EU Edges Closer to Confrontation With Russia by Undermining Ukraine Peace Efforts – Expert

EU Edges Closer to Confrontation With Russia by Undermining Ukraine Peace Efforts – Expert

There is no point in negotiating with Europe, which has no independent positions of its own beyond those that are outright hostile to Russia, military expert Alexey Leonkov tells Sputnik, commenting on the Abu-Dhabi trilateral talks.

"In 2021, when Russia put forward proposals on European security and broader international security, in which the US is a key player, Europe appeared capable of negotiating and certain hopes were pinned on it," he says.

But over the course of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, Europe became increasingly involved in the conflict and progressively lost its sovereignty. And now, "it is trying to save the Nazi regime in Ukraine," the pundit notes.

In the long term, Europe will be subordinate to the US economically, militarily and financially. This is inevitable, as developments including the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, Europe’s entanglement in the conflict in Ukraine and the crisis in the Persian Gulf have dealt a severe blow to the continent. In this situation, there is nothing to negotiate with Europe about, according to the expert.

"Europe’s steadily deepening crisis has led it to bet on military confrontation [with Russia] and militarization, a course it is now already losing," Leonkov says, referring to the EU's plans to gear up by 2030.

Europeans will not be able to sustain a high-intensity conflict over the long term and they lack the capacity to do so even in the short term, according to the military expert.

"The more they seek to derail the peace process or obstruct Russia’s efforts to achieve its objectives in the special military operation, the closer they come to a direct military confrontation with the Russian Federation," he concludes.

Trilateral talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine were held in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, with discussions centered on key elements of a new continental security framework.

Has Trump Ended the War With Iran – Or Is Something Else Brewing?

Has Trump Ended the War With Iran – Or Is Something Else Brewing?

Richard Pollock

On Monday after meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister, President Trump declared the Iran war is “effectively over.” As always, he did add a caveat, saying the United States remains “locked and loaded.”

With any other President, we might conclude that the war against Iran is over. But Trump isn’t like any other President

Reasonable people might discern that is this just another pause before the storm. Is President Trump merely buying his time until his formidable three-carrier naval armada is fully operational and surrounding Iran? What about the war that’s consuming the Gulf States, particularly Saudi Arabia?

Trump now is echoing Vice President JD Vance’s claim that the war was one of four reasons why Republicans lost the midterm elections. In his 60 Minutes interview the President said, “I don’t disagree” with the vice president’s diagnosis for why the Republicans lost the midterms.

And it’s not a secret that Stephen Miller, the new White House Chief of Staff, is known for his general opposition to the war with Iran.

Behind Vance is also the anti-Israel and anti-war Tucker Carlson, who triumphantly stated on election night: “This is the end of the Trump era last night. We’re done.”

Further, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie – who despises Trump – is leading Democrats in the House to force an impeachment vote of Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth. That effort is expected to fail, but it highlights the growing anti-war sentiment rolling through the nation’s capital even before the Democrats become a majority in Congress.

 

Negotiations with Iran appear to be going nowhere. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has publicly stated that they aren’t even close to a breakthrough. He described Tehran’s recent conditions as “outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic.”

In Paris at the G7 Summit, Rubio told our Allies today that the administration is still open for a “real deal,” but added Tehran is seeking terms that are “absurd.”

Further complicating the prospects of war is Israel. The country is in the throes of political uncertainty that won’t be resolved for at least six weeks. If Trump pulls the trigger and restarts the war will the head of the Israeli government be hawkish Benjamin Netanyahu or Israel’s left wing?

Adding to the intrigue, on Monday a Russian Tupolev military aircraft operated by Russia’s Defense Ministry landed in Israel. It appears the Russians decided to have an unusual and almost unprecedented stopover in Israel while enroute to Abu Dhabi where Ukrainian negotiations are underway. A Russian aircraft has not landed in Israel since 2003.

It appears that Russian Admiral Igor Kostyukov, the chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (the GRU) is the leader of the Russian delegation.

What did Kostyukov tell the Israelis? Are they threatening Israel or sending a peace overture? So far no one is talking.

 

In the midst of all of this, there is the reality of Iran’s continuing military aggression.

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Europe Accuses Iran of Cyberwarfare Against Its Food Supply

Europe Accuses Iran of Cyberwarfare Against Its Food Supply

Martin Armstrong

France has now officially accused Iran of carrying out the massive cyberattack that crippled refrigeration systems across hundreds of supermarkets in October. What began as a seemingly bizarre incident involving refrigerators has become a matter of national security. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced on November 9 that investigators had traced the sabotage to a cyber unit affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The attack affected approximately 700 supermarkets, destroyed enormous quantities of food, and caused tens of millions of euros in losses. Similar incidents have since appeared across Europe, including attempts to compromise refrigeration systems used to preserve blood supplies. The French government is now treating the original attack as an act of foreign sabotage, while European officials are preparing a coordinated response.

I have warned that cyberwarfare would eventually move beyond stealing passwords, financial records, and government secrets. We are now witnessing attacks on the infrastructure that keeps modern society functioning. The attackers did not need to destroy a supermarket or bomb a warehouse. They accessed computerized temperature controls and turned refrigeration equipment into a means of destroying the inventory it was supposed to protect. That is a significant development in the economic consequences of cyberwarfare.

During the October 11–12 attack, hackers remotely manipulated refrigeration controllers, pushing temperatures as high as 50°C (122°F), for approximately six hours. Major French supermarket chains, including Carrefour, Intermarché, Monoprix, and Coopérative U, were affected. At least 15 fires were reported in connection with the sabotage, and Intermarché alone reported losses running into tens of millions of euros.

French investigators identified the Shahid Kaveh cyber unit, also associated with the name CyberAv3ngers, as the suspected operator. Authorities cited Persian-language traces, internet addresses associated with Iran, and methods previously linked to the group. French prosecutors have sought international arrest warrants for the unit’s leadership and deputies. Barrot summoned Iran’s ambassador and announced that France would pursue European sanctions. Tehran has rejected the allegations as baseless and hostile.

The attacks did not remain confined to France. During the first days of November, refrigeration systems at supermarkets in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, and other European countries experienced similar disruptions. Italian authorities also reported incidents involving food-distribution businesses, including a catering company in Tuscany and a frozen-food producer in Emilia-Romagna. Italy’s national cybersecurity agency issued urgent warnings to the food industry and called for immediate protective measures. The Italian cases and the broader European incidents have not all been conclusively attributed to the same perpetrators. Nevertheless, the geographical spread demonstrates how a vulnerability in widely used industrial equipment can become a problem for an entire continent.

The attacks on blood bank refrigeration systems should concern everyone. French blood storage facilities were targeted by attempts to manipulate temperatures, but the French Blood Establishment reported that the attacks were stopped before blood products were spoiled. The attempted sabotage reveals the potential consequences. Blood, plasma, medicines, and certain medical materials require carefully controlled storage conditions. A compromised refrigeration system can threaten supplies that hospitals depend upon for emergency treatment, surgery, and routine care. We are discussing the vulnerability of essential medical infrastructure.

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Magnitude 5.6 quake strikes off Guatemala coast, shakes El Salvador, Nicaragua

Magnitude 5.6 quake strikes off Guatemala coast, shakes El Salvador, Nicaragua

 (Reuters) - A magnitude ​5.6 earthquake struck off ‌the coast of Guatemala on Tuesday morning, according to the United ​States Geological Survey, causing ​buildings in the capital Guatemala City ⁠to shake.

Local authorities did ​not issue any initial reports ​of major damage or casualties. USGS reported the quake struck 43 km (27 ​miles) south of the coastal ​town of Puerto San Jose, and ‌was ⁠at a depth of 35 km (22 miles).

Stay up to date on the key companies, data, and decisions in the ESG world with the Reuters Sustainable Finance newsletter. Sign up here.

The Guatemala government called on citizens to remain calm ​and follow ​the ⁠authorities' recommendations.

The quake was also felt in neighboring ​El Salvador, which said ​there ⁠was no tsunami threat, as well as in Nicaragua.

Reporting by ⁠Sofia ​Menchu, Gerardo Arbaiza ​and Gabriela Selser, Writing by Iñigo Alexander, ​Editing by Daina Beth Solomon

Chinese Satellites, Russian Intelligence: Who Helped Iran Target U.S. Troops Ahead of a Possible Trump-Xi-Putin Meeting?

Chinese Satellites, Russian Intelligence: Who Helped Iran Target U.S. Troops Ahead of a Possible Trump-Xi-Putin Meeting?

Antonio Graceffo

Xi Jinping will host APEC leaders in Shenzhen on Nov. 18–19, and the Kremlin has said Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump could join Xi for a trilateral meeting there. The possible meeting follows reports linking Chinese satellite imagery to a deadly Iranian strike on U.S. troops in Jordan and describing Russian intelligence support for Iran.

On July 17, Iranian ballistic missiles hit a residential compound housing U.S. troops at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, killing three U.S. Army soldiers and wounding four. U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal that Iran obtained high-resolution satellite images of the base from Chinese sources before and after the attack. They called it the clearest evidence yet that Chinese support for Iran had lethal consequences for U.S. forces. The officials did not name the Chinese entities or accuse the Chinese government of direct involvement. When U.S. officials raised the matter, their Chinese counterparts demanded proof and refused to acknowledge that Chinese companies were involved.

Iran’s access to Chinese satellite technology predates the war. The Financial Times reported in April that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) acquired a Chinese-built satellite, the TEE-01B, in late 2024. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), a body created by Congress, maintains a running timeline of Chinese support for Iran since the war began.

In May, two months before the Jordan strike, the State Department sanctioned three firms based in China over satellite imagery the department said enabled Iranian strikes on U.S. forces. According to the department’s fact sheet, The Earth Eye provided imagery to Iran during Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military campaign against Iran. Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. collected imagery of U.S. and allied military facilities in response to Iranian requests, and Meentropy Technology, known as MizarVision, published images detailing U.S. military activity.

The department also said Chang Guang had previously supplied imagery to help the Houthis target U.S. military assets. “The targeting of U.S. service members and partners will not go unanswered,” the department said.

On March 6, in the first week of the war, The Washington Post reported, citing three officials, that Russia was giving Iran targeting information that included the locations of U.S. warships and aircraft. One official called it “a pretty comprehensive effort.” Days earlier, War Secretary Pete Hegseth had said Russia and China were “not really a factor” in the campaign.

On March 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine’s military intelligence had “irrefutable” evidence that Russia was still supplying Iran with intelligence. Politico reported that month that the Kremlin proposed to stop sharing intelligence with Iran if the United States stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, an offer Washington rejected.

In April, after CNN reported that China was preparing to se

nd Iran shoulder-fired missiles, Trump said China would face a 50% tariff if it did. In July, Reuters reported that Iran had signed a deal worth $60 million to $70 million for 300 to 400 Chinese man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), including QW-12 and FN-16 missiles, through Hong Kong-based Zhongqing Baoshang International Investment. Reuters reported that the first shipment was expected within weeks. China’s Foreign Ministry denied the report.

In September, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Iranian customs data, that Chinese suppliers sent about 1,300 shipments of dual-use components to Iran’s defense ministry in the first half of 2026. The components included GPS devices, electric motors and aircraft engine parts.

A Reuters investigation published Oct. 29 found that more than 5,000 agencies tied to Iran’s Ministry of Defense imported at least $2 billion in hardware, explosives and heavy-duty trucks between January 2025 and June 2026. Reuters reported that the procurement network found ways around Western sanctions and the U.S. naval blockade. The goods arrived by cargo ship across the Caspian Sea from Russia, by truck from Central Asia, and by freight plane from China. Asked about the findings, China’s Foreign Ministry said it was “unaware of the situation you describe.”

China is also the main buyer of Iranian oil. The USCC found that China buys about 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports. JNS reported that the commission’s fact sheet put Iran’s revenue from those sales at $31.2 billion in 2025, nearly half of Iran’s government budget. On April 24, the Treasury Department sanctioned Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co., which it called China’s second-largest independent “teapot” refinery and “one of Tehran’s most valued customers.” Hengli’s parent company said the sanctions lack factual basis and legal grounds.

On Oct. 12, Trump wrote on Truth Social that if China and Russia were helping Iran, “it’s at a very low level, but I don’t believe they are at all.” A White House official told Fox News that nothing any outside actor was doing to help Iran was “in any way increasing their ability to target Americans.”

Matthew Kroenig, a former Pentagon and intelligence official, called the reports “highly plausible” and said Trump may be warning Moscow and Beijing privately. Kroenig said advanced air defenses would require approval from the Chinese government and that Russian satellite intelligence would come from state-controlled capabilities. “There are no mom-and-pop shops in St. Petersburg selling this data,” Kroenig said.