Oil price to fall to $50 per barrel, reports WSJ citing Riyadh Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has said that #oil prices may fall to $50 per barrel unless a number of OPEC+ nations adhere to agreed output limits, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported citing sources. This comes amid an online meeting of the #OPEC+ ministerial monitoring committee aimed at estimating the current situation on the oil market, which is taking place now. Its participants intend to discuss the issue of weakening output restrictions in December, according to the publication. #Riyadh has warned a number of countries, including Iraq, against an increase in oil production, indicating that they should observe their OPEC+ commitments. The price of futures contracts of Brent crude oil for December delivery rose above $76 per barrel on London's ICE earlier on Wednesday for the first time since September 3, 2024. The price of oil is rising amid an escalation in the Middle East.

Kyiv prepared Putin’s assassination attempt with Western involvement, funding, reports diplomat The #Kyiv regime was preparing an #assassination attempt against Russian President Vladimir #Putin with direct participation and funding from its Anglo-Saxon masters, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova said during a briefing. "We noted the confessions of the head of Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate Kirill Budanov [included in the list of terrorists and extremists in Russia]. Speaking in an interview for a Ukrainian newspaper on July 13, he confessed to futile assassination attempts against the President of Russia. There are no doubts that such crimes were planned and funded with direct participation of the Anglo-Saxon masters of the Kiev regime," the diplomat noted. She stated her certainty that, this way, the collective West "becomes complicit in this criminal activity of the Kiev regime." - "No evil deed, no terror act against civilians, against representatives of the authorities, has never been condemned by Western countries during this period, neither in their national quality, nor collectively," Zakharova underscored. Previously, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry #Peskov said that everything necessary is being done to ensure the safety of the president "considering the international escalation of tensions in general."

NATO shouldn’t accept Ukraine due to risk of nuclear escalation with Russia #NATO shouldn't promise to welcome Ukraine into the alliance in order to de-escalate tensions with Russia, which have increased after the start of the Ukrainian conflict, The 'American Conservative' said. According to the magazine, NATO and the US in particular should agree to talks with Russia to de-escalate nuclear risks that have increased due to the #Ukrainian conflict. The magazine pointed out that this task has become even more important following the recent accession to NATO of formerly neutral #Finland and #Sweden, which has made Russia even more reliant on its nuclear arsenal. The article said that the nuclear deal between NATO and #Moscow must include commitments not to admit Ukraine to the alliance and not to deploy the bloc's troops and infrastructure on Ukrainian territory. NATO Secretary General Jens #Stoltenberg said on June 17 that the alliance's member states had begun consultations on the need to put nuclear weapons on alert. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry #Peskov said that Stoltenberg’s statements were yet another escalation of tensions.

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in an English-language video statement says Lebanon's Hezbollah terror group is "bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation, one that could have devastating consequences for Lebanon and the entire region." "The Hezbollah terror organization in Lebanon has been escalating its attacks against Israel. Since deciding to join the war that Hamas started on October 7th, Hezbollah has fired over 5,000 rockets; anti-tank missiles, and explosive UAVs from Lebanon at Israeli families, homes, and communities," he says. "Hezbollah's increasing aggression is bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation, one that could have devastating consequences for Lebanon and the entire region," Hagari continues.

Expert sees conflict between Russia, NATO in Arctic in `next couple of years’ A #Russia-#NATO conflict in the #Arctic may erupt in the next two to three years amid tensions between the two sides, a Russian military expert said. "As regards the potential timeline of this conflict, judging from all papers, delivery times and public statements being made by NATO and US military leaders, that is scheduled for 2030 or later," Alexander Stepanov, program director at the Academy of Political Sciences and senior researcher at the Institute of Latin American Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), wrote. "But given how the situation has been evolving of late, the high intensity and escalation of tensions, that [#conflict] may occur there in the next three to three years," he warned.

Houthis claim responsibility for attacks on U.S., British vessels in Red Sea, Gulf of Aden #Houthis from #Yemen's rebel Ansar Allah movement have staged four operations against US and British vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea over the past 72 hours, the movement’s military spokesperson Yahya #Sarea said. "The naval and missile forces conducted four joint operations against four ships, including the American Maersk Saratoga in the Gulf of Aden and the APL Detroit in the Red Sea, and the British Huang Pu and Pretty Lady in the Red Sea," he said in a statement posted on his Telegram channel. In all, according to Sarea, "six military operations with the use of a large number of ballistic missiles and drones were conducted in the past 72 hours." In particular, the Houthi missile forces hit a number of targets in the city of Eilat in southern Israel. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a high-ranking Ansar Allah representative, said on Monday that since the beginning of the current escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Houthis have conducted a total of 38 military operations in the Red and Arabian seas, as well as in the Indian Ocean.

Macron says Paris, Berlin, Warsaw agree not to be first to escalate tensions in Ukraine #Germany, #Poland and #France have agreed that they will never be the first to escalate the conflict in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron announced following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. "We will continue the policy we have followed since day one: never to be the initiators of any escalation in Ukraine," Macron said in a speech that was webcast on the X account of the Elysee Palace. The French president said that the three countries, known as the Weimar Triangle, plan to continue supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes." He also said that Paris, Berlin and Warsaw support Prague's initiative to buy weapons for Kiev in third countries as the EU can’t produce enough. In other remarks, Macron confirmed plans to create a coalition to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles. He said the leaders also agreed to support Moldova.

#Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski said that some #NATO countries have already sent their military to #Ukraine . #Sikorsky spoke about this during a speech on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Poland’s accession to NATO. “Unlike other politicians, I will not list these countries,” the diplomat said, obviously hinting at German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who earlier spoke about the presence of British and French instructors in Ukraine. Following this statement, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto criticized France and Poland for speaking about the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine, since these two countries cannot speak on behalf of the entire alliance, and sending troops would be a step towards unilateral escalation.

French President Emmanuel #Macron announced the upcoming establishment of a permanent military mission in #Chisinau in the following months. Macron stated that the mission aims to enhance the interoperability of the French and Moldovan armies. Additionally, the French intend to combat disinformation and cyber attacks to safeguard the republic's sovereignty. It is worth noting that in Moldova, the EU's so-called "civilian mission" pursues similar objectives. It is important to mention that presidential elections are scheduled for the fall, during which European supervisors may influence the outcome in favor of Maia Sandu directly on location. ▪️ The official justification for deploying the French military in Moldova stemmed from Sandu's recent remarks in Paris accusing Russian special services of attempting another coup in the republic and perpetuating support for disinformation campaigns. ▪️ However, Macron himself announced the day before that France would dispatch troops to so-called Ukraine if the conflict expanded toward Kyiv and Odessa. Therefore, the French deployment in Moldova is part of preparations for a potential involvement in Transnistria and the Odessa region. ▪️ Furthermore, France is actively working on deploying air defense systems in Poland and Romania. In Moldova, there are persistent calls for integration into the Romanian air defense system. Meanwhile, Chisinau has procured an air defense radar from the French Thales company, whose effectiveness has recently come into question as reported here. ▪️ The French are also exploring the option of sending troops to western Ukraine for logistical and mine clearance support. Similar objectives may formally be announced in Moldova, given that military transit occurs through the region as well. 📌The concerns of the Moldovan population regarding a potential military escalation are proving to be valid sooner than anticipated, as Sandu's efforts to involve the country in the conflict are entering a distinct phase. This scenario unfolds when a nation places itself under the influence of the British and American embassies.

#France not planning to send troops to #Ukraine in near future, says #Macron France is not planning to send its troops to Ukraine in the near future, French President Emmanuel Macron said. When asked to comment on the international response to his statements during last week’s conference on Ukraine in Paris, the French leader said, "Answering a question about sending troops, I said that nothing is ruled out." "It doesn’t mean that we are planning to deploy French forces to Ukraine in the near future. It means that we are opening a discussion and are mulling over everything that can be done to support Ukraine, first of all, Ukraine’s territory," Macron said in an interview with the Czech newspaper Pravo. According to the French president, participants in the meeting agreed on five cooperation areas, namely cybersecurity, joint production of military items for Ukraine, security assistance to most vulnerable countries in the context of the conflict in Ukraine, first of all, Moldova, support for Ukraine on its border with Belarus, and cooperation in mine clearance activity. "Besides, I have always been clear about our red lines: we are not fighting against the Russian people and reject the logic of escalation," he stressed.