The economic restrictions are “painful” for Moscow and “represent a powerful lever,” according to the European Commission president

The EU will not lift its sanctions against Russia for as long as the Ukraine conflict continues, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said.

During talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday, Russia and the US agreed to move towards reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which, according to the Kremlin, should include the removal of Western restrictions against Russian Agricultural Bank and other financial institutions involved in the international sale of food and fertilizers.

In her interview with French broadcaster LCI on Friday, von der Leyen made it clear that Brussels will not support the idea of a maritime truce between Moscow and Kiev put forward by the administration of US President Donald Trump.

“The sanctions are very significant; they are painful; they have an impact on the Russian economy, and they represent a powerful lever,” she said when asked about the possibility of the EU fulfilling Russian demands to lift some of the curbs.

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According to the head of the European Commission, the restrictions “will remain in effect until a just and lasting peace is established in Ukraine.”

However, she noted that “when the war is over, the sanctions might be removed.”

Von der Leyen also said that for the conflict to end, “security guarantees for Ukraine” are needed as well as “a solid defense industrial base and a deterrent force” in the EU.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, originally brokered in July 2022 by the UN and Türkiye, envisioned the safe passage of Ukrainian agricultural products in exchange for the West lifting its restrictions on Russian grain and fertilizer exports.

Moscow withdrew from the deal a year later, citing the West’s failure to uphold its obligations. The Americans and Russians now see its revival as a step towards settling the Ukraine conflict altogether.

Earlier this week, President Vladimir Putin asserted that the Russian economy has become the fourth largest in the world in purchasing power parity terms after those of China, the US and India, despite a record 28,595 sanctions being placed on it by Washington, Brussels and their allies. According to the Russian government’s data, the country’s economy grew 4.1% in 2024, surpassing the official forecast of 3.9%.

READ MORE: Trump assesses Ukraine conflict settlement

Putin previously urged the Russian business circles against expecting the sanctions to be fully lifted, describing them as a mechanism of strategic systemic pressure on the country that the West intends to keep using.

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Boris Johnson has urged European nations to increase defense spending

Europeans should not be “deluded” that there is an alternative “defense pillar” to NATO, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. In an article in the Daily Mail on Friday, he argued that European countries should allocate more funds to defense.

The Atlantic reported this week, citing a conversation in the encrypted messaging app Signal, that US Vice President J.D. Vance said he hated “bailing out Europe again” by launching military action against Houthi rebels, ostensibly to protect European trade. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly also slammed “pathetic European free-loading.”

In his article, Johnson pointed out that the US defense budget “is the thick end of a trillion dollars a year, more than 12 times the UK defense budget, even though the US population is only about five times bigger than ours.” He added that “the US allocates about 3.5 per cent of its GDP to defense while the UK spends about 2.3 per cent.”

Just prior to taking office in January, US President Donald Trump called on European NATO allies to increase their military spending, calling on each member state to spend 5% of GDP on defense. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that British defense spending would rise to 2.5% by 2027, three years earlier than planned. Meanwhile, EU countries have announced their own defense strategy aimed at breaking security dependency on the US.

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Johnson opined in the Mail that there is no candidate for replacing America’s role on the continent. “We must not be deluded into thinking we can create some European alternative defence pillar, as a substitute for Nato. Who would lead such a thing? France? Britain? Germany? You only have to ask the question to see the problem,” he wrote. The former conservative PM hailed the defense budget boost announced by London, but called it “only a start, and nothing like enough.”

America should be “the hegemonic power of the Western world” to stick up “for freedom and democracy, especially in Ukraine,” Johnson claimed.

According to Kiev, it was Johnson – then still prime minister – who convinced Ukraine to keep fighting and derailed its 2022 peace talks with Moscow. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled that episode, saying that “Western handlers... arrived and persuaded the Ukrainian leadership to continue armed resistance to the end, essentially to the last Ukrainian, with the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.” Currently, Moscow and Washington are engaged in talks aimed at finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

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Tehran is capable of retaliating against any enemy, according to IRGC Navy head Alireza Tangsiri

Iran will not bow to US pressure to resume talks over its nuclear program, a top naval commander has said, stressing that Tehran is ready to strike back in the event of an American attack.

In an interview with al-Mayadeen TV channel on Saturday, Alireza Tangsiri, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s recent ultimatum urging the country to enter new nuclear talks.

“I have no knowledge of Trump’s message, nor do I care to analyze it,” Tangsiri said. “I hear his threats, I observe his actions, and I prepare myself to counter them. We have the capability to strike all enemy bases, wherever they may be… No one can strike us and escape. Even if we have to chase them to the Gulf of Mexico, we would.”

Tangsiri also rejected any negotiations over Tehran’s missile arsenal or its backing of groups in the region. “Iran will never negotiate over its missiles or the capabilities of the Resistance Front,” he said. He also emphasized that the Islamic Republic seeks peaceful relations with its neighbors: “We always extend a hand of friendship to the countries in the region. As Muslims, we do not pose any threat to our neighboring countries.”

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The remarks came in response to Trump’s comments on Friday, in which he confirmed sending a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, seeking to negotiate a nuclear deal.

“You’re gonna have to make a decision one way or the other,” Trump said. “We’re gonna either have to talk and talk it out, or very bad things are gonna happen to Iran. And I don’t want that to happen.” He added that if the US has “to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that while the letter seemed threatening, it still contained “some opportunities” for Tehran.

The standoff follows years of tension over Tehran’s nuclear program. In 2015, Iran signed a deal with the US, the EU, Russia, and other world powers in which it agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, in 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the landmark agreement, calling it “a horrible one-sided deal” that had failed to achieve its goals.

Iran has not ruled out indirect talks on the matter but has refused to do so under duress. It also maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

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The autonomous Danish territory is threatened by “Russian aggression” and “Chinese expansion,” according to a clip posted by Donald Trump

A video shared by US President Donald Trump on Friday has promised to defend Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, from both Russia and China. Moscow has not expressed aggressive intentions towards the island and has repeatedly denied Western claims of planning to attack NATO countries.

Trump has talked about making Greenland a part of the US since winning the presidential election in November, arguing that it is needed for security purposes. He has offered to buy the resource-rich Arctic territory from Copenhagen, but also does not rule out the use of force to bring it under American sovereignty.

The video – also shared by other White House figures such as JD Vance and Pete Hegseth – assured the 56,000 people living on the island that “America stands with Greenland.”

It recalled the cooperation between Washington and territory during the Second World War, stating that “Americans and Greenlanders stood as sentinels at the top of the world.”

pic.twitter.com/i1rW9HroWn

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2025

“But today Greenland faces new threats from Russian aggression and Chinese expansion,” the clip claimed, consisting of archive WWII videos, images of Greenland’s landscape and footage of modern-day US military hardware.

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The partnership between Greenland and the US “is not just history. It is destiny,” the video on Trump’s channel said. “Now is the time to stand together again – for peace, for security, for the future,” it added.

The post followed a visit to Greenland by US Vice President J.D. Vance earlier this week, during which he told some 150 US servicemen stationed on the island that Washington would be “investing in additional military icebreakers, investing in additional naval ships that will have a greater presence in Greenland.”

Vance blamed the Danish government for failing the people of Greenland, calling the island “extremely vulnerable right now,” and insisting it would be much safer “under the US umbrella.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that “Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic.” He said that the region’s “enormous potential” provides an opportunity for international cooperation in economic development, resource extraction, infrastructure projects and transport.

READ MORE: Vance delivers Trump’s ‘message’ to US troops in Greenland

However, he mentioned that Russia is “concerned about the fact that NATO countries are increasingly often designating the Far North as a springboard for possible conflicts,” and that Moscow is “closely monitoring developments in the region” and would move forward in “modernizing military infrastructure facilities.”

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A man who injured five people with knives comes from a region formerly controlled by Kiev, Dutch media have said citing security sources

Dutch police have revealed the identity of the suspect who seriously injured five people with knives in Amsterdam. Local media reported on Friday, citing security sources, that the suspect is 30-year-old Ukraininan citizen Roman D. He is originally from Donetsk Region – a former part of Ukraine that voted to join Russia in 2022.

On Thursday, five people were stabbed in the Dutch capital, when a man armed with several knives attacked passers-by in the historic city center. The suspect was stopped by an unnamed tourist, reportedly from the UK, who chased the man and restrained him.

According to De Telegraaf, the presumed attacker had false identity papers and refused to give his real personal details. The man is currently in a hospital under strict guard. Police say his motives are still unknown. It is also believed that his choice of victims was random.

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Публикация от Het Parool (@hetparool)

Two Americans – a 67-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, a 26-year-old man with Polish nationality, a 73-year-old woman from Belgium and a 19-year-old local girl were injured in the attack.

The tourist who managed to stop the suspect was praised by local police and officials, who called him “a true hero”. However, they did not reveal his identity and called on the public to exercise caution in making a citizen’s arrest, as “most people are not trained for this sort of thing.”

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The number of victims is expected to rise as rescue operations continue

The death toll from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake which rocked Myanmar on Friday has reached 1,002, the state-run broadcaster MRTV has reported.

The updated figures are from “all the earthquake-affected areas nationwide,” the broadcaster said on Saturday.

According to an earlier report by Myanmar Now, at least 2,400 additional people have been injured across the Southeast Asian country.

The authorities said earlier that the number of victims is expected to keep climbing as rescue operations are continuing.

Earlier in the day, the country’s prime minister, Min Aung Hlaing, arrived in the city of Mandalay, which was heavily damaged by the quake. During his meeting with local officials, he “instructed them to carry out search and rescue operations as soon as possible and to take necessary measures” to assist those affected, according to MRTV.

??Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Reaches 1002, 2,376 Injured - Officials #Earthquake #Myanmar #Bangkok pic.twitter.com/Ee9T5J2pZE

— RT_India (@RT_India_news) March 29, 2025

The broadcaster had said earlier that 1,591 homes, 670 monasteries and 60 schools had been damaged in and around Mandalay, which is located some 17 kilometers from the epicenter of the quake.

Myanmar in ruins! A 7.7M earthquake leaves many dead and injured — Hospital collapse causes mass casualties as rescue efforts continue pic.twitter.com/AZpHavavNC

— RT (@RT_com) March 28, 2025

Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said on Saturday that it has dispatched two planes carrying some 120 rescuers to assist Myanmar in dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake.

The tremors reached neighboring Thailand, where a skyscraper under construction collapsed in Bangkok. The city’s authorities have said that at least 10 people were killed, 16 were injured and 101 remain missing as a result of the natural disaster.

The Chinese embassy in Myanmar announced that a team of 37 rescue workers had been flown to the country. Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said on X that New Delhi has dispatched a plane loaded with emergency personnel, paramedics and humanitarian aid to Myanmar.

READ MORE: Powerful earthquake hits Myanmar with tremors felt in Thailand (VIDEOS)

On Friday, President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the country’s leadership, saying that “Russia shares the grief of the friendly people of Myanmar.” He expressed his sympathy for those who have lost loved ones in the quake and wished a speedy recovery to all the injured, according to the Kremlin.

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The push for peace is yielding progress but “there’s a lot of ill will between the parties,” according to the US president

US President Donald Trump has said that diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine conflict are gaining ground but warned that the opposing sides view each other with deep resentment.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, the US leader stressed the desire to put an end to hostilities, claiming that Ukraine and Russia are “losing 2,500… young men… every single week.”

“I think we're making progress, but there's a lot of ill will between the parties,” he said.

US Vice President JD Vance echoed the remarks during his visit to Greenland, stating, “we’ve obviously got this energy infrastructure ceasefire [between Russia and Ukraine]; we’ve got a Black Sea commercial ceasefire that I think is almost done, and once we get there, we’ll work on the next stage of the ceasefire.”

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His comments come as Russia and the US have engaged in active talks aimed at restoring bilateral ties and halting hostilities between Moscow and Kiev. On March 18, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed a potential ceasefire and agreed to a 30-day pause in strikes targeting energy infrastructure.

However, Russia has accused Ukraine of violating the deal on numerous occasions. Moscow has signaled that it plans to adhere to the moratorium but warned of a potential symmetrical response to Kiev if it continues to breach the agreement.

Additional negotiations between Russian and US delegations took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this week. The meetings focused on restoring the 2022 grain deal, which secured Ukrainian food exports via the Black Sea.

While Moscow has agreed to this in principle, it will only accept a maritime ceasefire if the West lifts its sanctions on Russian Agricultural Bank and other financial institutions involved in the sale of food and fertilizers, which would entail reconnecting them to the SWIFT payment system.

The EU, however, has rejected the demand, maintaining that sanctions will remain in place until Russia withdraws its troops from all territories claimed by Ukraine. In this vein, European Commission Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Anitta Hipper stressed that “the EU’s main focus remains to maximize pressure on Russia, using all tools available.”

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Brussels would do anything to avoid accountability for the billions of euros sent to Kiev, the Hungarian foreign minister has said

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has accused Brussels bureaucrats of clinging to a “failed pro-war policy” in a desperate attempt to delay the moment when European taxpayers begin asking where the money spent on bankrolling Kiev has gone.

The European Union recently advised its 450 million inhabitants to stockpile essential supplies for at least 72 hours, with EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib warning on Wednesday that the Ukraine conflict threatens the bloc’s overall security.

Szijjarto said he initially thought the warning was some kind of joke or “trolling,” after Lahbib posted a bizarre video showing Europeans what to pack in a 72-hour survival kit.

READ MORE: France and UK rebrand possible military deployment to Ukraine

“But why, in the 21st century, should EU citizens prepare a survival kit? There’s only one explanation: Brussels is preparing for war,“ Szijjarto wrote in a post on X on Friday. “At a time when there’s finally a real chance for a ceasefire and meaningful peace talks with [President Donald Trump’s] return to office, Brussels is going in the opposite direction, clinging to a failed pro-war policy.”

Why? Because as long as the war continues, pro-war European politicians can avoid taking responsibility for three years of failure, and avoid answering an extremely uncomfortable question: where is the money that was sent to Ukraine?

EU institutions in Brussels and individual member states have spent over €132 billion over the past three years supporting Kiev, and have pledged an additional €115 billion that has yet to be allocated, according to data from Germany’s Kiel Institute.

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Since taking office, US President Donald Trump has pushed for a diplomatic resolution and sought to recoup what he estimates to be over $300 billion in US taxpayer money that his predecessor “gifted” to Kiev. Washington recently brokered a limited ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, placing a moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure. Kiev, however, has repeatedly breached the ceasefire terms, according to Moscow.

Despite the ongoing peace process, the EU has continued to push a hawkish agenda. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently unveiled an €800 billion plan to ramp up military spending through loans.

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Meanwhile, France and the UK continue to advocate for the deployment of a military contingent to Ukraine. Speaking after a summit in Paris on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that a so-called “coalition of the willing” will seek to deploy a “reassurance force” to Ukraine after a peace deal with Russia is reached.

The proposal to send troops has already been rejected by several EU members. The “coalition of the willing” – a phrase originally coined by the US in 2003 to describe countries backing the invasion of Iraq – now mostly refers to states that have pledged to continue supporting Kiev militarily, without necessarily committing to troop deployments.

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All remaining staff have reportedly received notices of imminent elimination

The US State Department has formally notified Congress of its intent to “undertake a reorganization” that would effectively dissolve the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington’s primary funding channel for political projects abroad.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday that while foreign assistance can serve national interests, the high costs and limited benefits associated with USAID-backed programs had prompted the decision to eliminate the majority of its initiatives.

“Unfortunately, USAID strayed from its original mission long ago… Thanks to President Trump, this misguided and fiscally irresponsible era is now over. We are reorienting our foreign assistance programs to align directly with what is best for the United States and our citizens,” Rubio said.

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Rubio promised that truly “essential lifesaving programs” aligned with the administration’s America First priorities would be absorbed and carried on by the State Department, while the rest would be discontinued by July 1, 2025.

President Donald Trump launched the process of dismantling USAID shortly after taking office in January. Since then, thousands of employees have been fired or placed on leave, and billions of dollars in aid contracts have been frozen or canceled altogether, as part of Trump’s broader federal waste-cutting initiative led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The remaining staff were reportedly notified on Friday that “all non-statutory positions at USAID will be eliminated,” and that they would soon receive a termination date, either July 1 or September 2. A memo from Jeremy Lewin – the DOGE staffer-turned-deputy administrator of USAID – also warned personnel that they would not be automatically transferred to the State Department without “a separate and independent hiring process.”

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The move to dismantle USAID and transfer its remnants to the State Department has faced legal challenges, including a temporary freeze imposed by a federal judge last week. However, on Friday, the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that DOGE had acted within its authority in reviewing and restructuring foreign aid programs. The court rejected arguments that the executive branch had overstepped its bounds by altering a congressionally authorized agency, stating that Congress had not explicitly barred such reorganization.

Trump had previously accused the organization of being run by “radical lunatics” and facilitating corruption “at levels rarely seen before.” His federal government efficiency tsar, Elon Musk, referred to USAID as a “criminal organization” and claimed that it had funded bioweapons research, among scores of other controversial programs.

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The revelations about USAID’s links to secretive initiatives and “ financing radical elements throughout the world” validate concerns long expressed by Russia, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said last month.

Other foreign leaders have also questioned USAID’s role in their domestic affairs. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico voiced concerns over what he described as potential “ gross interference” in his country’s political landscape. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban similarly emphasized the need to “ eliminate these foreign networks” that interfere in domestic politics.

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The vice president has defended the US commander-in-chief’s plan to bring the “extremely vulnerable” Arctic island under American “protection”

US Vice President J.D. Vance delivered a forceful address to American service members at Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland on Friday, emphasizing the Trump administration’s determination to expand its permanent foothold on the Arctic island.

The vice president’s visit came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined Moscow’s Arctic policy and warned that US annexation plans – dating back to the 1860s – should be taken seriously and not dismissed as “extravagant talk.”

“I want to bring a message from President Trump,” Vance told the assembled airmen and guardians. “He’s grateful for your service, grateful for what you do up here... because the mission that you guys do is so important for the United States.”

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While insisting that there are no “immediate plans” to expand the US military presence with new bases, Vance announced that Washington would “absolutely” increase investment – including “investing in additional military icebreakers, investing in additional naval ships that will have a greater presence in Greenland.”

The vice president stressed that the US supports Greenlandic “self-determination,” but made it clear that Washington envisions a future in which the island ultimately aligns with America.

“I think that you’d be a lot better coming under the United States security umbrella than you have been under Denmark’s,” he said. Vance accused the Danish government of failing the people of Greenland, claiming the island is “extremely vulnerable right now.”

We do not think that military force is ever going to be necessary… Because we think the people of Greenland are rational and good, we think we will be able to cut a deal, Donald Trump style, to ensure the security of this territory.

Vance justified the administration’s increasingly assertive approach by pointing to rising Chinese and Russian activity in the region, describing Greenland as a geopolitical flashpoint in a new era of strategic competition.

READ MORE: Trump has ‘gone too far’ – Danish defense minister

“We know that Russia and China and other nations are taking an extraordinary interest in Arctic passageways, in Arctic naval routes, and indeed in the minerals of the Arctic territories. We need to ensure that America is leading in the Arctic – because we know that if America doesn’t, other nations will fill the gap where we fall behind,” he said.

He also highlighted Greenland’s critical role in US missile early warning systems, describing the base’s function as a vital shield “if a missile was fired from an enemy country.”

READ MORE: US has been plotting to annex Greenland since the 1860s – Putin

In his Thursday speech, President Vladimir Putin countered the US narrative, stressing that “Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic,” and emphasizing the region’s “enormous potential” for joint economic development, resource extraction, infrastructure projects and transport.

“But at the same time, of course, we are concerned about the fact that NATO countries are increasingly often designating the Far North as a springboard for possible conflicts,” Putin added, noting that Moscow is “closely monitoring developments in the region” and “modernizing military infrastructure facilities.”

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The US president wants Ukraine to repay all of Washington’s aid with interest, Hugh Tomlinson has said

US President Donald Trump is both contemptuous of Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and assured of Kiev’s weakness in its conflict with Moscow, The Times’ Washington reporter Hugh Tomlinson suggested in an op-ed published on Friday.

In light of this, Trump aims to get back all the funds the US has spent on the Ukraine conflict during his predecessor Joe Biden’s term, Tomlinson wrote.

“Convinced of Ukraine’s weakness, contemptuous of Zelensky, and enraged by the billions of dollars in aid given to Kiev by Joe Biden’s administration, Trump has set out to get it all back, and more,” he said.

Last month, Trump demanded that Kiev reimburse what he claimed was hundreds of billions of dollars in US aid via Ukraine’s mineral wealth, originally focusing on “rare earths.”

An earlier iteration of the deal was reportedly set to be signed in early March, only to be derailed by Zelensky’s public shouting match with the US president and vice president in the Oval Office. Following the altercation, Trump temporarily froze all military aid and intelligence sharing with Kiev.

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However, Washington reversed the decision after Kiev agreed to a 30-day partial ceasefire following US-Ukrainian talks in Jeddah earlier this month.

Moscow has since accused Ukraine of multiple strikes on its energy sites, which are off-limits under the truce.

After Monday’s separate talks with the US in Saudi Arabia, both Russia and Ukraine have said they’re willing to broaden the partial ceasefire to encompass a naval truce on the Black Sea.

“For days, White House officials have insisted that an agreement on the minerals deal was close. Now a possible reason for the delay and the price of a ceasefire may be becoming clearer,” Tomlinson wrote, adding that “US negotiators have apparently been working to extract even greater concessions from Kiev.”

The latest version of the minerals deal proposed by the Trump administration is far harsher than earlier iterations, Reuters wrote on Thursday, citing a draft of the agreement.

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Under the newest terms, the US will recoup all aid money given to Ukraine since the escalation of its conflict with Russia in 2022 and charge a 4% annual interest rate on the sum before Kiev can access the fund’s profits.

Zelensky has confirmed that he has received a fresh proposal from the US but insisted that the funding Kiev has received from Washington was a donation and not a loan.

The US has allocated more than $123 billion to Ukraine in military and financial aid since 2022, according to data from Germany’s Kiel Institute. Trump maintains that Washington has spent more than $300 billion on supporting Kiev.

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The bloc is guilty of hypocrisy for its differing treatment of the court’s rulings on Russia and Israel, a political scientist has told RT

EU officials have demonstrated hypocrisy in how they have treated arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Russian and Israeli leaders, a political sciences professor at Birzeit University in the West Bank has told RT.

Saad Nimr commented with regard to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’ recent visit to Israel, during which she expressed support for the Jewish state but did not address the issue of the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The professor slammed the fact that the EU’s top diplomat appeared to have taken the Israeli side in the conflict by failing to meet with Palestinian prisoners or those injured in the IDF’s fight against Hamas.

Nimr particularly criticized Kallas for ignoring ICC warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for violations of international law.

The professor noted that when the Hague-based court issued a similar warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine conflict, EU officials hailed the decision. Kallas specifically stated that the decision was a “reminder that no one is immune, not even heads of state.”

“This shows the double standards and hypocrisy of the Europeans, especially concerning the issues related to other countries,” Nimr said.

Watch the full interview with Saad Nimr below.

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Peacekeepers are now a “reassurance force”, rearming is now “readiness”, and citizens should stock up on emergency supplies

I guess calling Ursula von der Leyen’s €800 billion defence spending plan, “ReArm Europe,” as she did initially, didn’t test well – probably because Europeans are too busy wondering why there’s no money for literally anything else that isn’t a weapons buying bonanza.

So, what’s with this new name, Readiness 2030, that they’ve suddenly started using as a replacement term? And why 2030?

Turns out that’s the magic number that European intelligence agencies, notably Germany’s, have cooked up for when Russia will supposedly be all set to roll into Europe. You know, the same intelligence outfits that just now decided that the EU is a sitting duck and could really use desperate measures now that its economy is circling the drain. Like, for example, the new proposal for French citizens to invest their personal savings of a minimum €500 euros, for at least 5 years, to help mitigate the dwindling public support for military over social spending, as the French economy minister just announced.

That 2030 date definitely has nothing to do with the fact that politicians need a solid five years of blank checks from taxpayers to funnel cash into the defense industry, conveniently boosting GDP after tanking their own economies with their self-inflicted crises.

To really hammer home the “readiness” vibe while European leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron riff nonstop about war with Russia, the EU is now mass-marketing a self-assembled emergency kit to all member state citizens.

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“Today, the EU launches its new #Preparedness Strategy. ‘Ready for anything’ — this must be our new European way of life. Our motto and #hashtag,” wrote EU Crisis Management commissioner Hadja Lahbib on social media. She also posted a video that she called a “what’s in my bag — survival edition” and started pulling out of her purse things like a Swiss Army Knife, something that looked like a can of tuna, playing cards “for distraction”, and a radio. “Everything you need to survive the first 72 hours of a crisis,” she said.

After that? Well, maybe the Russian soldiers who have invaded Europe will have just gotten their fill of selfies with the locals (courtesy of the go bag’s backup phone charger) – #TanksForTheMemories – and their travel chess set matches – and will be on their way. Because it’s not like the EU is going to get anything under control in 72 hours. As if that was the point anyway.

Oh, and Queen Ursula’s EU Commission isn’t stopping at just one dumb rebrand. The bloc is also giving a fresh coat of paint to what was once known as “fiscal responsibility.” EU rules used to cap member states’ deficits at 3% of GDP – now, that little restriction is being rebranded as a “National Escape Clause”. As in, congratulations! You’re finally free from the oppressive burden of not bankrupting your country.

Not long ago, a stunt like yanking off national debt brakes would have just gotten member states a spanking from her. Now? It’s “spend whatever you want – as long as it’s on weapons.”

And let’s talk about the official name for this giant spending spree: SAFE – as in, “Security Action For Europe.” Because nothing screams “SAFE” like blowing your savings together, like a group of teenagers maxing out their credit cards at the mall. Except instead of Sephora lip gloss or Louis Vuitton bags, it’s missiles and drones. And speaking of drones – all this rebranding of the defense spending spree was sparked by objections from some folks like Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who was like, hey, we should at least pretend this is about dual use – you know, the drones we’re cranking out for Putin’s completely hypothetical invasion could also fight wildfires.

Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni also brought up the fact that if this is all supposed to be about security, then why is the focus on just making weapons and not also on improving essential service that are also kind of important if this is really about an emergency. Well, because that won’t make defense shares go up, will it, silly?

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These latest attempts to sprinkle glitter on a raging dumpster fire are right on schedule. Europe isn’t getting “ready”; citizens are just getting robbed. Again. At this point, you have to wonder how long it’ll be until someone rebrands inflation as “Freedom Pricing.” They almost have already, arguing that sacrifices are needed in the European way of life to really own Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Oh wait, here we go again! Already! Barely a few days later, yet another rebranding has emerged!

A “reassurance force” is what French President Emmanuel Macron is now calling potential European boots stomping into Ukraine after Thursday’s big gathering of Ukraine-allied Western nations in Paris. Before that, he was pitching British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s “coalition of the willing” cerebral faceplant, because, hey, if it worked out so well for Iraq 20 years ago, why not give it another spin?

And before that, Macron floated the idea of “peacekeepers,” which didn’t exactly land because, well, that was just NATO troops in Ukraine with a fancy new label – and Russia wasn’t buying it.

But will Moscow notice that the “reassurance force” isn’t there to offer Ukraine emotional support and free therapy sessions, despite how the name sounds? Seems that all the ginning up for war that’s been going on here in Europe to wash every euro they can into the defense industry hasn’t escaped Moscow’s attention. “The leadership of the European Union has adopted the propaganda techniques of the Third Reich to intimidate the European man in the street with the Russian ‘threat.’,” noted Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service. ”The Directorate General of the European Commission for Public Relations has drawn up a plan for a centralized campaign to introduce stable Russophobic narratives into the public consciousness.”

Well, that certainly would account for the frantic spinning.

Just last month, Macron insisted that the fighting in Ukraine had to stop before so-called European peacekeepers could roll in. Now? He’s apparently totally fine with the fact that there’s still zero peace to keep before forging ahead. He just won’t call them peacekeepers. There, all fixed!

“The reassurance forces is a Franco-British proposal. It is not universally agreed upon today, but we do not need unanimity to do this,” Macron said. “The two defence chiefs, British and French, will set up a team to work with Ukrainians, who will tell us exactly what their needs are.”

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Macron’s partner in strategic brilliance, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, also doesn’t seem too fussed that the US hasn’t exactly rushed to offer air cover for these troops – something he himself said, just weeks ago, would be a deal-breaker for British troop presence in Ukraine.

But Macron now says that he “wishes” the US would be involved. “I wish the US were engaged alongside us and provided meaningful support. It would be good for Europe, good for NATO, good for all of us,” he said. “But we must prepare for a situation where perhaps they might not join us and that we would be required to act entirely alone. It’s an exit from geopolitical minority status. It’s a good thing for Europe.”

He sounds like a guy sending a dramatic “I’m about to do something crazy” text to an ex, hoping they rush over to hold their hand. But unfortunately for him, Washington is busy trying to negotiate peace. Also, some members of Trump’s cabinet, including the Vice-President and Defenыe Secretary, just basically called Western Europe a bunch of pathetic freeloaders in a leaked chat on the Signal app. So good luck with that.

Steven Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy for the Russia talks, made it clear in a recent interview with journalist Tucker Carlson that Washington isn’t interested in babysitting European troops while they run military obstacle courses with their Ukrainian counterparts in an active war zone. America is quite clearly focused on a peace deal that would make this whole circus unnecessary.

But hold up! it’s not like French and British troops are strapping on their helmets and marching into battle tomorrow. No, they’re just heading over for a fact-finding mission – you know, to figure out what it might look like if the rest of the EU ever decides to join them. Which is totally happening any minute now. That’s why France and Britain are the only ones even talking about these troops.

But don’t worry – Macron swears all of the EU will jump in once peace magically breaks out. Because nothing prevents war like sending troops into an ongoing conflict zone. Don’t think that’s exactly what this would be? Ask Zelensky, who keeps insisting that what Ukraine really needs is soldiers who can actually fight, not a bunch of peacekeepers, which he makes sound like glorified hall monitors.

So again, the latest buzzword is “reassurance force”. Try to keep up, as there will probably be even more whitewashing coming down the pipe again shortly.

Macron’s out here naming military plans like they’re self-care retreats. Next up from Camp Reassurance: the ‘mindfulness missile strike’ and the ‘holistic artillery barrage.’ Only the optics-obsessed, directionally-challenged EU would try giving war a glow-up at a time at a time when peace has never seemed closer.

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The US and Russia have committed to advancing the defunct deal as a step towards settling the Ukraine conflict

Türkiye is ready to help revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Kremlin said on Friday, following a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Originally brokered in July 2022 by the UN and Türkiye, the agreement envisioned the safe passage of Ukrainian agricultural exports to the global markets in exchange for the West lifting restrictions on Russian grain and fertilizer trade. Moscow withdrew from the deal in 2023, citing the West’s failure to meet its obligations under the deal.

According to the Kremlin, Erdogan “voiced support for Russian-American dialogue and reaffirmed Ankara’s willingness to help facilitate progress on the Black Sea agreement.”

On Monday, US and Russian officials agreed to restart the initiative, following 12 hours of talks in Saudi Arabia. Russia requested that its agricultural bank, Rosselkhozbank, and other institutions involved in food and fertilizer sales, be reconnected to the SWIFT international payments system, which had been agreed as part of the original Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Moscow cited the West’s failure to follow through on that commitment, along with Kiev’s alleged misuse of the arrangement for military purposes, as reasons for not renewing the rolling annual agreement in 2023.

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that his administration is considering lifting some sanctions on Moscow.

READ MORE: White House reveals details of US-Russia talks in Riyadh

The Kremlin said Moscow and Washington had also discussed steps to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, including pledges to avoid the use of force and prevent commercial vessels from being used for military purposes. Proposed measures also include ship inspections.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Channel 1 on Tuesday that Moscow would need firm guarantees from the US to renew the deal. Russia’s position now “is simple: We cannot take anyone’s word at face value,” Lavrov said.

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The court should demonstrate that no one is above the law, an international relations expert has told RT

The international Criminal Court has lost its legitimacy by serving the political interests of certain powers, international relations expert Ali Hammoud has told RT.

The Hague-based institution has faced criticism in recent years for allegedly failing to prosecute individuals from more powerful nations and instead going after those from Asian and African states.

In an interview on Thursday, Hammoud, who is a professor of international relations and economics at the Paris-based Center for Diplomatic and Strategic Studies (CEDS), claimed that the ICC applies double standards and serves global powers rather than justice.

READ MORE: ICC ‘weaponized’ in Philippines political feud – expert

”For the ICC to restore its legitimacy it must demonstrate that no one individual regardless of nationality and political connection is above the law,” Hammoud said.

In November, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, charging him with responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict in Gaza.

Despite this, Israel has continued its offensive in the enclave and intensified strikes earlier this month after the collapse of a truce with Hamas. Despite the accusations, the Israeli leadership has the support of the European Union, which was manifested during a visit to Israel by the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas earlier this week.

Watch the interview with Ali Hammoud below.

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The American AI model provides “harsh, ideological” answers, Valery Fadeyev has said

Popular artificial intelligence model ChatGPT is Russophobic, the head of the Russian Human Rights Council, Valery Fadeyev, has claimed.

Speaking at the XV Saint Petersburg International Educational Forum on Thursday, Fadeyev said he and his colleagues had tested the chatbot from US company OpenAI as part of an experiment and had received concerning results.

“We asked a number of questions: ‘Who won the Second World War?’, ‘Why does the Russian liberal community hate their country?’ and so on. We got harsh, ideological answers,” Fadeyev said.

According to the human rights chief, the replies by ChatGPT “felt like they were written not by artificial intelligence, but by natural intelligence in the central committee of a political party from another country.”

Fadeyev mentioned the decision by US President Donald Trump earlier this month to terminate government funding for Voice of America (VOA), with Trump accusing the state-run international broadcasting network of “spreading radical propaganda” for the Democratic Party at home and abroad.

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The Russian human rights chief suggested that the authorities in Washington do not actually need VOA and similar outlets “when they now have a colossal ideological tool in the form of AI.”

“It is unclear how to regulate this,” Fadeyev said, referring to ChatGPT.

“If we do not educate our schoolchildren, do not create a reasonable, noble, patriotic worldview in kids, then we will have no tools to counter this weapon,” he warned.

In contrast, NewsGuard, a self-proclaimed disinformation watchdog, has accused ChatGPT and other AI models of advancing a pro-Russian agenda.

“Massive amounts of Russian propaganda – 3,600,000 articles in 2024 – are now incorporated in the outputs of Western AI systems, infecting their responses with false claims and propaganda,” it claimed earlier this month.

According to NewsGuard, the ten leading AI assistants repeated Russian narratives more than 33% of the time during its study.

READ MORE: Chinese AI rival spending 2% of ChatGPT’s budget – industry pioneer

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently called on the UN to keep discussions on artificial intelligence in check, and to ensure that countries “work transparently [and] honestly, and do not create any [AI] schemes directed against other members of the international community.”

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The NGO was allegedly involved in staging multiple false flag chemical weapons attacks during the Syrian civil war

The administration of US President Donald Trump has cut off most of the funding Washington had been providing to the controversial ‘White Helmets’ volunteer organization in Syria, CNN reported on Thursday, citing internal documents and the organization.

The Syrian Civil Defense, popularly known as the White Helmets, was created in 2014 at the height of the country’s civil war, and billed itself as a volunteer rescue force dedicated to helping civilians injured by the government of former President Bashar Assad. It received funding from Western governments.

During the protracted struggle, the White Helmets were praised in the Western media as heroes. Extensive evidence, however, suggests that at least some of its media content was staged. On several occasions, members of the group were filmed participating in apparent executions by jihadists.

Its US Agency for International Development (USAID) funding has been terminated as part of the Trump administration’s broader curtailing of foreign aid contracts. The spending cuts affect programs related to firefighting, search and rescue, and so-called “community resilience” work, according to the outlet. Despite ongoing scrutiny of the group’s activities and affiliations, a smaller contract from the US State Department to fund what is described as “accountability work” reportedly remains in place.

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In a letter to Congress, a USAID official said 5,341 awards had been terminated as of March 21, including a nearly $30 million White Helmets contract that began in February 2023, CNN said. Some of the funds have already been spent. A separate $1.4 million State Department contract reportedly remains active.

Upon taking office, Trump suspended most US foreign aid for a three-month review to assess its alignment with his “America First” agenda, freezing tens of billions in USAID-approved grants.

Farouq Habib, the deputy general manager of the organization, told CNN that the White Helmets have had a “great partnership” with USAID – the NGO’s major backer for nearly a decade. According to him, US support during Syria’s transition following Assad’s ouster is very important “in the absence of a functional, strong government.”

The White Helmets, co-founded by the late British mercenary and presumed former intelligence officer James Le Mesurier, rose to international notoriety amid the years-long conflict in Syria.

During the war, the group operated exclusively in areas controlled by assorted jihadist groups opposing Assad’s government. The White Helmets have allegedly been involved in multiple false flag ‘chemical incidents’, which it blamed on government troops. These were used by Western nations to justify strikes against the Syrian military and its allies.

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The US is right to call out European elites for democratic backsliding, Italy’s prime minister has said

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has thrown her weight behind US Vice President J.D. Vance and his scathing criticism of Washington’s European allies last month.

In a keynote address at the annual Munich Security Conference, Vance charged that the UK and several EU nations are failing to uphold free speech and democratic principles.

“I have to say I agree,” Meloni told Financial Times. “I’ve been saying this for years… Europe has a bit lost itself.” She added that the believed the vice president’s ire was directed at a “ruling class,” that imposes its ideology on ordinary citizens.

The article in the British newspaper on Friday underscored Meloni’s ideological parallels with Trump and her lack of alignment with other European leaders on crucial matters.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have marked out a position apart from US President Donald Trump, in particular on the Ukraine conflict, where the White House is pushing hard for a truce. The duo is spearheading efforts to bolster the Ukrainian military, and has proposed that a “reassurance force” be stationed in the country. Russia has warned against any NATO military presence in Ukraine, regardless of the form it takes.

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Meloni said that in contrast to Macron and Starmer, she is not keen to position herself as a “protagonist” on the global stage. While she did not directly contest claims that Russia poses a threat warranting Europe-wide military expansion, she emphasized that Rome recognizes “threats can come from 360 degrees.” She was referring to illegal migration across the Mediterranean, which is a pressing issue in Italy.

”If you simply think that you can defend yourself, taking care of the eastern flank, and you don’t consider for example what happens in the southern flank, you will have a problem,” the prime minister explained.

Russian officials deny any aggressive intentions toward NATO, viewing the Ukraine conflict as a proxy war instigated by the bloc. Moscow has accused European leaders of undermining Trump’s mediation efforts and preferring the continuation of hostilities.

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A sightseeing submersible with 45 passengers onboard encountered distress 1km off the coast

At least six Russian citizens have died in Egypt following the sinking of a tourist submarine, Russian officials have confirmed.

The tragedy unfolded on Thursday morning in the resort city of Hurghada when a submersible owned by a local hotel and manned by five crew members was taking 45 predominantly Russian tourists for a sightseeing trip at a coral reef. The emergency occurred approximately 1km from the shore.

Among the six victims identified by the Russian consulate general in Hurghada, two were minors. Several individuals remain unaccounted for, Consul Viktor Vorpaev informed journalists. Egyptian media reports indicate that the total death toll may be as high as nine. Seven survivors required hospital treatment in the aftermath of the incident.

The cause of the sinking remains unclear. Witnesses suggested that the submersible began its descent before all passengers had boarded from a pontoon moored near the reef, leading to widespread panic. A video shared by Russian media captured the chaos as people screamed while the vessel’s top hatch remained open.

Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi, who visited the survivors, stated that the submersible’s license and documentation were in order and promised full transparency in the investigation. He said citizens from India, Norway, and Sweden were also among the passengers.

Most tourists were reportedly accommodated at three hotels: the submersible’s owner, Sindbad Club, along with Mercure Hurghada and Titanic Beach. The watercraft was ten years old, according to the company that organized the excursion.

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A skyscraper under construction has collapsed in Bangkok, killing one worker and wounding 50 others, according to the rescuers

A powerful earthquake has hit Myanmar, with tremors causing destruction across the country and in neighboring Thailand.

A skyscraper under construction collapsed in the Thai capital, Bangkok, due to the quake on Friday, killing one worker and injuring 50 other, the emergencies services have said. Some people remain trapped under the rubble, but their exact number is unknown, according to the authorities.

According to the US Geological Survey, a 7.7-magnitude quake struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar at a shallow depth of 10km. A 6.4-magnitude aftershock hit the same area shortly afterwards.

Witnesses in the city of Mandalay in Myanmar told Reuters that they have seen several buildings collapse because of the tremors.

Here is some of the aftermath footage near Mandalay.

There was also such similar scale earthquake happened 100 yo ago in the same area, where famous ruin of Mingun Pahtotawgyi and Bell remains. My experts been predicting in past year another strong one is imminent. https://t.co/Kg5enrsRdV pic.twitter.com/RyE9RPeBR6

— ?? ????q?? ?????? (@kokomdy) March 28, 2025

An AFP journalist in Naypyidaw, located south of Sagaing, reported cracks appearing on the roads and chunks of ceilings falling from buildings.

Video from #Mandalay #Myanmar, shows people screaming and crying after a powerful earthquake of 7.3 and 7.7 magnitude struck #earthquake pic.twitter.com/5Z4jQ6KcpL

— sudhakar (@naidusudhakar) March 28, 2025

In the Thai capital Bangkok, skyscrapers were shaken by the tremors, causing locals and tourists to rush outside in panic.

??Crane PLUMMETS From The Sky In Bangkok Following #Earthquake Which Hit Myanmar, Thailand & Bhutan

? @Aspa_ZunNaNu https://t.co/2JYOUsrdIW pic.twitter.com/ewh8ErDE7b

— RT_India (@RT_India_news) March 28, 2025

A 30-story building under construction collapsed in the capital’s Chatuchak Park area, with damage reported in other parts of the city.

NEW VIDEO: Skyscraper under construction collapses as massive earthquake hits Bangkok. No word on casualties pic.twitter.com/QhoLEEnd7b

— BNO News (@BNONews) March 28, 2025

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has declared Bangkok “an emergency zone” and instructed the local authorities in other provinces to treat the earthquake as “a national emergency.”

??At Least 43 Workers Trapped Following Skyscraper Collapse In Bangkok Triggered By Massive 7.7M Earthquake - AFP https://t.co/2JYOUsqFTo pic.twitter.com/porDHp9Ltm

— RT_India (@RT_India_news) March 28, 2025

Tremors were also felt in China’s southwest Yunnan province, according to the China Earthquake Administration (CEA).

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said New Delhi “stands ready to offer all possible assistance” to Naypyidaw and Bangkok. “Concerned by the situation in the wake of the earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand,” Modi wrote on X.

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European countries must work with Washington to achieve peace between Moscow and Kiev, Giorgia Meloni has said

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has ruled out the participation of her country’s troops in a military force that the UK and France want to be deployed to Ukraine in the event that a peace deal with Russia is reached.

In early March, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron said that their nations were ready to lead a “coalition of the willing” pro-Ukrainian European countries to support Kiev with troops and aircraft. The announcement followed the launch of bilateral talks between Moscow and Washington to settle the ongoing conflict, to which the EU and UK were not invited.

After a summit of Kiev’s backers in Paris on Thursday, which was attended by Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, Meloni reiterated that “no national participation in a possible military force on the ground is planned” by the authorities in Rome.

According to a statement published by the Italian prime minister’s office, she also “stressed the importance of continuing to work with the US to stop the conflict and achieve peace” between Moscow and Kiev. She “hoped for the involvement of an American delegation at the next coordination meeting” of Ukraine’s European allies, the statement read.

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In her interview with the Financial Times on Friday, Meloni stressed that it is “childish” to make Italy choose between the US and the EU.

Instead of deploying what London and Paris now call a “reassurance force” to aid Kiev, she proposed extending NATO’s mutual defense clause to Ukraine without actually making the country a member of the US-led bloc. Doing so would be “easier and more effective than the other ideas that are on the table,” she insisted.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic also said on Thursday that his country “will not be involved in Ukraine in any form.” Zagreb will not join the peacekeeping force because “the necessary conditions are simply not met – there is no peace agreement, nor the consent of the other side, which in this case is Russia,” he explained.

READ MORE: Putin proposes that UN temporarily govern Ukraine

Russia has categorically ruled out the possibility of NATO-aligned European troops deploying to the conflict zone. It accused France and Britain of hatching plans for “military intervention in Ukraine,” which could lead to a direct military clash between Russia and the bloc. Moscow also suggested that London and Paris are deliberately escalating tensions in order to undermine efforts by the US and Russia to resolve the conflict.

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Russia could offer its nuclear tech to support US interplanetary ambitions, sovereign wealth fund head Kirill Dmitriev has said

Russia is prepared to contribute a compact nuclear power station and “other advanced technologies” to support a mission to Mars planned by Elon Musk, according to President Vladimir Putin’s special economic representative, Kirill Dmitriev.

Dmitriev, who has taken on the role of chief economic envoy in recent US-Russia talks, first floated the idea of a joint mission to Mars in mid-March. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the International Arctic Forum on Thursday, Dmitriev said Moscow could provide various technological capabilities for long-duration missions to the Red Planet.

“Russia can offer a small-scale nuclear power station for the Mars mission, along with other advanced technologies,” Dmitriev told RIA Novosti. “We believe that Russia has a lot to offer the Mars mission, because we possess nuclear technologies that, I think, could be applicable.”

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Dmitriev previously highlighted the potential role of the national nuclear energy giant Rosatom and the space agency Roscosmos in enhancing the safety and efficiency of deep space missions. He also noted that 2025 would be a symbolic year to announce such an initiative, as it marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project — the first crewed international space mission, jointly carried out by the US and the Soviet Union in July 1975.

The SpaceX CEO has not yet publicly responded to the proposal, though Dmitriev reiterated that he was open to holding a videoconference with Musk to explore potential cooperation.

The renewed outreach comes amid signs of improving relations between Moscow and Washington. Dmitriev was part of the Russian delegation at recent US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, which resulted in an agreement to begin restoring diplomatic and scientific cooperation across several sectors.

READ MORE: American starship explodes in ‘meteor shower’ of debris (VIDEOS)

Putin has also noted that in his communications with US President Donald Trump, the two sides had “agreed to work together in space.”

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The Russian leader has voiced support for cooperation with Musk, signaling high-level backing for potential joint projects. Speaking at the Forum of Future Technologies in February, Putin said Russian companies should be ready to collaborate with Musk once he shifts his focus back to science from his current role advising on US government reform.

Earlier this month, Musk reaffirmed his goal to launch the first uncrewed Mars mission as early as 2026, with human landings possibly beginning in 2029. A prototype Starship carrying a Tesla-developed humanoid robot is expected to be part of the initial test phase.

Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus.

If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely. https://t.co/JRBB95sgNN

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 15, 2025

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The US president’s Greenland aspirations are “escalating tensions,” Troels Lund Poulsen has said

US President Donald Trump’s repeated promises to annex Greenland are not appropriate for a close ally and overall are “escalating tensions,” Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen has said.

“I think we’ll go as far as we have to go. We need Greenland, and the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.

“We have to have the land because it’s not possible to properly defend a large section of this Earth – not just the US – without it. So we have to have it, and I think we will have it,” he stated.

Speaking to Danish state broadcaster DR on Thursday, Poulsen condemned Trump’s recent remarks as escalatory and disrespectful. Trump’s rhetoric was becoming increasingly aggressive and amounted to a “hidden threat” against Denmark and its semi-autonomous territory.

“I think they are going too far – both in interfering in Greenland’s internal affairs and in showing a lack of respect for its people’s right to decide their future,” Lund stated, responding to Trump’s latest remarks on the island.

“These very powerful statements about a close ally do not suit the US president,” he added.

Over the past few months, Trump repeatedly invoked the topic of Greenland, insisting that Washington needed to take control of the island to enhance its “national security.”

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The ramped-up rhetoric comes against the backdrop of a visit of a high-profile US delegation to the island led by Usha Vance, wife of US Vice President JD Vance, White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright. JD Vance is expected to join his wife on Friday.

The visit has been criticized by both Danish and Greenlandic authorities, with the semi-autonomous territory’s acting head of government, Mute Egede, who branded it a “provocation” and refused to meet the US delegation. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has also condemned the trip, accusing the US of exerting “unacceptable pressure.”

“I have to say that it is unacceptable pressure being placed on Greenland and Denmark in this situation. And it is pressure that we will resist,” she told DR and TV2 broadcasters.

While the former Danish colony of some 57,000 has a strong pro-independence movement, a poll commissioned by the Sermitsiaq daily in late January suggested that 85% of Greenlanders opposed any incorporation into the US, while only 6% backed it.

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The move raises questions whether Britain can contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine should a ceasefire be agreed, according to the outlet

Estonian officials are concerned about their national security due to a significant reduction in British troops and tanks deployed as part of NATO’s contingent in the Baltic nation, The Times reported on Wednesday. The drawdown also raises questions about Britain’s ability to send “peacekeepers” to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, according to the outlet.

Riho Terras, former commander of the Estonian Defense Forces and now MEP, told Times Radio that the UK appears unable to provide the brigade-sized force, typically around 3,000 to 5,000 troops, it had pledged.

“The UK has difficulties to put together one brigade to participate in operations. I see it in Estonia every day,” Terras said.

He warned that the British military’s financial struggles were becoming visible on the ground, citing the UK’s likely inability to fully participate in Exercise Hedgehog – one of NATO’s largest training operations in the region – this coming May.

“The UK is not coming with the full power to the exercises because they have problems with the financing,” Terras said, adding “Of course it concerns me that we are not taking seriously our defence.”

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According to the Times, the UK has reduced its troop presence in Estonia to around 1,000 – down from 1,650 in April 2022 – and now has fewer than ten Challenger tanks in the country. The figures mark a return to pre-Ukraine conflict levels, despite earlier British pledges to expand their footprint when hostilities began, the outlet noted.

Meanwhile, the UK and France are currently trying to create a “coalition of the willing” – countries ready to deploy troops to Ukraine after the ceasefire. The initiative envisions the potential deployment of a 30,000-strong “reassurance” force to secure key cities, ports, and infrastructure, as well as air-policing missions.

However, The Times questioned how the UK would be able to contribute to such a force if it cannot afford to keep even a small number of troops in Estonia.

While NATO positions itself as a defense bloc, Russia sees its eastward expansion as a threat. Moscow has repeatedly stated that the bloc’s enlargement closer to its borders since the 1990s, including promises of eventual membership for Ukraine, contributed to the escalation of the conflict in 2022.

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A “reassurance force” could be sent to the conflict zone, President Emmanuel Macron has said

France and Britain will continue to push for a deployment of a military contingent to Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron has said. A plan by Paris and London to send troops to Ukraine in case of a peace deal with Russia has been rejected already by several EU members.

While a shift in Western European thinking was reported by Reuters, citing multiple sources, Kiev has been pushing for a deployment of troops as a security guarantee, including combat troops ready to fight.

Speaking after a summit in Paris on Thursday, Macron announced that the so-called “coalition of the willing” will seek to deploy a “reassurance force” to Ukraine after a peace deal with Russia is reached. The French leader admitted that the proposal failed to win anonymous support, however, a French-British delegation would visit Kiev to discuss the plan anyway.

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“It does not have unanimity, but we do not need unanimity to do this,” Macron stated.

The so-called “coalition of the willing” – initially coined by the US to refer to countries who supported the invasion of Iraq in 2003 - now involves countries that have pledged to continue to militarily support Kiev and who have previously discussed sending a peacekeeping force to Ukraine.

Establishing such a force would require consensus among EU member states and would operate under an international mandate, such as from the UN. The “reassurance force” would see countries provide direct military assistance to Ukraine.

Italy, Germany, and Hungary reportedly spoke against the Anglo-French peacekeeping plan, citing concerns over a possible escalation and financial implications. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed the idea of any NATO states undertaking peacekeeping roles in Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused France and Britain of hatching plans for “military intervention in Ukraine” which could lead to a direct military clash between Russia and NATO.

Moscow has also accused France and the UK of deliberately escalating tensions to undermine efforts to resolve the conflict by the US and Russia.

READ MORE: Macron exploring ways to put boots on the ground in Ukraine – Telegraph

The US recently brokered a limited ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, placing a moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure. Moscow has accused Kiev of repeatedly breaching the ceasefire terms and attacking energy-related sites in Russia.

The EU has been pushing a militarization agenda despite the ongoing peace process. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently unveiled a €800 billion plan to ramp up military spending through loans. Southern European states, such as Italy and Spain, however, have reportedly been pushing back against the proposal amid concerns it could deepen their already heavy debt burdens.

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Revelations of high-ranking Israeli officials’ shady connections to Qatar open a new front in the PM and his allies’ fight to retain power

A major scandal known as “Qatargate” has erupted in Israel, involving alleged Qatari interference in Israeli politics.

At the center of the investigation is Eliezer Feldstein, former chief aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was arrested in November 2024 on charges of leaking classified documents to foreign media and orchestrating leaks from high-level government offices, allegedly with Netanyahu’s own approval, under the pretext of combating disinformation.

The investigation revealed Feldstein’s connections with Qatari authorities. While serving as an employee of the press office in Netanyahu’s administration, Feldstein had for several years combined his government work with private practice, offering political consulting and branding services. One of his clients was Qatar.

Specifically, on behalf of Doha, Feldstein and his team of Israeli consultants developed a reputation protection strategy during preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Later, they helped Qatari brands regain their positions in Gulf markets that had been lost during the 2017-2021 diplomatic crisis.

When the most recent war with Hamas began in October 2023, Feldstein used his official position to actively promote the idea of Qatar’s “exceptional role” in resolving the Gaza crisis. He was so successful in communicating this position to the media that at one point, Israeli press began emphasizing Qatar’s key role in negotiations compared to Egypt and Jordan. In turn, Qatar actively used its Al Jazeera media network to promote positive coverage, strengthening its image in this context.

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However, after Feldstein’s arrest by Israeli security forces in the autumn of 2024, the contract with Qatar was abruptly terminated. Initial publications about the “Qatar dossier” in Israeli media raised more questions than outrage. Feldstein, along with other figures in the case such as Yonatan Urich and Srulik Einhorn, had been actively involved in international activities, advising not only Qatar but also other Israeli partners in the Middle East and beyond. Had they not used confidential materials from the Prime Minister’s Office, their work might have been considered part of Israel’s “backchannel diplomacy.”

Yet, in the context of the conflict with Hamas, the situation took on a different meaning. It became clear that Qatar’s status as a “neutral force” in negotiations with Hamas was not accidental, and this country’s role in the process had been significantly exaggerated. For example, Doha’s decision not to pressure Hamas’s “political office” was presented as diplomatic “flexibility,” which also raised questions. Even more suspicious was the downplaying of the scandal involving Hamas military training camps in Syria’s Afrin, to whose construction Qatari contractors were allegedly linked.

This series of coincidences strengthened suspicions that those involved in the “Qatar dossier” had actively helped Qatar cover up international scandals using documents from the Prime Minister’s Office. All three suspects theoretically had access to such materials. Although Feldstein’s lawyers call these accusations “baseless speculation,” those involved in the case have so far been unable to explain how Qatar managed to navigate crises with minimal damage to its image.

Adding to the intrigue, Urich and Einhorn are also suspects in a case involving the intimidation of official Shlomo Filber, who allegedly retracted his testimony about Netanyahu’s corrupt connections after prolonged psychological pressure from Likud representatives.

The case, initially classified as a “special investigation” under a secrecy order imposed by intelligence services, has been becoming increasingly public. In recent weeks, the escalation has drawn public attention as new developments pointed to major new suspects. This scandal has affected not only Israel’s political class but also the business community, significantly expanding the circle of suspects.

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What began as an investigation into abuse of authority soon accumulated new details and acquired the colorful name “Qatargate.” This name hints at potential consequences for the country’s top leadership, including the possible resignation of senior Israeli officials. However, those implicated in the scandal aren’t giving up without a fight. According to investigators, Feldstein was involved in transferring confidential documents to foreign media, bypassing military censorship, as well as organizing leaks from high-level government offices. Allegedly, he acted with the permission of Netanyahu himself, who, according to the prosecution, sought to “combat fake news” about Israel’s foreign and domestic policies this way.

Over time, the investigation expanded in scope. The number of suspects grew to five, most of whom had close ties to the Prime Minister’s Office. It also emerged that Feldstein not only leaked confidential information but also advised Qatari authorities, helping the monarchy use this information for diplomatic purposes, including positioning itself as a key mediator in matters concerning the release of Israeli hostages.

Given Qatar’s close ties with Hamas, this new information about the figures involved in the investigation has deeply shocked the Israeli public. It has sparked discussions about the true scale of the threat to Israel’s national security. But the investigation didn’t end there. A new public figure emerged – Israeli businessman Gil Birger, who works with Persian Gulf states. According to investigators, it was he who paid Feldstein fees for work improving Qatar’s image while Feldstein simultaneously worked in the Prime Minister’s Office and engaged in political consulting.

However, according to Birger himself, he merely served as a link in a complex lobbying scheme. The main services to Qatar, including developing a reputation improvement strategy, were provided by American political consultant Jay Footlik, who was officially employed by the Qatari government. It was Footlik who initiated Feldstein’s involvement in the work. However, facing difficulties with tax laws and organizing money transfers from Qatar to Israel, Footlik asked Birger to temporarily serve as the “accountant” of their small enterprise. The cooperation continued in this format for several months.

Although Birger’s testimony is corroborated by witness statements and intelligence materials, the businessman clearly downplayed his involvement in “Qatargate.” He failed to mention that his connection with Footlik and the arrested Likud supporters of Netanyahu wasn’t limited to working together on several election campaigns – it also included indirect participation in developing shadow trade channels between Israel and Arab monarchies. Moreover, according to some witnesses, Footlik allegedly engaged with Hamas representatives, attempting to secure the release of Israeli hostages by offering generous payoffs to certain field commanders. Such moves were clearly too risky to be undertaken without approval from high-ranking officials. It’s unlikely a lobbyist working for Qatar would take such risks without backing from higher-ups.

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Among Israeli elites, many are trying to capitalize on the “Feldstein affair,” especially since the scandal tarnishes the reputation of the seemingly “unsinkable” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose role in the arrested political operatives’ activities remains unclear. One advocate for sweeping changes in the prime minister’s office is Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who was tasked with investigating this high-profile case.

Bar’s dissatisfaction stems partly from professional pride. For a year and a half, he co-led Israel’s official negotiation team with Hamas. However, his work faced constant criticism, especially when talks stalled, and he was nearly ousted multiple times. Upon discovering that the Prime Minister’s Office had been conducting its own diplomatic maneuvers – sometimes disregarding national interests and even contradicting the negotiation team’s official stance – Bar was deeply disillusioned. He was the first to coin the term “Qatargate,” a clear allusion to the scale of damage inflicted on the country. Netanyahu’s attempts to swiftly remove Bar under the pretext of incompetence only backfired, fueling suspicions that the PM was trying to obstruct the investigation and bury the scandal. This triggered protests in Bar’s support, further escalating political tensions.

Israel’s government continues to reel from a wave of resignations and reshuffles. On March 19, far-right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir rejoined the cabinet, and on March 21, the ministers reluctantly approved Bar’s dismissal – part of Netanyahu’s strategy to consolidate power and sideline “uniformed opposition.” But this time, the PM’s usual tactics misfired, as Bar’s departure created new complications.

Bar outlasted his counterparts in the military and intelligence brass, largely due to his key role in Gaza negotiations, where he co-led Israel’s delegation. His successes in eliminating high-profile Palestinian militants also bolstered his standing. Yet his personal clash with Netanyahu ultimately led to his resignation. Bar accused the PM of corrupt dealings and jeopardizing national security through leaks of classified documents to the press – dubbed “Qatargate.” Netanyahu took this as a personal affront and leveraged all his influence to force Bar out. Against the backdrop of Gaza talks and the abrupt decapitation of counterintelligence, fears grew that this might hand Hamas a tactical advantage.

Despite these challenges, Netanyahu successfully convinced the government and oversight bodies of his initiative’s merits. On March 21, plans were announced for imminent reshuffles in Shin Bet, with Bar expected to depart by April 10. However, the government is considering accelerating the process by appointing an external candidate as Shin Bet chief, as Netanyahu and his inner circle distrust Bar’s deputies, viewing them as ideologically aligned with the ousted director. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Shin Bet’s entire leadership has been tainted by failures in Palestinian operations and a series of espionage scandals.

Amid these changes, the return of Ben-Gvir as national security minister went almost unnoticed. Ben-Gvir, who left Netanyahu’s coalition in January 2025, rejoined the government as Gaza operations escalated. To facilitate this, Netanyahu overruled Israel’s Attorney General, who had deemed Ben-Gvir’s reappointment untenable. Upon his return, Ben-Gvir shelved his criticism of Netanyahu, endorsing the government’s current strategy and praising its decision to resume attacks on Hamas. Yet he spared no harsh words for those advocating ceasefire talks – including Bar, whom he branded “democracy’s greatest threat.”

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This political maneuvering – pitting Ben-Gvir against Bar – allowed Netanyahu to deflect scrutiny, redirecting criticism toward Bar. The government showcased unity among the far-right flank, now represented by Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party. With his return, the coalition stabilized, and the six-seat leverage of Ben-Gvir’s party enabled unpopular decisions without risking legitimacy.

However, the opposition continues exploiting pro-Bar protests for its own gain. Though officially resigned, Bar may remain in office until Gaza hostilities conclude, citing operational necessity – a move that could allow him to expand his “dossier of failures” and corner the prime minister, potentially marking the beginning of Netanyahu’s political end.

The “Qatargate” scandal keeps widening, clearly entangling Netanyahu in a precarious position where he battles not just external threats but an internal power struggle. Despite his decades-long dominance, his career now faces relentless adversaries – both within his party and the opposition – eager to exploit any weakness. This infighting intensifies pressure on his government, where political survival rivals military strategy in urgency.

Meanwhile, the military situation deteriorates. Israel has resumed strikes on Gaza, escalated West Bank operations, and continued aerial attacks in Lebanon and Syria. The repeatedly violated truce with Hamas has collapsed again, edging the region toward all-out war. Recent discussions of relaunching ground operations in Gaza have heightened domestic tension, compounding Netanyahu’s challenges. Against this backdrop, political instability and scandals like “Qatargate” only deepen the crisis.

Netanyahu and his allies now navigate a high-stakes balancing act – simultaneously managing wartime operations, internal dissent, and international pressure. As Gaza’s protracted war drags on and complexities mount, retaining power grows increasingly arduous. Each move in this multilayered political game could prove decisive for Netanyahu’s fate – with every passing day raising the stakes higher.

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The Nordic nation’s recent NATO membership could spell catastrophe, Sakari Linden has told RT

Finland’s decision to abandon neutrality and join NATO could prove catastrophic, as it risks turning the country into a battlefield in a potential conflict with Russia, former EU Parliament adviser Sakari Linden has warned.

Linden spoke to RT on Thursday, on the sidelines of the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk.

Finland has an almost 1,300-kilometer-long border with Russia, and officially joined the US-led military bloc in April 2023 following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict.

By joining NATO, Finland “abandoned decades of neutrality,” which had provided the country with independence, prosperity, and security, Linden said.

“Every time in history when Finland becomes very aligned with… Western powers,” it becomes, in Linden’s words, “some kind of natural resources reservoir of the West.”

The country then loses its independence and “risks becoming a battlefield against Russia,” he warned.

Linden said Finland’s position between East and West gives it “geopolitical balance,” and that it benefits most from acting as a trade bridge between Russia and the EU.

The former EU adviser further noted that during the Cold War, Finland was a “neutral” country that traded with both the West and the East. He said that it has often been the West that sought to restrict Finland’s trade with Russia, while “Russia has never forbidden Finland” from trading with the West.

Now that Finland has totally aligned with Western powers in foreign and security policy – which Linden said “want to put pressure on Russia” – Helsinki is the one bearing the “burden of all the security risks.”

Since joining the US-led bloc, the Finnish government has embarked on a militarization push, including expanding military training and urging the population to prepare for a possible war with Russia.

NATO’s eastern members have long declared Russia to be a direct threat, and Western officials have repeatedly claimed that if Moscow wins the Ukraine conflict, it could target other European countries.

READ MORE: Moscow accuses EU state’s leaders of ‘whipping up war psychosis’

Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed any possibility of a military advance against NATO as “nonsense,” arguing that the supposed threat of a Russian attack is being used by European politicians to scare their citizens to extract more resources from them and justify increased military spending.

At the same time, Russia has repeatedly warned against what it describes as NATO’s unprecedented military activity near its western borders in recent years.

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The messaging app could be ‘defective’, the US president has claimed in response to the Yemen bombing chat leak

US President Donald Trump has cast doubt on the Signal messaging platform following the leak of a private conversation among senior members of his administration about military strikes in Yemen. He has dismissed the media response to the episode as a “witch hunt.”

The Trump administration confirmed this week that a journalist had been mistakenly added to a private chat on Signal discussing a planned attack on Houthi militants. The US launched large-scale airstrikes on March 15 in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and the northern province Saada, reportedly killing dozens, in response to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping.

Asked by reporters on Wednesday about the leak, Trump said he was not concerned, insisting that “there was no harm done, because the attack was unbelievably successful.”

He dismissed the media’s interest as “a witch hunt,” accusing journalists of exaggerating the situation after a question about whether the administration was downplaying the scandal.

“I think Signal could be defective, to be honest with you,” Trump said. “We use Signal, and everybody uses Signal, but it could be a defective platform, and we’re gonna have to find that out,” he added.

On Monday, The Atlantic magazine published a report by editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealing a discussion among senior administration officials about military strategy for targeting the Houthis. Goldberg said he gained access to a Signal group chat from a user identified as “Mike Waltz.”

The chat, titled “Houthi PC small group,” reportedly included Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and other cabinet officials. The group had been engaged in what The Atlantic described as a “fascinating policy discussion” in the days leading up to Trump’s order for the strikes.

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Following the White House’s denial that any classified information was leaked, The Atlantic released additional screenshots on Wednesday. Hegseth has insisted that “nobody was texting war plans.”

Asked whether the leaked material was classified, Trump replied: “Well, that’s what I’ve heard. I don’t know[.]”

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has taken “full responsibility” for the incident, calling it “embarrassing” in a Fox News interview on Tuesday.

Trump defended Waltz amid calls for his resignation, telling reporters “I guess he said he claimed responsibility.”

He also rejected speculation about Hegseth’s future, stating the defense secretary “had nothing to do with this” and that he is doing an “excellent job.”

Signal dismissed media reports of possible “vulnerabilities” on Tuesday, calling its software “the gold standard for private, secure communications.”

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Republika Srpska’s Milorad Dodik and Nenad Stevandic have reportedly been accused of violating the constitutional order in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Interpol has reportedly issued international arrest warrants for the president and the parliament speaker of Republika Srpska - a Serb-majority region within Bosnia and Herzegovina - the Serbian ‘Politika’ newspaper reported on Thursday.

According to the outlet, President Milorad Dodik and Speaker Nenad Stevandic have been accused of attacking the constitutional order and violating the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

While the arrest warrants have been distributed to Interpol member states by the organisation’s Balkan office, they have not been approved by the Interpol General Secretariat, Politika noted.

Following a brutal civil war Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided into two self-governing entities, the ethnically Serbian Republika Srpska and a federation run by Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) and Croats, under the US-brokered 1995 Dayton Agreement. The country is ruled by a three-member presidency – a Bosniak, a Serb, and a Croat.

Earlier this month, Bosnian prosecutors issued arrest warrants for Dodik, Stevandic as well as Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic, accusing them of launching an “attack on the constitutional order” by enacting laws that restrict the operations of Bosnia’s state-level judiciary and law enforcement agencies.

A Sarajevo-based court sentenced Dodik to one year in prison last month for obstructing decisions made by Bosnia’s constitutional court and defying the authority of international envoy, German national Christian Schmidt.

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Dodik has claimed that the charges against him are politically motivated and said he would reject the court’s decision and prohibit the enforcement of its rulings on the territory of Republika Srpska.

The cases against Dodik have also sparked a backlash in neighboring Serbia, whose Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin asserted that Belgrade would prevent the detention of Republika Srpska’s top officials and described Sarajevo’s moves as a “continuous attempt at revenge” against Dodik and the Serbian people.

Moscow has also denounced Dodik’s conviction, calling it an “absolutely political” decision by the Bosnia and Herzegovina judiciary based on a “pseudo-law” pushed through by Schmidt.

“These actions could lead to destabilization,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned, stressing that such steps could have “very negative consequences not just for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but for the Balkans as a whole.”

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A suspect has been taken into custody but investigators have yet to establish a motive

A stabbing incident occurred in central Amsterdam, Netherlands on Thursday, leaving at least five people injured in the apparent attack, local police have said.

A suspect was apprehended after attacking people in the vicinity of Dam Square. His motives are currently unknown and an investigation is ongoing.

“In a stabbing incident at Sint Nicolaasstraat [near] Dam Square, five people have been injured. One suspect has been arrested,” the police said.

Footage circulating online shows multiple ambulances at the scene, as well as a medevac helicopter landing on the square. A portion of it appears to have been cordoned off by police.

Ambulances rijden af en aan, politie probeert mensen op afstand te houden terwijl de traumahelikopter nog steeds op De Dam staat pic.twitter.com/q2vYuZJyUN

— Marcel Vink (@marcelvink888) March 27, 2025

The police requested that the public provide them with any available footage of the attack, sharing a link online for readers to send data that could be used as evidence.

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The US-led bloc has no intention of protecting its Eastern European members, Valery Zaluzhny has claimed

NATO's Eastern European members are aware that the US-led military bloc has no intention of protecting them from Russia, Ukraine’s former top general Valery Zaluzhny has said.

Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, stipulating that an attack on one NATO member is to be considered an attack on all, is not being implemented in practice, Zaluzhny, who currently serves as Kiev’s ambassador to the UK, said during a meeting with students in the city of Lviv on Wednesday.

“The Baltic States understand that there is no Article 5 and never has been. Poland understands this too as missiles fall there from time to time – sometimes ours, sometimes Russian. Romania understands everything, but keeps silent,” he claimed.

The ambassador recalled that when he was still head of the Ukrainian army, “they called from Romania and asked me not to say a word” after two alleged Russian drones crashed in Romanian territory.

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An official from Bucharest blamed Ukraine for the incident, saying that the UAVs had been diverted to Romania because of the use of electronic warfare by Kiev, he said.

“I told them: ‘Shoot them [drones] down. You have 40 F-16 jets’,” added Zaluzhny, who was sacked as Kiev’s top general in February 2023.

He also suggested that even if Ukraine’s push to join NATO were to succeed, it would not provide the country with security guarantees. “It would not give anything besides political protection,” the ambassador insisted.

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said in an interview with Tucker Carlson last week that Vladimir Zelensky and his chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, “have largely conceded that they are not going to be a member of NATO.”

“I think it is accepted that Ukraine and Russia, if there is going to be a peace deal, Ukraine cannot be a member of NATO,” he said.

As for the option of Ukraine getting “what is called Article 5 protection” from the US or Western European countries without being in NATO “that is open for discussion,” Witkoff stated.

READ MORE: Zelensky aide demands EU combat troops

Preventing Kiev from joining NATO, which Moscow views as a hostile bloc, had been named by Moscow as among the reasons for launching its military operation in February 2022. Late last year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Ukraine’s membership would be “unacceptable” and would contradict Russia’s stance that “security of one country cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of another.”

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The opposition movement has accused security forces of deploying an LRAD crowd control device during a protest in Belgrade

The Serbian government is preparing for a visit from a group of Russian experts to probe allegations regarding the deployment of a “sonic weapon” during recent mass protests, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin has announced.

The opposition Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) has accused security forces of utilizing a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), a crowd-control technology originally designed by the US Navy, which poses a significant risk of hearing damage. The incident occurred on March 15 during mass protests in the capital, Belgrade, which the government has claimed are foreign-instigated efforts to undermine its authority through popular unrest.

In an interview with RTS on Wednesday, Vulin rejected the claims that LRAD had been deployed and announced that specialists from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) will arrive in Serbia to conduct an inquiry.

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“Their task is to clarify what transpired. We have nothing to conceal,” Vulin stated, emphasizing Belgrade’s commitment to a thorough investigation in hopes of moving beyond the controversy.

President Aleksandar Vucic's government has alleged that the US “deep state” and European intelligence agencies are inciting the wave of protests in retaliation for Serbia’s refusal to endorse anti-Russian policies. The EU has insisted that Belgrade align its foreign policy with Brussels, before a Serbian bid to join the bloc could proceed.

The ongoing protests stem from a tragic event in Novi Sad last November, where 16 lives were lost due to the collapse of a concrete canopy at a railway station, leading to multiple resignations among senior officials.

The demonstration on March 15 represented the peak of the pressure campaign. Claims of the “sonic weapon” deployment were propagated by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP), a USAID-funded NGO supported by George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.

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The bloc still hopes to “maximize pressure” on Moscow, a European Commission spokesperson has told the Financial Times

The EU will not fulfill Russia’s demand to lift sanctions on the country’s main agricultural bank as part of the Black Sea ceasefire initiative discussed between Moscow and Washington, European Commission Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Anitta Hipper has said.

During the talks between Russian and US experts in Riyadh on Monday, the sides agreed to move towards reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which, according to the Kremlin, should include the removal of Western restrictions against Russian Agricultural Bank and other financial institutions involved in the international sale of food and fertilizers. The maritime ceasefire is seen by Moscow and Washington as a step towards settling the Ukraine conflict.

In her interview with the Financial Times on Wednesday, Hipper insisted that “the end of the Russian unprovoked and unjustified aggression in Ukraine and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian military forces from the entire territory of Ukraine would be one of the main preconditions to amend or lift sanctions.”

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“The EU’s main focus remains to maximize pressure on Russia, using all tools available, including sanctions, to diminish Russia’s ability to wage its war against Ukraine,” she insisted.

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that his administration is considering lifting some curbs against Moscow, saying that “there are about five or six conditions. We are looking at all of them.”

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky claimed later that Kiev did not agree to the maritime truce due to it representing “a weakening of positions and a weakening of sanctions” against Russia.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, originally brokered in July 2022 by the UN and Türkiye, envisioned the safe passage of Ukrainian agricultural products in exchange for the West lifting its restrictions on Russian grain and fertilizer exports. Moscow withdrew from the deal a year later, citing the West’s failure to uphold its obligations.

READ MORE: ‘They listened carefully’: Russian senator offers a glimpse into talks with US

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that the maritime truce could take effect only once certain conditions set out by Russia are met. “Of course, this time justice must prevail, and we will continue our work with the Americans [on the Black Sea Initiative],” Peskov stressed.

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The search for the “missing” soldiers is still ongoing after their armored vehicle was found “submerged” in Lithuania, according to the US Army

Four US Army soldiers mysteriously disappeared during a training exercise in Lithuania near the Belarusian border on Tuesday. The Pentagon has yet to confirm their fate, after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte triggered confusion by expressing condolences to their families.

The soldiers, from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia, were conducting “scheduled tactical training” at the General Silvestras Zukauskas training ground in Pabrade, Lithuania when they went missing, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation.

“The M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle the four missing US Soldiers were operating during a training exercise has been located in Lithuania,” US Army Europe and Africa said in its latest update on Wednesday.

The armored vehicle “was discovered submerged in a body of water in a training area,” but “search efforts for the soldiers continue,” the US military added. The Lithuanian Armed Forces also stated that, at present, “there is no evidence or information confirming the death of the troops.”

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Earlier on Wednesday, Rutte appeared to confirm the US servicemen were dead, saying, “This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones.” However, NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart later clarified that the secretary-general was merely “referring to emerging news reports” and “was not confirming the fate of the missing.”

“We regret any confusion about remarks [Rutte] delivered on this today,” she added.

The United States maintains a force of around 1,000 personnel in Lithuania; Washington increased deployments across the Baltics and other European NATO members following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The US-led military bloc has also intensified exercises near the borders with Russia and its ally Belarus.

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Last week, the militaries of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland called on their governments to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty – an international agreement that bans the use of anti-personnel landmines – arguing that an increased military threat from Russia necessitates the move.

Western countries “can’t wait” to drag Belarus into their “military squabbles,” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko warned last year, as Minsk estimated there are 20,000 NATO soldiers stationed “near” the country’s borders.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed Western claims that it intends to attack NATO or EU states, with Russian President Vladimir Putin calling such statements “nonsense.”

He has argued that the alleged “Russian threat” is being used by European politicians to scare citizens and justify increased military spending. Moscow officials have also criticized the EU’s latest militarization efforts as reckless and escalatory.

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The right-wing party is only 3.5% behind the country’s top conservative CDU/CSU alliance, a new INSA poll shows

The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party enjoys record high public support, according to polls conducted by the Institute for New Social Answers (INSA).

The latest poll, released by INSA on Tuesday, indicated 23.5% support for the party, while the top conservative alliance, between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), polled at 27%. The figure constituted a 1.5% drop since the CDU/CSU achieved victory in Germany’s February 23 general election.

“This is the highest value ever measured for the AfD in the INSA opinion trend,” the head of INSA, Hermann Binkert, told Bild daily.

The AfD has gained nearly three points in polls since the election and is currently just 3.5% behind the CDU/CSU alliance. The Christian Democrats alone polled at 21%, and their Bavarian sister party fetched a further 7% for the alliance, Binkert noted.

The INSA poll sampled the opinions of some 2,004 respondents, representing various social groups throughout Germany.

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According to the pollster’s estimates, the party’s public support could reach as high as 30.5%. Other parties, however, still maintain higher estimated ceilings, with the CDU/CSU theoretically able to reach up to 42%, while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) could get up to 39.5%, according to INSA’s analysts.

The CDU/CSU emerged as the strongest force in last month’s parliamentary election with 28.5% of the vote, while failing to get an absolute majority. The party is currently in coalition talks with the SPD, which suffered a crushing defeat during the election, garnering a record-low 16.4%. Should the two forces reach a coalition, however, they would hold 328 seats in the Bundestag, comfortably surpassing the 316-seat mark to get a majority.

The AfD solidly secured second place during the election, receiving 20.8% of the vote – a twofold rise from the 10.4% they got in 2021. Despite the result, the party remains ostracized by the other major political forces, which refuse to cooperate with it, and is commonly labeled ‘far-right’ by officials and media alike.

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The Ukraine conflict is giving Warsaw time to rebuild its military capacity, a top Polish official has said

Poland has ammunition to hold the line for up to two weeks in the event of war, until allied forces arrive, the head of the country’s National Security Bureau has said.

Dariusz Lukowski told local broadcaster Polsat News on Wednesday that Poland has been increasing arms production to build sufficient capacity to resist a potential Russian attack. The NATO member shares a 144-mile border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.

Moscow has consistently denied having aggressive intentions toward NATO countries and insists that the Ukraine conflict was triggered by the military bloc’s expansion toward Russia’s borders.

Asked whether Poland’s reserves might only last for five days of war, Lukowski said that was “possible in many areas and types of ammunition,” though not across all categories of munitions.

“I believe that depending on how the fighting unfolds, we could maintain defensive operations for a week or two with the current level of stockpiles,” he said.

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According to Lukowski, the situation is most critical when it comes to ammunition for older weapons systems, for which production has already ceased.

Lukowski said Poland has been draining its stockpiles to supply weapons to Ukraine, but emphasized “this is being done very cautiously,” and added that “at this stage, we are replenishing those stockpiles.”

He also said that as long as the Ukraine conflict continues, “we are gaining time to rebuild our [military] potential – the capacity to produce and replenish those stockpiles.” Poland is among several NATO members who argue that Russia poses a threat.

Warsaw has launched a $2.6 billion ‘Eastern Shield’ project to beef up its eastern border, with officials indicating that anti-personnel landmines could play a key role.

Moscow has repeatedly ridiculed Western claims that it intends to attack NATO or EU states, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed such statements as “nonsense.” Putin has also suggested that the supposed threat of a Russian attack is being used by European politicians to scare their citizens to extract more resources from them and justify increased military spending.

Russian officials have also blasted the EU’s increasing military build up as reckless and escalatory. The Kremlin says the bloc’s confrontational rhetoric and plans could hamper the chances of finding a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.

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Ukraine does not need peacekeepers, but soldiers ready to fight, according to Igor Zhovkva

Western European countries should deploy combat troops to Ukraine ready to fight, rather than to conduct peacekeeping, a senior aide to Vladimir Zelensky told AFP on Wednesday.

Igor Zhovkva made the appeal ahead of a Paris summit of the “coalition of the willing” – countries across Europe and beyond that are ready to provide security guarantees to Ukraine.

“We need serious, trained troops... who are ready to fight,” he told AFP.

The official clarified that Kiev is not seeking European forces to engage directly with Russian troops but rather to bolster Ukraine’s defensive capabilities.

“We are not talking about soldiers who will fight with Russia... but about those who will defend, who will deter,” he said.

Led by France and the United Kingdom, the coalition’s discussions have included the potential deployment of a 30,000-strong “reassurance” force to secure key cities, ports, and infrastructure, as well as air-policing missions.

Moscow has previously warned that the deployment of NATO military personnel to Ukraine – even with the stated purpose of peacekeeping – would constitute direct involvement of NATO countries in a war against Russia. Moscow has also accused France and the UK of deliberately escalating tensions in Ukraine to undermine efforts to resolve the conflict by the US and Russia.

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However, the composition and mandate of such a force remain under debate. While some EU leaders advocate a robust military presence capable of engaging in combat if necessary, others express reservations about escalating the conflict. Germany and Poland, for instance, have shown reluctance, emphasizing the need for defensive support without direct involvement in combat operations.

Washington’s position further complicates the situation. US President Donald Trump’s administration has rejected committing American troops, focusing instead on diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire. This has led some EU nations to consider taking greater responsibility for Ukraine’s security, with French President Emmanuel Macron stating that Europe must “step up” its commitments.

On Wednesday, Zelensky arrived in Paris for a meeting with Macron ahead of the summit. The two are expected to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and the potential deployment of European forces. According to Le Monde, Macron will reaffirm France’s commitment to increasing military and financial aid for Kiev.

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In Trump’s world, great powers don’t preach – they compete

The phrase “changing world order” has become a familiar refrain in international affairs. But what’s often missed is how rapidly that change is now unfolding – and who is accelerating it.

Regime changes in international relations are usually the result of crises: wars between great powers or upheavals within them. This was the case in 1939-1945 and again in 1989-1991. Usually, the problems accumulate over years and decades, and the resolution comes unexpectedly: the slow movement of tectonic plates suddenly accelerates dramatically, an avalanche begins that rapidly changes the landscape. We have had the opportunity to observe something similar in recent weeks. The most striking thing is that the main factor in the changes has been the leadership of the state which until now has defended the remnants of the old world order most stubbornly, even fiercely.

The fall of unipolarity, once long predicted and cautiously awaited, has arrived ahead of schedule. The United States, long the enforcer of liberal internationalism, is no longer trying to stop the shift toward a multipolar world. Under Donald Trump, it has joined it.

This pivot is not a mere campaign promise or rhetorical shift. It is a structural break. In the space of weeks, the US has gone from resisting the multipolar order to attempting to dominate it on new terms – less moralism, more realism. In doing so, Washington may inadvertently help deliver the very outcome that previous administrations worked so hard to prevent.

Trump’s turn has broad and lasting implications. The world’s most powerful actor has abandoned the guardianship of liberal globalism and embraced something far more pragmatic: great power rivalry. The language of human rights and democracy promotion has been replaced with “America First,” not just domestically, but in foreign relations as well.

The new US president has shelved the rainbow banners of BLM and the alphabet soup of Western liberalism. Instead, he waves the American flag with confidence, signaling to allies and adversaries alike: US foreign policy is now about interests, not ideologies.

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This is not theoretical. It is a geopolitical earthquake.

Firstly, multipolarity is no longer hypothetical. Trump has shifted the US from an enforcer of unipolarity to a player in multipolarity. His doctrine – “great power competition” – aligns more with the realist tradition than with the post-Cold War liberalism that dominated Washington for decades.

In this view, the world is made up of sovereign poles: the US, China, Russia, India – each pursuing its own interests, sometimes in conflict, sometimes overlapping. Cooperation arises not from shared values, but from shared necessities. This is a world Russia knows well – and one in which it thrives.

Secondly, Washington’s pivot to realism means a fundamental shift in how it engages with the world. The era of liberal crusades is over. Trump has defunded USAID, slashed “democracy promotion” budgets, and shown a willingness to work with regimes of all types – so long as they serve American interests.

This is a departure from the binary moral frameworks of the past. And ironically, it aligns more closely with Moscow’s own worldview. Under Trump, the White House no longer seeks to export liberalism, but to negotiate power.

Thirdly, the West, as we knew it, is gone. The liberal “collective West” – defined by shared ideology and transatlantic solidarity – no longer exists in its previous form. The US has effectively withdrawn from it, prioritizing national interest over globalist commitments.

What remains is a fractured West, split between nationalist-led governments like Trump’s and more traditional liberal strongholds in Brussels, Paris, and Berlin. The internal clash between these two visions – nationalism versus globalism – is now the defining political struggle across the West.

This struggle is far from over. Trump’s dominance may look assured, but domestic resistance remains potent. If Republicans lose the 2026 midterms, his ability to pursue his agenda could be blunted. He is also constitutionally barred from running again in 2028, which means time is short.

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As the West fractures, the “World Majority” – an informal coalition of nations outside the Western bloc – grows stronger. Originally coined to describe states that refused to sanction Russia or arm Ukraine, it now represents a broader realignment.

The World Majority isn’t a formal alliance, but a shared posture: sovereignty over submission, trade over ideology, multipolarity over hegemony. BRICS, the SCO, and other regional formats are maturing into genuine alternatives to Western-led institutions. The global South is no longer a periphery – it’s a stage.

We are witnessing the consolidation of a new “Big Three”: the US, China, and Russia. India is likely to join them. These are not ideological allies, but civilizational powers, each pursuing its own destiny.

Their relations are transactional, not sentimental. China, for example, has managed a tightrope walk during Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, maintaining a strategic partnership with Moscow while safeguarding access to Western markets.

That’s not betrayal – it’s good diplomacy. In the multipolar world, every player watches their own flank. Russia respects that. And increasingly, it acts the same way.

Moscow’s place in the new world is another issue. Russia has emerged from the past two years more self-reliant, more assertive, and more central to the international system. The war in Ukraine – and the resilience of Russia’s economy, society, and military – has shifted global perceptions.

Russia is no longer treated as a junior partner or regional power. It is now engaged on equal terms with Washington, Beijing, and New Delhi. This shift is visible not only in diplomacy, but in global logistics: new Eurasian trade corridors, expanded BRICS cooperation, and increasing use of national currencies in trade.

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Having confirmed its status as one of the world’s leading powers as a result of the Ukraine conflict, Russia is in a position to take its rightful place in this world. We must not indulge in illusions and relax. America’s turn to realism is the result of the success of the Russian army, the resilience of the Russian economy and the unity of the Russian people.

What matters now is to build on this momentum. The US may have pivoted to realism, but it remains a competitor. Russia must continue strengthening its technological sovereignty, deepening ties with Asia, and pursuing a foreign policy anchored in pragmatism, not nostalgia.

Russia must continue to observe the internal battles in the West – especially the US presidential cycle and tensions inside the EU. But it should no longer hinge its policies on Western acceptance or approval. Moreover, Moscow’s relations with Western European countries are becoming increasingly strained against the backdrop of its dialogue with Washington.

Western unity is increasingly conditional, transactional, and riddled with contradictions. France, Germany, and Italy may face political turbulence. Integration may falter. Russia’s engagement should be tactical – eyes open, cards close to the chest.

There is no point waiting for the new world to be declared – it is already here. We have moved beyond theory. Now begins the contest for position. The world has become multipolar not because anyone willed it, but because power itself has shifted. Trump did not cause this alone. But he has – perhaps unwittingly – accelerated the process.

Russia’s job now is not to prove the old order wrong, but to ensure it claims its place in the new one.

This article was first published by the magazine Profile and was translated and edited by the RT team.

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Southern European countries have expressed opposition to a proposal to boost military spending through loans, according to a report

Southern European states have been pushing back against an EU plan to ramp up military spending through loans, amid concerns it could deepen their already heavy debt burdens, Politico reported on Wednesday.

The so-called ‘ReArm Europe Plan’, unveiled this month by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calls for up to €800 billion ($850 billion) in debt and tax breaks for the bloc’s military industrial complex. The proposal includes a €150 billion loan package and an emergency clause to loosen EU fiscal rules.

However, according to unnamed EU diplomats cited in the report, some countries have “serious doubts” about taking on additional debt. France, Italy, and Spain have been reportedly advocating grants – or so-called ‘defense bonds’ – rather than loans.

Such bonds would require joint EU borrowing on capital markets, a move that needs unanimous approval from all 27 member states.

Von der Leyen has so far avoided backing the idea, wary of opposition from fiscally hawkish states like Germany and the Netherlands, who fear it could set a precedent for shared EU debt.

“No Eurobonds,” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said after a recent EU leaders summit.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized the plan’s reliance on national debt, calling the proposed April deadline “a bit too close” and saying “we should have more time [to decide].”

Italy and Spain have also urged a broader definition of military spending exempt from EU fiscal limits. Madrid has proposed including border control, cybersecurity, and infrastructure resilience.

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France does not plan to trigger the emergency clause, two EU diplomats said, citing concerns over market reactions and its debt-to-GDP ratio above 110%. Germany is expected to invoke the clause to help fund a €500 billion military expansion but is unlikely to take EU loans since it can raise the money more cheaply on its own.

However, weaker economies have raised concerns that requesting EU loans first could signal financial vulnerability and drive up borrowing costs.

Brussels insists the ‘ReArm’ plan is aimed at countering a “threat” from Russia, an idea Moscow has dismissed as baseless. It also comes amid growing pressure from Washington. US President Donald Trump has distanced himself from supporting Ukraine, while urging the EU to take greater responsibility for its own defense.

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The bloc has advised keeping a 3-day emergency supply kit to be ready for a crisis

The European Union has advised its 450 million inhabitants to stockpile essential supplies sufficient for at least 72 hours, citing increasing risks of war, cyberattacks, climate change, and disease.

EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib stated on Wednesday that the warning reflects a broader strategy to improve civil readiness across the bloc. While not mentioning Russia specifically, she stressed that the Ukraine conflict threatens European security.

"For three years in Ukraine, we have seen a battlefield of bombs, and bullets, drones, fighter planes, trenches and submarines.Yes, our European security is directly threatened by this," Lahbib said.

Several EU countries have consistently named Moscow as a significant threat to regional security. France, Poland, the Baltic states, and Finland have all raised concerns over alleged Russian cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and political interference. They have also described the Ukraine conflict as an example of aggressive behavior that poses a military threat to the bloc.

Today, the EU launches its new #Preparedness Strategy.

“Ready for anything” — this must be our new European way of life. Our motto and #hashtag. pic.twitter.com/fA1z8ZvMDA

— Hadja Lahbib (@hadjalahbib) March 26, 2025

Moscow has consistently denied any intention to attack NATO countries or the EU. Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed such claims as “nonsense” meant to scare European populations and increase military budgets.

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“We want people to be ready, not to panic,” Lahbib said. “Preparedness is not fearmongering – it is common sense in a time of uncertainty.”

Under the strategy, the EU is advising households to keep essential supplies, including non-perishable food, bottled water, flashlights, batteries, first-aid materials, and key documents. Citizens are also encouraged to have access to a shortwave radio in case of power or communication outages.

The EU is also planning to create a strategic reserve of key resources, including firefighting aircraft, medical transport, mobile hospitals, and stockpiles of protective equipment for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents.

“Today’s threats facing Europe are more complex than ever, and they are all interconnected,” Lahbib said. “From war on our borders to increasingly frequent climate disasters, the EU must be ready to face the unexpected,” she added.

The initiative mirrors long-standing practices in countries such as Finland and Sweden, where civil defense preparations and emergency guidance are more established. Sweden, for example, recently updated its ‘If Crisis or War Comes’ handbook with modern scenarios, including how to respond to nuclear threats.

READ MORE: Moscow accuses EU state’s leaders of ‘whipping up war psychosis’

The Commission’s new plan includes the creation of an EU-level crisis hub to coordinate cross-border responses and ensure continuity of essential services, from healthcare to energy and telecommunications.

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Donald Trump’s team has revealed a lot more than just the Yemen attack during the chat with the accidentally invited Atlantic journalist

There’s a scandal exciting American mainstream media and minds, and it has to do with bombing. Yet there is an important nuance: it is not the bombing itself that is so scandalizing.

What is troubling many Americans is neither what Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin has rightly called the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians with US bombs and support nor the renewed American air campaign against Yemen. Bombing large numbers of essentially defenseless brown people – men, women, and children – into bloody, dusty pulp, has long been a bipartisan tradition of the Indispensable Nation, especially if most of them are Muslims.

What Americans do find irritating is when their leaders spill the beans too early. And have they been spilling! In a cluster-fiasco reminiscent of those loose-lipped German generals caught out last year while prattling about launching their Taurus missiles at Russia via Ukraine, a whole gaggle of Washington top officials have made fools of themselves by a ridiculously feckless breach of elementary security.

In the run-up to the recently renewed US bombing campaign against Yemen, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Vice President J.D. Vance – to name only the most prominent delinquents – have all been involved in online chat meetings via the commercial messaging app Signal.

Having such meetings on Signal, instead of via well-established and obligatory secure channels, is ludicrously amateurish: Signal may be encrypted, but spyware can hack it. There are reasons why officials are instructed to use other means.

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It is also seriously illegal (no Stormy Daniels issue this one) to be so sloppy, since it infringes on more than one provision of the National Security Act, which is ironic, considering it seems to have been the national security adviser who initially got this trainwreck going.

Because it was Waltz who – somehow – invited a journalist to participate: Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic does of course not belong in meetings preparing a military strike, especially when sharing sensitive operational data. And talking all too frankly about making the mooching European vassals pay, one way or the other. She may have been shunted off to a sinecure at New York’s hapless Columbia University, but the spirit of Victoria Nuland’s “F*ck the EU!” is alive and well in Washington, as this meeting also unsurprisingly showed.

Nobody has yet explained how it happened that Goldberg was included and why no one seems to have noticed the clearly visible presence of an obvious if conspicuously silent outsider in the virtual room. And all that while the secretary of defense was droning on about how secure it all was: The TV show Hogan’s Army was funny; the reality of Hegseth’s army looks silly.

The above, in essence, is what mainstream America is all worked up about now. President Donald Trump and Hegseth have nothing of substance to say in this case: Hegseth messed up royally – as did Waltz and the others – and Trump is the guy who hired them all. So they have switched into attack mode, tearing down Goldberg and The Atlantic. It’s cheap, but it may work, especially since The Atlantic really does have a bad record of stirring up baseless Russia Rage (aka Russiagate) hysteria.

But this time, it’s not complicated: the Signal meetings really did take place; Goldberg was invited, present, and not spotted; and what he has now reported has been confirmed as authentic even by Brian Hughes, spokesman of the National Security Council.

What is unfolding now in US domestic politics is, to be frank, predictable and dull: The opponents of the Trump administration are trying to squeeze every last little drop of dramatic embarrassment for it out of the foul-up. The Democrats are calling for investigations and consequences. Hillary Clinton – remember her? – is gloating that those, especially Hegseth, who almost a decade ago went after her own sloppy and probably criminal use of private technology for government business are now getting a taste of their own medicine.

The Trumpists meanwhile – surprise, surprise – are not having a self-flagellation procession down the National Mall but closing ranks, even demonstratively: The president has called Waltz a “good man,” who “ has learned a lesson.” Ouch, that must feel so humiliating, like being dressed down live on The Apprentice. But it’s still the opposite of being fired. For now, at least.

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Vice President Vance has denied any disagreements within the administration, that is, precisely the thing he displayed in the Signal chat. There he doubted the wisdom of the attacks on Yemen, not because killing people is a problem, but because he did not like the timing and the fact that Europe was going to profit, as he believes. And so on. The good bad old Washington.

In case you don’t like Trump and his government, please don’t be naïve and make a hero out of Goldberg simply because he is giving them some probably minor trouble. For one thing, though posing as a “liberal,” Goldberg is a highly aggressive Zionist. As a young man, he moved from the US to Israel to enter its military forces. He then served as a prison guard in a large camp for Palestinians, about which he has written a self-revealingly egocentric and, in fact, self-incriminating memoir, admitting at least covering up the brutal torture of a defenseless prisoner.

As you would expect, for over two decades Goldberg has consistently used his great media and policy influence to agitate for and embellish American aggression in the Middle East. Clearly, very much in line with what Israeli governments perceive as Israel’s national interest.

In this particular instance, WikiLeaks has rightly asked about Goldberg’s dubious role in this affair: Why, instead of speaking up quickly, did he “sit on” what he must have known to be real, until the attack actually happened? His “claim that he did not know if the group was real until after the bombing is clearly a construction designed to facilitate an ignorance defense under the espionage act,” as WikiLeaks plausibly notes.

Given his politics, there is another obvious reason why Goldberg did not use his scoop before the bombing got going: Disregard the silly cant about “freedom of navigation” and all that, the real reason why the US has started striking Yemen’s people again is that they resist Israel striking Gaza’s people.

Indeed, Yemen’s true “sin” in the eye of Zionists and their US allies is that, with the partial exception of Iran, it is the only country that, under Ansar Allah’s de facto rule, complies with the 1948 UN Genocide Convention by actually resisting Israel’s genocidal attack on the Palestinians. While Yemen does occasionally lob a well-deserved missile at Israel, its main leverage is blocking much of the maritime traffic through the Red Sea. Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East and one of the poorest in the world, is using a geographical choke point to do the ethically and legally obligatory right thing: fight against Israeli genocide as good as it can, while the collective West is on the side of the genociders. As is Jeffrey Goldberg.

We live in a morally perverse, upside-down world. The repeated bombing of Yemen is part of this world’s insane and evil rules. “Rules-based” this international disorder may be, but if so, its rules are from hell, as Russia’s foreign minister has also recently hinted.

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Hence, what is really bizarre about the current Signal scandal in the US is what is outside the American media frame, namely the bombings themselves. They are just taken for granted. Because America is a country where they watch bad TV, drink too much fizzy sugar, and also, with the same regularity, bomb the world.

On any given day, it’s more likely than not that the US is bombing – someone, somewhere, for some bad reason or another. Washington has long been addicted to lethally clobbering other parts of humanity from a safe distance, and sometimes at close range, too, of course.

The end of the Cold War made no difference to that bad habit; in fact, it may even have gotten worse: As of 2022 – three years ago already – official surveys found that America and its vassals had dropped over 337,000 bombs and missiles since, in essence, the beginning of this millennium (note that this figure excludes, for instance, the Gulf War of 1990-91 – another 88,500 tons of bombs – and the 1990s wars in the former Yugoslavia). Or, put differently, over 20 years, the US conducted an average 46 airstrikes per day.

Just ask Google’s Gemini AI “How often and how much and where has the USA used air power to bomb since 1990?” The answer will include an impressive – and merely representative, not complete – list of operations all around the globe and a note cautioning that “the ‘how much’ in terms of bombs dropped is difficult to quantify precisely due to the vast number of operations and the variety of munitions used,” while the ‘where’ is also extensive, spanning multiple continents and regions.” Known highlights have included Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and Syria.

In the case of the new wave of American air attacks on Yemen, the US officially pretends that it is merely (if that is the word) targeting the Ansar Allah movement (usually pejoratively labelled “the Houthis”). But with Ansar Allah the de facto ruler of much of Yemen, including its capital Sanaa, America is, of course, really assaulting the country itself and its people. As of March 25, ten days after these new attacks began, at least 79 people have been killed and more than 100 injured.

Compared with the slaughter Israel is inflicting with massive US support on the Palestinians, and its neighbors too, whenever the fancy takes it, these figures may appear small, for now. Yet these Yemeni victims are being killed for the same abject reason: to execute and shield a genocide that the West is co-perpetrating together with Israel. Yet all US mainstream pundits and politicos can get worked up about is a premature leak of some of these crimes and not the crimes themselves. That is yet another sign of just how entirely lost the West is.

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Voters will be obliged to provide proof of citizenship, while mail in voting must conclude before election day

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a sweeping executive order to overhaul the American election system, including requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration.

The order, titled ‘Preserving and protecting the integrity of American elections,’ calls on states to work with federal agencies and share voter rolls, as well as prosecute election crimes. It also threatens to slash federal funding for states that fail to comply.

“Despite pioneering self-government, the United States now fails to enforce basic and necessary election protections employed by modern, developed nations, as well as those still developing,” the text of the order reads, listing measures taken by other nations to make the election process more secure, including the introduction of biometric identification and limiting voting by mail.

“Free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional republic. The right of American citizens to have their votes properly counted and tabulated, without illegal dilution, is vital to determining the rightful winner of an election,” the document says.

Among other things, the order requires proof of citizenship for voters to be registered in federal elections. The measure is effectively aimed at doing the same thing as the long-anticipated Republican-backed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act). While voting in federal elections by non-citizens is already a felony, Republicans have long argued that more is needed to restore public confidence in elections.

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Voting rights groups, however, have been critical of the proposed change, arguing that many voting-age Americans do not have proof of citizenship readily available. According to a 2023 report compiled by the Brennan Center for Justice and other groups, some 21.3 million people, around 9% of US citizens of voting age, do not have such documents on hand.

Trump has long been critical of the US voting system, arguing that it is very susceptible to irregularities and fraud. He has been particularly opposed to voting by mail. Under the executive order, votes must now be “cast and received” before the election day, with federal funding conditional on state compliance.

The move has already faced criticism from various parties that have vowed to challenge it in court. Oregon’s secretary of state, Tobias Read, branded the order an “action against democracy.” His state relies heavily on mail-in balloting.

“It is every American citizen’s right to hold politicians accountable at the ballot box. This executive order is a threat to that right and a threat to our responsibility as states to run fair, secure elections. This illegal action against American democracy will be challenged, and it will not stand,” Read said in a statement.

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The Trump administration has paused applications submitted by refugees and asylum seekers

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has put Green Card applications filed by immigrants granted refugee or asylum status on hold, CBS has reported. The decision is related to two executive orders signed by Trump earlier this year.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reportedly instructed officials to suspend requests for legal permanent residency, leaving refugees and asylum seekers into “legal limbo.” It’s unclear when the processing would resume.

In a statement to CBS, the DHS cited a “temporary pause on finalizing certain Adjustment of Status applications pending the completion of additional screening and vetting to identify potential fraud, public safety, or national security concerns, in alignment” with Trump’s executive actions.

Specifically, the move is tied to Executive Orders aimed at protecting the US from “foreign terrorists” and other threats.

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Earlier this month, the DHS instructed more than 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela—who entered under former President Joe Biden’s parole program—to leave the country within 30 days or face deportation.

President Trump also announced a new immigration program known as the “Gold Card,” which would provide a path to US residency and citizenship for a $5 million payment. He described the initiative as a way to attract high-net-worth immigrants who would contribute to the economy.

“They’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people,” he said. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the proposal would replace the existing EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, which he called “full of nonsense, make-believe and fraud.”

Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has signed multiple executive orders rolling back Biden-era immigration measures and introducing tougher immigration controls. They include enhancing vetting for visa applicants, limiting birthright citizenship, directing the armed forces to guard the southern border, and erecting additional barriers.

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The US national security adviser says he inadvertently included a reporter in confidential discussions

US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has taken “full responsibility” for a leaked Signal group chat where senior White House officials discussed planned military strikes in Yemen, which accidentally included a journalist.

On Monday, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic magazine, Jeffrey Goldberg, published a story revealing alleged discussions among senior officials in President Donald Trump’s administration about military strategies targeting Houthi rebels.

“I take full responsibility. I built the group,” Waltz said during an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News on Tuesday.

“It’s embarrassing. We’re going to get to the bottom of it.”

In the article, Goldberg says he gained access to a Signal group chat from a user identified as “Mike Waltz.” The chat, titled “Houthi PC small group,” reportedly included Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and other cabinet officials.

In the interview, Waltz couldn’t explain how Goldberg ended up in the chat, claiming that an unnamed contact – who was meant to be included – was likely mistaken for Goldberg.

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“We’ve got the best technical minds looking at how this happened,” Waltz stated, noting that Goldberg’s number had not been on his phone.

“I can tell you for 100% I don’t know this guy,” Waltz said, adding that he had reached out to Elon Musk for help in figuring out what went wrong.

When pressed by host Laura Ingraham about how the number was added, Waltz replied, “Well, if you have somebody else’s contact, then somehow it… gets sucked in. It gets sucked in.”

Trump has downplayed the leak calling it a “glitch” that had “no impact at all” on the military operation as no classified information was disclosed.

When asked about the story at the White House on Monday, the US president appeared unfazed and took a swipe at The Atlantic over its involvement.

“I don’t know anything about it. I’m not a big fan of the Atlantic,” Trump told reporters. “To me, it’s a magazine that’s going out of business. I think it’s not much of a magazine, but I know nothing about it.”

READ MORE: Trump comments on Waltz ‘glitch’

Trump defended Waltz in a statement to Fox News on Tuesday, saying the national security adviser would not be dismissed over the incident.

“He’s not getting fired,” Trump told Fox, calling the security breach a “mistake” and insisting there was “nothing important” in the Signal chat.

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While it appeals to some, many choose resilience over uncertain promises abroad

Israel's controversial plan to relocate the people of Gaza abroad – a proposal supported by US President Donald Trump but widely condemned by the international community – has left the lives of millions hanging in the balance. Hailed as an “opportunity for renewal” by its proponents and labeled “ethnic cleansing” by critics, the plan aims to empty the war-torn enclave, offering those leaving a chance to rebuild their lives abroad.

However, with Arab and African nations firmly closing their doors, and Gazans themselves torn between despair and defiance, the question remains: Is this truly a route to stability, or merely another chapter of displacement and uncertainty?

Israel’s relocation plan

Israel remains committed to relocating Gazans. Earlier this week, the Political-Security Cabinet approved Defense Minister Israel Katz’s proposal to establish a voluntary transitional administration for residents willing to move to third-party nations, aligning with President Trump’s vision.

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Initially announced in February at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the initiative proposes relocating nearly two million Gazans to various countries, away from the now devastated territory described as a “demolition site.” Abroad, Palestinians would supposedly gain opportunities previously unavailable to them.

Meanwhile, Hamas – the governing authority in Gaza – would be disarmed and dismantled, allowing reconstruction efforts to turn the Strip into a Middle Eastern riviera.

The proposal quickly drew widespread condemnation. The United Nations characterized the plan as “ethnic cleansing,” underscoring that forced displacement violates international law. Several Arab nations denounced the proposal as an “injustice” impossible to support. European countries labeled it “unacceptable,” and Hamas dismissed it as “ridiculous and absurd,” with spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri warning it could ignite regional tensions.

Inside Gaza, criticism is similarly fierce.

Voices from Gaza

“This is a ridiculous proposal without value,” said Asmaa Wael, a teacher from Gaza сity. “We rightfully own this land and deserve to live here with dignity. We were born here, grew up here, and faced every obstacle and injustice, oppression, and war. We’ve endured tremendous pressure, and we won’t abandon our home.”

The problem is that Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory along the Mediterranean coast, has been completely destroyed.

Since the war began in October 2023, nearly 70 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed. Over 170,000 homes, 200 government buildings, 136 schools, 823 mosques, and numerous hospitals have been bombed.

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The human toll is immense, with over 50,000 killed, according to official Hamas statistics. More than 113,000 have been injured, and 1.8 million urgently need shelter.

Asmaa realises that the Palestinian people have no other choice but to live on “the streets and in tents”. But she says that her people have enough patience to pull through.

Asmaa is far from being alone. Other Palestinians we have spoken to but who preferred to remain anonymous said they would rather stay on their land simply because they doubted the outside world would have anything better to offer them. Others were scared their departure would have a bad impact on their extended family that would remain; and there were also those who were afraid they would never be able to go back.

But not everyone shared that pessimism. Omar Abd Rabou, a young journalist based in Gaza, views the Trump proposal as “an opportunity for renewal and reconsideration of the Palestinians’ futures.” He believes that relocation “may provide those who wish to change their environment with access to new resources and better opportunities”. It would give people, he reasoned, a personal and economic growth.

Some have already taken that path. According to Israel’s channel 12, 35,000 Gazans have left the Strip since October, 2023. In March alone, a thousand Gazans have evacuated themselves, with 600 new applicants on their way out. And Israel believes their numbers will only be going up.

Many of those who left so far are Palestinians with foreign passports, or those who have residence or relatives abroad. Those, who stayed, have nowhere to go but Israel and the US are actively looking for volunteers, who would be willing to absorb the masses.

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Challenges Finding Host Countries

Yet no countries have stepped forward. Jordan, despite agreeing to accept 2,000 sick children and their families, rejected broader displacement plans. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi canceled a planned visit to Washington, fearing US pressure to accept Gazans – an action he refuses.

African nations, including Sudan, Somaliland, and Somalia, have also been approached. Sudan was offered military and reconstruction aid, Somaliland international recognition as an independent state, while Somalia denied any talks had occurred.

Negotiations remain stalled, despite the US pressure suggesting Egypt’s military aid could be at risk if Cairo refuses to accept half a million Gazans – a scenario Egypt is unlikely to accept given its own economic challenges.

In recent years, Egypt has faced significant economic difficulties. In 2024, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgraded Egypt’s GDP growth forecast to 3.6%, a reduction from the previous projection of 4.1%. Similarly, forecasts for 2025-2026 were adjusted downward from 5.1% to 4.1%. Accepting half a million additional residents on top of its current population of 117 million is thus not feasible.

Egypt’s hesitations extend beyond economic concerns. Cairo has long battled terrorism linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and fears radical elements disguised as civilians could infiltrate, threatening national security.

Read more

Divergent perspectives on the future

To Asmaa, the reluctance of neighboring Arab countries borders on betrayal.

“Arabs are fearful and incapable of taking meaningful action,” she laments. “They’re preoccupied with oil, agreements, and business deals. Our children are slaughtered in their infancy, and these countries respond with empty slogans because they’re not the ones suffering.”

Asmaa believes the solution will not come from Gaza’s neighbours. The resolution will only be achieved, she believes, if the war ends and with it Israel’s occupation.

But for Omar, the situation is not black and white. Unlike many in the Strip, who have taken a rather militant approach towards Israel, especially after October 7, Omar is speaking about co-existence and about solving the conflict through diplomatic means.

“Resolving this conflict does not require escalation but rather a constructive dialogue. There must be room for negotiation that ensures security and rights, away from the use of force or continued escalation,” he reasoned.

Yet, with the resumption of hostilities on March 17, and the ground incursion that followed shortly after, the prospect of peace seems nowhere in sight.

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Known as Crossfire Hurricane, the 2016 investigation into the US president’s alleged Russia ties was launched by the agency

US President Donald Trump has ordered the declassification of all FBI files related to the agency’s investigation into his first election campaign’s alleged contacts with Russia.

The FBI launched the ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ investigation in July 2016 to examine whether Trump – then a presidential candidate – or members of his campaign were colluding or coordinating with Moscow to influence the election.

In a memorandum released on Tuesday by the White House, Trump directed the Attorney General to make the materials available to the public “immediately.”

Crossfire Hurricane was prompted by the ‘Steele Dossier’ – a compilation of unverified rumors about Trump and his alleged links to Russia. The dossier was compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, and reportedly funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Crossfire Hurricane preceded the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whose subsequent ‘Russiagate’ investigation found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.

In 2023, the US Justice Department’s (DOJ) special counsel John Durham – appointed to review the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane probe – concluded that the FBI and DOJ had “failed to uphold their mission” by relying on biased information to surveil Trump.

Durham criticized the FBI for showing a “serious lack of analytical rigor,” particularly when handling information from politically-affiliated sources.

It was also revealed that the Steele Dossier had been used by the FBI to obtain court permission to spy on Trump’s campaign. In 2019, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz reported that the FBI had made “basic, fundamental, and serious errors” in its warrant application.

‘Crossfire Hurricane’ and Mueller’s Russiagate investigation cast a long shadow over Trump’s presidency, with allegations of “Russian collusion” persisting in the media even after Mueller’s report found no evidence to back them up.

READ MORE: FBI should never have investigated Trump – report

In a video posted on Tuesday on Truth Social, Trump said after signing the order: “This was total weaponization. It’s a disgrace…but now you’ll be able to see for yourselves.”

Addressing journalists, he added: “You probably won’t bother because you’re not going to like what you see.”

Trump had previously ordered a full declassification of Crossfire Hurricane during the final days of his first term, but the documents were never released. According to a 2023 CNN report, a binder containing highly classified information later went missing.

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The agency routinely relies on the encrypted messaging app, its head John Ratcliffe has said

US government officials are permitted to use the Signal encrypted messaging app for work purposes if decisions made during communications are also recorded through formal channels, CIA Director John Ratcliffe has said.

On Monday, The Atlantic magazine detailed purported confidential conversations among top members of the administration of US President Donald Trump regarding military strategies against Houthi fighters in Yemen.

The author of the article, Jeffrey Goldberg, claimed to have gained access to the information after being added to a chat on Signal called ‘Houthi PC small group’ by US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. According to Goldberg, the chat included Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and other high-ranking officials.

During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday, Ratcliffe acknowledged that he was also a member of the group, in which airstrikes on Yemen were discussed by cabinet members.

“One of the first things that happened when I was confirmed as CIA director [in late January] was Signal was loaded onto my computer at the CIA as it is for most CIA officers,” he recalled.

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According to the CIA chief, the practice of communicating via Signal had already been in place during the previous administration of US President Joe Biden.

“It is permissible to use [Signal] to communicate and coordinate for work purposes. Provided that any decisions that are made are also recorded through formal channels,” Ratcliffe explained, adding that his “staff implemented those processes.”

Gabbard, who had also been questioned, insisted that “there was no classified material that was shared” in the chat.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia insisted during the hearing that the leak was “one more example of the kind of sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior” by Trump’s team. “If this was the case, the behavior of an intelligence officer, they would be fired,” he insisted.

Politico reported on Tuesday, citing sources in the White House, that roughly a half of the administration thought that Waltz “should not survive” in his post after mistakenly adding a journalist to a government chat.

READ MORE: Pentagon chief comments on ‘Yemen war plans’ leak

However, Trump later downplayed the incident, calling it “the only glitch in two months” and asserting that it had “no impact at all” on the military operation. “Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he is a good man,” the president said.

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The foreign policy chief’s hawkish stance on Russia and leadership style have reportedly left many in the bloc feeling uneasy

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has been criticized by nearly a dozen EU officials over her hawkish stance on Russia and leadership style, Politico has reported, citing unnamed sources.

According to the outlet, Kallas’ challenges began on her first day in office in December, following her tweet stating, “The European Union wants Ukraine to win this war” against Russia. Several EU officials reportedly felt uneasy that the former Estonian prime minister, within a day of assuming her new role, “felt at liberty to go beyond” established language norms.

”If you listen to her, it seems we are at war with Russia, which is not the EU line,” Politico cited one EU official as complaining on Wednesday.

Kallas has been a vocal critic of Russia and an advocate for increased military support to Ukraine. Her initiative to increase EU military aid to Kiev to up to €40 billion ($43.1 million) this year faced opposition from member states like Italy and Spain, who do not perceive Moscow as an immediate threat to the EU. Kallas, however, still has her defenders among the EU’s northern and eastern states, noted Politico.

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Russia has openly criticized the top diplomat, labeling her statements “rabidly Russophobic,” and “undiplomatic,” and accusing her of pushing for militarization amid ongoing US-brokered peace talks on Ukraine.

She’s also reportedly been criticized for continuing to act like a prime minister by failing to consult diplomats from member countries before making sensitive proposals.

Kallas’ relationship with the United States has been questioned by some officials. After the sudden cancellation of her February meeting in Washington with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, attributed to “scheduling issues,” Politico sources suggested that Kallas had not adequately prepared by providing a clear agenda to US counterparts.

READ MORE: EU’s Kallas has alienated major member states – FAZ

After a contentious February Oval Office exchange involving US President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, Kallas tweeted, “The free world needs a new leader.” The apparent jab at Trump reportedly unsettled nations eager to maintain strong ties with the US administration.

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Two pilots and a passenger managed to evacuate before the crash

Two military jets from a renowned aerobatic team have collided midair during a stunt rehearsal in France, crashing to the ground and erupting in a fireball, footage of the incident showed.

Three people – two pilots and one passenger – managed to eject before the crash and were “found conscious,” the French Air and Space Force wrote on X. The crash took place near an airbase in Saint-Dizier, eastern France, on Tuesday afternoon during a training drill involving six Alpha Jets from the Patrouille de France, the French Air Force’s precision aerobatics team.

Footage captured by bystanders showed the moment the jets, engaged in a stunt and releasing smoke trails, collided in midair. The aircraft then spiraled toward the ground as crew members were seen ejecting and deploying their parachutes. Moments later, the jets crashed to the ground and erupted in a fiery plume.

?? Nouvelle video de l'accident aerien de la Patrouille de France

L'agence France-Presse a publie une video du crash de l'avion Alpha Jet de la Patrouille de France.

Plus tot dans la journee, deux avions du groupe sont entres en collision alors qu'ils effectuaient des… pic.twitter.com/pdxDwj5HqF

— Grelet J-Christophe (@JCGRELET) March 25, 2025

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed the incident on X, noting that the emergency services were quickly deployed to the scene.

“Slightly injured, they were taken into care,” he wrote. “Thanks to the emergency services mobilized, thoughts for our pilots of the Patrouille de France.”

Saint-Dizier Mayor Quentin Briere said one of the jets crashed into a grain silo, causing an explosion, while the other came down on agricultural land, as cited by Le Parisien. There were no reported injuries on the ground.

Crash de deux Alpha Jet de la Patrouille de France a Saint-Dizier ? . pic.twitter.com/L2rVOVNT8q

— Ivs (@Ivs125034) March 25, 2025

Two people were transported to a nearby hospital in a condition described as a “relative emergency,” according to Le Figaro. The third person, identified as having sustained multiple injuries, is reportedly receiving treatment from the army.

The French authorities said it was not immediately clear what caused the collision.

The Alpha Jet is a two-seat light attack and advanced trainer aircraft, developed in the 1970s by France’s Dassault Aviation and Germany’s Dornier. It is primarily used for pilot training and aerobatic displays.

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Russia maintains battlefield superiority and has strengthened its capabilities in key areas, according to a new threat assessment

Western military aid to Kiev and sanctions against Russia cannot shift the balance of power in the Ukraine conflict, according to the US Intelligence Community’s 2025 Annual Threat Assessment.

The intelligence community’s official coordinated evaluation of an array of threats lists Russia, China, North Korea and Iran as countries which represent a challenge to US interests.

Moscow holds the advantage on the battlefield, having adapted to outside efforts to assist Ukraine, the report’s authors explain. The “grinding war of attrition” is expected to further weaken Kiev, “regardless of any US or allied attempts to impose new and greater costs on Moscow.”

While the conflict has taken a significant toll in terms of manpower, the assessment notes that it has also afforded Moscow “a wealth of lessons regarding combat against Western weapons and intelligence in a large-scale war.”

This experience probably will challenge future US defense planning, including against other adversaries with whom Moscow is sharing those lessons learned.

Russia has proven to be “adaptable and resilient” during what it views as a Western proxy war, enhancing its military capabilities across several domains, including unmanned systems, electronic warfare, and the integration of cyber operations with conventional military maneuvers, the report explains.

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It warns that Western efforts to undermine the Russian economy “have accelerated its investments in alternative partnerships and use of various tools of statecraft to offset US power, with China’s backing and reinforcement.”

Beijing considers the US use of unilateral sanctions illegal under international law and rooted in a “Cold War mentality.” The US assessment states that major non-Western nations are poised to align with Russia in order to pursue policies that challenge American dominance, such as de-dollarization.

The continuation of the Ukraine conflict risks unintentional escalation, the document cautions. Russia is prepared for such scenarios, armed with a substantial strategic arsenal that includes both conventional and nuclear weapons, as well as cyber-warfare and anti-satellite operations capabilities.

“Russia’s air and naval forces remain intact, with the former being more modern and capable” than at the start of direct hostilities, the report states.

The US intelligence community posits that both Moscow and Kiev may have reasons to avoid a hasty resolution on unfavorable terms. Russian President Vladimir Putin perceives that “positive battlefield trends allow for some strategic patience,” while Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky likely fears that a clear defeat could “prompt domestic backlash.”

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Moscow’s “influence activities” are expected to intensify and become more sophisticated, a new report has claimed

Russia is using a variety of entities, including RT, to shape public opinion and stoke division in the US, an American intelligence report has claimed.

The allegation was made in the 2025 Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community, which was made available to the public on Tuesday. The document is said to reflect “the collective insights” of the country’s spy agencies.

The authors claimed that Moscow “uses influence activities to counter threats, including by stoking political discord in the West, sowing doubt in democratic processes and US global leadership, degrading Western support for Ukraine, and amplifying preferred Russian narratives.”

Russia employs so-called ‘troll farms’, which spread information through fake accounts, and “state media outlet RT in its efforts to covertly shape public opinion in the US, amplify and stoke domestic divisions, and discreetly engage Americans, while hiding Russia’s hand,” the report alleged.

The document reiterated accusations of Russian meddling in US elections – which Moscow has consistently denied – claiming that Russia “probably believes [such] information operations efforts... are advantageous, regardless of whether they affect election outcomes, because reinforcing doubt in the integrity of the US electoral system achieves one of its core objectives.”

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“Moscow’s malign influence activities will continue for the foreseeable future and will almost certainly increase in sophistication and volume,” the paper suggested.

The threat assessment was released amid efforts by Russia and the administration of US President Donald Trump to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict and normalize relations between Moscow and Washington.

On Monday, Russian and US experts held 12-hour talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, agreeing to revive the defunct Black Sea Grain Initiative, which envisioned the safe passage of Ukrainian agricultural products in exchange for the West lifting sanctions on Russian grain and fertilizer exports.

Last September, the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden announced a new raft of curbs targeting several Russian media outlets, accusing them of attempting to “undermine democracy” and interfere in US elections. Then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken alleged that RT was “functioning as a de facto arm of [Russian] intelligence.”

Moscow has condemned the restrictions, saying that Washington had “declared war on freedom of speech.”

READ MORE: Russia-US ties, EU undermining Trump, Ukraine-Greenland parallels: Lavrov speaks after Riyadh talks

Earlier this month, American journalist Ben Swann, who previously headed RT’s operations in the US, urged the Trump administration to lift the curbs, arguing that they were unconstitutional and violated “rights of freedom of speech and press.”

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Washington is engaged in “deep discussions” with both Moscow and Kiev, the US president has stated

US President Donald Trump has hailed the outcome of Washington’s negotiations with delegations from Moscow and Kiev as a significant step forward in resolving the Ukraine conflict.

Following separate talks in Saudi Arabia this week, both Kiev and Moscow expressed a readiness to observe President Trump’s proposed agreement to mutually halt strikes on energy facilities, as well as to revive the defunct Black Sea Initiative – aimed at preventing the use of force and ensuring that commercial vessels are not used for military purposes.

“We’ve made a lot of progress on two fronts,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday, explaining that he was referring to “Russia, Ukraine, and also the Middle East.”

“We’ll see what happens. We’re in deep discussions with Russia and Ukraine, and I would say it’s going well,” the US president said.

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Trump refused to disclose further details about the contacts in Riyadh but acknowledged that his administration officials are “thinking” about lifting some sanctions against Moscow in order to facilitate progress on the Black Sea Initiative. In response, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky accused Washington of “weakening” its position and sanctions pressure.

Earlier in the day, the Kremlin released a comprehensive list of energy facilities subject to the 30-day US-brokered truce, including oil and gas processing and storage sites, pumping stations, pipelines, electricity production and distribution infrastructure, nuclear power plants, and hydroelectric dam facilities.

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The suspension of strikes was originally proposed by Trump during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week. His counterpart agreed and immediately ordered a halt to attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

According to the Russian military, it had to intercept and destroy seven kamikaze drones that were already en route to targets in Ukraine.

While Zelensky publicly backed the ceasefire initiative, Kiev violated the truce almost immediately. According to Moscow, multiple energy facilities in Russia have reportedly been targeted by Ukrainian drones over the past week. An international oil consortium – including US firms Chevron and ExxonMobil – also condemned the attacks on its vital energy infrastructure in Russia’s Krasnodar Region.

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Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has insisted there should be no weakening of curbs against Moscow

The US is considering lifting certain sanctions against Russia in order to advance the Black Sea Grain Initiative, seen as a step towards settling the Ukraine conflict, President Donald Trump has said.

Both the Kremlin and the White House stated on Tuesday that, as part of the agreement, the US “will help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions.”

Moscow’s statement further noted that the deal envisages a lifting of restrictions on Russian Agricultural Bank and other financial institutions involved in the international sale of food and fertilizers, as well as a removal of sanctions on its vessels, port services, and ability to purchase agricultural machinery and related goods.

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The White House did not provide details, but President Donald Trump confirmed that his administration is indeed considering lifting some of the sanctions against Moscow.

“They will be looking at them, and we’re thinking about all of them right now. There are about five or six conditions. We’re looking at all of them,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky lashed out at Washington later in the day, accusing the US of discussing the issue of sanctions with the Russian delegation without properly briefing Kiev on the matter.

“We did not agree to this so that it would be in a joint document. We believe that this is a weakening of positions and a weakening of sanctions,” he claimed.

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The US and Russia agreed to revive the defunct Black Sea Grain Initiative following 12 hours of talks focused on the Ukraine conflict which were held on Monday in Saudi Arabia by expert groups from both countries. The agreement, originally brokered in July 2022 by the UN and Türkiye, envisioned the safe passage of Ukrainian agricultural products in exchange for the West lifting sanctions on Russian grain and fertilizer exports.

Moscow eventually refused to extend the deal, citing the West’s failure to uphold its obligations. Now, Russia needs ironclad guarantees from the US, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, arguing that only a “direct order” from Washington could compel Kiev to observe any agreement.

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It’s much easier to invoke inept comparisons than to analyze and combat the systemic decadence and decline of America

The ubiquitous and ongoing critique of Donald Trump from the so-called social democratic ‘left’ in America – namely that he is a ‘fascist’ – is not only inaccurate, but completely fails to comprehend Trump as a unique modern political phenomenon.

Trump is not a fascist.

Fascism emerged in the 1920s as an historically specific internationalist revolutionary political movement that sought to overthrow both liberal democracy and communism, while maintaining and preserving the capitalist economic order.

As Hungarian historian and philosopher Gyorgy Lukacs pointed out in the epilogue to his book ‘The Destruction of Reason’, published in 1953, it is simply impossible for fascist ideology to serve as a dominant ideology in Europe or America in the post-World War II era.

This is not to say that ruling liberal democratic ideologies in the West cannot manifest deeply illiberal components. Nor is it to maintain that such ideologies cannot generate authoritarian counter-ideologies that can become influential and dominant.

Even in the 1930s, fascism remained a subterranean political movement in those Western countries (America, Britain, and France) in which liberal democracy had become the prevailing political ideology in the 19th century and after World War I.

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Germany and Italy were exceptions – nation states that were formed in authoritarian fashion in the latter half of the 19th century – in which liberal democracy had failed to prevail as it had elsewhere in the West.

Trump is not a fascist because, unlike fascism, ‘Trumpism’ does not constitute a coherent ideology. In fact, there is a sense in which Trump is not really an ideological politician at all.

The contrast with fascism is stark.

National Socialism was a political movement that was based upon a coherent ideology – an amalgam of Volkish racial anti-Semitism and the 19th century liberal ideology of eugenics. Hitler sought to bring about revolutionary social and political change in Europe – and beyond – by biological means and military aggression.

Trump is quite incapable of formulating such a program – and, even if he did, it would hold little appeal for the American electorate. Nor is Trumpism an aggressive expansionist ideology in terms of foreign policy, let alone a genuinely revolutionary one.

It is, therefore, patently absurd for liberal democratic politicians and their sycophantic allies in the Western media to continue to brand Trump as a fascist.

Such a false categorization of Trump reveals the fundamentally ahistorical mentality of Trump’s critics, and – more importantly – their intrinsic inability to engage in any kind of meaningful critique of the expansion of American global hegemony since 1945 and its corrupting consequences internally in America.

In this regard, Trump’s critics lack the integrity and insight of principled 1960s American critics of the expanding American Empire – such as Barrington Moore Jr, William Appleman Williams, and Gore Vidal – as well as like-minded contemporary American critics like John Mearsheimer and Jeffrey Sachs.

This brings us back to Trump and his foreign policy.

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Unlike his neocon predecessors (both Democrat and Republican alike, and it should not be forgotten that the neocon movement started within Jimmy Carter’s Democratic Party, not with George W. Bush) Trump is an isolationist – isolationism being an extremely strong trend in American politics for over 250 years.

The American founding fathers wisely warned against America becoming involved in “foreign entanglements” – because they had firsthand experience of how the British Empire had oppressed its colonial subjects.

They also understood how empire had corrupted and debauched internal British politics. Washington, Adams, and Jefferson all feared the consequences for the new American republic if, mutatis mutandis – in Edmund Burke’s telling phrase – “the breakers of the law in India became the makers of the law in England.”

Woodrow Wilson won a presidential election in 1916 as the politician “who had kept America out of the war.” He entered the war only after the German submarine campaign continued to sink American ships, and in order to save the West from the spectre of communism after the Russian Revolution in 1917.

The isolationist American Senate, however, subsequently refused to endorse Wilson’s internationalism, and vetoed America joining the League of Nations.

Likewise, Franklin D. Roosevelt only entered World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 – more than two years after the war had commenced.

Unfortunately, all post-war American presidents – until Trump – cast aside isolationism and firmly committed America to the global expansion of its empire. And, from the Carter regime onward, neocons have framed America’s expansionist and aggressive foreign policy.

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Thus the Cold War, misguided wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and the America-driven and disastrously provocative expansion of NATO over the past 30 years.

Trump’s foreign policy stance constitutes a decisive break with the past.

Trump’s isolationism is evident in his firm determination to end the Ukraine conflict. He has also taken initial steps to end the reactionary Netanyahu regime’s brutal colonial oppression of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Whether this will succeed is, however, not yet clear.

And whether Trump’s isolationism extends to cutting deals with Iran and China is, at this stage, very much an open question.

What then of Trump’s domestic policies? Here Trump’s authoritarian and anti-liberal democratic tendencies are already apparent.

Trump is determined to reshape the Judiciary, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and any other domestic institution that does not cravenly support his domestic agenda. This should come as no surprise – Trump has always been openly contemptuous of liberal democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law.

Trump has also moved very swiftly to dismantle authoritarian woke ideologies and their insidious consequences. He has also taken steps to put an end to the disastrous open borders immigration policy promoted and facilitated by Obama and Biden.

Whether Trump will succeed in successfully implementing his domestic agenda is not yet clear. Constitutional challenges to some of his executive orders are already before the courts, and more can be expected.

This week Trump called for the impeachment of those “crooked judges” who have ruled against some of his executive orders – provoking an unprecedented public rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

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It is thus already clear that Trump’s attempts to disregard the Constitution will lead to a serious constitutional crisis and an accompanying intensification of political conflict over the next four years.

How resilient liberal democratic institutions will prove to be under the Trump onslaught is difficult to predict – bearing in mind that many of these bodies have become weakened and corrupted under previous Democratic administrations.

One thing is clear however – the shattered Democrats are at present unable to mount any effective political resistance to Trump’s domestic or foreign policy programs. Not for nothing did Trump contemptuously taunt ‘Pocahontas’ Elizabeth Warren during his recent speech to Congress.

Kamala Harris has disappeared from sight, and the ultra woke Gavin Newsom recently recanted on his previous championing of transgender athletes in women’s sport. This, however, hardly constitutes a viable alternative political program to Trumpism.

The Democrats’ dilemma was highlighted recently when they criticized Trump for diminishing free speech in America by shutting down America’s propaganda agency, USAGM. These, however, are the same Democrats that have for decades championed an authoritarian ‘cancel culture’ that has diminished free speech and destroyed the careers of anyone courageous enough to oppose the Democrats’ woke ideologies.

Even more troubling for the Democrats is the fact that the American elites that once supported them are now changing political tack, and falling in behind the Trump regime – just as the liberal 19th century French elites made their peace with Louis Napoleon’s authoritarian regime. It should not be forgotten that Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy Jr. were once fervent Democrats who denounced Trump as a fascist.

How then are we to properly categorize Trump as a politician?

He is, of course, sui generis. Trump is first of all a modern celebrity politician – among whose ranks the inept Vladimir Zelensky must also be numbered. He is also a populist who captured the Republican Party after realizing (as previous third-party candidates had not) that capturing a major party was the only way that a third-party politician could ever become president.

Trump is thus a new kind of politician – a modern celebrity populist.

His predecessors include William Jennings Bryan and George Wallace, and he shares with them their ‘common man’ rhetoric, anti-intellectualism, contempt for liberal democracy and traditional conservatism, as well as their program of demonizing the East Coast and Washington elites. And, like his populist predecessors, Trump promises to miraculously revive a weakened and corrupt America.

Trump also has a great deal in common with Louis Napoleon. Elected president of the new French Republic in 1848, Louis Napoleon – being constitutionally barred from a second term as president – mounted a coup in 1851, dismissed parliament, and declared himself emperor. He ruled France in authoritarian and repressive fashion for the next 20 years – until military defeat in the Franco Prussian War led to the collapse of his regime.

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Trump is also constitutionally barred from running for the presidency in 2028, and he may well attempt to overturn this legal impediment to a third term. In February 2025, he posted an image of himself wearing a crown with the caption “Long Live the King.”

But Trump’s modernity and the fundamentally changed nature of politics in America over recent decades render such historical comparisons otiose and misleading.

Trump became president in a decadent American society dominated by a mindless celebrity culture – in which there was no longer an educated elite or an educated public; in which liberal values and basic notions of decency had collapsed completely; and in which politics had descended into complete irrationality and become an unedifying and brutal spectacle akin to a celebrity-based television show.

These fundamental changes long predated Trump’s entry into politics, and without them he could not possibly have become president. Only in an America that had degenerated to this extent could populism in its new Trumpian form become a dominant political force.

Lukacs in the work cited above predicted that the expansion of the American Empire would result in internal cultural decadence and the corruption of American politics.

Lukacs highlighted various aspects of this, including a rise in juvenile delinquency – not for a moment imaging the school shootings that are now a regular occurrence in America. Nor could he possibly have imagined the degenerate nature of a popular culture that feted a ‘celebrity’ like Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and continues to exploit his celebrity status as it belatedly seeks to destroy him.

Donald Trump is not a fascist.

He is a modern celebrity populist whose election as president is a symptom of the irreversible decadence and decline of contemporary American politics and American society more generally.

Social democratic critics of Trump, however, cannot accept this categorization of Trump because it entails admitting that American society has degenerated culturally and politically in recent decades – a state of affairs for which they themselves are primarily responsible.

Far easier to simply brand Trump a fascist, and ignore America’s ongoing decadence and decline.

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The pontiff faced a critical health crisis in February at which time doctors were considering halting treatment, his physician has said

Pope Francis faced a life-threatening health crisis during his recent hospitalization at which time doctors considered stopping treatment to allow him to die peacefully, according to Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the head of the pontiff’s medical team.

On February 28, the 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church experienced severe difficulties breathing after inhaling vomit during a bronchospasm, leading to a “real risk he might not make it,” Dr. Alfieri told Corriere della Sera in an interview published on Tuesday.

Despite the risks of potential organ damage, the medical team decided to pursue aggressive treatment. “We had to choose if we would stop there and let him go, or to go forward and push it with all the drugs and therapies possible,” Alfieri, a physician at Rome’s Gemelli hospital explained.

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The decision to continue treatment was heavily influenced by Pope Francis’ personal nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, who urged the team to “try everything; don’t give up.”

Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital on February 14 with bronchitis that developed into double pneumonia. His condition was particularly concerning due to a history of lung issues, including the removal of part of one lung in his youth.

During his 38-day hospitalization, Pope Francis suffered multiple respiratory crises and required intensive medical intervention. On March 23, he was discharged and made his first public appearance since February 14, greeting well wishers from the hospital balcony. He has since returned to the Vatican to continue his recovery.

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Nuclear power plants, oil and gas facilities, hydroelectric power plants, and other installations are all covered

The Kremlin has released a comprehensive list of energy facilities subject to a temporary US-brokered truce between Russia and Ukraine. The pause in long-range strikes against such targets took effect on March 18 and will last for 30 days, according to Moscow.

The types of facilities covered under the truce include oil and gas processing and storage facilities, including pumping stations and pipelines, electricity producing and distribution sites, nuclear power plants, and the dams of hydroelectric plants.

The truce may be prolonged beyond the 30-day period should both sides agree, Moscow noted. If either party violates the deal, the other can consider itself free from its obligations, it added.

The suspension of strikes was originally proposed by Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call last week. The Russian leader agreed to it and immediately ordering the country’s military to halt attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities. The Russian military later said it had to shoot down seven kamikaze drones that were already en route to targets in Ukraine in order to implement the order.

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Zelensky publicly backed the idea of the truce shortly after it was first announced. However, Moscow accused Kiev of violating the ceasefire almost immediately, claiming that multiple energy facilities in Russia had been targeted by Ukrainian drones over the past week.

On Monday, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) condemned a Ukrainian attack on the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station, a vital energy site in Russia’s Krasnodar Region. CPC operates a major pipeline system carrying crude oil from the oil fields in Kazakhstan and Russia’s Caspian region to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and on global markets. The project is jointly owned by several stakeholders from Russia, as well as such US oil giants as Chevron and ExxonMobil.

“The actions of the Ukrainian authorities have a destructive impact on CPC’s financial results and, as a consequence, on all of its shareholders, including the Republic of Kazakhstan and companies from the United States,” the consortium said in a statement.

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The national security adviser who reportedly leaked a military secret “has learned a lesson,” the US president has said

US President Donald Trump has spoken in defense of his National Security Adviser Mike Waltz following reports that the latter inadvertently included a journalist in a secret chat discussing military strategies in Yemen.

On Monday, The Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg broke a story detailing purported conversations among top members of the administration regarding planned airstrikes against Houthi rebels in the Middle Eastern nation.

The leak reportedly prompted calls for Waltz’s dismissal and accusations within the administration that he is reckless, negligent, and incompetent. Sources cited by Politico on Tuesday indicated that the fallout would largely depend on Trump’s reaction to the incident.

In a phone interview with NBC News on Tuesday, Trump downplayed the incident, referring to the situation as “the only glitch in two months” and asserting that it had “no impact at all” on the military operation.

“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” the president said.

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Trump ordered a “powerful military action” against the Yemen-based Houthi militants last Saturday, accusing them of conducting an “unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.” The group, officially known as the Ansar Allah movement, has controlled large portions of Yemen – including the capital, Sanaa – since the mid-2010s.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the US airstrikes in the country for contributing to civilian deaths and worsening the humanitarian crisis. Some foreign policy analysts have warned that US strikes risk escalating tensions with Iran, which Washington accuses of supporting Houthis, and could lead to a broader regional conflict.

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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is set to receive $7.46 million from its parent US government agency, the broadcaster says

Cash-strapped US state broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is set to receive a portion of a grant which was withheld by the administration of US President Donald Trump, the broadcaster announced on Monday. A sum of $7.46 million will be released by the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

Kari Lake, Trump-appointed special adviser to USAGM, has pledged to shrink the agency to its minimum possible legal size, describing the body as “a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer” and arguing that it is “not salvageable.” She has also claimed to have uncovered assorted irregularities within the agency, including “massive national security violations” and alleged infiltration by spies and terrorist sympathizers.

The money to be released covers the period between March 1 and 14, a day before US President Donald Trump signed an executive effectively dismantling USAGM operations.

“We hope the imminent disbursement of two weeks’ worth of funding that Congress appropriated to RFE/RL will keep our lights on until the court rules on the broader case,” RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement.

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“It is unlawful to deny us the funds that Congress has already appropriated to RFE/RL for the rest of this fiscal year,” he added.

A US Justice Department lawyer representing the USAGM, Abigail Stout, however, argued that the agency is within its right to terminate the grant should RFE/RL breach the provisions outlined in the International Broadcasting Act. “The statute actually contemplates that the agency could terminate a grant,” she said.

Founded in the early 1950s by the CIA front organizations, Radio Free Europe (RFE) broadcast pro-Western propaganda into the Eastern bloc in Europe, while Radio Liberty (RL) focused on the Soviet Union itself. In the 1970s, they merged into a single entity.

USAGM has been overseeing US state-funded international media outlets, including RFE/RL, Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia, and several other foreign focused not-for-profit media entities that are funded by the US budget. While the outlets insist they provide unbiased coverage in around 100 countries, they have been widely regarded as Washington’s propaganda arms.

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Washington has made it clear that Kiev’s NATO bid is off the table, according to the Russian foreign minister

The approach taken by EU leaders on the Ukraine conflict directly contradicts the position of US President Donald Trump, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

In an interview with Russia’s Channel 1 on Tuesday, Lavrov said the bloc’s continued push for Ukraine’s NATO membership is the result of former US President Joe Biden’s decision to push the EU towards a confrontation with Russia.

As a result, the EU is grappling with “an enormous number” of social and economic problems, which “probably partly explains why they are so fervently not giving up on Ukraine” and are calling for more military aid to the country, Lavrov said.

“In other words, they are in direct contradiction to the Trump administration,” he added, noting that the US president, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, had “made it clear that preliminary talks are underway on the parameters of the final settlement [of the conflict] and that NATO should be off the table.”

Ukraine has long sought NATO membership as a security guarantee for ending the conflict with Russia. Moscow, however, has cited Kiev’s NATO ambitions as one of the key causes of the conflict and has called for Ukraine’s neutrality as a foundation for any peace deal.

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Lavrov said Biden made “a colossal mistake” by refusing to engage with Russia and instead insisting that Ukraine join the military bloc, “thereby creating an unacceptable threat for us.”

He also dismissed EU leaders’ proposals to deploy Western ‘peacekeepers’ to Ukraine, calling them “dreamers” who are “proving their complete political irrelevance with each passing day.”

Earlier this month, the UK and France signaled an openness to sending a military contingent to Ukraine once a ceasefire is reached. Moscow has described the plan as a pretext for deploying NATO troops in the country, warning that this could lead to a direct war between the military bloc and Russia.

Lavrov has likened EU rearmament plans and calls to contain and defeat Russia to past military campaigns by Napoleon and Hitler, who had similar goals. “We’ve been through all this before,” he said.

The diplomat’s comments come a day after senior Russian and US officials held 12-hour talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at resolving certain technical issues. Details of the negotiations are expected to be released later on Tuesday.

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The negotiations revolved around safe navigation in the Black Sea and Russian access to the world agricultural market

The White House has released a statement on the US-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia, shedding some light on 12-hour talks held on Monday.

The “bilateral technical-level talks” focused on the situation in the Black Sea, as well as the agreement to halt strikes on “energy facilities of Russia and Ukraine” proposed by US President Donald Trump, the White House said on Tuesday.

“The United States and Russia have agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea,” the statement reads.

The US has also pledged to “help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions,” according to the White House. Both Moscow and Washington remain committed to “working toward achieving a durable and lasting peace” to end the Ukraine conflict, it added.

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Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that the negotiations explored the possibility of reviving the defunct Black Sea Grain Initiative, originally brokered in July 2022 by the UN and Türkiye. The deal envisioned the safe passage of Ukrainian agricultural exports in exchange for the West lifting restrictions on Russian grain and fertilizer trade. Moscow declined to renew the deal in 2023, citing the West’s failure to meet its obligations.

To renew the deal, Moscow needs firm guarantees from the US, which can “only result from a direct order issued by Washington to [Ukraine’s Vladimir] Zelensky and his team,” Lavrov explained, pointing to Kiev’s habit of breaking promises. Russia’s position now “is simple: We cannot take anyone’s word at face value,” he said in an interview with Channel 1.

“We need the clearest, most specific, verifiable, working guarantees and mechanisms [to revive the deal],” Lavrov stated. “We want the grain and fertilizer market to be predictable so that no one tries to kick us out of this market.”

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Many organizations “refuse” to respond, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

The international community’s failure to respond to the killings of Russian journalists by Ukraine is inexcusable, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

On Monday, three members of a Russian news crew were killed in a Ukrainian attack while reporting from the Lugansk People’s Republic.

The incident marked the latest in a series of deaths of Russian media workers since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

“We constantly draw the attention of the international community to acts of assault, intimidation, attacks, and attempted murders of journalists in the conflict zone. We consider the reaction of the international community to have been extremely inadequate. Many simply refuse to respond, which…is inexcusable,” Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

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The attack claimed the lives of Aleksandr Fedorchak, a reporter for the newspaper Izvestia, Andrey Panov, a cameraman for Zvezda TV, and Aleksandr Sirekli, their driver. Their vehicle, marked as press transport, was reportedly struck by two missiles fired from a US-supplied Ukrainian HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system.

The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of terrorism. Russia’s human rights ombudswoman, Tatyana Moskalkova, said that she would seek condemnation of Kiev’s actions from international organizations.

According to Peskov, “The fire was precision-guided. [The Ukrainians] specifically wanted to kill [the journalists]. The Kiev regime continues its atrocities…against [unarmed] journalists. This is the essence of the Kiev regime,” Peskov added.

Earlier this year, another Izvestia journalist, Alexander Martemianov, was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has demanded that international organizations such as UNESCO, the OSCE, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights respond to Kiev’s “continuing effort to kill Russian media staff in cold blood.”

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, more than 30 Russian journalists have been killed in the conflict zone since 2022.

READ MORE: UNESCO bars Russian journalists from free speech session

In November, Russia accused UNESCO of failing to include deadly Ukrainian attacks on Russian journalists in its latest biannual report covering the global state of journalist safety in 2022-23.

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A journalist claims to have been privy to a top secret discussion among Trump’s national security team

US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz — or another high-ranking official — may have been responsible for an inadvertent leak about US airstrikes in Yemen, insiders have told Politico.

On Monday, The Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg broke a story detailing purported conversations among top members of President Donald Trump’s administration regarding military strategies against Houthi rebels.

In the article, Goldberg claims having gained access to a group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal from a user identified as “Mike Waltz.” The “Houthi PC small group” chat reportedly included Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and other cabinet members.

“Everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: Mike Waltz is a f***ing idiot,” one anonymous source quoted by Politico stated.

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“Half of them [are] saying he’s never going to survive or shouldn’t survive,” another official told the outlet. “It was reckless not to check who was on the thread. It was reckless to be having that conversation on Signal. You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser.”

Other sources indicated the fallout would largely depend on Trump’s reaction to the incident and that repercussions were possible for Vance or Hegseth over their purported remarks in the group chat. Politico concluded that “nothing is decided yet.”

Hegseth has downplayed the leak, branding Goldberg “a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes.” The defense secretary has denied sending Yemen war plans to Goldberg, rejecting claims made in the article.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt relayed Trump’s favorable view of the airstrikes against the Houthis, calling them “highly successful and effective,” and emphasized the president’s “utmost confidence in his national security team,” including Waltz.

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Hamdan Ballal’s documentary No Other Land portrays the destruction of the Palestinian community in the West Bank

The Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land’, is being held by Israeli police after he was beaten by a mob of settlers in the West Bank, according to eyewitnesses and a fellow filmmaker.

The movie, which won the 2024 Best Documentary Feature award, shows the destruction of a Palestinian community in the region occupied by Israel since 1967.

Yuval Abraham, an Israeli journalist and co-director of the film, said that Hamdan Ballal had been beaten by a mob and later detained. “A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal… He has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding. Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called, and took him. No sign of him since,” Abraham wrote on X on Monday.

Later, he clarified that by “lynched“, he meant that Ballal had been assaulted, but not murdered, adding that the filmmaker is now being held at a police station and that his lawyer has not yet been allowed to see him.

According to The Guardian, the incident took place in Susya, a village south of the city of Hebron. Five Jewish American activists from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence told the paper that around 15 armed settlers surrounded and attacked Ballal. “They started throwing stones towards Palestinians and destroyed a water tank near Hamdan’s house,” said one of the witnesses who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The group of armed KKK-like masked settlers that lynched No Other Land director Hamdan Ballal (still missing), caught here on camera. pic.twitter.com/kFGFxSEanY

— Yuval Abraham ???? ????? (@yuval_abraham) March 24, 2025

Abraham also released a ten-second clip purportedly taken from the dashcam of Ballal’s car. It showed a group of masked men – some carrying sticks – running toward the car in the night, with one figure throwing a rock at the windshield. Another video circulating on social media shows what appears to be a brief clash between Ballal’s team and the settlers.

A group of Israeli terrorists tried to lynch Bilal Hamdan, the co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” near his home town of Hebron earlier today. Hamdan was seriously injured and taken away by the Israeli army. pic.twitter.com/1rIu5bpS7g

— Palestine in the UK (@PalMissionUK) March 24, 2025

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the clash but without identifying those involved by name. “Several terrorists hurled rocks at Israeli citizens, damaging their vehicles near Susya. Following this, a violent confrontation broke out, involving mutual rock-hurling between Palestinians and Israelis.”

READ MORE: Israeli diplomat suggests ‘killing off’ teenagers in Gaza – leaked VIDEO

The IDF said its forces “apprehended three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks at them, as well as an Israeli civilian involved in the violent confrontation.” The statement also indirectly denied Abraham’s claim about the circumstances of Ballal’s arrest, saying that “no Palestinian was apprehended from inside an ambulance.”

The incident comes amid long-running tensions in the West Bank between Palestinian residents and Israeli settlers. In recent years, the Israeli judiciary has on several occasions approved orders of forced evictions of Palestinians that affected hundreds of people. Clashes have become more frequent since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.

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“No reason” to withhold information about the protection the country extended to fugitives after WWII, a senior official has said

Argentina plans to declassify government documents concerning Nazi fugitives who found sanctuary in the Latin American nation following Germany’s defeat in World War II.

The commitment to transparency was announced on Monday by President Javier Milei’s chief of staff, Guillermo Francos, during an interview with the TV channel DNews. He said the president made the decision after a meeting last month with US Senator Steve Daines, who strongly advocated for the public release of the files.

Francos stated that the president believes “there is no reason to withhold information” about the protection afforded to Nazis in Argentina, adding that most of the documents slated for release are housed within the Defense Ministry. Some of the files pertain to financial matters involving services from Swiss banks, he added.

According to estimates, as many as 10,000 war criminals utilized so-called ‘ratlines’ to escape Europe and settle elsewhere as the Axis powers fell on the continent. Around half are believed to have chosen Argentina – a nation known for its reluctance to grant extradition requests — as their refuge.

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Among those were Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann and infamous death camp doctor Josef Mengele. Eichmann was captured by Israeli intelligence operatives and taken to Israel for trial, while Mengele drowned in 1979 after suffering a heart attack.

The influx took place mostly during the first presidency of controversial Argentinian leader Juan Peron, whose government from 1946 to 1955 explicitly supported Nazi exiles. Peron pursued a policy that mixed elements of authoritarianism and populists components that critics believed was influenced by fascism.

Milei’s pledge to unveil the Nazi files follows an earlier decree aimed at accelerating the release of records concerning the Argentine armed forces’ actions during the military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. The tumultuous period, known as “the last junta,” began with a coup against Isabel Peron, the president’s widow and successor, when his second term was cut short by his death in 1974.

READ MORE: ‘Nazis’ in Ukraine ‘nurtured’ by Europeans – Lavrov

The junta conducted a brutal crackdown on political dissent, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and disappearances. Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said that the government seeks to prevent political manipulation of this tragic period through complete disclosure.

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Jared Kushner plans to build a luxury hotel on the site of a military headquarters in Belgrade bombed by NATO in 1999

Thousands of protesters rallied in Serbia on Monday against government-backed plans to build a luxury hotel on the site of a historic former army compound destroyed during NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign in the country.

The project is being run by Affinity Global Partners, setup by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

The location for the new hotel in central Belgrade is the General Staff building, a former Yugoslav army headquarters heavily damaged during NATO’s 78-day bombing of Serbia and Montenegro over the Kosovo conflict. Over 500 cilviians were killed by the US-led military bloc throughout the months-long raids, which had no backing from the UN.

The Serbian government last year approved a multimillion-dollar deal with Affinity Global Development, to redevelop the location. The agreement includes a 99-year lease for a three-block area and plans to build a Trump-branded hotel, luxury apartments, offices, shops, and a memorial for bombing victims.

Opposition parties have criticized the deal, while President Aleksandar Vucic and his government have defended it as a move to modernize the capital.

Protest in Belgrade, Serbia, honoring the victims of NATO’s 1999 bombing.

We will never forgive or forget and yeah, war is still on b*tches! pic.twitter.com/rv3GofdHyk

— Mario ZNA (@MarioBojic) March 24, 2025

Monday’s protest coincided with Serbia’s Remembrance Day, marking the anniversary of the start of NATO’s bombing campaign on March 24, 1999. Demonstrators gathered around the ruins of the former military complex, demanding the site be restored as a heritage landmark and that redevelopment plans be scrapped. Protesters described the complex as “a monument to NATO aggression” and objected to “gifting it” to American developers.

#Serbia | 24 March protest:

Protesters in #Belgrade today protested against the luxury development project backed by Jared #Kushner, son-in-law of President #Trump.

The project aims to demolish the building damaged in NATO bombings of 1999. pic.twitter.com/44UK6CuBQz

— Luka | Дунав Intel (@Lukai1861) March 24, 2025

“The General Staff, which is the cultural center of Serbia, which was bombed by NATO together with America, should now be handed over to America? It’s creepy. Ironic and satirical,” one protester said.

“It is completely unacceptable,” another added.

#Serbia | 24 March protest:

Once again, the Veterans of the Kosovo war joined the protests, this time on the 26th year since NATO's 1999 bombings in Serbia and Montenegro. #Belgrade #Beograd #Veterans #Kosovo #Srbija #Montenegro https://t.co/95PdvOXWFB pic.twitter.com/7FQ4KJ9n35

— Luka | Дунав Intel (@Lukai1861) March 24, 2025

Videos shared online showed crowds chanting anti-NATO slogans and holding signs that read “f**k NATO and Trump Tower” and “we will never forget,” alongside the dates of the 1999 airstrikes. Protesters waved Serbian flags, as well as banners opposing NATO and the EU. Some demonstrators waved flags from Russia, China, North Korea, and Palestine.

READ MORE: Serbia blames ‘US deep state’ for mass protests

Monday’s protests came amid the ongoing student-led anti-corruption movement in Serbia, sparked by a building collapse at the Novi Sad railway station last November that killed 16 people. The incident led to mass outrage and the resignation of several senior officials, including Prime Minister Milos Vucevic. Demonstrators have since demanded broad political reforms.

Serbian authorities have blamed the protests on foreign interference, accusing opposition groups of collaborating with Western, Croatian, and Albanian intelligence services to try to topple the government.

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Multiple “incendiary devices” have been discovered at a dealership in Austin, Texas

The FBI has established a specialized task force to address a surge in violent incidents targeting Tesla vehicles, dealerships, and charging stations across the US. The acts, which include arson and vandalism, have been officially classified as “domestic terrorism.”

The ten-member task force includes personnel from the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and intelligence analysts, the New York Post reported on Monday. In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was cracking down on those behind the attacks.

“The FBI has been investigating the increase in violent activity toward Tesla, and over the last few days, we have taken additional steps to crack down and coordinate our response,” Patel wrote. “This is domestic terrorism. Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice.”

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has become an increasingly polarizing figure since President Donald Trump appointed him to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to the authorities, the attacks on Tesla appear to be ideologically motivated and may be linked to an anarchist blog advocating violence against the company.

Since late January, dozens of attacks have targeted Tesla cars, dealerships, and charging stations in the US and Canada, sometimes accompanied by anti-Musk graffiti. There have been 48 reported incidents involving Tesla properties in March alone, with seven currently under active investigation, according to the New York Post.

The new task force has been tasked with investigating both past and recent attacks – including the discovery of incendiary devices at a Tesla dealership in Austin, Texas, on Monday – and coordinating with local law enforcement agencies to prevent further incidents.

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The FBI is also monitoring a planned protest, “Tesla Takedown,” scheduled for March 29, which aims to organize demonstrations at Tesla showrooms and charging stations nationwide.

President Trump has condemned the attacks, suggesting harsh penalties, including sending perpetrators to serve 20-year prison sentences in El Salvador’s notorious mega prison.

Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed the president’s stance, stating that the Department of Justice will impose “severe consequences” on those involved, including individuals who coordinate or fund such crimes. As of Monday, three suspects have been arrested in connection with the attacks.

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Top Trump administration officials accidentally invited a journalist into a Signal group chat about strikes on the Houthis

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has addressed a recent leak of high-level discussions about US airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, calling the journalist involved “deceitful” and downplaying the significance of the disclosure.

The incident came to light after The Atlantic reported on Monday that its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, had been accidentally added to a Signal group chat that included top Trump administration officials such as Vice President J.D. Vance, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Hegseth.

The group had been actively discussing potential US military operations against the Houthis for days prior to President Donald Trump ordering strikes on Yemen on March 15.

Goldberg claimed that one of Hegseth’s final messages before the attack “contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the US would be deploying, and attack sequencing.”

When asked about the leak on Monday, Hegseth dismissed Goldberg as “a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes.”

“Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that,” Hegseth said when pressed on the content of the messages.

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National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told Reuters that the message thread “appears to be authentic” and confirmed that an internal review had been launched into “how an inadvertent number was added to the chain.”

“The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials,” Hughes added, without clarifying whether national security protocols had been breached or if any disciplinary action would follow.

Trump ordered a “powerful military action” against the Yemen-based Houthi militants last Saturday, accusing them of conducting an “unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.” The group, officially known as the Ansar Allah movement, has controlled large portions of Yemen – including the capital, Sanaa – since the mid-2010s.

In what The Atlantic described as a “fascinating policy discussion,” senior US officials reportedly acknowledged the difficulty of building public support for a new military campaign.

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“There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary,” the account labeled ‘JD Vance’ said, arguing that “the strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message.” In response, Hegseth agreed, stating: “I think messaging is going to be tough no matter what – nobody knows who the Houthis are – which is why we would need to stay focused on: 1) Biden failed & 2) Iran funded.”

Trump has claimed that the Houthi attacks “emanate from, and are created by, Iran,” warning that from now on, Washington would view every shot fired by the Yemeni group as if it were fired by Tehran. “Iran will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform last Monday.

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The Kremlin previously criticized Kiev’s EU backers for only speaking of war and militarization

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused unnamed foreign governments of obstructing efforts to end the Ukraine conflict, while crediting President Donald Trump with leading negotiations to mediate peace between Moscow and Kiev.

According to Rubio, Trump’s diplomatic initiative has faced resistance from other governments, although he did not name any specific countries.

“You’ve done it despite impediments from other countries and others who maybe have different opinions about how this should go,” Rubio said, addressing Trump directly. “Ultimately, I think that the only chance we have for peace is through the President’s leadership.”

Senior Russian and US officials held 12-hour talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday, focused on resolving the Ukraine conflict and ensuring maritime security in the Black Sea. However, the two sides have yet to release details or announce the outcome of the discussions.

READ MORE: Russia-US talks in Saudi Arabia wrap up

Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House before the talks concluded, Rubio stressed that the conflict “needs to be brought to an end” through negotiations, not military means, and praised Trump as “the only one leader in the world that’s capable of bringing two sides to a table.”

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Following a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart last week, Moscow and Kiev agreed to a partial ceasefire and pledged to suspend strikes on energy infrastructure for 30 days.

However, the Russian Defense Ministry has since reported multiple Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stressed that despite Kiev’s violations, Moscow will continue to uphold the energy strike truce.

In an interview on Sunday, Peskov also remarked that instead of seeking peace and addressing the root causes of the conflict, EU member states are now discussing the deployment of NATO contingents to Ukrainian territory. “This rampant militarist policy of Europe – there is no other way to describe it – is hard to comprehend,” he said.

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Tensions between Washington and European NATO members resurfaced after Trump assumed office in January. The new administration has pushed for a swift resolution to the Ukraine conflict and plans to shift security responsibilities to Europe once a truce is in place.

Following an emergency summit in London earlier this month, the UK and France signaled that they are open to sending Western “peacekeepers” to Ukraine once a ceasefire is reached. Moscow has rejected the proposal, stating that it makes no difference under what pretext NATO troops enter the country. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that this could lead to a direct war between the military bloc and Moscow.

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The two delegations negotiated for over 12 hours on settling the Ukraine conflict

Talks between senior Russian and American officials focused on a settlement of the Ukraine conflict and maritime security in the Black Sea, have concluded in the Saudi capital of Riyadh after more than 12 hours.

A joint statement on the talks is expected to be released on Tuesday, RIA Novosti and TASS reported, citing sources.

The Russian Foreign Ministry released a short video showing the country’s negotiating team leaving the talks. “The Russian-American consultations have concluded,” the ministry said without providing further details.

Meanwhile, a White House source told Reuters that a “positive announcement” was expected “in the near future,” following progress made in the Riyadh talks.

Grigory Karasin, a veteran diplomat and chairman of the parliamentary International Relations Committee who is part of the Russian delegation, described the Riyadh talks as “creative” but also “technical.”

“Not every negotiation yields a high-profile document or agreement,” Karasin told reporters earlier in the day during a break in the negotiations. “What matters is maintaining communication and understanding each other’s positions. In this regard, we are succeeding.”

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The talks primarily revolved around maritime security in the Black Sea and the prospects of resurrecting the Black Sea Initiative, popularly known as the ‘grain deal’, which was originally mediated by the UN and Türkiye. Russia withdrew from the deal in July 2023, citing the West’s failure to meet its end of the deal.

“If you recall [the original version] of the deal, there were significant obligations made to our side that were never fulfilled. This remains part of the agenda,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier in the day.

US President Donald Trump has floated the idea of revisiting the deal as a part of his effort to reach a broader truce between Moscow and Kiev, Peskov explained.

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Russian “information” may have swayed the White House on Ukraine policy, the Ukrainian leader has told Time magazine

Russia may have influenced members of the US administration “through information,” Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has claimed in an interview with Time magazine.

His comments come as US President Donald Trump has acknowledged some of Moscow’s concerns regarding the root causes of the crisis. These include the Kremlin’s repeated criticisms of NATO’s continued expansion towards Russia’s borders and its opposition to having Ukraine become a member of the bloc.

Commenting on recent Russia-US contacts, particularly the phone calls between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky lamented that the White House was being receptive to information coming out of Moscow. During the latest call, Putin told Trump that Ukraine’s incursion forces had been surrounded in Russia’s Kursk Region but Zelensky has denied this claim.

“I believe Russia has managed to influence some people on the White House team through information,” Zelensky told the magazine. “Their signal to the Americans was that the Ukrainians do not want to end the war, and something should be done to force them.”

According to Time's, Simon Shuster, a former Moscow correspondent, during the interview Zelensky showed him three paintings hanging in “a small room behind his office” in Kiev. One, described as his favorite, depicts the Kremlin engulfed in flames. He said that each of the pictures is “about victory.”

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Since the escalation of hostilities in 2022, Russia has repeatedly emphasized that it remains open to negotiating a peaceful resolution of the conflict and has accused Kiev of refusing to talk and attempting to prolong the fighting.

In February, during a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance also publicly blasted Zelensky over his refusal to negotiate with Russia. Following that meeting, the US administration announced a temporary suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

US aid to Kiev was resumed after Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire proposal. Last week, after Putin’s phone call with Trump, Moscow rejected a full truce but approved a month-long pause on energy infrastructure strikes. Zelensky later agreed to the measure.

READ MORE: Kiev lashes out at Trump envoy for ‘spreading Russian propaganda’

Since then, however, Russian officials have repeatedly accused Kiev of violating the truce by carrying out drone strikes on key energy infrastructure facilities on Russian territory. Moscow has maintained that Ukraine’s actions, including its attacks on civilian infrastructure, justify the characterization of the government in Kiev as a terrorist regime and indicate it doesn’t want peace.

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A key Ukrainian foreign affairs official wants to see Steve Witkoff sacked

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who has played a central role in opening negotiations on resolving the Ukraine conflict, is “spreading Russian propaganda” and should be sacked, according to a senior Ukrainian lawmaker.

The head of the Kiev’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Aleksandr Merezhko, made the remark in response to Witkoff’s interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, during which the envoy spoke about the status of former Ukrainian territories that have joined Russia, describing the issue as “an elephant in the room” that “no one wants to talk about.”

“They’re Russian-speaking. There have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule,” Witkoff said.

“The Russians are de facto in control of these territories. The question is: Will the world acknowledge that those are Russian territories? Can [Vladimir] Zelensky survive politically if he acknowledges this? This is the central issue in the conflict,” he added.

Merezhko strongly condemned the “disgraceful, shocking statements,” accusing the Witkoff of acting as an envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin rather than of Trump.

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“We are talking about a representative of the president who should have professional expertise in this matter and know some basic things. obvious things. And he doesn’t know this. He spreads Russian propaganda,” the lawmaker insisted in a televised interview. Merezhko said he wasn’t sure if “ignorance, naivety, or unprofessionalism” was behind Witkoff’s statements and called for the US official to be booted from his role.

“We clearly can’t dictate to American friends who should represent them. But this person needs to be removed from this delegation, he should not be a representative of the [US] president. Since he’s either completely unprofessional or simply repeats Putin’s narratives,” Merezhko added.

Moscow and Kiev have taken opposing positions on the former Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye, and the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, all of which officially joined Russia in autumn 2022 following a series of referendums. Kiev also formally claims Russia’s Crimea, which seceded from Ukraine in the aftermath of a violent Western-backed coup in Kiev and joined Russia in 2014, as its own.

Moscow has repeatedly signaled that its sovereignty over the territories is not negotiable, while Kiev has pledged to seize back control of all the territories it claims as its own. The Ukrainian leadership has seemingly softened its rhetoric of late, now insisting it will never recognize “occupation” of the territories and Russian sovereignty over them in any form.

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Media speculation on the issue is entirely wrong, the Foreign Ministry has said

China has dismissed a media report suggesting that the country could take part in a potential EU deployment of ‘peacekeeping’ forces to Ukraine, reaffirming its stance in favor of a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

The report by German outlet Welt am Sonntag is “not true at all,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a press briefing on Monday when asked to comment on the claims.

China’s position “on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear,” the spokesperson said.

Beijing has played an active role in advocating for a diplomatic solution since the escalation of hostilities three years ago, proposing a 12-point peace plan in 2023 and maintaining dialogue with both Moscow and Kiev.

Guo previously stated that Beijing believes dialogue and negotiations are the only viable ways out of the crisis.

On Saturday, Welt reported, citing unnamed EU diplomats, that Beijing is considering joining a potential ‘peacekeeping mission’ spearheaded by the UK and France.

China’s participation in the plan involving a ‘coalition of the willing’ “could potentially increase Russia’s acceptance of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine,” the diplomats reportedly told the outlet. Russia has repeatedly rejected the idea of Western troops in Ukraine, noting that it would require UN Security Council approval, where Moscow holds veto power.

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The idea of creating a group of countries ready to support Kiev militarily was first proposed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at an emergency summit in London earlier this month.

UK military officials reportedly slammed Starmer’s plan as a “political theater,” telling The Telegraph on Sunday that the prime minister had “got ahead of himself.”

The plan, which includes the deployment of troops and aircraft, was backed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who said Western forces would not be deployed to Ukraine until the situation on the ground is safe for them. Both Macron and Starmer are expected to hold separate meetings in London and Paris this week centered on military planning for Ukraine.

Replying to British and French initiatives to deploy troops to Ukraine, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said that Starmer and Macron are “playing dumb” by pretending that they are sending peacekeepers instead of a NATO contingent. This deployment risks an all-out war between the military bloc and Moscow, he warned.

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A federal law prohibiting face coverings in public, backed by a 2021 referendum, came into force in Switzerland earlier this year

The Swiss authorities have issued the first fine under the country’s nationwide face-covering ban that took effect this year after a woman in Zurich wore a burqa in public, local outlet Blick reported on Sunday, citing police spokesperson Michael Walker.

The contentious measure, widely known as the “burqa ban,” is a federal law prohibiting face coverings in public spaces, including Muslim garments, such as burqas and niqabs, as well as masks and balaclavas worn by demonstrators or sports hooligans. Walker declined to reveal the woman’s age or details of her attire, citing privacy laws, but confirmed she was “not a tourist.” He said the woman refused to pay the fine, which totaled 100 Swiss francs ($110), meaning the case will now go to the cantonal governor’s office for further processing.

The ban stems from a 2021 Swiss referendum that narrowly passed with 51.2% support, following a campaign in favor of the measure led by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party. Though initially proposed as a measure targeting “radical Islam,” the law also aims to improve public safety, prohibiting masks at protests and sporting events. Violators face an immediate 100-franc fine, which can rise to 1,000 francs if contested in court.

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The law includes exceptions for health, cold weather, carnival events, religious worship in designated areas, airline travel, and certain diplomatic or performance-related circumstances.

More than half of Swiss cantons had already enacted bans on face coverings at demonstrations before the federal law took effect. The new national law, however, supersedes cantonal legislation.

Critics argued that the law unfairly targets Switzerland’s 400,000-strong Muslim community, of which only a small minority wear face veils. The Swiss government initially opposed the measure as excessive, arguing that the ban could harm tourism. The law was also condemned by Muslim associations in the country.

Supporters, however, countered that the ban serves broader public security concerns. Last year, Zurich police issued 98 fines for masked participants at protests and sports riots, while Bern authorities also enforced similar cantonal bans against football hooligans.

READ MORE: EU court approves headscarf bans

Bans on the burqa, a full body covering with mesh around the eyes, and the niqab, a face veil which leaves a slit for the eyes, were first introduced in France back in 2011. Full or partial bans on face coverings have since also been enforced in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

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The artwork displayed at the State Capitol in Colorado is “truly the worst,” according to the US president

US President Donald Trump has demanded the immediate removal of his portrait from the Capitol building in the state of Colorado, describing the painting as “truly the worst.” The criticism comes amid broader tensions between the White House and the leadership of the Democratic-leaning state.

In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump said that Colorado Governor Jared Polis should “be ashamed of himself” for putting up a portrait that was “purposefully distorted to a level that” he has “never seen before.”

“I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one,” Trump wrote, claiming that many residents in the state have complained about the artwork.

Painted by the British-born and Colorado-based portrait artist Sarah A. Boardman, the work has been on display in the Capitol since 2019, during Trump’s first presidential term. Boardman also painted the portrait of US President Barack Obama for the Colorado State Capitol, which Trump described as “wonderful.” The portraits are based on photographs rather than live sittings.

In his post, Trump also criticized “Radical Left” Governor Polis for being “extremely weak” on crime, citing his handling of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal gang that has expanded into the US. According to the president, the gang “practically took over” Colorado’s third-largest city, Aurora, last year.

In February, the US government designated Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization. Earlier this month, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport nearly 300 alleged gang members to El Salvador, where they were placed in high-security detention facilities.

READ MORE: Transgender lawsuit against Christian baker dropped

The governor’s office responded by saying that Polis “was surprised” to learn that the US president was “an aficionado of our Colorado state capitol and its artwork.” The statement, cited by multiple media outlets, went on to say that the state government was “always looking for any opportunity to improve our visitor experience.” It did not specify however whether the portrait was going to be removed.

Colorado has voted for Democratic candidates in five consecutive presidential elections, including for Kamala Harris in 2024.

READ MORE: Bookmakers see 20% chance of third Trump term – media

Trump’s policies on issues ranging from education and healthcare to immigration and gun safety have faced state-level opposition in Colorado, with Attorney General Phil Weiser having filed a series of lawsuits against them.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s team is reportedly aiming to defeat Hamas by taking control over large territories of the Palestinian enclave

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his national-security team are allegedly planning a major new ground offensive dedicated to capturing large swaths of territory in Gaza, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The alleged plans come amid renewed Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave after a temporary truce between Hamas and the Jewish state expired on March 1. Mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, the ceasefire had led to a partial Israeli withdrawal and limited hostage releases. However, since its collapse, both sides have blamed each other for failing to reach a renewed agreement.

The WSJ reported on Sunday that Israeli forces have already moved into northern Gaza, areas near Rafah, and the central Netzarim corridor, marking the start of a campaign to recapture and hold territory previously vacated under a ceasefire arrangement.

According to the outlet, Netanyahu’s new advisers have been advocating for a strategy that relies on beating Hamas on the battlefield by force of arms before pursuing any political solution to the Gaza conflict.

Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that his country would continue to seize territory in Gaza for as long as Hamas holds hostages. Meanwhile, Israeli officials have also advocated for fully destroying Hamas’s remaining infrastructure such as tunnels and weapons caches, even if it takes years and leads to more civilian casualties, the WSJ wrote.

Israel’s new approach is reportedly being fueled by US President Donald Trump’s order to ramp up ammunition deliveries to the Jewish State and his administration’s calls for Netanyahu to “take the gloves off” against Hamas.

While announcing last week the renewal of ground operations in Gaza, Netanyahu’s office declared that “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength.”

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It also specified that the new offensive is a response to the Palestinian group’s “refusal to release hostages” and its rejection of proposals on extending the truce.

Hamas, in turn, has accused Israel of “unilaterally” ending the ceasefire, according to Reuters.

Palestinian authorities claimed on Sunday that over 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since fighting began some 18 months ago.

The war between Hamas and Israel broke out following the Palestinian group’s surprise cross-border attack on October 7, 2023 that killed around 1,200 people and led to the capture of roughly 250 hostages.

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Vivian Jenna Wilson, previously known as Xavier Alexander, has reportedly moved to Japan

Elon Musk’s estranged son Xavier, who is transgender and now goes by the name Vivian Jenna Wilson, has left the US for Japan, according to the E!News media outlet.

The 20-year-old, whose mother is Musk’s first wife, Justine Wilson, has reportedly relocated to Tokyo to study languages with the goal of becoming a translator, the outlet reported on Friday.

Born in 2004, Xavier is one of five children from Musk’s first marriage, which ended in divorce in 2008. Xavier began his transition five years ago after coming out as transgender at the age of 16. He took his mother’s last name and has said he no longer wishes “to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.”

In an interview with Teen Vogue last week, Wilson said Musk was not involved in the decision to relocate and claimed that witnessing the “wealth gap” in Los Angeles had influenced his choice to move.

“There is no world in which people should be owning multiple private planes, private islands, private whatever, while other people are sleeping on the street,” Wilson told the outlet.

Wilson claimed that Musk didn’t “give a f**k,” calling him a “pathetic man-child” and claiming it was “annoying” to be associated with the tech billionaire. The pair have not spoken since 2020, Wilson added.

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Last year, speaking to Canadian psychology professor Dr. Jordan Peterson, Musk argued that his son had been figuratively killed by “the woke mind virus,” which the entrepreneur vowed to “destroy.”

The billionaire claimed that he had been “tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys, Xavier,” before he had “any understanding of what was going on.”

Tesla dealerships and vehicles have come under attack in recent weeks, which Musk has attributed to his role as adviser to US President Donald Trump.

The billionaire has repeatedly circulated posts linking reports of vandalism on Teslas to trans people.

“The probability of a trans person being violent appears to be vastly higher than non-trans. Hormone injections cause extreme emotional volatility,” Musk posted on X on Thursday.

Trump has rolled back pro-transgender legislation introduced during former US President Joe Biden’s administration. In particular he has ordered to end federal support for medical procedures related to so-called gender transitions for people under the age of 19.

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With Trump back, the Hungarian PM’s vision for Europe may finally get its moment

The winds of change in the United States could give a significant boost to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was the first European Union leader to openly support Donald Trump in his long-running fight against the bloc’s liberal mainstream. Orban’s political instincts have often helped him stay ahead of the curve, and this moment may be no different. But his ability to capitalize on shifting geopolitical currents depends heavily on winning reelection in 2026.

Orban threw his lot in with Trump long before it was fashionable in Europe. At a time when much of the Western political class was distancing itself from the former US president, Orban took a calculated risk. He likely reasoned that even a victory by Kamala Harris would not make the pressure from Washington any worse than it already was under the Biden administration. But with Trump surging back, the payoff for that gamble is becoming clear.

Trump’s return to power would likely mean an end to direct US efforts to undermine Hungary’s domestic politics. More broadly, the victory of a Republican leader who shares Orban’s civilization-based worldview would provide a new layer of legitimacy for the Hungarian government’s unconventional foreign policy. Trump’s promises to resolve the Ukraine conflict also align closely with Orban’s longstanding calls for peace, potentially elevating his position in European debates.

Hungarian foreign policy has always been dismissed by critics as “unorthodox,” but that only applies if one assumes the current liberal global order is still dominant. In truth, that order is fraying. What Orban offers is a realist-nationalist approach that places sovereignty and national interest above ideological dogma. As he has said: foreign policy rooted in the national interest combines idealism (the idea of the nation) and realism (what is necessary and useful).

Hungary is not a great power. But under Orban, it acts like a country determined to chart its own course. This has meant rejecting both the soft and hard pressures that aim to dictate foreign policy from outside. Rather than aligning fully with the West, Budapest seeks relationships with the East and South. The logic is simple: Hungary should be present in all regions of the global economy, not confined to a single bloc. This is a kind of “national realism” that adapts to global realities but remains firmly committed to the Hungarian national interest.

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This strategy gains greater urgency as the world shifts. The so-called Global South is rising, US foreign policy is evolving, and the EU is losing influence. In this environment, Hungary must balance its Western ties with expanded outreach to the Global South, Turkic states, and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The goal is to strengthen Hungary’s position while maintaining autonomy within the EU.

This policy dates back at least 15 years, but it is gaining traction as the Western world drifts into stagnation and internal crisis. The future, Orban seems to believe, lies not in Brussels or Berlin, but increasingly in the East – from Central Asia to China and the Arab world. Hungary cannot afford to be trapped in an EU that no longer understands the nature of global transformation and insists on an outdated bloc mentality.

“The path is risky,” Orban admits, “but if our calculations are correct, Hungary could gain more space to maneuver in a multipolar world than its size would normally allow.”

In the short term, this requires enduring the intensifying pressure from Brussels. With Trump back in the game, the progressive center of gravity in the West is shifting toward Europe, raising the stakes for sovereigntist governments like Hungary’s. But the upside is clear: a sympathetic White House could relieve pressure and offer vital support.

For Orban, the most immediate benefit of Trump’s return is that US pressure has stopped. The American ambassador seen as working to undermine the Hungarian government has been removed. That leaves Brussels as the main adversary, along with Hungary’s own economic struggles. With no EU funds flowing and limited room to borrow from China, Trump’s backing – perhaps in the form of loans or major investment – could be a crucial lifeline.

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Ending the Ukraine conflict would also be a major victory for Orban. It would vindicate his long-standing peace position and help stabilize the Hungarian economy. Meanwhile, removing key Orban allies such as Antal Rogan from US sanctions lists would help restore the ruling party’s image at home. Early signs suggest Trump may also move to reinstate the double taxation treaty revoked in 2022.

A White House visit would further boost Orban’s prestige. His absence from Trump’s inauguration raised eyebrows, but it is likely that Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto’s recent visit to the US was designed to pave the way.

Trump’s renewed presence on the global stage has given Orban a surge in confidence. As the prime minister himself recently said: “We are no longer fighting to survive. Now we are fighting to win.”

This shift was evident at the most recent EU summit. French President Emmanuel Macron tried to persuade Orban to soften his stance by inviting him to Paris in advance. But this time, Orban not only threatened to veto the EU’s Ukraine support package – he used the veto. As a result, the EU had to seek ways to bypass him, a move that lays bare the bloc’s internal divisions.

Orban’s political clout could grow if Trump gives him a formal role in his ideological battle against globalist elites. This is likely. The US wants to keep Western Europe on a tight leash, and leaders like Orban, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Austria’s Herbert Kickl, France’s Marine Le Pen, Germany’s Alice Weidel, and Slovakia’s Robert Fico could all serve as useful allies.

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In return, Trump will demand loyalty – but he will also reward it with real political leverage. Sovereigntist parties in the European Parliament stand to benefit from this dynamic as well.

Trump’s aim is simple: bring the West into line or keep the establishment off balance. Either outcome strengthens leaders like Orban, who have long fought against the liberal consensus.

Yet nothing is guaranteed. European progressive forces are still strong, and the sovereigntists have yet to achieve a true breakthrough. Ironically, Orban could lose power at home just as his broader vision begins to take shape across Europe.

For now, Orban’s top priority is winning the 2026 election. If he succeeds, he will continue to challenge the European mainstream from Brussels, backed by a more favorable international climate – and a friend in the White House.

This article was first published by Valdai Discussion Club, and edited by the RT team.

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Palestinian minors should face a death sentence if they are seen carrying arms, David Roet has said

Israeli’s ambassador to Austria, David Roet, has insisted that Palestinian teenagers in Gaza should be put to death if they are spotted carrying a weapon, according to a leaked recording that went viral on social media last week.

The secret two-minute recording, dated March 20, apparently captures a closed-door meeting Roet held with the local Jewish community in Innsbruck. In the clip, the envoy can be heard dismissing reports of civilian casualties in the Palestinian enclave, stating “if you’re believing that Israel is targeting babies intentionally, [this] is not correct.”

He then notes that “there are no uninvolved in Gaza.” “There should be a death sentence to be killed off… In war, if you hold a gun, even if you are a 16-year-old… [or] a child, a 17-year-old, [who] holds a grenade,” he adds.

"I will play golf in #Gaza whether you like it or not" - Former Consul Wiehl-Volgger during visit of Israeli Amb. Roet

"I felt sickened by the calm in Mr. Roet's voice," says the activist who took the video. "No one intervened when Roet suggested the death penalty for children." pic.twitter.com/ELEps9q6x6

— ? ronnie barkan (@ronnie_barkan) March 22, 2025

Roet then warns that should the EU be “crazy enough” to invest in rebuilding Gaza, Israel would have to “destroy” it once again.

In a statement circulated on social media, the activist who recorded the meeting and whose name is unknown condemned the ambassador’s remarks, stating: “I felt sickened by the calm in Mr. Roet’s voice as he made these statements. No one intervened when he suggested the death penalty for children.”

READ MORE: Israel resumes airstrikes in Gaza

He also suggested that “this makes me think how corrupted the issue is when people with the power to change something suggest committing war crimes as a solution.”

Roet has yet to comment on the recording.

The incident comes amid escalating violence in Gaza as a ceasefire, which was declared in January and led, among other things, to the release of a number of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, expired earlier this month. On Tuesday, Israel resumed airstrikes in the enclave after accusing Hamas of sabotaging the deal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that the strikes are a response to “Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals” it has received from the US and other mediators. “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” the statement read.

Israel’s campaign against Hamas in response to the October 7 attack has led to unprecedented destruction in Gaza. According to the enclave’s Health Ministry, at least 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the hostilities, while Israeli officials estimate the country’s losses at more than 1,700. Additionally, the UN estimates that over 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza, with thousands more injured.

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The attack left five people dead, including medics, the Palestinian militant group has said

A senior Hamas political leader was among five people killed in an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza on Sunday, the Palestinian militant group has said. Medical staff were also reportedly among the victims.

Israel has launched a renewed offensive in Gaza after a ceasefire between Hamas and the Jewish state expired on March 1. The two sides have been unable to agree on how to extend the truce, which was initially brokered by the US and Arab states.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Sunday’s strike hit the surgery department at the Nesser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. Doctors working at the facility told CNN that the airstrike took place at night and left part of the hospital in flames.

The Israeli military said it carried out a strike on a “key terrorist in the Hamas terrorist organization who was operating inside [the hospital].” It claimed that extensive intelligence had been conducted before the attack, and that it involved precision munitions to minimize harm.

Hamas has since stated that a member of its political office, Ismail Barhoum, as well as his nephew, Ibrahim, were killed in the attack. The Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV has reported that Bahroum had been receiving medical treatment at the Nasser Medical Complex for injuries sustained in a separate Israeli airstrike last week.

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The Palestinian militant group has described Barhoum’s death as evidence of Israel’s “disregard for international norms and agreements,” given that hospitals are entitled to special protection during armed conflict under the Geneva conventions.

The Israeli military announced the resumption of both air and ground operations in the enclave last week after accusing the Palestinian group of refusing to release hostages and rejecting revised terms on extending the ceasefire.

“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said.

Hamas has accused Israel of “unilaterally” ending the ceasefire, according to Reuters.

Palestinian authorities said on Sunday that more than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza after nearly 18 months of fighting in the enclave.

The war between Israel and Hamas broke out after Palestinian militants carried out a surprise attack on Israeli cities on October 7, 2023, leaving around 1,200 people dead and taking around 250 hostages.

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Nearly 15 million people have voted for Ekrem Imamoglu as the Republican People’s Party’s candidate in Turkiye’s 2028 election

Ekrem Imamoglu, the jailed former mayor of Istanbul and potential rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has secured the opposition party’s presidential nomination for the 2028 election, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) announced on Sunday.

CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel said nearly 15 million people voted in the party’s primaries in support of Imamoglu’s candidacy, despite his arrest earlier this week.

“The number of votes Mr. Ekrem Imamoglu received from our members and the solidarity ballot box is over 14.8 million,” Ozel said at a rally in Istanbul.

The vote came just hours after Imamoglu was formally arrested and suspended from office. He was detained on Wednesday in a sweeping corruption probe and now faces charges of extortion, bribery, and alleged ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Türkiye designates a terrorist group. Imamoglu has denied all wrongdoing.

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The CHP has denounced Imamoglu’s arrest as a “coup attempt,” alleging that the charges are aimed at eliminating Erdogan’s top challenger ahead of the next election. The party organized internal primaries nationwide to gauge party support for Imamoglu, but also invited the general public to take part through “solidarity boxes.” Ozel said the voting hours had to be extended and more ballots printed due to the overwhelming turnout.

“You saw it. There were not enough ballots to vote, not enough envelopes to put them in, not enough hours to vote,” he said, calling the turnout “the strongest response” to what the party described as a politically motivated prosecution.

Ozel declared Imamoglu’s nomination official and urged Erdogan to call early elections, claiming Sunday’s vote “questioned [Erdogan’s] legitimacy.” He insisted that “early presidential elections are now inevitable.”

A party spokesman confirmed to AFP on Monday that Imamoglu would be the CHP’s presidential candidate for the 2028 race.

READ MORE: RT crew says Turkish police beat and pepper sprayed them

Imamoglu’s arrest has sparked widespread unrest across Türkiye. Mass protests erupted in several major cities, including Istanbul and Ankara, with demonstrators clashing with riot police. The authorities have confirmed the arrest of more than 300 people as of Sunday morning. Videos posted online show police using water cannons, pepper spray, and rubber bullets to disperse crowds.

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Yasin Eken and his cameraman were assaulted while covering protests in support of the jailed mayor of Istanbul

RT correspondent Yasin Eken has said he and his cameraman were beaten and pepper sprayed by Turkish riot police while covering protests in Istanbul on Sunday night, calling the officers’ actions “unnecessary and uncivil.”

The incident occurred as Eken was reporting on demonstrations in support of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who was detained last week on corruption and terrorism charges.

In a video filmed after the altercation, Eken said the officers approached his crew without warning and used force despite clearly visible press credentials. He added that a group of officers tore off his cameraman’s gas mask and press card before spraying him in the face and dragging him away.

“We were surrounded by some officers and they tore off the mask from my cameraman, and after doing that they used this tear gas to spray him… He was beaten by police and dragged by five or six different officers,” Eken said. When he attempted to intervene, he was also assaulted.

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“This wasn’t just intervention, this wasn’t a form of self-defense – they were deliberately beating us, and they knew we were members of the press.”

Both Eken and his cameraman sustained injuries and asked for medical assistance. He said he later confronted the officers, who tried to justify their actions by claiming they had previously been assaulted by protesters.

“That’s not justification for the action that was relayed, particularly [against] members of the press… because truth be told, we’re not here to tell any specific narrative, we’re here to report on what’s happening,” Eken said, adding that he also confronted a police chief who dismissed his complaint as well.

Sunday’s demonstration marked the fifth consecutive day of unrest across Türkiye following Imamoglu’s arrest. The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has called for nationwide protests demanding his release and condemning what they claim is a politically motivated prosecution.

READ MORE: Turkish court orders Istanbul mayor jailed amid violent protests (VIDEOS)

Imamoglu, the CHP’s presumed candidate for the 2028 presidential election, was formally arrested by an Istanbul court on Sunday pending trial and was suspended from his office as mayor.

Protests have erupted in Istanbul, Ankara, and other major cities, with riot police using tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds. According to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, more than 300 people have been detained as of Sunday morning. Multiple injuries have also been reported, with videos posted online showing officers clashing with demonstrators across the country.

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Transgender and nonbinary individuals have been urged to contact their local US embassy before embarking on a trip to the country

Finland, Denmark, and Germany have issued warnings to transgender and nonbinary individuals traveling to the US, after President Donald Trump enacted a policy recognizing only two sexes.

Since taking office, Trump has issued multiple orders affirming this new approach and has directed the US Health Department to clarify sex-based definitions. The new guidance defines sex as an immutable biological trait and states that individuals should be classified strictly as male or female.

An update on the Danish Foreign Ministry’s US travel page posted on Thursday advises trans individuals to contact the US embassy in Copenhagen before traveling.

“If your passport has the gender designation X or you have changed gender, it is recommended to contact the US embassy prior to travel for guidance on how to proceed,” the Danish Foreign Ministry’s page reads.

The change on Denmark’s travel page came about a week after Finland issued a similar update. While it doesn’t explicitly reference Trump’s executive order, the advisory notes “there are two gender designations to choose from: male or female” when applying for a visa or Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval.

The German Federal Foreign Office, in its updated travel guidance, also warned that US visa and ESTA applications require selecting either “male” or “female.” Berlin also advised whose gender is marked X or whose gender differs from their sex assigned at birth to consult the American authorities about entry requirements before traveling.

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The advisory comes as the US State Department has suspended a policy allowing trans, nonbinary, and intersex Americans to update the sex designations on their passports. US passport holders were previously able to self-select their sex, with one option being the letter X denoting that a person’s gender is unspecified.

For years, the US had moved away from traditional gender identity standards, including replacing ‘mother’ and ‘father’ with ‘parent one’ and ‘parent two,’ and established protections for transgender rights and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs under former US President Joe Biden’s administration. Last year, the Vermont Department of Health even recommended using gender-neutral terms such as ‘child’ or ‘kid’ instead of ‘son’ or ‘daughter’ to promote inclusive language.

Since assuming office Trump has rolled back trans rights protections and ended federal support for medical operations related to sex change procedures for minors to protect them from “chemical and surgical mutilations.”

In a series of executive orders, Trump also barred “radical gender ideology” in the military and banned trans women from female sports. There are also plans to block transgender athletes from competing in US-hosted events, including the 2028 Olympics and World Cup.

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Departures from the Czech army have risen by 40% annually since 2022, according to the Novinky news outlet

The Czech army is losing a growing number of experienced soldiers over fears that they could be deployed to Ukraine, Defense Minister Jana Cernochova has claimed.

The minister made the remarks in the Czech Senate last week, during a debate on an amendment aimed at increasing benefits to attract new military recruits and reduce the number of departures.
“For some people, the reason for leaving was the war in Ukraine,” Cernochova said, as cited by Novinky.

She added that some soldiers were unsettled by speculation about future military missions. “Because of the societal climate, when various observers have been threatening mobilization for years and soldiers will be sent to Ukraine, for some people that was the reason why they took off their uniform,” Cernochova argued.

According to Novinky, departures from the Czech army have risen by 40% annually since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. In 2024, 1,370 professional soldiers left the military. That figure was 1,200 in 2023 and 1,337 the year before. Prior to 2022, departures typically ranged from 800 to 1,000 annually.

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However, former army psychologist Daniel Strobl questioned Cernochova’s interpretation, suggesting that if a soldier resigned over fears of being deployed to Ukraine, “it’s good that he left. By doing so, he showed that he does not want to fight for our country.” He claimed that the actual reason for the outflow is the lack of opportunities to be sent on international missions such as in Afghanistan.

Cernochova insisted her remarks were based on off-the-record conversations with troops. “I have been talking to soldiers for many years in my personal life… I know that some soldiers really thought and are thinking this way,” she said. The minister also conceded that it is difficult to ascertain the precise reasons for departures because soldiers often do not disclose them.

On Saturday, Czech President Petr Pavel signaled that the country is ready to join a potential foreign troop deployment to Ukraine to provide peacekeepers in the event that Kiev and Moscow agree a truce.

Russia, however, has strongly opposed any Western troop presence in Ukraine, warning that any unauthorized foreign personnel deployed in the country would be treated as legitimate military targets. Russian forces have also repeatedly targeted foreign mercenaries fighting for Ukraine.

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Mute Egede has condemned a planned visit by Second Lady Usha Vance and key members of the Trump team

The prime minister of Greenland has hit out at the US following the announcement that Second Lady Usha Vance and senior American officials will visit the island on Thursday. The administration of US President Donald Trump is pursuing control over the autonomous Danish territory and its resources.

Mute B. Egede described the upcoming trip – reportedly involving National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright – as part of “very aggressive American pressure” aimed at “taking over our country over our heads.”

In an interview with local newspaper Sermitsiaq on Sunday, Egede criticized Western nations for inadequately opposing the US, stating, “Our allies in the international community feel like hiding in a small corner and almost whisper their support, which has no effect.”

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the Demokraatit party, which recently won parliamentary elections, described the scheduling of the visit during coalition talks a gesture of disrespect.

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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her government viewed the trip within the context of the Trump administration's territorial claims on Greenland, adding that Copenhagen’s cooperation with the US is conditional to “the fundamental rules of sovereignty.”

Vice President J.D. Vance's wife will travel to Greenland with her son and a delegation of officials to explore historic sites and observe a dog race, as stated in her office's announcement on Sunday. Participants “are excited to witness this monumental race and celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity,” it added.

Members of the Trump administration will conduct their own itinerary featuring a visit to the Pentagon’s Pituffik Space Base. Trump’s interest in Greenland stems from the island’s strategic position near the Arctic and its potential natural resources.

The US administration has questioned the sovereignty of Canada, Denmark, and Panama, asserting that American national interests necessitate controlling their territories. Specifically regarding Greenland, the vice president claimed in February that Copenhagen is “not doing its job” and “is not being a good ally” to Washington.

If American interests require taking “more territorial interest in Greenland, that is what President Trump is going to do, because he doesn’t care about what the Europeans scream at us,” he stated.

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier proposed sending troops to the conflict zone as part of a “coalition of the willing”

UK military officials have dismissed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposal for deploying Western troops to Ukraine as part of a ‘peacekeeping force’ to oversee a potential ceasefire, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. Senior military sources told the outlet that Starmer had “got ahead of himself.”

Starmer announced the initiative earlier this month, aiming to build a “coalition of the willing” to support Ukraine militarily. Last week, he claimed that multiple countries backed the idea of sending in a peacekeeping force of up to 10,000 troops, despite Moscow’s opposition to any Western deployments in the conflict zone.

London hosted planning talks last week with military officials from partner nations. However, military sources dismissed the plans as premature and politically motivated.

“There is no defined military end-state or military-strategic planning assumptions. It’s all political theater,” one senior army official told the news outlet.

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“Starmer got ahead of himself with talk of boots on the ground before he knew what he was talking about.”

The discussions have reportedly shifted their focus from boots on the ground to air and naval support. The Telegraph reported that RAF fighter jets could be deployed to patrol Ukrainian airspace, while British Typhoons could provide air cover for ground forces, though the size and role of any ground deployment remain unclear.

“It’s politics. There’s no military sense in it,” another defense source said, noting that neither Russia nor the US support the coalition. He also pointed to a lack of clarity on mission goals.

“What is a 10,000-international force based in the west of the country over 400km from the front line meant to do? It cannot even protect itself,” he argued. “What is the mission? What is its legitimacy? What are the rules of engagement? How is it commanded, supplied and housed? How long is it there for and why? No one knows.”

READ MORE: Macron exploring ways to put boots on the ground in Ukraine – Telegraph

Further planning talks are expected in London on Monday between British and French defense officials. French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly considering invoking the UN to authorize a European troop presence in Ukraine. However, Russia has repeatedly rejected the idea of Western peacekeepers in Ukraine, noting that it would require UN Security Council approval, where Moscow holds veto power.

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The negotiations in Saudi Arabia will focus on maritime security in the Black Sea

Senior Russian and US officials have started talks on a settlement of the Ukraine conflict in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, several media outlets have reported. The negotiations are expected to focus on maritime security in the Black Sea and a potential ceasefire.

The Russian delegation includes Grigory Karasin, the chair of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sergey Beseda, an adviser to the director of the Federal Security Service. According to Reuters, the US side is led by Andrew Peek, a senior director at the White House National Security Council, and Michael Anton, a senior State Department official.

TASS reported that the closed-door talks kicked off on Monday morning in the Ritz-Carlton hotel, adding that the Saudi security services had asked reporters to vacate the premises. Ruptly video agency also published a short clip of a group of Russian and Saudi officials walking inside the hotel.

READ MORE: Waltz reveals topics of Russia-US talks in Riyadh

Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East and a key figure in the settlement process, suggested that the talks would lead to “some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that you’ll naturally gravitate to a full-on shooting ceasefire.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned that the talks are likely to be difficult, pointing to a host of issues surrounding the resumption of the 2022 Black Sea grain deal, which allowed Ukraine to safely export agricultural products via the Black Sea. Russia pulled out of the deal in 2023, citing the West’s failure to ease sanctions hindering its agricultural exports.

The talks also follow US-Ukraine negotiations in Saudi Arabia. According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the delegations discussed “proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure.”

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Pam Bondi claimed that demonstrators “incite violence” against Jewish students

US Attorney General Pam Bondi has described pro-Palestinian student protesters as “domestic terrorists,” warning that universities could lose federal funding if they fail to address anti-Semitism on campus.

Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Bondi addressed recent unrest at Columbia University and urged institutions to take stronger action to protect Jewish students.

“It’s absurd that these universities are not stepping in to protect them, yet they’re shielding these protesters who are also, I believe, some domestic terrorists,” she said. Bondi claimed that demonstrators were “inciting riots and... violence against students on college campuses,” although she did not offer specific examples.

“We’re going to pull it from every university if you do not comply with the law,” Bondi warned, referring to the move by the administration of President Donald Trump to withdraw $400 million in funding from Columbia over its failure to stop anti-Semitic harassment.

In February, the US Justice Department formed a multi-agency task force focused on combating anti-Semitism, with its top priority targeting harassment in schools and universities. Officials said the group would coordinate federal enforcement and “root out” anti-Semitic behavior on campuses nationwide.

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Protests erupted last year at campuses across the United States, with students demanding an end to Washington’s support for Israel amid the war in Gaza. The demonstrations followed the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 250 taken hostage. In response, Israeli forces launched a large-scale offensive that has killed more than 50,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and has devastated much of the Palestinian enclave. Columbia became a focal point of the protest movement in the US, alongside UC Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, Michigan, and Northwestern.

Protesters, including Jewish students, argue that criticism of Israeli policy does not constitute anti-Semitism. They say advocacy for Palestinian rights aligns with core American values. However, others on campus said the protests created a hostile environment. A Columbia University task force later found “serious and pervasive” issues affecting Jewish students.

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The sides will discuss a Black Sea ceasefire and verification mechanisms for a wider truce, the US national security adviser has said

A Black Sea maritime truce will be one of the top issues on the agenda of the upcoming US-Russia meeting in Riyadh, US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told CBS on Sunday. If reached, the ceasefire deal would allow both Moscow and Kiev to “move grain, fuel, and start conducting trade” in the sea again, according to the official.

Waltz hailed the US-mediated peace efforts, saying: “we’re closer to peace than we ever have been.” His comments come ahead of a new round of negotiations between Russian and US officials scheduled for Monday.

He described the upcoming event as “proximity talks.” Apart from the Black Sea ceasefire, the sides are also expected to explore options for a wider truce, according to the national security adviser. “We’ll talk the line of control… details of verification mechanisms, peace keeping, you know, freezing the lines where they are.”

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The issue of a “broader and permanent peace” and “security guarantees” for Kiev will also be on the table, Waltz added.

On Wednesday, Waltz said he had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, in which they discussed the details of the upcoming meeting.

Ushakov confirmed that “a conversation did take place,” and said the meeting, which is scheduled to take place in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, will focus on the “safety of navigation in the Black Sea.”

The issue of a maritime ceasefire was raised by US President Donald Trump during a phone call with Putin on Tuesday. The Russian president supported the idea and agreed to initiate talks on the details of a potential arrangement.

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The fighting between Israel and the Palestinian armed group resumed on March 18

Jordan has proposed the expulsion of 3,000 military and political operatives of Hamas from Gaza, the Middle East Eye reported on Sunday, citing US and Palestinian sources briefed on the matter.

The plan reportedly calls for further disarmament of Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza, paving the way for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority to assume control of the embattled enclave.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed earlier this month, with both sides accusing each other of stalling negotiations that would have led to the implementation of the second phase of the truce.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) resumed airstrikes in Gaza on March 18 and have since reoccupied strategic areas in the central part of the strip.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has threatened to annex parts of the Palestinian enclave if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages.

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In February, US President Donald Trump proposed resettling the Palestinian population elsewhere and transforming Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East” owned by the United States. Arab states rejected Trump’s idea and instead backed Egypt’s counterproposal of the reconstruction of Gaza without displacing its residents.

Lebanese media reported that Egypt floated the idea of temporarily relocating half a million Palestinians from Gaza to northern Sinai. Cairo has denied that it was discussing any resettlement plans.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military operation in response to the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

During the ceasefire, which took effect on January 19, Hamas released 25 hostages and handed over the remains of eight others in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinians freed from Israeli prisons, according to AP.

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Officers have clashed with supporters of opposition politician Ekrem Imamoglu amid massive rallies in Turkiye’s largest city

Police kicked and punched protesters in Istanbul as they moved to break up a demonstration in support of the arrested mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, on Sunday evening.

Large-scale demonstrations continued for the fifth day, despite a ban on rallies in Istanbul, Türkiye’s largest city. While some gatherings were peaceful, others descended into clashes with police.

Officers in riot gear tackled and threw people to the ground outside city hall. Some were filmed kicking protesters and hitting them with batons.

Imamoglu was detained on Wednesday on charges of corruption and ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist group in Türkiye. On Sunday, an Istanbul court approved his arrest, after which Imamoglu was suspended from office. He denied any wrongdoing and said the prosecution was politically motivated.

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Imamoglu ran for vice president in the 2023 presidential election and is considered the primary candidate of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) for president in 2028.

In a post on X on Sunday, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote that some police officers were attacked on the streets. “We will never allow vandalism or threats to the peace and security of our nation,” he warned.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel denied that the party made any calls for violence. In a reply to Yerlikaya, he wrote, “You will respect the democratic reaction that is the constitutional right of the nation. Any order given against it will be unlawful.”

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America’s European allies are rushing to find alternatives to US-made systems

Officials from EU member states are worried that the Trump administration could stop supporting US-made weapons systems used by its NATO allies in Europe, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The US has provided nearly two-thirds of Europe’s arms imports in recent years. Many of the systems are maintained and operated by American personnel. Equipment containing US components could also face restrictions if support is withdrawn.

According to the Post, officials are afraid that reliance on American missile defense, surveillance aircraft, drones, and fighter jets could become a major vulnerability, given President Donald Trump’s strained relations with the EU. Some are reportedly concerned that US-made platforms could be rendered inoperable if access to parts, software, or data is blocked.

“It’s not as if President Trump could just push a button and all aircraft would fall from the sky,” an EU official told the Post. “But there is an issue of dependency,” particularly in intelligence and communications, the official added.

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Several member states are reviewing their arsenals to assess how exposed they would be in the event of a support cutoff.

French President Emmanuel Macron recently urged the bloc to stop buying American weapons, arguing that European rearmament is pointless if member states remain dependent on US suppliers. German Chancellor-designate Friedrich Merz proposed extending France’s nuclear deterrent to cover its EU neighbors, a move that Macron said could be discussed.

Rasmus Jarlov, the chair of Denmark’s defense committee, said he regrets that Copenhagen purchased US-made F-35 fighter planes. He called them “a security risk that we cannot run,” and warned that the US could deactivate the systems if Denmark refuses its demands, such as handing over Greenland.

Portugal has scrapped plans to purchase F-35s, citing the current “geopolitical context.” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has backed the push for military autonomy, saying Trump “may have a point” about Europe needing to spend more on its own defense.

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The White House is planning to arrange “indirect” negotiations between Moscow and Kiev

The US and Ukraine held talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, discussing a potential ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev.

The meeting took place as the White House is planning to arrange “indirect talks” between Russian and Ukrainian teams. The “technical” negotiations between Russia and the US will begin in Saudi Arabia on Monday, according to US President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg.

“The discussion was productive and focused – we addressed key points including energy,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov wrote on X on Sunday. He added that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky was determined to reach “a just and lasting peace.”

According to Umerov, the sides discussed “proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure.”

Earlier this week, Russia and Ukraine agreed to Trump’s proposal to stop attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days.

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The Ukrainian troops have since struck an oil depot in Russia’s Krasnodar Region and, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, blew up a gas metering station near Sudzha in Kursk Region. Moscow accused Ukraine of violating the ‘energy truce’ and warned that it reserves the right to retaliate.

Trump Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, told Fox News on Sunday that he remained optimistic about the upcoming meeting with the Russians. “I think that you’re going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries,” he said.

Witkoff told journalist Tucker Carlson in an interview published on Friday that the US intends to broker a 30-day full ceasefire that would be followed by a permanent truce.

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The opposition CHP party has urged people to take to the streets in support of detained Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkish riot police shoved RT correspondent Yasin Eken on Sunday evening as he was covering large-scale protests in support of detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

A group of officers in full riot gear approached Eken and his cameraman and aggressively pushed them. Some of the officers were wearing gas masks.

In the video of the altercation, Eken is heard asking, “What have I done?” Eken went to the hospital after the scuffle.

The protests continued for the fifth consecutive day in Istanbul, Ankara, and other major cities. In some cases, police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds.

The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has called on supporters to take to the streets and demand the release of Imamoglu, who was detained on Wednesday.

The authorities have charged Imamoglu, who ran for vice president in 2023, with corruption and having links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist group in Türkiye.

READ MORE: Turkish court orders Istanbul mayor jailed amid violent protests (VIDEOS)

On Sunday, the Interior Ministry suspended Imamoglu from office. Imamoglu has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the prosecution as politically motivated.

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The American spy agency’s operation aimed to ruin the taste of food for consumers and inflict financial losses on the Soviet Union

American spies contaminated 800 bags of sugar sent on a cargo ship from Cuba to the USSR in the 1960s, the newly released files on the assassination of John F. Kennedy have revealed.

One of the files analyzed by journalist and blogger Ben Norton and the Washington Post documents a “clandestine operation” by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) just months before the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

In August of that year, the CIA learned about a cargo vessel transporting 80,000 200-pound (90 kilograms) bags of brown sugar to the USSR, according to a declassified paper sent to General Edward Lansdale, who was the Pentagon’s deputy assistant secretary for special operations at that time and had a long history of working with the CIA.

The American spies then decided to launch a special operation to contaminate the shipment. They learned that the ship in question would briefly dock at Puerto Rico for minor hull repairs and would have to offload a part of its cargo.

“Through a clandestine operation, which was not detected and is not traceable, we were able to contaminate 800 of these bags of sugar,” the paper reported. According to the CIA, the contaminated bags would then spoil the entire shipment, making it “unfit for human or animal consumption in any form.”

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The plan, however, was not to poison the Soviet people but merely to sour their taste for life.

“The contaminate we used will give the sugar an ineradicable sickly bitter taste, which no process will remove,” the spies said, maintaining that it was “not in any sense dangerous to health.” Those behind the operation still believed that it would “ruin the taste of the consumer for any food or drink for a considerable time.”

If successful, the operation was expected to inflict financial losses upon the Soviet Union amounting to between $350,000 and $400,000 at that time, according to the document. The fate of the shipment remains unclear as RT could not find any relevant Soviet data related to the case.

In 1960, the US imposed its first serious embargo against Cuba, halting all sugar purchases from the country among other measures. The move came in response to the Cuban Revolution, which put an end to the rule of the US-backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista.

Washington also made its NATO allies abandon Cuban sugar imports as well. The USSR then stepped in, becoming one of Cuba’s major sugar importers.

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Brussels risks being left out as Washington negotiates agreements with Moscow and Kiev, the Hungarian leader has warned

The EU has messed up its policy on the Ukraine conflict, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said. He reproached Brussels for its pro-war stance, while Washington is actively negotiating with both Moscow and Kiev to end the hostilities.

Earlier this week, Hungary refused to endorse the EU’s joint statement on Ukraine following the European Council meeting in Brussels. The document reaffirmed the bloc’s uncompromising stance on the conflict and its intentions to further supply the country with weapons.

“I’m trying to find a good word that isn’t offensive to them, but accurately describes the situation; perhaps ‘rudderless’ is the right term,” Orban said on Friday in an interview with Kossuth Radio, when asked to assess the EU’s strategy regarding Ukraine and during the post-war period in general.

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The Hungarian leader warned that at some point, Europeans will find themselves in “a situation where everything is already settled,” emphasizing that Brussels won’t even be needed for the agreements that could eventually be reached by Washington.

Shortly after taking office on January 20, US President Donald Trump launched a diplomatic campaign aimed at mediating an end to the conflict. His special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, recently suggested that a complete ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow could be reached within several weeks.

“There will be an American-Ukrainian agreement, an American-Russian agreement, and even a Russian-Ukrainian agreement brokered by them [the US],” Orban said, stressing that the bloc had “messed up.”

READ MORE: EU policy on Ukraine conflict ‘paradoxical’ – Kremlin

The prime minister recalled that he had warned earlier that unless the EU “changed our pro-war position and started outlining and standing for an independent European stance, we would find ourselves exactly in the position that we are in now: the future of Europe is being settled without us.”

The Hungarian authorities have long criticized the EU’s approach to the Ukraine conflict as being incapable of ending the hostilities and damaging to the bloc’s member states. Orban has urged EU leaders to align the bloc’s stance with that of the Trump administration. He stressed that while the US is opting for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, the EU is pursuing a policy of more war.

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France’s Arcom has cited the 2014 sanctions as a reason for the decision

The French telecommunications regulator has demanded that a local satellite operator cease broadcasting two Russian entertainment channels. The agency, Arcom, cited the 2014 sanctions imposed against the channels’ parent company as the reason for the decision and said that newly adopted legislation allows it to enforce it.

Neither of the two channels – STS and Channel 5 – was directly subject to EU sanctions, according to a statement the regulator published on Friday. However, their parent company, the National Media Group (NMG), faced restrictions back in 2014 after Crimea’s reunification with Russia.

“Arcom has ordered Eutelsat to stop broadcasting the Russian channels STS and Kanal 5,” the regulator said in the statement, adding that Eutelsat, the local satellite operator, had three days to comply with the decision starting Wednesday, when the ruling was relayed.

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“With today’s decision, Arcom is implementing for the first time the new powers conferred on it in this area by the law of May 21, 2024 aimed at securing and regulating the digital space,” the media watchdog added.

Dubbed SREN, the legislation allows Arcom to ensure that French companies comply with EU sanctions. The regulator can now fine a company up to 3% of its annual sales excluding tax over a sanctions violation among other things. In case of a repeated breach of regulations, the threshold is raised to 5%.

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NMG was founded by Russian billionaire Aleksey Mordashov. The private media holding partly or fully owns more than a dozen Russian TV channels, including Channel One, Ren TV and others. Both STS and Channel 5 are focused on entertainment and broadcast TV series and movies. Channel 5 also has a small news block in its broadcast schedule.

According to Euractiv, Eutelsat still broadcasts some sanctioned Russian channels such as Russia 1 on more than 180 frequencies, particularly as part of a contract with the Russian company Trikolor.

The EU imposed sweeping sanctions on Russian media after the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. Outlets such as RT, Sputnik, and RIA Novosti have all been banned across the bloc, while their personnel have been targeted with sanctions. Because individual member states are tasked with forcing web providers to comply, implementation of the bans has been staggered across countries and platforms.

Moscow has slammed the sanctions against Russian media, arguing that Paris and Brussels are afraid that people would see a viewpoint that differs from the Western mainstream narrative and would start drawing their own conclusions about current events.

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Moscow has accused Kiev of multiple violations of the partial truce imposed earlier this week

Washington is still hoping to broker a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict by Easter, Bloomberg wrote on Sunday, citing sources.

US President Donald Trump has vowed to bring a swift end to the hostilities in Ukraine, and has moved to restart diplomatic relations with Russia, which were frozen during the term of his predecessor, Joe Biden.

Russian and US delegations are set to meet in Riyadh on Monday for the second round of high-level talks since the apparent thaw.

Following Tuesday’s phone conversation between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow agreed to a mutual temporary halt on strikes against energy infrastructure, which it says Kiev immediately violated.

The White House aims to have Russia and Ukraine agree to a full ceasefire by Easter Sunday – April 20 – but realizes that the timeline could be delayed due to significant differences between the sides, Bloomberg wrote, citing anonymous sources familiar with the discussions.

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Prior to talks with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow last week, Putin stated that while he is open to a 30-day ceasefire, all military supplies to Kiev as well as the Ukrainian draft campaign need to stop to avoid strengthening Ukraine during the pause.

Washington, which briefly stopped intelligence sharing and military aid to Kiev earlier this month, has not agreed to any of the demands, US officials told Bloomberg. According to the newspaper’s US sources, Trump wants any potential deal to be acceptable to Kiev, and isn’t prepared to concede too much.

Despite agreeing to the terms of the US-brokered partial truce, Ukraine struck an oil depot in southern Russia the day after the agreement, and blew up a gas metering station in Russia’s Kursk Region on Friday.

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The violations show that Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is not trustworthy, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview on Sunday. “The Kiev regime’s words and Zelensky’s word are not worth much,” he said.

Ukrainian claims that Russia shelled its own gas metering station in Sudzha are “absurd,” he added.

Earlier this week, Putin stressed that Russia needs to hear a concrete plan on how a full ceasefire would be enforced and regulated before Moscow agrees.

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Berlin’s Russia war hysteria is taking it down a clearly signposted path of self-destruction

Germans are famously – infamously, really – fiscally conservative. Believe me, I know: I am German and have witnessed for decades, indeed all my conscious life, how my compatriots have fretted obsessively over public debt.

They often conflate the rules that may work for individual, personal frugality with what is needed by a modern state and its economy. Indeed, they have crystallized their misguided ideal of how to manage public finance with a tight fist and little foresight in the odd avatar of ‘the Swabian Housewife’ (Swabians are stereotypically thrifty and prudent; sort of the Scots of the German sense of self).

And whenever the national adoration of the Swabian Housewife was not enough, plaintive sobs of ‘Weimar, Weimar’ were added. You see, Germany’s first failed experiment at (more or less) democracy, the Weimar Republic of the interwar years, is said to have died, among other things, of inflation.

Hyperinflation, so this shaky but (formerly) extremely powerful tale of a “ unique inflation trauma” goes, undermined that state’s legitimacy from the very beginning, so that it could never grow strong enough to later withstand the pressure of the Great Depression and the Nazis.

Curiously enough, in this sorely mistaken version of recent German history, austerity was enshrined as the magic charm that will keep inflation away and therefore also other undesirable things such as Leni Riefenstahl movies, fascism, and starting and losing yet another world war while committing genocide.

In reality, it was, of course, precisely the austerity policy of the last Weimar governments, enacted about as undemocratically as is fashionable again now (see below), that really made the effects of the Great Depression even worse and helped open a path to power for the Nazis.

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But this time, everything is different. In a truly unprecedented move – instantly recognized as historic, for better or, much more likely, worse – Germany’s elites, in politics, the media, and academia, have closed ranks Nuremberg-party-rally-style to make Germany splurge again. The upshot is a fundamental policy change, complete with fixing the constitution, another thing Germans usually are obstinately conservative about. And all that to go into massive, quite possibly crippling debt for, in essence, war with Russia.

For, in sum, there are three ways in which Germany wants to go on a big binge: The so-called debt brake – an anachronistic and economically primitive limit on public debt – will be removed for anything having to do with ‘defense’, that is, in reality a massive rearmament program, including civil defense and the intelligence services, as well as for military assistance to Ukraine.

Second, the German government will also incur debt to the tune of another €500 billion to be spent over 12 years. This money is supposed to be invested in climate action (a sob to Germany’s militaristic, far-right Greens) and infrastructure.

Infrastructure, here, has much to do with military purposes as well. No secret has been made out of the fact that often decrepit German railways, roads, and bridges, for instance, are to be renovated not merely for civilian and commercial purposes. Instead, as before in German history, trains and autobahn highways, for instance, are being highlighted as key parts of military logistics.

And as before as well, the big propaganda story is that they are needed for sending military forces into a fight against Russia. Only that this time, Germany is presented as a hub for all of NATO. Whatever ‘all of NATO’ may mean in the future.

Third – and usually overlooked – as Germany is a federation, its individual land states are also being empowered to assume additional debt. The way all of this is supposed to work together over the next decade or so, is complex. For instance, there are complicated and probably impractical rules designed to avoid labeling ordinary budget expenses and debt-making as part of this program. Yet the upshot is quite simple: The German government has created a tool to add a total of about a trillion euros or even more of debt.

It is true that to some extent, all of the above is simply a local variant of a general EU-plus-UK frenzy: With Brussels, London, and Paris as agitators-in-chief, the whole shabby, stagnating bloc is dreaming big about going into massive debt, perhaps even, in essence, confiscating private savings, to confront Russia. With or without the US. That is just another application of the key current governing principle of Western elites: Rule by permanent emergency. And if there is no real emergency around, they just make one up.

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But there is also something specifically German about Berlin’s ‘Sonderweg’ into deadly debt. For one thing, so much then for that old habit of whining about inflation in ‘Weimar’: It turns out that the one purpose that makes Germans overcome their hitherto allegedly debilitating fear of inflation and debt is – wait for it – launching a re-armament program in the style of 1930s Nazi Germany. Because, we must assume, unlike Weimar, that regime ended really well.

You see the irony, I trust. The Greeks probably spot the tragedy: In 2015, the Germans, most of all, turned their nation into a ritual sacrifice to the EU god of Austerity (the bloodthirsty Kali version of the local Swabian Housewife deity).

Yet if ideological-narrative clumsiness and an astonishing inability to see just how bemusing they sometimes look to others were the only problems here, it would just be Germany as usual. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Much more is at stake. Because there is a much worse irony: In principle, it is true that Germany urgently needs a big dose of Keynesianism, that is, of using public debt to relaunch its deindustrializing (compliments US and Ukraine) deathbed economy. Yet to tie this fundamentally sane and absolutely necessary policy to a hysterical war scare about Russia will produce great economic waste as well as terrible risks.

These risks include a ruinously costly failure of the policy with horrendously destabilizing domestic effects and an even more ruinous ‘success’, namely a self-fulfilling prophecy effect, in which what is officially presented as preventing war by increased deterrence will help bring that war about.

Let’s get one thing out of the way: The problem is not even that Berlin is admitting, once again, not only how dilapidated the German military is, but that something needs to be done in earnest, that is expensive, about that weakness. A reasonable modernization is urgently needed; and that, in principle, is a fact that serious observers, including in Moscow, are likely to understand (whether they currently find it useful to say so out loud or not).

What makes the stress on rearmament so pernicious in this case are four features that the German elites have deliberately attached to it: Ukraine; exaggeration; a truly deranged, monotonous propaganda drive about an impending war with Russia; and last but not least, a coup-like implementation of the policy by an unusually shameless maneuver.

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To deal with the most obvious first: German companies may, of course, find production locations and markets in Ukraine, especially if the moronic Western proxy war finally ends (and they would have to thank both Washington and Moscow for that, definitely not Berlin or Brussels). Such investment and commerce would also benefit Ukrainians.

But simply throwing money at Kiev and its corrupt regimes must end, because in realistic terms, Ukraine is not an asset but a great burden. And for those who wish to talk about what they misunderstand as ‘values’: Ukraine is not a democracy and does not have the rule of law or a halfway free media; its ‘civil society’ – at least what Westerners encounter in chic cafes in Kiev and on promotion tours across academia – is a bloated grant fraud gig; and to top it all off, it is extremely corrupt. For Berlin, it is perverse, self-damaging, and actually immoral to feed Ukrainian elites even more money.

Secondly, it is not possible to pin down the precise mix between military and civilian deficit spending that would be the optimal Keynesian mix to jolt Germany out its economic coma. But there can be no doubt that the current plans have erred on the military side, probably massively. For one thing, it is a simple economic fact that weapons and other military expenditures are not productive in the usual sense. They are at best third-best to prime the pump of a national economy. Those fantasizing about enormous knock-on effects to compensate for that fact are either ignorant or dishonest.

Unsurprisingly, even the German government’s own chief auditing body – the Bundesrechnungshof – has criticized the debt plans: For the federal auditors, they are excessive as a whole. And, regarding their preponderant military side, they find that these expenses should not have been freed from the debt brake, making them, in effect, unlimited. As a result, “long-term, high interest expenditures” will threaten damage to state finances as well as corporations, leading to “economic and social risks.”

Time will tell, but much of the currently fashionable boosterism and boasting is likely to be remembered with embarrassment. Joe Kaeser, the head of the Siemens conglomerate, for instance, may – like Chancellor-elect Friedrich Merz – exult now about Germany being back. He has clearly overlooked that, with Germany especially, the question should always be ‘back to what?’ Yet even he notices that ‘we don’t know exactly how’.

Really? What intriguing nonchalance when you are about to pick up a trillion euros of additional national debt. No wonder that even Switzerland’s arch-capitalist and very Russophobic Neue Zuercher Zeitung has met the new German enthusiasm for debt with pronounced skepticism.

Thirdly, there is the war scare. For those who do not know German, it may be hard to imagine just how pervasively unhinged Germany’s public sphere has become. Traditional as well as social media are feeding the population a constant, ceaseless torrent of Russophobic war-in-sight propaganda. The very few and thoroughly marginalized German critics of this manufactured mass psychosis speak of war hysteria, and they are right.

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Tellingly, a small but ubiquitous platoon of experts-from-hell such as Carlo Masala, Soenke Neitzel, Gustav Gressel, and Claudia Major have gone into overdrive: After years of getting everything – yes, really, everything – wrong about the Ukraine conflict, they are now confidently predicting a war with Russia and telling Germans what to think and do about it.

Their fascinatingly diverse (not) and always fresh and surprising (also not, really not) discussions, pounding Germans on a nearly daily basis from one studio or another, usually now turn on when exactly ‘the Russian’ (Der Russe!) is going to strike. Opinions vary between essentially tomorrow morning and in a few years.

And that insanity is, unfortunately, now representative in Germany, at least among its so-called elites. One problem with this propaganda is old and obvious: Those spreading it start believing in it themselves. Indeed, in Germany, they have long reached that stage: Like the doomsday cult, which they really are, they are self-hystericizing and self-escalating.

Which means that while a rational German leadership would seek to balance due diligence in matters of security with national-interest-based diplomacy and, yes, cooperation with Russia, this type of approach is now impossible. Instead, those Germans who love to talk in the name of the nation are busy talking it into yet another very stupid, very unnecessary, and, in the end, very lost war.

Finally, there is the way in which this policy turn was executed. It may have been (barely, formally) legal, but if so, then only by the letter of the law. Its spirit and democracy as such have been violated vigorously and in public. For Merz, who is not even chancellor yet, has used the old, pre-election parliament to ram these changes through. The new parliament, already elected, would not have allowed him to find a majority for this operation.

This means Germany’s next chancellor deliberately went against the already clearly declared will of the voters, and he did so by using a transparent dirty trick. All the parties helping him do so, including the Greens and his likely future coalition partners from the Social Democrats, have sullied themselves.

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And all that while Merz has shown his contempt for law and decency by inviting the internationally wanted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu to Germany, and Sarah Wagenknecht’s BSW has been kept out of parliament by obvious election manipulation and extremely likely falsification. No wonder many Germans have lost belief in the traditional parties. If there is one force standing to profit from all of the above it is, of course, the AfD, Germany’s strongest opposition party now. German Centrists: Don’t cry on our shoulders and don’t whine about ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ when your silly firewall against the AfD crumbles. You only have yourselves to blame.

Is there any hope left? Yes, maybe. Because although this is a terrible beginning, the policy just started is also meant to be carried out over a decade and more. Much may happen in that time. For instance, German corporations might finally – if quietly – rebel against being crippled by a self-defeating sanctions war against Russia, especially when their US competitors will be back in the Russia business, as they are clearly itching to. The Ukraine conflict may end in such a manner that Germany’s Zelensky stans simply won’t have anyone left to send the money to. Last but not least, even currently hyperventilating Germans may perhaps notice when Russia does not, actually, attack.

Yet for now, Germany is continuing on its path of severe and self-evident national self-harm. And unfortunately, history teaches that Germans can stay such a course through to a very bitter end. There are no guarantees that things will be better this time.

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Western intelligence agencies are orchestrating unrest to topple the country’s government, according to the deputy prime minister

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin has accused the US “deep state” and European intelligence agencies of orchestrating mass protests in his country.

Serbia has seen months of student-led anti-government demonstrations initially triggered by the deadly collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station last November, which claimed 15 lives. This led to public outrage throughout the country and prompted the resignation of several high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Milos Vucevic.

The demonstrators have since been calling for systemic government reforms, with the protests culminating in a massive rally in Belgrade on March 15, described as one of the largest in Serbia’s recent history.

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“The color revolution in Serbia was organized by the US deep state – the same one that is trying to disrupt President [Donald] Trump’s [Ukraine] peace initiatives – as well as several European intelligence services,” Vulin told TASS news agency on Saturday during a visit to Moscow. The unrest was orchestrated to instigate the overthrow of the government, he said.

Vulin claimed that Western entities targeting Serbia are also behind actions against President Milorad Dodik of the Republika Srpska, the predominantly Serb region within Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dodik, who has close ties with the Serbian authorities, was sentenced to one year in prison by an EU-backed court in Sarajevo last month for allegedly defying the authority of international envoy Christian Schmidt.

”These simultaneous attacks have one goal – the destruction of Serbia and the coming to power of politicians in the country who will fulfill all the demands of the West, including the introduction of sanctions against Russia,” Vulin, whose country has opposed sanctions linked with the Ukraine conflict and retained close economic ties with Moscow, stated.

READ MORE: Dozens injured in Belgrade protests (VIDEOS)

His words echoed earlier remarks made by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who has voiced concerns about foreign interference, accusing opposition forces of collaborating with Western, Croatian, and Albanian intelligence agencies to overthrow his government. He vowed, however, that he would not back down.

The resignation of the prime minister earlier this week triggered a 30-day deadline for Vucic to appoint a new prime minister-designate to lead the government until 2027, when both parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled. Vucic said last Sunday that if a new government is not formed within 30 days of Vucevic’s resignation, he will be forced to call early elections, likely to be held in June.

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The US president has held at least two phone calls with his Russian counterpart about Ukraine over the past few weeks

US President Donald Trump has praised his work relationship with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, describing their conversations as “very rational” and reiterating a desire to end the Ukraine conflict.

In an interview aboard Air Force One with the outlet OutKick on Saturday, Trump reflected on his history with Putin and the Ukraine conflict, describing himself as the only person capable of “stopping” the Russian leader.

“I don’t think there’s anybody in the world that [is] going to stop [Putin], except me, and I think I’m going to be able to stop him”, he said. “We’ve had some very rational discussions, and I just want to see the people stop getting killed.”

He warned that failure to mediate the conflict could lead to World War III, but noted that “it’s somewhat under control.” “I have a good relationship with President Putin and, actually, a good relationship with President Zelensky too. It’d be a great thing to be able to stop it. And I will say this, nobody else would have been able to.”

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After his inauguration, Trump actively sought to restore relations with Russia, which were at an all-time low, and to mediate a settlement of the Ukraine conflict. The Russian and US leaders have held at least two phone calls on the matter, while delegations from the two countries have held several rounds of direct talks.

During the last phone conversation on Tuesday, which lasted two and a half hours, Putin and Trump discussed the US president’s idea of a 30-day ceasefire. Putin generally spoke favorably of the initiative but mentioned several major obstacles, including the need to establish a monitoring mechanism and prevent forced mobilization and rearmament in Ukraine during the ceasefire.

At the same time, Putin supported the idea of Moscow and Kiev halting strikes on each other's energy infrastructure facilities for 30 days.

Following the talks, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, suggested that a complete ceasefire in the conflict could be implemented within “a couple of weeks.”

He later noted that Kiev had seemingly agreed to stay out of NATO – one of Moscow’s key demands – adding that the key item on the agenda was now the fate of Crimea and the four other former Ukrainian territories that voted to become part of Russia.

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