Germany’s Chancellor Merz:

Most likely, we are seeing the most decisive moments — perhaps weeks or months — ahead of us in defending the freedom and peace of our continent.

If Russia succeeds, this will have unpredictable and unprecedented consequences for all of us, including Germany.

And that’s the reason why I’m standing here very firm, very clear, and not willing to go back one centimeter.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline will be back up and running “very soon.”

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright:

Iran has turned up their attempts to disrupt energy flows, and they’ve got a lot of missiles and a lot of drones.

So they have caused trouble in the short run. Certainly, they’ve spread fear in the short run.

I’m pretty confident you will see increased flows of oil and oil products through the strait in the coming weeks and in the coming months regardless of what Iran does.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright:

There’s been a huge disruption in Russian diesel exports.

They were a meaningful exporter of diesel. Today, they’re not exporting any.

Russia was a small exporter of gasoline. Now they’ve become a meaningful importer of gasoline.

EU countries failed to agree on extending sanctions against roughly 3,000 Russian individuals and companies, leaving ambassadors one day to reach a deal before the measures expire.

Slovakia is demanding the removal of Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list while also resisting a proposal to extend sanctions from six months to 12 months.

Most EU capitals oppose removing anyone while Russian attacks on Ukraine continue.

Source: POLITICO

Zelensky:

We are working with manufacturers on a new generation of drone interceptors to counter Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.

Development and testing are underway.

Germany is pushing for a tougher EU approach to China, including possible broader tariffs, as concerns grow over trade imbalances and unfair competition.

Berlin wants any measures coordinated at EU level, while balancing pressure from German industry with its heavy dependence on the Chinese market.

Source: Bloomberg

ProPublica reports that Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, a close associate of Putin, secretly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward Donald Trump Jr.’s May wedding in the Bahamas.

Kremlev allegedly covered the rental of a private island, a fireworks display and other major expenses through an IBA-linked entity in Dubai.

He also attended the roughly 50-person wedding with several other Russian guests.

Trump Jr.’s spokesperson did not dispute the payments, saying Kremlev is a personal friend and has no business relationship with Trump Jr.

Kremlev heads the International Boxing Association, which has received financing from Russia’s state-owned Gazprom, and was awarded Russia’s Order of Friendship by Putin shortly before the wedding.

Source: ProPublica

The UK Ministry of Defence says a member of the British Armed Forces died in a road traffic incident in Ukraine on September 12.

Boris Johnson on Ukraine:

What we really need from Western leaders is an emphatic, clear, unambiguous announcement that the destiny of Ukraine is with the West.

You never hear anymore from Western governments that Ukraine’s future is in NATO. It is in NATO.

The solution to this problem of Ukraine’s destiny is to be clear about where Ukraine is going.

And I’m afraid that neither from London nor from Washington have we heard any clarity in the last few years.

Netanyahu will be in New York next week to address the UN General Assembly.

Boris Johnson on Putin:

This is a guy who is absolutely on the back foot.

He’s losing record numbers of men on the front, and he’s resorting to terroristic attacks on the heroic staff and passengers of Ukrainian railways.

Germany Eyes €3.4B Typhon and Tomahawk Purchase from US

Berlin is preparing to spend nearly €3.4 billion on US-made Typhon launchers and Tomahawk missiles, giving Germany its first ground-based long-range strike capability.

READ MORE

JD Vance on AI:

I feel a little bit weird about the fact that you have so many frontier AI tech companies kind of coming to the government and begging the government to regulate them.

It feels a little bit to me like a bit of a Trojan horse.

JD Vance on Yemen:

We've been engaged in direct conversations with the Houthis themselves.

We are going to keep on monitoring the situation.

Reporter: Do you trust what you are getting from the Pentagon?

JD Vance: I trust Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine.

Trump:

The only control or “guardrails” that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!

The Trump Administration has stopped AI “people” from doing bad, or potentially bad, “things,“ like Dario (Anthropic!), who is now pretending to be a “perfect little angel” - and we will continue to do so!

We already have tremendous CRIMINAL and REGULATORY power over these companies! There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China.

WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS! We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so. Conspiracy Theorists, Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers, BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!

JD Vance on AI:

I don't think Americans should be scared of anything.

I think that we have to be mindful that there are risks to anything, including AI.

Canada to Back €90B EU Ukraine Loan to Deepen Transatlantic Ties

Ottawa is discussing a contribution to the EU’s €90 billion Ukraine loan as Mark Carney seeks closer economic and security ties with Europe while reducing Canada’s reliance on the U.S.

READ MORE

Germany will begin assigning soldiers to its NATO brigade in Lithuania after failing to attract enough volunteers.

Up to 1,000 troops could be ordered to serve there, with the first assignments expected this autumn.

Germany plans to station 4,800 soldiers permanently in Lithuania by the end of 2027.

Source: BILD

Poland Would Defeat Russia Very Quickly in Full-Scale War, Claims Polish FM

Polish foreign minister said a Russian attack on NATO Europe would be met by overwhelming allied air power, arguing Moscow could be defeated quickly.

READ MORE