Free Republic

Russia has stepped up its attacks to discredit Donald Trump, as relations between Washington and Moscow go south. -snip- Appearing on Solovyov live, former New York Times journalist and pro-Russian commentator John Varoli laid into Trump following his meeting with Nato chief Mark Rutte over the weekend. "Unfortunately yesterday we witnessed and became totally convinced that President Trump's health is drastically worsening," he said. "He isn't able to speak clearly, coherently or intelligently. The situation with Donald Trump's health is very, very serious. We understand that Donald Trump has truly lost his mind." As evidence, he cited the fact that...

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov revealed on Wednesday that there are currently no plans to organize a phone call between Russian and United States presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. At the same time, he noted that the call could be organized "very quickly." Trump and Putin last spoke on July 3, with the latter leader telling the US president that Moscow will not abandon its goals in Ukraine. The relationship took a turn for the worse in the aftermath of the conversation, with Trump expressing disappointment with his Russian colleague. The US leader subsequently decided to resume weapons supplies to...

Russia has more potential agricultural area than anywhere else in the world but it has run out of potatoes and onions. Even President Vladimir Putin conceded there is a problem. "It turns out we are short of potatoes," he recently said, noting the lack of sugar beet and some other vegetables too. That came after the price of potatoes soared in Russian shops, almost tripling within the last year, according to official figures. Meanwhile the price of onions has doubled. Cabbage is now 50% more expensive than it was a year ago, says statistics agency Rosstat. Russians had to pay...

Daniel Richard Martindale, a U.S. citizen accused of aiding Russian military operations inside Ukraine, has been granted Russian citizenship by decree of President Vladimir Putin. The announcement was made Tuesday in Moscow, where Martindale was shown on state television receiving his Russian passport. Martindale, who reportedly transmitted Ukrainian military coordinates to Russian forces during the war, was praised by Russian officials for his loyalty and direct support of Kremlin objectives in eastern Ukraine, News.Az reports, citing Reuters. Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed leader in occupied Donetsk, handed Martindale his new citizenship documents and expressed personal gratitude, stating: “This is a sign...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday downplayed US President Donald Trump's threat to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Russia and its trading partners, asserting that Moscow is well equipped to withstand additional sanctions. -snip- "We would like to understand what is behind this statement after about 50 days. Earlier, there were also deadlines of 24 hours and 100 days; we’ve seen it all and really would like to understand the motivation of the US president," he said. Lavrov also said the SCO countries have reiterated their commitment to Iran’s legitimate right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. "We...

Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to keep fighting in Ukraine until the West engages on his terms for peace, unfazed by U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of tougher sanctions, and his territorial demands may widen as Russian forces advance, three sources close to the Kremlin said. -snip- "Putin thinks no one has seriously engaged with him on the details of peace in Ukraine — including the Americans — so he will continue until he gets what he wants," one of the sources said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. -snip- a second source familiar with...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to publicly respond to the 50-day ultimatum President Donald Trump issued him, though one top official on Tuesday suggested that Moscow "didn’t care." Deputy Chair of Russia’s security council and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev took to X to express the Kremlin’s first reaction to the joint announcement by Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that Putin has 50 days to end its war in Ukraine or face 100% tariffs.

US President Donald Trump’s fresh tariff threat for Russia’s allies has not gone down well with China, with the latter hitting out at America’s ‘coercion’ tactics. China has expressed strong disapproval on Tuesday regarding the United States' pressure tactics, following President Donald Trump's warning of "very severe" tariffs against Russia's remaining trade partners if the Ukraine conflict remains unresolved within 50 days. "China firmly opposes all illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. There are no winners in a tariff war, and coercion and pressure will not solve problems," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian has said according to an AFP...

European Union envoys are on the verge of agreeing an 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that would include a lower price cap on Russian oil, four EU sources said after a Sunday meeting. -snip- The sources said they had also agreed to a dynamic price mechanism for the price cap. On Friday, the European Commission proposed a floating price cap on Russian oil of 15% below the average market price of crude in the previous three months. One of the sources said the initial price would be around $47 a barrel based on...

US President Donald Trump has said he will have "a major statement" on Russia on Monday, without going into detail. Trump made the remark in a phone interview with NBC News on Thursday, referring to the situation in Ukraine. The president said, "I'm disappointed in Russia, but we'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks." Trump has recently been stepping up his criticism of Russia. He has suggested he would consider additional sanctions against Moscow. Russia's presidential spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Friday that Moscow is waiting for the statement to understand what exactly President Trump means.

In the battle for Ukraine, the front line is increasingly at a standstill. The reason: rapid innovations in drone technology. From just a few commercial and homemade drones, which the Ukrainians used at the start of the war to locate invading Russian columns, unmanned vehicles now dominate the battlefield. Each side has hundreds of them constantly in the air across the 750-mile front line. Drones can lay mines, deliver everything from ammunition to medication and even evacuate wounded or dead soldiers. Crucially, drones spot any movement along the front line and are dispatched to strike enemy troops and vehicles. ‘Wedding...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday, where he described the two nations' relations as "an invincible fighting brotherhood", Russia's foreign ministry said. The ministry quoted Lavrov as saying that the visit represented the continuation of "strategic dialogue" between the two sides inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea last year. In a message passed on by Lavrov, Putin said that he hoped for more direct contacts in future, TASS news agency reported. Lavrov, the ministry said, also thanked North Korea for the troops...

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (June 24) that he would “probably” meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump confirmed the possibility when asked about a meeting. “Yeah probably I’ll see him,” he said. When asked what he intended to say to the Ukrainian leader, Trump replied, “I’ll say ‘how you doing?’ He’s in a tough situation, should never have been there.” Zelensky team confirms meeting preparations Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, also confirmed that talks were under way to...

U.S. President Donald Trump said he rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to help with the Israel-Iran conflict during a recent call, turning the focus back to the unresolved war in Ukraine. -snip- "I'd like to see a deal with Russia," Trump said on Tuesday morning as he headed to the NATO summit in the Netherlands, Fox News reported. "As you know Vladimir called me up. He said, 'Can I help you with Iran?' I said, 'No, I don't need help with Iran. I need help with you.' "And I hope we're going to be getting a deal done with...

Under pressure from President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu significantly scaled back planned retaliation against Iran's violation of a ceasefire agreement, Israeli and U.S. officials said Tuesday. -snip- "When I say 12 hours [of ceasefire], you don't go out in the first hour and drop everything you have on them," Trump said. "I am not happy with Israel going out this morning because of one rocket that was shot [by Iran], perhaps by mistake." -snip- A White House source said Trump spoke to Netanyahu in "an exceptionally firm and direct way" about his objections to the Israeli strike. "The...

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday took aim at the recent U.S. strikes on Iran, calling them a “completely unprovoked act of aggression.” “You are visiting Russia during a challenging period, marked by a significant escalation of tensions both in the region and surrounding your country,” Putin told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to an English transcript from the Kremlin. “Russia’s position on the current developments is well known. It has been clearly expressed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is reflected in the stance we’ve taken at the United Nations Security Council, with which you are already...

Tucker Carlson has once again taken the internet by storm, this time for a fiery exchange with Senator Ted Cruz of Texas over Iran, Israel, and isolationism writ large. -snip- Tucker has been criticizing the Trump administration on these subjects, piquing the president enough that he fired back. “I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is saying,” Trump, who knows Tucker personally, told reporters. “Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen.” The president followed that up with a post on Truth Social: “Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that, ‘IRAN CAN NOT HAVE...

Vladimir Putin today vowed to back Iran and condemned 'groundless' aggression against its ally after the U.S. joined Israel in striking nuclear facilities on Sunday. 'This is an absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran,' Putin told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who travelled to Moscow seeking support in mediation. Putin called recent strikes 'unjustified' and added that Russia was 'making efforts to provide assistance to the Iranian people.' Araghchi on Monday thanked Putin for condemning U.S. strikes on Iran, telling him Russia stood on 'the right side of history'.

Russia deeply regrets and condemns the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the Kremlin said on Monday. The U.S. actions had increased the number of participants in the conflict and ushered in a new spiral of escalation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He added it was not yet clear what had happened to Iran's nuclear facilities and whether there was a radiation hazard. The situation on the ground in Iran after the strikes cannot fail to be a cause of concern, he said.

The Iranian foreign minister said on Sunday that he was heading to Russia to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin on Monday, as Iran weighed a response to a wave of U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites. There was little sign that Russia was prepared to provide military assistance to Iran, its closest remaining Middle East ally, as it prioritized its own war against Ukraine. Iran has not received concrete support from any allies through 10 days of war with Israel and, now, an attack by the United States, leaving the country more isolated than it has been in decades....