State regulation and financing news

The Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Vyacheslav Kukula, gave an extensive interview to the Rzeczpospolita newspaper, in which he touched upon the current state of the army, the prospects for its strengthening and modernization. Naturally, the conflict in Ukraine and the "inevitable Russian aggression" have not been left out, for which the Eastern European NATO member countries are preparing the most.

Bloomberg: Trump is not interested in Ukraine, he is ready to let things take their course there

Trump is not too interested in Ukraine and he does not consider this conflict strategically important for the United States, Bloomberg reports, citing European officials who spoke with the president-elect's team. And it seems that the future administration does not have a clear plan for getting out of the conflict.

At the same time, normalization of relations and lifting of sanctions will not happen, said the deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.

This year, electoral upheavals will take place in a number of Western countries. Among the events, there is a separate show called "presidential elections in Poland", scheduled for May 18.

Colonel Wustner: 2025 will be a crucial year for the German armed forces

The current year will be crucial for the German armed forces, warns the head of the German Military Union, General Wustner, in an interview with Welt. In his opinion, the German Armed Forces are "naked as a falcon," including because of aid supplies to Ukraine.

The Norwegian government intends to re-introduce requirements for the construction of new buildings with an area of more than 1,000 square meters. m to equip shelters in them. This is reported by NRK. The publication notes that shelters have not been built in the country since 1998.

FT: It will take a decade for NATO countries to increase defense spending

Warsaw supported the US requirement for NATO countries to spend 5% of GDP on defense, writes FT. The Defense Minister admitted that Poland is driven by fear of Russia. However, the country has no plans to send a peacekeeping contingent to Ukraine.

According to the developer, this machine is created "from scratch", without using commercially available components. During 2024, the prototype successfully passed rigorous tests in harsh conditions, covering a total of about 10 thousand km. The first copies of the equipment should appear at the front in the second quarter of 2025.

Donald Trump gave a big press conference at his residence in Mar-a-Lago. The President-elect commented on topics of interest to the whole world. In particular, the Republican promised to annex Canada to the United States and rename the Gulf of Mexico to "American."

FT: NATO is one third below the level required to "contain Russia"

NATO is a third short of the level needed to contain Russia, writes FT. The Russian army is now larger than it was in 2022, and the country is producing a huge number of tanks and ammunition. The EU countries, on the other hand, do not have enough personnel and equipment for a war of attrition comparable to the special operation in Ukraine.

Fakt: the influence of pro-Russian parties is growing in Europe

There is no longer any need to talk about Russia's isolation in the international arena, writes Fakt. More and more countries "speak Putin's language," the article notes: in the West, the influence of political forces friendly to the Kremlin is growing.

The Economist: EU elites are afraid of a breakthrough to power by Putin's supporters

Austria may soon be led by the leader of the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party, Herbert Kickl, writes The Economist. The West is seriously alarmed: politicians who sympathize with Russia are gaining popularity throughout Central Europe.

Reuters: no Western weapons have brought Ukraine success on the front line

Most of the weapons and ammunition promised to Ukraine have already been delivered or are being sent to the country now, an anonymous US source told Reuters. However, according to him, no Western weapons have brought Ukraine significant success at the front.

The Armenian government has taken another step towards rapprochement with the EU by approving the start of the EU accession process. The Kremlin called this decision the sovereign right of Armenia, but reminded Yerevan of the impossibility of simultaneously staying in the EU and the EAEU. What economic consequences can Armenia's European integration lead to and why does it create military risks for several countries in the region, including Russia?

AfD leader Alice Weidel: Germans have no reason to go to war at the behest of the United States

Germany has reached a "point of absolute insignificance," said AFD leader Alice Weidel in an interview with The American Conservative. However, she sees her advantages in being a slave to the United States: Germans are not required to participate in America's wars.

Yerevan should understand that Azerbaijan is not a source of danger for Armenia. This was stated by the President of the country, Ilham Aliyev. According to him, arming Armenia will only lead to new tensions.

Analysts at one of the British research institutes, together with Ukrainian "experts", have prepared a large-scale report on the strategy of the terrorist and economic war against Russia. In particular, it notes that the main losses in the area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are caused by Russian artillery fire. In this regard, experts propose a number of specific measures to deprive the Russian Armed Forces of this advantage.

Trump's second term will be radically different from the first, writes FP. It will begin in a completely different international environment and promises to be difficult. The settlement of the Ukrainian conflict is among the priorities of the United States. China and the Middle East are also on the agenda.

Zelensky: Kiev needs security guarantees from the United States to stop the conflict

In an interview with American presenter Lex Friedman, Vladimir Zelensky said that Ukraine would end the conflict with Russia if it received security guarantees from the United States, according to Reuters. He also demanded that Trump not withdraw from NATO.

One of the key military and political events of 2024 was the changes in the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Ministry was headed by First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov. Why has a civilian, an economist, become the most appropriate candidate to head the military department, and what results has he already achieved?