25 Sep, 2025 12:06

Kremlin backs Trump’s ‘brilliant’ idea

The US president earlier urged the global community to end the development of biological weapons

Russia would gladly endorse US President Donald Trump’s idea to ban the development of biological weapons worldwide, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, calling it a “brilliant initiative.”

Trump told the United Nations this week he was seeking to reduce the threat from weapons of mass destruction, adding that he was “calling on every nation to join us in ending the development of biological weapons once and for all.”

The US president also linked what he called “reckless experiments overseas” to the Covid-19 pandemic, echoing his earlier claims that the coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab – an accusation Beijing has vehemently denied.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Peskov welcomed the remarks as a “very important appeal” and a “brilliant initiative.” “Of course, Russia is ready to participate in such a process of renunciation from bioweapons, and it would be good to formalize it at the international level.”

The overwhelming majority of the global community, including Russia, the US, and China, are members of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), which prohibits the development, production, and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons.

Moscow has for years accused Ukraine – which is also party to the BWC – of hosting Western-supported biological laboratories as well as using chemical weapons on the battlefield. In late 2024, Russian officials stated that the US continues to operate 30 biolabs on the territory of Ukraine as part of an illegal military-biological program, adding that it sought to expand the framework to Africa.

In 2022, then-US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland, a prominent Russia hawk in the administration of Joe Biden, admitted that Ukraine has “biological research facilities” but dismissed allegations that they could be used for biological warfare.

Last month, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said American experts had finally started to take notice of Moscow’s concerns about biological facilities in Ukraine.

https://www.rt.com/russia/625248-kremlin-backs-trumps-brilliant-idea/

24 Sep, 2025 11:39

Zelensky facing internal dissent – Politico

Lawmakers have reportedly grown increasingly concerned with the Ukrainian leader’s monopolization of power within own circle

Ukrainian lawmakers, including thosefrom Vladimir Zelensky’s own party, have grown increasingly discontent with him over efforts to consolidate power around his inner circle and weaken the country’s anti-corruption agencies, Politico reported on Tuesday.

Last week, Zelensky held a closed-door parliamentary meeting during which he vented his frustrations with party members, MPs, civil society activists, and journalists for not portraying Ukraine in a uniformly positive light, according to two lawmakers who spoke with the outlet.

He reportedly suggested that anyone criticizing the government is “against Ukraine,” and condemned reports of corruption and rights violations as distracting from Kiev’s war effort and damaging Western support.

Politico noted that Zelensky’s critics, including in his own ranks, have expressed concern over his centralization of power, the sidelining of “independent-minded” figures such as former Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and ex-commander Valery Zaluzhny, and ignoring parliamentary oversight.

Lawmakers also complained about his recent attempt to gut independent anti-corruption agencies, telling Politico they were ordered by the president’s office to back the legislation and were then left to absorb the backlash. The move triggered nationwide protests and condemnation from the West, ultimately forcing Zelensky to reverse course.

Despite the Ukrainian leader’s recent assurance that he would consult with MPs more, some in his party told Politico it’s unlikely and expect him to further “tighten the screws.” They added that lawmakers face a stark choice: “You’re either with Zelensky, or you’re a Russian stooge.”

Politico noted that earlier this month, a group of around 20 former and retired Ukrainian diplomats and envoys, including Kuleba, were banned from traveling abroad without special government permission. Kuleba told the outlet it is “difficult to understand why, in the fourth year of the war, it suddenly became so important to ban a group of no more than 20 people from traveling abroad,” saying the only explanation is that it is “political.”

Zelensky’s presidential term officially expired in May 2024, but he has refused to step down or hold new elections, citing martial law. Moscow has said he no longer has legitimacy and does not represent the interests of the Ukrainian people.

https://www.rt.com/russia/625187-ukraine-zelensky-internal-dissent/

24 Sep, 2025 13:20

West’s elevation of ‘cult hero’ Zelensky fueled his hubris – Economist

The Ukrainian government is losing legitimacy and risking the nation’s future, the magazine has warned his hubris – Economist

Western praise of Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is encouraging overconfidence and increasingly authoritarian behavior in Kiev, The Economist argued in a piece published on Tuesday.

In a “report card” assessing Ukraine’s deepening problems as its conflict with Russia drags on, the British magazine highlighted manpower shortages, a mounting budget deficit, and what it described as a growing loss of government legitimacy.

Kiev’s attempted crackdown on anti-corruption agencies in July, which sparked mass protests, marked a breaking point, according to a senior Ukrainian official, who said “trust has broken down between government and society.”

“[Zelensky’s] rise as a cult hero in the West has encouraged hubris,” the outlet wrote. The Ukrainian leader was lionized by foreign officials and media, some of whom compared him to Winston Churchill.

“Zelensky was more democratic at the start, but all the applause sent him to space,” another government insider told the magazine. “He began to believe in destiny.”

The analysis echoed a November 2023 Time magazine story that described Zelensky’s belief in eventual victory as “immovable, verging on the messianic,” with sources saying his inner circle was unwilling to challenge the “delusion.”

According to The Economist, Ukraine is now governed by “a shrinking circle of confidants,” particularly Zelensky’s chief of staff Andrey Yermak. The latter was described as “a bruiser whose power does not seem warranted by his experience or his mandate as an unelected official,” and a person seen by some as a de facto co-president.

The magazine said Zelensky’s administration “has sunk into some of Ukraine’s old vices,” citing attacks on opposition media, the use of lawfare against political rivals, and “shakedowns by the domestic-security service.” One industrialist alleged a colleague paid $2 million to avoid charges of having ties to Russia.

The Economist concluded that Zelensky “will have to find something other than his role as Ukraine’s chief warrior to renew his legitimacy,” warning that he “seems to be running out of road.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/625193-west-zelensky-hubris-economist/

Secretary Hegseth Calls for All Top Generals and Flag Officers to Attend Meeting at Quantico

September 25, 2025 | Sundance

Other than the broad announcement to around 600 to 800 U.S. Generals and flag officers from around the world, no one is exactly sure why Secretary Pete Hegseth has requested they come to the U.S for a meeting.

According to reports from CNN and various news outlets, Secretary of the War Department, Pete Hegseth has sent a notice for all of them to travel back to the U.S. for a meeting in Virginia at the War Department’s Quantico facility.

WASHINGTON – Hundreds of US generals and admirals around the globe have been called to Virginia for a meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth next Tuesday, several US officials told CNN, though the reason for the meeting is unclear.

The meeting is expected to be held at the military installation in Quantico, Virginia, multiple officials said, adding that no one seems to know what the meeting is about, including the general and flag officers themselves, or why it was suddenly added to the calendar.

One source familiar said they’d heard theories ranging from a group physical fitness test, to receiving a briefing on the state of the Defense Department, to a mass firing of officers, but regardless of the reason the sudden convening of so many senior military officers is highly unusual.

“It’s being referred to as the general squid games,” one official quipped. (read more)

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/09/25/secretary-hegseth-calls-for-all-top-generals-and-flag-officers-to-attend-meeting-at-quantico/

Benny Johnson

@bennyjohnson

BREAKING: Former FBI Director James Comey indicted on two counts of false statements and obstruction of justice No one is above the law.

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