Tag: russia

After Zelensky’s Ungrateful and Impertinent Display at the Oval Office, Trump Team and DOGE Move Swiftly To Audit Hundreds of Billions in US Aid to Ukraine

A lot has been written about the ‘blowout’ between Donald J. Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, or the ‘smackdown’ imposed by Trump and VP JD Vance over the increasingly frustrated Ukrainian leader.

Trump called it a very meaningful meeting where the truth was arrived at under fire and pressure, and it seems that the doors of the White House are closed to ungrateful, impertinent Zelensky.

‘This is beyond a worst-case scenario for Ukraine’, commented The Telegraph journalist Roland Oliphant, on the joint appearance by Zelensky and Trump going sideways.

“’A diplomatic disaster. There is no other way to describe it. Of all the possible outcomes of today’s high-stakes meeting at the White House, Vladimir Zelensky and Donald Trump shouting at each other was not what anyone portrayed. then beyond the worst-case scenario. With those words, months – years – of careful diplomacy by Ukrainian officials and diplomats went up in smoke. When the smoke cleared, Ukrainian-American relations were left lying in a pool of blood’, he wrote.”

Immediately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio Terminated US Support of Ukraine’s Power Grid, while rumors state that Trump is about to end ALL military aid to Ukraine.

Another one of the first consequences – and a potentially damaging one to Zelensky’s tarnished reputation, is the decision to step up and accelerate the audit of the hundreds of Billions in US aid to Ukraine, a fortune that no one is really sure where it went.

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Why EU Persists in War It’s Lost

Why is the EU being seemingly insane to pursue a war that is clearly decidedly lost, a destiny it has no ability to alter now that the conflict’s #1 instigator is calling it quits, since for the Outlaw US Empire to continue would mean the need to confront Russia directly with forces and arms proven incapable of doing the job? We know the EU was told to “Fuck Off!” by Nuland just before the coup, but European actors still had a role to play, and they did so in their refusal to honor he deal signed by them 24 hours before. Then of course we had major EU actors again refusing to honor international law with the Minsk Agreements, the plan to agree then to dishonor was confessed which cost the lives of thousands. We well know the Outlaw US Empire’s role, but what of the EU? Did it have its own plan while sharing the Outlaw US Empire’s goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia? I his SCF article today, ‘Baltic/Black Sea power games and red lines intersect in a “strange war.”’ Pepe Escobar provides his hypothesis based on his own investigations plus a critical article by Ilya Fabrichnikov, a member of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, that he says is a shortened version of the original which he didn’t link to and I couldn’t find. However, that shortened version was linked, “Make Europe Great Again,” published by Kommersant on 20 February, which is in Russian naturally. I won’t reproduce Pepe’s essay, but what follows in the translation of Ilya’s article…

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Rubio Calls on Ukrainian President to Apologize for ‘Antagonistic’ Oval Office Behavior — Zelenskyy Says He Won’t

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to apologize to President Donald Trump for his “antagonistic” Oval Office behavior.

Zelenskyy was kicked out of the White House on Friday after clashing with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance and being seemingly unwilling to consider a peace agreement to end their war with Russia.

In an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Rubio said Zelenskyy should “apologize for turning this thing into the fiasco for him that it became.”

“There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic,” Rubio added.

“When you start talking about that aggressively – and the president is a deal maker, he made deals his entire life – you’re not going to get people to the table,” Rubio said.

The Secretary of State continued, “So you start to perceive that maybe Zelensky doesn’t want a peace deal. He says he does, but maybe he doesn’t.”

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Creepy: Globalists All Post Same X Message After Zelensky’s Oval Office Humiliation

Following Ukrainian President Zelensky’s absolute car crash of a visit to President Trump and JD Vance at the White House, European globalists all creepily posted the same robotic message to X in support of Zelensky.

Zelensky left the White House early and in disgrace after he acted disrespectful during the meeting with the President and Vice President in the Oval Office.

The Ukrainian leader clearly didn’t expect to be holding the meeting in front of the press and was visibly irked for the entire 50 minute exchange.

Everything came to a head around 40 minutes into the discussion when Zelensky started talking down to JD Vance, prompting the VP to note that the Ukrainian President has not once said thank you for the ongoing support and the opportunity to visit the White House.

Trump then took over getting into a heated exchange with Zelensky, telling him he is “gambling with World War Three.”

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio Terminates US Support of Ukraine’s Power Grid

Secretary of State Marco Rubio terminated the US’s support for Ukraine’s power grid.

The State Department ended a USAID initiative that has given hundreds of millions of dollars to the restoration of Ukraine’s power grid.

Ukraine has been struggling with power outages because of Russia’s attacks on its power grid over the last few years.

USAID will also drastically reduce its presence in Ukraine, according to NBC News.

NBC News reported:

The State Department this week terminated a U.S. Agency for International Development initiative that has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help restore Ukraine’s energy grid from attacks by the Russian military, according to two USAID officials working on the agency’s Ukraine mission.

Power outages have been applied overnight in some regions of Ukraine due to the attacks on energy facilities. The country’s systems have sustained near-constant impact throughout the course of the three-year war.

“It significantly undercuts this administration’s abilities to negotiate on the ceasefire, and it’d signal to Russia that we don’t care about Ukraine or our past investments,” one USAID official involved in the Ukraine mission told NBC News.

The official continued: “Russia is fighting a two-pronged war in Ukraine: A military one but also an economic one. They’re trying to crush the economy, but USAID has played a central role in helping it be resilient, [including] shoring up the energy grid…We’ve provided vast amount of support to the Ukrainian government to avoid a macro economic crisis.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the White House on Friday to meet with President Trump to discuss his rare earth mineral rights proposal.

However, President Trump canceled the joint press conference with Zelensky on Friday afternoon following an explosive Oval Office meeting.

Trump and Vance absolutely lit Zelensky up as he folded his arms and tried to lecture the United States.

“You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards … You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people! You’re gambling with World War III!” Trump said.

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U.S. Votes Against UN Resolution Fully Blaming Russia for Ukraine War

The United States voted Tuesday against a three-page United Nations resolution that placed the blame for the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict solely on Russia. The resolution came on the third anniversary of the start of the Ukraine War, and passed the UN General Assembly with a vote of 93 in favor and 18 against, with 65 countries abstaining.

Israel also voted against the resolution placing the blame solely on Russia. The Israeli foreign ministry clarified that its position is intended to back the U.S. efforts to end the war, telling the Time of Israel, “Israel believes it is important to support the American effort aimed at bringing about progress in efforts to end the war and resolve the conflict peacefully.”

Notable absentations from the resolution include India, China, and all of the other BRICS members except Egypt and Indonesia, which voted for the resolution. All EU member-states except Hungary also voted for the resolution. 

In contrast to the resolution adopted by the General Assembly fully condemning Russia, the UN Security Council adopted a U.S. resolution calling for an end to the conflict and mourning the loss of life without assigning blame. This American resolution was backed by 10 of the 15 members of the Security Council, with the other five abstaining. Russia backed the American resolution after failing to amend it.

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Trump’s Mineral Deal and Pillaging Ukraine

Normally, it is the country that defeated you in war, and not the country that defended you, that pillages you after the war. Unfortunately for Ukraine, its biggest military defender is set to pillage its resources as the two countries have now signed a minerals agreement after Trump warned that a refusal to sign would have led to “a lot of problems” for Ukraine.

Many mistakes have been made in the war over Ukraine’s minerals: Zelensky may have made a mistake in his strategy, and Trump may be mistaken in facts.

Offering Ukraine’s natural resources to the U.S. was Ukraine’s idea. As Biden yielded the White House to Trump, the Zelensky team saw Trump as less of a cold warrior and more of a transactional businessman. So, their strategy took on a new tone.

When Zelensky pitched his Ukrainian Victory Plan to the United States, he introduced a new idea: “[j]oint protection by the US and the EU of Ukraine’s critical natural resources and joint use of their economic potential.” In exchange for sustained and increased military aid, Zelensky offered the U.S and EU “an agreement… that would allow for joint investments and use of Ukraine’s natural resources, which Zelenskiy said were worth trillions of dollars.”

According to The Washington Post, Ukraine’s goal was to “convince Trump that Ukraine is not a charity case but a cost-effective economic and geostrategic opportunity that will ultimately enrich and secure the United States and its interests.”

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UNREPORTED: Ukraine’s parliament fails to extend Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidential term

Ukrainian Parliament failed to pass the vote recognizing Zelensky as president until the inauguration of a new Head of state.

This is a signal: Leave.

Through this vote, the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) made clear to Zelensky there will be no indefinite mandate.

Europe expected “stability” and “support” for him, but saw a parliament setting a countdown timer for Zelensky.

EU leaders arrived in Kiev today to stand in solidarity with Zelensky.

The vote was held to disprove of Trump’s 4% statement but that didn’t happen, an agreement could not be reached on the legitimacy of Zelensky as president.

This is a slap in the face by Parliament to Zelensky, essentially telling him your days are numbered.

The U.S. will have to negotiate with those who will come to power. Ukraine needs not temporary figures but leaders who act firmly and pragmatically—without hysteria, illusions, or artificial power retention scenarios.

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France Eyeing Deployment Of Nuclear-Armed Rafale Fighters To Germany: Report

France is apparently looking at the possibility of deploying air-launched nuclear weapons to Germany, a consideration that’s being made amid growing concerns that the United States will no longer guarantee European security under NATO. Broader discussions about nuclear deterrence among European leaders point very clearly to the deepening crisis in the transatlantic alliance under U.S. President Donald Trump, emphasized by calls from German leader-in-waiting Friedrich Merz for talks with his British and French colleagues about European “nuclear sharing or at least nuclear security.”

According to a report in the British newspaper The Telegraph, which cites an unnamed French official, “Posting a few French nuclear jet fighters in Germany should not be difficult and would send a strong message” to Russia, which would aim to bolster Europe’s nuclear deterrent.

While it’s unclear how seriously the proposal is being discussed at the highest levels in France, there is a logic behind raising the idea at this point in public.

In France, there is now an increasing focus on building up Europe’s capacity to provide a defensive bulwark against Russia, as Trump shifts to embrace Moscow. The result has been a growing rift between the United States and its European NATO allies, with differing positions on the continued provision of support for Ukraine looming large.

Evidence of this fractious relationship was provided in a meeting between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron in Washington yesterday, in which Ukraine was again atop the agenda. Trump refused to provide security guarantees to Ukraine once a potential peace deal is signed.

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We Can, and Should, Negotiate with Putin

One thing at least is now indisputable. We live in a multipolar world. Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted as much during his wide-ranging interview in January with Megyn Kelly. The recognition that multipolarity is now the kind of world we live in came about, in the first instance, because Russia has not been defeated in Ukraine. Rather the reverse. 

To be sure, acceptance of the fact of multipolarity does not dictate the nature of our response to it. Secretary Rubio’s preferred response, as he made clear during his interview, is to embrace—one is tempted to say relearn how to do—the “hard work of diplomacy.”   

Other responses are certainly possible. A team writing for Foreign Affairs last fall suggested reinstating a far-going policy of containment of Russia, such as existed during the first Cold War. Former British defense secretary Ben Wallace, for his part, went considerably further: he suggested, in an article published in January, placing Russia “in a prison” and “building the walls high.” 

Which path is the right one? Rubio’s strikes me as the best approach, especially if supplemented by what is sometimes termed civilizational realism, a school that does not—as the pure realists are sometimes prone to do—exclude moral considerations from the practice of foreign affairs. Civilizational realists accept the necessity of virtue, but they also have the sophistication to recognize that liberal democracies are not the only states capable of practicing it. As for the idealists, their problem is a tendency to get divorced from reality, and they have an annoying habit of imposing their own version of morality on everyone everywhere—or at least, trying to. 

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