Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement on Friday that the country is making progress in all spheres, including military, security and economy. Putin remarked that Russian authorities are “strengthening the political system in the country, despite all the difficulties.” He went on to say that having political stability is of utmost importance in today’s times, as this is the “foundation” for achieving success in all areas. Talking about developments, Putin recently announced that Moscow will launch the first nuclear power system using a closed fuel cycle.
Trump “Ukraine, backed by Europe, could reclaim all its territory”
In an abrupt change showing his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump said Ukraine could win back all of its territory from Russia with the help of its European allies. Trump has previously said both sides would have to cede land to end the war. Russia currently controls around one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was illegally annexed in 2014. After a speech at the UN General Assembly where he called on European allies during his address to immediately stop buying oil from Russia, Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with Zelenskyy that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter the alliance’s airspace. He followed that with comments in a social media post after the Zelenskyy meeting saying Russia has been fighting “aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win.” “After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” Trump wrote. Zelenskyy noted the “big shift” in Trump’s comments while speaking alone at a news conference, adding that the US leader’s understanding of the situation on the ground in Ukraine is now much clearer. “Trump had a relationship with Putin and he trusted him. Putin was telling Trump fairytales,” Zelenskyy said, referring to Trump as a “gamechanger.” “I told Trump that Putin will not wait for the end of his war in Ukraine — he will try to find a weak spot in NATO and this is already happening…Putin will want to ‘exchange’ one war for another.” Trump said he could impose sanctions on Russia to stop the fighting but without similar actions from Europe, “we’re all wasting a lot of time.” Sanctions, along with security guarantees in the event of a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow, are areas Zelenskyy is hoping to get White House support during their discussions. In response to Trump’s social media remarks, Russian Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told reporters: “Don’t get so excited about every tweet.” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she welcomed Trump’s shift in his view on the war, saying, “we are very positive about this, because these are all the right things.” “Yes, we should stop buying Russian energy. Yes, Ukraine should win the war and all these other statements that [Trump] made today regarding Ukraine and Russia,” Kallas said. Trump also appeared to give Ukraine a pledge of military support saying the US will continue to supply weapons to allies “for NATO to do what they want with them.” Zelenskyy also noted that Trump was “ready” to give Ukraine security guarantees after the war is over.
NN: Its not going to be that easy
Russia Preparing for War With NATO
President Vladimir Putin is quietly laying the groundwork for a potential conflict with NATO, reports suggest. Russia is expanding its troop presence along stretches of its border with the West, ramping up its military spending at a record pace, and intensifying covert operations against the West. NATO must “expect the unexpected” and prepare for a Russian attack, Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, the alliance’s military committee chief, said in Brussels last January.
Meanwhile, intelligence and military officials have warned in recent weeks that NATO member states must be ready for a potential conflict with Russia.
Russia is expanding its military presence along its borders with Finland and Norway in preparation for a potential face off with the military alliance, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The Kremlin is planning to establish a new army headquarters in the Russian city of Petrozavodsk, about 100 miles east of the Finnish border, which will oversee tens of thousands of troops over the next several years. Many of these troops will be deployed to the area after the Ukraine war ends. At the same time, Russia is ramping up military recruitment and accelerating weapons production. Russian military experts told the newspaper that the buildup along the Finnish border is likely part of President Vladimir Putin’s broader preparations for a possible conflict with NATO. “When the troops are back [from Ukraine], they will be looking over the border at a country they consider an adversary,” said Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a Moscow-based defense think tank. “The logic of the last decade shows we’re expecting some conflict with NATO.” There are indications that Russia is starting to hold back recently produced equipment from deployment to Ukraine, and is instead reallocating some personnel to other regions, including the Baltics and Nordics, Edward Arnold, senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank, told Newsweek.
Germany’s intelligence community has sounded the alarm that Russia’s ambitions go beyond Ukraine. A report by Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) in March warned that Putin is preparing for a conflict with NATO.
“Russia sees itself in a systemic conflict with the West and is prepared to implement its imperialistic goals through military force, even beyond Ukraine,” the report said. Meanwhile, Lithuania’s intelligence service, VSD, assessed that while Moscow may not yet be ready to launch a full-scale attack on the alliance, it may attempt to “test NATO” with a limited military operation against one or more member states to gauge how seriously the bloc will uphold its collective defense obligations. An attack by Russia on any NATO member would trigger Article 5 of the alliance’s charter, which states that a strike on one member state would be met with a collective response. The Danish Defense Intelligence Service (DDIS) also warned in February that Russia could be ready to wage a “large-scale war” in Europe within the next five years. While “there is currently no threat of a regular military attack on the Kingdom,” it is likely that the “military threat from Russia will increase over the coming years,” it said. Russia’s military spending is increasing at a record pace, with expenditures expected to reach around 120 billion euros in 2025—more than 6 percent of the country’s GDP. That’s compared to 3.6 percent prior to the war. The Russian army is also set to expand to 1.5 million troops, while the volume of weapons and equipment stationed along the NATO border is expected to grow by 30–50 percent, according to BILD’s Russia edition. According to a Military Balance report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies released February, Russia’s military expenditure has surpassed Europe. “The data indicate that Russia poses a serious threat to the United States and Europe and that the Russian government, including President Vladimir Putin, cannot be trusted,” the report said. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned Putin in March of a “devastating” response should Moscow attack any of the alliance’s members. “If anyone were to miscalculate and think they can get away with an attack on Poland or any other ally, they will be met with the full force of this fierce alliance. Our reaction will be devastating. This must be clear to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and anyone else who wants to attack us,” Rutte said.
Zelensky urges Russian officials to end war or “find shelters”…… Zelensky: Trump greenlit retaliatory strikes against Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued an ultimatum to Russian officials to stop the war or “find bomb shelters.” In a fragment of his interview with Axios published on Thursday, Zelensky said that the Ukrainian military will not hesitate to target the centers of Russian power, such as the Kremlin, if Russian strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure and civilians continue. “They have to know where the bomb shelters are,” he stated, ensuring that “they will need” them. However, he emphasized that civilians will never be the targets of Ukrainian attacks. Additionally, Zelensky noted that he is “ready” to leave the office after the war ends, insisting that his “goal” is to bring this conflict to an end. The president also pointed out that he would push for elections if a ceasefire with Russia is reached.
Zelensky: Trump greenlit retaliatory strikes against Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during an interview with Axios published on Thursday that US President Donald Trump gave the green light to carry out retaliatory strikes on Russia with American weapons if Russia attacks Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“If they attack our energy, President Trump supports that we can answer on energy,” Zelensky told Barak Ravid in “The Axios Show.”
Zelensky added that when the two leaders met on Tuesday, he asked Trump for one specific item: a new weapons system that would compel Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in talks. Zelensky said he would name the system once the cameras were off. Although he acknowledged that Ukraine already has drones capable of striking far within Russia, he added that he sought an additional weapons system to speed up the war’s conclusion.
Chinese drone experts worked with sanctioned Russian arms maker
Chinese drone experts have flown to Russia to conduct technical development work on military drones at a state-owned weapons manufacturer that is under Western sanctions, according to two European security officials and documents seen by Reuters. The Chinese experts have visited arms maker IEMZ Kupol on more than half a dozen occasions since the second quarter of last year. During that time, Kupol also received shipments of Chinese-made attack and surveillance drones via a Russian intermediary, according to the documents and two officials. In September last year, Reuters documented that Kupol had developed a new drone, the Garpiya-3, in China with the help of local specialists. The officials, who asked that neither they nor their organisation be identified due to the sensitivity of the information, said the collaboration suggested a deepening relationship between Kupol and Chinese companies in developing drones – which have proven to be critically important to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The drones were supplied by Russian defence procurement company TSK Vektor, which is under U.S. and EU sanctions, according to the officials and documents. TSK Vektor and Sichuan AEE did not respond to requests for comment. The U.S. and European governments have repeatedly expressed concern at Chinese companies supplying Russian arms makers, and have imposed sanctions on some of them. In July it was reported that Kupol was producing thousands of Garpiya one-way attack drones using Chinese parts, including engines. Garpiyas – which are modelled on Iran’s Shahed drone – can fly hundreds of miles to pre-programmed targets before diving out of the sky and exploding on impact. Kyiv has said around 500 are being used each month in Ukraine. A group of Chinese experts visited Kupol’s facilities in the city of Izhevsk to assemble the drones and train Kupol staff to use them, a Kupol document said. The experts then visited Chebarkul, it added. Airline bookings seen by Reuters showed the Chinese experts were due to fly out of Chelyabinsk the day after the tests.
The letter and flight reports described the Chinese experts as employees of TSK Vektor, the Russian procurement company. However, the European officials said they assessed that the individuals were AEE staff.
They cited AEE’s response to feedback from the test flights of the A200 drones, reviewed by Reuters, which said it was drawing on information from AEE technicians.
Subsequently, AEE billed TSK Vektor more than 5 million yuan ($700,000) for several A200s fitted with anti-jamming equipment as well as other goods in the second quarter of 2025, according to an invoice and an account statement.
Drones spotted over four airports in Denmark….. Putin has a plan
Unidentified drones were spotted over four airports in Denmark late Wednesday and early Thursday, police told the media. According to the AFP News Agency, the sightings took place at Aalborg, Esbjerg, Sonderborg and the Skrydstrup airbase. Police confirmed the drones left on their own but stressed they were “taking the situation seriously” as investigations continue. “We cannot yet comment on the purpose of the drones flying in the area, nor can we say anything about who the actor behind it is,” BBC cited Chief inspector Jesper Bojgaard Madsen as saying. The information comes after one of the airports had to close for several hours before flights resumed.
Minister: No direct military threat to Denmark…. NN: Putin will attack soon
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Thursday that the drone incursion at four Danish airports “certainly does not look like a coincidence,” but insisted that the country is not under direct military threat. He also said it is currently unclear who is behind the incident, which he characterized as a “hybrid attack.” Poulsen said Denmark is in an “arms race against time” due to rapidly evolving technology, noting that the country’s air drone detection and neutralization capabilities must be improved.
He called for closer cooperation with NATO and the European Union, including on creating a “drone wall” to protect the EU’s member states. HA HA HA HA HA…. Ask Ukraine how that has worked out for them
N. Korea seen holding 2,000 kilograms of enriched uranium…… US holds firm on N. Korea denuclearization policy
North Korea may hold as much as 2,000 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young. Chung pointed to figures released by outside experts. He warned that uranium centrifuges in four locations are currently operating to build up nuclear material. “It is urgent to stop it,” he said, adding that renewed dialogue between the United States and North Korea could serve as a “breakthrough” in efforts toward denuclearization.
US holds firm on N. Korea denuclearization policy
The United States State Department reaffirmed Washington’s policy of seeking the “complete denuclearization of North Korea,” according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. A department spokesperson gave the comment in response to a Yonhap inquiry, underscoring that the US remains committed to its long-standing position, even as Pyongyang resisted such demands. “(We can) confirm the US policy of the complete denuclearization of North Korea,” the spokesperson was cited as saying.
NN: Another mad dog that the world is standing by doing nothing as he arms to the teeth with the deadliest weapons known to mankind.
Kremlin: Idea of Ukraine winning anything back ‘mistaken’
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected United States President Donald Trump’s claims that Ukraine can recover all its territories taken by Russia during the ongoing war, labeling them as “mistaken.” Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Peskov underlined that Ukraine is now in a worse position than it was at the beginning of the war. “The fact that they are trying by all means to encourage Ukraine to continue military operations and the idea that Ukraine can regain something is, in our opinion, a mistaken approach,” he noted. The official emphasized that the war against Ukraine is not “aimless,” as Trump previously claimed. “This war is meant to ensure our security and our interests and to eliminate the root causes of the conflict that currently exists between Russia and Ukraine, and which exists in the area of European security in general,” he said.
NN: Reality for Russia to in this war is conquering Ukraine and occupying its territory. A win for Ukraine is to drive the Russian invaders out. It can go either way.
Iran starts rebuilding missile sites hit by Israel
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has begun rebuilding missile-production sites targeted by Israel during its 12-day war in June, satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press show, but a key component is likely still missing — the large mixers needed to produce solid fuel for the weapons. Reconstituting the missile program is crucial for the Islamic Republic, which believes another round of war with Israel may happen. The missiles are one of Iran’s few military deterrents after the war decimated its air defense systems — something that Tehran long has insisted will never be included in negotiations with the West. Missile experts told AP that obtaining the mixers is a goal for Tehran, particularly as it prepares for possible United Nations sanctions to be reimposed on the country later this month. The sanctions would penalize any development of the missile program, among other measures. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is due to address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday. “If they’re able to reacquire some key things like planetary mixers, then that infrastructure is still there and ready to get rolling again,” said Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies who studied Iranian missile sites. Solid-fuel missiles can be fired faster than those using liquid fuel, which must be loaded just before launch. That speed can make the difference between launching a missile and having it destroyed in a launcher — something that happened during the war with Israel.Iran has solid-fuel missile manufacturing bases at Khojir and Parchin, two sites just outside Tehran, as well as at Shahroud, some 350 kilometers (215 miles) northeast of the capital. Even before the most recent war, all of those sites came under Israeli attack in October 2024 during hostilities between the countries.
Attacks during the war in June appeared aimed at destroying buildings that housed the mixers, which are needed to ensure the missile fuel is evenly combined, according to experts. Other sites struck by Israel included manufacturing facilities that likely could be used to make the mixers. Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC taken this month and analyzed by AP show construction at both the Parchin and Shahroud facilities. At Parchin, mixing buildings appear to be under repair, Lair said, and similar rebuilding is happening at Shahroud involving mixing buildings and other structures.
The speed at which Iran is rebuilding shows the importance Tehran puts on its missile program. Iran’s bombed nuclear sites so far have not seen the same level of activity. During the war, Iran fired 574 ballistic missiles at Israel, according to the Washington-based Jewish Institute for National Security of America, which has a close relationship with the Israeli military. In two exchanges of fire before the war, Iran launched another 330 missiles, the think tank said. The Israeli military had estimated Iran’s total arsenal at around 2,500 missiles, meaning that over a third of its missiles were fired. Before the war, Iran was on track to be able to produce more than 200 solid-fuel missiles a month, said Carl Parkin, a summer fellow at the James Martin Center. That drew Israeli strikes to missile-building facilities. “Israel’s targeting indicates that they believed mixing was a bottleneck in Iran’s missile production,” he said. “If Iran is able to overcome their mixing limitations, they’ll have all the casting capacity that they need to start producing at high volumes again.” The Israeli military declined to respond to questions over its strategy. Iran’s defense minister, Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh, recently claimed Tehran now has new missiles with more advanced warheads. “The 12-day war with Israel has altered some of our priorities,” he said on Aug. 22. “We are now focused on producing military equipment with higher precision and greater operational capabilities.”
Chinese mixers seen at Syria missile site affiliated with Iran
Continue reading “Iran starts rebuilding missile sites hit by Israel”
Oil Rises on Russian Supply Risks
Oil rose as traders assess mounting threats to Russian supply flows, from Ukrainian strikes on its enemy’s energy assets to a potential diesel-export ban. . Russia is mulling banning diesel exports for some companies amid a spate of attacks by Ukrainian drones on Moscow’s oil refineries, including two latest overnight attacks on oil pipeline that caused gasoline and diesel futures to spiral on the nation’s key Spimex commodities exchange. “If products are not able to be exported from Russia, there may be a short-term increase in crude exports as they refine less,” said Rebecca Babin, a senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth Group. “But that can only last so long before we see shut-ins.” WTI’s prompt spread — the difference between its two closest contracts — closed at its strongest level in about two weeks, reflecting fears of a tightening global supply outlook. Russian flows have been in the spotlight over the past few weeks amid global efforts to pressure Moscow to make peace in Ukraine by targeting its energy assets. Leaders including President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday reiterated calls for Western allies to limit their intake of Moscow’s crude. Capping the rally, Iraq may shortly resume exports via Kurdistan after a two-year halt over a payment dispute. That could see about 230,000 barrels a day return to international markets, according to people familiar with the matter. A rapid return of shuttered barrels by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, as well as increased production from outside the group has prompted market watchers including the International Energy Agency warn that supplies are set to top demand by a record margin.