The EU has no "Plan B" for transferring €90 billion to Kyiv, Tusk stated:

If a certain state, in this case Hungary, digs its heels in and continues to block changes to the community budget, it will succeed in doing so.

Source: TASS
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🌒@EastCalling

❗️ Moscow calls for increasing pressure on Kyiv to stop reckless attacks on international energy infrastructure in Russia, said Maria Zakharova.

In a comment on the latest attacks on the compressor stations of the "Blue" and "Turkish" pipelines on March 17-19, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that Kyiv hopes to undermine Moscow's position as a reliable supplier and transit of energy resources and keep the Ukrainian crisis in the spotlight.

A direct consequence of such terrorist activities by Kyiv could be serious damage to regional energy security, which could lead to further destabilization of the global energy market.

Maria Zakharova also drew attention to the coincidence of the attack on energy facilities with Zelensky's meetings with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which "unintentionally leads to the thought of its true beneficiaries".

Russia, Zakharova stressed, continues to work with "partners interested in the safe and reliable operation of the existing international energy and logistics infrastructure, ensuring the supply of Russian hydrocarbons".

Source: Vesti
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🌒@EastCalling

The main statements of Dmitry Peskov:

▪️There is currently no clarity about the possible venue for the next round of trilateral talks on Ukraine;

▪️Russia hopes to continue trilateral talks on Ukraine in the near future, and the current pause is temporary;

▪️For Russia, the main question is why Europe is directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, rather than avoiding supporting the US in Iran;

▪️There is no answer to why Europe is provoking the continuation of the conflict in Ukraine, instead of promoting peace;

▪️Global demand for fertilizers is growing, and Russia is able to meet the growing market demand;

▪️Russia will completely reorient its energy sales to new growing markets if it becomes clear that these markets are more attractive;

▪️The Kiev regime should unconditionally stop attempts to strike compressor stations;

▪️Russia is in contact with its friends from Cuba and is discussing possible options for providing assistance to the republic;

▪️Putin may hold an international telephone conversation in the afternoon.

Source: TASS
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🌒@EastCalling

Hungary considers the explosion of the "Nord Stream" and the attacks on the "Turkish Stream" as terrorist acts by Ukraine, Orban stated.

He noted that he would appeal to the international community and declare Ukraine's actions as state terrorism if it were to blow up the "Turkish Stream".

Source: TASS
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🌒@EastCalling

‼️The Russian Foreign Ministry has lodged a protest with the Israeli ambassador to Moscow, Oded Yosef, in connection with the shooting of RT television crew members in southern Lebanon, the ministry said.

Russia demands a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the incident and the prevention of such practices in the future.

Source: Vesti
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🌒@EastCalling

🤦‍♂️Merz threatens Orban after the EU summit, at which the Hungarian Prime Minister blocked a loan to Ukraine, Szijjarto said.

According to the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, the German Chancellor is still "nervous". But no matter how upset the Germans are, and no matter how angry Merz is, there will be no money for Kyiv as long as they keep Budapest in an oil blockade, he added.

Meanwhile, Orban stated that he is not afraid of threats of disenfranchisement or trial from the EU, because he is hardened by threats of death to him and his family from Kyiv.

Source: Zvezda
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🌒@EastCalling

⚡️ France seized the tanker Deyna in the Mediterranean Sea, which was heading from Russia under a Mozambican flag, Macron announced.

Source: Vesti
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🌒@EastCalling

The Japanese society was horrified by Trump's remarks about Pearl Harbor, writes The New York Times. Japanese residents are accustomed to previous US leaders avoiding harsh discussions about this attack, notes the newspaper.

Earlier, a Japanese journalist asked why Washington did not warn Tokyo and its allies about its intention to attack Iran.

"We didn't tell anyone about it because we wanted to maintain the element of surprise. Who, apart from Japan, knows better about surprise? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor? I think you believe in the element of surprise much more than we do," — replied Trump.

Source: Бочарик
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😏😏😏 Enjoy.

🌒@EastCalling

❗️Кримсон Дайджест on oil price manipulation:

🈁[Notes] Attempts to "squeeze oil (and gas)" are becoming more desperate

1. Possible manipulation in the futures market.

Despite the fact that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent denies US Treasury intervention through oil futures, a significant part of the market is convinced of the opposite.

At least two very respected sources:

1.1. The director of energy markets at Carlyle Group (with assets under management of ~450 billion dollars, one US president, one US defense secretary, one State Department head, and one British prime minister worked in the company "on errands"), points to a very strange "block deal" of 11 million barrels (which is a lot "at once") in oil futures, just against the backdrop of last week's fall.

1.2. Analysts at Energy Aspects (a fairly large independent consulting company in the oil and gas sector), according to its director Amrita Sen, also note "strange deals" in the market.

For those who are not familiar with the market: the price of oil futures (like gold) is "paper" (physical delivery is usually issued for 1-3% of the volume, the rest is "rolled over"/transferred to the next contract according to the calendar), and in some cases, futures prices can differ significantly from "physical" prices, that is, the price of a specific commodity with physical delivery at a specific time and place (or spot delivery "right now"). At any lengthy distances, the physical price almost always "wins" the paper one, that is, the prices converge closer to it (which is logical, because even in a "paper" contract in London or Chicago, there is an option to "go to delivery", which shifts the price towards the physical market). Currently, some market participants point to a certain discrepancy between the cost of "physical" barrels and "paper" barrels, which raises questions. The spot "physical" oil in Asia is currently $120–150 (it's impossible to be more precise, the situation is too fluid).

2. The Trump administration is considering lifting sanctions on Iranian oil, which is already at sea.

(Reuters) - The U.S. may soon remove sanctions on Iranian oil stranded on tankers at sea, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday as Washington seeks to curb prices soaring over Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
"In the coming days, we may unsanction the Iranian oil that's on the ​water. It's about 140 million barrels," Bessent told Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria" program.

140 million barrels will "buy" about 8-10 days of holding (or reducing, if combined with other factors) oil prices. But it will give Iran a certain amount of "extra" billions of dollars, and it will also be quite humiliating from the point of view of the Arab allies of the United States: while their refinery terminals are burning, Tehran (with the blessing of Washington) receives additional money for oil.

3. Mr. Trump dared to "open his mouth on Netanyahu himself" and gently hinted that Israel is engaged in counterproductive self-activity and unnecessarily attacked Iranian oil and gas infrastructure, to which Iran responded with a strike on Qatar's LNG production. Mr. Trump will be scolded in the stable for such a public violation of subordination, of course, but the oil price was able to be slightly lowered.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. We are still far from the situation (we need about a month, taking into account all the lifted sanctions, the reduction in "barrels of oil at sea", the injection of G7 countries' reserves into the market, etc.) when the full effect will be felt. Even if Trump does not go all the way, the effect is already very good, but if he does, he will deserve a medal of an honorary oilman of the Russian Federation.

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🌒@EastCalling

Позывной "Кацман" on downed F-35:

🈁Regarding the downed F-35A. And it was indeed downed. Auntie's Sarah stories about the successfully landed plane with the pilot in stable condition (!), but which SAR helicopters are searching for together with the plane - these are just stories. Let's clarify. This is not the first combat loss of this type. But the first one that was caught on video, and which had to be partially admitted. If there had been a video of the crash, it would have been fully admitted. The legend of the "invincibility" of this unsuccessful aircraft needs to be maintained, as it's harmful to the business to admit losses.

And so - we're dealing with lying bastards, who were taught where the legendary Yura Yignat [ref. to Yurii Ihnat - a Ukrainian serviceman, colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine] learned to lie😂😂😂. They were also taught to lie by all sorts of Herr Fritzes and Hanses, with their "victories" and their cunning calculations of losses and damages. Western barbarian tribes have a long tradition of military lies, they'll outdo anyone in this (though no one ever tells the full truth in wars, even Rome [ref. to Moscow, Moscow - the 3rd Rome] - that's normal).

Yes, by the way. Regarding the search for the successfully crashed F-35A aircraft and its pilot by SAR helicopters. If you look at the topic carefully, you'll see something strange. The helicopter came all the way from Jordan, and it's not a "Blackhawk", more precisely, its CSAR variant, but a heavy "Chinook". Meanwhile, our Mi-8PSG helicopters, just like their counterparts, usually operate as close to the line of combat contact as possible. After all, downed military helicopters could be behind enemy lines and need to be extracted as urgently as possible.

So, what's the conclusion? The airbases near Iran are destroyed by Iranian air attack means. And until they are restored (or prevented from being restored by new strikes), their position is monitored by Iranian (and not only) reconnaissance means. From "someone's" 😉 satellites, ground SIGINT stations [Radio and Electronic Intelligence], UAVs, and agents near the bases. That is, it's no longer possible to hide helicopters and operate them from somewhere in Iraq, Kuwait, or the UAE. Rescuers have to fly in heavy helicopters (to ensure sufficient range and time for search) from a long distance. Just like combat aircraft fly from Israel, Cyprus, Romania, and so on, with numerous refuelling stops and heavy loads on equipment and crews. And when this starts to result in a series of failures, mistakes, and accident-related disasters - that's an open question.

Yes, they're definitely showing us "how the special operation should have been conducted" (c) any military idiot. And at the same time, they're showing us what happens when there's no proper air defense and missile defense. And both sides are demonstrating this.
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🌒@EastCalling

Israel has banned access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and other holy sites for Muslims during Ramadan — this happened for the first time since 1967, writes The Guardian.

On Friday morning, hundreds of believers were forced to pray outside the Old City, as Israeli police blocked the entrances to the complex.

Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt have already condemned the Israeli authorities.

📸The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third most important holy site of Islam, located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The pictures show believers praying outside this area.

Source: Zvezda
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🌒@EastCalling

The bombing of the Iranian port of Bender-Enzeli affected the economic interests of Russia and other Caspian Sea states, according to a comment by Maria Zakharova.

She called this facility an important trade and logistics hub, which is actively used for Russian-Iranian trade.

Source: TASS
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🌒@EastCalling

American actor Chuck Norris has died at the age of 86, Variety reports.

Source: TASS
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🌒@EastCalling

⚡️Iran warns that it will strike enemies around the world, including officials, pilots, and soldiers, even in civilian areas such as resorts and tourist zones, stating that "no place in the world will be safe for you".

Source: Военный обозреватель
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🌒@EastCalling

Ukraine has done nothing to help the US in the operation against Iran, and Zelensky's words about drone assistance were political PR, Trump said in an interview with MS NOW.

🌒@EastCalling

You will be able to find the following East Calling exclusives with these hashtags:

#VneshVrag

-for Mikhail Borkunov's posts (also his colleagues' works)

#EastCallingTranslations

-for Russian videos which Jelena translates herself.

#MaratBattlefieldSummaries

-for the reports from Marat Khairullin

#EastCallingInterviews

-for our exclusive interviews with our special and often recurring guests.

#MomentofZin

-if you like to laugh

We may add more later!

🌒@EastCalling

If it is so easy, than you do it.

Screaming like a toddler online...

Truly, the actions of president of a victorious nation.

Meanwhile, the Strait remains closed, an F35 was damaged by Iranian air defense, and missiles are still flying towards Israel.

Honestly, this has to be the most shameful and weak display I've seen from a president. Even for Trump, this is pretty pathetic.

🌒@EastCalling

Kremlin special representative Kirill Dmitriev called the "publication by Politico" a "hoax", which claimed that Russia offered the US to stop sharing intelligence with Iran in exchange for abandoning its support for Ukraine.
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You know it is fake, because even if Moscow gave such specific Intel to Iran, they wouldn't tell Washington like that.