Tag: ukraine

European Lackeys in Panic Mode as Trump Signals Detente With Russia

It’s early days yet. However, there are signs that President-elect Trump is moving toward a detente with Russia over Ukraine.

One good sign is that Trump will not invite Mike Pompeo or Nikki Haley to join his cabinet when he is inaugurated as the 47th U.S. president on January 20. Both of these figures were rabid anti-Russia hawks during Trump’s previous administration. There were suggestions that Pompeo and Haley might return with senior posts in his second administration. But Trump has announced the pair will not be offered new positions.Murray N. Rothbar

Another positive sign is from people close to Trump’s inner circle who are letting the Kiev regime know – rudely – that the U.S. military aid spigot is being turned off.

Donald Trump has yet to hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Kremlin. But both leaders have already expressed a willingness to negotiate a peaceful settlement over the Ukraine conflict.

Another promising sign of potential detente between the United States and Russia is the sheer panic among European leaders. The news of Trump’s election last week has caused most European elites to scramble like scared children on hearing “boo!”.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron are consoling themselves by urging Europe to “come together” in the wake of Trump’s stunning election victory. The collapse of Germany’s coalition government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz is an early casualty of the Trump impact.

European leaders fear that if Trump pulls the plug on military aid to the Kiev regime they will be left holding the can to fund the proxy war against Russia, which the weak European economies have no chance of sustaining.

It’s no secret that the main European states were betting on Democrat candidate Kamala Harris winning the race to the White House. Harris would have ensured the continuation of NATO’s backing for the Kiev regime. With Trump becoming president, all bets are off.

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Will Trump End Washington’s Proxy War in Ukraine?

Donald Trump’s election as president is fueling speculation that he will terminate U.S. financial and logistical support for Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.  Trump himself has contributed to that speculation during his June 28, 2024 debate with President Biden when he said, “If we had a real president, a president that was respected by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, he would have never invaded Ukraine.”  Indeed, Trump has boasted that he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours.

His critics, both in the United States and the other NATO countries, however, contend that he would likely do so by abandoning Ukraine and appeasing Russia.  Allegations that Trump was a “puppet” of Russian President Vladimir Putin cast a pall over his entire first term as president, and there are no signs that his opponents have abandoned that tactic.  It was an absurd accusation, since Trump’s policy toward Russia actually was more hardline than that of his predecessors.  Not only did he ship arms to Ukraine (a step that Barack Obama had refused to take) but he engineered the U.S. withdrawal from two major arms control agreements (Open Skies and Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces) that Putin and other Russian leaders considered vital to their country’s security.  The Trump administration also continued NATO’s provocative expansion into Eastern Europe despite the Kremlin’s escalating warnings about such unfriendly moves.

The notion that Trump was “soft” on Russia during his first term was (and remains) a destructive, highly politicized myth.  Over the past four years, though, Trump and at least some supporters in Congress, the news media, and the foreign policy community seem to have gained an understanding that Washington’s current Russia policy has been disastrous and requires drastic reforms.  It is less certain whether he will muster the courage to ignore the smears and make the necessary policy changes to begin repairing relations with Russia.

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Russian Forces Liberate Voznesenka, Target Ukrainian Military Infrastructure

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported that the Tsentr battlegroup pushed deeper into Ukrainian defenses and took control of the settlement of Voznesenka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

“Units of the Tsentr Battlegroup continued their advance into the enemy’s defense and liberated the settlement of Voznesenka in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the MoD statement said.

The Russian army also launched strikes on Ukrainian airfields and energy facilities which supply the defense industry. Air defense intercepted six HIMARS rockets and downed 78 drones.

“Operational-tactical aviation, strike drones, missile troops, and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces’ groups struck the infrastructure of military airfields, energy facilities supporting Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, as well as concentrations of enemy personnel and military equipment in 142 locations,” the report stated.

Other Developments

The Sever battlegroup reported eliminating up to 80 Ukrainian servicemen, two armored fighting vehicles and seven motor vehicles while targeting units of the 71st Jaeger Brigade and the 113th and 120th Territorial Defense Brigades near Volchansk and Liptsy in the Kharkov region.

The Zapad battlegroup improved its tactical positions, neutralized personnel and equipment from seven Ukrainian brigades and repelled two counterattacks, inflicting up to 570 casualties. Destroyed assets included a US M113 armored personnel carrier, several artillery systems, electronic warfare stations and three ammunition depots.

The Yug battlegroup inflicted losses of up to 655 servicemen, three tanks, an infantry fighting vehicle, and an armored personnel carrier in combat with formations of eight Ukrainian brigades in various areas. Destroyed equipment included Western-made artillery pieces, a Croatian multiple rocket launcher, electronic warfare stations and two ammunition depots.

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Ukrainian losses: situation in Kursk Region

The Ukrainian armed forces have lost up to 430 troops in the Kursk area over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

In total, the enemy has lost more than 32,580 troops since the fighting began in the region.

TASS has gathered the key news about the unfolding situation.

Operation to neutralize Ukrainian forces

– Russia’s Battlegroup North defeated six Ukrainian armed formations in the areas of the settlements of Daryino, Leonidovo, Malaya Loknya, Nikolayevo-Daryino and Novoivanovka.

– Russian tactical aircraft and artillery hit clusters of Ukrainian manpower and equipment in the Kursk Region.

– Operational/tactical aircraft and missile forces hit amassment areas and enemy reserves in the Sumy Region.

– The operation to destroy Ukrainian forces is ongoing.

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Trump forms new alliance to stop aid to Ukraine

Ukraine could stop receiving aid from the West under the influence of an alliance led by newly elected US President Donald Trump, writes The Independent newspaper. Despite this development, though, Trump has found interest in elements of the so-called “Victory Plan” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“A surprising trinity of Donald Trump, Hungary’s right-wing prime minister Viktor Orbán and Pope Francis could spell the end to hopes for continued support for Ukraine,” The Independent reported.

As the article pointed out, in recent years, Hungary has been practically alone among Western countries in wanting to end the conflict in Ukraine, and the only figure who shared Budapest’s position was Pope Francis. However, the views of the new American president and the leadership of Hungary coincide on a number of issues, including peace in Ukraine, so new opportunities for cooperation have emerged.

“The Pope, along with Hungary, has called for a ceasefire and talks ‘to break the cycle’ of war and achieve peace,” the article stated.

Following Trump’s victory in the US elections, Orbán said that his country’s isolation is over and that a growing number of EU leaders are cautiously switching to a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. This growing pressure on Zelensky will eventually force him to begin negotiations directly with Russia, even after promising to never speak with the Kremlin.

“Last week at the European Political Community summit, Mr Orbán boasted of how ‘the world is changing’ with Mr Trump re-elected, while renewing his demands for a Ukrainian ceasefire,” noted the British newspaper. “The clash with Mr Zelensky, who was at the summit, saw the Ukrainian leader note that the Hungarian prime minister is the one NATO member state leader to oppose Ukraine’s membership of the defence alliance.”

Speaking to The Independent, Hungary’s ambassador to the Vatican, Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen, said: “During Donald Trump’s first presidency, Hungarian-American political relations were at their peak, with dialogue and negotiations taking centre stage in resolving conflicts that threaten world security.”

“Following the decision of the American electorate a few days ago, we really have good hope that Hungarian-American political cooperation will return to its peak: we share similar views on peace, illegal immigration and the protection of families. I believe there is a better chance than ever that peace will finally return to Ukraine after almost a thousand days of war.”

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Russian Nuclear Weapons Are Keeping NATO Troops Out Of Ukraine: Top Admiral

A top NATO military official said that NATO forces would have deployed to Ukraine to drive Russian soldiers from the country if Russia did not have nuclear weapons. 

Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, explained to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Prague Defense Summit in the Czech Republic that Russia’s nuclear weapons are deterring a NATO deployment to Ukraine.

“I am absolutely sure if the Russians did not have nuclear weapons, we would have been in Ukraine, kicking them out,” he stated. 

Bauer said the challenge for the West is finding where Russia’s redlines on nuclear use are, noting that Washington mistakenly miscalculated that sending tanks and F-16s to Ukraine were the Kremlin’s redlines. 

Admiral Bauer was discussing the difference between the Ukraine conflict and other NATO wars such as the Afghanistan occupation. He stated the main difference between Moscow and Kabul is Russia’s nuclear stockpile.

In Afghanistan, American and NATO forces quickly forced the Taliban from Kabul in 2001. Then, the Western alliance engaged in a two-decade nation-building project while the Taliban fought using insurgent tactics. 

The top NATO official went on to say the Afghan War was not of strategic importance. “Afghanistan was never of strategic importance. If we’re really honest Afghanistan was not of strategic importance.”

He continued, “We spent 20 years there and we did a lot of things and people lost their lives but if you ask the question, ‘was it of strategic importance?’ In Afghanistan, the answer is no.”

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Pentagon Leaker Who Published Sensitive Information Revealing Ukraine Was Losing War to Russia is Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison

US National Guardsman Jack Teixeira was officially charged in April 2023 with leaking secret Pentagon documents. Teixeira was charged with six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified documents relating to national defense.

Classified documents detailing the Ukraine war, Middle East, China, Africa and Israel ended up on a gaming platform. Senior intelligence officials at the time called the leak “a nightmare for the Five Eyes,” in a reference to the United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the so-called Five Eyes nations that broadly share intelligence.

What really upset the Biden regime and the military-industrial complex was that Teixeira leaked documents that exposed Biden’s lies about Ukraine.

According to the one Teixeira leak, US and UK special forces are on the ground in Ukraine.

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Kiev Admits Ukrainian Defenses Crumbling as Russia Makes Fastest Donbass Advances Since 2022

Ukrainian officials admit that Russian forces are advancing in the Donbass faster than ever since 2022 and that Ukrainian defenses are crumbling amid manpower shortages, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Ukrainian military officials, soldiers and analysts also believe that the next few months will be critical in the Ukraine conflict, the newspaper said. Ukraine will reportedly try to stabilize its defenses and strengthen its position to secure more favorable conditions in possible negotiations with Moscow that Kiev may be forced to hold by US President-elect Donald Trump.

More Ukrainian medical personnel will also be sent to the eastern front ahead of heavy fighting expected in the coming days and weeks, the paper added, citing an unnamed Ukrainian army spokesperson.

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Ukraine Disturbed Over ‘No Place’ for Mike Pompeo in New Trump Team – Report

President-elect Donald Trump announced last week that former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will not serve in the incoming US administration.

Kiev is concerned about the fact that former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will not be part of the new US administration following Donald Trump’s election victory, The Economist reports.

Senior Ukrainian officials “were disturbed” when Trump announced “there would be no place for Pompeo, seen as more sympathetic [to Ukraine]”, the media adds, quoting one of the officials as saying that it is “a very negative development”.

“The worry now is that Trump’s offer to Ukraine will come to resemble something closer to ideas put forward by J.D. Vance, the incoming vice president,” something that “would essentially rule out [Ukraine’s] NATO membership“, among other things, the report also said.

This comes after the president-elect denied media reports about his intention to nominate Pompeo as the new secretary of defense.

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Ukrainian crimes in Ugledar revealed

Once again, Ukrainian troops have been reported committing crimes against Russian civilians in the Donbass region. A recent investigation has shown that Russian-speaking citizens in Ugledar have been severely harassed by Ukrainian soldiers, with cases of murder, beatings and public humiliation of the local residents.

A team of investigators led by Russian human rights activist Maksim Grigoriev published a report on November 11 exposing a list of crimes committed by the Ukrainian military and neo-Nazi militants in Ugledar, a coal mining town in the Donetsk People’s Republic that the Russians recently took control of.

According to Grigoriev, while Ukrainians controlled the town, the authorities lied about the true number of inhabitants, claiming that there were no civilians left in the area, when in fact more than 3,000 residents remained in their homes. As a result of this lie, large-scale shelling by the Ukrainian army was authorized, resulting in the deaths of several civilians.

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