Apparently, Putin’s spooks told @CIA Director he would not provoke @NATO.
Putin had told president Biden’s CIA Director that he would not invade Ukraine.
We should accelerate defence preparations.
I’m beginning to suspect that wasting years dragging feet on military aid to Ukraine and playing escalation management games, giving an aggressive militaristic Russia the time and resources to ramp up its war machine to full power against the free world, might not have been the brightest idea.
Arrived in Ireland to take part in the opening ceremony of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. I will also meet with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President of the European Council António Costa.
Every day, Ukraine proves that it deserves to be an equal part of our shared European home. And we hope that during Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, we will be able to achieve tangible progress on the path to membership and open all negotiating clusters.
“Thank you that you don’t forget about Ukraine.”
That’s what Zelenskyy said to me today.
I’ll carry that with me forever.
So grateful to be in this beautiful country, telling the truth about its fight for survival, justice and freedom. 🇺🇦❤️
Steve Witkoff ran away when I confronted him about his financial ties to Russia.
His real estate company has been bankrolled directly by a former advisor to Vladimir Putin's sovereign wealth fund.
He’s been making pro russia statements for months.
- Anne Applebaum:
"Steve Witkoff has no experience with Russia or diplomacy. I fear he imagines a US-Russia pact where he, his son, Trump's family or their circle benefit personally.
It's disturbing that American foreign policy conducted not for the US, allies or world peace, but for private interests.
Putin knows Trump is vulnerable to such deals ... that's why he keeps suggesting them.
Witkoff and Trump's entourage behave like Russians: capture the state, use it for personal wealth."
Russia blackmailed us with energy, so no matter how costly the transition was, it was necessary.
It is better to pay higher prices and be sure that we have energy than to risk being left without it, says @sandumaiamd, President of Moldova. 🇲🇩
#LennartMeriConference
King Charles III: In this volatile world, my Government will continue to pursue foreign policy based on a calm assessment of the national interest. It will continue its unflinching support for the brave people of Ukraine, who are fighting on the frontline of freedom.
I have listened to Putin speak for over twenty years. Last week, he did something I have not seen since the full-scale war began: he called Zelenskyy 'господин Зеленский.' Mr. Zelenskyy.
That single word is why a negotiated peace now feels within reach (🧵 Read on)
Deterrence works if it is credible.
Showing weakness only invites aggression.
That’s why we need to close defence capability gaps through faster arms production, cheaper arms, and more rapid delivery.
Extract from my press remarks following today’s Foreign Affairs Council on Defence ↓
ZELENSKYY: Ukrainians are fighting for one shared goal — to never give up our land or our sovereignty. And we will succeed.
“We need to reach the main goal, and this is our common goal, which we do not give up. We do not surrender our land, our sovereignty. I am grateful to all Ukrainians - man and woman - who are together on this path. Ukraine must survive the war, defend its independence, and guarantee the safety of people. It will definitely happen. Glory to Ukraine!” - Ukrainian President, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.
I will never forgive Donald Trump for buying time for Russia to carry out war and genocide in Ukraine.
He treated the demands of a war criminal as legitimate and blamed the victim.
The consequences will be felt for generations
Thank you, Taiwan 🇹🇼!
You have provided the largest single donation of ambulances and emergency vehicles since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 68 vehicles in total!
This generous gift will save countless Ukrainian lives across frontline cities.
UKRAINE WILL WIN!! 🇺🇦
The United States has just nuked its own arms export business. Not with a missile. With a phone call.
Pete Hegseth rang Estonia’s defense minister and told him the HIMARS and Javelin deliveries are on hold.
Indefinitely. Months, not weeks. No timeline. No alternative. Just: sorry, we’re busy bombing Iran.
And that’s it. Twenty years of patient alliance-building, vaporized in a Monday morning call.
Here’s what European defense planners now know for certain: American weapons come with an asterisk. The asterisk reads “subject to cancellation whenever Washington decides its own adventure takes priority.”
You can sign the contracts. You can train your soldiers. You can build your entire defensive posture around US systems. And then one day, the ammo stops. No warning. No plan B.
Estonia is already shopping elsewhere. So is everyone else, with the kind of focus that only comes from genuine betrayal.
The Americans think this is a pause. Europe knows it’s a divorce.
I am deeply saddened by the recent escalation of attacks against Ukraine, which continue to afflict civilians. I express my solidarity with those who are suffering and assure all the Ukrainian people of my prayers. I renew my appeal for weapons to fall silent and for the path of dialogue to be pursued.
There have to be serious questions about the White House right now. Easing pressure on Russia while Belarus edges closer to deeper involvement in the war?
Russia backs Iran, and just 48 hours after Scott Bessent gave assurances, policy shifts the other way.
People are dying because of these decisions, and where is Congress?
The continued easing of sanctions against Russia does not reflect the real situation in the war or in diplomacy and fuels the Russian leadership’s illusion that they can continue the war. This week alone, the Russians have launched over 2,360 attack drones, more than 1,320 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 60 missiles of various types at our cities and communities.
Every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war. More than 110 tankers from Moscow’s shadow fleet are currently at sea. On board are over 12 million tons of Russian oil, which, due to the easing of sanctions, can once again be sold without consequences. That is $10 billion – a resource that is directly converted into new strikes against Ukraine.
That is why it is important that Russian tankers are stopped, not allowed to deliver oil to ports. The aggressor’s oil exports must decrease, and Ukraine’s long-range sanctions continue to work toward that goal. I am grateful to every one of our warriors for their precision, and I thank all partners who are helping to increase pressure on Russia for this war.