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  • Pope Leo ready to host Russia-Ukraine talks at Vatican

    07/09/2025 7:22:37 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 6 replies
    Baha Breaking News ^ | 7/9/2025 | Christian Baha
    Pope Leo XIV expressed readiness on Wednesday to host the representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican for talks, according to the Holy See. Earlier today, the supreme pontiff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo in Italy's Lazio region. The pope also reaffirmed his support for finding a diplomatic solution to the long-standing conflict and called for the release of prisoners of war.
  • Russian economy meltdown as potato prices soar 167% as 'recession' warning sent

    07/09/2025 4:42:47 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 39 replies
    Daily Express MSN News ^ | 7/8/2025 | Rebecca Robinson
    Vladimir Putin has been warned that Russia is facing an economic crisis as potato prices shoot up and fail to meet high demand. Prices of potatoes have skyrocketed by a staggering 167% over the last year, marking the most significant increase among foodstuffs. The Russian President admitted in May: "It turns out that we don't have enough potatoes. I spoke with [President of Belarus] Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko. He said, 'We've already sold everything to Russia'." The soaring cost of this staple is attributed to poor harvests reducing supplies. Compounding this, households are turning to the typically affordable food option as...
  • Russia fires a record 728 drones and 13 missiles at Ukraine, Ukrainian air force says

    07/09/2025 1:32:16 AM PDT · by McGruff · 15 replies
    AP ^ | July 9, 2025 | ILLIA NOVIKOV
    Russia fired a record 728 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, as well as 13 missiles, the Ukrainian air force said Wednesday, in the latest escalation amid mounting Russian aerial and ground attacks in the more than three-year war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the city of Lutsk, which lies in Ukraine’s northwest along the border with Poland and Belarus, was the hardest hit, though 10 other regions were also struck. Lutsk is home to airfields used by the Ukrainian army. Cargo planes and fighter jets routinely fly over the city. No casualties were immediately reported, as emergency crews...
  • US only has 25% of all Patriot missile interceptors needed for Pentagon’s military plans

    07/08/2025 6:38:47 PM PDT · by Mariner · 83 replies
    The Guardian ^ | July 8th, 2025 | Unattributed
    The United States only has about 25% of the Patriot missile interceptors it needs for all of the Pentagon’s military plans after burning through stockpiles in the Middle East in recent months, an alarming depletion that led to the Trump administration freezing the latest transfer of munitions to Ukraine.The stockpile of the Patriot missiles has fallen so low that it raised concern inside the Pentagon that it could jeopardize potential US military operations, and deputy defense secretary, Stephen Feinberg, authorized the transfer to be halted while they reviewed where weapons were being sent.snipTrump also told Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in...
  • Graham: Senate will move ‘soon’ on Russia, China sanctions

    07/08/2025 4:43:04 PM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 21 replies
    The Hill ^ | 7/8/2025 | FILIP TIMOTIJA
    Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Tuesday that the Senate will move “soon” on a “tough” Russia sanctions bill that will also penalize the Kremlin’s top energy recipients, China and India. “President @realDonaldTrump is spot on about the games Putin is playing,” Graham said in a Tuesday post on X. “The Senate will move soon on a tough sanctions bill – not only against Russia – but also against countries like China and India that buy Russian energy products that finance Putin’s war machine. The Senate bill has a presidential waiver to give President Trump maximum leverage.” “When it comes to...
  • Trump accuses Putin of talking 'bullshit' on Ukraine

    07/08/2025 1:45:54 PM PDT · by USA-FRANCE · 43 replies
    President Donald Trump accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday of talking "bullshit" about Ukraine, saying that the United States would send Kyiv more weapons to defend itself. Trump's expletive reflected his growing frustration with the Kremlin leader over the grinding war that Moscow launched more than three years ago. "We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth," Trump told reporters during a televised cabinet meeting at the White House."He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless." Trump reiterated that he was "very unhappy"...
  • Sen. McConnell blasts ‘restrainers’ in Pentagon as Trump RESUMES Ukraine aid

    07/08/2025 10:36:35 AM PDT · by RandFan · 39 replies
    The Hill ^ | 07/08/25 1:08 PM ET | by Alexander Bolton
    Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) praised President Trump on Tuesday for announcing that he would send additional weapons to Ukraine and blasted “isolationists and restrainers” at the Department of Defense (DOD), possibly taking aim at the Pentagon’s No. 3-ranking official. “I’m glad that President Trump wants to resume deliveries of lethal capabilities to Ukraine. America’s policy of providing lethal support to Ukraine began during his first term, and likely helped deter earlier Russian escalation,” McConnell said in a statement. “This time, the president will need to reject calls from the isolationists and restrainers within his administration to limit...
  • Panic in Russia as military drone slams into homes in horror crash during test flight

    07/08/2025 8:56:46 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 3 replies
    Daily Express MSN News ^ | 7/8/2025 | Yelena Mandenberg
    A Russian Altair combat reconnaissance drone crashed into a home during a test flight in the city of Kazan, Russia. The plane reportedly struck a tree and power lines with its wing before crashing into the Derbyshki residential area. No casualties have been reported so far. The Tatarstan authorities confirmed the crash of the aircraft, stating: "Today in Tatarstan at 9:10 a.m. as a result of a test of a civilian aircraft there was an emergency situation," according to the press service of the head of the republic.
  • Three-quarters of Trump voters support more sanctions on Russia: new poll

    07/08/2025 9:07:55 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 29 replies
    NY Post ^ | 7/4/2025 | Josh Christenson
    Three-quarters of the Americans who voted for President Trump in 2024 are backing further economic sanctions on Russia as it continues its war against Ukraine, a new poll shows. The Vandenberg Coalition in late June found that around 77% of Trump voters viewed Russia as a threat, 75% backed additional sanctions, and 70% said it was “vital to prevent Russia from invading other European nations,” according to results obtained exclusively by The Post. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) revealed Sunday that Trump had given him the go-ahead on a bill he introduced to tighten sanctions on Moscow. “If you’re buying products...
  • Why can't the West match Russia's ammunition production?

    07/08/2025 9:29:23 AM PDT · by MinorityRepublican · 70 replies
    The Kyiv Independent ^ | June 12, 2025
    The West is failing to catch up to Russia's production of the most basic unit of war for the past half-millennium — gunpowder. The modern propellants and explosives that power war have largely been offshored. While Western manufacturers are churning out shell casings, they are short on the materials to fill them with. A dearth of ammunition from NATO allies has long hampered Ukraine, but is more recently alarming the Western alliance. "Putin's war machine is speeding up, not slowing down," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at a June 9 speech in London. "In terms of ammunition, Russia produces...
  • Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell on Ukraine Military Aid

    07/07/2025 7:49:15 PM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 77 replies
    U.S. Department of Defense ^ | 7/7/2025 | Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell
    At President Trump's direction, the Department of Defense is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops. Our framework for POTUS to evaluate military shipments across the globe remains in effect and is integral to our America First defense priorities.
  • Trump: ‘We have to’ send Ukraine more weapons

    07/07/2025 6:05:22 PM PDT · by Apparatchik · 196 replies
    The Hill ^ | 7 July 2025 | Brett Samuels
    President Trump said Monday his administration would send Ukraine additional weapons after his administration imposed a pause on some shipments to Kyiv. “We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to. They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard now,” Trump told reporters during a dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Defensive weapons, primarily, but they’re getting hit very, very hard. So many people are dying in that mess,” he added. The Pentagon last week confirmed a decision to halt the delivery of some air defense missiles and munitions to Ukraine, citing concerns...
  • Russian transport minister is found dead with gunshot wound 'in his Tesla' hours after being sacked by Putin

    07/07/2025 8:04:41 AM PDT · by dennisw · 32 replies
    UK Mail ^ | 7 July 2025 | By PERKIN AMALARAJ and WILL STEWART
    Russia's sacked transport minister has been found dead in his Tesla outside Moscow with a gunshot wound and the principal hypothesis is that he took his own life, state investigators said on Monday, hours after President Vladimir Putin fired him. A presidential decree published earlier on Monday gave no reason for the dismissal of Roman Starovoit after barely a year in the job, though political analysts were quick to raise the possibility that he may have been dismissed in connection with an investigation into corruption in the region he once ran. Reuters could not independently confirm these suggestions, though a...
  • Lavrov Outlines Russia’s Core Stance for Resolving Ukraine Conflict

    07/07/2025 8:03:54 AM PDT · by marshmallow · 48 replies
    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave an interview to Magyar Nemzet, a Hungarian newspaper, discussing Moscow’s stance on peace talks with Ukraine, and NATO’s expansion as a pivotal risk to national security. He also addressed Russia’s pragmatic relations with Hungary and dismissed claims of imperial ambitions in Europe.Is Russia genuinely seeking peaceful settlement, or is all of that just playing for time in order to adjust the military strategy by redeploying troops or mobilizing supplies to the line of contact?Russia has always been and remains open to a political and diplomatic settlement in Ukraine. However, it must bring durable peace,...
  • Russian minister fired by Putin shoots himself dead, authorities say

    07/07/2025 7:36:46 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 44 replies
    Politico EU ^ | 7/7/2025 | ELENA GIORDANO
    Russia’s former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit who was fired by President Vladimir Putin has shot himself dead, Russian authorities said Monday. According to Kremlin-controlled media, Starovoit was found dead with a gunshot wound in Odintsovo near Moscow. Officials said they believe it was a suicide. “The circumstances of the incident are being established. The main version is suicide,” Russia’s Investigative Committee Official Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement, as speculation swirled in Moscow.
  • Trump-Zelenskyy discussed replacing Ukraine's ambassador to US: report

    07/07/2025 5:30:33 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 15 replies
    TRT Global ^ | 7/7/2025 | Staff
    US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have reportedly discussed replacing Ukraine’s current ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova, during their most recent phone call on Friday, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing a source familiar with the matter. According to the report, Zelenskyy has asked Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry to begin consultations with US officials regarding a potential successor. Among the leading candidates to replace Markarova are high-profile Ukrainian officials, including Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, and Energy Minister German Galushchenko.
  • Putin fires transport minister after Ukraine cripples Russian air traffic

    07/07/2025 4:37:46 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 17 replies
    Politico EU ^ | 7/7/2025 | VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA
    Moscow struggles with drone attacks as turmoil grips civilian aviation sector. Russian President Vladimir Putin fired Transport Minister Roman Starovoit early Monday, according to a decree published by the Kremlin. The government provided no official explanation for Starovoit's firing, but it comes after Ukrainian drone attacks over the weekend sparked turmoil for Russian air traffic, with stranded passengers stuck in airports as flights were canceled. According to Russia's federal air transport agency and the Russian transport ministry, Russian airlines canceled 485 flights, while 88 flights had to be redirected and 1,900 flights were delayed in the period from Saturday to...
  • Donald Trump Threatens Russia Tariffs as Relationship With Putin Worsens

    07/07/2025 4:50:03 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 17 replies
    Newsweek ^ | 7/7/2025 | Brendan Cole
    U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on any country aligned with the BRICS group of nations, which includes Russia, delivering a potential economic blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The bloc—which also consists of Brazil, India, China, South Africa and five other emerging economies—held a summit over the weekend in which it condemned Trump's "indiscriminate" import tariffs and the Israeli-U. S. strikes on Iran. Trump posted on Truth Social late on Sunday that "any country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10 percent Tariff," adding: "There will...
  • Trump Threatens Additional 10% Tariff on Countries Aligning Themselves with BRICS’ Policy

    07/07/2025 4:33:11 AM PDT · by marshmallow · 28 replies
    TASS ^ | 7/6/25
    "There will be no exceptions to this policy," the US leader warnedWASHINGTON, July 7. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on countries supporting policies being pursued by the BRICS grouping. "Any country aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an additional 10% tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy," the US leader warned on his Truth Social media platform. In June, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who also serves as Russia’s BRICS Sherpa, told the TASS Analytical Center in an interview that the developments at BRICS...
  • Once decorated by Putin, now on the run: the fall of a Russian oligarch

    07/07/2025 12:50:48 AM PDT · by Cronos · 16 replies
    Tvp world ^ | 3rd July 2025
    It looks like a case of the bigger they are, the harder they fall: Konstantin Strukov, one of Russia’s wealthiest businessmen and once close to President Vladimir Putin, is now facing criminal charges and the threat of state asset seizure. His flagship company, the gold mining firm Uzhuralzoloto, is set to be nationalized by the Russian government amid a broader wave of corporate takeovers by the state. With an estimated fortune of $1.9 billion, Strukov comes 78th on Forbes' list of Russia’s richest people. In addition to his business ventures, he was also active in politics, having served as deputy...