NATO has nothing to do with European defense, it is just a tool of intimidation and a money-making machine for the US' bloated and corrupt military-industrial complex, geopolitical analyst Jon Hellevig told Sputnik, arguing that the latest summit has not indicated any real rift among NATO members – they just don't want to fork out. [...]

The Western-made weapons surrendered by armed groups in Deraa are “material evidence of gross interference” in Syria, according to Russian Foreign ministry. The Syrian province was under militant control for years. "Enormous number of Western-produced modern weapons and equipment was handed over by reconciled militants to the Syrian army," spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, during her weekly n [...]

Investor confidence in Europe has surged in 2017 after three years of decline. Europe has attracted a record level of foreign direct investment (FDI), with Russia making the top five list, according to data from EY. The firm’s report showed that, despite a slowing growth in Europe, investor sentiment is more buoyant with 50 percent of more than 500 investors highlighting confidence. [...]

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has long believed the Russian-hosted 2018 World Cup would be the best ever and his stance has not changed as the tournament unfolds. “Since [a] couple of years I was saying that this would be the best World Cup ever; today I can say it with even more conviction because I lived it and you lived it. It is the best World Cup ever,” Infantino said in the opening rem [...]

Donald Trump, who “only understands strength,” wants regime change in Germany, ex-Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said, calling for tit-for-tat actions on US soil, such as influencing elites and investing in young Americans. Germany should become more assertive in dealing with the US and show strength, as there is only one language US President Donald Trump understands – the language of forc [...]

Photographers have come out in force as thousands of Londoners poured onto the streets of the UK capital to protest the visit of US President Donald Trump. Here are the highlights of what the protest had to offer. The Trump baby balloon caused quite a bit of consternation between those who thought it was crass and unjustified to insult a visiting US president and others who simply felt it would be [...]

The West’s Russia policy is built upon the infamous “highly likely thing,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Larry King’s ‘Politicking’ show, saying this was epitomised by the alleged Russian ‘meddling’ and the Skripal affair. [...]

While the probe into the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal is still ongoing and no tangible results have been presented, the West seems desperate to put all the blame on Russia. And the arguments have become increasingly notable. [...]

China is stepping up cooperation with the Arab world. The recent China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) was aimed at deepening economic and security cooperation between Beijing and Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa within the framework of the One Belt, One Road project, analysts told Sputnik. [...]

Donald Trump’s policy of pressuring European countries on issues like defense spending, Russia cooperation or trade will ultimately end NATO, Willy Wimmer, Germany’s former State Secretary for Defense, told RT. Commenting on the outcome of this week’s NATO summit in Brussels, during which the US president criticized European members of the alliance of spending too little on defense and berat [...]

"One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived," Niccolo Machiavelli wrote. The famed Renaissance-era philosopher's sage words describe to a tee the allegation that Syrian forces attacked the city of Douma, 10km northeast of Damascus, with nerve gas on April 7, 2018. [...]

Widely considered one the of the world’s most beautiful underground networks, the Moscow Metro has become one of the major tourist attractions, and even inspired a group of French architects, the city authorities revealed. [...]

When reports emerged that India and China are in talks about forming an oil buyers’ club, OPEC was probably too busy with its upcoming June 22 meeting to concern itself with that dangerous alliance. Now, it may be time for it to start worrying. “The timing is right. The boom in US oil and gas production gives us greater leverage against OPEC,” the Times of India quoted an Indian official as [...]

Scores of corpses are still being dug up from the ruins of Raqqa, one year after its US-backed liberation from IS, but the West is seemingly in no rush to help the community recover. RT takes a look at the city’s plight. Once a prosperous and vibrant place, Raqqa emerged from the 2017 liberation operation with 90 percent of its buildings blasted into ruin. [...]

Vienna has vowed not to accept any agreements which come at Austria's expense amid a deal on migrant policy reached in neighboring Germany between Chancellor Angela Merkel and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer. Cloppenburg regional parliament MP Michael Klitzing says migration is just part of a much wider, possibly irresolvable problem for Merkel. [...]

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party is continuing its efforts to repatriate Syrian refugees, formally urging the German federal government and the EU to lift their debilitating economic sanctions against the Arab Republic. [...]

The Syrian Army has gotten its hands on another huge cache of weapons and ammunition, including US-made TOW anti-tank missile systems, chemical warfare, minesweeping and communications equipment and even armored vehicles. Some of the supplies appear to be brand new, as if militants did not get the chance to use them against government forces. [...]

Ahead of July’s NATO summit, the US President fueled the buzz about the row within the bloc over agreed-upon military spending targets, as he sent his letters of discontent to several European leaders, including Chancellor Angela Merkel. In response, Germany’s military chief lectured Trump on what alliance means and played down his rebuke. [...]

The war in Syria has lasted more than seven years, bringing with it a devastation and bloodshed which has thrown a prosperous and stable Middle Eastern nation into chaos and uncertainty. In the West we are used to reading a history of such conflicts written by the victor. [...]

US President Donald Trump has issued another warning to the EU, threatening to slap the bloc’s automakers with 20 percent tax levies unless trade barriers placed on American corporations are lifted. The warning comes two days after US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said that the White House had not made any decision on whether to extend the tariffs which had recently been introduced on other [...]

China can damage US economy in a full-scale trade war if it is willing to take the pain. The threat of a full-scale trade war between the US and China has dominated the news in recent weeks. The countries have exchanged import tariffs on each other's goods, and are threatening further protective steps. [...]

The White House's tough trade practices and sanctions policies may finally backfire on the US, prompting holders of US debt to dump American Treasuries. The move could have a serious impact on the decades-long leadership of the US dollar. Russia and China are dumping their US Treasury debt holdings amid Washington's sanctions and tariff spree. [...]