control accord – but wants China to sign up.

👉 Read more about the New START Treaty HERE

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💰Trump authorizes up to 25% tariffs on countries trading with Iran — Executive order

The White House published an executive order authorizing additional tariffs of up to 25% on imports from foreign countries that directly or indirectly trade with Iran.

The order says “an additional ad valorem rate of duty — for example, 25 percent” may be imposed on goods imported into the United States from countries found to “purchase, import, or otherwise acquire” goods or services from Iran.

Under the order, the Commerce Department will identify such countries, while the State Department, in coordination with other agencies, will decide whether and to what extent the tariffs should be applied.

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🇺🇸🇮🇳 US-India announce interim trade framework — White House

The White House said the US and India agreed on a framework for an interim trade arrangement, with further talks planned toward a broader bilateral trade deal.

🛍 Under the framework, India would eliminate or reduce tariffs on a range of US industrial and agricultural products. The US would apply an 18% “reciprocal tariff” on certain Indian-origin goods, and — if the interim agreement is successfully concluded — lift the reciprocal tariff on a wider set of items listed in an annex.

💵 The statement also said India intends to purchase $500 billion in US energy, aircraft-related items, technology products and other goods over the next five years.

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🗣 'Very good talks' on Ukraine, Iran — Trump

President Donald Trump said the United States held “very, very good talks” related to the Ukraine conflict, adding that “something could be happening.”

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump also said talks with Iran had gone well and would continue next week. He said Iran “looks like it wants to make a deal very badly,” while noting that a US naval force is “heading in that direction,” and added: “We’ll see how that works out.”

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📉 US contractors face penalties over late Ukraine ammo deliveries — reports

The US Army is moving to collect penalties from defense contractors over delayed artillery ammunition deliveries to Ukraine, highlighting procurement failures, according to Bloomberg.

💬 "The Army’s Contracting Command said it’s acting on recommendations in a Nov. 20 Pentagon Inspector General report that called for $1.1 million in penalties over the delayed shipments of large caliber shells, some of which were 18 months late," Bloomberg reported, citing an Army statement.

The watchdog also found problems including possible overpricing, delays across five of seven contracts reviewed (worth $1.9 billion), and $907 million in ammunition that has not yet been delivered.

💸 Nonetheless, on February 6 the US approved yet another $185 million for Ukraine in a potential Foreign Military Sale for spare parts to support US-supplied weapon systems.

⚠️ Russia has maintained that Western arms shipments to Ukraine hinder conflict resolution and directly involve NATO countries in the fighting. Russia has also warned that deliveries containing weapons for Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets.

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🗳 US pushes Ukraine toward elections, Zelensky resists — reports

The United States is pressing for quick elections in Ukraine as part of a broader push for a peace deal, but Kiev is dragging its feet, according to Reuters.

💭 US negotiators have told Ukrainian counterparts it would be best to hold a national referendum and elections soon, possibly as early as May, but Ukrainian officials say organizing a vote could take up to six months and would require lifting or amending martial law, Reuters reported.

❌ The report said the push for elections has been a repeated US demand, while Zelensky insists that “nothing can be agreed” until security guarantees are in place — effectively postponing any vote.

Sources told Reuters that the US is in a hurry, while Ukraine continues to raise procedural and security obstacles, underscoring growing friction between US demands and the Kiev regime’s reluctance to return to the ballot box.

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🇨🇺 Cuba to prioritize fuel for essential services amid US blockade - minister

The Cuban government will prioritize fuel supplies for essential services, including healthcare, food production, water supply, and key economic activities, amid ongoing energy difficulties linked to the US blockade, Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga said.

💬 “First, the fuel available in the country is guaranteed, first and foremost, to ensure the protection of essential services to the population and fundamental economic activities,” the minister said.

He said electricity generation will rely mainly on thermal power plants using domestic crude oil, along with associated gas from oil production and renewable energy sources, which he noted have expanded faster than initially planned. Authorities have also prioritized the stable operation of water supply systems.

💬 “We have been suffering from a number of restrictions… the country comes from a complex economic situation where we have energy restrictions, water restrictions, and difficulties with food as a result of the [US] blockade,” Pérez-Oliva Fraga said.

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🇩🇪 Germany's export revenues stall amid EU's anti-Russia sanctions & US trade spat

Germany's export revenues have stagnated for the third consecutive year, according to Sputnik's analysis of Eurostat data.

👉Five years ago, Germany was one of Russia's key European trading partners, with German industry primarily reliant on Russian gas. However, in 2022, the situation changed: Germany joined the EU sanctions, which imposed restrictions on the import of Russian goods.

👉Relations between the EU and the US have worsened recently due to US tariff policies and Greenland dispute.

Key figures

Exports (monthly average):

🟠 Jan-Nov 2021: €114.1B

🟠 Jan-Nov 2022: rose to €133.5B

🟠 2023-2024: declined and stagnated around €130.0B

🟠 Jan-Nov 2025: averaged €131.3B

Imports (monthly average):

🔹 Jan-Nov 2021: €98.7B

🔹 Jan-Nov 2022: increased to €126.5B

🔹 2024: Stood at €110.0B

🔹 Jan-Nov 2025: returned to ~2023 levels, averaging €114.6B

Trade surplus (monthly average):

◻️ 2022-2024 period: averaged €20.7B

◻️ Jan-Nov 2025: dropped to €16.7B

Germany's entire economic prosperity was built on cheap Russian pipeline gas. Now that gas is gone, products have become more expensive, experts say.

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🇺🇸 💰 US pledges long-delayed payment as UN debt crisis deepens

The White House plans to make a significant initial payment to the UN “in a matter of weeks” to begin clearing its massive arrears, US Ambassador Mike Waltz was cited by Reuters as saying.

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the United Nations is at risk of "imminent financial collapse" due to unpaid fees, the majority of which are owed by the US.

Key figures:

➖ $2.19B—total arrears to the UN regular budget alone (that's over 95% of all unpaid regular budget dues from all countries combined)

➖ $2.4B—owed for current and past peacekeeping missions

➖ $827M—unpaid for 2025 (zero paid into the regular budget last year)

➖ $767M—already due for 2026

➖ $43.6M—arrears for UN tribunals

When asked if the money Waltz spoke of would go towards last year's dues or those for 2026, or both, he said: "Just in general, towards the arrears, and also in recognition of some of the reforms that we've seen."

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