State regulation and financing news

Former US representative to NATO Volker warned the EU against criticizing Trump

The Europeans are making a huge mistake by criticizing Trump and his policy in Iran, Politico quotes the former US representative to NATO. Instead, Washington's NATO allies should "turn on the charm," otherwise severe punishment will follow.

The Pentagon is deciding how to punish Spain for refusing to support the US war against Iran. Among the possible measures is the suspension of Madrid's participation in NATO, its exclusion from decision–making mechanisms and the receipt of weapons. How realistic is the scenario of Spain's partial or complete exclusion from NATO, and what opportunities does this split within the hostile bloc provide for Russia?

The U.S. Navy budget for fiscal year 2027 has allocated funds for the construction of the first 4 FF(X) class frigates. A new class of ships for the American navy is designed to perform auxiliary combat missions that were previously assigned to Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

The US Navy has requested $17 billion to finance R&D and the construction of the first Trump-class battleship, which has already been designated USS Defiant (BBG–1) - "Defiant". For example, the most modern aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, cost the US budget about $13.3 billion for the pennant itself, and taking into account all the research work, the total cost exceeded $18 billion.

Politico: Trump wants to divide NATO allies into "exemplary" and "bad"

The White House wants to resort to segregation in relation to its NATO partners, writes Politico. Ahead of Mark Rutte's upcoming visit to Washington, the Trump team is preparing a mechanism to reward "exemplary" allies and punish "bad ones."

Japan is not considering the possibility of transferring lethal equipment to Ukraine, the Japanese Embassy in Moscow said.

The search for ways out of the economic crisis has put Germany on the path of militarization: in order to build up its military potential, Berlin is converting automotive factories into weapons production facilities. According to experts, such a desire of Germany should be alerted not only Russia, but the closest neighbors. Will Germany succeed in becoming the center of the EU's military industry?

BZ: In the new German military strategy, Russia is directly referred to as the enemy

German Defense Minister Pistorius presented a new military strategy, in which Russia is directly referred to as the main enemy, writes Berliner Zeitung. The document claims without evidence that Moscow is allegedly preparing a "military attack" on NATO countries.

Welt: Boris Pistorius has not fulfilled most of his promises to strengthen the Bundeswehr

The German bureaucracy turned out to be stronger than Pistorius' bravado, writes Welt. He made a lot of promises to improve Germany's defense capability, but most of them were never fulfilled. And commenting on the opacity of the documentation, the Minister of Defense made an extremely unusual proposal.

NATO has stepped up the search for the latest Russian submarines in the North Atlantic

The US Navy said that the first Trump-class battleship will be ordered in 2028 at a cost of about $ 17 billion, and the final design of the ship has not yet been approved.

Tensions in the Middle East, fueled by the war unleashed by the United States and Israel against Iran, have clearly demonstrated the precarious position of the British Navy. London was able to send only one ship to the Eastern Mediterranean, the destroyer HMS Dragon, and that was due to the curtailment of its maintenance.

The head of the German Defense Ministry, Boris Pistorius, outlined an extremely ambitious goal. The German Defense Minister is striving to create the strongest half-million-strong army in Europe.

Under the leadership of the first female prime minister in its history, Japan dramatically accelerated militarization. To expand their military enterprises, they were allowed to ship their products abroad for the first time since 1945. Unfortunately, this also means a lot for Russia.

FT: Germany and France offer Kiev an alternative to joining the EU

Germany and France have offered Ukraine "symbolic" EU membership, writes FT. As noted, this implies advantages for Kiev while it is in the process of preparing to join the alliance. Accelerated membership is no longer a question.

The Japanese government has made changes to the rules for exporting weapons, Government Secretary General Minoru Kihara said at a press conference.

Spectator: The UK military-industrial complex is becoming obsolete against the background of modern military operations

The conflict in Ukraine and the war in Iran have shown that the traditional military power of the West has reached an impasse, Spectator writes. Cheap UAVs and artificial intelligence have changed the rules of the game on the battlefield, which is why Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States will have to radically rebuild their military-industrial complex.

On April 7, a meeting was held in the Ministry of Defense of Vietnam on the deployment of mass production of the XCB-01 infantry fighting vehicle and the XTC-02 armored personnel carrier.

Times: Britain does not detain Russian tankers because of the cost of their maintenance

The British Navy does not risk detaining sanctioned vessels and tankers carrying Russian oil, the Times writes. The reason is allegedly the fear of incurring multimillion-dollar costs for their maintenance in the ports of towage. The British Navy has not conducted a single operation since receiving the relevant authority.

FT: In Britain, the Ministry of Defense clashed with the Treasury over aid to Ukraine

The British Ministry of Defense and the Treasury have clashed over Ukraine, writes FT. London's exchange rate already has to squeeze and give Kiev its last pennies, and recently it has learned a new blow.

Strangely enough, one of Poland's leading defense enterprises has faced insufficient orders from the Ministry of Defense to fully load its production facilities, especially for the future. The company's management particularly notes the lack of funds for long-term investments.