Free Republic

President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday that Russia, which has already decided to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, could if necessary put intercontinental nuclear missiles there too. In an annual address to lawmakers and government officials, Lukashenko said Moscow's plans to station nuclear arms on the territory of its close ally would help protect Belarus, which he said was under threat from the West. (snip) "I am not trying to intimidate or blackmail anyone. I want to safeguard the Belarusian state and ensure peace for the Belarusian people," Lukashenko said. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that...

President Vladimir Putin will provide Chinese President Xi Jinping with detailed "clarifications" on Russia's point of view on the Ukraine conflict during Xi's state visit to Russia that begins on Monday, the Kremlin said. During a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two leaders would discuss themes in a peace plan for Ukraine proposed by Beijing last month. "One way or another, the topics that figured in this plan will inevitably be touched upon during the exchange of views on Ukraine" between Putin and Xi, Peskov said.

The talks will focus on their 'deepening' relationship and 'strategic co-operation' The two leaders will also sign 'important bilateral documents', China sa No other details were given but China has declared a 'no-limits' friendship with Russia and refused to condemn Moscow's invasion of Ukraine - while declaring the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries be respected. The Kremlin on Friday also announced the visit, saying it will take place 'at the invitation of Vladimir Putin'...... The visit, Putin said, could 'demonstrate to the whole world the strength of the Russian-Chinese ties' and 'become the main political event of the...

China's President Xi Jinping will travel to Moscow next week to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, officials say. The Kremlin said they would discuss a "comprehensive partnership and strategic co-operation". The visit comes as Beijing, an ally of Russia, has offered proposals to end the war in Ukraine, to which the West has given a lukewarm reception. Western countries have warned Beijing against supplying Moscow with weapons. This will be President Xi's first visit to Russia since Russian troops invaded Ukraine. He is due to have lunch with Mr Putin on Monday followed by talks on Tuesday. A...

Yes. I think they will. But not because Russia is running out of shells and rockets. Nope. I think China wants a chance to field test some of its weaponry and drones against a foe that shoots back in order to see how they perform in a combat environment. Firing artillery or surface-to-air missiles on a closed range does not compare with lighting them up on a bona fide battlefield.The warnings to China to not help Russia is not new. One year ago the Biden team put out the word that:China will face consequences if it helps Russia evade sanctions...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Moscow, just days after the U.S. warned that Beijing may increase support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. “We are expecting the President of the People’s Republic of China in Russia,” Putin said during a visit from China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Wednesday. On Saturday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of “strongly considering” providing Russia with “lethal assistance” for its war in Ukraine, which is set to reach the one-year mark on Friday. Blinken reportedly warned Wang against such a move when the two...

The US believes China may be providing non-lethal military assistance to Russia for use in Ukraine, according to four US officials familiar with the matter, and the administration is concerned they are considering sending lethal aid.

"No amount of reckless attempts will let the imperialist coalition forces overpower the heroic spirit of the army and people of Russia, distinguished by fiery patriotism, resilience and strong morale," Kim Yo-jong said TOKYO, January 27./TASS/.The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will always "stand in the same trench" side by side with the Russian army and people, Kim Yo-jong, the Deputy Department Director of the Publicity and Information Department of the Workers Party of Korea, sister of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said on Friday. In a statement released by the KCNA news agency, she vowed that the...

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed Friday to deepen their bilateral cooperation against the backdrop of Moscow’s 10-month war in Ukraine, which weathered another night of drone and rocket attacks following a large-scale missile bombardment. Putin and Xi made no direct mention of Ukraine in their opening remarks by videoconference, which were broadcast publicly, before going into private talks. But they hailed strengthening ties between Moscow and Beijing amid what they called “geopolitical tensions” and a “difficult international situation,” with Putin expressing his wish to extend military collaboration. “In the face of...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel unveiled a monument in a north Moscow square on Tuesday to Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, pledging to deepen their friendship in the face of U.S. sanctions against both countries. SNIP But Putin evoked his memory as he told Diaz-Canel the two countries needed to build on the "solid foundation of friendship" established between Castro and Soviet leaders. "It's a real work of art - dynamic, in motion, moving forward. It creates the image of a fighter," Putin said of the statue, which portrays Castro gazing into the distance with...

Donald Trump might have turned down Joe and Mika's importuning for an invitation, but Joe Biden was a lot more amenable. On today's Morning Joe, Scarborough and Brzezinski revealed that they had attended last night's state dinner, Biden's first as president, in honor of visiting French president Emmanuel Macron. Forget any notion that journalists should maybe avoid going to White House dinners so they can appear as nonpartisan as they can. No no, when you can brag about your important place in the elite, that's most important. Get the rest of the story and view the video here.

(Subtitle) Isolated and embattled, Russia and Iran are increasingly cooperative. Russia once viewed the G-20 group of leading economies as the world’s key cooperative forum. No longer. The November 15-16 meeting in Bali will not be attended by Vladimir Putin and there is therefore little chance that his isolation will be illustrated through face-to-face condemnations from Western leaders. That’s not to say that Russia has no friends, just that it has fewer than before its all-out war on Ukraine began in February. North Korea, for example, has reportedly drawn closer to the Kremlin through supplies of military equipment to aid...

Iran’s foreign minister on Saturday acknowledged for the first time that his country has supplied Russia with drones, insisting the transfer came before Moscow’s war on Ukraine that has seen the Iranian-made drones divebombing Kyiv. The comments by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian come after months of confusing messaging from Iran about the weapons shipment, as Russia sends the drones slamming into Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilian targets. “We gave a limited number of drones to Russia months before the Ukraine war,” Amirabdollahian told reporters after a meeting in Tehran. Previously, Iranian officials had denied arming Russia in its war...

Pro-life Sen. Josh Hawley expressed alarm Wednesday about U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson’s “soft” record on child sex offenders amid growing concerns about protecting children from abuse. Jackson, President Joe Biden’s nominee to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, also has a pro-abortion record that includes working with abortion activists on a case about suppressing pro-life advocates’ free speech. Her record on unborn babies’ rights has pro-life advocates opposing her nomination. Now, Hawley’s findings are raising additional concerns about other vulnerable children. “Judge Jackson has a pattern of letting child porn offenders off the hook for their appalling crimes,...

A veteran CNN producer who worked “shoulder to shoulder” with now disgraced ex-anchor Chris Cuomo has been indicted on charges of luring young girls to his Vermont ski house for “sexual subservience” training. John Griffin, of Stamford, CT, allegedly used messaging apps to befriend and persuade moms of young girls, telling them “a woman is a woman regardless of her age,” and that he should be the one to “train” their daughters sexually, according to the indictment from the US Attorney of Vermont. Griffin, 44, allegedly got at least one mom of two daughters to bring the girl to his...

The California attorney general's office has filed felony charges against the executive director of the state's largest labor union, alleging that an investigation into possible campaign finance violations revealed that Alma Hernández and her husband underreported their income by more than $1.4 million to evade taxes.... ...Named one of Capitol Weekly's Top 100 California politicos, Hernández is a seasoned political operator who helped activate an army of SEIU volunteers to fight the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom last month. SEIU California President Bob Schoonover said the organization is deeply concerned about the allegations and will continue to fully cooperate with...

Via the Examiner. Come on, people. He’s kidding! He’s a kidder.I mean, I think he’s kidding. Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time he’s floated the idea of O’Reilly returning to the network, like Napoleon escaping from exile to rule the empire once again. From July: And it also wouldn’t be the first time one of them has tried to recruit the other, assuming this 2017 report from Gabriel Sherman is true: As I reported this morning on @amjoyshow, Bill O'Reilly has talked Hannity about teaming up to go to Sinclair Broadcasting, sources say.— Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) July...

Pope Signals Closeness to (Red) China and Distance from Taiwan and Hong Kong ROME — Pope Francis sent subtle but clear signals of closeness to Beijing while distancing himself from Taiwan and Hong Kong during his flight to Japan from Thailand Saturday. In a series of telegrams to officials of the three territories, the pope disclosed the current diplomatic position of the Vatican regarding key Asian conflicts. Especially revealing was the wording of the pontiff’s telegrams to China and Taiwan and the different manner in which he described each nation.

“A national reparations policy is a moral, democratic, and economic imperative.” (Danny Glover before a House Judiciary panel, June 19.)So apparently “morality” and “democracy” are issues of enormous concern for Danny Glover, no? Well: “My heart beat faster!–This is one of the most important moments in my life!” said a hyperventilating Danny Glover while visiting the Che Guevara memorial in Santa Clara, Cuba during one of his frequent red-carpet visits to Stalinist, terror-sponsoring Cuba where he renders honor and tribute to the mass-murdering terrorist whose lifelong craving was to NUKE Glover’s homeland–and whose regime jailed and tortured the most and longest-suffering BLACK political...

New York State plans to restore voting rights to about 35,000 New York felons on parole who previously were barred from casting a ballot until they completed their parole, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday.