"Russia alone has the power to end the conflict immediately, but it has no interest in doing so..
The answer to Russian aggression is not appeasement.
An aggressor has no right to dictate conditions.
Peace cannot be built on Russia's demands.."
- Petr Pavel
President of the Czech Republic 🇨🇿
I absolutely agree with this..!
82 years ago, 14,000 Canadians landed on Juno Beach, many of whom would never come home.
On the anniversary of D-Day, we pause to honour those who served and sacrificed. We remember that our rights, our freedoms, and our way of life were fought for and were won by those who answered the call.
KASPAROV: We’ve had 20 sanctions packages. How come Russian missiles that hitting Ukrainians and killing people every day are still mostly built with parts and components from sanctions list? How many criminal cases have been opened against sanctions violators? Practically none.
More of CNN's false equivalence language. Ukraine is not targeting St. Petersburg, but striking military installations, Russian warships, and oil refineries. It's the Russian terror state that strikes cities and targets civilians. https://t.co/Cy7DgqtkuT
During a hearing in the U.S. Congress today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked whether he was aware that Greenland is part of Denmark. His response was: “For now.”
It is worth recalling a few basic facts.
Greenland’s future is for the Greenlandic people to decide, in accordance with the 2009 Self-Government Act, which recognizes the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination. That decision will not be made in Washington, but in Greenland.
Until the Greenlandic people decide otherwise, Greenland remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark. This status is recognized under international law, where respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity is among the most fundamental principles of the international order.
Greenland is also part of NATO through the Kingdom of Denmark. The United States has maintained a significant military presence in Greenland for decades and at one point operated up to 17 military bases and installations across Greenland. Under the 1951 Defense Agreement between Denmark and the United States, later updated through the 2004 Igaliku Agreement, signed in Igaliku, Greenland, by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Denmark and Greenland, the United States already has the ability to establish or reopen military facilities in Greenland in cooperation with Denmark and Greenland.
There is therefore no security rationale that justifies discussions about American ownership of Greenland.
The idea of purchasing territories or acquiring parts of sovereign countries belongs to another era. That is not how modern allies conduct themselves in the 21st century.
If members of the U.S. administration believe that such statements enjoy broad support among the Greenlandic people, they are gravely mistaken. Political signals from Greenland have repeatedly shown that Greenlanders expect their right to determine their own future to be respected.
Neither Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, nor any future American president should decide Greenland’s future.
That right belongs exclusively to the Greenlandic people, in accordance with the Self-Government Act and the international principle of self-determination.
Greenland’s future belongs to the people of Greenland. Not Washington. Not any other capital. The decision belongs to the Greenlandic people — and to them alone. Period.
“Better to be a member of the EU than a U.S. state” — Finland’s president made Canada an unexpected proposal
Alexander Stubb suggested expanding the EU to around 40 countries. He said Europe needs to become stronger on the global stage and more actively attract new partners.
Among possible candidates, Stubb named the United Kingdom, Canada, Turkey, Norway, and Iceland.
According to him, now is the right moment due to the war in Ukraine and shifts in U.S. policy.
Moment When Radoslaw Sikorski reminded America, UK, France and Russia that they guaranteed Ukrainian security and borders in 1994!
- Sikorski:
“As you know, Russia, the USA, and Great Britain guaranteed the security of Ukraine and its borders.
In exchange for Ukraine giving up what was then the third largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world. In 1994.
So you have an obligation to Ukraine to help them defend their freedom.”
More than 80 percent of the alumina produced in Ireland was shipped to Russia this year. Russia needs it for weapons systems used to kill Ukrainian children and families, as well as for weapons systems it is also directing against Europe. Perhaps Ireland should reconsider its lobbying efforts and propose adding aluminum to the EU’s next package of sanctions. Just as, incidentally, Russian uranium and fuel rods should have been sanctioned long ago, and Germany must enforce the sanctions so that no more German semiconductors or circuit boards end up in Russian drones. Close the loopholes and implement the sanctions without exception.
https://t.co/dBmYIqNsVy
”Last year almost 500 000 Russian tourists were let into Europe, while Ukrainians were dying on the battlefield. This situation needs to be stopped.
That is why we, together with 10 other Member States, have put forward an initiative for new EU visa restrictions for Russian citizens.” @JohanForssell at JHA
Thinking of my friend Alexei Navalny and his family today. He would have turned 50 today.
Goodbye to my fearless friend, Alexei Navalny https://t.co/HYsacXcJRT
Those who aim to "avoid escalation" must now admit that escalation is not being avoided. Escalation is being allowed, and encouraged. If we are "standing with Ukraine" — we shouldn't be standing on a huge pile of frozen Russian assets that could be used to save Ukrainian lives.
"Trump has already done everything he could for Putin.
Cut aid to Ukraine, stopped giving weapons, even stopped selling them to Europeans, raised oil prices with the Iran war, quarreled with Europe, and practically buried NATO"
- Garry Kasparov
HODGES: Trump administration has failed miserably on Ukraine. They have so clearly been on Kremlin's side. All the pressure has been on Ukraine to make concessions. Fortunately, Ukraine no longer even pays much attention to that.
Biden administration missed an opportunity because they never said, "We want Ukraine to win." They had this nonsense, "We're with you for as long as it takes," which means exactly zero. But at least they were providing support.
Trump administration is worse and It does feel like they now realize that their approach was doomed from the beginning, because they didn't understand why the war started or how it started.
They didn't understand why Ukrainians were fighting the way they were and why the Russians were failing the way they were. So despite Trump administration, I think Ukraine has changed the trajectory of the war.
The last thing I'd say is that most European countries realize that the best way to prevent Russia from ever attacking a NATO country is to make sure that Ukraine defeats Russia.
I think most people realize that Russia has to be defeated. That Russia will never change until they are actually crushed.
President Zelensky criticized the Trump administration for easing sanctions on Russian oil:
“Lifting sanctions means helping Russian soldiers by helping the Russian defense industry.
After some sanctions were eased, we did not see any surprises like lower global prices for oil, gas, or diesel. Because the share of Russian oil accounts for only 5% of global supply. How could it make a difference?
So lifting sanctions is not about that. I think it’s about building dialogue with the Russians. But it's not the right approach, because they don’t understand words or empathy and see it as a sign of weakness.
We need to be strong and impose more sanctions on them.”