Showing posts with label Ukraine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ukraine. Show all posts

Thursday, February 27, 2025

Killing with Kindness: Why Putin Is Proving So Amenable to Trump

CARNEGIE POLITIKA: Putin thinks exploiting Trump’s desire to be seen as swift and decisive is the best way to get what he wants in Ukraine.

The release last week of Marc Fogel, a U.S. citizen detained in Russia on dubious drug charges, was obviously meant to put U.S. President Donald Trump in a good mood and serve as a respectable reason for him to talk to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. After all, calling to thank someone for showing mercy to an unfortunate compatriot needs little explanation.

Putin seeks to exploit Trump’s desire to be seen as swift and decisive. Therefore, resuming communication to hand him his first success was a logical step, especially since it was so easy. All Putin had to do was arrest an American citizen, then release him.

Putin is ready to hand Trump the same kind of win with respect to Ukraine: he started the war and will stop it if certain conditions are met and the right words are spoken.

Throughout his quarter century in power, Putin has proposed that Russia and the United States work together to defeat a common enemy, from Islamic terrorists and Somali pirates to COVID-19 and even global warming. He believed that such a victory would bring the two countries closer, transcending political and ideological barriers, differences between changeable and unchangeable power, and even Russian domestic repression, as Stalin and Roosevelt managed to do in the 1940s.

Paradoxically, Putin has come closer to his goal at a time when it would seem he should be further from it than ever, having become the West’s common enemy. Trump’s account of his phone call with Putin casts a war seemingly independent of the Russian president, and not the man himself, as the common enemy worth defeating.

This is not the first time Putin has used force and made himself necessary to deal with the consequences. However, never before has this tactic been used so blatantly or been so readily accepted. » | Alexander Baunov | Monday, February 17, 2025

Exclusive: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Describes the War with the US and How to End It

Dec 5, 2025 | Russia’s longtime foreign minister describes the war with the United States and how to end it. | Views: 3,958,565

Putin Visit to the US for Ukraine Negotiations 'On the Table'

Feb 27, 2025 | “Perhaps the visit of President Putin to Washington or President Trump to Moscow, that’s been discussed.”

Putin could descend on the American capital in Ukraine peace negotiations, says Dr Michael Kimmage, former advisor on Russia and Ukraine to the US State Department under Obama.


Putin Won’t Settle for Less Than a U.S. Betrayal of Ukraine

THE MOSCOW TIMES: “I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” President Donald Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, recounting how they had spoken of exchanging visits and bringing the war in Ukraine to an end. “We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately,” he added.

The Russian readout claimed that Putin “supported” Trump’s view that “the time has come for our two countries to work together.”

Europe reacted with barely concealed dismay. The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas reaffirmed her support for Ukraine, noting that the Europeans were “looking forward to discussing the way ahead together with our American allies.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was plainly humiliated, with Trump promising to “inform” him of his talks with Putin. He had long insisted that the only way to bring this war to an end was to speak to Putin from a position of strength. But there was little strength in Trump’s rambling announcement — only hubris. » | Sergey Radchenko | Thursday, February 13, 2025

The Moscow Times can be supported here.

What Trump-Putin's Relationship Means for the World: Bill Browder

Feb 25, 2025 | Former investor in Russia turned Kremlin critic Bill Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital, discusses the relationship between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. "This is not only appeasing Putin, it's to switch sides and side with Putin," Browder says. "And I couldn't ever imagine in my lifetime that we would see such a dramatic shift of US foreign policy," he adds in an interview on Bloomberg Television.

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

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

Finnish President to Trump: If Putin Wins in Ukraine, the US Loses

REUTERS: Stubb says he has 'no concerns' about the strength of NATO alliance / Finland joined NATO in 2023, doubling its border with Russia / Stubb outlines phased peace plan for Ukraine, stresses EU and NATO membership

KYIV, Feb 24 - The United States will lose if Russia wins its war in Ukraine, Finland's president said on Monday, as fears mount in Europe about President Donald Trump's intentions three years after Moscow's invasion.

"The war in Ukraine is not only about Ukrainian independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity - it is about European security, and it is about American leadership," President Alexander Stubb told Reuters in an interview in Ukraine's capital. » | Max Hunder | Monday, February 24, 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

Trump’s ‘Short-sighted’ Ukraine Plan Thrusts US Leadership into Chaos | Former US Army Secretary

Feb 26, 2025 | “This is a complete reversal of what US leadership in the world has meant since World War II.”

Trump’s 'America first' rhetoric is “very short-sighted” as it forces China and Russia to question US commitments to its allies, says former US secretary of the Army Louis Caldera.



This rare earth minerals deal is as shabby as deals get. Trump should be thoroughly ashamed of himself. Though I realise that such a brazen man knows no shame. As for Ukraine, it is disappointing indeed to learn that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has buckled under to Trump's shabby, unprincipled, strong-arm tactics. Zelenskyy is signing away the riches which would rightfully belong to future generations of Ukraine. Sad! Very sad! – © Mark Alexander

Under Trump, America’s New Friends: Russia, North Korea and Belarus

THE NEW YORK TIMES: When it comes to the war in Ukraine, President Trump finds common cause with the world’s outlier states and stands against traditional U.S. allies like Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Japan and Italy.

If the old saying is true, that you are known by who your friends are, then President Trump may be telling the world something about who he plans to be in this second term.

In a move that redrew the international order, Mr. Trump this week had the United States vote against a U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the third anniversary of the war.

Among the countries that Mr. Trump joined in siding with Russia? North Korea, Belarus and Sudan.

Those he stood against? Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan and most of the rest of the world.

It would be hard to think of a starker demonstration of how radically Mr. Trump is recalibrating America’s place in the world after barely a month back in office. He is positioning the United States in the camp of the globe’s chief rogue states in opposition to the countries that have been America’s best friends since World War II or before.

The fracturing of the U.S. bond with its traditional allies carries profound implications for the future of American foreign policy. Even as leaders from Poland, France and Britain are heading to Washington this week to try to lure Mr. Trump back into the fold, they and their compatriots face the reality that he does not share their values or see their priorities being in concert with American interests.


“Trump is transparently and unabashedly doing Russia’s bidding in this and many other ways, aligning the U.S. with our adversaries and against our treaty allies,” said Susan E. Rice, who served as President Barack Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations and later his national security adviser. “We all have to ask ourselves why?” » | Peter Baker | Reporting from the White House | Tuesday, February 25, 2025

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Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Trump and Zelenskyy to Sign “What Could Be Trillion Dollar” Minerals Deal at White House | BBC News

Feb 25, 2025 | BREAKING: President Trump has confirmed that Ukraine and the United States have agreed the terms of “a major minerals deal”. Trump said that Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy will sign the agreement with him at the White House on Friday. Mr Trump said: “It’s a very big deal, it could be a trillion dollar deal”. He said the American people would be very happy with the agreement.

So far there are few details of the deal. It’s not yet clear whether the US will offer Ukraine any security guarantees in return, something that has been a key Ukrainian demand.

Ukraine is rich in oil and gas along with many rare minerals. President Trump had initially demanded a right to $500 billion in revenue from Ukraine’s minerals, in return for what he claimed were the costs to the US of supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia.

That demand was rejected by President Zelenskyy, contributing to a war of words with Mr Trump in recent days, with the US president describing the Ukrainian leader as a “dictator”. Zelensky said nowhere near that much American aid had been provided, and said: "I can't sell our state."

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting from Gary O’Donoghue in Washington and James Waterhouse in Kyiv.


U.S. and Ukraine Agree to Minerals Deal, Officials Say

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump had insisted he wanted “payback” for past aid, shifting America’s three-year alliance with Ukraine to a mercantile footing.

Ukraine has agreed to turn over the revenue from some of its mineral resources to the United States, an American and a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday, in a deal that follows an intense pressure campaign from President Trump that included insults and threats.

The final terms of the deal were unknown, and it was not immediately clear what, if anything, Ukraine would receive in the end after days of difficult, sometimes tense negotiations. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine had repeatedly pressed for security guarantees for his country in exchange for mineral rights, as Russia’s war has entered its fourth year.

Previous draft agreements reviewed by The New York Times included no such commitment. Mr. Trump had insisted he wanted “payback” for past military aid to Kyiv, shifting America’s alliance with Ukraine to a nakedly mercantile footing. » | Constant Méheut, Andrew E. Kramer and Alan Rappeport | Constant Méheut and Andrew E. Kramer reported from Kyiv, Ukraine, and Alan Rappeport from Washington. | Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Trump’s ‘Strategic Stupidity’ towards Putin Has China Making Dangerous Plans

Feb 25, 2025 | Foreign policy and security analyst Jimmy Rushton tells Times Radio’s Maddie Hale that Donald Trump has operated with “strategic stupidity” towards Vladimir Putin, raising questions over whether China is watching the United States’ “weakness” and making “dangerous” plans

"Shameful" | Senior Obama Defence Official on US Siding with Russia in UN Resolutions on Ukraine

Feb 25, 2025 | Three years to the day since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the US breaks with its Western allies to side with Russia at the United Nations. Political Editor Nick Watt explains what took place with reaction from former Senior Obama defence official Jim Townsend, who called the decision by the US "shameful".

Kremlin Welcomes ‘More Balanced’ US Stance on Ukraine after UN Vote

THE GUARDIAN: Moscow praises Washington for siding with it at UN, as European countries abstain in sign of deepening rift with US

The Kremlin has welcomed what it said was a “much more balanced” US stance on Ukraine after the Trump administration pushed through a UN security council resolution on the war that included no criticism of Russia.

The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the move was evidence of Washington’s willingness to try to find a peaceful settlement. Moscow backed the resolution, which was passed late on Monday, although European countries abstained, in a sign of a deepening rift with Washington.

In a simple three-paragraph motion on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion, the US took a neutral position on the war and called for a “swift end” to the conflict and “lasting peace”. It presented a sharply different tone to that of the Biden administration, which had supported Ukraine throughout.

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, acknowledged what he said were “constructive changes” in the US position on the conflict. US allies in Europe on the 15-member council – France, Britain, Denmark, Greece and Slovenia – abstained from the vote. » | Andrew Roth and Oliver Holmes | Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Article 5 Is Dead, Trump's Killed NATO Defence Deal

Feb 25, 2025 | “There's sufficient doubt about whether the Americans would honour article five. That effectively, collective defence is dead.”

Defence select committee member Mike Martin MP has blamed the US for killing Article 5 of the Nato agreement and that Ukraine, with its million men under arms and world-leading drone technology, should join NATO.


Krieg in der Ukraine: Wie groß ist die Gefahr für Europa? | ZDFheute live

Feb 25, 2025 | Drei Jahre ist es her, dass Russland die Ukraine überfallen hat. Drei Jahre, in denen zehntausende Menschen ihr Leben verloren haben, Millionen ihr Zuhause verlassen mussten und die Ukraine um ihr Überleben kämpft. Unterstützt vom Westen, allen voran den USA – doch diese Zeit ist vorbei.

Während die USA und Russland ohne ukrainische Beteiligung über ein mögliches Kriegsende sprechen, muss sich Europa zunehmend selbst um seine Sicherheit kümmern. Allen voran um die der Ukraine.

Putin werde die Nato testen, erklärt Militärhistoriker Neitzel. Und wenn Europa Friedenstruppen in die Ukraine schicke, sei das Baltikum nicht mehr verteidigungsbereit.


US Breaks with European Allies and Sides with Russia in UN Resolutions on Ukraine | BBC News

Feb 25, 2025 | The US has twice sided with Russia in votes at the United Nations to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, highlighting the Trump administration's change of stance on the war.

First the US opposed a European-drafted resolution which condemned Moscow's actions and supported Ukraine's territorial integrity - voting the same way as Russia and countries including North Korea and Belarus at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

Then the US drafted and voted for a resolution at the UN Security Council which called for an end to the conflict but contained no criticism of Russia.

The Security Council passed the resolution but two key US allies, the UK and France, abstained after their attempts to amend the wording were vetoed.

The UN resolutions were tabled as French President Emmanuel Macron visited President Donald Trump at the White House in an attempt to address their different stances over the war.


Trump 'Forced' into Talks with Zelenskyy as Ukraine Dangles Mineral Deal in Front of US

eb 25, 2025 | "Zelenskyy wasn't succeeding in getting into the Oval Office before he linked it to the mineral deal in that way."

Ukraine is using the mineral deal to get Zelenskyy into the Oval Office and "force" a conversation with Trump, says The Times's Catherine Philp.


US Sides with Russia in United Nations Resolution on Ukraine

Feb 25, 2025 | In a dramatic shift under Donald Trump, the United States split with its European allies by refusing to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in votes on three U.N. resolutions Monday seeking an end to the three-year war. Anthony Davis reports.


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