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    'We Are Governed by Children': Disgust as Trump and Vance Bully Zelenskyy in Oval Office

    A White House meeting on Friday between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rapidly devolved into chaos as the two American leaders took turns berating Zelenskyy with television cameras rolling and the global public looking on. Both Trump and Vance bizarrely demanded that Zelenskyy show more gratitude for the military aid the U.S. has provided Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and pressured him to accept an as-yet-undefined deal to end the war. Vance told Zelenskyy he must "say thank you" and chided him for "trying to fight it out in the American media when you're wrong," but Trump intervened to say, "I think it's good for the American people to see what's going on here... that's why I kept this going so long." "You have to be thankful," Trump told the Ukrainian president, who has repeatedly thanked the American public for the U.S. government's military assistance. "You don't have the cards," Trump continued as Zelenskyy tried in vain to interject. "You're buried there, your people are dying, you're running low on soldiers." "You've gotta be more thankful" -- remarkable scenes out of the White House as Trump and JD Vance team up to do Putin's bidding and demean Zelenskyy pic.twitter.com/wjp8UfqN0G — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2025 Insisting that Russian President Vladimir Putin can't be trusted to uphold a bilateral cease-fire, Zelenskyy is demanding security guarantees against a future Russian attack in any agreement to end the conflict—a demand that Trump has thus far rejected. "Your country is in big trouble," Trump, who falsely suggested last week that Ukraine started the war, told Zelenskyy during the Oval Office meeting, which was meant to kick off talks regarding U.S. access Ukraine's rare earth minerals. Zelenskyy left the White House on Friday without signing a minerals deal. "You're either going to make a deal or we're out,” Trump told Zelenskyy during Friday's meeting, a clear threat to withdraw U.S. support for Ukraine. "And if we're out, you'll fight it out and I don't think it's going to be pretty." Trump to Zelensky: "Your country is in big trouble. No, no, you've done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble. You're not winning this." pic.twitter.com/SDmKGXMgNl — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2025 Observers were aghast at Trump and Vance's conduct during Friday's meeting, which was likened to an ambush. At one point, as Trump responded dismissively to Zelenskyy's call for security guarantees as part of any cease-fire deal, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States was seen with her head in her hands. "Wow. Just wow," said CNN's Dana Bash following the meeting. Zeteo's Mehdi Hasan wrote on social media that it is "insane that this just happened." "We are governed by children," he added. Watch the full exchange: WATCH: Full Heated Exchange between President Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. pic.twitter.com/oMJUGPqbSU — CSPAN (@cspan) February 28, 2025 U.S. lawmakers also voiced disgust over Trump and Vance's behavior, with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) writing that the meeting was "an utter embarrassment for America." Shortly after the meeting concluded, Trump took to his social media platform to accuse Zelenskyy of disrespecting the U.S. "in its cherished Oval Office." "He can come back when he is ready for peace," Trump added as backlash over his treatment of Zelenskyy continued to pour in. "Trump berates Zelensky, the leader of a democratic country courageously fighting Russian imperialism, while he allies himself with Putin, a dictator who started the bloodiest European war in 80 years," U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote on social media. "Sorry, President Trump," Sanders added. "We believe in democracy, not authoritarianism."

  1. Starmer to hold talks with Zelenskyy and Meloni before Ukraine defence summit

    Prime minister will host more than a dozen countries over weekend as Europe tries to secure deal to end war Europe live – latest updates Keir Starmer will hold talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni in Downing Street on Sunday before a major London defence summit aimed at securing “lasting and enforced” peace in Ukraine. Fresh from his trip to see Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday, Starmer has headed back to London to host the defence summit, where more than a dozen world leaders will gather to discuss Ukraine. Continue reading...

    Well done for surviving the Trump test, PM. But our true friends are in Europe | Stella Creasy

    Keir Starmer seems to have secured a diplomatic coup, however let’s be clear – the president’s view of us remains hostile If a week is a long time in politics, a week dominated by the fascination and fear as to what President Trump may do next is an eternity. Fresh off the plane from Washington, Keir Starmer will spend this weekend hosting the great and good of our continent as they take stock of prospects for Ukraine. For the third time since the second world war – after Suez in 1956 and Iraq in 2003 – the United Kingdom is being forced to work out where it stands between the US and Europe. In the aftermath of those past crises, Britain chose to hug the US as tightly as possible, even if that meant drifting away from European friends. The prime minister appears to have secured a diplomatic coup in getting through his crunch encounter with Donald Trump mostly unscathed. But don’t let bonhomie and bad taste comments about wives fool you: we are still in crisis, and the old routine won’t save us. Continue reading...

  2. Russia-linked Telegram channels ‘offering to pay for attacks on mosques’

    Exclusive: campaigners say cryptocurrency payments were offered to UK residents if they daubed anti-Muslim graffiti A network of Telegram channels with Russian links is encouraging UK residents to commit violent attacks on mosques and Muslims and offering cryptocurrency in return, campaigners have warned. The channels have already been linked to real world events in the form of Islamophobic graffiti sprayed on mosques and schools in east and south London earlier this month, sometimes with the names of the groups mentioned. Those incidents are under investigation by the police. Continue reading...

    It’s Time to End the War Between Ukraine and Russia

    Three years have now passed since war broke out between Russia and Ukraine. The toll this needless conflict has taken is unbearable and needless. From the onset, I have opposed every single penny of American taxpayer dollars to fund the proxy war. Let me be clear: I feel no animus toward the Ukrainian people, nor any special affinity for Vladmir Putin. In fact, I would like to see both populations thrive and so I oppose their needless slaughter to serve the misguided ambitions of the pro-war military industrial complex and its allies in our foreign policy establishment. The leftist media routinely spins any advocacy for peace as the drivel of a Russian stooge or a puppet for Putin. I am neither. For the sake of humanity, peace abroad is in the world’s best interest. The cause of the ongoing conflict cannot be reduced to a single narrative. In fact, for nearly three decades, the United States played a multifaceted role that undoubtedly led to the war. In February 1990, Secretary of State James Baker told the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that “if the Soviets allowed a reunified Germany to remain in NATO and U.S. troops remained in that country, the alliance’s jurisdiction would not move ‘one inch to the east.’” Despite these assurances, in 1993 then-President Bill Clinton expanded NATO, surrounding the former Soviet Union. Clinton was determined to move ahead no matter how the Russians felt and no matter what promises had been made. “The basic U.S. attitude was that if Moscow did not like the idea, too bad for them,” wrote Michael Chapman at the Cato Institute. In 2002, President George W. Bush announced the United States’ exit from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which sought to cap the arms race by limiting homeland missile defenses, thus reducing pressures on the superpowers to build more nuclear weapons. Bush promptly ordered the placement of Anti-Ballistic Missile systems along Russian borders. At Bush’s urging, NATO further exacerbated tensions at the 2008 Bucharest Summit by promising Ukraine entrance into NATO. In 2010, the Ukrainian people elected Viktor Yanukovych, whose administration favored reconciliation and peaceful relations with Russia. This was not to the U.S. State Department’s liking. In 2014, then-Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland coordinated with assets in the CIA and USAID to unseat Yanukovych in a coup d’état. During the coup a call between senior U.S. diplomats leaked to the press wherein Nuland was overheard discussing which leaders should be allowed to remain and which should be removed. Nuland seemed to have “very clear ideas about what the outcome should be and [was] striving to achieve these goals,” according to the BBC. Nuland’s choice was Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a rabidly anti-Russian politician. With America’s help, Yatsenyuk emerged as the new Prime Minister. Those actions, along with others, caused Putin to feel profoundly betrayed, humiliated and threatened. In response, Russia began massing tanks and troops along the Ukrainian border. Two months before the invasion of Ukraine, Putin recalled America’s past promises noting “We remember … how you promised us in the 1990s that [NATO] would not move an inch to the east. You cheated us, shamelessly: there have been five waves of NATO expansion.” Today, as the war continues, the Western press and neoconservatives refuse to acknowledge America’s three-decade involvement contributing to the conflict. They also refuse to acknowledge that the Kyiv regime has repeatedly violated its citizens’ civil liberties. Under Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian government has arrested priests and raided a monastery, suspended 11 opposition political parties, and consolidated all television platforms into one state channel. Appropriately, President Donald Trump referred to Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator without elections.” This is correct. Zelenskyy’s term ended in May 2024, yet he has decided to remain in power, canceling elections and declaring martial law. Contrast this with the United States, which held elections throughout two World Wars and during the Civil War. This all changes with Trump, whose agenda is for peace and negotiation between the belligerents. This is, and must always be, the first order priority of the United States. Our role as leader of the free world should be that of a peacemaker, not a warmonger. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently remarked that he did “not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.” Critics decried Hegseth’s comments, calling them pro-Russian concessions. But Hegseth reframed the issue, explaining that “simply pointing out realism–like the borders won’t be rolled back to what everybody would like them to be in 2014–is not a concession to Vladimir Putin. It’s a recognition of the hard power realities on the ground after a lot of investment and sacrifice … and then a realization that a negotiated peace is going to be some sort of demarcation that neither side wants.”  The horrific Russia-Ukraine War has lasted three years, taking the lives of countless individuals on both sides and costing American taxpayers countless billions of dollars.  I will never cheer on nor support needless bloodshed, environmental destruction, and potential nuclear annihilation at the exclusive benefit of the military-industrial complex and other war profiteers. Instead, I will always try my best to pursue peace and reconciliation. That is why I invited Putin and Zelenskyy to come to Arizona to engage in peace talks. I plan to continue my opposition to sending American taxpayer money to Ukraine, as well as my support for a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war. It’s time to end the needless war and I laud the efforts of Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Hegseth to bring the annihilation of multiple Eastern European peoples to an end. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post It’s Time to End the War Between Ukraine and Russia appeared first on The Daily Signal.

  3. Ukraine war briefing: Trump panders to Russia by shutting Kyiv out of Nato, says Kaja Kallas

    EU foreign secretary says US wouldn’t have sat down with Bin Laden to ask what he wanted after 9/11; strikes on Kharkiv energy targets. What we know on day 1,101 Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign minister, has accused Donald Trump of falling for a Russian narrative by closing the door on Nato membership for Ukraine. “Why are we in Nato? It is because we are afraid of Russia. And the only thing that really works – the only security guarantee that works – is Nato’s umbrella,” she said. Trump said last week of the war that Ukraine potentially joining Nato was “probably the reason the whole thing started”. In an interview published on Thursday by Agence France-Presse, Kallas said: “These accusations are totally untrue. That is the Russian narrative that we should not buy.” Kallas – a former prime minister of Estonia, which borders Russia – said Nato countries had never attacked Russia which instead was “afraid of democracy”. Interviewed in Washington, the EU high representative for foreign affairs, said of Trump’s approach: “My question is, why we should give Russia what they want on top of what they have already done – attacking Ukraine, annexing territory, occupying territory, and now offering something on top of it? … Consider here in America that after 9/11 you would have sat down with Osama bin Laden and said ‘OK, what else do you want?’ I mean, it’s unimaginable.” Trump, meeting with the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, on Thursday appeared to distance himself from previous remarks in which he falsely called Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator. “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that,” he said, before admitting that his relationship with the Ukrainian president had got a “little testy” over financial support but was now on firmer ground. Trump once again had to be corrected by a European leader when he falsely claimed Europe was getting back the money it had given for Ukraine’s defence. Starmer said: “We’re not getting all of ours. I mean, quite a bit of ours was gifted. It was given. There were some loans, but mainly it was gifted actually.” Emmauel Macron, the French president, interjected on the same point when he met with Trump on Monday. Russian forces staged mass strikes late on Thursday on energy targets in the Kharkiv region of north-eastern Ukraine, the regional governor said. Oleh Syniehubov said one man was injured in a Russian attack on the town of Balakliia, south-east of Kharkiv. Ukraine’s air force reported threats of attacks by glide bombs and drones in the region. North Korea has sent more soldiers to Russia and redeployed several to the frontline in Kursk, the South Korean spy agency told Agence France-Presse on Thursday. “The exact scale is still being assessed,” an official said. Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Georgiy Tykhy said: “This is, I think, a wake-up call for everyone globally to understand that the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific has never been more directly linked than it is today. We don’t think that the reaction of the international community has been sufficient.” Nato allies to Ukraine are preparing billions more in aid and contributions to security guarantees, the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, said on Thursday, adding he had had a great talk with Donald Trump. The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, has insisted there will be no more negotiations over a critical minerals and resources deal that the Trump administration is expecting Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sign when he arrives in Washington on Friday. Bessent said the deal was complete. Two researchers at France’s main state research agency were sentenced on Thursday to eight months in prison for throwing improvised explosive devices at the Russian consulate in Marseille in protest at Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Georges Sitja, 59, and Vasile Heresanu, 48, are expected to serve their sentences out of jail by wearing electronic tags. Continue reading...

  4. Trump says Putin would keep his word on a Ukraine peace deal

    President claims presence of US workers in Ukraine would deter Russian aggression after talks with Keir Starmer Starmer visits Trump: latest updates Donald Trump has insisted that Vladimir Putin would “keep his word” on a peace deal for Ukraine, arguing that US workers extracting critical minerals in the country would act as a security backstop to deter Russia from invading again. During highly anticipated talks at the White House with the prime minister, Keir Starmer, the US president said that Putin could be trusted not to breach any agreement, which could aim to return as much of the land as possible to Ukraine that was seized by Russia during the brutal three-year conflict. Continue reading...

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