🇮🇷🇺🇸 Iran & US hold constructive talks and exchange ideas on nuclear issue - Araghchi

💬 "I can say that at this round, compared to the last one, we brought up absolutely serious issues for discussion, the atmosphere was more productive. Various ideas were put up for discussion, and we had serious discussions on these ideas, and finally we found a strategic route that we will follow, along which we will move and reach a text of a possible agreement," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said following talks with the United States in Geneva.

Key takeaways from the negotiations:

🟠 Iran notes progress in dialogue with the United States compared to previous negotiations

🟠 Iran and the US worked out basic principles at talks in Geneva, according to which they will work on deal for the Iranian nuclear dossier

🟠 Development of principles for further talks by Iran and the US does not necessarily mean that parties will be able to reach a deal

🟠 Both countries will work on the text of a possible agreement, then determine the date for the next round of talks

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔊 West’s claims of non-involvement in Ukraine conflict ‘epitome of hypocrisy’ - expert

NATO personnel operating Western military hardware in the Ukrainian conflict zone has long been an open secret, Russian military analyst Viktor Litovkin tells Sputnik.

Ukraine, Litovkin explains, ended up relying on foreign personnel because it:

🟠 Lacks the necessary number of skilled pilots and specialists to operate sophisticated weapon systems like F-16 jets or HIMARS rockets

🟠 Has a severe shortage of engineers who know English well enough to interpret tech manuals and maintenance charts for NATO military gear

How does this personnel pipeline work?

Western military specialists operating in Ukraine are not officially regarded as members of their respective home countries’ armed forces, masquerading instead as volunteers who chose on their own to “defend democracy.”

💬 “It’s a tried and tested scenario: a career military man goes on a fake leave and heads off to a warzone, to be reinstated upon his return home,” says Litovkin.

Western powers’ claims of alleged non-involvement in the Ukrainian conflict are the epitome of hypocrisy, he notes.

Second-hand war gear

NATO countries deliberately provide Ukraine with second-rate, older war gear due to concerns that any advanced military hardware supplied to the Ukrainian forces would be inevitably captured by Russian forces, Litovkin points out.

As a result, Western personnel end up operating outdated military hardware while facing much more advanced Russian combat aircraft and weapon systems that make short work of them.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇺🇸 US to return to nuclear tests on equal basis, without atmospheric explosions - State Dept.

💬 “As the President has said, the United States will return to testing on equal basis. But equal basis doesn't mean we're going back to Ivy Mike style atmospheric testing in the multi-megaton range, as some arms control folks would have you believe,” Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Nonproliferation Christopher Yeaw said.

Here are his other statements:

🟠 The expiration of the New START Treaty could open a new phase in strategic stability and help advance Trump’s goal of reducing global nuclear arsenals

🟠 The US State Department has no information about any agreements with Russia on arms control after New START expires

🟠 Future talks on strategic stability could address nuclear testing and verification mechanisms

🟠 The US considers its “nuclear umbrella” over allies an important tool for nuclear non-proliferation

🟠 Trump has proposed that China begin negotiations on strategic stability to prevent a new arms race

🟠 The US believes all nuclear-armed states should be involved in negotiations to halt the nuclear arms race

👉 Read more about the New START Treaty HERE

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

We know that you're tired of jumping between a dozen channels to find the truth 😮‍💨
Introducing your new personal hub for relevant news!

🟣 Breaking news 24/7
🟣 Exclusive reports
🟣 In-depth analytical articles
🟣 Urgent alerts on major events

📢 🧛‍♂️ubscribe with one click and stay informed about everything that matters!

If you are interested in joining the catalog contact 👨👮‍♀️ admin.

#ad

🔊 Zelensky’s ceasefire for elections is strategic gambit, not democratic move - expert

Volodymyr Zelensky's reluctance to hold elections in Ukraine is multi-faced, according to Marco Marsili, geopolitical analyst at CESRAN International and former OSCE election observer.

The Ukrainian politician is on thin ice despite optimistic polling numbers:

"The reported approval ratings reflect a carefully managed wartime narrative, not democratic reality," Marsili tells Sputnik.

What's the reality?

🟠 Demographic catastrophe: An entire generation of fighting-age men has been consumed by the front lines

🟠 Economic collapse: Beyond Western-subsidized survival, Ukraine's economy is a shell

🟠 Neo-Nazi grip: Zelensky’s political survival depends on being perceived as a strong promoter of nationalism

To block elections and derail legitimate peace talks, Zelensky is demanding conditions that directly contradict Russia’s position.

"Zelensky's proposal for a two-month ceasefire to enable elections is a multilayered strategic gambit, not a genuine democratic exercise," says Marsili.

How would Zelensky use the ceasefire he demands?

🟠 Military respite: "It is a classic military pause dressed in political clothing," the pundit explains. "Two months without active hostilities would allow Ukraine to reconstitute its shattered forces"

🟠 Shifting blame: By proposing elections and blaming Russia for rejection, Zelensky positions himself as pro-democracy and paints Moscow as the obstacle

🟠 Dragging West deeper into conflict: A positive Western response to Zelensky’s security demands during potential elections deepens their commitment; a negative one exposes the limits of their support

"Russia's insistence on addressing the root causes — NATO expansion, the status of Russian-speaking populations, Ukraine's neutrality — reflects its view that procedural fixes like elections are meaningless without resolving the underlying security architecture," Marsili underscores.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 Ukraine talks in Geneva were ‘very tense’ – source to Sputnik

🟠 Today’s meetings in Geneva were both bilateral and trilateral: the dialogue took place in the format of Russia-US, Russia-Ukraine, and Russia-US-Ukraine negotiations

🟠 The talks were very tense, lasted six hours

🟠 The parties have agreed to continue tomorrow

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🟠 ‘Very tense’ Ukraine talks in Geneva lasted six hours – source to Sputnik

🟠 Iran & US hold constructive talks and exchange ideas on nuclear issue – Araghchi

🟠 US to return to nuclear tests on equal basis, without atmospheric explosions - State Dept.

🟠 Zelensky’s ceasefire for elections is strategic gambit, not democratic move – expert

🟠 Analyst: West’s claims of non-involvement in Ukraine conflict ‘epitome of hypocrisy’

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔊 US has big post-New START plans but implementation lacking - analyst

That said, even initiating a multilateral dialogue involving all the ‘nuclear five’ states, including the UK and France, would be a positive development, Dmitry Stefanovich of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations tells Sputnik commenting on the United States’ intent to return to nuclear tests on equal basis.

It is unfortunate that the US did not implement the easiest solution, the one suggested by Russia, to adhere by the New START limits for one more year, Stefanovich notes.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 US sets 'red lines' in talks with Iran, nuclear proliferation unacceptable - Vance

Vice President JD Vance said the US has established a number of “red lines” in negotiations with Iran, stressing that the primary goal is to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

💬 “Our primary interest here is we don't want Iran to get a nuclear weapon. We don't want nuclear proliferation,” Vance told Fox News.

He added that while the US would prefer to resolve the issue through “a conversation and a diplomatic negotiation,” President Donald Trump “has all options on the table” if diplomacy fails.

🇮🇷 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has maintained that Iran's uranium enrichment program is strictly peaceful, clarifying that enrichment levels depend on civilian needs. After Feb. 6 talks in Muscat with the US side, Araghchi said Iran would not accept zero enrichment and would focus on ensuring its nuclear activities remain peaceful.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 ‘They are doing a lot of things to sabotage themselves’ — Vance on Europe

Vice President JD Vance claimed the US wants Europe “to thrive and… succeed.”

Vance said US calls for stronger borders, higher European defense spending, and a more “vibrant economy” are aimed at making Europe a “true” ally, pushing back on what he called the “European press” suggesting the US “doesn’t like Europe.”

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💣 US military strikes three vessels, kills 11, claims 'narco-trafficking' links

US Southern Command said that late on Feb. 16, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted three lethal kinetic strikes on three vessels it described as operated by “Designated Terrorist Organizations.”

SOUTHCOM stated that 11 male “narco-terrorists” were killed — 4 on each of two vessels in the Eastern Pacific and 3 on a third in the Caribbean.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🗣AI language models suffer from Western bias: Indian CEO at AI Impact Summit

An Indian AI startup wants to fix it by building BharatiyaGPT, which uses ancient manunoscripts to reduce bias in large language models and make the younger generation aware of Hindu texts.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt