US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Israel for his first visit to the Middle East as Secretary of State.

Ukrainian side was neither invited to, nor informed about the coming US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia.

Source: Fox News

White South Africans gathered for a pro-Trump rally over land expropriation. Trump had criticised the South African government for acting unfairly due to the land expropriation law and decided to impose sanctions.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban:

The war in Ukraine could turn into the European Union’s Afghanistan, an endless war, if Trump doesn't find a solution.

Olaf Scholz to Bloomberg:

It will not be possible to reach a solution at the expense of Ukrainians.

All those who want Europe to be part of peace must discuss this and involve European leaders in the decision-making process.

Europe spends more on Ukraine than Washington, everyone should take us into account.

The EU is strong enough to counter any US tariff threat.

M23 rebels in Bukavu. According to local reports, the rebels are marching south towards Kadutu.

NEW: Trump wants to amend the agreement to release all hostages before the second phase.

Netanyahu refused to authorise the entry of mobile homes and engineering equipment into Gaza, despite the terms of the agreement.

Mediators are pressing Israel and Hamas to start second phase negotiations.

Source: Israel Broadcasting Authority

Russia’s New Disinformation Tool: Hijack a Videogame

Russia is using Hearts of Iron IV to push anti-Western propaganda with its African Dawn mod. Developed by Russian influencer Grigory Korolev—reportedly at the request of a former Wagner employee Anna Zamaraeva—it portrays Russia as a savior in the Sahel.

Set during a fictional Great African War inspired by Burkina Faso’s 2022 coup, players choose between Russia or the West. Despite Paradox’s removal attempts, it has been downloaded 50,000 times since its release last summer.

Source: WSJ

NEW: Heavy bombs shipment released by U.S. arrives in Israel.

Source: Bloomberg

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani:

The Golan Heights is Syrian land, and no one has the right to give it to anyone.

Source: Levant 24

Trump administration wants to un-fire nuclear safety workers but can’t figure out how to reach them.

Trump administration’s mass firings at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which oversees U.S. nuclear weapons, led to chaos.

1,200–2,000 DOE employees, including 325 at NNSA, were fired on Thursday. By Friday, officials tried to reinstate some workers but couldn’t reach them due to lost email access.

One fired NNSA safety specialist said:

“I was locked out of my email, but my manager called to say my termination was rescinded.”

Despite returning, she plans to leave:

“As soon as I find another job, I’m gone.”

Source: NBC

Trump can come to Russia any time he wants, Kremlin says.

Senior Ukrainian official jokes that to maintain U.S. support, Ukraine would even send a massive shipment of eggs, noting the country’s surplus and rising U.S. prices.

Egg prices in the United States have surged to record highs. The average price for a dozen Grade A eggs hit $4.95, breaking the previous $4.82 record.

In some areas, prices exceed $10, with organic and cage-free eggs costing even more.

Source: WaPo

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski dismissed the idea of a single European Army.

“We should be careful with this term because people understand different things. If you mean the unification of national armies, it will not happen.”

Source: Reuters

Ireland’s prime minister said the European Union needs to innovate more and regulate less in order for the bloc to compete with the US and China on technology.

“We will see hopefully slower regulatory impulses but also a simplification of regulation,” Micheal Martin told Bloomberg TV on Saturday. The EU needs to make sure it doesn’t “tie companies up in knots so that we don’t over-regulate to the extent that we paralyze certain sectors of the economy,” he added.

Source: Bloomberg

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Latakia.

AfD leader Alice Weidel:

We want to have very good relations with Russia.

What we want is to end a policy of sanctions that is, above all, one thing: damaging to our country.

Russian soldier shoots himself after hearing a Ukrainian FPV drone approaching.

Egyptian MP Mustafa Bakri:

Egyptian army will capture Tel Aviv in a single day if Israel makes a mistake.