Simon Nixon

Wealth of Nations newsletter on Substack. European political economy and geoeconomics. Previously chief Europe commentator @WSJ, chief leader writer @thetimes

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

Trump's Betrayal - latest edition of Wealth of Nations https://t.co/kztHWrrMSq

[Tom Scott 🇺🇦 @Tom___Scott]

Here's Boris Johnson the morning after he gave his Foreign Secretary security detail the slip & partied at the palazzo of Russian oligarch Evgeny Lebedev (whom he later made a peer), and met with the oligarch's father, a former senior KGB officer.

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

Quite something for the only PM ever to have to resign because his own MPs concluded they couldn’t believe a word he said to accuse the current PM of lying. Naturally the claim that Burnham talked of “successful” interference is entirely made up

[Boris Johnson @BorisJohnson]

This is just not true. As soon as I became foreign secretary I asked the security services the same question and they replied that there was no evidence of any successful interference in the 2016 referendum, by Russia or any other power.

Either the security services have changed their view - which would be very odd - or Burnham is lying about what he has been told. After all Starmer was in power for two years and had access to exactly the same information.

https://t.co/rUn9YSZ4wy

[Robert Armstrong @rbrtrmstrng]

good lord

[Sam @SamCKx]

What Boris Johnson is doing here is finding a way to grossly mislead us all without telling a direct lie. Let me explain how...

The 2020 Intelligence and Security Committee report found that the government had "failed to adequately investigate potential Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum". It did not conclude that Russia had not interfered. It concluded the investigation was a failure.

The US investigation, however, backed by a comprehensive, bipartisan Senate inquiry, did establish extensive Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

I bet they don't show this chart on Fox News

[Carl Bildt @carlbildt]

A very vivid illustration of where responsibility for the high fuel prices lie.

[Greg Ip @greg_ip]

Europe criticizes Trump for easing sanctions on Russian diesel, Trump admin accuses Europe of hypocrisy b/c it still buys Russian oil and gas. Worth noting that the main EU buyers of Russian oil are Hungary and Slovakia. Former Hungarian PM Orban had blocked EU sanctions until he got an exemption. And in November last year, Trump granted Orban a waiver to U.S. sanctions on Russian oil. https://t.co/Mdd2bEqpKE

[Patrick Wintour @patrickwintour]

Almost everyone capable of counting recognises that the cause of diesel price inflation lies in the Middle East and not in Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells Warsaw Security Forum. He learnt of Trump’s “energy ceasefire” in the media and says the evidence so far is Putin does not read Trump’s Truth Social media posts and has no intention of dr-escalating. He supports the energy ceasefire & awaits to see Trump’s influence over Putin.

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

@julianHjessop Is your position Julian that Russian disinformation/interference campaigns need not concern us under any circumstances, or solely in connection with Brexit?

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

Putin is far cleverer than Trump. That's why he's the boss

[Babak Taghvaee - The Crisis Watch @BabakTaghvaee1]

BREAKING: The diesel fuel Russia is now exporting to the United States at U.S. President Trump’s request may have originated in Iran, as Russian oil refineries are largely unable to produce diesel because of Ukrainian attacks.

Russia has been importing most of the diesel it needs from Iran. In September, thousands of Iranian tanker trucks were spotted in various regions of Russia, including Ryazan, carrying Iranian diesel.

Russia may be buying Iranian diesel and reselling it to the United States. If so, Trump’s attempt to lower U.S. energy prices and deceive American voters is putting money into the hands of Russia and Iran’s Islamic regime.

[Sam @SamCKx]

Apparently Russian servers have been hit by a Ukrainian strike and immediately massive online hard right chatter has collapsed.

This particular chatter was in support of Germany’s AFD, their equivalent to Reform, but similar patterns are being seen in hard right movements everywhere, including the UK.

If anyone needed anymore evidence that Russia are driving a massive wave of hard right propaganda in Europe, this is it.

So, all you “patriots” - you’ve been duped by Russia, and you are about as far from patriotic as anyone can be. You are easily brainwashed though. This is how propaganda works.

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

https://t.co/LbFDwl20GY

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

Trump's Betrayal - latest edition of Wealth of Nations https://t.co/kztHWrrMSq

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

Trump's dirty diesel deal with Putin is not just a betrayal of Ukraine. It sends an ominous message to Kyiv, Europe and the world. My latest on what's at stake for Ukraine and the transatlantic relationship and whether domestic US politics might come to the rescue (link below)

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

Trump's Betrayal - latest edition of Wealth of Nations https://t.co/kztHWrrMSq

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

Why Trump’s diesel deal sets traps for Europe, how Brussels scored a small win over China, whether Pedro Sanchez is a victim of his own success, and can Brazil walk a geopolitical tightrope - latest edition of Wealth of Nations (link below)

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

@Anniepop2027 Starmer wasn’t prime minister in 2020

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

How refreshing that we finally have a government prepared to acknowledge what everyone has known for a decade

[Rachel Sylvester @RSylvester1]

Andy Burnham says UK authorities are “clear” there was Russian interference in the Brexit referendum as @CatNeilan reports in today’s @ObserverUK
https://t.co/NuVrfAxazf

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

Trump's Betrayal - latest edition of Wealth of Nations https://t.co/kztHWrrMSq

[Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon]

Why Trump’s diesel deal sets traps for Europe, how Brussels scored a small win over China, whether Pedro Sanchez is a victim of his own success, and can Brazil walk a geopolitical tightrope - latest edition of Wealth of Nations (link below)

[Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc]

NEW!! As Trump announced an energy ceasefire, two senior Ukrainian officials tell me Kyiv was hearing the statement for the first time -- and wondered “if Putin knows it”

Minutes later, a Russian UAV strike hit Kyiv’s Thermal Power Plant-6, knocking out 200 MW and disrupting water supplies across the city

[Michael MacKay @mhmck]

Trump: There has to be a ceasefire
Zelenskyy: Yes, without conditions
Putin: No

Trump: You should meet, face-to-face
Zelenskyy: Anytime, anywhere
Putin: No

Trump: Stop hitting energy infrastructure
Zelenskyy: Agreed
Putin: No

Trump: Thank you, Putin. Zelenskyy has to go.

[Clash Report @clashreport]

Zelensky to Barak Ravid:

The ceasefire announcement was news for me. But if Russians agree to an energy ceasefire, Ukraine will agree.

If President Trump negotiated it with Putin, please tell us when the ceasefire begins. We are ready, and we will accept it.