Putin Says Captured Ukrainian Soldiers in Kursk Will Be Treated as 'Terrorists'

THE GUARDIAN: Russia’s chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov, said his forces had captured about 430 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region, state news agency Tass reports.

Gerasimov, in a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin at a command post in Kursk, said:

“The Ukrainian military, seeing futility of further resistance, started surrendering. Four hundred and thirty fighters were captured.

Putin said the captured fighters should be “treated as terrorists, in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation,” Agence-France-Presse reports.

Putin’s comments suggest the captured soldiers could face trials in Russian courts and be jailed for decades. [Source] » | Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Ukraine Targets Moscow With Large-Scale Drone Attack

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The assault, which the mayor called the largest on Russia’s capital since the war began, was a reminder of Ukraine’s power to strike as its president proposes an air truce.

Russian officials said Ukraine attacked Moscow before dawn on Tuesday with its largest long-range drone bombardment of the war, as both sides stepped up attacks ahead of talks intended to find a way to end three years of fighting.

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have shot down at least 91 drones in the region around Moscow and more than 240 drones directed at other targets across the country. The Ukrainian military did not have any immediate comment on the strikes.

Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said the attack was the largest against the city since the start of the war. At least two people were killed and 18 others were injured, the Russian authorities said, and Moscow’s four international airports temporarily suspended operations. Railway tracks near the Domodedovo airport south of Moscow were also damaged and a security guard was killed in a nearby town.

President Vladimir V. Putin was briefed on the attack, according to Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman. Mr. Peskov said Russian air defenses were doing “a great job” but told reporters that the authorities “must remain on guard” because attacks would likely continue. » | Marc Santora and Ivan Nechepurenko | Marc Santora reported from Kyiv, Ukraine, and Ivan Nechepurenko from Tbilisi, Georgia. | Tuesday, March 11, 2025

'Europe Should Tell Donald Trump to Back Off' | LBC

Mar 8, 2025 | Caller Kerrie says the US president is 'completely out of control' when it comes to his stance on Russia-Ukraine.

Sen. Whitehouse: "You Don't Get a Tyrant Like Putin to the Table by Giving Him Everything He Wants."

Mar 4, 2025 | Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joins CNN's The Situation Room with Pam Brown to assail Trump's betrayal of Ukraine. Senator Whitehouse also reveals what he'd like to hear from President Trump's joint address — including that he's sending Elon packing.

Trump’s ‘Minion’ JD Vance Needs to Resign Now: Sir Bill Browder

Mar 3, 2025 | Sir Bill Browder tells Times Radio’s Maddie Hale that US Vice-President JD Vance needs to resign from his job for not only “‘attacking” and attempting to “humiliate” Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Oval Office, but for also making a “fool” out of the United States.

Trump’s Dressing Down of Zelensky Plays Into Putin’s War Aims

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The public blowup could propel President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to escalate the fight in Ukraine instead of agreeing to peace.

President Trump says he wants a quick cease-fire in Ukraine. But President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia appears to be in no rush, and the blowup on Friday between Mr. Trump and Ukraine’s president may give Russia’s leader the kind of ammunition he needs to prolong the fight.

With the American alliance with Ukraine suffering a dramatic, public rupture, Mr. Putin now seems even more likely to hold out for a deal on his terms — and he could even be tempted to expand his push on the battlefield.

The extraordinary scene in Washington — in which Mr. Trump lambasted President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine — was broadcast as the top story on state television in Russia on Saturday morning. It played into three years of Kremlin propaganda casting Mr. Zelensky as a foolhardy ruler who would sooner or later exhaust the patience of his Western backers.

For the Kremlin, perhaps the most important message came in later remarks by Mr. Trump, who suggested that if Ukraine did not agree to a “cease-fire now,” the war-torn country would have to “fight it out” without American help.

That could set up an outcome that Mr. Putin has long sought, at the cost of tens of thousands of Russian lives: a dominant position over Ukraine and wide-ranging concessions from the West. » | Anton Troianovski, Nataliya Vasilyeva and Paul Sonne | Anton Troianovski and Paul Sonne reported from Berlin. | Saturday, March 1, 2025

Trump DESECRATES Oval Office in Meeting with Zelenskyy | The Warning with Steve Schmidt

Feb 28, 2025 | Trump and JD Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office today and it went as poorly as it could have gone. Steve Schmidt breaks down the meeting and explains why Trump and Vance's behavior was an embarrassment.

THE NEW YORK TIMES:

U.S. Terminates Funding for Polio, H.I.V., Malaria and Nutrition Programs Around the World: Here are some of the 5,800 contracts the Trump administration formally canceled this week in a wave of terse emails. »

Scott Ritter: Trump Admits Russia Won, Putin CRUSHES Ukraine–NATO in TOTAL Collapse?

Feb 28, 2025 | SPECIAL Debate episode! Ukraine's final hour approaches as Russia's overwhelming advantages are bolstered by a US administration which openly admits to closest ally UK to the need to end the conflict as soon as possible. But is the US genuine about peace or seeking to regroup NATO in a different form to continue its pursuit for hegemony. This is a conversation you don't want to miss.

Jeffrey Sachs on the 3 Most Important Things Trump Has Done So Far and America’s Global Dominance

Feb 18, 2025 | Can Donald Trump actually end the Ukraine war? Jeffrey Sachs thinks he can.

'Putin Bet the Farm' on Trump's Deal, Russia Will Collapse If He Can't Secure It | Former MI6 Boss

Feb 23, 2025 | "Putin needs this to succeed more than Trump does. And I think that gives Trump quite a lot more power than he perhaps realizes."

Putin will face the collapse of his regime if he cannot secure a pause in the fighting in Ukraine, former MI6 Chief Alex Younger tells Times Radio.

Trump Gives Europe 3 Weeks to Accept Ukraine’s ‘Surrender,’ Says European Lawmaker

KYIV POST: In what would appear to be Trump’s latest ploy to blackmail alliance members into capitulating to Putin, a Finnish lawmaker claims the US president is threatening to pull US troops out of Europe.

US President Donald Trump has reportedly given Europe a three-week deadline to approve terms for Ukraine’s “surrender” to Russia or face a US withdrawal, according to a European Parliament member.

In a post on X shared on Feb. 19, Finnish politician Mika Aaltola of the European People’s Party alleged that the US “has given us three weeks to agree on terms for Ukraine’s surrender,” referring to a proposed peace deal.

“If we don’t, the United States will withdraw from Europe,” Aaltola claimed. “Trump prioritizes Russia’s security concerns now and in the future. Let them own their mess. We have three weeks to grow up.” » | Julia Struck | Friday, February 21, 2025

Russia's War Objectives 'Not Yet Achieved,' Kremlin's Ambassador Says

THE KYIV INDEPENDENT: Russia's stated goals in its war against Ukraine remain unachieved despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to start peace negotiations, Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said on Feb. 25, according to the Russian state-owned news agency TASS.

"The objectives of the Special Military Operation have not yet been achieved," Miroshnik said, using the Kremlin's term for its war against Ukraine.

The objectives include Russia's failure to fully occupy Ukraine's four regions it has illegally annexed and the need to ensure Kyiv no longer "poses a threat" to Moscow.

"The constitutional territories of Russia have not been liberated," he said. » | Tim Zadorozhnyy | Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Ret Army General Hodges: A Ukraine Peace Deal Will Take Months | DW News

Feb 22, 2025 | In an extensive interview, former general Ben Hodges discussed with DW’s Bureau Chief Ines Pohl the current geopolitical landscape under the new Trump administration.

Hudges emphasized that the US has undergone a significant shift in its strategic approach to Europe, stating, “The US has taken such a sudden change in our broad strategic approach to Europe.”

Hodges told DW that the shock waves of JD Vance’s speech in Munich were intended. “The Vice President is not going to be a foreign policy guy. The speech that he delivered was a shocking presentation, but I think it was intended to be that.”

About a possible peace deal in Ukraine Hodges said: Ending the war in Ukraine is going to be a long process. This is not going to be achieved in 24 hours, nor is it going to be achieved in 100 days. I think we're talking about many months.

He said that Trump could easily change his approach to Russia: The President wants to be respected. He could turn very quickly when he realizes or begins to believe that the Russians are playing him, that they are, that they are never, ever going to give him the deal that he thinks they should.

If the Russians overplay their hand, I can imagine the president turning on them very quickly. He is asking and other European countries to finally step up: “Germany and other countries should not complain about being left out of these talks, but instead get involved in these talks.”

He also asked the US allies not to lose confidence in America. "We've been through a lot over the 250 years of our history, and we've been through some really bad times. And you know right now people are looking at us and wondering what's going on, I would just say don't give up on us. “

Trump Cozies up to Russia — Why “Nobody Trusts America”

Feb 21, 2025 | As the Russia-Ukraine war stretches into its fourth year, I spoke with former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul about the conflict’s global stakes. Following the Trump administration’s divisive peace talks with Russia that sidelined Ukraine, McFaul analyzes the geopolitical fallout, NATO’s future, and the shifting role of the U.S. on the world stage. How will Trump’s relationship with Putin reshape international alliances? And what are the risks of abandoning Ukraine? Don’t miss this deep dive into one of the most pressing global crises of our time.

Ukrainians ‘Can’t Rely on US Anymore’ after Trump’s Anti-Zelenskyy Comments

Feb 20, 2025 | “The approval ratings for Zelenskyy are probably about to go through the roof.”

Donald Trump’s comments about Zelenskyy, calling him a dictator, have “united Ukraine” and rallied people behind their president more than ever, says Caolan Robertson, a reporter in Kyiv.


America has got such a weak, poor, clueless, troubling leader. – © Mark Alexander

Khrushchev's Great-granddaughter Reacts to Trump Blaming Zelenskyy for War with Russia

Feb 19, 2025 | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said President Trump is living in a Russian "disinformation space" after Mr. Trump seemingly blamed Ukraine for Russia's invasion. For reaction to the comments, CBS News was joined by Nina Khrushcheva, professor in the Julien J. Studley Graduate Programs of International Affairs at the New School and great-granddaughter of former Societ leader Nikita Khrushchev.

Trump's Ukraine Envoy Booted Out of Negotiations Just Days into the Job

Feb 19, 2025 | “Kellogg has at some point in the last week effectively been demoted.”

Apparently, the Russians aren’t fans of Keith Kellogg, Trump’s pick for US special envoy to Russia and Ukraine, says Catherine Philp.


I have said it umpteen times before and I’ll say it again, Trump belongs in jail, not in the White House. To say that the man is a menace is a gross understatement. If things go on like this, he could very well start World War III ! – © Mark Alexander

France Questions Trump's Logic as He Blames Zelenskyy for Starting War | 'Putin Love' Rattles NATO

Feb 19, 2025 | The French government is surprised by U.S. President Donald Trump's recent remarks that his Ukrainian counterpart started the Russia war. French govt. spokesperson said that the NATO nation doesn't understand Trump's logic in blaming Ukraine for war unleashed by Russia. The comments came as Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Trump was living in a Russian-made disinformation bubble. Watch for more details.

Trump Calls Zelenskyy a 'Dictator' as He Hits Back at 'Disinformation' Criticism | BBC News

Feb 19, 2025 | President Donald Trump has described Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator” after the Ukrainian president said the US leader had been taken in by "Russian disinformation".

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has said it would be a pleasure to hold a meeting with President Trump. This comes after talks between Russian and US officials in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, on Tuesday, in which Kyiv was excluded.

Zelenskyy: 'President Trump Is Living in This Disinformation Space' | DW News

Feb 19, 2025 | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shot back after criticism from Donald Trump. The US President earlier blamed Zelenskyy for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He said Trump has been influenced by Russian disinformation.

US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg arrived in Kyiv today. He will have talks with President Zelenskyy and military commanders later today. Kellogg told reporters that the US understood Ukraine's concerns.


Donald Trump is such a ridiculous man, a ridiculous president. – © Mark Alexander