Breaking News, 31st of May, 2018

Sources in the Pentagon report that the US intend to demand NATO allies to send more military forces to Iraq. The US want to maintain their military presence in Iraq while simultaneously reducing the number of their contingent in the country. At the moment there are 5,500 people of US military personnel stationed in Iraq. Washington seemingly wants to move away from their fight against ISIS to a «multinational program of assistance the Iraqi security forces,» TASS reports. The publication explains that it means sending military advisers, and some assistance in training of the Iraqi military personnel.

Over the past day, the Ukrainian troops violated the cease fire 9 times, firing 91 shells at the territory of the DPR. The areas of Donetsk, Gorlovka and Mariupol were hit the most. The fire was concentrated on the northern suburbs of Donetsk, on Zaitsevo and Golmovsky villages, as well as the neighborhood of town Yasinovatoy, and the southern villages of the DPR. Mortars, weaponry of IFV and APC, as well as small arms were used during the shelling. Yesterday the Ukrainian army shelled the OSCE patrol moving near the village of Petrovskoye, south of Donetsk.

The Saudi Ambassador to Moscow, Raid Ben Khalid Krimli, told RIA NEWS about the successful course of the negotiations on the purchase of S-400 AA missile systems. «We expect progress on this deal. The experts need to finish their own discussions first, thus we can’t set a date for the end of the negotiations just yet, but they are working very successfully.» — the ambassador said. Earlier it was reported that Moscow and Riyadh had reached the agreement on the purchase of S-400 systems, as well as anti-tank missile systems Kornet-EM.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks in Pyongyang with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. During the meeting, Lavrov said that Russia is interested in peace, stability and prosperity both in the DPRK itself and in North-east Asia as a whole. Lavrov also noted that Russia had positively perceived the declaration signed between the DPRK and the Republic of Korea — if needed, Russia is ready to facilitate the implementation of the declaration. Kim Jong-un replied that he highly appreciated Russian assistance in confronting the US domination.

ANNA NEWS reporters report from Syria. President Bashar Assad held a two-hour press-conference with the Syrian, Russian, and Western journalists on the matters of the situation in the country. Bashar Assad made a statement that the war in Syria is near its end. According to him, the confrontation between the two nuclear powers on the territory of Syria was avoided only thanks to the wise position of the Russian leadership. Bashar Assad also commented on reports of «chemical attacks» in the country, and responded to insults from the US President Donald Trump — «I do not speak such language and I will not use such expressions. That is how Donald Trump speaks. One might even add — ‘You are what you say.’ I do not care about Donald Trump.»- end of quote.

During attempts of capturing the town of Gorlovka, near Donetsk, the advancing units of the Ukrainian Army lost a commander’s armored car and up to two other special vehicles. Artillery of the DPR hit the ammunition depot and set it ablaze. Earlier, the representative of the operational command of the DPR Eduard Bazurin announced that the Ukrainian military sent tanks and self-propelled artillery to the town of Gorlovka