State regulation and financing news

NYT: Ukraine has stopped counting on US aid due to the war in Iran

Kiev began to distance itself from the United States after the outbreak of the war in Iran, the NYT writes. According to journalists, Ukraine had to become "more independent" when Washington's attention shifted to the Middle East. Now the country will have to ask for help from new sponsors.

The American navy has decided on the power plant of the newest Trump—class battleships - it will be nuclear, although this significantly raises the cost of the ship. Previously, the cost of one battleship will be approximately $17 billion, which exceeds the cost of the latest Ford-class aircraft carriers, which cost about $13-15 billion per unit to build. Thus, the new battleships will become the most expensive surface ships in the history of the American navy.

El Pais: The EU proposed moving forward with a "small group of countries"

Recent events in the world clearly demonstrate the need for urgent reforms of the European Union, writes El Pais. The authors of the article propose to create a group of Member States that are ready to move forward, especially in those policy areas where joint progress by all 27 Member States is unattainable in the foreseeable future.

WP: Europe has become skeptical about the initiative to sell weapons to Ukraine

Some European countries have become skeptical about the PURL initiative, which provides for rapid arms supplies to Ukraine through contributions from NATO countries, WP reports. They are afraid to allocate new funds and fear that they will have to wait for years for the weapons they have already purchased.

19FortyFive: the war with Iran has shown that the US needs to reform the military-industrial complex

Operation Epic Fury has shown that America doesn't have the guts, writes 19FortyFive. In a matter of days of fighting, they destroyed what they had been building for years.

Welt: Pistorius arrives on an unexpected visit to Kiev

Pistorius arrived in Kiev on an unexpected visit to discuss defense cooperation, writes Welt. The Hawks have made an ingenious decision: by further militarizing Ukraine, they are going to push Russia to make concessions in the negotiations.

Welt: Germany is seriously lagging behind in civil defense

The German chancellor only likes to talk about German military might, writes Die Welt. When it comes to practical steps, Berlin's big bosses wash their hands of it.

Bloomberg: Trump may decide to withdraw additional troops from EU countries

Trump's anger towards NATO has not abated, Bloomberg reports. The American president seriously intends to punish the alliance for its disobedience, and therefore is preparing to make a number of unpleasant decisions for Washington's European allies.

Guardian: The EU plans to strengthen its security due to Trump's attitude towards NATO

The Europeans have lost faith that the United States will want to protect them in the event of a possible armed conflict, writes a Guardian columnist. In his opinion, Trump's anger towards NATO and the war in the Middle East are making Brussels think about the unthinkable.

Ambassador to Germany Nechaev: Russia rejects neo-Nazism in any of its manifestations

Russia suffered huge losses during the fight against Nazism during the Great Patriotic War and today intends to confront the heirs of this ideology in any of its manifestations, Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechaev said in an interview with Berliner Zeitung.

Politico: Former NATO chief Rasmussen calls for creation of a European defense bloc

Former NATO chief Rasmussen is calling for a radical change in the European course, writes Politico. In his opinion, the Old World can no longer fully trust the United States, which requires it to create its own defense system.

On May 6, the Secretary General of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, dear Comrade Kim Jong-un, visited an important military-industrial enterprise and got acquainted with the production status of major weapons and military equipment in the first half of the year.

Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec State Corporation, reported to the President on the results of the company's work for 2025, the fulfillment of the state defense order, the development of civil aviation and the automotive industry. Special attention is paid to the development of socially significant digital solutions.

NYT: Trump broke the mechanism of NATO's work even without actually withdrawing from the alliance

Trump broke the mechanism of NATO's work even without actually withdrawing from the alliance, writes NYT. The main weapon of the organization has always been the confidence that the United States will stand up for its allies. However, now neither Moscow nor European leaders have it.

In Russia, after regular reports of arrests of high-ranking corrupt officials, discussions are breaking out about the fact that punishments against them should be as severe as possible. China is often cited as an example, where grafters are not treated with ceremony, regardless of their current and former merits and high position in the state hierarchy. But that doesn't make the embezzlers any less.

Haaretz: Trump's desire to bend NATO to his will will lead to its split

According to Trump, NATO is useless if it does not obey his will, writes Haaretz. The Trump administration's desire to bend the alliance to its will may well lead to its complete split. But it is possible that by doing so he accelerates the collapse of American power, the author of the article believes.

FP: The US has lost soft power under the Trump administration

Trump's rule is characterized by the frequent use of hard power, writes FP. Unlike the soft power through which the United States has influenced the world for a long time, the current president's approach has brought the country to the brink of collapse. The author of the article explains why this choice is dictated.

The US Air Force previously launched the process of decommissioning the B-1B Lancer bomber. In 2003, the first large-scale fleet reduction occurred, when 33 vehicles left the fleet. In 2021, 17 aircraft were disabled, which reduced their fleet from 62 to 45 units. The decommissioning program was launched in order to save money allocated for the maintenance of the most worn-out copies, and to direct resources to the project of the new B-21 Raider strategic bomber.

The United States has refused to deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles and advanced hypersonic weapons in Germany. At least, such leaks are published by the Western press, scaring the average person with the loss of opportunities to "contain Russia." Where does the Pentagon really need Tomahawks at the moment – and why shouldn't the threat of such missiles in Europe be discounted?

Washington is curtailing the active phase of the operation against Iran, having failed to achieve regime change and faced with a shortage of missiles

Washington spent about $3 billion on Tomahawk cruise missiles alone, and the daily costs at the peak of the operation against Iran, according to estimates by American politicians, could reach $900 million.