Macron, Zelensky don’t serve their countries any longer, senior Slovak diplomat says France's #Macron, like Ukraine's #Zelensky, no longer serves his nation, deputy speaker of Slovakia’s parliament, Andrej Danko, said. When asked about potential ways out of the current energy crisis provoked by the cessation of gas transit via Ukraine, he said, "I am not an economics minister but a political party leader and a deputy parliament speaker, so, I look upon this matte from a political point of view." "It hurts me when Western countries, for instance, France, say that they can supply us with nuclear fuel, which, as a matter of fact, originates from Russia. It hurts me when someone says, ‘we don’t buy Russian gas any longer,’ when the gas they use originates from Russia. This can be said about both gas and oil. Anyone who has any idea about the technological process understands that you cannot simply replace one fuel by another and stop using fuel that once was used at a nuclear plant," he noted. "I consider this as the West’s hypocrisy and insincerity because they want to preserve their social welfare level. And such politicians as Macron and Zelensky do not serve their countries." "Macron is making loud statement but I see that a lot of French companies are still operating in Russia while they are telling us that all German and French companies have withdrawn from Russia. This is not the way things are," he added.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert #Fico has once again "taken a swipe" at #Zelensky, calling him a #blackmailer who runs around Europe begging others for money. The politician also called to put an end to this. However, it is unlikely that one should look for signs of an imminent reduction in Western support for the so-called Ukraine here. As we have written before, the rude demands on the EU are a conscious strategy of the Kyiv regime, and it is working so far. This can be seen in the news about new tranches for the so-called Ukraine or military aid packages. Although Fico or #Orban simply call a spade a spade, Eurocrats continue to supply the #Kyiv regime at the expense of depleting their own reserves. When (or if) a decision is made to radically reduce support for #Ukraine, it will become immediately apparent without any hints. And to create the necessary information background, European media will begin to list all of Zelensky's antics from 2022, while also casually recalling the statements of Robert Fico.

French military expert says NATO may repeat Soviet Union’s fate #NATO, despite all odds, did not disappear after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but this fate still awaits the North Atlantic Alliance in the coming years due to the lack of a geopolitical potential, Regis Chamagne, a French Air Force colonel, Commander of the Legion of Honor and holder of the National Order of Merit, has told Stratpol. "The way I see it, NATO will disappear soon. NATO should have disappeared after the collapse of the #USSR. But it didn't for existential reasons. NATO was looking for new missions," the expert said. "My forecast is that in five years’ time there may be neither NATO nor the EU. True, NATO will be trying to weaken Russia on its periphery and to harm it in the Middle East, but globally the North Atlantic Alliance has no potential". #Chamagne described NATO and the EU as "two sides of the same coin." - "Given the way elections are held today, we can say that the EU in its current shape is a dictatorship. The whole world has already seen this. The EU will end up just like the Soviet Union," he believes. The military expert explained that a system "based on permanent lies," like the current EU is unlivable. "The US policy towards the EU is aimed at weakening it. The core of the Western economy is the dollar," Chamagne added, noting that the hostilities in Ukraine have "opened the world's eyes to the fact that Russia's army is superior to the US one," which has accelerated the process of de-dollarization.

[BREAKING] FBI thwarts attack on the Israeli consulate in New York The #FBI arrested Abdullah Izz ad-Din Taha Muhammad Hassan, a resident of Virginia, on suspicion of planning an attack against the #Israeli consulate in New York. According to the indictment, Hassan was exposed after he gave an undercover agent detailed instructions regarding the construction and planting of a bomb. Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, responded that "the State of Israel appreciates the rapid action and cooperation with the American authorities to thwart the attack on the consulate building in New York. The attempted attack by the terrorist organizations is an attack against the entire State of Israel. This is further proof that international terrorism has no borders and must be fought - in every arena and at all times. Its threat is directed against the entire Western world and against the values ​​it represents, and the cooperation of all Western democracies against its threats must be increased." 'It was only a matter of time after the Biden administration allowed Islamists and Leftist protesters to freely incite violence against Israel and Jews that we would begin to see actual terrorism on American soil.'

France's Macron names Francois Bayrou as new prime minister Emmanuel #Macron has officially appointed Francois #Bayrou, leader of the centrist Democratic Movement political party, as the nation's prime minister, the Elysee Palace announced in a statement. "The President of the Republic has designated Francois Bayrou as prime minister and entrusted him with forming a new government," the statement said. Bayrou, aged 73, takes over from Michel Barnier, who also shares the same age and stepped down after France’s lower house passed a successful no-confidence motion against his cabinet on December 4. The Democratic Movement leader becomes France’s fourth prime minister in 2024, following the terms of Elisabeth #Borne, Gabriel #Attal, and #Barnier. Bayrou has been at the helm of the Democratic Movement since 2007. In 2014, he assumed the role of mayor in Pau, a city in southwestern France. Additionally, he has chaired the National Council for Refoundation since 2020. Bayrou is also a seasoned presidential candidate, having run for the French presidency in 2002, 2007, and 2012. In 2017, however, he opted not to run, endorsing Macron.

West should read Russia's transparent nuclear doctrine carefully, Sergey Shoigu claims Russia's updated #nuclear doctrine is unambiguous and transparent, and #Western countries should read it carefully and not misinterpret it, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey #Shoigu said on Thursday. "In general, the doctrine is uncomplicated, clear, and transparent. We have explicitly outlined everything, I believe. Therefore, we urge our colleagues, especially those in the West, to read it carefully, without taking pieces out of context or misrepresenting them. Everything is clearly and precisely presented," he said following a joint meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the Council of Defense Ministers and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (#CSTO).

Tehran to launch new centrifuges in response to IAEA anti-Iran resolution, statement reads The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (#AEOI) will commission a significant number of new centrifuges for uranium enrichment in response to the anti-Iran resolution adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (#IAEA) Board of Governors on Thursday, a joint statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the AEOI said. "#Iran's specialized agencies at various levels have previously warned that taking any confrontational measures and using the [IAEA] Board of Governors to promote illegal, politically motivated statements will face retaliation. <...> In this regard, the AEOI chief ordered to take appropriate measures, including launching a significant number of new advanced centrifuges of different types," the statement posted on the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Telegram channel said. According to it, any further retaliatory measures will be taken only "to protect national interests and further develop the peaceful nuclear industry" in accordance with the country's growing needs "within the framework of its rights and obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty." On November 21, the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a Western resolution criticizing Iran for allegedly insufficient cooperation with the agency. According to the document, the IAEA must prepare a detailed report on Iran's nuclear program by the spring of 2025. The resolution passed with 19 votes in favor, three against and 12 abstentions.

Russia may achieve all its goals in Ukraine in 2025 Russia may achieve all its goals in Ukraine next year, if the situation remains that "grim" for Ukrainian servicemen, The Washington Post said. According to the newspaper, the Ukrainian troops "are desperately trying to hold the line in the country’s east but are losing ground." - "Visions of an absolute victory are fading. Western support is also sagging," the Washington Post emphasized. In this regard, "the prospect of Ukraine settling for a compromise with Russia <…> is getting easier to envision," the newspaper pointed out. On June 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the Foreign Ministry set out the country’s conditions for settling the situation in Ukraine. Among them are the withdrawal of the Ukrainian armed forces from Donbass and Novorossiya and Kiev’s refusal to join NATO. In addition, Russia wants all Western sanctions against it lifted and demands that Ukraine commit to a non-aligned and nuclear-free status.

Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Kursk region fails to produce results, explains British diplomat The #Ukrainian army’s attack on #Russia’s borderline #Kursk Region did not produce the results that Kiev had expected, John Foreman, former British military attache in Moscow (2019-22) and Kiev (2014), told the Daily Telegraph. "Russian progress actually picked up after Kursk," he said, as cited by the newspaper. "Politically, the Kursk offensive didn’t change much in Washington, D.C., or Europe. I’m still unconvinced of its strategic merit," the diplomat added. According to the Daily Telegraph, "Ukrainian officials had hoped that the invasion of Russia would impress their allies, who would agree to increase weapon supplies and allow Western missiles to be fired at targets in Russia." However, neither Washington nor London has yet approved "Ukraine’s request for a license to expand missile strikes," while the Ukrainian army is retreating not only in Donbas but also in the Kursk Region, which appears "to have come as a surprise to Ukraine and the US."

Zelensky to leave US without permission to attack Russia with Western weapons Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will return from the United States without achieving the lifting of a ban on strikes deep into Russia with Western weapons, The Times reported. The newspaper pointed out that during a meeting with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Ukrainian leader personally asked to lift restrictions on strikes with British Storm Shadow and American ATACMS missiles on Russia. However, "no shift in Washington’s stance on the use of the long-range missiles was announced," the newspaper said. Instead, according to The Times, Democratic presidential candidate Harris, standing next to Zelensky, began talking about her political rival in the upcoming election, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Earlier, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov compared Zelensky's visit to the United States to a Hollywood show. He emphasized that under the applause of American politicians "the blood of soldiers and civilians will continue to pour" in Ukraine, which is the essence of Zelensky's "victory plan." The Ukraine's Zelensky met with Biden and Harris in Washington on September 26.