Kremlin:

Americans need rare earth minerals and they are abundantly available with us.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan:

The Syrian people will not allow Israel to occupy their land.

Before Scholz's flight to London for the Ukraine conference, Merz urged him to coordinate all diplomatic statements and decisions before leaving office, Bild reported.

The CDU/CSU issued a "memorandum of understanding" demanding key personnel decisions be postponed to align with Merz.

Countries that think Russian frozen assets should be handed over to Ukraine immediately:

🇵🇱 Poland
🇨🇿 Czechia
🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹 Baltic countries

The countries opposing the initiative are:

🇫🇷 France
🇩🇪 Germany
🇮🇹 Italy
🇪🇸 Spain

Source: Politico

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is planning to slash Britain's aid budget to boost defense spending to 2.5% of GDP.

Source: The Sun

Iran has strengthened defenses around key nuclear and missile sites amid fears of an attack by Israel and the US.

Source: The Telegraph

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy:

We want to see a negotiated two-state solution and a secure, sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel.

US Secretary of State Rubio says that the US voted against the UN resolution on the war in Ukraine because it contradicts Washington’s efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table.

The US doesn't want to be antagonistic toward either side, according to Rubio.

Israel wants to create buffer zones in the north and east of Gaza and completely dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities during the phase two of the ceasefire negotiations.

Source: Bloomberg

Polish President Andrzej Duda:

Poland is ready to deploy on its territory all US troops currently deployed in Germany.

Chinese scientists propose equipping combat robots with thermobaric weapons for "comprehensive destruction," the South China Morning Post reports.

During recent urban warfare drills, lightly armed drones struggled to eliminate enemies in buildings and bunkers. Researchers suggest an ideal setup: aerial drones for target detection and ground robots as “armored monsters” carrying thermobaric weapons.

These weapons detonate into 2,500-degree fireballs, vaporizing targets within an 80-meter radius.

CCTV footage of a person throwing Molotov cocktails onto the grounds of the Russian consulate in Marseille.

NEW: Starmer has announced that the UK's defense spending will be increased to 2.5 percent of the UK's GDP by 2027.

Britain will introduce sanctions soon against Rwanda over fighting in neighbouring Congo, a minister in the UK Foreign Office said, Reuters reported.

The British Prime Minister Starmer announced a reduction in aid to other countries from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP from 2027 in order to increase defense spending.

Poland will provide Ukraine with more Starlink terminals. Krzysztof Gawkowski, the country's minister of digitalization, said 5,000 additional terminals have been ordered.

Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi:

We will coordinate positions with our friends in Russia and China regarding nuclear cooperation.

“This is robbery, but so was Lend-Lease in 1941.”

Former British PM Johnson supports Trump’s revised economic agreement with Ukraine.

He said he had seen the latest draft of the document and believes it is more favorable to Ukraine than the initial version.

If Russia wins the war against Ukraine, its next target will be Poland, “inevitably”, Ukraine’s Budanov says.

Budanov warns that the Kremlin seeks to restore an empire resembling the Soviet Union, including former Warsaw Pact countries.

According to him, if Ukraine falls, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine could “merge into a single entity,” posing a threat to neighboring countries.

“Poland will be the next target—this is inevitable. We must not fear it but understand the reality. Next in line will be the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Bulgaria.”

Oopsie: Russian federal TV presenter stated that "the shelling and political assassinations were organized by Russian special services on the territory of Russia" while trying to criticize EU's Kallas.

United Kingdom is set to host a high-level meeting with European leaders to discuss Ukraine and regional defense strategies, aiming to enhance security coordination across Europe. Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, European nations are working to reinforce military cooperation and expand aid efforts.

The meeting is expected to focus on military assistance, NATO’s strategic role, and long-term security commitments, reflecting a broader push for a more unified and resilient European defense posture.

Source: Bloomberg