Tag Archives: Ukraine

New York Post: Steve Witkoff shouldn’t be leading Iran, Russia negotiations, allies and insiders say

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President Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, former real estate attorney and investor Steve Witkoff, has left administration insiders distressed by his approach to negotiating with two of America’s greatest adversaries.

Witkoff, who has become Trump’s de facto personal ambassador to Russian President Vladimir Putin in addition to taking on the Middle East portfolio, takes part in high-level meetings alone — and is said to have even occasionally leaned on Kremlin translators — in a break with longstanding diplomatic procedure, multiple sources told The Post.

Ahead of Witkoff’s most recent meeting with Putin this past Friday, the New York native greeted the Kremlin tyrant like an old friend — with no sign of the usual coterie of advisers, experts and military officers who typically accompany US officials conducting negotiations.

Exclusive | Steve Witkoff shouldn’t be leading Iran, Russia negotiations, allies and insiders say
Steve Witkoff, who has become Trump’s de facto personal ambassador to Russian President Vladimir Putin in addition to taking on the Middle East portfolio, takes part in high-level meetings al…

https://nypost.com/2025/04/30/us-news/steve-witkoff-shouldnt-be-leading-iran-russia-negotiations-allies-and-insiders-say

Metro: Trump sends blunt tariffs warning: ‘You’ll pay for the privilege of servicing the US’

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US President Donald Trump has claimed he doesn’t even ‘need’ to negotiate with anyone over trade deals, telling right-wing TV journalist Glenn Beck that he’s only talking to other countries ‘out of respect.’ In a bold interview with BlazeTV, Trump laid out his blunt view on tariffs, global commerce and foreign governments. Trump’s comments come as he continues to push a 10% tariff on almost every country, with tougher reciprocal tariffs on pause while he and his team try to hammer out new deals around the world.

King Donald’s big delusion is that the rest of the world will crawl into the White House on all fours and lick his boots. A few desperate suck-up might actually do that, but most of the world is bright enough to realize that they have choices. Among those choices are finding new trading partners and doing business elsewhere, which seem to be exactly what is happening.

Trump sends blunt tariffs warning: ‘You’ll pay for the privilege of servicing the US’
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https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/trump-sends-blunt-tariffs-warning-you-ll-pay-for-the-privilege-of-servicing-the-us/ss-AA1DBpUZ

CNN World: Why Trump’s Crimea proposal would tear down a decades-old pillar of the global order

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US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine should recognize Russia’s control over Crimea, the southern Ukrainian peninsula that Moscow annexed more than a decade ago, is threatening to upend international law and order.

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Is this legal?

No. If the Trump administration was to somehow recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea, it would be breaching international law as well as multiple declarations and agreements made by the United States, including by the first Trump White House.

“In terms of international law, such a pronouncement would be null and void,” said Sergey Vasiliev, an international law expert and professor at the Open University in the Netherlands.

“That territorial acquisitions that result from the use of force shall not be recognized as legal is basically one of the bedrock principles of international law,” Vasiliev told CNN.

Recognizing Crimea as part of Russia would put the Trump administration in breach of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which the US made a commitment to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and borders, in exchange for Kyiv giving up its nuclear weapons.

In 2018, during the first Trump administration, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement reaffirming the US’ refusal to recognize the Kremlin’s claims of sovereignty over Crimea.

Why Trump’s Crimea proposal would tear down a decades-old pillar of the global order | CNN
President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine should recognize Russia’s control over Crimea, the southern Ukrainian peninsula Moscow siezed by force more than a decade ago, is threatening to upend international law and order.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/25/world/trump-ukraine-crimea-explainer-intl

NBC News: Trump slams Zelenskyy for rejecting Ukraine-Russia negotiations, saying a deal was ‘very close’

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High-level talks in London aimed at bringing a pause to fighting in Ukraine disintegrated after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff pulled out.

President Donald Trump slammed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, accusing him of derailing negotiations to end the war in Ukraine while a peace deal was “very close.”

In a long post on Truth Social, Trump described Zelenskyy’s rejection of Russia’s takeover of Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, as “very harmful” to achieving peace.

“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War,” Trump wrote.

Zelenskyy has consistently rejected the suggestion that his country give up its claim to the Crimean Peninsula.

“There’s nothing to talk about here,” he said at a media conference Tuesday. “This is against our constitution.”

It’s “very close” only in Trump’s deranged mind. All parties need to honor the 1990 agreement on the Sovereignty of Ukraine. Russia’s aggression must not be rewarded.

Trump slams Zelenskyy for rejecting Ukraine-Russia negotiations, saying a deal was ‘very close’
High-level talks in London aimed at bringing a pause to fighting in Ukraine disintegrated after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff pulled out.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/rcna202525

Telegraph: Trump to let Putin keep land seized from Ukraine

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Seven-point plan gives Kyiv no clear security guarantee from the US

Donald Trump will let Vladimir Putin keep almost all the territory he has seized from Ukraine under the terms of a proposed peace deal.

The condition is part of a seven-point plan to end the war that leaves Ukraine with no clear US security guarantee.

It was due to be discussed in London on Wednesday, when US officials would hear Kyiv’s reaction, though the talks were downgraded when US secretary of state Marco Rubio pulled out.

Foreign ministers from the UK, France, Germany and Ukraine withdrew in an apparent response. Discussions were instead scheduled to take place between senior officials from those nations and the US.

The Trump administration’s peace proposal involves the US offering formal recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea and implies de facto recognition of other occupied territories.

This would mean freezing the current front line, allowing Putin to keep almost all the territory Russia has gained.

As if it’s King Donald’s decision. My bet is that this “proposal” is Dead on Arrival. Rewarding Russia’s aggression will only invite them back to grab the rest of Ukraine when they think they can get away with it.

Trump to let Putin keep land seized from Ukraine
Seven-point plan gives Kyiv no clear security guarantee from the US

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/22/trumps-plan-to-let-putin-keep-land-seized-from-ukraine

Axios World: Hegseth hunkers down as White House accuses “entire” Pentagon of sabotage

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From the “I’m not paranoid, they really are out to get me” department:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is locked in open warfare with his own Pentagon, a hotbed of distrust and dysfunction that commands the most powerful military on the face of the Earth.

No Trump Cabinet official has endured more turmoil in less time than Hegseth, who survived a nasty confirmation battle only to be burned — again and again — by leaks, blunders and now backlash from his own handpicked aides.

Hegseth hunkers down as White House accuses “entire” Pentagon of sabotage
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is locked in open warfare with his own Pentagon, a hotbed of distrust and dysfunction that commands the most powerful military on the face of the Earth. Why it matters: No Trump Cabinet official has endured more turmoil in less time than Hegseth, who survived a nasty confirmation battle only to be burned — again and again — by leaks, blunders and now backlash from his own handpicked aides. President Trump so far is…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ar-AA1DndAo

Kyiv Independent: Trump officials ‘fed up’ with Europe’s efforts to strengthen Ukraine, Economist reports

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Some Trump administration officials are dissatisfied with European countries’ ongoing support for Ukraine, underscoring the growing rift between Washington and Europe, the Economist reported on April 15, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.

Kyiv’s European partners have sought to present a united front on Ukraine, pledging additional assistance and preparing a “reassurance force” of troops to monitor a potential ceasefire.

As Trump’s Amerika slides into international irrelevance …

Trump officials ‘fed up’ with Europe’s efforts to strengthen Ukraine, Economist reports
Some Trump administration officials are dissatisfied with European countries’ ongoing support for Ukraine, underscoring the growing rift between Washington and Europe, the Economist reported on April 15, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources. Kyiv’s European partners have sought to present a united front on Ukraine, pledging additional assistance a…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-officials-fed-up-with-europe-s-efforts-to-strengthen-ukraine-economist-reports/ar-AA1D2afd

Politico: Trump furious over Europe’s support to Zelenskyy after White House dispute

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US President Donald Trump was reportedly furious over European leaders’ public support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following a dispute at the White House – a reaction that became one of the factors influencing his decision to halt aid to Ukraine, Politico reports.

Would somebody please call a whambulance for this pathetic self-absorbed narcissist?

Trump furious over Europe’s support to Zelenskyy after White House dispute – Politico
US President Donald Trump was reportedly furious over European leaders’ public support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following a dispute at the White House – a reaction that became one of the factors influencing his decision to halt aid to Ukraine, Politico reports. After his visit to the US, President Zelenskyy met with King Charles…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-furious-over-europe-s-support-to-zelenskyy-after-white-house-dispute-politico/ar-AA1D2wD5

Financial Times: EU issues US-bound staff with burner phones over spying fears

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European Commission officials heading to IMF and World Bank spring meetings advised to travel with basic devices

The European Commission is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some US-bound staff to avoid the risk of espionage, a measure traditionally reserved for trips to China.

Commissioners and senior officials travelling to the IMF and World Bank spring meetings next week have been given the new guidance, according to four people familiar with the situation.

They said the measures replicate those used on trips to Ukraine and China, where standard IT kit cannot be brought into the countries for fear of Russian or Chinese surveillance.

“They are worried about the US getting into the commission systems,” said one official.

The treatment of the US as a potential security risk highlights how relations have deteriorated since the return of Donald Trump as US president in January. 

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Officials said the guidance for all staff travelling to the US included a recommendation that they should turn off phones at the border and place them in special sleeves to protect them from spying if left unattended.

The advice was unsurprising, according to Luuk van Middelaar, director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, a think-tank.

“Washington is not Beijing or Moscow, but it is an adversary that is prone to use extra-legal methods to further its interests and power.”

https://archive.is/8HLcg#selection-2229.0-2240.0

2paragraphs: Kristi Noem [Bimbo #2] “Mistakenly Sent Email” to Ukrainians Terminating Parole in U.S., Say Two U.S. Senators

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U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), who is also Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem calling on Noem “to immediately explain how the Department of Homeland Security mistakenly sent an email to Ukrainians on humanitarian parole in the U.S. that they had seven days to leave the country.”

As seen in the letter below, Murkowski and Shaheen explain that “Ukrainians who have participated in the Uniting for Ukraine program have entered the U.S. lawfully, passed rigorous screening and vetting requirements and have been required to find financial support from private U.S. sponsors.”

The Senators added, “Abruptly and cruelly telling victims of Russia’s war to leave the country would not reflect American values — and it risks emboldening Putin to continue the war, despite President Trump’s stated objectives to establish peace.”

Murkowski and Shaheen wrote that “The fact that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) drafted such a notification is alarming,” noting that Congress has not been notified regarding any proposed changes to the program. The lawmakers said their congressional staff inquiries to DHS “resulted in conflicting responses that demonstrated a disturbing lack of interagency coordination or strategy on the status of humanitarian parole for Ukrainians.”

Why would you expect anything better from a bimbo?

Kristi Noem “Mistakenly Sent Email” to Ukrainians Terminating Parole in U.S., Say Two U.S. Senators
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), who is also Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem calling on Noem “to immediately explain how the Department of Homeland Security mistakenly sent an email to Ukrainians on humanitarian parole in the […]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/kristi-noem-mistakenly-sent-email-to-ukrainians-terminating-parole-in-u-s-say-two-u-s-senators/ar-AA1CyjzQ