20 May, 2025 10:34

KEK Karmic Rebound

EU quietly complains Ukraine is ‘all on us now’ – FT

Trump has reportedly declined to support Brussels’ pressure tactics against Russia following a conversation with Putin

European leadersbacking Ukrainewere reportedly “stunned” by US President Donald Trump’s refusal to support their effortsto pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin, following a phone call between the two leaders.

”He [Trump] is stepping away,” a senior European diplomat said, as cited by the Financial Times on Tuesday, describing the impression the US president produced. “Supporting and financing Ukraine, putting pressure on Russia: that’s all on us now.”

The conversation between Putin and Trump on Monday was their third public engagement since Trump took office in January, with both describing it as positive. Trump reiterated his call for continued direct talks between Moscow and Kiev, and saidthe conflict is “a European situation” in which the US should never have been involved.

Trump personally briefed the leaders of Ukraine, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the European Commission on the call, andmade it clear he is “not ready to put greater pressure” on Russia, an unnamed source told the FT.

EU officials and European NATO members had been counting on Washington’s support to extract concessions from Moscow by leveraging threats of new sanctions and continued weapons support for Ukraine.They interpreted the perceived shift in the US posture as a diplomatic win for the Kremlin, the British newspaper said.

Before direct talks between Moscow and Kiev resumed in Istanbul last week, Ukraine and its backers demanded a 30-day unconditional ceasefire from Russia as a prerequisite. Kiev agreed to take part after the US endorsed the talks, while European leaders postponed their own deadline for a truce.

Moscow has since called for a memorandum to be drafted that would set out a road map to a peace treaty, possibly including a ceasefire. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that finalizing the document would take time.

Trump said following his discussion with Putin that in addition to ending the violence, a resolution of the conflict could lead to major economic benefits for the US, Russia, and Ukraine. He added that progress in the talks could be seen in a couple of weeks,but warned that a lack of results could lead Washington to reconsider its role as mediator.

(They were always going to rely on the US to settle this, even though they started it. They were so happy to dump billions into the shithole, for the US to double the money they gave. Pathetic warmongers didn’t get what they wanted, to destroy Russia and make the Mafia leader Zelensky their patron saint.)

https://www.rt.com/news/617899-europeans-shock-trump-ft/

20 May, 2025 10:16

EU state votes to quit ICC

The Hungarian parliament has approved a bill that enacts the withdrawal process

Hungary's parliament has approved a bill initiating the country’s formal withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The move advances Prime Minister ViktorOrban’s push to exit what his government has labeled a biased and discredited institution.

The National Assembly passed the legislation on Tuesday with 134 votes in favor, 37 against, and seven abstentions. The vote follows a decision in late April in which lawmakers agreed in principle to leave the ICC.

”Hungary firmly rejects the use of international organizations – in particular criminal courts – as political instruments,” read the bill published on parliament's website.

Hungary joined the ICC by signing the Rome Statute in 1999 and ratifying it in 2001. However, according to Orban, the country “has always been half-hearted” in its membership.

Orban announced the plan to quit The Hague-based institution last month during a state visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The ICC previously issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alongside three Hamas leaders in November, over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Orban accused the ICC of losing its impartiality and becoming a “political tribunal,” assuring Netanyahu that the court’s actions “will have no effect in Hungary.” The Israeli prime minister praised Hungary’s “bold and principled” stance against the “corrupt” court.

The ICC’s jurisdiction is currently recognized by 123 countries. Amongthe non-signatories are the US, Russia, China, and Israel. The court does not have its own police force and relies on member-states to detain and transfer suspects.

In February, the administration of US President Donald Trump sanctioned the ICC and its top prosecutor, Karim Khan, for going after Netanyahu and Gallant.

Earlier this month,Khan took a leave of absence amid a UN investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

In 2023, the court also issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of unlawfully deporting children from former Ukrainian territories. Moscow rejected the charges as “null and void,” insisting the children were evacuated from conflict zones for their safety and could be returned to their families upon request.

According to the terms of the Rome Statute, Budapest must notify the UN secretary-general of its intent to withdraw, and the decision would then take effect one year later.

https://www.rt.com/news/617905-hungary-votes-quit-icc/

Guess what Jack Smith worked on that court and he used it to go after enemies. It was said Smith went back there after his failure to prosecute Trump.

Citizen Free Press

@CitizenFreePres

Scott Adams — I have the exact same cancer as Joe Biden, and it has spread to my bones. I expect to die this summer.

From

The Gas Stove 🔥

10:50 AM · May 19, 2025

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https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1924477866915315722

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https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration_second_term/trump_approval_index_history_second_term

El Salvador arrests human rights lawyer critical of President Bukele

By Merlin Delcid, Ivonne Valdés and Michael Rios, CNN

(There’s a big push by LATimes, CNN and others to start trouble with Bukele, mostly NGOs flooding the country to depose him. They don’t like South American countries working with Trump and the U.S.)

Updated: 7:59 PM EDT, Mon May 19, 2025

Source: CNN

Authorities in El Salvador have arrested a prominent attorney critical of President Nayib Bukele, in a move criticized by rights groups who say it reflects an increasing trend of “authoritarianism” in the country.

Ruth Eleonora López, the head of the Anti-Corruption and Justice Unit of the rights organization Cristosal, is accused of collaborating in the “theft of funds from state coffers,” the Attorney General’s Office of El Salvador said.

“According to the investigations and information gathered during the raids carried out … her active participation in the acts of which she is accused has been identified,” the Attorney General’s Office said.

CNN has requested more information from the prosecutor’s office.

Speaking at a press conference alongside the leaders of Cristosal on Monday, López’s mother and husband said the arrest was part of a recurring pattern in which activists are detained, denied contact with their families, and their whereabouts concealed.

They alleged that authorities appeared at her home “under false pretenses,” claiming there had been a traffic accident to lure her outside. She was then detained and not allowed to see a warrant, they said. They added they still do not know the formal charges beyond what the Attorney General’s Office posted on X.

“This sends a message that the government is willing to repress, to violate human rights – and at this point, it’s barely trying to hide it. It’s practically admitting it,” said Abraham Ábrego, director of Strategic Litigation at Cristosal.

The organization labeled the move as a “short-term forced disappearance,” as it does not know where López, a lawyer and university professor, is being held. It has asked authorities to allow López’s lawyer to meet with her.

López has led criticism of the Bukele government’s lack of transparency, denouncing abuses allegedly committed by the state during an ongoing state of emergency to crack down on crime, as well as the increase in public debt without detailing its investment or the use of public funds to purchase Bitcoin. She has also criticized the government’s decision to endorse mining, among other things.

López, who in 2024 was recognized by the BBC on a list of 100 influential and inspiring women, was previously an adviser to the former president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Eugenio Chicas, between 2009 and 2014.

Chicas faces criminal proceedings after being arrested last February for alleged illicit enrichment to the detriment of public administration, a crime to which he has pleaded not guilty.

CNN is seeking comment from Chicas and his lawyer regarding these accusations.

Since taking office in 2019, Bukele has enacted controversial measures to stem the crime and gang violence that has plagued the country for years.

In 2022, with the support of lawmakers, he declared a state of emergency which allowed the government to temporarily suspend constitutional rights, including the right to legal defense provided by the state. The measure was intended to last 30 days but has been extended dozens of times and continues to this day.

In the three years since it was declared, security forces have arrested nearly 87,000 people nationwide, or more than 1% of the Salvadoran population, according to authorities.

The government insists the crackdown has made the country safer, but critics say it has violated people’s rights and resulted in countless wrongful detentions.

International groups including Amnesty International condemned López’s arrest in a joint statement on Monday, saying that the state of emergency in El Salvador “has not only been used to address gang-related violence but also as a tool to silence critical voices.”

https://lite.cnn.com/2025/05/19/americas/ruth-lopez-salvador-arrests-human-rights-lawyer-intl-latam

Macron’s office immersed in major Perrier mineral water scandal

Politico

PARIS — Call it the French Watergate.

The iconic French mineral water brand Perrier is at the center of a fresh scandal that threatens to bubble over and hit the highest levels of government.

Nestlé Waters lobbied France’s government, including people close to French President Emmanuel Macron, to make possible the sale of branded mineral water that circumvented stringent French regulations, effectively misleading consumers, according to a damning Senate report released Monday.

At the heart of the accusations are Nestlé Waters’s allegedly unauthorized use of carbon filters and ultraviolet light — methods normally used on tap water — to treat mineral water for several of its brands, including its flagship sparkling water Perrier.But France’s stringent regulations aim to ensure that natural mineral water remains pure and unaltered, justifying the steep price tag paid by consumers.

Anger over the alleged lobbying scandal threatens to further hurt analready embattled Macron as he fights political deadlock and low approval ratings. Asked about the Élysée’s role in the Nestlé Waters case in February, Macron said he was “not aware of such things” and that there had been no “agreement” or “collusion.”

In early 2024, anticipating the release of an investigative report from French outlets Le Monde and Radio France, the Swiss-owned company issued a statementacknowledging its past use of tap water treatment methods on its mineral water, and said that it had aligned its processes with French regulations for mineral water beginning in 2023.

“We confirm that the food safety and quality of our natural mineral waters have always been guaranteed,” Nestlé Waters wrote in a statement at the time.

The use of the treatments methods was necessary due to “sporadic bacterial or chemical contamination” caused by “faecal contaminations” in the mineral water supply, according to the press report, which cited “a confidential note” from the French administration.

Nestlé Waters France informed the French government of its water treatment practices as early as 2021, the company said in its original statement.

Nestlé took a “transactional” approach, according to Monday’s Senate report. It shared its wrongdoings with the French government, and, in exchange for ending carbon filter treatments, offered instead to use microfiltration at 0.2 microns.

Until that point, French health authorities had established that any filtration below a 0.8-micron threshold would risk altering the water’s composition. But in 2023, the French government allowed local authorities to loosen the regulatory framework through executive action in order to permit the finer microfiltration method.

Monday’s report is the result of a parliamentary inquiry by Socialist senator Alexandre Ouizille into the practices of the French water industry. Ouizille’s inquiry, which followed the publication of the press reports last year, also sought to establish to what extent Macron’s office may have been aware of Nestlé Waters’ practices.

Ouizille and the investigative committee summoned Macron’s former chief of staff Alexis Kohler — who served in that post from 2017 until last month and was often described as “the president’s second brain” — to testify, but Kohler refused to appear, citing the separation between the executive and legislative powers.

The office of the French president nonetheless shared with the investigative committee 74-pages of documents featuring discussions between members of the president’s staff and Nestlé and its lobbyists.

“It was at the highest level of government that the decision to authorize microfiltration below the 0.8 micron threshold was taken,” the report released Monday said. “The presidency knew, at least since 2022, that Nestlé had been cheating for years.”

During a press conference Monday, Ouizille insisted that Kohler had “on several occasions met” with Nestlé lobbyists and that “at the very least, the Elysée was aware of what was happening.

https://dnyuz.com/2025/05/19/macrons-office-immersed-in-major-perrier-mineral-water-scandal/

There’s A New Law Firm In Washington. It Wants To Take All The Cases Liberals Hate

KATELYNN RICHARDSON

May 18, 2025

A growing conservative law firm led by attorneys who worked with Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk aims to tackle political litigation others won’t touch.

Within the Trump administration, there’s an intentional shift away from reliance on left-leaning “BigLaw” firms, seen through President Donald Trump’s deals securing millions in pro bono work from major firms and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to distance itself from the American Bar Association. Outside, Lex Politica is positioning itself to fill the void in a changing legal landscape.

“The administration and others are catching on,” Lex Politica CEO Chris Gober told the DCNF in an interview. He argued the “hypocrisy” of major firms who don’t apply equal standards in taking on political cases is creating a need for firms like his that are willing to be “unapologetically conservative.”

“They bend over backwards not to offend the sensitivities of those [liberal] lawyers and those clients, and what they’ll tend to do is just refuse to take on casesthat are, you know, synonymous or connected with the conservative or Republican movement,” Gober told the DCNF.

Lex Politica’s current clients include close to 20 senators and over 50 members of the House, along with governors, attorneys general and other Republican politicians, Gober says. They have been involved in key issues, such as legal and political considerations related to establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Attorneys Steve Roberts and Jessica Furst Johnson left Holtzman Vogel to join Gober’s effort, as did Christine Fort and Nicole Kelly.

“We are offering what BigLaw can’t – and won’t,” Lex Politica Partner and Political Law Co-Chair Steve Roberts told the DCNF in a statement. “Having worked at an AmLaw 100 firm, I can tell you first hand that BigLaw’s problem with Trump isn’t legal, it’s cultural. While some firms dance around politics, we’re stepping in with a firm that says what it believes and can act in the best strategic and legal interests of our clients.”

Trump’s executive orders against law firms have stirred up controversy and legal challenges. A judge struck down Trump’s order againstPerkins Coie, which sought to cancel the firm’s government contracts and attorney security clearances, as unconstitutional in early May.

“I think a lot of these firms would have no problem at all taking on a pro bono case for an organization like a Planned Parenthood, but they will say that they can’t take on some kind of religious liberty case for a company that is out there,” Gober said.

During the presidential campaign, Gober worked with Musk closely to establish America PAC, which he expects will continue to play a critical role in the midterm elections and beyond.

“I do not see it being a one and done,” he said, noting a lot of people had that question during the campaign. “I think we’ve answered a little bit of that…in our involvement with Wisconsin.”

Musk gave $238 million toAmerica PACto help elect Trump, according to CNN.

Musk’s America PAC spent close to $12.7 million backing conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Judge Brad Schimel, who lost his race in April, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Working with Musk through the PAC was a “new experience,” Gober says, noting some of the unique initiatives they launched, such as the petition program.

“There was definitely a level of creativity with the PAC that you normally don’t see in politics,” he said.

As far as DOGE goes, Gober says he doesn’t see much “fundamentally changing” as Musk scalesback his work.

“The fact of the matter is, it was the creation and structure of DOGE that I think is critically important,” Gober said. “Even without him being there, I think you’re left with a lot of the same kind of foundational elements and people with the same kind of mindset as Elon.”

https://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2025/05/18/theres-a-new-law-firm-in-washington-it-wants-to-take-all-the-cases-liberals-hate/

EXCLUSIVE: Cash Flowing Into Anti-ICE Group’s Coffers Came From Chinese Gov’t-Linked Sources

JASON HOPKINS AND PHILIP LENCZYCKI

May 20, 2025

8:42 AM ET

Numerous Chinese government-linked entities have bankrolled a nonprofit accused of offering tips on how to evade federal immigration authorities, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation found.

House Republicans recently launched an investigation into the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) — a New York-based nonprofit that’s been awarded over $1.4 million in tax-payer dollars since 2022 — after an undercover video surfaced purportedlyshowingCPC staff coaching illegal immigrants on how to avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehension. A review of CPC’s financialrecords discovered Chinese government-linked sourceshave been pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into the nonprofit in recent years, raising concerns of potential foreign obstruction of U.S. immigration enforcement.

“I’m deeply concerned that Americans’ hard-earned taxpayer dollarswere potentially used by an NGO [non-governmental organization] to help illegal aliens subvert our nation’s laws,” Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, a Republican from Tennessee, told the DCNF.

“Even more troubling is the Chinese-American Planning Council’s alleged ties to the [CCP] — a regime we know is committed to undermining U.S. sovereignty,” Green continued. “This Committee will continue investigating suspicious activities by NGOs to protect taxpayer dollars from supporting those who make a mockery of our laws.”

CPC has received as much as $445,969 in donations from sources with ties to the Chinese government since 2018, according to financial records reviewed by the DCNF. State-run enterprises such as Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Bank of China as well as other entities connected to the Chinese Community Party (CCP) have provided financial assistance to CPC in recent years, records show.

Additionally, CPC also appears to have significant financial and personnel links to a New York-based nonprofit, which, in turn, has extensive ties to Beijing and a CCP influenceand intelligence arm.

CPC did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Founded in 1965, CPC serves to promote the interests of Chinese-American, immigrant and low income communities across New York City, according to its website. The organization bills itself as the country’s largest Asian American social services group and claims to provide more than 50 “high-quality” programs at numerous sites across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

The House Homeland Security Committee announced on April 16 that it would begin investigating CPC for potentially using federal funds to facilitate illegal immigration. In an April letter first obtained by the DCNF, Green and Oklahoma GOP Rep. Josh Brecheen demanded CPC president Wayne Ho hand over documentation related to his group’s immigration seminars, funding grants and other related material.

The investigation is in response to undercover footage obtained by Muckraker.com, which allegedly shows CPC’s chief policy and public affairs officer, Carlyn Cower, and other staff directing audience members on best practices to avoid ICE apprehension during a March 8th CPC seminar in New York City.

To avoid ICE, Cowen recommended “hardening your physical space,” “identifying a list of individuals authorized to respond if ICE comes to the door” and “training everybody who’s going to be involved,” footage shows. Another speaker at the event directed individuals to “not open the door at all.”

While state and local officials are not required to assist ICE with its mission, individuals are prohibited by law from getting in the way or otherwise impeding immigration enforcement actions. Immediately upon being sworn into office, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered funding to be pulled from sanctuary cities — and called for the Department of Justice to investigate NGOs receiving federal grant money.

The Trump administration has made clear it will not tolerate any obstruction of justice, and followed through on this position with the recent arrest and indictment of a Wisconsin judge for allegedly helping an illegal migrant in her courtroom evade an ICE agent.

A main concern for House Republicans is whether CPC has been facilitating illegal immigration all while raking in thousands of dollars in federal grants.

Around 55% of CPC’s total revenue comes from federal and state government grants, according to the House Homeland Security Committee. The New York City-based group has been awarded more than $1.4 million in direct federal grants from the Department of Health and Human Services since 2022, and may have received more federal funding awarded through New York State.

https://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2025/05/20/exclusive-cash-flowing-into-anti-ice-groups-coffers-came-from-chinese-govt-linked-sources/

Long article

I’m tired of hearing about Joe Bidan, the guy will never go away, it’s like sexually transmitted disease.

Further Dems are getting the blame for the coverup but republicans knew the same thing. The whole system is corrupt.

Joe has had more press in two weeks than in the four miserable years he was “around the office”, no wonder he didn’t use the Oval Office.

20 May, 2025 13:31

Russia won’t abandon Ukraine’s Orthodox believers – Lavrov

Moscow will make sure religious freedoms in the neighboring country are respected, the foreign minister has said

Russia will not abandon Orthodox believers in Ukraine in the face of ongoing religious persecution by the authorities in Kiev, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has promised.

Speaking at a Russian Foreign Ministry reception on Tuesday dedicated to Orthodox Easter, Lavrovcondemned Kiev for cracking down on believers in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), calling it proof of the Ukrainian authorities’ “human-hating essence.”

“The authorities in Kiev have brought [the UOC] to the brink of legal liquidation…Churches continue to be seized, vandalized, and attacked, along with priests and parishioners,” Lavrov alleged. He pointed in particular to Ukraine’s attempts to wrestle control over the iconic Kiev Pechersk Lavra, the country’s oldest monastery.

“These acts are being carried out with the connivance andeven support of many European countries, where the ghosts of neo-Nazism and Satanism are again lifting their heads,” the diplomat stated.

“Russia will not leave the Orthodox people of Ukraine in trouble,” Lavrov stressed, adding that Moscow “will ensure that their lawful rights are respected” and that canonical Orthodoxy regains its central place in Ukraine’s spiritual life.

Ukraine has accused the UOC of maintaining ties to Russia despite the church declaring independence from the Moscow Patriarchate in May 2022. The crackdown has included numerous arrests of clergymen and church raids, one of the most notorious of which took place in the catacombs of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra where holy relics are kept.

Last year, Zelensky also signed legislation allowing the state to ban religious organizations affiliated with governments Kiev deems “aggressors,” effectively targeting the UOC. The Ukrainian leader has defended the measures, claiming they are necessary to protect the country’s “spiritual independence” amid the conflict with Russia.

Meanwhile, Kiev has openly supported the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which is regarded as schismatic by both the UOC and the Russian Orthodox Church.

The UN has also voiced concern about the state of religious freedoms in Ukraine, particularly regarding legislation allowing Kiev to target different institutions.

https://www.rt.com/russia/617916-russia-wont-abandon-ukraine-orthodox/

20 May, 2025 09:57

Trump opposed to new Russia sanctions

The measures advocated by the EU could make the chances of settling the Ukraine conflict “much worse,” the US president has said

The US does not want to impose further sanctions on Russia “because there’s a chance”of progress towards a settlement of the Ukraine conflict, President Donald Trump said on Monday.

The remarks followed a two-hour phone conversation earlier in the day with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a post on Truth Social following the call, Trump wrote that the tone and spirit of the conversation were “excellent.” Putin described the discussion as “very useful.”

Speaking to reporters at the White House shortly after the call, Trump suggested that he is opposed to ramping up the sanctions on Russia.

“Because I think there’s a chance of getting something done, and if you do that, you could also make it much worse,” the president said in the Oval Office, according to CNN. “But there could be a time where that’s going to happen,”he added.

Trump also stated that immediately after his call with the Russian president, he relayed the details of their conversation to Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, along with the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, and the European Commission.

According to the Financial Times,EU leaders were “stunned” by Trump’s portrayal of what had been agreed to during the conversation. A source familiar with the call told the outletit is evident that the US president is “not ready to put greater pressure” on Putin.

The EU is pushing to dramatically tighten the sanctions in order to compel Putin to end the Ukraine conflict.

EU ambassadors approved the 17th package of sanctions against Russia last week, targeting nearly 200 oil tankers that the West claims are part of a Russian ‘shadow fleet’.

French Foreign MinisterJean-Noel Barrot said the US and EU must “go further” and impose “devastating sanctions” to “suffocate” the Russian economy “once and for all.”(this tells you this is not about Ukraine, it’s for “the strategic defeat”, Bidan and EU set out to do.)

The push has been encouraged by US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who proposed what he called “bone-crushing”sanctions, including 500% tariffs on exports from Russia if it resists peace talks.

Russia remains committed to seeking a long-term solution to the Ukraine conflict but will not tolerate being addressed in the “language of ultimatums,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week. He has also stated that Russia is accustomed to Western pressure and is not concerned about new sanctions.

https://www.rt.com/news/617901-trump-russia-sanctions/

20 May, 2025 08:01

Germany promises new EU sanctions after Putin-Trump call

Berlin wants US backing for the restrictions, though Washington is reportedly unlikely to support the measures

Germany has said it supports new EU sanctions against Russia in the energy sector, following a phone call between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.Berlin wants Washington to support the restrictions, though Trump is reportedly reluctant to ramp up pressure on Moscow.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said Berlin “supports the elements [of sanctions] related to Nord Stream,” adding:“It is, of course, also crucial that the US will accompany a potential sanctions package.”

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines connecting Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea have been inactive since 2022 due to EU sanctions and sabotage, which Russia insists was orchestrated by Western intelligence agencies.

Last week, EU Commission President Ursula von derLeyen said the next round of EU sanctions would target Russia’s financial sector, a fleet of ships used to bypass oil bans, and the Nord Stream system. The goal, she said, is to compel Moscow to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine.

Moscow has stated that it is open to a ceasefire “in principle,” but has expressed concerns that it would only benefit Ukraine and allow its battered forces to regroup. Russia has also said it considers the Western sanctions illegal, while noting that the country’s economy has long been accustomed to Western pressure.

The comments by the German official come after a highly anticipated two-hour phone call between Putin and Trump.

Putin described the call as “substantive and quite candid,” adding that Russia is ready to work with Kiev on drafting a memorandum on a potential future peace agreement. Trump described the call as “excellent,” noting that “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire and, more importantly, an end to the war.”

European leaders were “stunned” by Trump’s response, the Financial Times reported, citing a source familiar with the matter. It added that theUS president is apparently “not ready to put greater pressure” on Putin and did not make any promises regarding future punitive action.

FT sources also said Trump made it clear that “he would pull the US back from engaging with the conflict and leave Ukraine and Russia to directly negotiate a ceasefire.”

(KEK Trump is messing up EU’s plan, but the EU is already paying much higher prices on oil because they oppose Russia so bad, not considering the cost to the citizens. This is how decrepit and useless the EU, they have no power without US’s backing.)

https://www.rt.com/news/617898-germany-promises-new-eu-sanctions-russia/

20 May, 2025 13:29

NATO chief comments on Putin-Trump phone call

It is a “good sign” that the conversation between the leaders of Russia and the US took place, Mark Rutte has said

The phone call on Monday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, marks a positive development and continues to restore communication, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said.

Talking to reporters on Tuesday, Rutte said it was a “good sign” that the conversation took place and welcomed Trump’s “leadership” in efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict. He added that the US president had “broken the deadlock”from “day one” since returning to office earlier this year.

Rutte acknowledged there had been “no discussions with the Russians” until January, when Trump began to “open lines of communication” with Putin.

Asked whether pressure on the Russian president should be increased,Rutte said, “Let’s be thankful that Americans are now taking this position, this leadership role.” He added it would not be helpful for him, as a NATO leader, to comment on every step in the process.

Both Putin and Trump described their latest call as productive and encouraging. The US president said he expected progress on the Ukraine conflict within two weeks.

According to a Kremlin statement, Putin thanked Trump for “US support in resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.”

Yury Ushakov,Putin’s foreign policy aide, said the call was conducted in a tone of “mutual respect,” with Trumpexpressing support for normalizing ties between Washington and Moscow.

Putin said on Monday that he and Trump agreed that the next step should be a memorandum outlining principles and a timeline for a peace settlement in the Ukraine conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the next day that “there is and cannot be a deadline” for completing the document.

Rutte’s remarks come as NATO members seek ways to militarize and produce more weapons to be delivered to Ukraine. In March, the European Commission unveiled a plan to raise €800 billion ($896 billion) to “rearm” the EU.

The Trump administration has consistently demanded that European NATO states increase their annual military spending to 5% of GDP, calling the longstanding 2% target insufficient.

Russian officials have condemned the steps being taken in Europe toward militarization, and dismissed claims that Moscow intends to attack either the EU or NATO. Moreover, Russia has expressed concern that, rather than supporting the US peace initiatives for the Ukraine conflict, the EU and UK are instead gearing up for war with Russia.

(Rutte is lying he spread the rumor Russia will be invading Europe in the next 5 years, and NATO would be at war with Russiaand he wanted to wipe Russia off the map. No one in the EU is happy on a truce or resolution they planned to go through 2030 with Ukraine war to wear down Russia. What they really did is make Russia a better fighting force and expert arms makers.)

https://www.rt.com/news/617912-rutte-trump-putin-talks/

20 May, 2025 02:14

Trump reveals difficult relationship with Zelensky

The Ukrainian leader is “not the easiest person to deal with,” the US president has said

US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that his relationship with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has been challenging, describing him as “not the easiest person to deal with.” The comment came as Trump reiterated his efforts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine following separate phone calls with both leaders.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump shared his impressions after holding discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Zelensky earlier in the day.

“I’d rather tell you in about two weeks from now, because I can’t say yes or no… Look, Zelensky is a strong guy, and he’s not the easiest person to deal with. But I think that he wants to stop… I hope the answer is that he wants to get it solved,” Trump told reporters at the White House, following separate conversations with Putin and Zelensky earlier in the day.

Trump stated last week that “nothing is going to happen until Putin and I get together,” as he urged Kiev to “immediately” accept Moscow’s proposal for direct negotiations. Asked whether he still felt that way following the Istanbul talksand his latest calls,Trump said he remains cautiously optimistic.

“I tell you, big egos involved, but I think something’s going to happen. And if it doesn’t, I just back away and they’re going to have to keep going,” he said. He declined to say what would cause him to abandon efforts to mediate the conflict.

“I would say I do have a certain line, but I don’t want to say what that line is because I think it makes the negotiation even more difficult than it is,” he added.

Trump said his phone call with Putin “went very well” and that “progress is being made,”but offered few details of his follow-up call with Zelensky. The US president has long suggested that Kiev is harder to work with, recalling a heated Oval Office meeting in February in which the Ukrainian delegation was told to leave prematurely and only return when Zelensky is “ready for peace.”

Zelensky said he spoke with Trump twice on Monday – before and after the call with Putin – andwarned him against any decisions on Ukraine being made without Kiev’s involvement.

While insisting that Ukraine wants to “stop the war,”Zelensky said Kiev would not agree to any Russian “ultimatums,” and once again demanded nothing short of a “full and unconditional ceasefire.”(you can’t always get what you want. The U.S. pulling out means no more financial support.)

Putin described the two-hour call with Trump as “substantive and quite candid,” announcing that Moscow is ready to work with Kiev on a memorandum envisioning a future peace agreement.

“In general, Russia’s position is clear. The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis,” Putin said.

https://www.rt.com/news/617890-zelensky-difficult-deal-with-trump/

Even now Zelensky is making demands on the U.S. I think he will regret his coaching by the EU.

'Evil will not triumph': Witkoff pledges action against Hamas, Iran, calls for unity

“This is not just a conflict; it is evil. And let me be clear, evil will not triumph,” Witkoff stated, referring to the rise of Middle East terrorism. May 20, 2025

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the Trump administration remains determined to see Hamas defeated, prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, andexpand the Abraham Accords at The Jerusalem Post Conference on Monday.

He recalled that in January 2021, “President Trump left the Middle East transformed. Iran was reeling, its proxies starved of resources, and the Abraham Accords were a radiant promise of peace and prosperity.”

Since October 7, however, the world has witnessed “Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah wage a cowardly, immoral war, hiding behind civilians and clutching hostages.”

“This is not just a conflict; it is evil. And let me be clear, evil will not triumph,” Witkoff stated.

Witkoff described the Trump administration as a “force of action and hope” capable of restoring peace.

He said it was his sacred duty, along with others in the administration, to execute this vision for a president who has reignited the world’s belief in what is possible.

A mission that belongs to everyone

“But this mission is not ours alone. It is everyone’s mission,” he said, addressing both global Jewry and supporters of Israel. “You are the warriors of truth, the guardians of unity. Your fight against antisemitism, your stand against fake news, and your unbreakable bond as a people are the heartbeat of Israel’s strength.”

“I have seen what happens when division creeps in, but I have also seen the power of the united front. America stands with you today, tomorrow, and forever. I call on you to stand together, to rise as one, and to shine as a light onto the nations of the world.”

Witkoff emphasized that this conference is more than a gathering; it is a rallying cry.

“Let us leave here inspired, emboldened, and united, ready to build a future where truth prevails, peace reigns, and the spirit of our people soars.”

He concluded: “Together, we will write the next chapter of hope.”

https://m.jpost.com/israel-news/article-854658