According to Russian state-owned news outlet Tass, the Kremlin’s foreign policy advisor, Yuri Ushakov, is set to meet the United States’s White House Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, today “in a closed format.” This comes as the U.S. has reportedly received the Russian response to the U.S.-Ukraine ceasefire proposal. The response mirrors much of Russia’s past demands but notably has additional demands pertaining to the U.S.-NATO Eastern European force-posture.

Here we can see Putin saying that he “agrees with the idea of a ceasefire,” but… he raises a series of conditions, essentially stating that he does not want Ukraine to receive weapons or train more soldiers during the ceasefire.

In other words, Trump’s ceasefire proposal was not accepted by Putin. He wants a ceasefire, but on his own terms—one that would involve a complete halt of Ukraine’s military capabilities, meaning that during the ceasefire, Ukrainians would be unable to receive weapons or mobilize more troops. https://video.nostr.build/aaae2aa9e71f72150b00ba9058f80de5c52baecfaab848c6d236a7a161ed8a6b.mp4

The Trump Administration has reportedly ordered U.S. Southern Command to begin drafting military options for the Panama Canal, with plans including the forcible seizure of the canal by military means, similar to parts of “Operation Just Cause” in 1989, or a defensive partnership between the U.S. Armed Forces and the Panamanian Public Forces.

Vladimir Putin has responded to Trump’s ceasefire proposal for Ukraine. He stated that he “agrees with the proposal” but added that Russia seeks a long-term ceasefire that “addresses the causes of the ‘crisis’ in Ukraine.”

By “crisis,” Putin refers to Russia’s invasion, and by “causes,” he means the removal of Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, the recognition of Russian-occupied territories, and the demilitarization of Ukraine.

In other words, Russia has effectively rejected the ceasefire proposal, and the war continues as before. Now, all eyes are on Trump’s next move, as he previously stated he would “destroy the Russian economy” if Putin did not accept his proposal.

With this Russian stance—after Ukraine had already accepted the ceasefire—Trump’s narrative that Ukraine was unwilling to negotiate peace collapses. Even Marco Rubio, speaking in Saudi Arabia, said that if Russia rejected the deal, the U.S. would finally know who truly does not want peace.

Now, we wait for the Trump administration’s response. https://video.nostr.build/ac3be888b23149724a5a12c98f8ffb0b81f2d8b40887085cae9c1ac63a2eb8d0.mp4

Chinese exercise showcasing new amphibious landing craft. As seen, the vessels interconnect, enabling faster landings on narrower beaches—a common feature of Taiwan’s coastline. In recent years, China has placed special focus on developing amphibious assault ships. The objective is clear: Taiwan.

Putin said that the relationship between Russia and Belarus could be an example for other countries.

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) has confirmed a strike in Damascus, Syria today, claiming that the targeted site was a command and control (C2) hub of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group. Israeli decision-makers, including the defense minister, have vowed to to continue such strikes should the transitional government allow these groups to proliferate under its nose.

https://video.nostr.build/60b8aef7c7ff03a5c9c217081af8841d59c970f7ff24439129fe84ed2870bfde.mp4 https://video.nostr.build/c3cec5d78117d38b4321b030056e72cca3f0bf61f3e3f4f050dde45c86d813de.mp4

The Kremlin Foreign Policy Advisor, Yuri Ushakov, has said that the current 30-day ceasefire proposal doesn’t benefit Russia. However, all reports that Russia has rejected the proposal are untrue at this time, as Russian President Vladimir Putin will have the final say. Given White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s confirmed trip to Moscow soon, barring a significant development, it’s unlikely that we’ll see a full rejection or acquiescence to the proposal from Russia's top decision-maker before then.

Qatar supplying natural gas to Syria via Jordan: official media — AFP

Al-Nour Radio correspondent: Machine-gun rounds were fired by Israeli occupation soldiers at the Al-Asi site, opposite Mays Al-Jabal, towards the outskirts of the town adjacent to the border.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Shmyhal stated that the first tranche of $1.7 billion of frozen Russian assets has been received by Ukraine from Canada.

Putin is expected to make a statement today regarding the U.S. ceasefire proposal. According to Peskov, the statement will be given during the visit of Belarusian dictator Lukashenko. No specific time has been announced.

Zelensky on the 30-day truce proposed by the United States: "Unfortunately, the world has not heard a substantive response from Russia for more than a day regarding the proposals that were made."

"And this again confirms that it is Russia that seeks to continue the war and will try to delay the onset of peace as much as possible. We hope that the pressure from the United States will be enough to force Russia to end the war." - said the president, who listened to reports from the Ukrainian delegation about the meeting with representatives of the United States in Saudi Arabia.

Marco Rubio announces that the U.S. introduces sanctions against Sweden's most violent gang, Foxtrot, and its leader "The Kurdish Fox."

The Islamic Regime in Iran has hired to gang to carry out shootings and grenade attacks against the Israeli embassy.

Reuters reports that Russia has presented the United States with its list of demands for a deal to end the ongoing war in Ukraine and reset diplomatic relations with Washington, with officials stating that the list is “broad” and similar to previous demands made to Ukraine, the U.S, and NATO. The terms are said to include no membership in NATO for Ukraine, an agreement not to deploy foreign troops or a peacekeeping force to Ukraine after the war, and international recognition of Russia’s claim to Crimea as well as the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia in Southeastern Ukraine.

The French National Assembly adopted a resolution today directing the strengthening of political, economic, and military support to Ukraine by France, the European Union, NATO, and other allies across Europe. The resolution also called for the seizure of over $400 billion in frozen Russian assets throughout Europe, in order to fund additional support for Ukraine.

Putin, wearing a military uniform, visited an operational command in the Kursk region today. During the visit, he stated:

“Russia will treat Ukrainian soldiers captured in the Kursk region as terrorists. Foreign mercenaries are not covered by the Geneva Convention.”

Russia has yet to comment on the ceasefire proposal accepted by Ukraine or the reactivation of military and intelligence aid from Washington to Kyiv. https://video.nostr.build/ef98fc7942e654e4409459573168102cc2dba53b298714eb84e0ebc7da948371.mp4

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed in a press release that former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has been turned over to the custody of the ICC today by authorities of the Philippines. The former president was arrested 2 days ago by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police, who were serving an ICC warrant for his arrest.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed today that the White House Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will be traveling to Moscow soon to negotiate a ceasefire proposal for the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War with Russian decision-makers. The proposal,has already been sent to the Russians

Serbia changed its vote to "abstained" in the UN General Assembly on a resolution condemning Russian aggression.

"Therefore, I believe we should have voted with restraint, and the responsibility for this mistake lies primarily with me. If anyone needs to apologize, it is me," said the Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Earlier, Serbian authorities stated that their initial vote was a mistake.