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New CIA assessment suggests lab leak as probable COVID-19 origin

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The CIA has concluded in a new assessment that COVID-19 “probably” originated from a laboratory leak in China, marking a significant shift in the understanding of the pandemic’s origins.

The U.S. intelligence agency stated with “low confidence” that the virus leaked from a research facility, revising its previous stance that there was insufficient evidence to draw conclusions.

“The CIA assesses with low confidence that, based on available reports, it is more likely that the COVID-19 pandemic is of research origin than natural origin,” the agency announced on Saturday. “The CIA continues to assess that both research-related and natural-origin scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible.”

For the past four years, the U.S. intelligence community, comprising 18 agencies, has been investigating whether COVID-19 emerged naturally from a Wuhan fish market or leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The CIA’s position now aligns with the FBI and the Department of Energy in attributing the virus’s origin to the Wuhan laboratory. However, the agency emphasized its “low confidence” in this assessment and stated it would continue evaluating new intelligence reports or open-source information that could alter their conclusion.

This assessment became public shortly after John Ratcliffe’s appointment as CIA director. In a Breitbart interview following his confirmation as President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the intelligence agency, Ratcliffe expressed his belief that intelligence and common sense “dictate that Covid’s origin is a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.” He committed to ensuring “the public is aware that the agency [CIA] is going to get into the game.”

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz noted that those previously dismissed as “conspiracy theorists” for suggesting COVID-19 resulted from a laboratory leak were “right all along,” adding: “We can’t stop the next pandemic without understanding how the last one happened!”

According to a U.S. official who spoke to the Financial Times, Bill Burns, who headed the CIA during the Biden administration, directed the CIA assessment team to take a position on COVID-19’s source but did not influence the outcome. This directive coincided with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s instruction for the intelligence community to reexamine the pandemic’s origins as the Biden administration prepared to transition.

The U.S. official emphasized that the CIA was reviewing its assessment before Ratcliffe’s appointment as director.

Senator Tom Cotton, Republican chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, stated: “I said from the beginning that Covid probably originated in the Wuhan laboratories. Communist China covered it up and the liberal media protected them. I am pleased that the CIA concluded in the final days of the Biden administration that the most plausible explanation for the origin of Covid is the laboratory leak theory, and I commend Director Ratcliffe for fulfilling his promise to announce this conclusion. The most important thing to do now is to make China pay for the disease it has unleashed on the world.”

The Chinese Embassy in Washington strongly opposed this characterization, stating: “The so-called U.S. report, without any concrete evidence, fabricates misleading conclusions, smears and stigmatizes China. This report is still an old routine of political manipulation to trace the source and has no credibility.”

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First official Russia-US talks since Ukraine war begin in Riyadh

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Representatives from Russia and the United States (US) have commenced their first official high-level talks since the onset of the Ukrainian war in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The meeting is being held at the Diriyah Palace, a residence of the Saudi royal family. The Russian delegation includes Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy President Yuri Ushakov, and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) President Kirill Dmitriev. Representing the US are Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and White House Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

Discussions are anticipated to cover preparations for potential negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as the arrangement of a direct meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.

Before the talks began, RDIF President Dmitriev indicated that Russia had presented the US with several proposals in the trade and economic sectors, anticipating progress within two to three months.

“The American business community has lost over $300 billion by withdrawing from the Russian market. Thus, identifying mutual economic avenues and constructive solutions is crucial for the United States and other nations, which are recognizing the Russian market’s appeal and the necessity of maintaining a presence there,” Dmitriev stated.

Dmitriev further mentioned that Russia and the US should initiate joint projects, particularly in the Arctic.

A Washington Post source revealed that the Kremlin’s primary objective in the negotiations is the removal of sanctions against Russia, including those impacting senior officials and prominent Russian billionaires.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky previously stated that Kyiv would not acknowledge the outcomes of the Russia-US talks in Riyadh.

“Ukraine views any discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine’s participation as unproductive. We cannot accept any outcomes or agreements made about us without our involvement,” Zelensky asserted.

NBC News television sources reported that the US plans to conduct a separate meeting with Ukrainian officials prior to direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

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NATO criticizes Ukrainian army’s ‘wasteful’ use of Western weapons

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The Sunday Telegraph, citing a source, reported that NATO is dissatisfied with the Ukrainian army’s use of Western-supplied weapons alongside Soviet ones.

This is resulting in the wasteful use of weapons provided by allies due to their different approaches to using weapons.

According to the newspaper, NATO advocates the use of high-precision weapons from different sources, while the Soviet approach calls for intensive use of cheap firepower.

An official involved in the training of Ukrainian soldiers told the newspaper that the Ukrainians were using British-supplied NLAW anti-tank missiles (around 5,000) as hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers (RPGs).

It was reported that the soldiers were firing salvos of five or six rockets, but that each rocket cost around £20,000 (2.2 million rubles at the time).

It was emphasized that using RPGs was not that costly. The launch of the rockets was reportedly recorded on video, and Ukraine provided the footage for reporting purposes.

Other sources told the newspaper that Ukrainian troops often abandon their equipment during withdrawals and that NATO’s principle is to “leave nothing behind” due to the cost of the weapons.

In particular, it was noted that the Ukrainian army did not take the launchers of the Javelin anti-tank missiles, which cost $100,000, from the abandoned positions.

“The Russian army probably has more Javelins than the British army,” one of the newspaper’s sources said. The Russian side has been reporting the seizure of such anti-tank missile systems since 2022.

The Telegraph listed the reasons for Kiev’s departure from Western tactics as the lack of time to train Ukrainians and disagreements with instructors who were unfamiliar with real combat conditions.

It was stated that this situation caused Ukraine to demand cheaper firepower and that the West was forced to turn to former Warsaw Pact countries for Soviet weapons.

“Foreign training is not only ineffective, but also dangerous, unless it is adapted to Ukrainian conditions and integrated into existing unit practices,” said Sergey Filimonov, commander of Ukraine’s 108th battalion.

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Possible US-Russia talks on Ukraine to be held in Riyadh

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Russian and American delegations may meet in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on February 18 to discuss the Ukraine issue.

Sources informed Kommersant that talks between the US and Russian official delegations on Ukraine could take place in Riyadh.

According to Axios, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend the talks, while the US delegation will be headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The US delegation is also expected to include the President’s National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

Bloomberg had previously reported that Russia could be represented at the talks by Vice President Yuri Ushakov, Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergei Naryshkin, and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Chairman Kirill Dmitriev.

US President Donald Trump announced last week that talks between the US and Russia would begin in Saudi Arabia.

Trump stated that these talks would take place before his personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he held a one-and-a-half-hour meeting on February 12 and agreed to work to resolve the military conflict in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is also expected to visit Saudi Arabia in the coming days.

“I will not only meet with Russians,” Zelensky said. “As I said, we see the order of the talks as follows: first the United States, then Europe, and then the Russians.”

US Secretary of State Rubio stated that Ukrainian and European leaders will take part in the decisive stage of the peace talks, while the bilateral meeting between representatives of the United States and Russia is aimed at starting the negotiation process.

According to Bloomberg, Trump expects a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine by Easter, which falls on April 20 this year.

Senior Ukrainian and Western officials told the Financial Times that Trump is trying to reach an agreement with Putin by that date.

Another possible date for a deal is May 9, when Russia will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War.

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