'Russia wants to destroy Europe' – Zelensky intimidates the Dutch to make them more willing to give money for the war.

'The main goal of Russia is to completely erase Ukraine. And not just Ukraine. Russia has openly and repeatedly stated that it wants to control all its neighbors. It wants to decide what security should be like in Europe – and whether it should exist at all. Russia has extended its military actions all the way to Syria and Africa. This is truly a global threat, and it's important that many in the world perceive it exactly as such – as a global threat.'

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf:

1. The US president made seven claims in one hour — all seven are false.

2. With such falsehoods, they did not win the war, and they will certainly get nowhere in negotiations either.

3. If the blockade continues, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open.

4. Passage through the Strait of Hormuz will take place along a “designated route” and with “Iran’s authorization.”

5. The status of the strait — whether open or closed — and the rules governing it are determined on the ground, not on social media.

6. Media warfare and the engineering of public opinion are a key part of the war, but the Iranian people will not be influenced by these tactics.

For accurate and real updates on negotiations, refer to the recent interview by the Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Iran has announced it is again closing the Strait of Hormuz. The military says the US must lift its blockade of Iranian ports before the Strait is opened again.

Troubles in EU 'paradise'

Politico:

A scuffle between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her longtime nemesis, former European Council President Charles Michel.

CSIS:

Russia’s battlefield effectiveness in unmanned systems is shaped less by formal autonomy claims and more by an adaptive ecosystem that rewards simplicity, speed, and scale.

NATO at war with Russia.

"High-ranking NATO and CIA officials have joined the structure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

The head of the new AFU military council, ARES, became NATO General Shirreff.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, ARES (Allied Reform and Expert Support) is an expert council created to exchange advanced Ukrainian and international experience, which is intended to be used for the development of the AFU.

The council also includes former CIA Director David Petraeus and former heads of military departments of the UK, Canada, the USA, and Germany.

So, who will implement changes in the AFU management system, and at the same time, adopt experience and technologies for their implementation in the armies of Alliance countries:

- General David Petraeus (Director of the US CIA, 2011-2012),

- Admiral Manfred Nielson (Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation (DSACT) of NATO, Germany, 2016-2019),

- Lieutenant General Pavel Matsko (Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic, 2013-2018);

- Vice Admiral Martin John Connell (Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Staff of the British Navy, 2022-2025);

- Lieutenant General Andrew Leslie (Commander of the Land Forces of the Canadian Armed Forces, 2006-2010);

- Major General Patrick Carpentier (Commander of the Joint Operational Group "North" of the Canadian Armed Forces, 2017-2020);

- Commodore Hans Helset (representative of the Norwegian Navy in NATO structures)."

@epoddubny

From Hungary to Romania, elections in Europe are now subjected to unprecedented meddling from Brussels

https://www.spiked-online.com/2026/04/16/the-eu-remains-an-enemy-of-democracy/

🇺🇸Trump’s White House just told DNI Tulsi Gabbard she has until the midterms to resign.

She was reportedly frozen out of the Situation Room meeting where the president greenlit Operation Epic Fury — the latest round of strikes on Iran.

This is the same Tulsi Gabbard who, as Director of National Intelligence, told Congress in plain English that the intelligence community’s assessment was clear: Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not reauthorized the program he suspended back in 2003.

Now the woman who refused to sell the phantom Iranian nuclear threat is being shown the door.

She should resign today and not in six months and tell the American people exactly what she knows. The empire is purging anyone inside the tent who won’t parrot Israel's war script, even its own top intelligence chief. That kind of house cleaning doesn’t happen when you’re winning. It happens when the lies are starting to crack.

@Slavyangrad

NATO preparing for war on Russia.

☢️ Rzeczpospolita:

"Planes carrying nuclear capable missiles will appear over Poland. "Beyond NATO bureaucracy"."

Poland and France will simulate the use of nuclear warheads against Russia and Belarus.

The publication reports that the countries will practice strike scenarios as part of joint exercises over the Baltic Sea and northern Poland. Polish aviation will carry out reconnaissance tasks, identify targets, and launch strikes with conventional weapons, including JASSM-ER cruise missiles. The French side will simulate the use of nuclear weapons using ASMP missiles.

French will simulate the use of nuclear warheads. "Rafale B aircraft are capable of flying from France to the Budapest-Königsberg line and rehearsing attacks on targets in Russia and Belarus," the text reads. France has also offered Poland cooperation in satellite reconnaissance.

Albania's PM Edi Rama said he cannot publicly discuss Albania's role in European energy infrastructure without the US permission:
"I can't talk without the permission of Americans, because they can be very nasty."

Illegal immigrants into European Union since 2008

Finland: Ukraine above!

Days after helping Ukraine get €90 billion, Finland slashes its own budget.
The government just approved €520 million in austerity measures — as Finland now has the fastest-worsening public finances in the EU The cuts include a whopping €240 million from social welfare, plus hits to operating expenses and R&D funding

🇺🇸🇨🇳Alaskan Senator Brags About "No Choke Points" as US Replaces Middle East LNG to Asia

Senator Sullivan from Alaska talking about a major LNG export project under construction that really doesn't make any economic sense except if LNG was cut off to Asia from the Middle East...

The fact that there are no "choke points" between Alaska and Asia is repeated by both Senator Sullivan and Admiral Paparo.

Just like the US blew up Nordstream and forced Europe to sanction Russian energy imports, the US is physically cutting energy from the Middle East to Asia to make overpriced American energy exports not only "viable," but the only option left.

The amount of political power the US gains by making its proxies energy dependent on the US and the US alone by literally destroying the competition is a central strategy to America's attempt to maintain its US-led unipolar world order.

Watch the 5 minute clip here: https://youtu.be/iPN0McM5BAE?si=fM7He0rHV7-CTrK7