Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced the deployment (mobilization) of up to 4–4.5 million Bolivarian National Police officers in response to “threats from the US” and the build-up of American military presence in the Caribbean. This was reported by international media outlets, including El País, CBS News, and Al Jazeera.
According to the publications, Maduro’s statement came after the US decided to double the reward for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction to $50 million. The US State Department and the Associated Press/PBS agencies reported on the increase in the reward.
El País and other sources also note that Venezuela’s mobilization was a response to the deployment of US destroyers and other forces near the country’s coast, which has increased tensions in the region. Washington had previously accused Maduro of involvement in international drug trafficking and related crimes; the decision to increase the reward was announced this month.
American and international analytical publications note the growing military and political rhetoric on both sides and warn of the risks of further escalation. At the same time, there is no independent confirmation of the start of a “war” between the US and Venezuela; we are talking about mobilization steps and increased readiness against the backdrop of political confrontation.
The White House is looking for a venue for a possible meeting at the end of next week, where the US, Russia, and Ukraine could discuss resolving the conflict — with Ukraine actively demanding its participation in any negotiations.
CBS News representatives confirm that the US administration is looking for a venue for a meeting between Presidents Trump, Putin, and Zelensky, which could take place as early as next week.
The summit between Trump and Putin is scheduled for August 15 in Anchorage, Alaska, which the US administration is calling a fact-finding meeting, with no clear promises to end the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which the parties discussed the current diplomatic situation and the opportunities it opens up.
“President Erdogan confirmed his country’s readiness to organize a summit between the leaders of Ukraine, the US, Russia, and Turkey,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Tuesday.
According to him, Erdogan said that any negotiations without Ukraine would not bring stable peace.
“We all understand the risks and threats equally. A fake, rather than honest, peace will certainly not last long and will encourage Russia to seize even more territory. I noted that we are ready for any format of meeting in order to stop the killings and end the war,” the Ukrainian president added.
The parties also discussed high-level events that Ukraine is preparing during the UN General Assembly and Turkey’s participation in them.
According to the Turkish Presidency’s Twitter page, during the conversation, which took place at the request of the Ukrainian side, bilateral relations between Turkey and Ukraine, as well as regional and global issues, were discussed.
“Recognizing the valuable progress achieved in direct talks in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia, President Erdogan expressed his hope that the next rounds of talks would yield meaningful results for a ceasefire on the path to lasting peace. Noting that Turkey is ready to host a summit at the leadership level, President Erdogan expressed his conviction that the establishment of working groups in the military, humanitarian, and political spheres will pave the way for the summit,” the statement said.
Erdogan also stressed that Turkey continues to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
As reported, last Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that his meeting with Vladimir Putin would take place on August 15 in Alaska.
The US White House’s Digital Assets Working Group has presented a strategic report with recommendations for forming a new regulatory framework for the crypto industry. This document is intended to lay the foundation for a “golden age of cryptocurrencies” in the United States, against the backdrop of tighter controls in the EU and China.
The group includes key figures:
• Secretary of the Treasury Scott S. Mnuchin;
• Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross;
• SEC Chairman (Securities and Exchange Commission) Paul Atkins.
Key provisions of the document
1. Division of powers between the SEC and CFTC. Cryptocurrencies will be classified according to a clear taxonomy:
Tokens with characteristics of securities (e.g., utility tokens or ICO projects) will remain under SEC control.
Commodity tokens, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, will fall under the CFTC’s jurisdiction, including spot markets.
Comment by Paul Atkins (SEC):
“A rational regulatory framework is the best way to protect investors, ensure transparency, and maintain U.S. leadership in global capital markets.”
2. Support for stablecoins as a geo-economic tool
The document emphasizes:
• the importance of dollar-pegged stablecoins for US global financial dominance;
• the need for legal control over their issuance;
• mandatory cooperation between issuers and law enforcement agencies, including the possibility of freezing or seizing digital assets.
3. Ban on the development of a digital dollar (CBDC)
The working group recommends officially abandoning the idea of a state digital currency, arguing that it poses a threat to privacy and expands the powers of the Federal Reserve. This is in line with Donald Trump’s position, who said that a digital dollar is “a path to totalitarian control.”
4. Tax reform
Proposals
• Create a separate tax regime for digital assets
• Recognize cryptocurrencies as a separate class of property
• Take into account the specific features of staking, DeFi, DAO, and other forms of digital income
5. Involvement of traditional banks
The White House proposes to allow US banks to legally provide cryptocurrency storage services, as well as related investment and settlement products. This is a way to increase competition with crypto exchanges and attract institutional capital.
The US is betting on crypto leadership, but in its own way.
• The new approach differs from the models of China and the EU. While Beijing is building total digital control through the yuan-CBDC, and Europe is strictly regulating DeFi and introducing wallet licensing, the US is choosing a liberal-institutional path without abandoning market initiative.
• Rejecting CBDC is a move that will delight privacy advocates but could weaken the US’s position in the international competition for digital currencies. However, there is also political pragmatism behind this decision: with the 2024 elections looming, this position is advantageous for Trump and his electorate.
• Recognition of the role of stablecoins suggests that the White House no longer sees them as a threat. On the contrary, they are becoming a tool for projecting US monetary policy on a global scale.
• In the future, a new tax jurisdiction could be implemented to encourage crypto startups to return from offshore locations and registrations in Singapore, Malta, and the UAE back to the US.
Comment from the Trump team
The report does not directly mention Bitcoin reserves, but Bo Hines, Trump’s cryptocurrency advisor, said:
“The infrastructure for Bitcoin reserves is already being developed. Details will follow.”
This confirms that crypto could become part of Trump’s economic platform in 2025.
The White House working group’s report marks a turning point — the US is not only not banning crypto, but is preparing to take control of the global crypto space. If the recommendations are implemented, this will increase the flow of capital into American projects and create standards that the whole world will follow.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/1247
The US has postponed sanctions against Serbian oil company NIS for the last time: a key company could be at risk
The United States has postponed for the fifth and final time the imposition of sanctions against Serbian oil company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), which is controlled by Russia’s Gazprom. According to Reuters, the new exemption from the sanctions list has been extended until the end of August. No further extension is planned after that.
Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Čedović Handanović said that Belgrade wants to keep oil supplies stable and called “the exclusion of NIS from OFAC sanctions a priority.” She said that dialogue between the US and Russia remains an important condition for this.
NIS is a strategically important company for the Serbian economy. It operates the country’s only oil refinery in Pančevo (near Belgrade), as well as the largest network of gas stations and logistics infrastructure in the fuel sector.
According to the ownership structure:
• 44.9% of NIS shares are owned by Gazprom Neft (Russia),
• 11.3% by Gazprom,
• 29.9% by the Serbian government,
• the rest by minority investors.
It was Russian control over the majority of shares that led to NIS being sanctioned by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Initially, the company was to be completely blocked in January 2025, but since then it has received four temporary licenses to continue operations.
In July 2025, NIS applied for a temporary license for the fifth time and received it for one month, until the end of August. During this period, Gazprom Neft was again reminded of the requirement to withdraw from the Serbian company’s shareholders.
Analysts note that if the sanctions are imposed in full, this could destabilize the fuel market in Serbia, create logistical disruptions, and cause oil prices to rise.
An alternative could be a transfer of control from Russian shareholders to European or Middle Eastern investors, but negotiations on this issue have not yet been officially confirmed.
NIS is a leader in the Serbian petroleum products market and is actively developing its operations in Romania, Bulgaria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The company is also involved in oil and gas exploration and production, lubricant manufacturing, and power generation.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/1228
Denmark and Germany have agreed to participate in the new format of arms supplies to Kyiv proposed by US President Donald Trump, while France, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Hungary have refused, Western media reported on Wednesday.
In addition, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Europe increasingly feels the need to end its dependence on US weapons.
“Europe is heavily dependent on the US defense industry. However, due to trade tariffs, President Trump’s attitude toward NATO and his lack of commitment to defending the alliance’s countries, European countries will increasingly prioritize investments in their own defense systems,” the agency’s sources said.
According to the European portal Politico, France has refused to participate in the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine. The publication’s sources said that instead, the government intends to focus on increasing its own defense budget, which President Emmanuel Macron promised last weekend to almost double by 2027 compared to the 2017 budget.
In addition, Paris wants to support European manufacturers who previously supplied Ukraine with anti-missile systems and other weapons.
Italy also has no plans to purchase weapons from the US for delivery to Ukraine, but will continue to provide military assistance to Kyiv. Unnamed representatives of the Ministry of Defense told the newspaper La Stampa that there had never been any talks about purchasing American weapons for Kyiv.
In addition, the newspaper notes that Italy does not have the funds to carry out operations of this kind. According to the newspaper’s sources, the problem is so acute that the only purchase from the US planned by Italy for the next ten years is a batch of F-35 fighter jets for its own needs.
The Czech government, in turn, said that military aid to Kyiv would continue, but through participation in other initiatives and purchases from Czech, not American, manufacturers.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that Budapest does not intend to participate in the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine.
Berlin and Copenhagen have so far given their official consent to purchase weapons from the US. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen said he was fully prepared to join the funding.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry, in turn, said it was considering participating in the program. However, despite the government’s positive assessment of the initiative, Amsterdam has not yet confirmed its commitment to direct participation.
According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom are also expected to join the funding.
On July 11, Trump announced that US NATO allies would purchase weapons from Washington, which could then be transferred to Ukraine.
During a press conference with Trump on Monday, Rutte called it “logical” that European countries would pay for US arms deliveries to Ukraine.
European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday that EU countries would prefer Washington to provide part of its military aid to Ukraine free of charge. “If we pay for these weapons, it means that we, not the US, are providing this military aid,” Callas said at a press conference in Brussels. She stressed that Brussels “would like to see these costs shared.”
