- 6/18/2025
The Middle East teeters on the brink as Israel and Iran exchange yet another night of intense missile strikes. The IDF targets nuclear-related facilities near Tehran, while Iran responds by hitting key Israeli airbases, escalating fears of a wider regional war 🛑.
In response, the United States moves aircraft carriers into the Persian Gulf, placing troops on high alert across the region. All signs point to war readiness, with Donald Trump reportedly preparing to enter the conflict — a dramatic shift that has triggered outrage from former allies and vocal supporters, accusing him of betraying his America First campaign promises 🇺🇸⚠️.
As diplomacy collapses and escalation grows, the world watches nervously — this could be the most dangerous flashpoint of the decade.
#IsraelIranConflict #MissileExchange #TehranUnderFire #IDFStrikes #IranRetaliates #USMilitary #PersianGulfTensions #TrumpWarMoves #MiddleEastWar #ForbiddenNews #BreakingNews #GeopoliticalCrisis #NuclearSitesTargeted #AirbasesHit #USCarrierStrikeGroup #TrumpBacklash #AmericaFirstBetrayed #GlobalCrisis #WW3Alert #StayInformed
In response, the United States moves aircraft carriers into the Persian Gulf, placing troops on high alert across the region. All signs point to war readiness, with Donald Trump reportedly preparing to enter the conflict — a dramatic shift that has triggered outrage from former allies and vocal supporters, accusing him of betraying his America First campaign promises 🇺🇸⚠️.
As diplomacy collapses and escalation grows, the world watches nervously — this could be the most dangerous flashpoint of the decade.
#IsraelIranConflict #MissileExchange #TehranUnderFire #IDFStrikes #IranRetaliates #USMilitary #PersianGulfTensions #TrumpWarMoves #MiddleEastWar #ForbiddenNews #BreakingNews #GeopoliticalCrisis #NuclearSitesTargeted #AirbasesHit #USCarrierStrikeGroup #TrumpBacklash #AmericaFirstBetrayed #GlobalCrisis #WW3Alert #StayInformed
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NewsTranscript
00:00In Tehran, Moscow, I am Mike Okwacha. We're heading straight into the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
00:14Now, for the sixth consecutive day, Iran and Israel have exchanged overnight missile salvos.
00:21Now, in the early hours of Wednesday, explosions were heard on the outskirts of Tehran.
00:26The Israeli military says it has struck a centrifuge production site and multiple weapons manufacturing facilities belonging to the Iranian government.
00:36Local media also reports that the IDF targeted a university in eastern Tehran, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Core Guard.
00:45Now, despite the continued attacks, the Iranian people have taken to the streets to voice their support for the government in Tehran and to call for the end of the Israeli attacks.
00:55Protesters chanted, revenge, revenge, while waving Iranian flags.
01:01Now, the Iranian military says it will continue to target Israeli military bases.
01:06In response to the continued brazen aggression of the Zionist regime against the soil of Islamic Iran,
01:13the warriors of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps targeted the air bases that initiated this attack during the tenth wave of operation True Promise III.
01:25With precise and intense operations, it is also announced that these attacks will continue in a sustained, complex, multi-layered and gradual manner.
01:37Now, footage circulating on social media is claimed to show extensive damage caused by an Iranian missile that came down in Tel Aviv.
01:46Earlier, Iran issued evacuation orders for parts of the city and claims to have used hypersonic missiles to beat its Ion Dome defense system.
01:56And it also targeted the Israeli air bases, you know, in attacks against Iran.
02:01RT's Maria Finoshina takes us through the latest developments.
02:05Another night, another round of sirens here in Israel.
02:08Once again, families huddled in shelters half the night underground.
02:12Strange, isn't it? Didn't Trump say he's got the Iranian skies all under control?
02:18The barrage was smaller this time. No direct hits, no casualties, just thunder, interceptions and shrapnel raining down.
02:25The IDF says it's thanks to successful strikes nearly half of Iran's launchers reportedly wiped out.
02:32And after Israel killed Tehran's newly appointed wartime chief of staff, Iran's crambling to fill top ranks.
02:39Yet, the missiles keep coming, even as Israel claims its jets now fly freely over Iranian skies.
02:46And Trump, well, he's firing too, just not rockets yet.
02:50Posts on social media echoing the same message.
02:54We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.
02:58Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it.
03:02But it doesn't compare to American-made, conceived and manufactured stuff.
03:06Nobody does it better than the good old USA.
03:09But it wasn't just missiles we were waiting for last night.
03:13It was a possible U.S. entry into the war.
03:16American media were buzzing with speculation.
03:19Was Washington about to join Israel in a full-blown assault on Iran?
03:23Everyone was watching the clock after Trump rushed back from the G7 summit
03:27and then called an emergency meeting in the White House Situation Room.
03:32That meeting lasted just over an hour.
03:34Well, honestly, not much if you are preparing for a full-scale military operation.
03:40But it came with warning signs.
03:42For example, the Pentagon has reportedly moved aerial refueling tankers to Europe,
03:47a clear logistical step forward, enabling long-range U.S. airstrikes in the Middle East, if needed.
03:54So no green light yet.
03:56U.S. has not officially joined the war against Iran.
04:00But the toolbox is allegedly being prepared.
04:02Reports also say U.S. troops have been put on high alert.
04:07But for now, like officially, Washington's role is limited to helping intercept missiles.
04:13And even that might soon hit a wall.
04:15Reports suggest Israel could run out of interceptor missiles in the coming days.
04:19But still, Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, remains convinced this war will reshape the Middle East.
04:27Take a listen.
04:29We are at a historical turning point.
04:31We are changing history.
04:32I said we would change the face of the Middle East.
04:35And we are doing it.
04:36We are changing the world.
04:38Because we are eliminating this Iranian empire.
04:41This evil empire that threatens our existence and that of the entire Middle East and many parts of the world.
04:46We are changing this.
04:48We are preventing this.
04:49And it is a monumental moment.
04:51A moment of pride for the people of Israel.
04:55Well, it's clear for Bibi Netanyahu, this isn't just a battle.
04:58It's a career-defining mission.
05:00But while he's changing history, it's a bit different for people on the ground, for Israelis.
05:06Some of them who were stuck abroad are now flying back under the government's safe return operation.
05:11The first plane from Larnaca has landed at Ben Gurion airport.
05:16But leaving the country at this point is not an option.
05:20Here is Israel's transport minister explaining why.
05:24It is important for me to clarify that we will not approve Israelis' departure abroad at this stage.
05:30Those who can leave are people who came to visit Israel.
05:33Tourists, business-related visits, or diplomats who will return to their countries.
05:37So, at this tense moment, Israelis are not allowed to leave the country.
05:43Well, meanwhile, Trump did not stop at just posting about air superiority.
05:48He threatened Iran's supreme leader directly.
05:52He said the U.S. could go further, but won't for now.
05:56Take a listen.
05:56We know exactly where the so-called supreme leader is hiding.
06:01He's an easy target, but is safe there.
06:03We are not going to take him out, kill, at least not for now.
06:05But we don't want missiles shot at civilians or American soldiers.
06:09Our patience is wearing thin.
06:11Assassination, really?
06:12That might sound extreme.
06:15Maybe.
06:15But Trump isn't the only one turning up the heat.
06:18Netanyahu has earlier already said the elimination is the only way to resolve the conflict, not escalate it.
06:25And now Israel's defense minister has warned Iran's supreme leader he could share the fate of Saddam Hussein.
06:32I warn the Iranian dictator.
06:34Whoever follows in the path of Saddam Hussein will end up like Saddam Hussein.
06:39Well, that comparison is no accident.
06:41Remember Iraq, early 2000s?
06:43The U.S. invaded after claiming Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
06:48They never found them, but they toppled the regime anyway.
06:51And now we are hearing similar rhetoric, except this time the groundwork has been laid much longer.
06:58For Netanyahu, this is the culmination of decades of warnings.
07:02He's been saying for almost 30 years that Iran is just weeks away from building a nuclear bomb.
07:08That countdown, real or not, has become the official pretext for this current war.
07:13The only difference is that now Iran is months away from the weapons.
07:19The deadline for attaining this goal is getting extremely close.
07:24By next spring, at most, by next summer, at current enrichment rates,
07:29they will have finished the medium enrichment and move on to the final stage.
07:34From there, it's only a few months, possibly a few weeks, before they get enough enriched uranium for the first bomb.
07:42If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time.
07:47It could be a year.
07:48It could be within a few months, less than a year.
07:51So where does that leave us, with actually a growing sense that nuclear weapons may be just another proof,
07:59like Colin Powell's infamous moment before the Iraq war?
08:03Only this time, the U.S. hasn't yet jumped in.
08:06Not yet, but everything from rhetoric to troop movements is heading in one direction.
08:11And actually, the question many now ask is, what is going on and what is going to happen next?
08:18Back to you.
08:19Now, openly calling for someone's assassination has become routine in today's world.
08:26Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have both threatened to kill Iran's supreme leader.
08:31The satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has even made fun of it,
08:35devoting its front page to asking people to guess exactly when he will be murdered.
08:41The winner is promised a free ticket to Tehran.
08:44Now, we discussed the killer rhetoric and its consequences with a panel of guests.
08:49It's a reflection of the kind of barbarity that we have seen emanate from the U.S. state for quite some time.
08:55But it has definitely intensified under this administration.
09:01It's quite clear that this administration has decided that they're going to operate beyond the bounds of normal discourse
09:08and beyond the bounds of international law.
09:11These kind of threats are clearly prohibited by the U.N.
09:16charter and it reflects a diminution of international common sense and morality that's really reflective of a state that can only be characterized as a rogue state.
09:31So we're not surprised, but it is clearly outrageous.
09:37He is selling this idea that everything is going on very well in the strikes against Iran.
09:42And by assassinating the Supreme Leader and bombing Fordow, everything would be solved.
09:50And then all the problems of humanity would be resolved.
09:55But that's the lie that he is selling to President Trump.
09:59And interestingly, he is buying that.
10:01I'm surprised at how he is not taking any lessons from the past.
10:05And he doesn't have any information about realities on the ground, about Iran and about the region.
10:12And he is making such remarks that Iran needs to unconditionally surrender, quote-unquote, based on his post on social truth.
10:21So that's the current situation, that he's a Pinocchio that's being deceived by the other characters like Benjamin Netanyahu.
10:33This is going to expand the world, to make the world much worse, to open the, as the Iranians said a few days ago, you know, open the gates of hell.
10:40This guarantees that, to assassinate the Supreme Leader of a nation.
10:46More than that, the religious leader of millions of Shiite Muslims around the world.
10:50I mean, why is there no condemnation to these, as if Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened, you know, the Pope or some other religious figure in the same sense?
11:01This is absolutely a blatant attempt at rewriting history, at making sure that the war continues.
11:09And more than anything, to make sure that the United States has no excuse but to enter this war.
11:15This is the aim of Benjamin Netanyahu.
11:18He is desperate to make sure that U.S. troops are getting attacked just as much as Israel has been getting attacked over the past several days,
11:26sinking the United States in what can only be described as Iraq 2.0.
11:30Now, the conflict is turning the Republican movement in the U.S. on its head.
11:36Now, people like Senator Lindsey Graham, who has never been a big fan of Donald Trump, is now welcoming the shift to a war footing,
11:44while previous vocal supporters like Tucker Carlson are turning their backs on the president.
11:49And the talk show host grills the Republican senator, Ted Cruz, about why he's calling for regime change and how deep America is involved in the ongoing war.
12:01How many people living around, by the way?
12:03I don't know the population.
12:05At all?
12:06No, I don't know the population.
12:08You don't know the population of the country you seek to topple?
12:12How many people living around?
12:1392 million.
12:14OK.
12:14How could you not know that?
12:18I don't sit around memorizing population tables.
12:21Well, it's kind of relevant because you're calling for the overthrow of the government.
12:25Why is it relevant whether it's 90 million or 80 million or 100 million?
12:28Why is that relevant?
12:29Because if you don't know anything about the country...
12:31I didn't say I don't know anything about the country.
12:32OK, what's the ethnic mix of Iran?
12:35They are Persians and predominantly Shia.
12:37OK, this is...
12:38No, it's not even...
12:39You don't know anything about Iran.
12:41So, actually, the country...
12:42I am not the Tucker Carlson expert on Iran who says...
12:45You're a senator who's calling for the overthrow of the government and you don't know anything
12:49about the country.
12:50No, you don't know anything about the country.
12:51You're the one who claims they're not trying to murder Donald Trump.
12:54No, I'm not saying that.
12:55You're the one who can't figure out if it was a good idea to kill General Soleimani and
12:58you said it was bad.
12:59You don't believe they're trying to murder Trump.
13:01Yes, I do.
13:01Because you're not calling for military strikes against them in retaliation.
13:04OK, we are carrying out military strikes today.
13:07You said Israel was.
13:08Right.
13:09With our help.
13:10I've said we.
13:11Israel is leading them, but we're supporting them.
13:13Well, this...
13:13You're breaking news here because the U.S. government last night denied...
13:17The National Security Council spokesman Alex Pfeiffer denied on behalf of Trump that we
13:21were acting on Israel's behalf in any offensive capacity at all.
13:24We're not bombing them.
13:25Israel's bombing them.
13:26You just said we were.
13:28We are supporting Israel.
13:29It's high stakes.
13:30You're a senator.
13:30If you're saying the United States government is...
13:32We're with Iran right now.
13:33People are listening.
13:34Also, a former Trump campaign official called out previous aggressive U.S. policies and reassured
13:42the American public that the president wouldn't break his promise to end all wars.
13:46The American people that gave President Trump his seven-swing state mandate do not want
13:53to see the United States involved in a war with Iran.
13:56And to Lindsey Graham and to Senator Cruz and to all of the voices that were wrong about
14:02the Iraq war and who have been wrong about every foreign policy decision of the last 25
14:06years and are going on television with unsubstantiated claims that Iran is five minutes away from a nuclear
14:13weapon.
14:14You are not the director of national intelligence.
14:16Tulsi Gabbard has said as recently as March, there is no evidence that they're five minutes
14:19away from a nuclear weapon.
14:20They've been saying that for 30 years.
14:22The New York Times has been saying that since 1995.
14:24And the question that I think those voices in the media should have to answer is, if what
14:29you want is American involvement in a war with Iran, which American troops and units
14:34would you like to see die first?
14:36Would you like it to be the first brigade of the first armored division out of Fort Bliss,
14:42Texas that lost 133 men during the war in Iraq?
14:46Would you like to see it be the Iowa National Guard that saw its bloodiest and longest deployment
14:51in the Iraq war since World War II?
14:53War has a high human cost.
14:55And President Trump was elected on a promise not to betray the American people and get them
14:59involved in a conflict that they don't want to be in.
15:02And as the war is raging on in the Middle East under the watchful eyes of the United States,
15:08RJ's Marina Kosareva looks at how Trump's image of a peacemaker is rapidly fading away.
15:14When Trump entered the political arena, many in the world thought that he would bring a
15:19breath of fresh air for the US, which would reverberate around the world.
15:24He wasn't afraid to call out the country's previous failures, including military interventions.
15:30Remember how it was all about putting America first?
15:33My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.
15:38That's what I want to be, a peacemaker and a unifier.
15:41We will be a nation like no other, full of compassion, courage, and exceptionalism.
15:47Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry,
15:53violent, and totally unpredictable. America will be respected again and admired again.
16:00But Trump is slowly revealing his true colors and intentions by backtracking on his promises
16:07and dismissing the opinions of those who rallied around to support him.
16:12His latest victim is the director of the US National Intelligence.
16:17You've always said that you don't believe Iran should be able to have a nuclear weapon.
16:21But how close do you personally think that they were to getting one?
16:24Because Tulsi Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community said Iran
16:30wasn't building a nuclear weapon. I don't care what she said,
16:32I think they were very close to having one. Tulsi Gabbard was put forward for
16:36her strong opposition to military interventions. She was supposed to help Donald Trump focus on
16:43America first and reduce US involvement in international conflicts. Now she's been insisting that Iran
16:50doesn't pose a nuclear threat. The IC continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon
16:56and Supreme Leader Khomeini has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.
17:03The IC continues to monitor closely if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program.
17:09But again, who cares what she has to say when it's her word versus Benjamin Netanyahu?
17:15Israeli intel is clearly better and more reliable than everyone else's. And America
17:22comes second when Israel feels paranoid.
17:25The one that they're obsessed with the most, which I find strange, is the forever wars.
17:30They've got to be in the forever wars and particularly in the Middle East. I mean,
17:33this is what, and I'm a big supporter of Israel. Yes.
17:35And I'm telling people, hey, if we get sucked into this war, which inexorably looks like it's
17:41going to happen on the combat side, it's going to not just blow up the coalition,
17:46it's also going to thwart what we're doing with the most important thing,
17:49which is the deportation of the illegal alien invaders that are here.
17:53This is why people voted for Donald Trump, because he was supposed to fix America's problems.
17:59And there are plenty of them. But now he's being sucked in or suckered into a conflict
18:05that could have devastating effects, not just worldwide, but most importantly, stateside.
18:11I'm really afraid that my country is going to be further weakened by this. I think we're going
18:16to see the end of American empire. Obviously, other nations would like to see that. And this is a perfect
18:21way to scuttle the USS America on the shoals of Iran. But it's also going to end, I believe,
18:27Trump's presidency and effectively end it. Tucker Carlson has been one of Trump's most
18:32vocal supporters. He highlighted his policies on immigration, trade and foreign policy,
18:38criticized those who opposed him and frequently pointed out all the ways in which the media's
18:44coverage of Trump was biased and unfair. Excellent PR for the US president, considering the millions
18:51who follow Carlson online. But that bromance couldn't survive casting doubt on Israel.
18:59Somebody please explain to Kuki Tucker Carlson that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
19:05Donald Trump is slowly turning his back on everyone who supported him all along. Their opinions no longer
19:13matter. And neither do facts, obviously, as he's blindly following Netanyahu's agenda,
19:19no matter how many people are trying to open his eyes to the facts, while reminding him of democratic
19:25principles. This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to
19:32our constitution. I'm introducing a bipartisan war powers resolution tomorrow to prohibit our
19:39involvement. I invite all members of Congress to co-sponsor this resolution.
19:42Anyone slobbering for the US to become fully involved in the Israel-Iran war is not America's
19:49first MAGA. Wishing for murder of innocent people is disgusting. We are sick and tired of foreign wars,
19:57all of them. They thought Donald Trump was on the same page, but clearly he's not. Something Elon Musk
20:03discovered this month as well. It was a match made in heaven at first, an alliance that made Trump look
20:10cool and eager to change things for the better. Elon Musk slashed billions of dollars in federal spending
20:17as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency. He highlighted ridiculous programs
20:23and corrupt schemes, which helped save money and restore faith in the government. It was all going
20:29well until Musk called him out for going against his promises by approving large tax cuts and raising
20:37the national debt, which Musk says undermined all the savings made by Doge. It was the beginning of
20:44the end. I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork filled
20:50congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it. You know you did
20:57wrong. You know it. Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore,
21:03but I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost
21:09anybody sitting here, better than you people. He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it.
21:14All of a sudden he had a problem. Elon was wearing thin. I asked him to leave. I took away his EV mandate
21:21that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted, that he knew for months I was going to do.
21:26And he just went crazy. Such an obvious lie. So sad. The easiest way to save money in our budget,
21:34billions and billions of dollars is to terminate Elon's governmental subsidies and contracts.
21:39I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it. This just gets better and better. Go ahead. Make my day.
21:45It's not looking good for Trump right now with so many domestic issues and the country constantly being
21:51talked about as being on the brink of civil war with riots and unrest. You would think this is the time
21:58to turn to those who helped him get on the course of making America great again. But he's turning his
22:05back on them, opting to run into the arms of Benjamin Netanyahu instead, and continuing the disastrous
22:13policies of previous administrations. And here at home, Moscow has accused Israel's Western supporters of
22:22pushing through an anti-Iranian IAEA resolution, a move the Russian foreign ministry calls unacceptable.
22:30The destructive actions of the Israeli leadership find understanding and support only from those
22:37states that are its actual accomplices and act for opportunistic reasons. It was these sympathizers
22:45who forced the IAEA's leadership to prepare an ambiguous comprehensive assessment of the Iranian nuclear program,
22:53the shortcomings of which they used to push through the biased anti-Iranian resolution of the IAEA
23:00administrative board on June 12th, which untied the hands of West Jerusalem and led to the tragedy.
23:08It is obvious that the Western camps attempts to manipulate the global nuclear nonproliferation regime
23:15and use it to settle political scores with unwanted countries are costing the international community
23:22dearly and are completely unacceptable. Now we heard from Iranian parliament member Manoucher Motaki in an
23:31exclusive interview. He broke down the mechanisms Washington uses to prop up Israel's current actions in the
23:38Middle East. I consider Mr. Grossi an Israeli agent. His appointment to this post was orchestrated by
23:46the Americans and supported it is claimed by the Zionist regime for its own specific goals. At the beginning
23:52of his tenure, in his early days in office, he went on a trip to Israel without telling the Israelis,
23:58you should join the MPT, make commitments to allow the agency to monitor your activities. He didn't say any of
24:04these things. Alongside all the threats Israel made in the last year or two to attack Iran's nuclear
24:09facilities, Mr. Grossi never seriously opposed these Zionist actions. My personal opinion is that Trump's
24:16claim of negotiations and his letter was a ploy to prepare Israel for attack. The final round of
24:22negotiations was supposed to take place two days later. They presented a plan. We were going to present
24:27ours on Sunday. Therefore, Trump was aware of the attack. Trump facilitated this attack. The US provided
24:34support for these attacks. I believe that the US Central Command War Room and the Israeli War Room
24:39held joint meetings for this attack, just as they held joint meetings for the massacre in Gaza.
24:45Therefore, in my opinion, there's no room left for negotiations. This is my personal opinion that the
24:50Americans are partners and complicit in the crime that the Israeli regime committed against Iran.
24:55They caused damage. They must face the consequences and they can't get away unscathed.
25:01Trump's statements in the last 48 hours indicate that he senses the scent of defeat, meaning he senses
25:07that Israel is suffering a serious defeat. When his Ministry of War is hit, when Mossad is hit,
25:12when his Oman Intelligence Agency is hit, it shows that this regime's entire intelligence,
25:18security and military system is collapsing. Novotim is the base storing American and Israeli fighter jets,
25:25which has been seriously attacked recently and is expected to be continuously attacked.
25:30We must protect our rights in the face of this aggression against us. We must destroy key elements
25:35of the Zionist regime and avenge the blood of our martyrs and commanders. Then perhaps senior
25:40officials of the Islamic Republic will reach a decision to go back to negotiations.
25:45Now we are across all the major developments in the Middle East conflict. So stay with us for the
25:52latest update round the clock.
25:55So money makes the world go round and that world will be going around to St. Petersburg this week
26:11as Russia's northern capital hosts the country's showpiece economic forum. The annual event gets
26:17underway today with thousands of people from all across the globe expected to attend.
26:22And let's get more on this now and speak to artist Che Bills. Now, Che, you're at the forum,
26:36which is Russia's economic showpiece to the world. What is being expected today and in the coming days?
26:43Yeah, it's a remarkable, remarkable event. And, you know, the energy here is incredible, very positive.
26:55And it's kind of marked out by the scale of the event. It's absolutely huge. And we've got people from
27:01over 140 countries here, 20,000 delegates, tens of thousands of people who don't seem to have got
27:08the memo about Russia being isolated. Countries from across the global south, people from Europe,
27:13from the United States. And they're here to talk about cooperation, not isolation. And it all comes,
27:19of course, as sanctions are ramped up on Russia. But at the center of this feeling and this energy here in
27:27St. Petersburg is all about how Russia can cooperate with the partners who have stuck with it
27:33throughout its difficult couple of years and continue to grow the Russian economy. Why is this
27:40meeting so important? Why is it such a landmark meeting here in the capital of Russia's north in
27:45St. Petersburg? Well, let's have a listen to one of President Putin's advisors telling us just why.
27:51The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum today is not just a platform for discussing ongoing
27:58changes. It has long been a place for developing solutions capable of responding to rapidly changing
28:04external circumstances. It is a space where new concepts and practices are formed,
28:09capable of shaping the future of both our country and the world.
28:12So there's also about 150 different sessions, different mini conferences within the conference,
28:21talking about politics, talking about cooperation, development of new technologies, finance. It is
28:27the economic forum after all. And this is a very, very central point around which this whole movement,
28:34if you like, is revolving. In addition to that, of course, there's a political element here. President Putin
28:39will meet with the Indonesian leader. Indonesia, of course, having just joined BRICS, become a central
28:48part of the BRICS family, if you like. And he's also going to be meeting the head of the new
28:54Development Bank, and that's going to be taking place today. So all in all, here in St. Petersburg,
29:00there's a sense of positivity. There's a sense that we can get things done, that working with Russia's
29:05partners, and this family feeling. It's BRICS, but it's also about how to counter the idea of isolationism.
29:14But it's really the West that's isolating itself from Russia, not the other way around. Russia's open for business,
29:19and this incredible forum is testament to that.
29:24All right, RT Correspondent Tables, bringing us up to speed from St. Petersburg. Thank you.
29:30All right, stay with RT International for all the latest from around the world.
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