Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #15

[Warwick1991]

All of them, no matter which ones, how much or where ... and from signing date till forever, it seems.

• "all of Ukraine’s mineral and energy assets"
• "and related infrastructure, such as ports, railways, roads and production facilities"
• "The US would receive all royalties from the fund until Ukraine has paid off at least $100bn of war debt, plus 4 per cent interest" (after that point, somewhere way, way off in the far distant future, Ukraine would supposedly get 50%)
• "Washington would receive a “right of first offer” on investments in all infrastructure and natural resources projects

Trump pushes to control all of Ukraine’s mineral and energy assets in sweeping new demands

This is like a reparations agreement with a defeated enemy... Post WWI Germany comes to mind, burdened with huge debt payments to other countries - the economic instability contributed to the rise of the Nazis.

 

[acutename]

All of them, no matter which ones, how much or where ... and from signing date till forever, it seems.

• "all of Ukraine’s mineral and energy assets"
• "and related infrastructure, such as ports, railways, roads and production facilities"
• "The US would receive all royalties from the fund until Ukraine has paid off at least $100bn of war debt, plus 4 per cent interest" (after that point, somewhere way, way off in the far distant future, Ukraine would supposedly get 50%)
• "Washington would receive a “right of first offer” on investments in all infrastructure and natural resources projects

Trump pushes to control all of Ukraine’s mineral and energy assets in sweeping new demands

so it used to be "rare earth minerals" but now it would include ...salt? magnesium? iron? some not-so-rare-stuff? Is the US building and maintaining the ports, railways, roads" or just owning them?

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 31, 2025

Poland signs $2 billion air defense deal with US

The contract includes the delivery of air defense equipment and logistical support for Patriot missile systems, the Polish Defense Ministry announced on March 31.

kyivindependent.com

Warsaw has taken several measures to boost its national defenses since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The country regularly scrambles fighter jets and activates air defense units amid Russian attacks near its border.

Russian drones and missiles have violated Polish airspace over the course of the all-out war against Ukraine. Polish military officials have said that Russia is likely not only targeting Ukraine, but also testing Poland's air defense capabilities.

Sharing borders with both Belarus and Russia's heavily militarized Kaliningrad exclave, Poland would likely be among the first targets in a potential confrontation between NATO and Russia.

Putin signs largest conscription campaign in 14 years, drafting 160,000 men

Although Russian conscripts are typically not deployed in active combat, Moscow has relied on financial incentives and pardons to recruit civilians for the war in Ukraine.

kyivindependent.com

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on March 31 ordering the spring conscription of 160,000 men for compulsory military service, state-owned media TASS reported.

The draft, running from April to June, applied to citizens aged 18 to 30 and marked the largest conscription campaign in 14 years.

Russia's Prosecutor General asks Supreme Court to remove Taliban from 'terrorist organizations' list

The Supreme Court is set to review the request on April 17 in a closed session. The Taliban remains on Russia's federal list of terrorist organizations since 2003.

kyivindependent.com

Despite maintaining the terrorist designation, Moscow has expanded engagement with the Taliban, deepening trade ties and investing in Afghan infrastructure. The Taliban regularly participates in Russian economic and educational forums.

Putin has referred to the Taliban as "allies," while Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called them "sane people."

The Taliban, however, continues to enforce strict Islamic law, banning women from education, restricting social interactions, and carrying out the public stoning of women to death.

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 31, 2025

What Russia really wants from the Black Sea ceasefire deal

With much fanfare, the U.S. on March 25 announced it had brokered an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to "eliminate the use of force" in the Black Sea after two days of talks in Saudi Arabia. But while Kyiv said it was ready to abide by it straight away, Moscow stalled, insisting the U.S...

kyivindependent.com

With much fanfare, the U.S. on March 25 announced it had brokered an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to "eliminate the use of force" in the Black Sea after two days of talks in Saudi Arabia.

But while Kyiv said it was ready to abide by it straight away, Moscow stalled, insisting the U.S. lift some of the sanctions imposed on it since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"Any easing of sanctions directly benefits the system fueling Russia’s war," a Ukrainian official who works on sanctions told the Kyiv Independent under the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to comment on the issue.

Trump not pleased with Russia or Ukraine, White House says

The U.S. president "has expressed his displeasure with comments that have been made by leaders of both sides of this conflict," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on March 31.

kyivindependent.com

After saying he was angry with Putin and threatening to impose additional economic penalties on Russia, Trump later softened his rhetoric, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that he and Putin have "always gotten along well."

Trump did not name a specific date by which Moscow must agree to a complete ceasefire in Ukraine, but said there was a "psychological deadline" for such a deal.

Trump has threatened additional tariffs and sanctions against Russia several times in the past months but has largely avoided taking the step. Instead, the administration has exerted significant pressure on Ukraine in negotiations, including by temporarily cutting off military and intelligence support.

Ukraine war latest: There's 'psychological deadline' for Putin to agree to Ukraine ceasefire, Trump says

Key developments on March 31: * There's 'psychological deadline' for Putin to agree to Ukraine ceasefire, Trump says * Kremlin says it remains open to US talks despite Trump's reported anger at Putin * Ukraine-US talks on minerals deal ongoing, not tied to NATO membership, source says *...

kyivindependent.com

 

[Vern]

This is like a reparations agreement with a defeated enemy... Post WWI Germany comes to mind, burdened with huge debt payments to other countries - the economic instability contributed to the rise of the Nazis.

Perhaps Trump shuld be seeking 'repayment' from that nation which caused the current war vice it's victims.

There is precedent for that.

 

[Lilibet]

The resistance has begun in the Senate…

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/31/politics/booker-senate-floor-speech-trump-protest/index.html

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker has kicked off what is expected to be a marathon speech on the Senate floor to protest actions taken by President Donald Trump’s administration, saying that he will keep going “as long as I am physically able.”


Live coverage

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[PommyMommy]

MAR 31, 2025

Institute for the Study of War

US President Donald Trump stated on March 30 that there is an unspecified "psychological deadline" for Russia to agree to a general ceasefire amid continued Russian efforts to hold the temporary ceasefire in the Black Sea hostage to stall efforts toward

www.understandingwar.org

Russian officials continue efforts to undermine the proposed US-Ukrainian mineral deal by promoting potential US-Russian rare earth mining projects. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on March 31 that US companies are interested in joint rare earth metals mining projects with Russia and that these projects are the first step to improving bilateral relations, although the United States and Russia have not yet signed any documents concerning rare earth metals.[6] Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev told Kremlin-affiliated outlet Izvestia on March 31 that Russian and US officials have started discussions about joint rare earth mineral projects.[7] Dmitriev also told the BBC’s Russian Service on March 30 that US-Russian economic cooperation should be a primary focus if the United States wants to end the war in Ukraine but that such cooperation would only begin after the conclusion of peace negotiations.[8] The Kremlin is attempting to undermine the Trump administration’s objectives of linking US and Ukrainian economic interests through the US-Ukraine mineral deal by presenting Russia as a rare earth commodities trader superior to Ukraine. The Trump administration seeks to use the US-Ukrainian deal to establish concrete US economic interests in Ukraine as part of US efforts to transition Ukraine from solely a military aid recipient to also an economic partner.[9] The kind of economic cooperation that Russia seeks with the United States would not deter Russia from invading Ukraine again in the future and will fail to advance the Trump administration's objectives of economically linking the US and Ukraine. Such cooperation would also accelerate Russian military reconstitution faster than it would otherwise. Russia’s access to minerals in occupied Ukraine will likely augment the People's Republic of China's (PRC's) ability to access Ukraine’s minerals. Russia has notably partnered with the PRC to extract Russian rare earth commodities since at least 2005.[10] Russian companies are also involved in current and potential deposit exploration projects in various African countries.[11] ISW continues to assess that Russia is using economic incentives that are unrelated to the war in Ukraine to extract concessions from the United States about the war in Ukraine.[12] These concessions would give away leverage that is crucial to US President Donald Trump’s stated objective of achieving an enduring and mutually beneficial peace in Ukraine.

The Kremlin continues efforts to sow division between the United States and Europe. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused "almost the entire European West" of attempting to prolong the war in Ukraine and contributing to the "rehabilitation of Nazism," and continued to falsely portray the Ukrainian government as neo-Nazis during an interview on March 30.[13] Lavrov claimed that Europeans "unleashed" "all the tragedies of humanity before 1939, including World War II" and that elites currently in power in most European Union (EU) and NATO countries retain the "instincts" to bring about these tragedies. Director of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs International Organizations Department, Kirill Logvinov, reiterated to Kremlin newswire TASS on March 31 that Russia continues to view a European peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine as unacceptable and criticized ongoing UK and French efforts to create such a contingent.[14] Logvinov similarly blamed European countries, specifically European elites, of causing the war in Ukraine and seeking to extend the war. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev similarly criticized European countries for alleged "Russophobia" about the war and threatened Europe with Russian missiles.[15] Medvedev routinely makes extreme statements aimed at persuading Western states to act according to Russia's interests.[16] These statements are part of the Kremlin's broader efforts to falsely portray European countries as seeking to prolong the war in contrast to ongoing US efforts to secure interim ceasefires and eventually a full peace in Ukraine. This rhetoric is aimed at undermining Western unity in supporting Ukraine.[17]

 

[PommyMommy]

APR 1, 2025

German, Lithuanian foreign ministers arrive in Kyiv

Upon her arrival, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced additional humanitarian support for Ukraine amounting to 130 million euros ($140 million).

kyivindependent.com

"Due to the deadlock between the U.S. and Russia, it is absolutely crucial to... show that we... stand by Ukraine and support it even more now," Baerbock said on her 11th visit to Ukraine, the German tabloid Bild reported.

Upon her arrival, the outgoing German foreign minister announced additional humanitarian support for Ukraine amounting to 130 million euros ($140 million). She was welcomed at the train station by her Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha.

73% of Ukrainians say Trump is bad for Ukraine, poll shows

Last December, 54% of Ukrainians believed that the new U.S. president would have a positive impact on Ukraine.

kyivindependent.com

Around 73% of Ukrainians believe that U.S. President Donald Trump is bad for Ukraine, a major spike from December 2024, when only 21% saw him negatively, a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) published on April 1 said.

Last December, after Trump was reelected but before he took office, 54% of Ukrainians believed that the new U.S. president would have a positive impact on Ukraine. Only 19% thought so in March, KIIS said.

Ukraine received new minerals deal draft on March 28, talks with US ongoing, FM confirms

"Ukraine was ready to sign the previously developed framework agreement. Now we have received a proposal for development and a new text of the agreement," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on April 1.

kyivindependent.com

Ukraine received the text of the U.S.'s expanded deal on mineral resources on March 28 and carried out the first round of consultations with U.S. partners, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on April 1.

"I confirm that we have begun consultations with the United States on the text of the agreement. Ukraine is determined to conclude a document that would meet the interests of both countries."

 

[PommyMommy]

APR 1, 2025

Russia again violates partial ceasefire by attacking Kherson energy facility, Kyiv says

Some 45,000 residents of Kherson were left without electricity after a morning Russian attack on one of the city's power facilities.

kyivindependent.com

Some 45,000 residents of Kherson were left without electricity after a morning Russian attack on one of the city's power facilities, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on April 1 during a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Kestusis Budrys.

"After Riyadh, one of the agreements with the U.S. was about not striking at energy infrastructure," Sybiha said at the press conference.

"At the same time, Russia continues to violate this agreement," the minister said, adding that Ukraine has also recorded attacks against energy facilities in the Kherson, Kharkiv, and Poltava oblasts since March 25.

Ukrainian Railways cyberattack resembles Russian tactics, cybersecurity official says

The cybercriminals used malware developed considering the specifics of the Ukrainian Railways' infrastructure, a Ukrainian cybersecurity official said.

kyivindependent.com

The company's website and app became unavailable on March 23 over what was initially described as a "technical failure." The next day, Ukrainian Railways said it had been targeted by a "large-scale and sophisticated cyberattack" carried out by "the enemy."

On the morning of March 27, the company said that its website and app were restored after "89 hours of non-stop work" and that it had sold more than 12,000 tickets since the restoration of online services.

Some Russians celebrated Ukrainian drone strikes on Moscow, intercepted calls suggest

"Let them bomb the Kremlin," one man from Belgorod Oblast said in an intercepted call released by HUR on March 31.

kyivindependent.com

Russians living in oblasts bordering Ukraine have celebrated recent drone attacks against Moscow as people living there "live their lives without fear," according to a series of intercepted calls released by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) on March 29–31.

"So we can be f**king bombed, but Moscow Oblast is not? Let the bastards shut up and stay put!" one woman in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast said in a call released by HUR on March 29.

"They should have targeted Moscow right away to make them take action," she said, adding: "Otherwise, poor people are suffering, and Moscow is dancing and singing."

 

[Mo Thuairim]

Russia says it cannot accept US peace plan for Ukraine ‘in its current form’​

Moscow’s refusal highlights the limited progress Donald Trump has made on his promise to end the war

Moscow has described the latest US peace proposals as unacceptable to the Kremlin, highlighting the limited progress Donald Trump has made on his promise to end the war in Ukraine since taking office in January.

Sergei Ryabkov, a foreign policy adviser to Vladimir Putin, said some of Russia’s key demands were not being addressed by the US proposals to end the war, in comments that marked a rare acknowledgment from the Russian side that talks with the US over Ukraine had stalled in recent weeks.

[...]

Russia says it cannot accept US peace plan for Ukraine ‘in its current form’

Moscow’s refusal highlights the limited progress Donald Trump has made on his promise to end the war

www.theguardian.com

 

[PommyMommy]

I met with Lithuanian Foreign Minister @BudrysKestutis. Our discussion mainly focused on continuing defense and security support for Ukraine, joint drone production, strengthening EU sanctions against Russia, and opening as many negotiation clusters as possible for Ukraine's EU accession this year.

I’m grateful for Lithuania’s support — to the people, the Government, and President Gitanas Nausėda—in particular, for strengthening our air defense, investing in Ukraine’s long-range weapons production, and training our warriors.

The people of Lithuania have shown significant support for our state since the very beginning of the full-scale invasion. We appreciate it.

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I held a meeting with German Foreign Minister @ABaerbock. We discussed further support for our state, the path to a dignified peace, and the development of security guarantee formats.

Germany is a leader in Europe in the scale of assistance provided to Ukraine — from financial aid and weapons to strengthening our air defense. This includes 6 IRIS-T systems, 3 Patriot systems, and Gepard anti-aircraft guns. All this support has saved thousands of lives. We are grateful to the Bundestag for the decision to provide an additional 3 billion euros to Ukraine. In total, German support this year will amount to 7 billion euros.

We are grateful that German support for Ukraine remains unwavering and stable. We thank Germany, its Government, and all the German people for their significant assistance.

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[PommyMommy]

I received a report from Ukraine’s Minister of Defense regarding contacts with partners, particularly with the American side. We have shared all information regarding Russia’s violations in the energy sector — there were strikes, and today again in Kherson, a Russian drone targeted an energy facility and equipment — deliberately and purposefully. Part of the city was left without electricity.

We insist that every such violation must be documented and receive a response from our partners. It is precisely these small details that add up to Russia’s major delays in the diplomatic process.

The unconditional cessation of strikes proposed by the United States is not being implemented solely because of Russia’s position.

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I had a good conversation with the Prime Minister of New Zealand @chrisluxonmp.

I’m grateful for his kind words about Ukraine and the Ukrainian people — and especially for the support New Zealand has provided to our country during this war. New Zealand stands firmly on the side of life—providing assistance to help us defend our people and our state, and supporting Ukraine both politically and economically. We value New Zealand’s role in the global sanctions effort.

Today, Prime Minister Luxon and I discussed the need to apply new sanctions against Russia for prolonging the war and trying to distort the diplomatic efforts of the partners.

I informed about Russia’s strikes on our energy infrastructure — all of which has also been shared with our American partners. We also discussed relations with key states in order to establish a dignified peace.

In addition, we talked about joint efforts, particularly with European partners, to ensure reliable security for Ukraine in the future. Thank you for your support.

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[sds71]

Senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev has arrived in Washington and is expected to meet top Trump official Steve Witkoff on Wednesday for talks on strengthening relations between the two countries as they seek to end the war in Ukraine, according to two sources familiar with the plans.

His visit marks the first time a senior Russian official has visited Washington, DC, for talks since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and marks a further step in the marked warming in relations between the two countries since President Donald Trump returned to office in January.

Dmitriev is a close adviser to Putin and traveled with top Russian officials to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia in February to start discussing a settlement for the end of the war in Ukraine. He also worked with Witkoff to free American teacher Marc Fogel from Russia, which the Trump administration hailed as a goodwill gesture.


The US government temporarily lifted sanctions against Dmitriev to allow the State Department to grant him a visa to come to the US, one of the sources familiar said. Another source said that there had been a request made to the Treasury Department for a temporary suspension of the sanctions.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/01/politics/senior-russian-official-washington-visit/index.html?cid=ios_app

 

[Stunned]

DBM

 

[TootsieFootsie]

MSN

The Independent

Trump’s ‘anger’ at Putin over Ukraine peace deal delay is just play acting​

 

[PommyMommy]

Russian missile killed four civilians in Kryvyi Rih, central Ukraine, on 2 April. 15 people were injured including two children, an 8-year-old boy in serious condition and a 6-year-old girl who received medical assistance at the scene.

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A Ukrainian man was found killed in his car near the missile impact site in Kryvyi Rih. Four people died from the Russian ballistic missile on 2 April, 15 were injured. The attack damaged ten apartment buildings, 20 vehicles, and severed power lines, leaving 1,900 residents without electricity.

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A targeted Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih. All necessary services are on site, working to mitigate the consequences of the shelling and to help people. Some people are wounded, and they are receiving medical assistance. As of now, it is known that, tragically, four lives were claimed by this strike, all of them civilians. My condolences to their families and loved ones.

Everywhere in the world, such strikes are called by the same name—terror. The only way to stop this is by applying sufficient pressure on Moscow, on the Russian system, forcing them to abandon war and terror. And this depends on our partners—on the United States, on Europe, on other countries of the world.

What separates us all from at least a complete and unconditional cessation of strikes is the lack of Russia's consent to end the war, and only the world's pressure can ensure such consent.

Furthermore, all such Russian strikes prove that Ukraine needs a sufficient number of air defense systems and missiles to protect all people in Ukraine from Russian terror. We are working with all our partners toward this goal and we thank everyone who is helping us. We are grateful to everyone who understands that pressure on Russia and stable support for Ukraine are essential.

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[PommyMommy]

APR 2, 2025

‘We're talking naval, air and land’ – Lithuanian foreign minister on the ‘Coalition of the Willing’

Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in January and launched a new effort to reach peace between Russia and Ukraine, turning American foreign policy upside down, Europe has been hit with a clear message: the age of the U.S. as a guarantor of European security is

kyivindependent.com

Kestutis Budrys: We know that everything depends on Russia's decisions and on U.S. instruments being used for them to make the right decisions, for Russia to make the right decisions. We haven't seen in history that Russia, without the right kind of pressure, would agree on anything, or that they would step back from demands that were initially put on the table. We saw the Russian demands back in 2021, or even before that, when the war started in 2014.

I have no reason to believe that it will change, that they will change their demands, except if the U.S. uses their instruments, diplomatic ones that we've already seen, but also hard instruments and hard pressure against Russia. We will see how it will work. I do not exclude the element of surprise, that Russia will surprise us with something nice.

'It's a trap' — Trump’s US minerals deal threatens Ukraine’s EU membership

The ongoing saga of the U.S.-Ukraine natural resources deal has already caused seismic ruptures between Kyiv and Washington, temporarily costing Ukraine American military support and crucial intelligence sharing. Yet in the quest to placate U.S. President Donald Trump, and secure his support in...

kyivindependent.com

One of the glaring issues is that Washington’s demands conflict with a critical raw materials partnership signed between Brussels and Kyiv in 2021.

"It is a trap. Period," economist, politician and former Prime Minister Arsen Yatsenyuk told the Kyiv Independent.

If Ukraine signs the deal, Kyiv risks backlash from Brussels, and Ukraine’s credibility "could weaken" while raising "questions about its strategic alignments," Dr. Teona Lavrelashvili, a Visiting Fellow at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, told the Kyiv Independent.

US sanctions Russian firms but lifts sanctions on Putin ally's wife

The Treasury Department did not provide a reason for Karina Rotenberg's removal from the sanctions list.

kyivindependent.com

Three Russian legal entities — Edison, Kolibri Group, and Sky Frame — were added to the U.S. Treasury Department’s blacklist, blocking their assets and banning all transactions.

Edison trades in household appliances, Kolibri Group deals in grain and animal feed, and Sky Frame is listed as a motion picture production company.

According to the Treasury, these companies were part of a network, backed by Iran, that sent raw materials, weapons, and sensitive goods from Russia to the Yemeni Houthis.

The shipments, estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars, reportedly included grain stolen from Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine.

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 24, 2025

Putin is Still Stealing Ukrainian Children

Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine over three years ago with the intent, among other things, of stealing its children. Putin launched his imperial conquest to first and foremost dominate the Ukrainian people, and he recognized that to deprive Ukraine of its children would be to...

understandingwar.org

Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine over three years ago with the intent, among other things, of stealing its children. Putin launched his imperial conquest to first and foremost dominate the Ukrainian people, and he recognized that to deprive Ukraine of its children would be to deprive it of its multigenerational potential. When Russian troops rolled across the border into Ukraine on the night of February 24, 2022, the groundwork for the massive deportation of Ukraine’s children was already in place. Ukrainian human rights activists uncovered Kremlin documents dated February 18, 2022, which laid out plans to remove Ukrainian children from orphanages in occupied Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts and bring them to Russia under the guise of “humanitarian evacuations.” ...

Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children inflicts lasting psychological impacts as children are forced to assimilate to life inside a hostile occupying power.[8] Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab has confirmed that Russia is using at least 43 children’s camps throughout Russia to house deported children, at least 32 of which are explicitly “re-education” facilities.[9] At least one of these camps in Russia’s far eastern Primorsky Krai is physically closer to Alaska than it is to Ukraine. Russia uses these camps to indoctrinate Ukrainian children, punishing them for their Ukrainian identities and forcibly instilling pro-Russian sentiment through carefully curated Kremlin-approved curricula and “military-patriotic” training courses. Chechen Republic Head and close Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov has lauded the "military-patriotic" training of abducted Ukrainian teenagers in Chechnya, for example.[10] Former Ukrainian Children’s Rights Commissioner Mykola Kuleba has termed these re-education programs as “death camps for Ukrainian identity.”[11]

 

[Mo Thuairim]

US officials object to European push to buy weapons locally​

WASHINGTON/PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. officials have told European allies they want them to keep buying American-made arms, amid recent moves by the European Union to limit U.S. manufacturers' participation in weapons tenders, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The messages delivered by Washington in recent weeks come as the EU takes steps to boost Europe's weapons industry, while potentially limiting purchases of certain types of U.S. arms.

The Trump administration's early foreign policy steps, including briefly cutting military aid for Ukraine and easing pressure on Moscow, have deeply unnerved European allies, prompting many to ask if the United States is a reliable partner.

In mid-March, the European Commission, the EU's executive body, proposed boosting military spending and pooling resources on joint defense projects, as Europe girds for decreased U.S. military engagement under President Donald Trump.

Some of the proposed measures could mean a smaller role for non-EU companies, including those based in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, experts say.

In a March 25 meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia that the United States wants to continue participating in EU countries' defense procurements, the sources told Reuters.

According to two of the sources, Rubio said any exclusion of U.S. companies from European tenders would be seen negatively by Washington, which those two sources interpreted as a reference to the proposed EU rules.

[...]

Rubio plans to discuss expectations that EU countries keep buying U.S. weapons during his visit to Brussels this week, where he will attend the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting, said a senior State Department official.

[...]

US officials object to European push to buy weapons locally

U.S. officials have told European allies they want them to keep buying American-made arms, amid recent moves by the European Union to limit U.S. manufacturers' participation in weapons tenders, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The messages delivered by Washington in recent...

www.yahoo.com

 

[LovesPeace2]

'If Trump is good, then Trump is good.' How Russia explains unexpected friendship with US

Read more

newsukraine.rbc.ua

Catching on to these signals from the leadership, Russian propaganda has also adjusted its messaging. Suddenly, America is no longer an enemy, leading to a series of statements contradicting what Russian media previously propagated. Ukraine is no longer portrayed as being under US external control, Putin has begun discussing the transfer of natural resources, and Kursk has become a top news topic, despite previously being largely ignored