We know what’s coming and we are prepared.
Is it possible that NATO forces could become directly involved in the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine?
Until recently, such a question seemed very hypothetical given the high risks of escalation of the military confrontation between the US-led bloc and Russia into a large-scale armed conflict. But this scenario should be taken seriously now, writes Ivan Timofeev, programme director of the Valdai Club
“A significant escalation factor that would amplify the risk of a direct clash between Russia and NATO, could be the appearance of military contingents form bloc members on the territory of Ukraine. The prospect of such a scenario has already been mentioned by some Western politicians, although their view has not been supported by the US and isn’t an official NATO position.”
“Each of these scenarios involves a direct clash between Russian and NATO forces. Such a situation would inevitably raise the question of deeper bloc involvement and, in the longer term, the transfer of military conflict to other areas of contact with Russia, including the Baltic region. At this stage, it will be even more difficult to stop the escalation. The more losses both sides suffer, the more the maelstrom of hostilities will grow and the closer they will come to the threshold of using nuclear weapons. And there will be no winners.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/599286-russia-nato-ukraine-conflict/
🌅 Market News Digest
[Jul 6-7, 2026 EST]
🔥 Top Stories
• Hormuz shipping attacks escalate — Iran reportedly fired missiles at commercial vessels; oil jumped, gold eased, and the risk premium rose across energy and defense
• Samsung/Kospi rout — Samsung shares slumped after 2Q profit beat but oversupply worries, helping trigger an 8% KOSPI halt and a $170B+ market-value wipeout
• BoE flags valuation risk — Bank of England warned of stretched AI-led equity valuations, higher leverage, and a sharp-correction risk while proposing capital-rule easing
• Trump pressures Walmart on prices — Walmart said it will cut prices on 250+ items; the White House is using retail pricing as a visible inflation signal
⛽ Oil & Energy
• Saudi Arabia weighs bypass routes — exploring more pipeline capacity and alternative export paths outside Hormuz as shipping risk rises
• Oil up on Hormuz attacks — crude rose ~1.5% after vessel strikes; Qatar LNG tanker was also reported hit near the strait
• Shell ...
“If you want to hate America, watch the news. If you want to love America, drive through it.”
European media has pushed a negative picture of America for generations and it’s not new with any recent president.
This pattern runs deep because the media has long helped European elites build their own identity by positioning America as the opposite of what they claim to value.
Historians trace this anti-American thread in European writing and press back to the 18th and 19th centuries and it grew stronger in the 20th.
America was often painted as crude, commercial, and overly individualistic, a threat to older European hierarchies of class and culture.
After World War II the coverage increased but it frequently framed the US as the powerful yet uncivilized counterpoint to a more refined and cooperative Europe.
Media outlets used stories about American business, culture, and foreign policy to reinforce that contrast and it became a reliable way to define a shared European self-image....
