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#Trump’s #US #Treasury Secretary #ScottBessent says the rare #minerals *deal* [#extortion] with #Ukraine is in limbo for now. “I think we have to see if President #Zelensky wants to proceed,” he said on “Face the Nation” on CBS. “What’s the use in having an economic agreement that’s going to be rendered moot if he wants the fighting to continue?”
Just take everything Trump people say & flip it.
Read: “…if Trump wants to proceed…” & “…if #Putin wants the fighting to continue…”
#Britain Prime Minister Kier #Starmer ended his news conference after 15 minutes. He gave little concrete detail about the discussions at the European summit but presented the talks as an important step in seeking to satisfy the #UnitedStates that #Europe was pulling its weight [they already were].
The “coalition of the willing” is a sad name given that it implies the US’ unwillingness to support #Ukraine.
#StandWithUkraine #geopolitics #allies #NATO #ForeignPolicy #Trump #Russia
Speaking at a media conference after the European #summit in London, #Starmer said the leaders had agreed to try to create a “coalition of willing” – nations to be deployed as #security in the event of a #ceasefire.
“Those willing will intensify planning now with real urgency,” he said, repeating that #Britain would be willing to put “boots on the ground & planes in the air.”
#geopolitics #Zelensky #Ukraine #Putin #Russia #Trump #US #allies #NATO #Europe #ForeignPolicy #StandWithUkraine
#NATO’s secretary general, #MarkRutte of the #Netherlands, said several European countries had pledged to increase their #military spending during a just-completed #summit meeting in #London. He did not list names, but said it was a “very positive” signal. He insisted that #Trump was committed to #NATO, adding, “please stop gossiping” about the possibility that the #UnitedStates would pull out of the #alliance.
[is it gossip when Trump has repeatedly said it himself?]
President #Zelensky has left the #summit of European leaders. He has been invited to see #KingCharles III & is expected to travel by helicopter to Sandringham, the monarch’s country home in Norfolk & one of the royal residences.
#StandWithUkraine #geopolitics #Ukraine #UK #Britain #Europe #allies #NATO #ForeignPolicy #UnitedStates #Trump #Russia #MafiaState #authoritarianism #RevengePolitics
The president of the #EU, Ursula #vonderLeyen, emerged from the London #summit of European leaders on Sunday to call for a “surge in #defense” by their countries. She said that the EU would present a plan to do that on Thurs. #Europe, she said, will fortify #Ukraine w/economic & military #aid, with a goal of turning the country into “a steel porcupine that is indigestible for potential invaders.”
#geopolitics #Zelensky #Putin #Russia #Trump #UnitedStates #allies #NATO #ForeignPolicy
less encouraging:
#Trump’s #NationalSecurity adviser, #MikeWaltz, stopped short of calling for Pres #Zelensky’s resignation but said #Ukraine’s leader must be more cooperative. “We need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians & end this war,” Waltz said on CNN. “And if it becomes apparent that President Zelensky’s either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in this country, then I think we have a real issue on our hands.”
Secretary of #State #MarcoRubio has reiterated the #Trump admin’s attitude toward #Zelensky, saying that #Ukraine’s president had disrupted efforts toward a peace process w/ #Russia by challenging #JDVance in the Oval Office on Friday. Zelensky “found every opportunity to try to ‘Ukraine-splain’ on every issue,” Rubio said. [a. Ridiculous terminology. b. Someone had to]
#geopolitics #UnitedStates #MafiaState #RevengePolitics #authoritarianism #ForeignPolicy #allies #NATO #Europe
#VanHollen called Friday’s display in the Oval Office “a despicable display of bullying” by #Trump & #JDVance against #Zelensky. He also characterized the Trump admin’s rare #minerals deal as an “#extortion” of #Ukraine.
#geopolitics #Russia #UnitedStates #MafiaState #RevengePolitics #authoritarianism #ForeignPolicy #allies #NATO #Europe
But since joining the admin, #MarcoRubio has adopted #Trump’s [#Russia’s] talking points. “As a member of the Senate, Secretary #Rubio was somebody who stood up for American values, American principles,” #VanHollen said. “Now he’s simply taking his directions at the State Dept from #ElonMusk & essentially parroting the president’s position.”
#geopolitics #Ukraine #UnitedStates #MafiaState #allies #NATO #Europe #ForeignPolicy #RevengePolitics #authoritarianism
Sen Chris #VanHollen, #Democrat of MD, told FoxNews on Sunday that he regretted voting to confirm his fmr colleague #MarcoRubio to be Sec of #State. Van Hollen said #Rubio used to acknowledge that #Russia was the aggressor in the #war against #Ukraine & would never have accused #Zelensky of being a #dictator as #Trump has. But since joining the admin, Rubio has adopted Trump’s talking points.
#geopolitics #UnitedStates #MafiaState #allies #NATO #Europe #ForeignPolicy
Sen #ChrisMurphy also criticized Secretary of #State #MarcoRubio, his former #Senate colleague from Florida, for not opposing #Trump’s efforts to align #America with #Russia. “That’s been a great disappointment to many of his former colleagues in the Senate,” Murphy said of #Rubio.
#geopolitics #Ukraine #Russia #UnitedStates #MafiaState #allies #NATO #Europe #ForeignPolicy
Sen #ChrisMurphy said he believed President #Zelensky of #Ukraine appropriately asked #Trump & #JDVance how they could reassure him that #Putin of #Russia would abide by the terms of a #ceasefire agreement. “It is a sad day in America when we are getting closer & closer to Russia, a brutal #dictatorship, & further & further away from #democratic #allies,” Murphy said.
#geopolitics #US #MafiaState #Europe #ForeignPolicy #authoritarianism #RevengePolitics
Senator #ChrisMurphy, #Democrat of CT and one of the most outspoken critics of the #Trump admin, told CNN on Sunday, that “it is absolutely shameful what is happening right now,” speaking about #Trump’s efforts to *end* the #war in #Ukraine.
“The White House has become an arm of the #Kremlin,” Murphy said. “The #WhiteHouse has been pretending as if Ukraine started this war. That’s essentially saying that #Poland invaded #Germany at the beginning of WWII. There are still #facts in this world.”
👏
In another interview, on NBC’s Meet the Press, #Republican #House Speaker #MikeJohnson suggested that President Volodymyr #Zelensky of #Ukraine should step down if he doesn’t sign #Trump’s deal [#extortion] on rare #minerals & agree to end the #war. “Something has to change. Either he needs to come to his senses & come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that,” Johnson said.
#geopolitics #MafiaState #Putin #Russia #US #ForeignPolicy #RevengePolitics
#MikeJohnson also, however, described the #war in #Ukraine as “unjust” & called President Vladimir V. Putin of #Russia an “aggressor,” a departure from the friendly language that #Trump has used to describe #Putin. “I think Vladimir Putin is a an old-school communist,” Johnson said. “He’s not to be trusted, & he is dangerous.” He also said that #China, Russia, #Iran & #NorthKorea amount to “new Axis powers” & they “are not on America’s side.”
Meanwhile in the #US…
#Republican #House Speaker #MikeJohnson defended #Trump’s & #JDVance’s conduct during the Oval Office meeting on Friday, saying that President Volodymyr #Zelensky of #Ukraine “acted so inappropriately” & should have “shown more gratitude.”
“For him to act as he did was rather shocking to everyone,” Johnson said of Zelensky, speaking to CNN. “Instead of showing gratitude, he interrupted & berated his hosts at a very perilous time for his country.”
Kremlin’s spox, #DmitryPeskov praised the #Trump admin for changing its #ForeignPolicy in ways that “couldn’t have been imagined,” on the #war in #Ukraine.
“The new administration is fast changing all foreign policy configurations,” Peskov said, speaking to #Russia state television in comments recorded last Wednesday & released on Sunday [even before Friday’s debacle]. He added: “This coincides with our vision in many ways.”
#geopolitics #US #MafiaState #Europe #ForeignPolicy #PutinsPuppet
In addition to #Britain PM #Starmer & Presidents #Zelensky of #Ukraine & #Macron of #France, in attendance at the summit were, Chancellor Olaf #Scholz of #Germany & Prime Minister Justin #Trudeau of #Canada, Ursula #vonderLeyen, the president of the European Commission, #MarkRutte, the secretary general of #NATO, & #Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan #Fidan.
#geopolitics #Putin #Russia #Trump #UnitedStates #allies #Europe #ForeignPolicy
#Starmer of #Britain held a phone call w/ the leaders of #Estonia, #Latvia & #Lithuania – 3 countries that were not invited to attend Sunday’s #summit – in which he welcomed their support for #Ukraine, Starmer’s office said in a statement. “The Prime Minister updated them on his discussions with the leaders of Ukraine, #France & the #UnitedStates in recent days,” the statement said.
#geopolitics #Zelensky #Putin #Russia #Trump #US #Europe #allies #NATO #ForeignPolicy #RevengePolitics
Sergey #Lavrov, #Russia’s foreign minister, said that #France Pres #Macron & PM #Starmer of #Britain were “impertinent” in proposing thousands of #peacekeeping troops for #Ukraine. “No one is asking us,” Lavrov said in an interview with Krasnaya Zvezda, the Russian state news agency #Tass reported on Sunday. Lavrov praised #Trump for “behaving correctly,” according to the report.
#geopolitics #Zelensky #Putin #US #Europe #allies #NATO #ForeignPolicy #RevengePolitics
“It is unsurprising that allies in #Europe are gathering in London this weekend & equally unsurprising that the #UK is being taken much more seriously in Brussels & capitals,” Ashton said.
And yet there are limits to #Starmer’s #diplomacy. He was unable to extract any #security guarantees from #Trump for #Ukraine, despite an exaggerated show of deference to the president. That included Starmer hand-delivering an invitation for a state visit from #KingCharles….
#geopolitics #Russia #US #NATO
The #summit meeting has thrust #Starmer into an unaccustomed place for a British prime minister: at the heart of #Europe during a crisis. >8 years after the country voted to leave the #EU, the rapidly changing #security landscape is driving #Britain closer to the continent.
Catherine Ashton, a Briton who served as the EU’s high representative for #ForeignAffairs & security policy, said Starmer’s successful meeting w/ #Trump had reinforced his credentials as a leader for Europe.
#Britain on Saturday announced a nearly $3B loan to #Ukraine aimed at bolstering the #war-torn country’s #military capability. It will be paid back using profits generated on sanctioned Russian sovereign assets, & the first tranche of funding is expected to be disbursed to Ukraine next week, Britain’s Treasury said.
#Europe’s leaders pledged to assemble a European “coalition of the willing” to develop a plan for ending Ukraine’s war w/ #Russia, which they hope could win the backing of #Trump.
#Starmer said that he, Pres #Zelensky & Pres #Macron of #France had agreed they “would work on a plan for stopping the fighting & then discuss that plan w/the US.” Any #peace agreement “is going to need a US backstop,” Starmer added, saying British & #US teams were discussing the idea.
Sunday’s #summit was first set up to inform European leaders about Starmer’s meeting w/ #Trump. But it gained new importance after Friday, making supporting #Ukraine & beefing up their defenses more critical.
The comments came ahead of a #summit in #London on Sunday, where #Starmer met w/ President Volodymyr #Zelensky of #Ukraine & other European leaders to discuss the #war. The gathering took on greater urgency after Zelensky’s meeting w/ #Trump & #JDVance on Friday raised fears the US would try to strong-arm Ukraine’s president into making a #peace deal on whatever terms the Americans [#Putin] dictated.
#geopolitics #Russia #US #allies #NATO #Europe #ForeignPolicy #RevengePolitics #PutinsPuppet
#Britain, #France & #Ukraine to Develop Cease-Fire Plan to Present to #US.
Britain’s PM Sir Keir #Starmer announced the move ahead of a meeting w/ #Europe leaders as the region reeled from #Trump’s attack on President Volodymyr #Zelensky of Ukraine.
#geopolitics #Putin #Russia #UnitedStates #MafiaState #allies #NATO #ForeignPolicy #authoritarianism #RevengePolitics #PutinsPuppet
—Timothy Snyder, The War Trump Chooses
#trump #vance #jdvance #zelensky
—Timothy Snyder
snyder.substack.com/p/the-war-…
#trump #jdvance #musk #zelensky#zelenskyy #usa #ukraine
The War Trump Chooses
That wasn't Trump against Zelens'kyi. It was Americans against reasonTimothy Snyder (Thinking about...)
Morten Morland Sunday Times cartoon: March 2, 2025
thetimes.com/imageserver/image…
(via thetimes.com/comment/cartoons/…)
#ukraine #usa #zelenskyy #trump #vance #diplomacy
‘Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said the “foreign policy” of Washington and Moscow is now broadly aligned now Donald Trump is in office.
“The new (US) administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision,” Peskov said, according to a post by state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin on Sunday on the Telegram channel.’
Guardian Live
What’s the reason for saying the quiet bit out loud?
Judge says #Trump cannot fire head of #independent #watchdog agency
The federal judge’s decision blocks Trump from removing #HamptonDellinger as head of the Office of #SpecialCounsel & sets up a likely #SCOTUS battle over the president’s powers.
#law #NationalSecurity #authoritarianism #autocracy #democracy #SeparationOfPowers
washingtonpost.com/national-se…
Trump was impeached for delaying aid to Ukraine for political gain, which benefitted Russia. It’s weird to me that this doesn't seem to be getting much play in coverage around yesterday's grotesque display.
He got caught. He got impeached. And to this day, he'd like to find and punish the anonymous whistleblower within the CIA.
@AlgoCompSynth Everybody needs to wake up the person next to them and on and on.
The more people see anyone IRL standing up the more likely they are to stand up themselves.
#AfternoonNotesToAmerica
#RaiseYourVoice
#3WordNote #tRump
#musk
Trump Cancels Lifesaving USAID Programs, Despite Pledge of 90-Day Review
—
The axing of some 10,000 programs has consigned untold numbers of children and refugees to death, officials say. Documents and interviews reveal that the State Department appears to have made the cuts without the careful review it described in court.
propublica.org/article/trump-u…
#News #Trump #USAID #Rubio #Aid #Gaza #Syria #Congo #HIV #Ebola #USPolitics
