I honestly don't think president Zelensky should go back to the states. Have the USA team go to France or the UK . I don't think the USA under this leader would honor any deal they make. Hearing about the Russian press being at the white house when president Zelensky was there we were worried about attempts on Zelensky or poisoning because that's how Russia rolls.jmvho
To be honest thats a pretty good point. We have had several poisioning incidents here involving Russians
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For those who don't know: Odessa has own spirit, it is a customs city, akin to Marseille known for its humor for centuries. They were able to laugh even at the war calamities. When the water in the fountains would stop at 6:58 pm instead of 7 pm, they'd humoristically complain to local communal services on "habitual underfilling of water".
I just got some Google photos of Odessa.
I should try to find some Odessa jokes understandable in English which is not easy as it is language-based.iStock
iStock. Explore the official iStock website for millions of exclusive, royalty-free, stock files. Find the perfect stock for your project, fast. Search now.www.istockphoto.com
www.bbc.co.uk
Under the Budapest Memorandum signed in 1994, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan agreed to give up the nuclear arsenal in return for security guarantees from the US, UK and Russia.
Yes, indeed!To be honest thats a pretty good point. We have had several poisioning incidents here involving Russians
8m ago20.54 GMT
A Ukrainian battalion commander said he was “pained” by the US’s decision to pause shipments of US military aid to Ukraine.
The commander, who is fighting with the 66th mechanized brigade near Lyman in the eastern Donetsk region, told CNN:
Under the Budapest Memorandum signed in 1994, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan agreed to give up the nuclear arsenal in return for security guarantees from the US, UK and Russia.
The Ukrainian commander said Kyiv may be able to plug the gaps through its domestic production of weapons:
Macron open to extending France’s nuclear umbrella to European allies as US reconsiders Ukraine funding – as it happened
French president says he will debate offer at European summit to be attended by Ukraine’s president Zelenskyywww.theguardian.com
I thought that exactly as well. When I heard a Russian "news" person from Tass had been at that meeting, it sent chills through me. He must have been allowed in. Surely White House security isn't that bad. And if, as I believe was claimed, they didn't realise he was from Russia, then that is even more alarming. Zelensky is lucky to still be alive right now! Good job he didn't eat that lunch!
US intelligence 'has been fundamental' for Ukraine
US intelligence sharing is "more important" for Ukraine than the military aid cut-off, the Economist’s defence editor Shashank Joshi tells the BBC's PM programme.
That's because "they could fight for months without munition, however they will feel this immediately", he says.
"It’s at times been absolutely fundamental for Ukraine", Joshi says, explaining that "on day one of this conflict" Western intelligence supplied to Ukraine allowed them to anticipate and defend against a Russian assault on an airport outside of Kyiv.
Since then, US intelligence has been used for alerts on incoming ballistic missiles, as well as for information to effectively use long-range strike systems.
But Joshi says Ukraine also has some indigenous intelligence sources as well as commercial sources, adding: "I also don’t want to suggest that it’s cataclysmal and they can no longer see anything at all."
He says for now, Ukraine still has access to Starlink - Elon Musk's satellite internet company - but they anticipate it could be cut off soon and are actively working on replacements.
US and Ukraine officials to meet next week to discuss peace plans, Zelensky says
The Ukrainian leader says he will travel to Saudi Arabia where talks on bringing a "lasting" peace will take place.
www.bbc.co.uk
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www.bbc.co.uk
Illegal. Not humanitarian. I hope they can show it's illegal.US Republicans push for more European involvement
One US Republican senator tells the BBC that he believes "we need to continue" supporting Ukraine, "but I think it's even more important for Europe to step up and contribute more".
Speaking to the BBC's state department correspondent Tom Bateman, Senator John Cornyn says "Russia clearly can't be trusted" and he is "sceptical of any promises" its President, Vladimir Putin, makes.
"That's why we need some sort of backup plan, hopefully led by the Europeans, but supported by the United States."
That need for European involvement is reiterated by Senator Rick Scott.
"Russia is the aggressor... Ukraine needs to win", he says, but "the Europeans are going to have start standing up" in their defence of the country."
"You can't expect American taxpayers... to do all this", he adds.
'Unacceptable', 'a betrayal' - US Democrats react to Ukraine aid cuts
Democratic lawmakers in the US have slated the decision to suspend military assistance - and intelligence sharing - with Ukraine.
Senator Cory Booker tells the BBC's state department correspondent Tom Bateman that he had not heard the reports of a halt to intelligence sharing with Ukraine "but that would be unacceptable to me, and pretty outrageous".
He adds that the stopping of military aid is a "betrayal of Congress's intent", since it has already approved funds for Ukraine.
Senator Tim Kaine calls it "a huge mistake". "This secession of aid, military aid that Congress has appropriated, I think, is illegal," he adds.
This is something Democrats in Congress will "try to stop", Senator Chris Murphy says, "but it doesn't seem like Republicans are willing to stand up for democracy abroad or here at home right now".
"Donald Trump is allied with Vladimir Putin, there is no mystery there", he says.
US and Ukraine officials to meet next week to discuss peace plans, Zelensky says
The Ukrainian leader says he will travel to Saudi Arabia where talks on bringing a "lasting" peace will take place.
www.msnbc.com
When they say Europe needs to contribute more - we do in fact contribute as much as America but the problem is Trump as usual exaggerates how much America has in fact in paid also.US Republicans push for more European involvement
One US Republican senator tells the BBC that he believes "we need to continue" supporting Ukraine, "but I think it's even more important for Europe to step up and contribute more".
Speaking to the BBC's state department correspondent Tom Bateman, Senator John Cornyn says "Russia clearly can't be trusted" and he is "sceptical of any promises" its President, Vladimir Putin, makes.
"That's why we need some sort of backup plan, hopefully led by the Europeans, but supported by the United States."
That need for European involvement is reiterated by Senator Rick Scott.
"Russia is the aggressor... Ukraine needs to win", he says, but "the Europeans are going to have start standing up" in their defence of the country."
"You can't expect American taxpayers... to do all this", he adds.
'Unacceptable', 'a betrayal' - US Democrats react to Ukraine aid cuts
Democratic lawmakers in the US have slated the decision to suspend military assistance - and intelligence sharing - with Ukraine.
Senator Cory Booker tells the BBC's state department correspondent Tom Bateman that he had not heard the reports of a halt to intelligence sharing with Ukraine "but that would be unacceptable to me, and pretty outrageous".
He adds that the stopping of military aid is a "betrayal of Congress's intent", since it has already approved funds for Ukraine.
Senator Tim Kaine calls it "a huge mistake". "This secession of aid, military aid that Congress has appropriated, I think, is illegal," he adds.
This is something Democrats in Congress will "try to stop", Senator Chris Murphy says, "but it doesn't seem like Republicans are willing to stand up for democracy abroad or here at home right now".
"Donald Trump is allied with Vladimir Putin, there is no mystery there", he says.
US and Ukraine officials to meet next week to discuss peace plans, Zelensky says
The Ukrainian leader says he will travel to Saudi Arabia where talks on bringing a "lasting" peace will take place.
They have the “lion’s share” though in intelligence budget, with a 20 times higher budget than the UK.
A potential threat to Five Eyes
Frank Gardner
Security correspondent
As recently as during the Munich Security Conference, less than three weeks ago, British officials were insisting that it was "business as usual" when it came to the UK’s incredibly close working partnership with Washington on intelligence-sharing.
At a working level, Whitehall officials have always maintained, the relationship between the UK’s three intelligence agencies – SIS (MI6), MI5 and GCHQ – and their US counterparts is immune to the vicissitudes of which way the political wind is blowing.
But there is nothing "business as usual" about cutting off your embattled ally from vital intel in the middle of a war. Intelligence from UK and other allied nations’ assets can still flow to Kyiv and the indications are that if and when President Trump gets the mineral deal he wants from Ukraine, plus some concessions towards an eventual peace deal, then America's intel taps could well be turned back on.
Yet this has been a rude shock, not just for Ukraine, not just for America’s close partner Britain, but also for other members of the so-called Five Eyes partnership.
This is the mechanism whereby much intelligence is shared between five English-speaking nations: the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The US, with its roughly US$100bn intelligence budget, provides the lion’s share. The UK, while specialising in human intelligence-gathering, has a budget roughly 20 times smaller than that.
US and Ukraine officials to meet next week to discuss peace plans, Zelensky says
The Ukrainian leader says he will travel to Saudi Arabia where talks on bringing a "lasting" peace will take place.
www.bbc.co.uk
