Russia Seeks Red Sea Base in Sudan After Losing Influence in Syria

"Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Yusuf Sharif told Russian media that an agreement first proposed in 2017 to give Russia a naval base on the Red Sea coast will finally proceed, giving Moscow an opportunity to replace the base it lost in Syria with the fall of dictator Bashar Assad." Breitbart

Ukrainian President Zelensky Welcomes Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for Rare Earth Talks

"Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv  to discuss a minerals deal that Bessent said would “provide a long-term security shield for all Ukrainians.” Breitbart

Russian drone hits shelter covering Chornobyl NPP unit 4 last night

"A Russian attack drone with an explosive warhead struck the shelter covering the destroyed Unit 4 of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) in the night." Ukrin

State of emergency declared on second Greek island as earthquakes continue

"Greek authorities have declared a state of emergency on a second island as a series of earthquakes continued to rattle the south-eastern Aegean Sea region.
The emergency measure announced on the island of Amorgos follows a similar decision for nearby Santorini after thousands of unusual tremors were registered in an undersea area near the two islands, as well as the islands of Ios and Anafi – all popular tourist destinations.
Scientists had expressed hope the seismic swarm could be easing up but a string of earthquakes around magnitude five has renewed concern." IrishTimes

Trump Tells Xi, Putin 'Let's Cut Military Budget In Half' - Says Russia Should Be Back In G7

"President Donald Trump continued to signal positive feelings about a future relationship with Russia and Putin, telling reporters that he'd like to see Russia invited back in to join the The Group of Seven major economies, or G7, which until 2014 was the G8 when Russia was included.
"I'd love to have them back. I think it was a mistake to throw them out. Look, it's not a question of liking Russia or not liking Russia. It was the G8," Trump said from the Oval Office upon announcing new US reciprocal tariffs.

"I said, 'What are you doing? You guys - all you're talking about is Russia and they should be sitting at the table.' And he then added, "I think Putin would love to be back."
The G7 countries are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. In 2014 these nations decided to expel Russia over the annexation of Crimea, but Moscow pointed out that Crimeans overwhelmingly voted to become part of the Russian Federation after a popular referendum.
Another highlight from the Oval Office press conference was when the president called on China and Russia to join the United States in agreeing to cut their enormous defense budgets in half. He said in the context of also urging the three major powers to restart nuclear arms control talks.
"One of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia. And I want to say, ‘let’s cut our military budget in half.’ And we can do that. And I think we’ll be able to," Trump declared."
ZeroHedge

Trump confirms Ukraine won’t join NATO

"US President Donald Trump has backed his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s comments that Kiev must accept the reality that returning to pre-2014 borders is not feasible, while NATO membership for Ukraine is off the table.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of the US-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels on Wednesday, Hegseth described Kiev’s goal of reclaiming all lost territories as “unrealistic,” and stressed the need for Ukraine to prepare for a negotiated peace, potentially supported by international troops, but without NATO membership as part of any agreement.
Hegseth rejected media accusations that the US was “betraying” Ukraine. “It’s just a cheap political point to say, oh, we’ve left all the negotiating cards off the table by recognizing some realities that exist on the ground,” he said.
When pressed on whether he had asked Hegseth to soften his remarks to preserve “bargaining chips,” Trump told journalists at the White House that he had not." RT

Rubio’s plane suffers ‘mechanical issue’

"The plane carrying US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Germany for the Munich Security Conference was forced to turn back to base on Thursday due to a “mechanical issue,” officials have said.
Rubio was en route to the conference when the aircraft abruptly returned to Joint Base Andrews, just outside Washington." RT

113 combat clashes in past day, most battles in Pokrovsk and Kursk sectors

"113 combat engagements between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and Russian invaders occurred at the front, most of them in the Pokrovsk and Kursk sectors.
A total of 113 combat engagements were recorded over the last day. According to the updated information, yesterday the enemy launched 2 missile attacks and 89 air strikes on the Ukrainian positions and settlements. These attacks included the use of 5 missiles and 133 glide bombs. Additionally, the enemy carried out approximately 6,000 attacks, including 130 MLRS attacks.

The Defense Forces successfully repelled assaults near Holubivka and Zahryzove in the Kupiansk sector, where four attacks were recorded throughout the day.
In the Lyman sector, the enemy initiated seven attacks yesterday, attempting to breach Ukrainian defenses in the vicinity of Hrekivka, Novoliubivka, Yampolivka, and Kolodiazi.
The Ukrainian forces successfully repelled one enemy attack near Bilohorivka in the Siversk sector.
In the Kramatorsk sector, the occupiers attacked five times in the area of Chasiv Yar.
In the Toretsk sector, the enemy carried out 14 attacks in the vicinity of Toretsk, Krymske and Shcherbynivka.
The General Staff noted that the situation remains the most difficult in the Pokrovsk sector, where about 40 enemy attacks took place.
The Defense Forces repelled 16 enemy attacks in the Novopavlivka sector. The occupiers also attempted to advance near Zelenivka and in the direction of Burlatske.
In the Huliaipole sector, the Ukrainian forces repelled one enemy attack in the direction of Novosilka.
Over the past day, 23 combat engagements were recorded in the Kursk sector. The enemy launched 51 air strikes and one missile attack, using four missiles and 77 guided bombs, and fired over 500 artillery rounds." Ukrin