Free Republic

Mr. President, we know you understand that the primary obstacle to peace in Ukraine is Russia’s aggression. You said you were “disappointed” in the conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and that you “don’t think he’s looking to stop.” Putin again insisted he was unwilling to commit to a ceasefire until the “root causes” of the conflict were addressed. For Vlad, the “root cause” is the existence of Ukraine. He followed your call with the largest drone and missile strike of the war, killing at least one. So why, Mr. President, is your administration punishing Ukraine? The Pentagon has halted...

Vladimir Putin has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at the USA as the nation gears up to celebrate its Independence Day on July 4. The Russian President couldn't resist pointing out that he considers Russia to have played a key role in helping the much younger country achieve statehood during a call with his American counterpart on Thursday. Putin said: "Russia played an important role in the formation of American statehood, including through the War of Independence 250 years ago, and then during the Civil War, which ended 160 years ago." Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov added: "Of course, he congratulated Trump...

Vladimir Putin has claimed in a phone call with Donald Trump that Russia played a role in the formation of the United States. Speaking a day before America celebrates Independence Day, the Russian leader reportedly congratulated Mr Trump about its national holiday, held on July 4. According to a report by Tass, a state-owned news agency, Yury Ushakov, the Russian presidential aide, said during the call “it was noted from our side that Russia played an important role in the formation of American statehood including during the War of Independence 250 years ago, and then during the Civil War, which...

Russian President Vladimir Putin swiftly exited an interview to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump. A video that emerged online shows Putin amid a panel interview with a packed crowd, informing them that he needs to leave to speak with Trump or risks upsetting him. "Please don't be angry, I understand that we could talk more, but it's so awkward to make [Trump] wait, he could get offended. Thank you very much, good luck," Putin told the crowd.

United States President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to speak over the phone tomorrow and discuss Washington's unexpected pause in arms deliveries to Kiev, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. Pentagon's decision to stop supplying some advanced weapons systems to Kiev, including munitions and missiles, prompted Ukraine to summon the acting US envoy, fearing the move would jeopardize the country's defense amid the ongoing conflict with Russia. Furthermore, sources familiar with the matter indicated that Zelensky will press the topic of potential new US arms sales. Trump's last meeting with his Ukrainian colleague came during...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he will speak on the phone with United States President Donald Trump later in the day. He made the remark while visiting a Russian business fair and did not elaborate on the topics he will discuss with Trump. More to come...

Until today, there have been no confirmed reports of Storm Shadows being deployed since November last year. VLADIMIR Putin's officers have been killed in droves in the first British-made Storm Shadow strike in months, reports claim. Bombshell footage showed the damage in Donetsk amid claims of “massive casualties among Russian officers” and the “crippling” of a mad Vlad fighting force. If confirmed, it would be the first use of the British-supplied missiles in months. Red-faced Russian authorities admitted only that a woman had died and three people were wounded, including a teenager. A building collapsed in the combined missile and...

The 17-year-old son of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, Adam, has been married to a local girl named only as Medni, reportedly a relative of Adam Delimkhanov, an MP from Chechnya and close ally of Ramzan Kadyrov. The large-scale wedding took place over three consecutive days, from Thursday to Saturday, in the village of Akhmat-Yurt (formerly Tsentoroy), the ancestral home of the Kadyrov family in Chechnya. According to unconfirmed reports, Adam Kadyrov married the daughter of Chechen Senator Suleiman Geremeev, who is a close ally of Ramzan Kadyrov and is a cousin of Russian MP Adam Delimkhanov. The ceremony was preceded...

The Belarusian ruler’s price controls have backfired. Alexander Lukashenko’s stubborn grip on the Belarusian economy plunged the potato-happy country into a spud shortage this spring. Critics of the authoritarian ruler, who in January grabbed a seventh term in power, say he has warped the economy with strict price controls on staples like potatoes — while encouraging citizens to snitch on grocery stores that flout regime rules. The limits, launched by Lukashenko in October 2022 as he aimed to keep prices low and stave off inflation, instead made potatoes far less profitable for farmers to produce. Opponents say that decisions made...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the country was dismissed regarding its concern about NATO expansion. "We emphasized that the security of one nation or a group of nations cannot come at the expense of another's security. This principle is enshrined in international agreements that all parties have ratified," Putin said. "Yet, in practice, what transpired?" Putin continued. "One NATO expansion after another. We were consistently reassured, 'there's nothing to fear; it doesn't pose a threat to you.' When we expressed our concerns, asserting that we believed it did threaten us, what was the response? Nothing at all. We...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia's defense spending amounts to 13.5 trillion rubles or 6.3% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), describing it as "a lot." He said Russia "paid for" its high defense bill with inflation, but stressed that the government is fighting it. "We are purposefully moving towards a soft landing for the economy in some way. Nevertheless, we still have a very healthy attitude towards this," he told reporters. Putin noted that Russia plans to decrease its defense spending. While there are currently no definitive agreements, "in general, everyone is thinking in this...

Laura Loomer fiercely responded to Tucker Carlson after he labeled her the "world's creepiest human," sharing an old text message he sent her while poking fun at his bizarre claims of being "physically mauled" in bed by a demon. During the latest episode of his "After Party" podcast, Carlson directed barbs at both Loomer and his former Fox colleague Mark Levin. He criticized Levin for donning the "Trump skinsuit," suggesting it served his political agenda. Unlike Levin and Loomer, both of whom openly backed President Donald Trump's controversial bombing of Iran, Carlson took a firm stand against such military interventions....

Tucker Carlson’s podcast surged up the YouTube and Spotify charts last week, buoyed by his confrontational interview with Senator Ted Cruz and his feud with fellow MAGA media stars over the Israel-Iran conflict. According to the latest available data, “The Tucker Carlson Show” jumped to No. 5 on YouTube’s weekly podcast rankings — a significant leap from his No. 18 ranking upon YouTube’s chart launch last month, and No. 14 just a few weeks ago. Carlson’s program also landed at No. 2 on Spotify’s podcast chart and No. 14 on Apple’s Top Shows for last week.

The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro ruthlessly mocked Tucker Carlson on Tuesday over his professed concern that a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities could lead to World War III. “President [Donald] Trump was never, ever going to get us into a nation-building project in Iran. That was never-, have you met President Trump? Have you watched him for the last 10 years?” asked Shapiro rhetorically to kick off his rant. “What unbelievable lack of faith it shows in President Trump for people to suggest that Trump, of all people, was going to get us in to World War III on a...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked President Donald Trump after they had a talk Wednesday at the NATO summit in the Netherlands — months after Vice President JD Vance called out Zelenskyy for not voicing more gratitude for U.S. support for Kyiv as it battles Moscow. When Zelenskyy visited the White House in February he sparred openly with Trump and Vance in the Oval Office over engaging in diplomacy with Russia to end the conflict, prompting Vance to ask the Ukrainian leader if he'd "said thank you once this entire meeting." But on Wednesday Zelenskyy made sure to thank Trump and...

President Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “couldn’t have been nicer” during their one-on-one meeting Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit at The Hague. Trump said at a press conference that the two leaders did not discuss details of a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, but stressed their shared desire to end the war swiftly. “No, no, I just — I wanted to know how he’s doing,” Trump told the reporter. “It was very nice, actually. We had a little rough times. He couldn’t have been nicer. I think he’d like to see an end to this, I...

President Donald Trump took a swipe at former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for suggesting that other countries would step in to supply Iran with nuclear warheads in retaliation for the U.S. strikes on Saturday that targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities. "Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the ‘N word’ (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran? Did he really say that or, is it just a figment of my imagination? If he did say that, and, if confirmed, please let me know, IMMEDIATELY. The ‘N word’ should not...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia is stepping up production of its Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic missile, which it launched for the first time against Ukraine last November. "Serial production of the latest Oreshnik medium-range missile system is under way," Putin told a graduating class of military cadets in televised comments. The system has "proven itself very well in combat conditions," he added. -snip- Putin has boasted that the Oreshnik is impossible to intercept and has destructive power comparable to a nuclear weapon, although some Western experts have cast doubt on those claims. In December, a U.S. official...

Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the “N word” (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran? Did he really say that or, is it just a figment of my imagination? If he did say that, and, if confirmed, please let me know, IMMEDIATELY. The “N word” should not be treated so casually. I guess that’s why Putin’s “THE BOSS.” By the way, if anyone thinks our “hardware” was great over the weekend, far and away the strongest and best equipment we have, 20 years advanced over the pack,...

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...