Tag: russia

Zelensky demands ‘at least’ Israel-style support from US

Kiev expects Washington to provide long-term security assistance modeled on the US relationship with Israel, Vladimir Zelensky has said, after Ukraine’s European backers reportedly rejected several points of US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan.

Washington presented its draft deal to end the hostilities between Kiev and Moscow during talks in Paris last week. At a follow-up meeting in London on Wednesday – which was downgraded at the last minute after Zelensky publicly rejected key US suggestions – Ukrainian officials and their NATO European counterparts reportedly put forward a counterproposal.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, Zelensky insisted that any future peace deal with Moscow must be backed by sustained US military, financial, and political support.

“Discussions in London have focused on security guarantees from the United States. We hope them to be at least as robust as those provided to Israel. Additionally, we anticipate support from our European partners and are actively developing the infrastructure necessary for these guarantees,” Zelensky said.

Keep reading

UK to scrap plans for Ukraine troop deployment – The Times

The UK has ditched plans to deploy a military contingent to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, The Times has reported, citing anonymous sources.

The defense chiefs from a number of European NATO states had in recent weeks been discussing sending military personnel to Ukraine, under a so-called “coalition of the willing.” Russia has strongly objected to the prospect of Western troops appearing in the neighboring country under any pretext.

In an article on Thursday, The Times quoted an unnamed source as saying that the “risks are too high and the forces inadequate for” a deployment that had been previously under consideration. According to the publication, “it was France who wanted a more muscular approach.”

Instead of coalition forces guarding key Ukrainian cities, ports, and nuclear power plants, the grouping now envisages more emphasis on Western military instructors training Ukrainian troops in the west of the country, who would “‘reassure’ by being there but aren’t a deterrence or protection force,” The Times reported, citing an anonymous source.

The softened vision for a Western military presence in Ukraine does, however, reportedly include the coalition’s aircraft patrolling Ukraine’s airspace and Türkiye providing maritime cover.

Additionally, Paris and London want the flow of Western weaponry to Ukraine to continue uninterrupted, according to The Times.

Keep reading

NATO forces in Ukraine could trigger World War III – Russia’s security chief

The deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine could lead to a clash between Russia and NATO, and ultimately to World War III, Sergey Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s National Security Council, has warned. The term “peacekeepers” is being used as a cover for the true objective of establishing control over Ukraine, according to the official.  

The defense chiefs from a number of NATO member states – led by the UK and France – have been discussing the idea of positioning a “peacekeeping” force in Ukraine. They claim the troops would contribute to a “lasting peace” between Russia and Ukraine. Russia has rejected the deployment of NATO forces, or troops from members of the bloc under a “coalition of the willing” to Ukraine under any pretext.  

In an interview published on Thursday by TASS, Shoigu, who previously served as Russia’s defense minister, stated that the presence of foreign “peacekeepers” on “Russia’s historic territories” could provoke a direct confrontation between Moscow and NATO, potentially escalating into a third world war. According to him, this risk is acknowledged by “reasonable politicians in Europe.”   

The term “peacekeepers” is being used to mask the true objective of gaining control over Ukrainian territory and its resources, Shoigu believes. He argued that it would be more accurate to describe such a force as “invaders” or “occupiers.”

Keep reading

Yes, Zelensky Should Take the Deal

President Donald Trump has sold out the Ukrainians, given the farm to Vladimir Putin, alienated U.S. allies—and may have revealed himself to be Moscow’s puppet.

At least, that’s how the mainstream media have portrayed the Russia-Ukraine peace deal that the White House presented last week, details of which have emerged in recent days. 

“Did Putin write this?” asked a headline yesterday in POLITICO’s national security newsletter. A New York Times report gave the impression the White House was trying to elicit Kiev’s repudiation of the deal and “create a pretext for abandoning American support for Ukraine.” And if that wasn’t the intention, the Times told its readers, then the deal was meant to force Ukraine’s capitulation.

Russia’s vicious assault on Kiev early Thursday fed into the perception that Trump is forsaking the beleaguered Ukrainians. The attack was part of a country-wide missile and drone campaign through the night.

Yet a close analysis of the proposal, or what we know about it, suggests Trump is genuinely trying to cobble together a viable deal—and exposes as misleading the melodramatic insinuations of the mainstream media.

To be sure, Russia would get much from the agreement: de jure recognition of Crimea as Russian territory; de facto recognition of Russian control over the four Ukrainian oblasts Putin claimed in 2022 to annex; sanctions relief; and a U.S. pledge that Ukraine won’t join NATO.

These concessions would be difficult to stomach for Ukrainians and Westerners, including this columnist. In a just world, Putin would not be rewarded for launching an expansionist war of aggression.

But Ukraine would get more than many people realize, enough that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky should take the deal—and soon. The one-page document laying out the proposal is reported to describe the deal as Trump’s “final offer.” 

While Kiev would not be permitted to join NATO, the deal expressly permits it to join the European Union, which has a collective defense agreement. Moreover, the deal seems to allow for European peacekeepers on Ukrainian territory after the war, and for Western nations to rearm Ukraine. At the very least, it doesn’t rule any of this out. These would be meaningful security guarantees that collectively would deter future Russian aggression. 

Keep reading

Senior Russian General Assassinated In Car Blast Just Ahead Of Witkoff-Putin Meeting

A top Russian general has been assassinated in a car bombing in the Russian city of Balashikha on Friday, authorities have confirmed. The city lies less than 20 miles east of Moscow.

The deceased has been identified as Lt Gen Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, who died when a “homemade” explosive device detonated under his Volkswagen Golf, according to TASS. Shrapnel ripped through the area and what appears to be a residential neighborhood.

Crucially news of the blast and killing was breaking just prior to President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The two sides are trying to find a way forward toward Ukraine peace settlement, which President Zelensky has clearly not been on board with.

Witkoff was in his meeting with Putin at the Kremlin by early Friday afternoon, during which time news of Gen. Mokalik’s assassination, accompanied by shocking video of the event, was spreading around the world. Witkoff also met with senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev.

Keep reading

SPY TALK: CIA’s Ratcliffe and Russian SVR’s Naryshkin Have ‘Constructive’ Phone Talk, May Meet Soon

For those still stuck in a Cold War mindset this will seem hard to accept, but the fact is that the United States’ CIA and Russia’s SVR have been engaged in frequent talks, a line of communication that has proven vital for the ongoing détente between the two nuclear superpowers.

The negotiations between the two intelligence agencies have already bore fruit in this case: US and Russia Swap Prisoners in Abu Dhabi, Free ‘Wrongfully Imprisoned’ Ballerina Ksenia Karelina in Victory for Trump Diplomacy.

Now, the Russian side is divulging further talks, floating the possibility of a deeper engagement.

TASS reported:

“Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin has announced a potential meeting with CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

’I had a telephone conversation with my colleague, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. It was a very constructive conversation. So, I do not rule out the possibility of a meeting in the near future’, Naryshkin told TASS.”

Keep reading

Ukraine Encroaches on ‘Friendly’ Moldova

Ukraine has encroached westwards over the past year on its friendly neighbour Moldova, a country that has stood by Kyiv against the Russians and sheltered thousands fleeing the war with Moscow, to build hydroelectric dams in a bid to overcome a crippling power shortage, people close to the matter said.

Troops, engineers and construction workers from Ukraine — which is engaged in a disastrous war with Russia since February 2022 and unsure of continued U.S. assistance under President Donald Trump — entered Moldova without informing its poorer, landlocked neighbour which also shares its border on the west with Romania.

Known for its exquisite wines, Moldova, a country of 2.4 million, has been buffeted by an energy crisis following the discontinuation [by Ukraine on Jan. 1] of Russian gas supplies through Ukraine. The country — whose ethnic majority Moldovans are peeved at being dominated by Ukraine on one side and Romania on the other — is also plagued by huge unemployment among the youth.

“The Kyiv regime began constructing a second barrier line at the Lower Dniester Hydroelectric Power Plant from the Moldovan side without prior notice to Chisinau (Moldova’s capital). This (has) created an imbalance of 470 MW between the Moldovan and Ukrainian power systems, with Chisinau’s energy losses rising to 7.1 percent. For the average Moldovan consumer, this meant electricity costs instantly more than tripled,” a Moldovan energy official told Open, asking not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

The construction is on the Moldovan side of the Dniester River, which flows from Ukraine to Moldova, the breakaway region of Transnistria, then to Ukraine and finally to the Black Sea, a person in the know explained.

Keep reading

NBC’s Story About ICE’s Detainment of a Russian-Born Harvard Scientist Backfires

One of the most significant benefits of the second Trump Administration is how quickly they have been able to blow up fake news stories pushed by the corporate media. One great example is a sob story about a Russian-born Harvard scientist written today that would have gone unchecked in previous years.

NBC ‘News’ yesterday published an article attempting to show the ‘consequences’ of President Trump’s no-nonsense illegal immigration policy relating to researchers at our universities. ICE detained 30-year-old scientist Kseniia Petrova back in February, and she is now battling to avoid being deported back to Russia.

Petrova was supposedly on the cusp of potentially unlocking major breakthroughs in cancer research and detection, which could save millions of lives. Moreover, Petrova fears that she will be punished for protesting the Ukraine-Russia war and is trying to claim asylum.

Here is how the Peacock channel ‘reported’ on the situation:

A groundbreaking microscope at Harvard Medical School could lead to breakthroughs in cancer detection and research into longevity. But the scientist who developed computer scripts to read its images and unlock its full potential has been in an immigration detention center for two months — putting crucial scientific advancements at risk.

The scientist, the 30-year-old Russian-born Kseniia Petrova, worked at Harvard’s renowned Kirschner Lab until her arrest at a Boston airport in mid-February. She is now being held at ICE’s Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana, and fighting possible deportation to Russia, where she said she fears persecution and jail time over her protests against the war in Ukraine.

“I would call it a grinding machine,” Petrova, who spoke with NBC News from the Louisiana facility, said about being detained. “We are in this machine, and it doesn’t care if you have a visa, a green card, or any particular story. … It just keeps going.”

Keep reading

European Leaders Reject US Proposal of Russian Sovereignty Over Crimea Despite Russia Controlling the Region for the Last 10 Years

More insanity from the globalist Western European elites.

According to news reports last week, the Trump Administration suggested it was prepared to recognize Russian control over Crimea. This is part of a broader peace agreement that the US has facilitated between Ukraine and Russia.

If elected, President Trump promised to bring peace to Ukraine, but he did not understand that illegitimate President Volodymyr Zelensky and the globalist Western warmongers would be his main obstacles to peace in the region.

Crimea is a peninsula off Ukraine in the Black Sea. In 2014, Russia took control of the region and its ports during the Obama presidency, over ten years ago now. For much of its history Russia has controlled Crimea. Crimea was passed from the Soviet Union to Ukraine in 1994, not that long ago.

According to RT.com and others, the Europeans have rejected this idea.

They did nothing about Crimea for over ten years but suddenly this is a peace deal game-stopper.

How do they think this will play out if they insist on Russia returning Crimea to Ukraine.

RT reported:

European leaders have rejected a US proposal to recognize Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea as part of a draft peace deal on the Ukraine conflict, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. European officials told the outlet that such a move could cause a rift within NATO and force Kiev’s backers to choose between sticking with Ukraine or siding with Washington.

According to the report, US President Donald Trump’s team has presented Ukraine with a take-it-or-leave-it deal that includes Washington formally recognizing Crimea as Russian territory. US Vice President J.D. Vance has also suggested freezing the conflict along the current lines of control.

A senior European diplomat told the FT that it would be “impossible” to accept the US proposal, while one EU official claimed that “Crimea and future NATO membership aspirations are red lines for us.”

Keep reading

Ukraine Situation Report: U.S. Peace Plan Stumbles After Tumultuous Day

During a very turbulent day in which the Trump administration saw its plans to end the war in Ukraine sputter, Vice President JD Vance said Kyiv would have to give up territory now held by Russia in any such deal. He also said Ukraine would have to accept the annexation of Crimea by Russia and a prohibition on joining the NATO alliance.

“It was the first time a U.S. official had publicly laid out a plan to end the war that favors Russia in such stark terms,” The New York Times reported.

“The current lines, or somewhere close to them, is where you’re ultimately, I think, going to draw the new lines in the conflict,” Vance told reporters in India. “Now, of course, that means the Ukrainians and the Russians are both going to have to give up some of the territory they currently own.”

Vance did not specify what territory in Ukraine would be given up by Russia, which currently occupies about 20 of it. Under those terms, Ukraine would have to surrender huge swaths of land. Vance also said both sides need to come to the table or the U.S. would “walk away” from further negotiations.

Keep reading