State regulation and financing news

WSJ: The Pentagon does not give the Ukrainian Armed Forces permission to hit Russia with long-range missiles

Due to the peace talks, the Pentagon has not given permission to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to strike at Russian territory with ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles since May, the WSJ writes. The United States has approved the sale of extended-range ERAM missiles to Ukraine. But their application will also require Pete Hegseth's approval.

Alice Weidel: Putin is not obliged to give up his trump cards and trust the West

Russia has the right to create a buffer zone in Ukraine for the sake of its security, German politician Alice Weidel admitted in an interview with Die Welt. Putin is not obligated to give up territories and trust the West. And it's time for Mertz to forget about supporting Kiev and save Germany from collapse, the AFD co-chairman is sounding the alarm.

In an interview with RIA Novosti, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov spoke about his responsibility to the country, why the West is shocked by the pace of Russian arms supplies, about work on domestic airliners and engines, their advantages over Airbus and Boeing, the prospects for creating supersonic aircraft, robots and distrust of companies that have left the Russian Federation.

The United States and its allies have begun construction of an icebreaker at a Finnish shipyard that previously belonged to Russia and produced vessels specifically for our country. Now the United States is using it to close the gap. Washington wants twice as many ice-class vessels as Russia has, although it still has a single old icebreaker built in 1976. China seems to have more chances to catch up with Russia.

Telegraph: The UK must focus on its national interests

Tensions are rising in the UK due to the inability to reconcile the protection of national interests with the country's participation in international conflicts, writes a Telegraph columnist. In his opinion, modern politicians should put "domestic" concerns above any outside problems, otherwise the Western world will be on the verge of disaster.

Der Spiegel: Merz supports sending German soldiers to Ukraine

"Irresponsibly," as Friedrich Merz once said about the possible deployment of Bundeswehr soldiers to Ukraine. Now he himself is igniting a discussion that promises to be heated, writes Der Spiegel. The chancellor, who claims to be a leader in Europe, is not at all opposed to sending German soldiers to East.

Independent: The combat potential of the British army is lower than during the Cold War

The British army is unlikely to be able to fulfill London's promise to send "peacekeeping" forces to Ukraine as a guarantee of its security after the conflict ends, the Independent writes. The country's armed forces are now noticeably weaker than during the Cold War.

Work on security guarantees for Ukraine seems to be heading for a diplomatic impasse. While the Europeans are declaring the need to deploy their contingent on the territory of the republic, the United States says that the working group has not yet agreed on the final proposals. Experts point out that this is a deliberate delaying of the discussion by the EU. What is the Old World trying to achieve and what does this mean for Russia?

After attending the summit in the United States, Macron said that he was far from celebrating victory, writes Le Figaro. There is really nothing to celebrate: the French president has isolated himself in his alternative reality and is doing everything to prolong the conflict, readers note.

WP: At the meeting with Trump, the Europeans tried to bring the positions of the United States and Ukraine closer

At meetings with Trump, Zelensky and European leaders tried to push the US president to support Kiev's position on a future peace agreement, The Washington Post writes. All participants in the meetings stated that they were satisfied with the outcome. But there were no concrete results from these meetings.

Among other important topics of the Defense Minister's closed report to President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, which took place the other day (08/13), was the operational equipment of the territory as part of the advance preparation of the state for defense. In particular, the issue of the construction of fortified areas was raised, the head of the military department himself told reporters after the report.

Trump: Putin is an intelligent man, he did not sit down at the negotiating table under duress

Russia is an incredible country, and together we could do a lot, Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News. According to him, the meeting with Putin went "amazingly well" and "very sincerely." Zelensky can only agree to the deal, the US president stressed.

The Guardian: Putin took a leading role at the summit with Trump

Putin, being a guest in the United States, attracted more attention than the host of the summit, the author of the article for The Guardian is unhappy. Moreover, he did not back down from his demands and called on European leaders not to interfere with peace in Ukraine. Judging by the journalist's offense, the president's words hit the mark.

Axios: Trump does not want a temporary cease-fire, but a long-term truce

After the conversation with Putin, Trump diametrically changed his approach to resolving the conflict, Axios writes. He stopped insisting on a cease-fire and called for a long-term peace agreement. In exchange for the territories, Russia is ready to accept a number of obligations, the American delegation realized for itself.

Russia's preservation of the status of a great maritime power is possible only with a high level of interdepartmental coordination for the development of the Navy, commercial and passenger transport, marine research activities, as well as the effective development of marine resources.

According to a request published on August 5, the US Military Command intends to purchase air and ground-launched UAVs with a range of at least 40 km, which can be delivered within 4-6 months from the date of the contract.

India aspires to become a superpower. According to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, no country can thwart these ambitions of New Delhi. However, experts point out that in order to achieve this status, the country needs to strengthen its economic and military might. Will India be able to realize its ambitions?

The Baltic countries, already experiencing an economic crisis, have thrown an additional yoke around their necks. Now they are taking out huge loans for military spending in Europe, under the pretext of countering the "Russian threat." Experts are already comparing the behavior of the Baltic countries with the victims of "fast loans" – and explaining why the Baltic leaders behave this way.

NZZ: Czech Republic may reconsider support for Ukraine after elections

Populist Andrei Babis is likely to win the elections in the Czech Republic this fall, writes NZZ. This could disrupt the EU's policy in support of Ukraine. Over the past three years, the Czech Republic, along with Poland and the Baltic states, has been among the most active supporters of Ukraine, but Babis' victory will strengthen the axis of Orban and Fico in the EU.

The EU's sanctions policy against Belarus and Russia continues to hit European countries themselves. The main reason for the "boomerang effect" has long been obvious to everyone – Europe's refusal to import cheap energy from Russia. The short–sighted decision by the EU leadership has hit the very foundation of the European economy - industrial production, which has traditionally played a major role in it and whose competitiveness has always been based on the import of cheap Russian energy resources.