Judge Napolitano Interviews Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov – Part One

Judge Napolitano Interviews Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov – Part Two

Mr Lavrov is pretty much my most favoured diplomat.. So, in my view, these are absolutely worth listening to!

Once enacted, the act would impose primary and secondary sanctions on Russia, targeting Russian officials, banks, financial institutions and other entities.

The US Senate has passed legislation that would impose new sanctions on Russia, sending it to the House of Representatives.

By a vote of 86-11, the upper chamber passed H.R. 5334, the legislative vehicle for the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026.

The measure cleared the Senate on Friday with the support of more than the 60 votes required for passage.

Eleven senators voted against the bill: Democrats Lisa Blunt Rochester, Maggie Hassan, Mazie Hirono, Ed Markey, Jon Ossoff, Alex Padilla, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welch and Ron Wyden, along with Republican Rand Paul.

The three senators who did not vote are Republicans Marsha Blackburn, Cynthia Lummis and Mitch McConnell.

The measure was a key legislative priority of Senator Lindsey Graham, who died after a brief illness last month.

Several senators met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month during his visit to the US for Graham’s funeral.

If enacted, the act would impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting the war in Ukraine.

The sanctions target Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members, foreign persons and Russian banks and financial institutions.

The legislation allows the president to impose targeted tariffs on imported goods from countries that buy the vast majority of Russian oil or gas, and enable Russian sanctions evasion. (China and India will be targets)

It also includes a provision to prevent a lapse in sanction authority that restricts funding for Iran’s energy and weapons sectors.

“This landmark legislation is a powerful demonstration of America’s global leadership. I extend my sincere gratitude to the members of the US Senate for their leadership, their principled bipartisan support, and their enduring solidarity with Ukraine. Together, we are bringing a lasting peace closer,” he said on the US social media company X.

EU toadies sanction too

EU approves new sanctions on Russia in response to massive strikes on Ukraine

Background:

• On 23 July, the Council of the European Union formally adopted a new package of sanctions against Russia, describing it as a measure that “deals a powerful blow to Russia’s energy sector, financial services and cryptocurrencies.”
• The package was approved after weeks of delays caused by objections from several member states for different reasons, with Greece being the last country to lift its objections.
• Following its adoption, it emerged that the EU is reviewing its broader approach to sanctions against Russia.

At least 15 people were killed and more than 50 injured after Russia launched a large-scale overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding Kyiv Oblast, causing widespread destruction, major fires, and extensive rescue operations.

The heaviest losses were recorded in Brovary district, where nine people were killed. Four more civilians died in Bucha district, while one person was killed in Fastiv district. Authorities said 12 people were injured in Brovary district, seven in Bucha district, and three in Fastiv district.

Emergency responders were deployed to seven locations across the three affected districts. Large warehouse fires broke out in Brovary, Velyka Dymerka, Kvitneve, and Peremoha. In Fastiv district, firefighters extinguished a blaze involving vehicles at a business site. In Bucha district, crews continued battling a warehouse fire in the village of Chaiky, while another fire at a logistics facility in Sofiivska Borshchahivka was brought under control.

In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 15 of the injured required hospitalization, with four reported in critical condition. Search-and-rescue teams pulled two people alive from beneath the rubble of a collapsed warehouse in the Holosiivskyi district, although officials warned more victims could still be trapped.

Damage was reported in several parts of the capital, including the Holosiivskyi, Obolonskyi, Desnianskyi, and Sviatoshynskyi districts. In Obolonskyi, a ballistic missile struck a 20-story residential building, triggering a major fire. Another apartment building and two warehouse facilities also caught fire. In Desnianskyi district, a warehouse burned while missile debris landed near residential buildings. A large fire also broke out in the Kyiv-Sviatoshynskyi area outside the capital.

Ukraine‘s Air Force said Russia launched 24 ballistic missiles, four hypersonic missiles, and 115 Shahed-type attack drones during the overnight assault.

According to the military, none of the ballistic or hypersonic missiles were intercepted. Why?

No interceptors? Or refusal to use what they do have? I don’t know.

Read below;

Sweden Herald

During last night’s major attack on Kyiv, Ukraine appears not to have intercepted any Russian missiles, according to preliminary data from the country’s air defenses. That is neither surprising nor good, says military expert Joakim Paasikivi.

This could be a sign that Ukrainian missile stocks have reached a critically low level.

However, it cannot be ruled out that Ukraine is deliberately withholding information to further reinforce the message that the outside world needs to send more air defence, according to Lieutenant Colonel Johan Huovinen.

So, lack of air defence or holding out for more? Maybe a bit of both?

Ukraine’s former ambassador to US faces anti-corruption probe

Two days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially dismissed Olha Stefanishyna as Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, she has been formally notified that she is a suspect in an anti-corruption investigation.

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s former ambassador to the US, is under investigation in an anti-corruption case, with the High Anti-Corruption Court holding a hearing on the matter in Kyiv on Wednesday.

Two days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially dismissed Olha Stefanishyna as Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, she has been formally notified that she is a suspect in an anti-corruption investigation.

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s former ambassador to the US, is under investigation in an anti-corruption case, with the High Anti-Corruption Court holding a hearing on the matter in Kyiv on Wednesday.

Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne reports that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) served Stefanishyna with a new notice of suspicion on 5 August.

According to the SAPO prosecutor, Stefanishyna – a former ambassador to the US and ex–deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration – is accused of failing to declare two apartments and cash used to pay for renovations, airline tickets and the rent on another apartment.

She is also alleged to have failed to disclose her use of a car registered to one of her subordinates.

She hasn’t fled to Israel at this point in time.. Perhaps she can’t like so many other corrupt Ukrainian officials? Or she just hasn’t got there yet?

Most recent corrupt Ukrainian that headed straight to Israel

Legal proceedings expected to take place in absentia against entertainment tycoon Timur Mindich, who is accused of masterminding $100-million embezzlement plot at state companies

There is also..Alexander Tsukerman: A prominent businessman implicated alongside Mindich in the energy sector graft scandal, who also escaped to Israel

Denys Komarnytskyi: A former member of the Kyiv City Council suspected in separate land-related corruption schemes who also fled to Israel

But, I digress

First an oped from Maritime Executive;

The sanctions on Russia have transformed crude oil and refined product flows. Before the war, the vast majority of Russian seaborne crude went directly to European Union ports. Today, that flow has essentially dropped to zero, rerouting heavily toward Asia. China and India, who are not sanctioning Russia, now consume more than 80% of Russia's seaborne crude oil exports. This has led to a massive boost in long-haul Suezmax and Aframax employment. One would typically use VLCCs for these long-haul trips to Asia, but Russia does not have access to VLCC-capable export terminals. This has transformed Russia’s oil flows from using regional pipelines and short-haul voyages to long-haul trips on medium-sized, suboptimal tonnage.

The introduction and enforcement of price caps and trade bans has reshaped fleet ownership, vessel values, and maritime safety standards globally. The sanctions against Russia have also fractured the global oil tanker industry, splitting the maritime shipping world into two distinct, parallel markets: the regulated “mainstream” market and a booming, opaque “shadow” market.

Surviving The Sanctions

Despite the sanctions, Russian crude oil exports have largely been maintained. As a matter of fact, they have been rising in 2026 to date.

Russian crude oil exports are rising! Read the rest at the above link.

Finally;

Turkish cargo ship hit in suspected Ukrainian attack near Russian port (VIDEOS)

The captain said the Nadezhda, which reportedly carried fruit and vegetables, was struck by Kiev’s drones

A Turkish-operated cargo ship was hit in an apparent Ukrainian drone attack off the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk late on Monday.

The Nadezhda had a crew of 22, including 13 Turkish citizens, according to the DGM. Turkish media reported that the vessel was operated by Samsun-based Kalyoncu Shipping and had been carrying fruit and vegetables from Türkiye to Russia.

Lavrov had mentioned this was already happening and I’d covered it in this previous post

Russia hopes Türkiye will send a strong signal to Ukraine following attacks on Turkish vessels in the Black Sea, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, APA’s Moscow bureau reports.

RT

A key bridge serving as a strategic link for transporting cargo from Romania into Ukraine has reportedly been seriously damaged in recent Russian strikes.

The reports of damage to the Zatoka Bridge, which have not been confirmed by ( Russian) officials, come amid a major escalation in mutual attacks on logistics infrastructure. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky initiated the exchanges last month when he announced a 40-day “pressure campaign” against Russia. Moscow’s retaliatory strikes have already paralyzed direct maritime shipments to and from Ukraine through the Black Sea.

The overnight attack on the bridge in Ukraine’s Odessa Region reportedly caused one of its sections to collapse. Russian military-themed online outlets published footage on Monday morning that they claimed showed the nighttime strikes and the damage recorded the following morning.

The bridge is crucial for cargo transported to and from Ukraine through Romanian ports. The route, an alternative to direct shipments through ports in Odessa and Nikolaev Regions, has limited capacity but remained operational after commercial companies were deterred from using Ukrainian ports by the threat of Russian attacks.

Ukraine media appears to be acknowledging this attack did indeed occur, in a round about way

Today, civilian vessels in the ports of Greater Odesa and the Danube region, as well as the transport infrastructure of Odesa region, again came under attack by the Russian Federation.

Transport infrastructure- Like a bridge?

"ISIS Khorosan"??? Just throwing it out there. If you’ve followed along with me for a while you’ll probably know why.

TRT World

An explosion near a Moscow cafe killed at least three people and wounded another 15, police said, without saying what caused the blast.

“From the information we have, an explosion happened today at around 8:10 pm (1710 GMT) near a summer cafe, causing three deaths and 15 injured, of varying degrees of seriousness,” Moscow police told state news agency Ria Novosti on Saturday.

RT

At least three people have been killed and 15 others wounded in an explosion at a cafe in central Moscow, according to police.

“According to preliminary information, an explosion occurred near an outdoor cafe at around 8:10 pm local time, killing three people and leaving 15 others with injuries of varying severity, “ the Moscow department of the Interior Ministry’s press service said on Saturday.

Police are working at the scene near Building 1 on Kudrinskaya Square, it added.

Russia’s ministry of defense claims that its forces have struck two more ships near the port of Odesa, along with shoreside infrastructure.

As the ministry often does, it claimed that the vessels were carrying arms for Ukraine’s military.

Ukraine’s shipping corridor almost certainly serves the transport of arms, but its civilian usage is just as important to the country’s economy.

Russia claims they hit two ships carrying weapons.. In some sort of strange way of denying this reality the article says the corridor almost certainly serves the transport of arms, but, it’s also used for civilian imports. Sure. In a round about way the article is acknowledging Russia is hitting arms being transported..

Tit for tat

“Both sides have been taking aim at civilian grain ships in an effort to impose economic pressure and stretch the other side’s defenses.”

Iran mentioned in the article

Iran came close to joining the Russian campaign against Ukraine’s seaports, according to the New York Times, in hopes of retaliating for the recent Ukrainian strike on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea. Diplomatic efforts appear to have headed off an escalation

Ukraine has been involved in the fighting against Iran

The two sides are already engaged in an indirect fight. Ukraine has helped GCC nations to defend against Iran’s lower-end drones, which are slow, numerous, and very familiar to Ukraine’s experts

Lower end drones?

Poland suspects Russia violated airspace

Information on targets hit by Russia in Ukraine

On Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry revealed the targets of the large-scale strike, which was carried out with long-range precision weapons launched from the air and from attack drones against Ukrainian military-industrial complex facilities and infrastructure.

The Russian Defense said in a statement: “Last night, the Russian Armed Forces launched a large-scale strike with long-range, high-precision air, land and sea weapons, in addition to drones, against military industry enterprises, communications and logistics centers in the cities of Kiev and Lvov, the provinces of Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne and Dnipropetrovsk, and cargo ships in the port of Yuzhny.”

The Russian defense statement revealed the targets targeted by Russian forces in the city of Kiev, and explained that the Kiev artillery and rifle assembly plant (Mayak Factory) was targeted, which manufactures components, warheads, fuses and ammunition, as well as launch boosters for long- and medium-range drones.

The Kiev Industrial Corporation (Electrical Technologies Factory), which produces and manufactures medium-range reconnaissance and attack drones, was targeted.

In the city of Lvov, Russian Defense confirmed that the “Lvov-1” missile assembly and manufacturing plant (Lvov State Factory) was targeted, which produces the electronics on board missiles with various modifications, in addition to radar systems for long-range guided missiles of the “Neptune” type and the “S-300” air defense system (reproduction project).

The Ministry indicated that Russian forces targeted in Ivano-Frankivsk Province:

Industrial company “Kalush”, which is engaged in the production and storage of “Flamingo” missiles, operational and tactical missiles, “Neptune” missiles, long-range guided missiles, as well as testing of combat units of operational and tactical missiles “Thunder-2”.

Russian Defense explained that in the Rivna District, the Russian army targeted: the “Rovno” chemical plant (Rovnozot), which produces aggregate components and rocket fuel components for the “Flamingo” missiles, tactical missiles and “Grom-2” tactical missiles.

The Ministry confirmed that Russian forces targeted in Dnipropetrovsk Province:

Shipbuilding enterprise “Kryvyi Rih”, for the development, assembly, modernization and storage of aircraft and unmanned boats, in cooperation with the company “Energocomplex”, which manufactures and repairs self-propelled howitzers, including those made from foreign components.

According to the ministry’s statement, in Odessa Province, a cargo ship carrying military supplies was targeted in the port of Youzhny.

The war continues between Ukraine and Russia

More interesting reads below:

Russia warns coalition of willing forces in Ukraine would be ‘legitimate military targets’

Russia on Tuesday warned that the military contingents from the so-called “coalition of the willing” in Ukraine would be “legitimate military targets” if stationed there.

Commenting on remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron about plans for deploying forces in Ukraine at a press briefing in Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called this possible move “unacceptable.”

“In this context, we would like to once again emphasize that the deployment in Ukraine of any military contingents from the so-called coalition of the willing is unacceptable for our country,” she stressed.

Zakharova added: “This would, I repeat, de facto amount to foreign intervention and an increase in threats to Russia’s security. Such units will be regarded by us as legitimate military targets.”

The official also said that Western arms deliveries remained one of the main obstacles to a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.

She referred to previous remarks by former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who said the conflict would have ended “within days, weeks, or a month” if Europe stopped arms supplies to Ukraine.

“If the Western Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe participating states genuinely want to end the confrontation, which is draining the resources of their own taxpayers, they simply need to stop supplying weapons to the Kyiv regime,” she said.

The spokeswoman urged Europe to “stop hiding behind talk of peace and openly admit that they want only one thing—aggression.”

Zakharova also said that Western-supplied weapons had been used against Russian civilians and warned that some of the arms had entered illicit circulation.

“Such cases have already been documented,” she said, adding that weapons had allegedly surfaced not only in Europe but also in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

Separately, Zakharova criticized military exercises conducted by Poland near the borders with Russia and Belarus, describing them as an attempt to “flex its muscles.”

She said the drills, held on July 13-14, reflected what she called Warsaw’s desire to strengthen its position as “the leader of Eastern Europe” and “the main bastion of NATO’s eastern flank.”

“The intensification of Poland’s military activity near the borders of Russia and Belarus once again demonstrates the complete irresponsibility of the Polish elite,” Zakharova said.

Russia and China are set to meet in Ankara

Russian Ambassador to Ankara Sergey Vershinin, will host an intriguing event on 16 July. In fact, it is a joint initiative with China’s Ambassador to Ankara Jiang Xuebin , though the venue has been set as the Russian Embassy. A conference will mark the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between Russia and China.

The same program is being held in capitals around the world. In Australia, for example, the venue is the Chinese Embassy in Canberra. In some countries the conferences are hosted by Russian embassies, in others by Chinese missions.

Speaking at the conference held at the Russian Embassy in Beijing, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Bin said that Russia and China regard each other as “foreign policy priorities” and “support one another on core interests.”

Ukraine has been attacking Turkish vessels in the Sea of Azov- Interesting

Lavrov: Russia expects Türkiye to send strong signal to Ukraine over attacks on Turkish vessels

Russia hopes Türkiye will send a strong signal to Ukraine following attacks on Turkish vessels in the Black Sea, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, APA’s Moscow bureau reports.
avrov described Ukraine’s attacks on civilian vessels in the Sea of Azov as terrorism.

The Russian foreign minister added that such actions could not even be described as piracy.

“Because pirates seize cargo, they do not destroy it,” Lavrov said.

He said Moscow expects Ankara to publicly assess Kyiv’s actions.

FETÖ members enjoy freedom in US after plot against Türkiye

Of course they do! At my censored blog there are many, many articles covering the US backed coup attempt on the Turkish leader.

Russia calls for immediate halt to military hostilities in Persian gulf/Strait of Hormuz

New US Sanctions Target Russian Oil Exports and Shadow Fleet

New U.S. Sanctions Bill Targets Russia’s Oil Exports and Shadow Fleet
By RFE/RL staff – Jul 15, 2026, 9:00 AM CDT

The revised bill replaces the earlier proposed 500% tariff with tariffs of up to 100% aimed primarily at the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas.
The legislation would impose broad sanctions on Russian officials, financial institutions, energy projects, oligarchs, and the shadow fleet used to evade existing sanctions.
Although the proposal enjoys strong bipartisan Senate support, it faces criticism in the House over the amount of tariff authority granted to the president.

Chinese FM rejects US unilateral sanctions targeting Russian energy buyers

Chinese Foreign Ministry (FM) spokesperson Lin Jian on Wednesday rejected a new US sanctions bill targeting countries that continue energy trade with Russia, saying China firmly opposes “illegal unilateral sanctions” that lack a basis in international law or authorization from the UN Security Council.

China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises and citizens, Lin said, warning that applying double standards and resorting to coercion and pressure will ultimately “end up shooting oneself in the foot.”

US issues new non-proliferation sanctions against those tied with Iran and Russia

The United States has imposed new non-proliferation sanctions targeting individuals and entities in Russia and Iran, according to a post on the US Treasury Department’s website, The Times of Israel reports.

So much for the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by Trump on June 18 at Versailles. It was essentially a lucrative deal for Iran to reopen the strait—the conduit for 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas. Trump pledged many billions of dollars in economic relief for Iran by lifting sanctions, unfreezing Iranian funds, and providing reconstruction assistance.

This deal was widely criticized as an act of appeasement on Trump’s part after failing to reopen the waterway by military force or to achieve his other military objectives—the overthrow of the Iranian regime and the abandonment of its nuclear program, its missile program, and its support for terrorist proxies across the region.

Yet, hardliners in the Iranian regime are apparently not satisfied to pocket the lucrative gains their country could accrue from this deal.

“Not satisfied to pocket the lucrative gains”

This is rubbish, because ships were attempting to negate the agreement by using Oman’s coastline to avoid Iran making any “lucrative gains” In other words, they were not following the MOU signed between the US and Iran

A fact that is acknowledged right in the oped and I quote

“Iran attacked merchant ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz near the Oman coast, rather than the Iranian shoreline.”

Trump has, predictably, responded by bombing Iran and reinstituting the U.S. blockade while claiming that the U.S. will charge its own tolls on traffic through the strait, thereby seemingly abandoning the United States’ age-old commitment to freedom of navigation through international waterways.

Trump’s threat to collect tolls is probably just bluster, but the bombing and the blockade are real. The question is what will they accomplish?

Yes, Trump is claiming he’s going to collect 20 percent fees on ships

President Donald Trump announced that the United States is reinstating a naval blockade targeting Iranian shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and said Washington would impose a 20% charge on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.

Back to CFR oped

The United States and Israel bombed Iran for thirty-nine days (February 28-April 8) without overthrowing the regime or forcing it to give in to U.S. and Israeli demands. Iran ultimately made Trump back down and agree to a humiliating MOU by holding the Strait of Hormuz and the energy infrastructure of U.S. Persian Gulf allies hostage. Trump is in a weaker position to pressure Iran today, after having let the regime cash in on his temporary lifting of sanctions; by one estimate, Iran earned at least $5 billion in oil exports since the United States lifted its blockade on June 17.

The fundamental problem, as I previously noted, is that for all of Trump’s bluster—and that of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth—they have no good military options to bring Iran to its knees. Truly defeating Iran and overthrowing its regime would require an invasion by hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops. This contingency is impossible to imagine given how unpopular the war already is with the American public. In one recent poll, 60 percent of those surveyed said the Iran war was not worth it.

Trump is left facing the same dilemma as many of his predecessors in the Oval Office: He is fighting a limited war with limited means and, not surprisingly, achieving limited results, at best. The most that can be said for Trump’s war is that it has degraded Iranian military capabilities, but Iranian drones and missiles remain as much of a threat as ever, and Iran has actually increased its ability to blackmail the world since the war began. Even after the signing of the MOU, maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz never returned to prewar levels. Now, with Iran claiming the waterway is closed, even fewer ships are likely to pass through it.

Trump is left with an unpalatable choice: Either acquiesce to Iran charging a toll for traffic through the strait or else run the significant risks of military escalation. More than four months in, the Iran war once again shows why presidents should be wary of starting wars of choice based on wishful thinking and without an obvious exit strategy.

Russia, Iran said to be close to a gas deal

Russia’s Minister of Energy Sergey Tsivilev and Iran’s Minister of Petroleum Mohsen Paknejad met today as the two sides move closer than ever to finalizing a gas trade agreement between the two countries, Iran’s Shana agency reported on Monday, AzerNEWS reports.

Paknejad told the agency that this is a “subject whose negotiations have seen significant progress over the past months” and that “the main clauses of this contract have been agreed upon.”

According to the minister, only two clauses that require supplementary negotiations remain. The move comes as Russian chief diplomat Sergey Lavrov is preparing to visit Tehran.

Mr Lavrov’s visit is highly suggestive that Russia and Iran are going to make this deal.