Free Republic

US President Donald Trump's misplaced tariff policies are hurting America's allies but will fail to tank the Chinese economy, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday. -snip- In a tongue-in-cheek post on Telegram on Labor Day, Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, argued that Trump deserved an "exemplary labor" award for "starting the tariff battle." The US's neighbors, as well as its allies in Europe, were "suffering" and "crying" from the duties imposed by Washington, he wrote. "They are all in a really bad position, facing the need to bow down in a ritual known...

A senior Iranian military official has accused President Donald Trump of stoking domestic unrest and destabilizing the global order through what he called aggressive policies, warning that the United States is speeding toward international decline under his leadership. Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi described Trump's conduct as "destructive and unlawful"—a sharp rebuke delivered just as critical nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington face fresh delays. Newsweek has reached out the U.S. State Department and Iran's foreign ministry for comment. -snip- Safavi, top military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Friday that Trump's conduct is fueling America's...

THE brutal torture prison where sick Putin's pawns mutilated a Ukrainian journalist has been revealed. -snip- Upon arrival many receive a “welcoming” procedure known as “reception”, where guards punch, kick and beat them relentlessly with batons. The chief medic of a Ukrainian marine brigade who arrived at the prison in 2022, Volodymyr Labuzov, said: “This is a sacred ritual for them. "Blindfolded, with your hands tied and your head bowed low, you are ordered to walk, and every dog standing there considers it necessary to hit you with something.” But Labuzov said this was just the start of a string...

An airfield belonging to Russian forces in occupied Crimea has been left in flames after a devastating Ukrainian drone strike, according to reports. Footage shared online purportedly shows the fire at Kacha airfield following a huge round of strikes from Kyiv's forces. Reports suggest Ukraine launched a massive aerial bombardment overnight on the Ukrainian peninsula, which has been occupied by Russian forces since 2014 and illegally annexed by Moscow. Loud explosions were heard near the Saky airfield in Novofedorivka, as well as at the Belbek air base near Sevastopol. A missile base in the Hvardiiske area was also reported to...

US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, has said Washington and Kyiv have reached an agreement on 22 concrete action plans aimed at ending the war with Russia. Kellogg spoke to Fox News on Tuesday about last week's peace talks in London, which included representatives from the US, Ukraine, and the E3 countries (the United Kingdom, France, and Germany). “We came up with 22 very specific actions, after very candid and frank and hard discussions with the Ukrainians, we think we're in a very, very good position,” he said. He admitted that Ukrainian officials "didn't...

Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg was also scathing about Russia's military record in Ukraine. -snip- He also issued a blunt assessment of Russia’s military record in Ukraine, arguing that Mr Putin’s forces had failed to achieve any decisive victories. Mr Kellogg said: “Russia's not winning this war. Russia has not made any major advances in the last year and a half. "They haven't taken the city of Kyiv, the capital, they haven't pushed to the west of the Dnipro river (which is the major river obstacle), they haven't taken Odesa. “They've lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers and they haven't really...

Russia's President Vladimir Putin signed a decree late on Tuesday renaming the airport in Volgograd as Stalingrad, as the city was known when the Soviet army defeated the Nazi German forces in the biggest battle of World War Two, APA reports citing Reuters. "In order to perpetuate the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, I hereby decree ... to assign the historical name 'Stalingrad' to Volgograd International Airport," the decree published on the Kremlin's website said.

There will be a parade on May 9, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, APA’s Moscow correspondent reports. Commenting on threats from Kyiv regarding the May 9 Parade in Moscow, the Kremlin spokesperson called Zelensky's threatening remarks unsuccessful.

The European Commission has issued a warning to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that his expected visit to Russia for the May 9 Victory Day celebrations could seriously complicate Serbia’s accession process to the European Union. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos conveyed this message during her recent visit to Belgrade, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media. According to European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier, the warning was communicated directly to the Serbian president. “We warned Serbia that a visit to Moscow could complicate the process of negotiations and preparations for joining the EU. We expect Serbia to confirm its strategic priorities,” Mercier...

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that previous aid provided by the US to his country will not be included in the minerals deal being negotiated between Kyiv and Washington. “Agreements have been reached that the document does not include assistance provided before its signing,” Shmyhal said in a statement on Telegram late Sunday, summarizing his delegation’s visit to the US to conduct discussions on the document. Expressing that he held an “important” meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during his visit, Shmyhal said that their legal teams are working on the document and are making “good progress.” “The...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the May 9 parade, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, APA's Moscow bureau reports. According to him, the Indian Prime Minister will not visit Moscow on May 9.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Moscow to participate in the 80th anniversary celebrations of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War on May 9, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "We expect the Chinese leader to attend. There will be a separate visit of Chairman Xi. To which we attach great importance and are preparing," the spokesman said while delivering a lecture at the educational marathon "Knowledge. First," News.Az reports, citing TASS.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a peace deal on the Russia-Ukraine war should be reached with Kyiv rather than Washington, a day after the US warned it would step back as a mediator on the issue if there is no progress. Speaking at an educational marathon in the Russian capital, Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said his country is grateful to the US for its efforts in trying to mediate a peace deal with Ukraine, and that it hopes Washington's efforts are successful. Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for proposals on the issue and that Moscow...

SICK Putin has returned the disfigured body of a tortured Ukrainian journalist - after Russian pawns removed her brain and eyes. Award-winning reporter Viktoria Roschyna, 27, was brutally beaten to a pulp in occupied Ukraine where she was being held as a prisoner of war. Vile Vlad's troops sent a body bag to Ukraine, marking the corpse as an "unidentified male". But DNA testing confirmed the emaciated body - with her head shaved and a neck bone broken - was Roshchyna's. Ukrainian authorities confirmed there were "numerous signs of torture and cruel treatment". Investigators also found burn marks on her...

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Russia and Ukraine need to submit "concrete proposals" for ending the conflict, or Washington will step back as a mediator, US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce revealed on Tuesday. "We are now at a time when concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict. How we proceed from here is a decision that belongs now to the [US] president [Donald Trump]. If there is no progress, we will step back as mediators," Rubio said, according to a readout by Bruce during a...

All heads of state from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), except for Ukraine and Moldova, will attend the Victory Day parade in Moscow, said CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev, APA’s Moscow correspondent reports. "All CIS heads of state will participate in the May 9 Parade, except two... Unfortunately, Ukraine and Moldova will not attend. Nine heads of states will be present," Lebedev said, responding to a question about the participation of CIS leaders in the Moscow celebration.

US President Donald Trump wants to see a permanent ceasefire to bring the war in Ukraine to a complete stop, the White House said Monday in response to Russia's unilateral three-day pause. "I understand Vladimir Putin this morning offered a temporary ceasefire. The (US) president has made it clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire, first, to stop the killing, stop the bloodshed, and while he remains optimistic he can strike a deal, he's also being realistic as well," spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters. "Both leaders need to come to the table to negotiate their way out of this....

North Korea officially confirmed for the first time on Monday that it has deployed troops to Russia, framing it as an extension of its strategic partnership with Moscow. -snip- The commission further said that Kim Jong-un determined that the situation on the battlefield warranted the activation of Article 4 of the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty between North Korea and Russia. Based on this analysis, Kim ordered the deployment of North Korean forces and notified the Russian side accordingly, according to the statement. North Korea also noted that Kim referred to the troops dispatched to Russia as "representatives of the nation's...

Russia on Saturday publicly acknowledged for the first time that North Korean forces are fighting on its side against Ukraine. While reporting to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation in Kursk, southern Russia, General Valery Gerasimov praised North Korean DPRK soldiers for their efforts. Gerasimov said the troops had shown “high professionalism, fortitude, courage and heroism,” fulfilling combat tasks “shoulder to shoulder” with Russian servicemen. Following this admission, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that “Russia will never forget its friends from the DPRK.”

United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff left the Kremlin on Friday afternoon after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a RIA Novosti correspondent. Witkoff's motorcade was seen exiting the Kremlin around 5:19 pm local time, suggesting the meeting lasted under three hours, shorter than the four-and-a-half-hour discussion held during their previous encounter two weeks ago.