Free Republic

So, the G-7 leaders are in agreement, more war with Russia. Without actually saying exactly that, that was the main takeaway from he meeting of the most feckless leaders in the world. They also pledged $600 billion they don’t have to fund global infrastructure projects to ‘combat China’s Belt and Road Initiative.’ One wonders where all this money and, in the case of Europe, energy is going to come from to fund all of this. But the question I’ve had from the beginning of this obvious war of attrition the West wants to impose on Russia is the following: Do...

Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin on Sunday that Moscow and its allies now controlled all of Ukraine’s Luhansk region after capturing the last major city, Lysychansk. (cut) The ministry had said earlier on Sunday that its troops had captured the villages surrounding Lysychansk, encircling the area, and were fighting inside the city. Calls to the Ukrainian General Staff and Defence Ministry went unanswered. The ministry did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The withdrawal of Ukrainian troops to Seversk, Donetsk region, will allow Ukrainian forces to reduce the risk of immediate encirclement by Russian occupation forces. This is reported by the Censor.No, with reference to data from the Institute for the study of war (ISW). So, it is noted that yesterday Russian troops managed to enter Lisichansk and advance within the city, but the Ukrainian military did not officially announce the withdrawal of troops from Lisichansk, but also did not report on defensive battles around the city. Also, according to American analysts, Russian forces may establish control over the remaining territory of...

Volunteers to the country’s territorial defense forces, reserve units of Ukraine’s armed forces, were initially assigned unglamorous but safe tasks in relatively tranquil regions like western Ukraine, where the Russians did not invade. But severe losses of manpower in the Donbas region, where Russia is grinding forward with ferocious bombing and shelling, has forced Ukraine’s military to draw reinforcements from the West. Many of the fighters like Mr. Brukhal, who had no previous military experience, are simply unprepared for that escalated level of fighting. And the training they receive is limited — sometimes two weeks or less. Colonel Kurko said...

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday Ukraine had tried to strike military facilities on Belarusian territory three days ago, but all its missiles had been intercepted, the state-run Belta news agency reported. Lukashenko, who did not provide evidence for the claim, said Belarus did not want war with Ukraine, but would fight if its own territory was invaded. The Ukrainian military did not immediately comment. "They are provoking us. I have to tell you, three days ago, maybe a bit more, an attempt to strike military facilities on Belarusian territory was made from the territory of Ukraine," Belta quoted...

Today the representatives of Turkiye, Finland and Sweden, under the auspices of the NATO Secretary General, have agreed the following. NATO is an Alliance based on the principles of collective defence and the indivisibility of security, as well as on common values. Turkiye, Finland and Sweden affirm their adherence to the principles and values enshrined in the Washington Treaty. One of the key elements of the Alliance is unwavering solidarity and cooperation in the fight against terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, which constitutes a direct threat to the national security of Allies as well as to international peace...

General Timo Kivinen said Finland has prepared for decades for a Russian attack and would put up stiff resistance if it happened. He added a crucial factor is Finns would be motivated to fight. The defence chief said: "Ukraine has been a tough bite to chew [for Russia] and so would be Finland." He added the Nordic country has built up a substantial arsenal. General Kivinen said: "We have systematically developed our military defence precisely for this type of warfare that is being waged there [in Ukraine], with a massive use of firepower, armoured forces and also airforces." Helsinki has...

Warning: Contains graphic descriptions of war | A former Canadian soldier, identified as Shadow, tells CBC’s David Common about the violence he’s witnessed, the courage of Ukrainians and why he went over to fight. #ukraine #canada #ukrainewar Watch The National live on YouTube Sunday-Friday at 9 p.m. ET Subscribe to The National: https://www.youtube.com/user/CBCTheNa... Connect with The National online: Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/thenational Twitter | https://twitter.com/CBCTheNational Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/cbcthenational More from CBC News | https://www.cbc.ca/news The National is CBC's flagship nightly news program, featuring the day's top stories with in-depth and original journalism, with hosts Adrienne Arsenault and Andrew Chang in Toronto,...

ELMAU, Germany (AP) — President Joe Biden and western allies opened a three-day summit in the Bavarian Alps on Sunday intent on keeping economic fallout from the war in Ukraine from fracturing the global coalition working to punish Russia’s aggression. Britain’s Boris Johnson warned the leaders not to give in to “fatigue” even as Russia lobbed new missiles at Kyiv.The leaders were set to announce new bans on imports of Russian gold, the latest in a series of sanctions the club of democracies hopes will further isolate Russia economically. They also were looking at possible price caps on energy meant...

Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered remarks on soaring gas prices from his fake White House set in the South Court Auditorium. Biden repeated the same lies in his speech and blamed Vladimir Putin for high gas prices. "Let’s remember how we got here: Putin invaded Ukraine,” said Biden. Gas prices spiked before Putin invaded Ukraine. Joe Biden scolded Republicans and said there is no way they can simultaneously blame him for high gas prices AND oppose Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. "So, for all those Republicans criticizing me for high gas prices in America, are you now saying we were wrong...

The burn rate for this government (Ukraine...) is somewhere between five and six billion dollars a month and that is a staggering burn rate. USAID was part of president Biden's commitment in disbursing a billion dollars to the world bank trust fund. Thanks to congress and rare bipartisanship in this town we have 7.5 billion dollars more direct budget support that we wish to be providing to Ukraine. That is a lot of money and that is money that we know is not going to be enough. We know that more direct budget support is going to be needed down...

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland jetted into Ukraine on Tuesday in a surprise visit for talks with prosecutors on Russian war crimes.The top U.S. law enforcement official made the unannounced trip to the war-ravaged country to discuss efforts hold Russia accountable for the unprovoked invasion of its neighbor.

A document released by a news outlet on Tuesday reportedly shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered that his government destroy all the documents related to the nation’s biolabs being run in collaboration with the Hunter Biden-connected firm Metabiota. NBC may have actually caught this destruction on camera. ...

But the U.S. hasn’t provided nearly enough launchers to blunt the Russian equipment advantage. Ohio Republican Rob Portman, who is co-chairman of the Senate Ukraine caucus, on the Senate floor this week offered a blunt assessment of the facts on the ground: Brutal fighting continues in Severodonetsk, where the Russians are making grinding progress, and the Luhansk region could fall within weeks if the Ukrainians can’t get longer-range artillery. “Because the Russians have more artillery than the Ukrainians and their weapons have longer ranges,” the Senator explained, “the Russian forces concentrate massive firepower on Ukrainian positions at distances, which the...

Between a tanking stock market, soaring inflation, and mounting recession fears, Americans are turning on the economy. And somewhere, Vladimir Putin is probably smiling about it.Amid all the chaos, inflation has become the biggest financial concern of nearly every American as prices rise for everything from gas to groceries.There are several reasons that inflation reached a 40-year-high of 8.6% last month, including rising rents and labor costs. But economists say a major driver is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the subsequent disruption to commodities that it has caused.“The Russian invasion and spike in oil and other commodity prices is the...

The Biden administration’s plan to sell four large, armable drones to Ukraine has been paused on the fear its sophisticated surveillance equipment might fall into enemy hands, according to two people familiar with the matter. The decision on whether or not to continue with the deal is now being reviewed higher up the chain of command at the Pentagon, but the timing of any decision is uncertain, one of the people a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity. According to Army budget documents, the Gray Eagles cost $10 million each.

... The Zelensky aide said he feared that Scholz, Macron and Draghi “will try to get a Minsk III. They will say that we need to end the war that is causing food problems and economic problems, that Russians and Ukrainians are dying, that we need to save Mr Putin’s face, that the Russians made mistakes and that we need to forgive and give them a chance to return to world society.” Germany’s leading center-right daily Die Welt commented: “Kyiv is beginning to have doubts about the solidarity of the West. Voices are being raised calling for peace efforts. In...

Two little-noticed news stories capture the true picture of the state of the global culture war today. The first is from the American deep red state of Idaho, where The Satanic Temple is holding a "Pride" event that features a "Drag Dance Party" and "Unbaptisms" – a ritual in which people who were once baptized as Christians publicly renounce Jesus Christ.The other is from Russia, where the national Duma (legislature) has just introduced legislation to expand its 2013 ban on LGBT propaganda to children to include ALL LGBT propaganda throughout the society.To my knowledge, I am the only culture war...

WASHINGTON. June 15 (Interfax) - United States President Joe Biden has said that he has informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the phone that the U.S. is providing another $1 billion in security assistance for Kyiv, the White House said on Wednesday. "I informed President Zelensky that the United States is providing another $1 billion in security assistance for Ukraine," Biden said in a statement. This assistance includes "additional artillery and coastal defense weapons, as well as ammunition for the artillery and advanced rocket systems," he said.

The Biden administration announced on Wednesday it was providing an additional $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine to fight Russia, a package that includes shipments of additional howitzers, ammunition and coastal defense systems. The latest weapons package comes as Ukraine's military is burning through its Soviet-era ammunition, while Ukrainian officials have pleaded with the West to send additional heavy weaponry as the war with Russia girds on. Western intelligence and military officials believe the war is at a critical stage that could determine the long-term outcome of the conflict, while Russia has amassed a significant artillery advantage around two...