11 Apr, 2025 19:20

White House explains purpose of envoy’s Russia visit

Russian President VladimirPutin’s meeting with Steve Witkoff lasted four hours

Steve Witkoff’s visit to Russia is aimed at facilitating direct US communications with the Kremlin as part of a broader effort to negotiate a ceasefire and eventual peace agreement in the Ukraine conflict, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Friday.

Witkoff, a confidant of US President Donald Trump, has been tapped as his special envoy in the effort to mend ties with Russia. Today’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg isWitkoff’s third since February, when he successfully negotiated a prisoner exchange which Washington and Moscow described as a trust-building gesture. He was also part of a high-level US delegation that met Russian officials in Saudi Arabia last month for discussions on the Ukraine conflict.

”I can confirm that Mr. Witkoff is in Russia to have direct communications with the Kremlin and with Vladimir Putin,” Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing.

”This is another step in the negotiating process towards a ceasefire and an ultimate peace deal in Russia and Ukraine,” she said, declining to provide further details. “As these negotiations are ongoing, I obviously will not get ahead of the president or his team.But I think the president has been quite clear that he’s been continually frustrated with both sides of this conflict, and he wants to see this fighting end.”

Speaking with journalists before Friday’s meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the duration of the talks would be flexible and could take “an hour, or two, three or four; as long as President Putin requires.”

Last week, Witkoff met with Russian presidential aide Kirill Dmitriev in Washington. The head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund advises Putin on international economic cooperation and was spotted in the morning walking out of a hotel in St. Petersburg alongside Trump’s envoy.

Peskov warned against expecting significant progress from the meeting but mentionedtopics that could be discussed, such as the normalization of bilateral relations, a potential in-person meeting between the two presidents, and the conflict in Ukraine.

https://www.rt.com/news/615635-white-house-explains-witkoff-visit/

(I love this, because it’s guaranteed to piss the criminal Ukrainians off, Zelensky and the crazy warmongers. They are saying where’s my attention, and then they’ll say, "Witkoff is Putin, Russian Stooge or believe Russa Propaganda" and how, “we know because the CIA running our country said so”.Zelensky and there responses will be, Zelensky will throw out hideous and serious insults, today or tomorrow; like he did to Putin’s Envoy that went to Washington, DC twice for consultation with the WH representatives. Just remember,Kiev had only 1 (one) meeting in Istanbul (or SA) with US reps, but no one more meeting afterwards. Russia has had at least 6-8 (or more meetings with US negotiations and reps, three with President Putin, quite a few with Lavrov, three with the trade rep and now two more Ambassadors.I think Trump has given up on Ukraine, Zelensky et al, because they have no intent to stop the war; or he’s wearing them down to come begging to the discussion. Trump says, Russia has to solve this, not because Russia is to blame, though; it’s because Kiev is a time waster.PS: I would not be surprised if President Trump attends the May 9th, 2025(he was invited by Putin on the first phone call. Some World leaders are coming, but many in Europe won't come until because they are still trying to dehumanize Putin and Russia. And it would be the perfect time for Trump to show respect to the Russians for the sacrifice they gave. Close to or about 26 million Russians died to save the world from the Nazis. And it would be more fitting, because Ukraine is now a Nazi run country.

May 9th: How the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender became the chief national holiday in modern Russia

The day isn’t just a celebration of military triumph – it is a celebration of victory over death

https://www.rt.com/russia/597224-wwii-victory-day-russia/

11 Apr, 2025 11:57

Zelensky mustn’t govern Russians he despises – Lavrov

The foreign minister stressed that nobody “would even hypothetically consider handing over those people” to the Ukrainian leader

VladimirZelensky’s openly declared hatred for Russiansmeans he must not and will not govern people living in former parts of Ukraine that Kiev seeks to retake, Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated.

In a late March interview with the French daily Le Figaro, Zelensky expressed his disdain for “Russians who killed so many Ukrainian citizens,”asserting that this “hatred” fuels his leadership.

Lavrov referenced the comments during a press conference at the Foreign Ministry on Friday, underscoring why Moscow has deemed Kiev’s territorial claims unacceptable.

“Who would even hypothetically consider handing over those people to such an individual? Nobody. No way,”he emphasized.

Since the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014,five Ukrainian regions plus the city of Sevastopolhave voted to break away and join Russia. The Ukrainian government has dismissed these referendums as a “sham.”

Lavrov also reminded journalists of Zelensky’s previous derogatory remarks, including statements made prior to the conflict’s escalation in 2022. In 2021, Zelensky urged Donbass residents who identified as Russian to relocate to Russia. That same year, he referred to politicians targeted by his governmentwith personal sanctionsas another “species.”

The minister accused the Ukrainian government of “legislatively eradicating everything related to Russia and the Russian world: the Russian language, Russian-speaking media, the Orthodox Christianity represented by the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and much more.”

Such discriminatory policies, he argued,justify labeling the Zelensky administration “neo-Nazi”and contribute to ongoing hostilities. Lavrov asserted that US President Donald Trump recognizes Russia’s red lines and considers “the return to the 1991 borders, as Zelensky keeps demanding” impossible.

The Trump administration seeks to mediate a peace deal between Moscow and Kiev, while the UK and France are leading discussions on a proposed “reassurance force” to be deployed in Ukraine if a truce is achieved. Moscow has firmly rejected the idea of NATO troops being stationed in Ukraine.

https://www.rt.com/russia/615603-larvrov-zelensky-hates-russians/

27 Mar, 2025 12:21

Zelensky speaks of ‘hatred of Russians’

The Ukrainian leader, whose presidential term expired last year, has claimed that resentment fuels his resolve to stay in power

Ukraine’s VladimirZelensky has admitted that his "hatred" of Russians is one of the driving forces propelling him to “keep going” in the conflict against Moscow.

In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro published on Wednesday, Zelensky identified the emotion as one of his three key psychological drivers since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022.

Zelensky said he hated “Russians who killed so many Ukrainian citizens,” adding that he considered such an attitude appropriate in wartime. His other motivations included a sense of national dignity and the desire for his descendants to live “in the free world.” Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of being a historic oppressor while Zelensky has previously touted Ukrainians’ “love of freedom” as a trait that distinguishes them from Russians.

Zelensky, whose presidential term expired last year, was elected in 2019 on a platform of defusing tensions with Moscow and reconciling ethnic Russian Ukrainians in Donbass, many of whom opposed the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev. However, his initial diplomatic efforts were thwarted by radical Ukrainian nationalists in the body politic.

Since the coup, Kiev has enacted various policies undermining the rights of ethnic minorities, with Russians as the primary target. Moscow has accused Zelensky of intensifying the crackdown, particularly by attacking the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the country’s largest religious denomination, which now faces potential prohibition for having historic links with Russia. In a recent interview, Russian Foreign Minister SergeyLavrov asserted that Zelensky caters to “the segment of the population that holds radical, ultra-right, revanchist, Banderite views,” as his image as a national leader increasingly deteriorates.

“Zelensky does not want to display weakness, as he realizes that his days are numbered,” the Russian official claimed.

https://www.rt.com/russia/614852-zelensky-hatred-russians-office/

11 Apr, 2025 10:35

Kiev broke energy ceasefire five times in 24 hours – Moscow

The US-mediated moratorium was intended to safeguard crucial infrastructure on both Ukrainian and Russian-controlled territory

Ukrainian forces have launched five separate attacks against Russian energy infrastructure in 24 hours, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported on Friday. The strikes are the latest breach by Kiev of a US-mediated ceasefire on such attacks, the ministry said.

The listed incidents includedshelling against elements of the Russian power grid and a drone strike against a transformer station, all causing disruptions in electricity supply, according to the ministry.

A partial ceasefire was announced by Russia on March 18, after President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with his US counterpart, Donald Trump. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has publicly supported the idea, but also complained that Russia wouldn’t agree to a full ceasefire. Putin cited difficulties with monitoring violations along the lengthy front line and the potential for Kiev to use the pause for military build-up, explaining his concerns about a full truce. Russia continues to honor the ceasefire on energy strikes despite Ukrainian breaches, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.

The Russian military has reportedUkrainian attacks breaching the moratorium on a daily basis, some of them involving long-range kamikaze drones targeting major energy facilities on Russian soil. The Defense Ministry has described the incidents as demonstrating Kiev’s duplicity.

The Kremlin has said that while Moscow reserves the right to pull out of the 30-day agreement early, it opts to honor the deal to build goodwill with Washington.

The latest military update comes amid speculation that Trump’s special diplomatic envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is currently visiting Russia, may meet Putinin St. Petersburg later in the day. Witkoff has met with the Russian leader twice already this year, and is closely involved in the attempt to normalize bilateral relations between the two nations.

https://www.rt.com/russia/615601-energy-ceasefire-ukraine-attacks/

Ukraine did this the day, day before and day of the US Team meeting with the Russian team in Saudi Arabia the first time.There was so much good news that came out after, they continues to bomb, drone and attack Russia in every way possible. And then blamed Russia for doing it to themselves.

11 Apr, 2025 20:51

US ambassador to Ukraine stepping down

A State Department spokesperson has confirmed previous media reports that Bridget Brink is leaving after three years in post

The US State Department has confirmed that Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink will be leaving her post in the near future.Media reports began circulating several days agothat the diplomat would resign soon.

When asked to comment during a press briefing on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that “Ambassador Brink’s been ambassador at the embassy in Ukraine for three years, during a time of war for those three years, an extraordinary performance there, and we wish her well.” (Very straight forward, non complimentary)

When further pressed by a reporter to provide an unequivocal confirmation,Bruce replied that the envoy was “returning home. Yes.”

Reuters, citing anonymous sources, has reported thatBrink is leaving of her own accord. Appointed by former President Joe Biden, she has served as ambassador in Kiev since May 2022.

While there has been no official information as to her potential replacement, the outlet quoted another unnamed source as saying that Chris Smith, the deputy assistant secretary for Eastern Europe and policy and regional affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, is among the candidates under consideration. Smith served as deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in the Ukrainian capital between 2022 and 2023, Reuters noted.

Brink’s resignation comes at a time when US President Donald Trump is engaged in active diplomacy with Russia in an effort to put an end to the Ukraine conflict.

https://www.rt.com/news/615637-us-ambassador-ukraine-stepping-down/

Was She Loomered?KEK! I’m surprised the DOS left her there.

>>22899475

I bet she asked Trump to discuss her matters on the phone and his staff said, no, you'll need to come to the WH, he's too busy. Then he dragged him into the Oval office intentionally.

They are saying "Michell Obama" is the most popular woman in the country. They are still lying about the dogs kicked out of the house.

>>22899360

"Insider Trading" taking the place of Russia, Russia, Russia. I don't think Schitt realizes he's being thoroughly investigated and will lose his Security Clearances, and more.

>>22899239

notablebecause Trump has talked about it at the rallies.

>>22899230

Arnault is a very good friend of Trump. And Macron tried to force French Companies to stop working in or with the US. They said,fuck off shorty

>>22899207

Good job anon, for finding all the proof. Tariffs work and they want the access to America

>>22898998

I hope so. Put Schitt on the list.

>>22898907

I guess Matthews also think money grows on trees. Has he ever had a vacation in the Western States. He must have dementia now from screaming so loud all his life.

>>22898899

Finally coming out, it should have been addressed a while ago.

Here’s how much a ‘Made in the USA’ iPhone would cost

Published Fri, Apr 11 20258:00 AM ED

Key Points

• Defending its “reciprocal tariffs,” the White House this week said that President Donald Trump believes the U.S. has the workforce and the resources to build iPhones in the U.S.

• Analysts who follow the company say the idea of an American-made iPhone is impossible at worst and highly expensive at best.

• One analyst estimates that on labor wages alone, a U.S.-made iPhone could cost 25% more than they do now. Another analyst pegged the price of a stars-and-stripes iPhone at $3,500.

When President BarackObama asked the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs about making an iPhonein the U.S., Jobs didn’t mince words.

“Those jobs aren’t coming back,” Jobs said at a dinner with Obama in 2011.

The president of the U.S. and the CEO of Apple have changed, but the ambition of a “Made in the USA” iPhone remains.

Defending its “reciprocal tariffs,” the White House this week said President Donald Trump believes the U.S. has the workforce and the resources to build iPhones in the U.S.Apple CEO Tim Cook nor anybody else at the tech company have come out to back that claim, but analysts who follow Apple say the idea of anAmerican-made iPhone is impossible at worst and highly expensive at best.

As it’s largely a theoretical exercise, there’s a broad range of guesses as to how much an all-American iPhone might cost. Bank of America Securities analyst Wamsi Mohan said in a Thursday note that the iPhone 16 Pro, which is currently priced at $1,199, could increase 25% based on labor costs alone. That would make it a roughly $1,500 device. (That’s what it costs now with all t he shit you have to buy)

Wedbush’s Dan Ives pegged $3,500 as the U.S. iPhone’s priceshortly after last week’s tariff announcement, estimating thatApple would need to spend $30 billion over three years to move 10% of its supply chain to the U.S.(see note and worth of Apple below,APPLE is worth 4 Trillion, $30 billion is a drop in the bucket)

At the moment, Apple makes more than 80% of its products in China.Those products now receive a 145% tax when they’re imported into the U.S. after Trump’s tariffs went into effect this week.

Experts say that a “Made in the USA” iPhone would face serious challenges, ranging from finding and paying a U.S. workforce to tariff costs that Apple would incur importing parts to the U.S. for final assembly.

There’s broad agreement among analysts and industry watchers that it’s not likely to happen. Wall Street has doubted for years that Apple would do an American iPhone. “I don’t think that’s a thing,” Needham’s Laura Martin quipped on CNBC this week. (The stock market that makes billions on Apple

Stock, poo, poo them building in America, is it possible Apple can pay 145% in tariffs? If not then the cost for producing them in the US would maybe stay the same. The problem is Apple pays the slave Chinese .50 cents or a $1.00 an hour)

“It’s just not a reality that on the time frame of imposing tariffs that this is going to shift manufacturing here. It’s pie in the sky,” said Jeff Fieldhack, research director at Counterpoint Research. (Everyone says that about Trump’s ideas, and they seem to be wrong all the time.)

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/11/heres-how-much-a-made-in-the-usa-iphone-would-cost.html

Apple's Trillion Dollar Value

As of April 11, 2025, Apple's market capitalization has reached nearly $4 trillion.137 This milestone represents unprecedented levels of perceived worth for the company, which has grown from its humble beginnings in the mid-1970s to become one of the largest and most influential companies in the world.

Apple Is Almost a $4 Trillion Company—Now What?(look at the date)

By The Investopedia Team Updated December 13, 2024

https://www.investopedia.com/investing/apple-1-trillion-company-now-what/

Apple has been adding a $1 Trillion every year since 2022-23, they can afford to move it to the US. They don't because of the human trafficking.