7 Mar, 2025 07:35

EU fails to agree on Ukraine aid

Hungary has vetoed the bloc’s joint statementthat would have seen Kiev receive €30 billion in aid by the end of the year

The European Union has failed to agree on a new €30 billion ($32 billion) military aid package for Ukraine after Hungary vetoed the measure at an emergency European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday. Despite broad support from the other 26 EU members, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocked the leaders’ statement, delaying further assistance to Kiev.

The proposedfive-point agreement included security guarantees for Ukraine, a commitment that no negotiations with Russia would take place without Kiev, and a pledge to uphold Ukraine’s territorial integrity. However, Orban, a vocal critic of military aid to Ukraine and anadvocate for peace talks, rejected the proposal, arguing that it contradicted Hungary’s stance.

”It talks about Ukraine needing to be strengthened so that it can fight even further. And Hungary, of course, did not support it because thiswas completely contrary to our position in favor of peace,” Orban told reporters after the meeting.

According to the conclusive statement published on the European Council website, the final decision on Ukraine’s support has beenpostponed until the next EU leaders’ summit, scheduled for March 20.

Meanwhile, European Council President AntonioCosta signaled that the EU is looking for ways to continue military aidto Ukraine despite Hungary’s objections.

”Hungary has a different approach on Ukraine; it means Hungary is isolated within the EU27 – and 26 are more than one,” Costa said. EU foreign policy chiefKaja Kallas also hinted at an alternative plan, saying the bloc is working on a “coalition of the willing” that would allow member states to continue providing militaryassistance to Ukraine without requiring unanimous approval.

The emergency summit was convened amid growingconcerns among EU leaders over the impact of US President Donald Trump’s recent policy shift on Ukraine. Multiple media reports suggest that Trump has frozen new military aid to Kiev. He has also urged the EU to take on greater responsibility for Ukraine’s war effort and its own defense.

While the decision on Ukraine aid was delayed, EU leaders,including Orban, approved a separate initiative to boost European defense spending by up to €800 billion. The plan, known as ReArm Europe, was unveiled earlier this week by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said she will present legal proposals within the next two weeks.

Russia has repeatedly warned against Western military support for Ukraine, arguing that it only prolongs the conflict and increases the risk of escalation.

https://www.rt.com/news/613846-eu-fails-aid-ukraine/

7 Mar, 2025 01:05

US-Ukraine meeting to take place in Saudi Arabia – Trump envoy

The sides will discuss a “peace framework” aimed at ending the conflict with Russia

American and Ukrainian negotiators are planning a meeting in Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, told journalists on Thursday.

His statement comes after a public falling-out between Trump and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, who the US president accused of not wanting to make peace with Russia.

“We are now in discussions to coordinate a meeting with the Ukrainians in Riyadh or potentially in Jeddah,” Witkoff said. “The idea is to get a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well.”

In a post on X,Zelensky said he would meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmanon Monday,after which “my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to work with our American partners.”

According to Axios, the talks could take place on Wednesday and involve Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, as well as Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak.

During a heated exchange in the Oval Office last week, Trump accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War III,” and argued that he does not “have the cards” in the conflict with Russia. He described Zelensky’s attitude as “disrespectful”and has since ordered a pause in military aid and intelligence sharing.

Zelensky later said the argument was “regrettable” and proposed negotiating a limited truce and a prisoner exchange with Russia. “Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree [on] a strong final deal,” he wrote on X on Tuesday.

Trump has abandoned the previous administration’s strategy of “isolating” Russia in favor of opening direct talks with Moscow. Russian and American negotiators met for the first time in three years in Riyadh on February 18. Zelensky canceled his own trip to the kingdom that month, citing the desire to avoid “coincidences” with the talks that were taking place without his blessing.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that Moscow is analyzing the news regarding the upcoming US-Ukrainian meeting.Russia has called the resumption of bilateral contact with the US a positive step in normalizing relations.

Russia has blamed Kiev for the failure of peace talks in 2022 and accused it of making unrealistic demands, insisting that Ukraine must drop its aspirations to join NATO and become a neutral state, as well as recognizing Crimea and four other former Ukrainian regions as part of Russia.

https://www.rt.com/news/613843-us-ukraine-meeting-peace-saudi/

6 Mar, 2025 19:01

Тrump wants to sideline EU – PoliticoKEK

The bloc is scrambling to prove its relevance without US support, the publication has claimed

US President Donald Trump wants to sideline and destroy the European Union, an entity that he has long disliked, Politico has claimed in an article published on Thursday. The outlet argued thatTrump is taking advantage of the cracks within the bloc caused by the Ukraine conflict.

The administration in Washington has recently launched negotiations with Russia to broker peace in the Ukraine conflict and has excluded the EU from the process, which has elicited condemnation from Brussels. Trump has also halted American military aid to Ukraine, leaving the bloc jostling for funds to support Kiev.

Washington’s anti-EU push “is triggering a crisis in Brussels institutions. The EU as a bloc is scrambling to prove its relevance,” Politico wrote.

The Ukraine conflict has exposed differences among EU members in defense priorities, economic interests, and diplomatic approaches. While countries such as Poland and the Baltic states have advocated for stronger military backing of Kiev, others,particularly Hungary and Slovakia, have pushed back, calling for a negotiated settlement with Russia. The financial burden of military aid and energy security concerns have also fueled tensions. Right-wing movements in several EU nations have questioned the bloc’s commitment to Kiev.

“Trump will sideline the EU and play divide-and-rule with national leaders,” the publication wrote.

While European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with US Vice President J.D. Vance in Munich last month, neither she nor European Council President Antonio Costa has had a face-to-face meeting with Trump, it noted.

The European Council, the body made up of the heads of state or government of all EU member states, “is being agonizingly exposed as too divided and insufficiently nimble to respond to the scale of the storm that Trump is whipping up over Ukraine,” Politico added.

With Washington halting over $1 billion in arms shipments, Kiev faces potential shortages of ammunition and equipment. The EU is exploring alternatives to continue backing Ukraine militarily, despite the peace process initiated by the US and Russia. Von der Leyen on Tuesday unveiled a €800 billion plan aimed at bolstering the EU’s defense.

In recent weeks, Trump has also targeted the bloc’s trade practices, describing them as “an atrocity” and announcing plans to impose a 25% tariff on EU goods. He also claimed that the bloc was “formed to screw the United States.”

https://www.rt.com/news/613836-trump-wants-to-destroy-eu/

Brian Schimming On The Wisconsin SCOTUS Race: "This Race Has National Implications"

WI Anons interesting

11:59

https://rumble.com/embed/v6o11vs/?pub=4

7 Mar, 2025 10:54

Zelensky won’t apologize for spat with Trump – top aide’

The Ukrainian leader was “absolutely right” to push the US president to change his stance on the conflict, Mikhail Podoliak has said

Kiev will not apologize for the clash between Vladimir Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at the White House, Mikhail Podoliak, a top adviser to the Ukrainian leader, has said. He defended Zelensky’s conduct at last week’s meeting, claiming that the US should understand the necessity of piling maximum pressure on Russia.

During the explosive meeting in the Oval Office, Zelensky cast doubt on the possibility of diplomacy with Russia and told Trump and his vice president, J.D. Vance, that the US “will feel” the impact of the conflict.

Trump accused Zelensky of disrespect, ingratitude for past US aid, reluctance to seek peace with Russia, and “gambling with World War III.”

Following the spat, Zelensky again thanked the US for its military assistance, claiming that “Ukraine is ready to sit down at the negotiating table.” While stopping short of apologizing, the Ukrainian leader acknowledged that the sit-down with Trump “did not go as planned.” “It is unfortunate that this happened,” he added, urging the US to continue diplomatic engagement.

In an interview with the French magazine Le Point on Friday,Podoliak defended Zelensky, insisting that “he was absolutely right in form and substancewhen he tried to convey to our American partners the key idea:nothing will be done without coercion of Russia.”

“Without coercion of Russia, there can be no peace negotiations. Our president tirelessly explains to our partners what this war is and who provoked it…So we will not apologize for a supposed mistake that did not take place,” he said.

He also rejected the notion that Trump and Vance had “humiliated” Zelensky, portraying the war of words as a “very emotional discussion” which he said could help in hashing out differences between Kiev and Washington.

Following the Trump-Zelensky spat, the US froze military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, with American officials saying the pause would remain in place until Kiev showed commitment to holding peace talks.

Here We Go Again

“Pride Goeth Before the Fall!

https://www.rt.com/russia/613858-zelensky-wont-apologize-trump-spat/

7 Mar, 2025 11:40

EU ‘can’t afford’ to support Ukraine – Orban

Hungary has vetoed the bloc’s new €30 billion military aid package for Kiev

The EU does not have the financial capacity to continue aiding Ukraine, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned in an interview with Kossuth Radio on Thursday. He argued that the bloc’s budget will be stretched too thin if it moves forward with all its planned initiatives, including another support package for Kiev, financing its EU membership bid, and ramping up European defense spending.

Orban’s remarks came after he vetoed the EU’s proposed €30 billion ($32 billion) military aid package for Ukraine at an emergency European Council meeting earlier in the day. Despite support for the proposal from the other 26 EU leaders,Orban argued that it effectively greenlighted the continuation of the conflict.

In his interview, the prime minister outlined the mounting financial burdens the bloc faces if it does not change course.

• First, he said, the EU would be responsible for funding Ukraine’s military, as “the Ukrainians don’t have a penny for that.”

• Second, Brussels would have to bankroll the Ukrainian government, including salaries and pensions, because “Ukraine, as a state, is not functioning.”

•Third, the bloc would need to fund Ukraine’s EU membership bid, with no clear estimate of how much it could cost.

• Lastly, Orban pointed out that the EU has approved the ReArm Europe initiative, which calls for up to €800 billion in new defense spending.

“If I add all this up, there isn’t that much money in the bloc. So this won’t work like that… I think the bottom line is that we can’t afford this,”Orban stated, urging EU leaders to reconsider their stance on Ukraine.

The bloc’s Ukraine support package is expected to be revisited at the next EU leaders’ summit later this month. However, Orban suggested that even then,the proposal is unlikely to pass, as more nations are beginning to realize that there are no available funds.

Orban’s remarks come as EU leaders grow increasingly concerned over the impact of US President Donald Trump’s recent policy shift on Ukraine. According to media reports, the White House has frozen new military aid to Kiev, a move Trump had been warning about for weeks. He also urged European nations to take on greater responsibility for Ukraine’s war effort and their own defense, repeatedly stating that he wants the conflict to end as soon as possible so he can focus on domestic policy.

(So in effect the EU will bankrupt themselves for useless money to Ukraine, so Kiev can launder the money, and to get kudos by virtue signaling to the US!)

https://www.rt.com/news/613854-eu-ukraine-aid-hungary/

Jan. 6 defendants returning to Capitol sparks concern from lawmakers

'They want to frighten people,' Rep. Joseph D. Morelle says1/2

By Ryan Tarinelli and Justin Papp Posted March 6, 2025

(It’s time for the Big Reveal of J6, both Democrat and Republican collusion to stop Trump!)

Some members of Congress have expressed a mix of frustration, fear and outrage at the recent string of Capitol Hill appearances from figures associated with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, after a sweeping clemency order from President Donald Trump.

Stewart Rhodes, the founder of right-wing anti-government group the Oath Keepers who was convicted on charges related to the attack, was spotted in the Dunkin’ Donuts inside the Longworth House Office Building shortly after he was released from prison because of Trump’s actions.

Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys leader who also went to prison on charges related to the attack, spoke at a press conference last month on Capitol grounds and then was arrested by Capitol Police after an altercation with a counter protester.

And in a separate instance, a former Jan. 6 defendant posted on social media about attending a Senate confirmation hearing for FBI Director Kash Patel, including a photo of lawmakers inside a Senate committee room.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month, called Jan. 6 rioters who injured police officers “thugs” and criticized Trump’s pardoning of people who committed violence against police.

“I guarantee if they come on to this Capitol grounds, and I know they’re here and they’re spiking the football without an apology, I will track them down and make them feel like some of our members did on January the 6th. There is no place for it, no place whatsoever,” Tillis said.

Rep. Joseph D. Morelle, D-N.Y., the ranking member on the House Administration Committee, said the presence of Jan. 6 defendants on the Hill “says volumes about what they intend to do.”

“They want people to know who they are. They want to frighten people,” Morelle said.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California said the defendants want to make it personal. “They want to be here, they want the spotlight and the attention,” Aguilar said. “And Donald Trump has given them that.”

Their appearances, on the same campus where rioters violently stormed the Capitol in Trump’s name in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, underscore how some Jan. 6 figures have not shied away from the limelight since the clemency order from Trump.

Morelle said lawmakers and Capitol Police were monitoring Jan. 6 defendants returning to Capitol Hill. He and Aguilar also expressed concern about the presence of pardoned individuals back in home districts, where some had previously committed violent crimes.

https://rollcall.com/2025/03/06/jan-6-defendants-returning-to-capitol-sparks-concern-from-lawmakers/

>>22719132

2/2

Rep. Norma J. Torres, D-Calif., who was part of the “Gallery Group” of members trapped in the House balcony during the Capitol riot, suggested a stronger response.

“I think that we should be very aggressive and assertive at seeking injunctions against them,” Torres said.

A spokesperson for the Capitol Police declined to comment when asked if any restraining orders or injunctions had been requested against Jan. 6 defendants. The department also noted it had the ability to issue barring notices to keep individuals away from Congress.

“The Department issues barring notices based upon specific behavior that would give us an immediate concern for safety and security,” the spokesperson said. “We work hard to protect people’s First Amendment rights, so barring notices are only issued with strong justification and are typically valid for one year.”

Former House General Counsel Thomas Hungar said Capitol Police have broad authority to protect people and property at the Capitol and on Capitol grounds, under the direction of the Capitol Police Board and leadership in both chambers.

That includes the ability to prevent access for members of the public, Hungar wrote in an email response to questions. But he said a blank policy excluding a group of individuals with a “shared political viewpoint would raise serious concerns under the First Amendment.”

“A neutral policy of general applicability, for example, a rule barring from the Capitol anyone who previously committed an act of violence against a law enforcement official, could be upheld as justified by security concerns,” Hungar wrote.

Hungar also said full pardon recipients could argue “that it would be improper to deny them access based solely on that now-pardoned conviction.”

Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, teed off on the recent presence of the notorious Jan. 6 figures, saying they are not stopping in their assault on the Capitol.

“This has got to come to an end,” Durbin said at a committee hearing last week. “Democrats and Republicans have to stand up for the men and women who are risking their lives to keep us safe every day and to say to these people who were pardoned by President Trump:Please take your press conferences someplace else. We don’t want them here in this Capitol.” (Too bad Durbin DC is for the people not just you old corrupt toads)

“It’s essential that we move in that direction and do it quickly,” Durbin said, adding that lawmakers should “speak out against this insulting, harassing conduct.”

https://rollcall.com/2025/03/06/jan-6-defendants-returning-to-capitol-sparks-concern-from-lawmakers/

See new posts

Conversation

The Maine Wire

@TheMaineWire

America last:

A Maine State Rep says her priority is to develop Somalia…

https://x.com/TheMaineWire/status/1897316214604751014

>>22719182

If she’s just “abroad”, how was she elected?

>>22719186

Absolutely, seconded

Citizen Free Press

@CitizenFreePres

Is Bongino now investigating Obama for Crossfire Hurricane. Is there a statue of limitations for treason. Good times at the new FBI.

(Bongino in that pic, he was in SS under Obama with two other presidents)

https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1897834312570982674

In one of his podcasts he said, the corruption and disgusting things they do, is unreal! He couldn’t say what they did due to his service.

MAGA world turns against Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney BarrettNBC of course

The Trump-appointed justice has shifted the court to the right, but she has angered some in MAGA world by voting against some of President Donald Trump's priorities.1/2

WASHINGTON — MAGA activists have turned against one of President Donald Trump's own appointees to the Supreme Court: Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Appointed by Trump in 2020, Barrett is a staunch conservative who has joined major rulings in which the court has moved U.S. law to the right, including on abortion and affirmative action.

But that's not enough for some of Trump's most aggressive supporters, who think the former Notre Dame Law School professor has been a disappointment. MAGA supporters see what some call an independent streak as a sign she isn't sufficiently aligned with or loyal to Trump.

"She is a rattled law professor with her head up her a–," said Mike Davis, who once clerked at the Supreme Court for Justice Neil Gorsuch and described Barrett as "weak and timid."

Barrett defenders have dismissed the attacks, scoffing at the idea that the justice’s conservatism is defined by how her decisions align with Trump and insisting Barrett won’t be affected by outside criticism.Barrett, reached via the Supreme Court, did not respond to a request for comment.

The anger from Davis and other right-wing personalities with large online followings stems mostly from a couple of recent high-profile, 5-4 decisions in which Barrett has been the deciding vote against Trump's side.

Swift and vicious reviews poured in from right-wing, Trump-allied figures this week when Barrett and other justices rejected a Trump administration attempt to avoid paying U.S. Agency for International Development contractors as ordered to by a federal judge.

"DEI judge," influencer Jack Posobiec posted on X, suggesting that Barrett was a "diversity, equity and inclusion" hire, presumably because she is a woman.

Trump at the time promised to pick a woman to replace liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"Amy Coney Barrett was a DEI appointee," another far-right influencer, Laura Loomer, wrote.

Her X post featured a photo of Barrett's family. Barrett and her husband have seven children, including two they adopted from Haiti, who are Black.

Even Barrett's brief interaction with Trump earlier this week, when he delivered an address to Congress, has been scrutinized by the online MAGA set.

"Look at how Justice Amy Coney Barrett looks at our duly elected President, the man who put her on the Supreme Court. She looks very bitter," Rogan O'Handley, an influential MAGA figure on X known by his handle DC_Draino, wrote in a post containing a video of the encounter.

One law professor, Josh Blackman at South Texas College of Law Houston, suggested that Barrett should step down from her lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court so that Trump can pick a replacement.

The White House did not respond to a message seeking comment.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/maga-world-turns-supreme-court-justice-amy-coney-barrett-rcna194283

It’s seem the legacy media only gets their news by listening to MAGA podcasts. Kek

>>22719265

2/2

Barrett defenders have fought back, with Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor who studied under Barrett, saying in an interview he doubted she would be affected by the negative reactions.

"She has the resolve to be on the court just like the other justices do," he said. The justices know that "unpopularity is not a measure of what a judge is doing," he added.

The conservative National Review also weighed in, posting a column Thursday titled “In Defense of Justice Amy Coney Barrett,” deriding the criticism as “nonsense.”

Barrett's USAID vote followed a decision in January when the court, once again split 5-4, rejected Trump's request to block a sentencing hearing in his criminal hush money case in New York.The decision prompted angry reactions from pro-Trump voices including Davis.

In both cases, Barrett joined fellow conservative Chief Justice John Roberts in the majority, aligned with the three liberal justices.

Even before those cases, Barrett has increasingly shown a willingness to separate herself from the right flank of the court with a considered and cautious approach.

What the online critics fail to address is that Barrett has consistently cast key votes in favor of conservative causes, including when the court overturned abortion rights landmark Roe v. Wade, ended affirmative action, expanded gun rights and undermined the power of federal agencies.

"It seems to me there is this impulse where personal loyalty to Donald Trump in an unquestioned way is seen as a requirement for a sitting justice on the Supreme Court. It doesn’t matter how conservative that person might be," said Anthony Kreis, a professor at Georgia State University College of Law.

The harsh criticism of Barrett comes amid a stream of similar and sometimes more violent rhetoricaimed at judges who have stymied Trump's agenda.

Roberts recently warned that threats of violence and intimidation against judges have been increasing in recent years.

Barrett has spoken previously about how her appointment to the Supreme Court — and the security concerns that go with it — has affected her and her family.

Like all justices, she has protection not just at the court but also at her home in Virginia.

At a judicial conference last year, she recalled one of her sons asking her why she owned a bulletproof vest.

Security of the justices was in the spotlight three years ago following the leak of an early draft of the abortion ruling. Then, it was activists on the left who were angered by the decision.

An armed man was arrested outside the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and charged with attempted murder. Protesters also gathered outside several justices' homes, including Barrett's.

"After the attempted assassination of Justice Kavanaugh, we need to be vigilant about potential threats," Blackman said in an email.

But he stood by his criticism of Barrett, saying that some conservatives feel like they were misled about what kind of justice she would be.

"I think conservatives feel like there was a bait and switch," he added.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/maga-world-turns-supreme-court-justice-amy-coney-barrett-rcna194283

>>22719284

Agreed

Charlie Kirk

@charliekirk11

Democrats, led by Rep. Al Green, disgraced themselves last night.

https://x.com/charliekirk11/status/1897326569720619244

Kennedy on DOGE: When you trim fat, pigs squeal

10:01

https://youtu.be/uUtSxJRfBOA

'It's disgusting': Dems UNLEASH on Newsom after stunning admissionKEK

California Gov. Gavin Newsom admitted there is a fairness issue stemming from the trans-athlete debate. The 'Fox & Friends' co-hosts weigh in and discuss how Democrats have responded to his comments

6:42

https://youtu.be/NT5qeMNl4K0

Democrats confronted after Trump speech: 'Why didn't you stand?'

'Jesse Watters Primetime' catches up with Democrats to ask about President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress.

3:29

https://youtu.be/sNphJuRp5m0

NEW: Army soldiers arrested for allegedly trying to sell military secrets to China

Former White House chief information officer Theresa Payton discusses President Donald Trump's evolving dynamic with his Cabinet members and her reaction to Army soldiers reportedly trying to sell sensitive military information to China.

4:58

https://youtu.be/UtLyZK770Do

'Hamilton' creator is 'intolerant' to the GOP, Kennedy Center director argues

Kennedy Center director Ric Grenell weighs in on 'Hamilton' cancelling shows at the theater on 'Hannity.'

5:12

https://youtu.be/IvwUvzEcaaU

Greg Gutfeld: Democrats ‘doubled-down on embarrassing’

Fox News host Greg Gutfeld and the ‘Gutfeld!’ panel evaluate the state of the Democratic Party. (They really are ridiculous)

12:28

https://youtu.be/s_YO6Xpj3TU