Steven Pifer

Affiliated with Stanford's CISAC & Brookings. Retired FSO; former US ambassador to Ukraine. Interests include nukes, Europe & mountains. Views are my own.

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

@svdate So very glad I renewed my passport 2 years ago.

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

Three: Putin does not want to be global pariah.

[Oliver Carroll @olliecarroll]

This is something that is occasionally whispered in Kyiv. It’s true few believe Trump wld react appropriately. For now there are 2 constraining moments that will keep Russia at the “I’m mad me, don’t provoke” blackmail stage. One: there is no real prospect of collapse. Two: China

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

Hmmm...

Has @marcthiessen read the MOU and its generous terms and concessions for Iran?

[Marc Thiessen @marcthiessen]

Correct. Trump buried Iran’s nuclear material so deep that, senior officials tell me, Iran has indicated the United States will have to dig it up because it can’t reach it to hand over. He also took out over 85 percent of Iran’s defense industrial base; sank its navy; grounded its air force; damaged its centrifuges; and decimated its ballistic missile capabilities, conventional military forces and infrastructure of repression. He not only eliminated Iran’s supreme leader, he also took out dozens of other senior Iranian officials. That is in addition to Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s terrorist mastermind, whom Trump killed in his first term. Today, thanks to Trump, Iran’s top leadership has been annihilated, the regime can no longer project power in the Middle East and it possesses only a “nuisance” capability, according to Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command. No president in 47 years has done more damage to the Iranian regime than Trump has.

More here: https://t.co/5tY8xsXykr

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

Exactly.

#Russia has desperately tried to win war against #Ukraine since 2022 invasion.

It's not like Kremlin has saved some magic bullet that would achieve victory.

[Olena Tregub @OTregub]

People ask: “What will happen to Ukraine now that Ukraine is bombing Moscow?”

Let’s think.

Will Russia invade us?
Bomb our cities with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles drones?
Destroy our civilian critical infrastructure?
Occupy our towns?
Rape and kill civilians, kids, women?
Kidnap Ukrainian children and train them as soldiers ?
Set up filtration camps?
Torture and starve POWs?
Use chemical weapons on the front line?

Wait.

Russia has already done all of this.

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

Nonsense.

#Ukraine builds drones capable of striking deep into #Russia.

And anyone with Google Maps can locate this refinery.

[Steffen Unger @unger2701]

💬 Die Ukraine ist ein völlig kaputter, besiegter, nicht mehr überlebensfähiger Pleite-Staat. Sie ist zu derartigen Operationen daher überhaupt nicht fähig.

Hinter diesen Angriffen steckt im Wesentlichen Europa, das sind europäische Drohnen, die in Europa produziert werden. Die Europäer liefern die Technologie, die Ressourcen, Produktionsstandorte, Arbeitskräfte, Finanzierung und sie ermöglich es, die Drohnen anschließend tief in russisches Hinterland ins Ziel zu bringen. Es ist dasselbe, wie wenn Merz 'Taurus' liefern würde.

Russland kämpft längst nicht mehr gegen die Ukraine. Noch ist das nicht allen Europäern bewusst, aber sie werden es bald merken. Hierfür werden sie lediglich aus dem Fenster schauen müssen.

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

Says Kremlin spokesperson 4+ years into all-out invasion that Kremlin thought would be over in weeks.

[Preston Stewart @prestonstew_]

"the situation on the front lines will soon become truly dire for Ukraine"
-Kremlin spokesperson Peskov

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

So, let's get this straight.

#Russia, bogged down in its war on #Ukraine, will decide to attack #NATO?
🙄

[Glenn Diesen @Glenn_Diesen]

The massive NATO-backed attack on Moscow demonstrates that our rulers have lost their minds. The reason for Russia's restraint is that once it retaliates against NATO, there will be no escalation control, and the conflict will likely spiral into nuclear war.

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

Of all the stupid ways to start a diplomatic crisis with an ally…

[MeidasTouch @MeidasTouch]

🚨 TRUMP SPARKS DIPLOMATIC CRISIS WITH ITALY: Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has canceled his planned June 21–22 trip to Washington after President Trump insulted Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, claiming she “begged” for a photo with him at the G7 and that he “felt sorry for her.”

Meloni released a video firing back at Trump’s comments, calling them “completely fabricated.”

“I am frankly appalled,” she said. “I don’t know why the President of the United States behaves this way towards his allies.”

She added that Trump appears to show more accommodation toward “the enemies of the West” than America’s allies and concluded by saying: “Italy and I never beg.”

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

@RLHeinrichs Positive shift? Hegseth is patting himself on the back for US abandoning assistance for Ukraine.

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

Looks like Trump’s Iran deal is falling apart faster than it took for algae to return to Reflecting Pool.

[OSINTtechnical @Osinttechnical]

Vice President Vance has canceled his trip to Switzerland for Iran negotiations - Press pool

The cancellation follows news that the Iranian delegation would not be traveling for negotiations after Israel did not withdraw from Lebanon.

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

@Hexagram012 Like I said earlier, I’d like smarter trolls.

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

Like $300 billion?

[Open Source Intel @Osint613]

REPORTER: What's stopping Iran from down the road rebuilding and restarting their nuclear program?

JD VANCE: First of all, they would have to get a lot of money in order to rebuild their nuclear program

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

In other words, #Russia will do to #Ukraine exactly what it has been doing for past 4 years.

[Aleksey The Great 🇷🇺🎖 @aleksthgrt]

🚨SERGEY LAVROV ISSUES VERY HARSH THREAT TO KIEV!

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov:

“Words are not enough in response to what Kiev is doing.”

“Russia will launch **violent and heavy attacks** against Ukrainian military targets.”

“We will directly strike targets that affect the Ukrainian army’s level of combat readiness.”

“This objective was determined by our **Commander-in-Chief Putin** and will be implemented by our army.”

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

I would really like smarter trolls.

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

@Hexagram012 Per Meriam-Webster, "undertake" means:
- to take upon oneself
- to put oneself under obligation to perform
- to guarantee, promise

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

@Hexagram012 Read MOU again: US “undertakes.”

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

Trump ends his war of choice against Iran:
- not having achieved regime change
- not having eliminated Iran's missiles and drones
- not having agreed on details to end Iranian nuclear program

but Strait of Hormuz is open. Oh, wait.....

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

Even if Trump did not know, did no one on NSC staff understand optics of signing Iran MOU at Versailles?

[The White House @WhiteHouse]

🚨 President Donald J. Trump has SIGNED the Iran Memorandum of Understanding at Versailles in France. 🇺🇸

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

Utter nonsense.

Russians know where this strike came from.

And anyone with Google Maps could find the refinery.

[TheApeOfGoldStreet @TheApeOfGoldST]

I don’t think people understand the stupidity of striking deep into Moscow is.

The odds for #WW3 just rised significantly.

Have no doubt, Russia will not consider this as a strike from Ukraine. This is a direct result of NATO interference.

NATO/European countries has enabled this by backing Ukraine with intelligence, weapons, weapon manufacturing and money. This is simply made possible because of them.

This is absolutely nothing to cheer for, the coke actor is gambling with #WW3 more than ever and somehow he is backed by our European leaders doing so.

Total idiocy. European people need to understand this, because they will soon get stuck in war if not.

Idiots.

[Steven Pifer @steven_pifer]

VP Vance is all over the airwaves selling Iran deal while Nat'l Security Advisor/Secretary of State Rubio is virtually invisible.

Ya think Rubio knows something that Vance doesn't?
🤔

[The Washington Post @washingtonpost]

Vice President JD Vance has become the face of a temporary peace agreement designed to end an unpopular war against Iran that he was skeptical of entering to begin with.

Vance has faced mounting criticism from the Iran-hawk wing of the party. https://t.co/uTcFZsCbex