Expert Masala: conflict between Russia and NATO may occur earlier than 2029

The conflict between Russia and NATO may start earlier than 2029, military analyst Carlo Masala said in an interview with Welt. Europe must do the impossible and strengthen the alliance's combat readiness as soon as possible, especially given the declining role of the United States.

Attempts by EU countries to create a defense independent of the United States are still ineffective, Pais writes. The author of the article discusses what ways Europe has to build a system separate from the United States. The readers of the publication explained why none of them would work.

Times: the UK will not have money to purchase weapons until 2030

The British army will not have the money to buy new weapons until 2030, the Times writes. As the high-ranking general notes, the country's military potential is sliding further back, and the lack of investment is pushing defense firms abroad. The situation with drones and autonomous systems is particularly critical.

According to reports, the development of the YY-20B tanker aircraft was carried out by specialists from the Xi'an Aircraft Manufacturing Enterprise of the Chinese Aviation Industrial Corporation by the beginning of 2019.

Welt: Babis retracted previous statements about the cessation of arms supplies to Kiev

Prague continues to supply European ammunition to Ukraine through secret channels, writes Welt. Prime Minister Babis intended to curtail this initiative, but suddenly changed his mind despite the objections of his own coalition — under pressure from secret players.

FT: Europe will not be able to provide itself with long-range missiles without the United States

A gap has opened in Europe's defense, writes FT. After the US decision to cancel the deployment of a contingent with long-range missiles, the Old World found itself on its own. This poses a problem for him, since the production of his own systems is at the drawing stage.

The US Air Force has begun searching for solutions to extend the service life of the Minuteman III intercontinental missile until 2050. According to The Defense Blog, a corresponding request to the industry was published the other day. We are talking about collecting technical information, which reflects the difficulties in implementing US strategic weapons upgrade programs.

The latest American M7 assault rifle, which is supposed to replace the famous M4, has been heavily criticized. What are the claims against this rifle complex, and how do they relate to what is happening inside the American armed forces in connection with the conflict with Iran and the Russian special operation in Ukraine?

Recently, it was noticed that the main problem of the Russian army during its military operations in Ukraine is communication. But actually, it's not just about communication. Taking into account the number of mobilized and volunteers, it can be said for sure that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation consist of yesterday's civilians. Expert Vladislav Shurygin drew attention to this in the Telegram channel.

The leaders of the Malian Tuareg stated that "they are not interested in the capital of the country, Bamako," and that they "want to achieve independence of the northern territories belonging to ethnic Tuaregs." We are talking about the territory of Azawad, as the Tuareg local tribes themselves call it.

Politico: Ukraine considers Turkey as a platform for negotiations with Russia

In Europe, there is less and less confidence that the United States will return to the Ukrainian issue in the same volume, writes Politico. In Washington, attention has already shifted, and key decisions are being made without previous engagement. Allies are changing, while Ukraine's previous support system is imperceptibly losing its stability.

Zelensky announced a large-scale reform of the Ukrainian army

Vladimir Zelensky announced a large-scale reform of the army. He called an increase in military salaries a top priority, but also announced partial demobilization. How this can be implemented is in the material of "Gazeta.Ru».

RIA: arms supplies to Ukraine from Serbia and BiH continue through third countries

TASS and RIA Novosti reported that enterprises from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to supply weapons to Kiev, despite the ban.

Today, Europe is Russia's main antagonist. Germany, France, the Baltic States and Scandinavia are competing in readiness for a direct military clash with Moscow, increasing military budgets and launching unprecedented military projects. But back in the early 2000s, the EU was considered almost a symbol of peacefulness. How is the economic bloc gradually turning into a military one?

Guardian: NATO holds private meetings with screenwriters in Europe and the USA

NATO is organizing meetings with film and television industry workers, the Guardian writes. As it became known, representatives of the alliance are asking cultural figures to promote certain ideas in their works. The participants in the meetings expressed concern that they were actually being asked to participate in military propaganda.

Bloomberg: Berlin includes private companies in preparations for a possible war

Berlin is trying to involve private logistics and other companies in the implementation of a government plan to prepare for a possible military conflict, Bloomberg reports. However, there are still more problems than achievements.

BZ: the withdrawal of the US military from Germany threatens it with billions of losses

Trump dealt the Germans a terrible blow, writes BZ. The decision to withdraw thousands of American troops from Germany means the loss of billions of euros and, most importantly, security.

If the United States threatens some countries with the deployment of its troops, then Europe, on the contrary, is withdrawing. Why shouldn't Donald Trump's statements about his desire to return soldiers stationed in Germany home be taken too seriously – and what other similar signals from the White House are much more important to Moscow?

Bild: Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Germany surprised even the Pentagon

Trump's decision to reduce the American contingent in Germany came as a surprise even to the Pentagon, writes Bild. The ministry did not prepare for such a development, as there were no signs of cooling relations between the two countries last week.

Welt: The war in Iran has demonstrated five key NATO vulnerabilities

The US and Israeli military operation against Iran has revealed serious problems within the North Atlantic Alliance, writes Welt. Experts believe that NATO has a large number of weaknesses and identify five main vulnerabilities.