Trump has 64% chance of winning US presidential election, say bookmakers US #Republican Party candidate Donald Trump has a 64% chance of winning the #presidential election, the Polymarket prediction market platform said. According to it, bets on Trump's victory stand at $40.9 million, while bets on the incumbent US Vice President Kamala Harris amount to $22.4 million. The Predict political betting site said, in turn, that the billionaire has a 61% chance of winning, while his likely rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, has a 39% chance.

Biden’s key sponsors intent to cut funding for his campaign The main sponsor of the US #Democratic Party intend to stop the funding of US President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, the TMZ TV channel reported, citing its sources. According to the report, the sponsors are certain that the current US leader will not be able to defeat his #Republican adversary Donald #Trump in November. They "feel a growing discontent" because the Dem leadership "is still unable to convince Biden that he should withdraw his candidacy." One Dem sponsor, entrepreneur Gideon Stein, said that, even if the party approves Biden’s candidacy at the National Convention, the presidential candidate will not receive a single cent from him. "Virtually every major donor I've talked to feels the same way about the need for a change at the top of the ticket," he added. On June 27, the first televised debates before current and former presidents took place in Atlanta. Biden and Trump were prohibited from having speech points during the debates. According to a CNN express poll, two thirds of the viewers said that Trump won the debate. Previously, The Wall Street Journal reported that a panic sparked among the US Congressional Democrats over what they consider Biden’s unsuccessful performance at the debates. On July 4, Trump opined that Biden will withdraw his candidacy and will be replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he assessed as a more convenient opponent.

Biden not to drop out of presidential race over performance at debates — campaign Joe Biden has no intention to leave the presidential race over the unsuccessful, from the standpoint of other party members and experts, performance at the televised debates, Biden campaign spokesperson Seth Schuster told The Hill. "Of course he’s not dropping out," Schuster said, CNN also noted that members of Biden’s campaign say that the current US president has no intention to drop out of the second round of debates with Trump on September 10. Earlier, The Wall Street Journal claimed that panic sparked among the US Congress Democrats over what they consider Biden’s unsuccessful performance at the debates. Some Dems hope to find a new candidate for the upcoming elections. However, according to the newspaper, the Party’s sponsors view the option to replace Biden ahead of the elections with skepticism. The first televised debates before current and former presidents took place in Atlanta on Thursday. https://thinktank.x-pulse.org//posts/2132

Ukraine’s Syrsky approves admission of French instructors to military training centers Commander-in-Chief of #Ukraine’s armed forces Alexander #Syrsky has signed documents that will allow #French instructors to visit #training centers. "I welcome France's initiative to send instructors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian servicemen. I have already signed documents that will allow the first French instructors to visit our training centers soon and familiarize themselves with their infrastructure and personnel," he wrote on his Telegram channel following online talks with French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov also took part in the negotiations. Syrsky expressed hope that Kiev's other Western partners would join Paris' initiative. Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the possibility of sending Western countries’ ground troops to the zone of the special military operation. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky supported this idea, admitting that he could not publicly ask Western partners to send troops to the country, but would like them to do so and would never refuse. The chief of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergey Naryshkin, said that according to Moscow's sources, this contingent could reach 2,000 men. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that French instructors along with other representatives of military and special services of European countries were already functioning in Ukraine. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the appearance of foreign military contingents in Ukraine would be fraught with extremely negative consequences, including irreparable ones.

End of Zelensky’s presidential term renders him illegitimate, explains former Ukrainian PM #Zelensky’s authority is legally void after his term as Ukrainian president expired, the country’s former Prime Minister Nikolay #Azarov said. According to the constitution, Zelensky’s term in office expired on the night of May 21, 2024, as he was elected president in a vote held in March and April 2019. Azarov pointed out that the Ukrainian constitution was crystal clear about the five-year presidential term. "The constitution also makes it clear on which date an election is to be held, so no matter what decisions Zelensky makes and what decrees he issues, he is working outside the law after his term in office expires," the ex-prime minister wrote on Facebook. Azarov noted that Zelensky himself as well as his administration were well aware that the decision to cancel Ukraine’s presidential election was illegal. "They also understand that after May 20, he formally loses the constitutional powers he gained by winning the previous vote. However, Zelensky will continue to hold his post until the West moves to replace him. No one cares what the people think about this, and the cancellation of the election is further proof of that," the former premier concluded.

Journalist warns of ‘political liability’ in Biden’s campaign against Trump U.S. President Joe #Biden’s stance on #Ukraine and the #Middle_East conflict will become a political liability in his campaign against President Donald #Trump, U.S. investigative journalist Seymour Hersh wrote on his blog on Substack. "This is the world the Biden administration fostered. Its refusal to seek a middle ground in the Ukraine war, along with its inability to check Israel’s continued assault in Gaza, will become a political liability in Biden’s campaign against Donald Trump, who warns of unending violence if he loses the presidential election in November," he pointed out. "The best that Biden has come up with is continued, if so far empty, talk about a ceasefire in Gaza, and a commitment that no American soldiers will be sent to the front in Ukraine. The president also promises that the United States will keep on paying for Ukrainians to fight and die in a proxy war that could be ended," #Hersh emphasized.

Macron delays visit to Ukraine amid tensions with allies over policy on Russia French President Emmanuel #Macron is pushing back a long-planned visit to #Ukraine amid disagreements with allies over policy toward Russia, Politico reported, citing a French diplomat. The delay comes as Macron’s comments on Russia have become increasingly hawkish, the report said. The French president wants to "take the necessary time" to talk with allies, so that he can visit Ukraine "with tangible results," according to Politico. "A bit of time is needed to [conclude] the different #coalitions and their operational commitments with our partners," the diplomat said. The La Tribune newspaper earlier cited a source in the French presidential administration as saying that the Elysee Palace could again postpone Macron's visit to Ukraine, which had already been moved from February to mid-March. According to the newspaper, this is related to the explosions that went off near the port of #Odessa as the Greek prime minister was visiting the city.

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.

Nikki #Haley to exit GOP race Wednesday Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will announce Wednesday that she is exiting the presidential race, according to sources familiar with her plans.

West plays with fire, #Kremlin spokesman says about idea of sending #NATO troops to #Ukraine The Western countries are playing with fire when discussing the possibility of sending their troops to Ukraine, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry #Peskov has told the media. He described as dangerous the very fact such an idea was mentioned by French President Emmanuel #Macron. Peskov said that Moscow is hearing "many contradictory statements" from the West about sending NATO troops to Ukraine, but "the very fact of this discussion is dangerous." He pointed out that Macron's statements to the effect that a discussion should begin on this score came amid speculations that the West wants to see Russia suffer a strategic defeat. "They are all playing with fire," Peskov warned. He added that together with German officers’ discussion of strikes on Russia all this leads "to a further degradation of the situation." "Of course, this is extremely irresponsible behavior," Peskov stated. He pointed out that Moscow was keen to achieve its goals and that "Russia is open to political and diplomatic ways of achieving them."