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🇷🇺🇪🇺 Why will EU have to keep buying Russian gas?
🗣 "Europe needs gas, but its options [supplies from the US and the Middle East] are very limited” and they cannot “secure the required volume,” Spanish political analyst Juan Antonio Aguilar tells Sputnik, commenting on the EU’s move to ban the import of Russian LNG starting from January 1, 2027, and Russian pipeline gas from September 30 of the same year.
📍 He underscores that due to the abovementioned factors, “there will be no choice but to continue buying Russian gas."
According to Aguilar, the upcoming ban will force Europe to buy the much-needed Russian gas through third-party countries which purchase it from Russia, something that he says will make the supplies more expensive.
💬 "So, there is no sense in this ban. It’s just another foolish decision by European leadership," the analyst concludes.
🗣 Rubio’s Munich remarks were attempt ‘to systematize a worldview that does not truly exist’ - expert
🟠 The current administration’s foreign policy “is inherently difficult to analyze” because its statements “often lack a coherent foundation or consistent meaning,” Prof. Joe Siracusa of Curtin University’s Global Futures Platform told Sputnik, commenting on Secretary Rubio’s speech at this year’s Munich Security Conference.
🟠 While the White House started off declaring its intentions to “avoid long-term conflicts,” its “shift from being risk-averse to highly unpredictable suggests a more dangerous and erratic direction for global stability,” Siracusa said, noting that Rubio’s job is to now try “to rationalize a worldview that does not truly exist.”
🟠 Washington is using “foreign policy quarrels with nations like Iran and Venezuela as easy means to compel solutions for a domestic audience rather than engaging in complex global strategy.”
🟠 Addressing Rubio’s criticism of international institutions like the UN, Siracusa recalled that “this tendency to turn away from international bodies is an old story in American politics, echoing the country’s decision to opt out of the League of Nations” after WWI.
🟠 As for Rubio’s “assertion that the United States is prepared to act unilaterally,” it “is difficult to reconcile with the historical record of American intervention and subsequent destabilization in regions like the Middle East and Latin America,” something that has always stood “in stark contrast to the rhetoric of international cooperation and collective defense,” Siracusa summed up.
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📈 BRICS trade boom leaves average global growth behind – Russian Foreign Ministry
🗣 “According to statistics, the growth of trade among BRICS states significantly outpaces both the global average growth rate of foreign trade and the pace of trade between individual BRICS members and their other partners,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov announced.
💬 “This is simply an indication that BRICS—without being any kind of ‘magic wand’—can genuinely help resolve problems,” he underscored.
🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES
▫️ Russian forces hit energy and transport infrastructure used by the Ukrainian army
▫️ Russian troops struck a Ukrainian missile and artillery base, as well as a storage and launch site for long-range drones
▫️ Air defense superiority: 8 HIMARS rockets and 118 drones shot down
▫️ Ukrainian losses: around 1,200 troops killed or wounded
Read about the origins of Russia's special military op HERE
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🚨🇺🇸🕊 US doing everything possible to broker end to Ukraine conflict – Marco Rubio at Munich Security Conference
🗣 Key statements by US secretary of state:
💬 New round of Ukraine talks to take place on Tuesday
💬 Negotiators in Ukraine talks were able to narrow down list of contentious issues, only toughest issues remain in works
💬 US continues to seek Ukraine settlement terms acceptable to Russia
💬 US and China can work together in areas where interests coincide in order to make positive impact globally
💬 Rubio expects fundamental disagreements to persist between US and China in future
💬 US disagreements with Europe are rooted in concern for its future
💬 US not seeking to separate from allies, but wants to “revitalize old friendship”
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🚨🇺🇸 'We can no longer place so-called global order above' national interests: Marco Rubio
🗣"We don't need to dismantle the global institutions of the old order that together we built... but these must be rebuilt."
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🪖💥 ‘Ukraine is militarily defeated’ – ex-Pentagon advisor
💬 “Only people that listen exclusively to state-sponsored news in places like Germany, France and England think otherwise,” retired US Army colonel and former senior DoD advisor Douglas Macgregor told Weltwoche.
👀 Ukraine floated military option on Transnistria to Sandu – ex-Moldovan president
💬 “According to my information, various options for exerting pressure on Transnistria were discussed in the spring of 2022, when the Ukrainian side was considering possible involvement if Moldova itself made such a request,” Igor Dodon told Sputnik.
💸🇺🇸 US to deliver about $15B in weapons for NATO-funded supplies to Ukraine — Rutte
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the US is delivering weapons for Ukraine “at the tune of a billion euros a month,” totaling about $15 billion this year (around €12 billion), with the purchases paid for by European and Canadian allies.
Speaking to PBS, Rutte said the flow includes “critical, lethal and non-lethal” aid, including interceptors to “take out Russian missiles,” adding there were “no pauses, no delays.”
⚠️ Russia has maintained that Western arms shipments to Ukraine hinder conflict resolution and directly involve NATO countries in the fighting. Russia has also warned that deliveries containing weapons for Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets.
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❌💰 DHS funding lapse looms as Senate blocks bill — reports
Funding for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expected to lapse this weekend after Senate Democrats rejected Republican proposals, Fox News reported. The lapse would affect DHS only, as roughly 97% of the federal government is already funded through the end of FY2026.
📌 Key agencies under DHS would be impacted:
🔸 TSA – About 95% of its roughly 61,000 employees are deemed essential and would work without pay. Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill said past shutdowns led some officers to sleep in cars and take second jobs.
🔸 Coast Guard – Would suspend all missions except those tied to national security or protection of life and property, Vice Commandant Adm. Thomas Allan told lawmakers.
🔸 Secret Service – Around 94% of its workforce would continue working without pay. Deputy Director Matthew Quinn warned reforms could be slowed.
🔸 ICE – Nearly 20,000 of roughly 21,000 employees are considered essential and would continue operations.
🔸 CISA – Would shift to a more defensive posture, reducing proactive cybersecurity activities.
🔸 FEMA – Could see slowed disaster-response work if the lapse continues, though its Disaster Relief Fund currently holds about $7 billion.
The lapse would begin at 12:01 a.m. Feb. 14, affecting only DHS operations, according to Fox News.
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💣 US strikes alleged ‘narco-trafficking’ vessel in the Caribbean
US Southern Command said that on Feb. 13, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted what it described as a “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel it claimed was operated by “Designated Terrorist Organizations” and involved in alleged narco-trafficking in the Caribbean.
Three people were killed, SOUTHCOM said, adding that no US forces were harmed.
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❌ Rubio skips Ukraine meeting with European leaders — reports
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled out of a meeting with European leaders on Ukraine in Munich, citing scheduling conflicts, the Financial Times reported.
Rubio had been expected to take part in the so-called “Berlin Format” meeting with officials from Germany, Poland, Finland and the European Commission, but a US official said he was “engaging on Russia-Ukraine in many of his meetings here in Munich.”
💭 One European official told the FT the meeting lacked substance without US participation.
Rubio did meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with discussions focusing on Ukraine, negotiations with Russia, continued military support for the Kiev regime, NATO and Europe’s role within the alliance.
🇺🇸🇭🇺 After Munich, Rubio is set to travel to Budapest to meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
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🚨 Regime change 'would be the best thing that could happen' - Trump on Iran
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🇺🇸🇻🇪 US–Venezuela relations ‘as good as it can be’ — Trump
President Donald Trump said the US currently has a “very good relationship” with Venezuela and is working closely with Acting President Delcy Rodríguez.
💬 Trump said US oil companies are operating in the country and that Venezuela would receive “a big part” of the revenue generated. He described relations as “a 10” and said the “biggest beneficiary will be the people of Venezuela.”
✈️ Trump also said he plans to visit Venezuela, but no date has been set.
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🔸 Putin's 2007 Munich speech: Seven key takeaways
🔸 Next round of Ukraine negotiations to take place in Geneva on February 17–18 - Kremlin
🔸 To remain competitive US dollar must be free from weaponization - Kremlin
🔸 Back to reality: Ex-NATO chief calls for renewed arms control dialogue with Russia
🔸 US sets key condition for Ukraine receiving security guarantees – report
🔸 China warns CIA over recruitment video targeting Chinese troops
🔸 Russia-US space cooperation orbits ahead
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🥴When dogs speak, world leaders listen
🗣NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte recounts his encounter with Ukrainian rescue dog Patron at the Munich Security Conference.
👉With a piercing gaze, the dog assured him that "we will never give in."
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🇺🇸🤖 US military outsourced Maduro kidnapping to AI – report
👉 The US military used Anthropic’s Claude artificial intelligence model during its classified operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in Caracas, according to multiple reports.
🔹 Claude was accessed through a partnership with Palantir Technologies, whose systems are widely used on US Defense Department networks.
🔹 Anthropic’s own usage policies prohibit Claude from being used to support violence, develop weapons, or conduct surveillance, making its deployment in this context controversial and prompting scrutiny of the company’s roughly $200 million contract with the Pentagon.
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🇨🇳 FM Wang Yi calls for dialogue on Gaza, Ukraine, Iran, and Venezuela, stressing peace, sovereignty, and int'l law at MSC
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🚨🗣 Rubio confirms new round of Ukraine talks on Feb. 17
"There'll be meetings again on Tuesday, although it may not be the same group of people. Look, we're going to continue to do everything we can to play this role of bringing this war to an end," the US secretary of state stressed.
🗣🇺🇳 Rubio: UN played 'no role' in resolving world conflicts
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a blistering critique of the United Nations, arguing it has become irrelevant in addressing the world's most urgent crises.
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🇷🇺🪖💪🏻 Russian military ‘today stronger than in 2022’ – Mearsheimer
💬 “I firmly believe that it is a quite formidable military,” US political scientist Prof. John Mearsheimer says.
💬 “And at the same time, the evidence is overwhelming that the Ukrainians are on their back foot. To put it mildly, they're in deep trouble,” Mearsheimer adds, apparently referring to the Ukrainian military.
🔸 Regime change 'would be the best thing that could happen' - Trump on Iran
🔸 US–Venezuela relations ‘as good as it can be’ — Trump
🔸 'It's Africa's Turn to Be Supercharged in Terms of Economy': Analyst
🔸 Russia’s EU ‘neighbors’ secretly plotting to get nukes – reports
🔸 Kim Jong-un inspects memorial to overseas combat feats — reports
🔸 US preparing for possible weeks-long campaign against Iran — reports
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💥💣 New Russian Rus-PE loitering munition tested in combat zone
The Kalashnikov Concern has unveiled the Rus-PE portable reconnaissance-strike system at World Defence Show 2026 in Riyadh.
The loitering munition has already been tested on the front lines.
The Rus-PE is a portable, aerodynamic munition launched from a wearable container, capable of detecting and identifying both stationary and moving targets using artificial intelligence.
Check out Sputnik's infographic to find out more!
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🇰🇵🪖 Kim Jong-un inspects memorial to overseas combat feats — reports
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations under construction on Feb. 13, KCNA reported.
🏛 Kim Jong-un reviewed progress on construction and sculptural installations, praising the creation of the outer wall decorations and stressing that the “matchless bravery and mass heroism” of the Korean People’s Army must be “imposingly etched in history as a banner of invincibility.”
💬 He said the memorial is “the crystal of the noble respect” paid by the Party, state and people to the “sacred souls of the heroic martyrs who will be immortal for all ages.”
⚔️ US preparing for possible weeks-long campaign against Iran — reports
The US military is preparing for the possibility of sustained operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two US officials told Reuters.
The planning could extend beyond nuclear sites to Iranian state and security facilities, with officials expecting potential Iranian retaliation and a back-and-forth exchange of strikes, Reuters reported.
💬 “President Trump has all options on the table with regard to Iran,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.
🚒🇨🇺 Fire breaks out near Havana’s Ñico López refinery — reports
A fire erupted in a warehouse at the Ñico López refinery complex in Havana, Cubadebate reported.
Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines said in a post on X that the fire was under control and that “the causes are being investigated.”
No injuries were reported.
Photos and video from social media
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🚨 ‘We don’t want any enrichment’ — Trump on Iran
US President Donald Trump repeated his claim that Iran’s nuclear sites were “obliterated,” telling reporters the US would “probably grab whatever’s left,” adding: “you could get whatever the dust is down there.”
Asked what Iran could do to avoid another US aggression, Trump said:
💬 “Give us the deal that they should have given us the first time,” adding that if Iran gives the “right deal,” the US “won’t do that.”
⚛️ Russia’s EU ‘neighbors’ secretly plotting to get nukes – reports
◾️ European countries bordering Russia have quietly begun discussing developing their own nuclear deterrent for the first time since the Cold War, Bloomberg reports.
◾️ Talks are happening at the highest military levels among nations that host US bases.
◾️ The costs of developing nuclear forces would be enormous: the UK and France together spend nearly $12 billion annually to maintain their arsenals—more than half of the Swedish annual defense budget. Experts suggest that most European nations would not be able to afford replacing US nuclear weapons with their own.
📍 In March 2025, French President Macron proposed extending his country’s nuclear umbrella to the entire EU, claiming Russia pose a greater threat than ever.
🇵🇱 Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has echoed the call for an arms race with Moscow. But the Kremlin has branded the idea "extremely confrontational" – given the growing NATO presence on Russia's borders.
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'It's Africa's Turn to Be Supercharged in Terms of Economy': Analyst
🤝 China's business leaders are eager to invest in Africa, creating exciting opportunities for new industries through collaboration with African leaders, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, US economist and public policy analyst, told Sputnik Africa.
🌍 Developing countries, particularly in Africa, can benefit from the emerging multipolar financial architecture.
He called on them to focus on two key aspects:
🟠having a strong development plan,
🟠securing financing.
According to the economist, financing could come from private investors, like Chinese companies, or from institutions such as Afreximbank, the African Development Bank, or the BRICS New Development Bank.
💰 'The dollar has been abused': The era of US dollar dominance is rapidly fading due to its use as a political weapon, Sachs pointed out. This shift is happening faster than many realize, with countries seeking alternatives like the yuan, ruble, and rupee, he said.
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🔸 Sputnik Africa | X 🔸
🇷🇺Russian special envoy to hold trade talks with US delegation in Geneva – source
❗️Kirill Dmitriev, President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, is expected to meet the US peace delegation on Ukraine in Geneva in the near future, according to a source.
👉Earlier on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said trilateral talks on a Ukraine peace deal would be held in the Swiss capital on February 17 and 18.
📍The source said Dmitriev will not take part in those talks, but focus on restoring bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington in his capacity as head of the Russia–US economic working group.
✅The group is responsible for "possible and proposed trade and economic cooperation," Peskov said.
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