Tag: ukraine

US calls on Ukraine to cede ‘territory,’ give up ‘some weapons’ for peace with Russia

The US is requesting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept a US-drafted deal to end the war with Russia that includes Kiev giving up “territory and some weapons,” Reuters reported on 19 November. Citing two anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the news agency stated that the proposals included reducing the size of the Ukrainian military, among other things.

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is leading the US effort to draft the plan and is working closely with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, a US official stated.

The request came shortly before Russian drone and missile attacks overnight killed at least 25 people, targeting apartment buildings in the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil, according to Ukrainian officials.

The officials added that three children were among the dead, and that the number was expected to rise once missing people are accounted for.

About 80 others were injured in the attacks, which saw Russia fire 476 drones and 48 missiles at Ukrainian energy and transport infrastructure sites.

There appears to be no change in Russia’s conditions for ending the war. Moscow demands guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO, and insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four eastern Ukrainian oblasts that Russia controls and claims it has annexed.  

On Wednesday, Axios reported that the new US plan calls for Ukraine to give up territory occupied by Russia in return for a US security guarantee for Kiev and Europe against future Russian attacks.

In response to the US plan, a European diplomat told Reuters that Trump may be trying to “push Kiev into a corner,” and that any successful proposal must take into account Ukrainian and European conditions.

The news agency added that according to another European diplomat, “the suggestion that Ukraine cut its army seemed like a Russian demand rather than a serious proposal.”

A US delegation led by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is in Kiev and plans to meet Zelensky on Thursday, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The US proposal also comes as Zelensky seeks to address the fallout from a $100 million corruption scandal involving his close associates. On Wednesday, Ukraine’s parliament sacked the energy and justice ministers after the results of a major investigation were announced.

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Ukraine’s Corruption Scandal Might Pave The Way For Peace If It Takes Yermak Down

He’s Zelensky’s powerbroker so his downfall could undo the already shaky alliance between the armed forces, the oligarchs, the secret police, and parliament that keeps Zelensky in power, thus pressuring him into peace, especially if his warmongering grey cardinal is no longer pushing him to keep fighting.

It was earlier assessed here that Ukraine’s $100 million energy graft scandal might only result in a cabinet reshuffle at most, the sentiment of which RT chief Margarita Simonyan shared when writing on X “But we all know it won’t” in response to The Spectator predicting that it might bring Zelensky down. The events of the past week warrant a re-evaluation after members of the ruling party demanded the resignation of his powerful Chief of Staff Andrey Yermak on the grounds that he knew about this racket.

This coincided with Axios’ report that the US and Russia have been secretly working on a framework agreement for ending the Ukrainian Conflict, which Politico then reported could be agreed to “by the end of this month — and possibly ‘as soon as this week.’” The latter’s source also allegedly told them that “We don’t really care about the Europeans. It’s about Ukraine accepting”, which they said it might very well do since the plan will essentially “be presented to Zelensky as a fait accompli.”

Politico’s reporter elaborated that “They feel that Ukraine is in the position right now, given the corruption scandals that have been plaguing Zelenskyy, given where the battle lines are at this moment, that Ukraine is in a position where … they feel they can get them to accept this deal.” Accordingly, it can be reassessed that this corruption scandal championed by the US-backed “National Anti-Corruption Bureau” might facilitate an end an end to the conflict, especially if Yermak goes down as a result.

He’s considered to be Zelensky’s powerbroker so his downfall could undo the already shaky alliance between the armed forces, the oligarchs, the secret police, and parliament that keeps Zelensky in power.

Zelensky’s imprisoned former ally Igor Kolomoysky claimed that Timur Mindich, Zelensky’s longtime business partner at the center of this scandal who fled the country to avoid imminent arrest after being tipped off, is “a classic fall guy.”

This suggests that Yermak might be the one who managed everything.

Extrapolating upon this hypothesis, that would explain why the EU is downplaying this corruption scandal, spinning it as supposed proof that Ukraine’s state institutions are working properly, and actively trying to counter the spread of facts in relation to it. Yermak is Zelensky’s grey cardinal and suspected of being the reason why the Ukrainian leader continually rejects peace. If he goes down as a result of this scandal, then peace might finally be possible. He could also take down his European partners too.

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Western leaders ‘only care about corrupt Nazis’ in Ukraine – Roger Waters

Western politicians are focused only on exploiting Ukraine’s far-right-allied government for personal and geopolitical gain and have no concern for the country’s ordinary citizens, musician and human-rights activist Roger Waters has said.

Speaking to RIA Novosti on Tuesday, the Pink Floyd co-founder accused senior Western officials, particularly in the UK, of helping to prolong the conflict with Russia. Waters argued that members of the political establishment are not expected to “do anything sensible” because they are primarily “out to fill their pockets.”

“Does [former UK Prime Minister] Boris Johnson or [current UK Prime Minister] Keir Starmer or [US President] Donald Trump care about… Ukrainian soldiers? No, of course they don’t,” he said.

”They don’t make any pretense that they care about them or anybody in Ukraine, except the corrupt Nazis who will help them strip the country of all its assets and stuff the money into their pockets. That’s what it’s about,” Waters added.

Johnson has been widely accused of pressuring Kiev in 2022 to reject a negotiated settlement with Moscow in favor of continuing the fight. The Guardian reported last month that after stepping down as prime minister, Johnson received a £1 million ($1.3 million) donation from businessman Christopher Harborne, a major shareholder in a UK defense firm who later joined him on a private trip to Kiev.

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As ‘Golden Toilet’ Corruption Scheme Rocks Ukraine, Support For Zelensky Plunges Below 20%

After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s close associate, Timur Mindich, fled to Israel after allegedly masterminding a €100 million corruption scheme, it appears the Ukrainian public is turning on their leader — at least according to polls cited by a Ukrainian member of parliament.

“According to the polls I’ve seen, Zelensky’s popularity has fallen below 20 percent,” said Ukrainian parliament member Yaroslav Zheleznyak.

Zheleznyak’s comments came from a video on the Strana media outlet’s Telegram channel, cited by Hirado, 

On Nov. 10, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), which are independent of Zelensky’s office, announced an investigation into a major corruption case related to the energy sector, dubbed Operation Midas. The salacious details saw police raid 70 locations and recover stacks of cash, still with barcodes from U.S. banks, in Mindich’s apartment, along with a golden toilet.

The Times of Israel provides more details in the case.

Mindich has reportedly fled to Israel amid a probe of his growing influence within the country’s lucrative industries, and fears that his access was facilitated by his ties to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The two were once business partners, and Mindich’s influence had expanded since Zelensky was elected in 2019.

Mindich was a co-owner of Zelensky’s production company Kvartal 95, named for the comedy troupe that helped catapult the Ukrainian president to fame as a comedian before he entered politics. Zelensky transferred his stake in the company to his partners after he was elected.

Despite expanding his business portfolio since Zelensky’s election, Mindich maintained ties to the entertainment world. Until the corruption probe was exposed this week, he was a producer of the comedy show “Stadium Family” on YouTube. In light of the scandal and his tarnished reputation, the show’s owners shut it down this week.

He is also a relative of Leonid Mindich, who was arrested by Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs in June when he was trying to flee the country, according to local reports; he was charged with embezzling $16 million from an electric power company.

The corruption scandal has shocked the entire global community. Notably, key media outlets are hammering Zelensky with the story, with Fox News even featuring it as their number one news item.

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Macron Commits to Send Ukraine 100 Fighter Jets After Zelensky Meeting

France has agreed for the first time to provide Ukraine with fighter jets, as part of an deal struck between President Emmanuel Macron and President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris on Monday.

Ukraine will purchase “around 100 Rafale fighter jets, with their associated weapons” from France over the next decade, the Élysée Palace announced on Monday. The deal will also see Kyiv provided with next-generation air defence systems, drones, and bombs from French sources.

It comes amid a tour of European capitals by President Zelensky, who is seeking to shore up support from allies as the war with Russia continues to grind on. The Ukrainian leader already secured a deal in Athens on Sunday to receive American liquid natural gas shipments through Greece to ensure energy supplies during the harsh winter, and plans on visiting Spain on Tuesday.

In a Paris press conference on Monday afternoon, President Macron said that the arms deal represents a “new step” in French commitment to Ukraine, which he described as “Europe’s first line of defence”.

“This agreement demonstrates France’s commitment to placing its industrial and technological excellence at the heart of Ukraine and Europe,” Macron said per Le Figaro, while at the same time expressing a desire for a “fair and sustainable” peace.

“Russia alone has chosen war. Everything is ready for peace; Russia alone refuses to accept it,” he said, continuing: “Russia is pursuing the objective of taking control of Ukraine.”

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US senator accuses Trump of ‘silence’ on huge Ukraine corruption scandal

US Senator Rand Paul has accused President Donald Trump of staying silent on a major corruption scandal involving a close associate of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.

Last week, Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies alleged that Timur Mindich, Zelensky’s former longtime business partner, led a scheme that siphoned $100 million in kickbacks from contracts with the country’s nuclear power operator Energoatom, which depends on foreign aid. Two government ministers have since resigned, while Mindich fled the country to evade arrest.

“Remember when the Ukraine first Uniparty opposed my call for an Investigator General for Ukraine? Trump silent on $100M Ukraine corruption scandal resignations,” Paul wrote on X on Saturday, commenting on a news story about the affair.

Paul, who frequently attacks what he calls “wasteful spending” of American taxpayers’ money on foreign projects, has repeatedly pushed for a watchdog to supervise funds directed to Ukraine “in order to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.”

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RAMPANT CORRUPTION: European Leaders Pressure Zelensky Over Energy Kickback Scandal

People surprised by corruption in Ukraine are like people surprised that Joe Biden was senile – not paying attention.

So bad is the corruption scandal unfolding in Ukraine that Globalist EU leaders find themselves obliged to breach the usual taboo on criticizing Ukraine or Volodymyr Zelensky in public.

Out of the public eye, the Europeans are seeking ‘reassurances’ from Ukraine regarding further financial support to the country.

This comes after the anti-corruption agencies – that Zelensky wanted to dismantle – are unleashing a corruption probe that has revealed a $100 million kickback scheme tied to the critical energy sector.

Several of Zelensky’s close associates are involved in the plot, so the Kiev leader had to issue sanctions against his own business partner and also to dismiss several senior ministers.

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Chatham House hosts notorious Ukrainian neo-Nazi mob leader

London-based think tank Chatham House has hosted notorious Ukrainian neo-Nazi Yevhen Karas as a speaker at an event called ‘War in Ukraine: The battleground for the future of Europe’.

The think tank presented Karas as the commander of the 413th Separate Battalion of Unmanned Systems ‘Raid’ of Ukraine’s armed forces, failing to mention his colorful neo-Nazi background.

Karas is known as the founder of the notorious S14 far-right paramilitary group, created in 2010 as a youth offshoot of the far-right Svoboda party. The name of the group is a stylized form of the Ukrainian word ‘Sich’, referring to an administrative and military center for Cossack proto-states, and contains the number ‘14’, widely used by assorted white supremacist and neo-Nazi organizations worldwide.  

The number refers to a 14-word phrase by American white supremacist David Lane: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” The S14 itself, however, has insisted its name refers to the date it was created and denies being a neo-Nazi organization, but merely a “Ukrainian nationalist” group.

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‘Bloody hydra’ of Ukrainian corruption stretches worldwide – Moscow

A “many-headed bloody hydra” is draining Western taxpayers’ money through sprawling corruption schemes in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned, arguing that the latest scandal in Kiev exposes a network far larger than a simple case of graft.

In a social media post on Thursday, she described a global structure “wrapped around the planet,” channeling funds from Western taxpayers to the elites who profit from the conflict.

Her remarks followed the launch of a major probe by Ukraine’s Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) into alleged embezzlement at the state nuclear operator Energoatom.

According to Zakharova, officials in Kiev serve merely as instruments within a broader machinery involving institutions such as the European Commission and NATO, while the real beneficiaries sit in the inner circles of Western liberal democracies.

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Keeping Up With Ukraine’s Nazis

Washington D.C.’s proxy war against Russia in Ukraine continues to grind up lives. Increasingly, the war looks like an indefinite hellscape, though there have been bright moments of hope. U.S. President Donald Trump has at times seemed sincerely committed to ending the war. In August, he hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin at a diplomatic summit in Anchorage, Alaska. It was encouraging to watch an American leader at least treat the head of a state which possesses 6,000 nuclear weapons with basic respect.

Unfortunately, Trump and his administration either don’t fully grasp the fundamentals of the conflict or have deemed it politically unacceptable to base their policy on that reality. Part of that reality involves the presence of actual Nazis within the upper echelons of the Ukrainian military, something that is intolerable to Russia and may prove deeply problematic for Washington.

The White House has settled on demanding Russia accept an immediate ceasefire and have promised to continue funding and arming Ukraine and sanctioning Russia until it submits. On Oct. 22 the U.S. Treasury Department announced new rounds of sanctions:

“Now is the time to stop the killing and for an immediate ceasefire. Given President Putin’s refusal to end this senseless war, Treasury is sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies that fund the Kremlin’s war machine.”

Of course, it may be unadvisable for Russia to agree to such a ceasefire, something that could amount to just a Minsk 3-style new course stabilization and rearming period for Ukraine. Russian officials have repeatedly made this clear. On Oct. 21, a day before the new sanctions were imposed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there would be no cessation of hostilities until the “root causes” of the conflict are addressed:

“I mean ensuring Ukraine’s off-bloc, neutral, nuclear-free status, which means abandoning any attempts to drag it into NATO. I mean ending the actual genocide of the Russian and Russian-speaking population the Kiev regime has been practicing since even before Mr. [Vladimir] Zelensky came to power, when it banned all potential rights of the national minority Russians are formally recognized in Ukraine. As a matter of fact, most of Ukraine’s population speaks and thinks in Russian, but the Russian language has been banned in all spheres of life. An absolutely Nazi regime.”

Accusing Ukraine of being a Nazi regime has been a consistent Russian talking point since 2014, when D.C. engineered a coup in Kiev. As Russia escalated the conflict with its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin said one of the “special military operation” objectives was “to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine.”

Unfortunately for the West, this Russian talking point is not mere propaganda. Ukraine is filled with Hitler-loving, racial “social nationalists” who descend both biologically and ideologically from men who directly collaborated with the Third Reich, participated in the Holocaust, and sought to create a fascist Ukrainian state. Many of them have prominent positions within the current government and are celebrated figures within Ukrainian society. Let’s catch up with some of these celebrity Nazis.

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