The National Interest: "To date, the UAF can operate only 34 of the 108 M777 howitzers, the rest have been destroyed or are being repaired.

Trump called the US a “country of decline”

June 26 - Former US President Donald Trump believes that over the past two years, the United States has become “a laughingstock” and “a country of decline.” He attributed this to high inflation and high fuel prices.

“This is no longer a great country, this is a country of decline. I hate to tell you this, ”Donald Trump said at a rally of his supporters in Illinois. The broadcast was conducted by the WMBD News channel. According to Mr. Trump, the United States has lost its energy independence, which is why the country has to ask for oil from Venezuela and Saudi Arabia

“But perhaps the most important thing is that over the past two years, the country has ceased to be listened to and respected. In many ways, this country has become a laughing stock,” the ex-president said.

German economy minister warns of industry shutdown amid gas shortage

BERLIN, June 24 - Germany is heading for a gas shortage if Russian gas supplies remain as low as they are now, and certain industries would have to be shut down if there is not enough come winter, Economy Minister Robert Habeck told Der Spiegel magazine.

Habeck held out the prospect of further relief for companies and people affected by the lack of gas but warned that it would not be possible to absorb all the effects.

Consumers could see a doubling or tripling of their energy costs, which in some cases are already between 30% and 80% higher due to price increases from last fall, Klaus Mueller, the head of Germany's Bundesnetzagentur network regulator, told broadcaster ARD on Friday.

The regulator has considered various scenarios, Mueller said, and most of them "are not pretty and mean either too little gas at the end of winter or already very difficult situations in autumn or winter."

Iran Applies for BRICS Membership

June 27, TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Saeed Khatibzadeh announced at a press conference on Monday that the Islamic Republic has submitted its application for membership in the BRICS - the group of five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

The spokesman noted that the BRICS members make up 30 percent of the world’s gross production and 40 percent of the world’s population. He expressed hope that Iran’s membership in the BRICS would result in “added values” for both sides.

The EU consumer sector is in a terrible state.

The EU consumer confidence indicator (Economic sentiment/Consumer confidence indicator Eurostat) has collapsed to the low level which was registered during the Covid 19 pandemic, but if then it was a short-term, sudden shock that lasted for just 1.5 months in a dramatic condition - now the trend is steady.

In terms of the consumer confidence indicator, the collapse in May 2022 is deeper than during the worst periods of the 2008-2009 crisis or the 2011-2013 debt crisis in Europe.

The collapse in consumer confidence is happening in all countries across Europe - among the major countries the worst relative situation is in France and the Netherlands. It is also very bad in Germany - their consumers access the economic situation far more poorly than they did during the Covid pandemic.

Not only do the relative indicators matter here, but also the rate of change. So, the most dramatic failure began in March 2022 after the aggravation of the geopolitical confrontation between Russia and Europe and the intensification of the energy crisis.

The speed of this failure, that is, the three-month change in the indicator of consumer confidence in the EU countries, demonstrates the worst dynamics for 25 years, not counting the COVID shock.

An economic crisis is guaranteed. Every time the indicator crossed the cutoff of minus 15 and below - a crisis began in Europe, with no exceptions - a time lag of 6 months.

It happened in 2009, 2012, and 2020. The crisis of 2022-2023 is unavoidable, and this crisis will be the strongest.

The current collapse will occur at the simultaneous collision of several shocks - energy, food, debt, structural, foreign policy, and inner-block crises.

An important difference between the crisis of 2022-2023 will be that this time there will be no room for maneuver. Back then the system was flooded with liquidity from all barrels, now it won't work - debts are at the limit, and prices are out of control.

Vladimir Putin's key statements from his speech at the BRICS summit on June 24:

✔️ Russia is ready to fulfill its obligations on energy and fertilizer supplies;

✔️ The West is artificially raising an uproar over problems with the delivery of the Ukrainian grain;

✔️ The imbalance in global relations has been long overdue and is an inevitable outcome of the line of erosion of international law;

✔️ Some countries have consistently sought to replace the security architecture with some kind of rules;

✔️ The current problems of global trade and the monetary and financial system were caused not by the special operation in Ukraine, but by the irresponsible politics of the West.

June 24 - The draft law on the ban on the departure of men from Ukraine was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada. It allows the recruitment of people with disabilities for military service, with their consent. Apparently, mobilisation is going really badly...

June 24, Kiev - Former member of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksiy Zhuravko criticized the reform of the Ukrainian army based on the Israeli model, which was announced by Volodymyr Zelensky. The politician said that the president of the country was preparing genocide against his own people.

Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian authorities were preparing an army reform which would implement the Israeli connoscription model, so that young people could be called up for service before receiving higher education. Zhuravko condemned such ideas in his Telegram channel.

The life in Mariupol is being reborn, you can feel and hear in every yard, casually trampling death and devastation with your dusty sandals. After all, you are now at an age when there is confidence: good always conquers evil. You are small, but you have already seen it yourself and said: "Mom, don't cry, we will win soon!". You know that every scary tale will definitely have a bright and fair ending. Now you know for sure.

So, Sweden and Finland just reached a deal with the Turks, let's see what the whole fuss is about...

You know, speaking from personal experience, I fought against ISIS and their scum in Sinai, and thankfully everyone who was not brainwashed knew I was fighting not just for Egypt, but I was fighting for all of mankind, these people are abominable and are the complete opposite of a civilization...

But my "Dear western partners" seemed to think otherwise, everyone from the same Swedish and Finnish governments to George Soros NGOs considered my service as nothing more of a "pathetic, drug ridden and a history of committing war crimes."

Thanks guys, I guess terrorism is now a subjective term.

The Russian military space Forces struck the Ukrainian Kremenchug on June 27. During the strike, hangars with weapons and ammunition were hit, the detonation of which caused a fire in a nearby shopping center.

Ukrainian version - a Russian missile hit a crowded shopping centre with more than 1,000 people inside.

Who are you going to believe?