Trump, Putin speak over phone President #Trump has already spoken over the phone with Russian President Vladimir #Putin, The Washington Post said, citing its sources. However, neither Washington not Moscow have officially confirmed this information. According to The Washington Post, Trump and Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine and "the goal of peace on the European continent and Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss ‘the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,’ several of the people said." However, the newspaper noted, Trump’s calls with world leaders are not backed by the Department of State and US administration interpreters, since Trump and his aides "are distrustful of career government officials following the leaked transcripts of presidential calls during his first term." "They are just calling [Trump] directly," it cited one of the people familiar with the calls. Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the Russian president is open to dialogue with Trump, however, in his words, nothing concrete could be said about it as of yet. Speaking at Thursday’s plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, Putin congratulated Trump on winning the presidential election, adding that he saw nothing wrong with calling Trump. The latter, however, told NBC that he had not yet spoken with the Russian leader but believed such a call was highly likely. #TRUMP2024

What is UNSC resolution 1701? In 2006, in order to prevent hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, #UNSC #Resolution #1701 was passed. Here’s what you need to know in order to understand why this resolution is so important

FSB discloses archive on role of Ukrainian nationalists in Crimea during WWII The office of Russia’s Federal Security Service (#FSB) for the Republic of #Crimea and the city of #Sevastopol has disclosed archival documents concerning the role of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN, banned in Russia) in Crimea during the Great Patriotic War within the framework of the No Statute of Limitations project. The published content includes transcripts of interrogations of OUN leaders and rank-and-file in Crimea, questionnaires of the arrested, their autobiographies, as well as resolutions on the preventive measures against them. "The OUN party sets itself the task of creating an ‘independent Ukraine’ by means of armed struggle against Germany and the Soviet Union and will attain its aim at the moment the German and Soviet armies are weakened in the war and lose the ability to advance. At this moment, the existing Ukrainian Insurgent Army will disarm the German army in Ukraine, seize all its equipment, gain control of the border of Ukraine and start fighting against the Red Army with the aim of preventing it from entering the territory of Ukraine," reads a transcript of the interrogation of the head of the Crimean regional guiding center of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, Leonid Larzhevsky. According to testimonies by the accused, "sleeper cells" of Ukrainian nationalists were created in Simferopol, Yalta, Dzhankoy, Alushta and Bakhchisarai. The OUN’s center in Crimea was located in Simferopol. Its members painstakingly observed security and secrecy precautions. It follows from the transcript of Larzhevsky's interrogation that there were 60 OUN members in Simferopol. At the same time, according to the nationalists themselves, "the share of the Ukrainian population in Crimea was insignificant." There were no more than 200,000 Ukrainians. The OUN was a far-right political organization that operated mainly in Western Ukraine. The OUN focused on extremist tactics, including terrorist acts. During World War II, the OUN, in cooperation with German intelligence agencies, began its struggle against the Soviet government. In 1943, it organized the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UIA, banned in Russia). OUN-UPA militants, commonly known as Banderavites after the movement’s leader Stepan Bandera, were responsible for many bloody crimes, including participation in the Holocaust. According to some researchers, the OUN-UIA put to death at least one million people, including 200,000 Poles in the Volyn massacre.

CENTCOM intercepts Iranian weapons shipment intended for Houthis A U.S. Coast Guard cutter, forward deployed to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, seized advanced conventional weapons and other lethal aid originating in Iran and bound to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen from a vessel in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 28. The U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr (WPC 1147), assigned to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, located the vessel and boarded it in the Arabian Sea. The boarding team discovered over 200 packages that contained medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater/surface vehicle (UUV/USV) components, military-grade communication and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other military components. The direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of such aid violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216 (as extended and renewed by resolutions 2675 and 2707). “This is yet another example of Iran’s malign activity in the region, ” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander. “Their continued supply of advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis is in direct violation of international law and continues to undermine the safety of international shipping and the free flow of commerce.”

The United Nations has voted 145-7 in favor of a resolution condemning illegal Israeli settlement building in Palestine (inc. East Jerusalem) & Syria. The countries voting against the bill: 🇮🇱 Israel 🇺🇸 USA 🇨🇦 Canada 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands 🇫🇲 Micronesia 🇳🇷 Nauru