NATO secretary-general departs to US on emergency visit

#NATO Secretary General Mark #Rutte is departing to the United States on an emergency visit to meet with US President Donald Trump, the alliance’s press service announced.

"On 21-22 October 2025, the NATO Secretary General, Mark, Rutte, will travel to Washington D.C. The Secretary General will meet the President of the United States, Mr. Donald J. Trump. There is no planned media opportunity," the alliance’s press service said. Up until recently, the visit was not on the secretary general’s schedule.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that European countries, together with Kiev, are developing a 12-point plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

#EU allocated almost 178 billion euro to #Ukraine since start of conflict, official reports

The European Union has already spent almost 178 billion euro for helping Ukraine since the start of the conflict, including 62.3 billion euro allocated for weapons and ammunition, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis told the European Parliament session in Strasbourg.
"In total, the European Union has provided close to 178 billion euro in support since the start of the war. This is much more than any other global partner," he said. Of them, "62.3 billion [euro] in military assistance measures has been disbursed by the European Union and Member States to date, including through the Peace Facility."

Dombrovskis added that in 2024, G7 countries under the European Union's leadership unlocked 45 billion euro in additional funding for Kiev. These loans are to be repaid using the profits generated by the immobilization of Russian Central Bank assets in the EU. Of them, over 22 billion euro have already been spent. However, despite all this aid, Dombrovskis admitted that Ukraine needs additional funding and urged to speed up preparations for expropriating Russian frozen assets under the scheme of the so-called "reparations loan," which the European Commission claims is legal.

Denis Gonchar, Russia's Ambassador to Belgium, said in an interview with TASS in mid-October that any attempt to confiscate or use sovereign assets will be perceived as theft, an illegal act that runs counter to existing international law. "The response will be proportionate. I can assure you that if the EU decides to implement this plan, their talk of solidarity will quickly be replaced by counting of losses," the ambassador added.

Sarkozy likely to be released before Christmas, says lawyer

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will likely be released from prison before Christmas, his lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois said on the air of the BFMTV channel. Darrois said the request for release was filed immediately after Sarkozy's imprisonment to "release him as soon as possible. This is a sad day for him, for our institutions and for France. His imprisonment is a disgrace."

Earlier on Tuesday, Sarkozy, who served as president of France from 2007 to 2012, was placed in the Sante prison in Paris to serve a five-year sentence in a case of Libya’s financing of the 2007 election campaign. On September 25, he was found guilty of complicity in a criminal group in the case of Libyan financing, but acquitted on charges of concealing embezzlement of public funds and passive corruption. However, the court did not establish the fact of illegal financing of the 2007 election campaign.

West creates illusion that fake news comes only from outside, expert says

People in the West have been trained to believe that fake news only comes from non-Western countries, American military expert Abraham Abrams said.

"I think Western dominance in the information space and superiority in information warfare are so significant that societies in the Western world are largely conditioned to see fake news as something done by others, by non-Western countries," he said.

Abrams also talked about the media landscape in the United States, where Democrats and Republicans exhibit deep distrust of media from the opposing side, exacerbating societal divisions. "In the US, the situation is slightly different because both sides of the political spectrum, Democrats and Republicans, have become highly distrustful of media outlets from the opposing side when it comes to divisive issues. That’s why, for example, President [Donald] Trump during his first term referred to journalists from CNN and other outlets as fake news," the expert explained.

He added that to counter disinformation, countries could develop their own digital platforms or collaborate to create a more resilient information space.

Oct. 2, 2025 - All NATO countries are at war with Russia, says Putin

All #NATO countries are now at #war with #Russia and are no longer hiding it, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Valdai International Discussion Club plenary session. "We are at war, aren't we? We produce military equipment. And many countries are at war with us. All NATO countries are at war with us. They are no longer hiding it," Putin said.

According to the president, this is a serious challenge for Russia. However, the Russian army, state, and defense industry have quickly adapted.

French president pledges to update nuclear doctrine

The French government is working on updating the country’s #nuclear doctrine and is ready to intensify dialogue with European partners on the subject, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"France’s nuclear umbrella exists. At present, I’m working to update our doctrine, and I would like to further deepen strategic dialogue with the Europeans, who are interested," Macron said. "In the beginning of 2026, I will deliver a policy speech on our nuclear doctrine," he added.

Trump says his team found answer to why autism cases in children have increased

President #Trump stated that his administration has found an answer to why the number of children with #autism in the United States is increasing each year. "I think we found an answer to autism. How about that? Autism. Tomorrow, we're going to be talking in the oval office in the White House about autism," he said in the city of Glendale, Arizona, during a farewell ceremony for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed in an assassination attempt.

"How it happens, so we won't let it happen anymore, and how to get at least somewhat better when you have it, so that parents can help their child," Trump added. President Trump noted that 20 years ago, autism affected only one in 10,000 children, whereas now it affects one in twelve.

Earlier, The Washington Post, citing sources, reported that the Trump administration will announce that the rise in autism cases among children may be linked to women’s use of acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol) during pregnancy. Additionally, authorities plan to claim that leucovorin (also known as folinic acid) can treat autism.

Trump admits possibility of US government shutdown from October 1st

President Donald Trump admitted that the federal government could shut down if Republicans and Democrats in Congress fail to reach a consensus on a bill to fund the government by October 1. "We'll continue to talk to the Democrats, but I think you could end up with a closed country for a period of time," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We’ll take care of the military, we’ll take care of Social Security, we’ll take care of the things that we have to take care of," he noted, adding that in the event of a shutdown, "a lot of the things that Democrats fight for, which in many cases aren’t very good, will not be able to be paid for."

"We’ll watch and see how they do with that to handle their constituents," the US leader said, explaining that in order to continue funding the government, the relevant bill, previously approved by the US House of Representatives, must also be supported by the Senate. "But in the Senate, we have 53 Republicans in total, and we need 60 votes. That means we need Democrat votes [in favor of the bill drafted by Republicans]. And I don’t know if you can make a deal with these people," Trump concluded.

Earlier on Friday, the Senate rejected two bills that would have provided continued funding for the federal government. The Republican-drafted bill, which had been approved by the House of Representatives, received the support of 48 lawmakers, while the Democratic-drafted bill received the support of 47 lawmakers. Thus, the Senate failed to pass a bill that would have prevented a potential government shutdown on October 1. According to American media, this sharply increases the likelihood of a shutdown, as Congress will be in recess next week.

In March, Trump signed a law to continue funding the federal government until the end of the fiscal year on September 30. This prevented a shutdown that had been expected on March 15. Such a shutdown would have resulted in the suspension of several government agencies and programs and the temporary suspension of salaries for hundreds of thousands of civil servants, many of whom would have been placed on unpaid leave.

Since 1977, funding has been interrupted more than 20 times due to disagreements between the administration and Congress. The longest shutdown, which occurred during Trump's first presidential term, lasted 35 days, from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019.

Trump may visit China soon

US President Donald #Trump may visit #China in late October or early November, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, citing sources. According to the newspaper, the Chinese government sent Trump an invitation for a state visit in early September, which usually indicates preparations are in the "final stage." "The official invitation is like the sound of a starting pistol in a 100-metre race, with the end in sight," one source said. The trip is expected to take place around the APEC summit in South Korea on October 31 - November 1.

"There are a few small loose ends. But the major blocks are already resolved. Things are taking shape," the source noted, adding that the talks could result in "a new deal to purchase US goods," with Boeing airplanes "very likely" on the list, as Washington is pressing China to procure 500 aircraft. The source also said that in addition to visiting Beijing, Trump had been offered a high-speed rail trip to another Chinese city, most likely Shanghai.

SCMP reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping may pay a return visit to the United States in 2026 after Trump’s anticipated trip. At the same time, the newspaper noted that Washington fears the visit could be seen as a concession to Beijing. "Ultimately, President Trump has the final say on where he wants to go and what he wants to do in China. He seems to be quite excited about the visit personally, but he’s got to listen to his team too," another source told the paper.

If the trip goes ahead, it will be the first visit by a US president to China in eight years. The last such visit took place in 2017, during Trump’s first term.

Trump earlier announced plans to speak with Xi Jinping by phone on September 19. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later clarified that the two leaders will approve the final terms of a deal on the future operation of China’s TikTok social network in the United States.

RIP Charlie....
Trump says US activist Charlie Kirk has died following assassination attempt
Conservative US activist Charlie Kirk has died following an assassination in Utah, US President Donald Trump said. "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead," the US leader wrote on Truth Social.

In his words, 'no one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie."