17 Mar, 2025 22:18

US could recognize Crimea as Russian – Semafor

The region voted to leave Ukraine following the 2014 Western-baked coup in Kiev

The US is considering recognizing Crimea as part of Russia and may urge the UN to do the same, American news website Semafor reported on Monday, citing two people familiar with the matter.

According to Semafor, President Donald Trump has not made any decisions. The discussions about the status of Crimea are in line with a “multitude of options being floated as his administration pushes for an end of the war,” the publication said.National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told Semafor that the White House “made no such commitments, and we will not negotiate [a peace] deal through the media.”

“The goal remains the same: stop the killing and find a peaceful resolution to this conflict,” Hughes said.

Crimea, which is mostly populated by ethnic Russians, voted to leave Ukraine and join Russia in 2014, following the US-backed coup in Kiev that ousted democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovich. The UN continues to view the region as Ukrainian territory.

Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire during their phone call on Tuesday. Putin stressed last week that any settlement must address “the original causes of the crisis.” He expressed concerns that Ukraine could use the pause in the fighting to replenish its military after a series of losses on the battlefield.

Moscow insists that, for a lasting peace, Ukraine must drop its aspirations to join NATO and become a permanently neutral state. Russia has also said that Ukraine must renounce its claims on Crimea and four other regions that voted to join Russia in 2022.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has backed the temporary ceasefire but ruled out any territorial concessions to Russia. Trump has accused Zelensky of not wanting to achieve peace and argued that he did not “have the cards” to dictate terms.

https://www.rt.com/news/614369-trump-discussing-recognizing-crimea/

All those territories voted to be part of Russia, there’s no way they can be taken from them. That would cause a civil war in Ukraine, against the government. And the UN should recognize them.

17 Mar, 2025 20:44

Russian army ‘has gotten infinitely smarter’ – Blackwater founder

Erik Prince has disputed the effectiveness of the American weapons used by Ukraine in the conflict

The Russian military has become “infinitely smarter” in countering the US-supplied weapons being used by Ukraine, according to Erik Prince, the founder and former CEO of the private military company Blackwater.

Speaking at Hillsdale College on Saturday,Prince also expressed skepticism over claims that the Russian army has been significantly weakened in the conflict.

“The thing that the Russians are very good at is electronic warfare,” Prince stated, emphasizing that advanced American weaponry, such as Javelin missiles, HIMARS, and Copperhead guided artillery shells,often become ineffective within weeks. “It works for a week or two, and the Russians figure how to jam the navigation or the command link, and the stuff goes blind.”

“First of all, don’t listen to the idiot politicians that say, yeah, we’ve degraded the Russian army. No, we have chewed up a lot of material. The Russian army has gotten infinitely smarter.”

He pointed to the rapid improvements in Russian counter-artillery capabilities, contrasting the response time between early 2022 and now.“If you shot at a Russian, with artillery in March orApril of 2022, it wouldtake them an hour and a half to shoot back accurately.

Now, about two minutes, which means if you shoot at them, you better be in your vehicle and hauling ass because they’re going to get you otherwise.”

The Russian Defense Ministry provides regular updates on the destruction of Western-donated equipment such as HIMARS and ATACMS missile launchers in Ukraine.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the US has been Kiev’s largest weapons supplier. After US President Donald Trump took office in January, he has made peace in Ukraine one of his top priorities and criticized the administration of former President Joe Biden for spending billions of American taxpayer dollars supporting Kiev.

Trump briefly suspended military aid and intelligence sharing following a public dispute with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky at the White House in February. However, the assistance was restored after Kiev agreed to support a 30-day ceasefire with Moscow.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that Western military aid merely extends the hostilities but will not alter the conflict’s outcome and risks a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.

https://www.rt.com/news/614366-us-weapons-ukraine-russia/

(I’d back the Russians to win, the reason is Ukraine has killed ethnic Russians for years, now they are killing their soldiers for a useless, winless war for them, plus they are all crooks, and I hope the law catches up with them before they disappear, which is doubtful since the corruption is off the charts in every level of the government.)

17 Mar, 2025 19:12

Putin unlocks trading in Russian assets

A presidential decree has granted an American hedge fund permission to trade in the securities of Russian firms

Moscow has given an American hedge fund permission to buy securities in Russian companies from certain foreign stakeholders, thus easing restrictions imposed in response to the Ukraine-related sanctions. The move comes amid signs of a potential thaw between Russia and the US.

President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Mondayauthorizing New York-based hedge fund 683 Capital Partners to acquire the securities of Russian companies owned by about a dozen Western financial entities. Among them are Jane Street, Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co., Templeton Asset Management, Franklin Advisers, Highmark Limited, and Carrhae Capital.

The decree then authorizes 683 Capital Partners to sell the securities to two Russian companies, Cepheus-2 and Modern Real Estate Funds, without having to apply for additional permissions.

The document is aimed at easing the restrictions imposed in September 2022, which prohibited companies from “unfriendly” countries from engaging in transactions with Russian securities in the energy and finance sectors. Any such deals required a presidential approval. The step, aimed at protecting Russia’s national interests, came in response to Western sanctions.

683 Capital Partners LP invests and trades across numerous asset classes. As of December 31, 2024, its portfolio was valued at approximately $1.61 billion.

President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January has brought about something of a thaw in relations with Russia. Washington and Moscow have launched negotiations aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict, while Trump also indicated that sanctions against Russia could be lifted if peace is achieved.

The Kremlin has confirmed that Putin and Trump are scheduled to have a phone conversation on Tuesday. The call is expected to focus on the prospects of a peace agreement in the Ukraine conflict.

It would be the second call between the two leaders in just over a month. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow last week to discuss a proposed 30-day ceasefire with Putin. The US and Russian delegations also held high-profile talks in Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in February.

https://www.rt.com/news/614363-putin-decree-trade-russian-securities/

(I love this, Ukraine is going to lose their minds, and they should.)

17 Mar, 2025 20:56

EU’s Kallas has alienated major member states – FAZ

The Estonian hardliner has burned many key bridges across the bloc, an analysis by the major German newspaper claims

EU foreign policy chief KajaKallas is facing mounting resistance in key Western European capitals over her ambitious military aid plan for Ukraine, according to an analysis published on Monday in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) newspaper.France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal are now joining Hungary in opposing significant new contributions, according to the outlet.

Kallas, who took office in December, has struggled to win over skeptical governments. Her proposal to raise EU military support for Ukraine to €40 billion this year – aimed at offsetting dwindling US aid –has met stiff resistance, the newspaper’s political correspondent Thomas Gutschker wrote. Many member states have refused to commit beyond the €15 billion already pledged, with Berlin’s planned €3 billion contribution still awaiting approval. So far, Denmark alone has given more than France, Italy, and Spain combined.

According to the FAZ, Kallas’ efforts to push through the funding have been hampered by political missteps. The papercited unnamed diplomats as arguing she failed to properly consult key EU nations before reviving the proposal, which was originally introduced by her predecessor, Josep Borrell.

Her decision to remove high-ranking officialsfrom Italy and Spain from the European External Action Service has also sparked backlash, with some EU governments reportedly “furious,” the FAZ reported.

Beyond military aid, Kallas has also weakened her standing in Washington. The article noted thather criticism of President Donald Trump’s Ukraine strategy– dismissing it as a “dirty deal” – led to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceling a scheduled meeting with her during her February visit.No senior US officials met with her during the trip, highlighting her diplomatic isolation. Meanwhile, EU leaders are pushing to be involved in US-Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations, fearing they are being sidelined.

Internally, Kallas’ handling of Ukraine policy has drawn sharp criticism from Berlin, the newspaper added.German officials were angeredwhen on her first day in officeshe declared, “The European Union wants Ukraine to win this war.” While Eastern European nations share this view, Berlin has stuck to its more cautious official line of supporting

Kiev “as long as necessary” without committing to victory as a stated goal.

Additionally,her move to explore confiscating frozen Russian assets in the EU has faltered. Although backed by the Baltic states, the proposal has encountered fierce resistance from Eurozone heavyweights, while the European Central Bank has warned of major financial risks if it is implemented. Faced with legal obstacles, Kallas has now reportedly quietly shelved the initiative.

As EU leaders prepare to discuss her plan again later this week, the FAZ suggested her political survival hinges on securing greater backing from French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.However, expectations are low and insiders are cautioning that significant new commitments are unlikely.

The FAZ concluded that Kallas’ position remains precarious, as she struggles to balance EU unity with her own hardline stance on Russia.

https://www.rt.com/news/614368-eu-kallas-alienated-states/

(I swear any women in the EU or Europe that get in a position of power, they are angry, bitchy and critical, and more of the War Hawks then the men. They are always trying to prove themselves as equal, or higher.)