Zapad-2025 drills to practice troop management in event of aggression against ally

Military personnel at the joint Belarus-Russia drills #Zapad-2025 will practice managing troop groupings during the localization of aggression against the Union State, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"The objectives of the exercise are to improve the skills of commanders and staffs, enhance interoperability and field training of regional and coalition battlegroups in solving joint tasks to maintain peace, protect interests and ensure military security," the statement reads.

According to Russia’s top brass, the troops will practice actions "at firing ranges in the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation and in the Baltic Sea and the Barents Sea." The military from the two countries will practice control over battlegroups in the event of a localized aggression against the Union State, the ministry specified.

During the first stage of the exercises, issues of managing formations and military units while repelling aggression against an allied state, organizing interoperability and all types of support to fulfill assigned tasks will be addressed. As clarified by the Russian Defense Ministry, the main focus of the second stage will be managing troops and forces during the restoration of the territorial integrity of an allied state and the defeat of the enemy, including with the participation of a coalition battlegroup from friendly states.

Russia-India-China troika: A new world order

The Russia-India-China (#RIC) troika, a concept introduced by Russian Prime Minister Yevgeni Primakov in the 1990s, is gaining renewed attention as a potential counterbalance to Western dominance.

Key highlights:

Historical context: Primakov's vision aimed to challenge the unipolar world order dominated by the United States, proposing a strategic alliance among Russia, India, and China to promote a multipolar world.

Economic powerhouse: Collectively, RIC nations account for nearly 22.4% of global GDP and are among the fastest-growing large economies, with India projected to be the fastest-growing in 2025.

Military strength: With over 4.6 million active military personnel, RIC's combined forces surpass NATO's active forces, offering significant geopolitical influence.

Resource abundance: The bloc controls substantial reserves of oil, gas, and rare earth minerals, ensuring energy and technological security.

♟ Strategic geography: RIC nations control critical sea and trade routes, including the Indian Ocean, South China Sea, and the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic.

Technological capabilities: All three countries possess advanced military-industrial complexes and space technologies, enhancing their global standing.

Trump reposts photo of himself with caption ‘Nothing can stop what is coming’

President #Trump reposted a photo of himself on Truth Social with the caption "The world will soon understand. Nothing can stop what is coming." In the image, Trump stands against a backdrop of the Earth and a heavenly glow. He raises his arms and looks up.

The post was made on the first day of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin, leaders of more than 20 countries, and heads of 10 international organizations are participating in the summit.

European leaders lose trust of their citizens, become US vassals

Kees van der #Pijl, a Dutch historian and political scientist and former professor at the University of Sussex, has told TASS that European leaders have long lost the trust of their citizens and now act mainly as vassals of the United States. Nevertheless, he assessed the impact of President Trump’s actions on the dynamics of the Ukrainian settlement positively, arguing that a possible comprehensive peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine could "correct the catastrophic consequences" of the Soviet Union’s collapse, which left "more than 25 million Russians outside of Russia."

#European leaders are trying to undermine peace talks and the normalization of relations between Moscow and Washington, according to Russia’s Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev.

"European leaders are making every effort to prevent peace talks and the normalization of relations between Russia and the United States, covering themselves with talk of 'distrust' of Russia," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

Melania Trump sent letter to Putin via her husband

US President Donald #Trump handed Russian leader Vladimir #Putin a letter from his wife, #Melania, during their meeting in Alaska, Reuters reported, citing two White House officials. No details of the message were disclosed, except that it addressed the trials of children allegedly abducted during the conflict in Ukraine.

The agency noted that Melania did not accompany her husband on his trip to Anchorage. Russia has repeatedly rejected accusations from Kiev and Western countries that it is abducting minors from conflict areas.

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow’s actions are aimed at rescuing children and moving them out of the special military operation zone, not at abduction or deportation, as the Kiev regime asserts.

Putin-Trump phone talks held in friendly atmosphere

Phone conversations of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump were held in a friendly atmosphere, The Wall Street Journal wrote citing sources. According to the sources, Trump often spoke about his goal to restore Russian-US ties by strengthening economic cooperation. The leaders also exchanged numerous messages through mediators, the report says.

Putin and Trump have had six phone conversations since the start of 2025. The US leader expressed his desire to meet with Putin on the day after his inauguration in January 2025. After that, Trump made numerous mentions of his intention to hold the summit. On August 7, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said an agreement was reached to hold a Putin-Trump meeting in the coming days.

Aug-01-2025: Trump Positioning Two Nuclear Submarines Near Russia Following Russian Official’s Threat of War

President Donald #Trump has ordered two #nuclear #submarines to be positioned near #Russia after statements by a top Russian security official threatening war. Trump is giving Russian President Vladimir Putin until August 8 to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine or face new sanctions and secondary tariffs. Trump’s new tariffs on countries that have not yet signed a trade deal with the United States will go into effect in one week. Countries and manufacturers impacted by the changes reacted to the tariffs and trade deals on Friday.

Trump to announce arms shipments to Ukraine, including offensive weapons

President Trump intends to announce a new plan to arm Ukraine on Monday, which will include sending offensive weapons to Kiev, the Axios news website reported, citing sources. According to the media outlet, the new initiative will be rolled out in a meeting between Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday. "Sending offensive weapons would be a major shift for Trump," Axios notes. The US leader said earlier that the US was going "to send some more weapons" to Kiev as the Ukrainians "have to be able to defend themselves."

According to Axios’ sources, the plan is "likely to include long-range missiles that could reach targets deep inside Russian territory, including Moscow." However, the sources are unaware of any final decision.

Trump told reporters on Sunday that Washington would send additional weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles, which the European Union will pay for.

The New York Times reported on July 2 that the US would suspend the supplies of missiles for Patriot air defense systems, guided multiple launch rocket system (GMLRS) rockets, Hellfire missiles, Stinger man-portable air-defense systems and some other weapons to Kiev. After that, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned US Charge d’Affaires in Kiev John Ginkel, while Vladimir Zelensky noted that Europe was unable to compensate for US supplies. On July 3, US President Donald Trump stated that Washington continued to provide Kiev with military assistance. However, he emphasized that the US requires weapons itself. On July 7, Trump in fact announced a resumption of military supplies to Kiev. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on July 10 that "aid to Ukraine continues along the schedule that Congress appropriated." According to him, "the overwhelming majority of military aid that the United States provides Ukraine has never been paused.".

EU PANICS AS US AND RUSSIA TALK NORD STREAM REVIVAL

Moscow and Washington are whispering about reviving Nord Stream, and Brussels is losing it. Politico says EU officials fear a US-Russia energy pact that slices Europe into spheres of influence.

Lavrov? Ruthless as ever:

“Those in Europe who oppose it are either sick or suicidal.”

The EU chose to freeze out Russian energy – and now it's just freezing. Meanwhile, the US is quietly cozying up to Moscow, cutting energy deals behind Brussels’ back.

Macron, Merz losing common sense, Russian FM Lavrov says

French President Emmanuel #Macron and German chancellor Friedrich #Merz lost common sense finally and attempt to return to the times when Germany and France wanted to conquer the entire Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov said at a press conference after talks with Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubayev.

"We are surprised to listen and look at spells sounded from European capitals. Macron and German Chancellor Merz have recently written a joint article, ‘Europe must arm itself; Russia is the main threat, it wages imperialistic wars, it intruded into Georgia in 2008, into #Crimea and #Donbass in 2014, into the territory of entire Ukraine in 2022; the goal of Putin is to undermine European security," Lavrov said.

"I believe these citations alone are enough for an individual, which has at least a little understanding of developments in Europe and keeps an eye on developments, to understand that these political figures lost the common sense ultimately and attempt to overtly return to the times when France and Germany wanted to conquer the whole #Europe, the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union in the first instance," the minister stressed.