Free Republic

President Donald Trump has had a simple and bold plan to win the peace in the brutal war between Russia and Ukraine. In my opinion, Trump knew getting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians to negotiate was never going to be the problem. But Russian President Vladimir Putin would be. So Trump seemingly castigated the Ukrainians at the very same time he extended a very welcoming hand to Putin, a nonthreatening and nonjudgmental one at that. Trump's maneuver was a brilliant one, including a peace deal that would start with both sides agreeing to an immediate ceasefire. As expected, Zelenskyy...

Donald Trump issued an ominous warning to Vladimir Putin after accusing him of deliberately drawing out the fragile peace process in Ukraine. The US president was asked whether he thought it was "disrespectful" of his Russian counterpart to accuse him of being overly emotional. A reporter questioned: "Do you believe the Russians are being disrespectful when they say that your criticisms of Putin are simply an emotional response? And do you still believe that Putin actually wants to end the war? Mr Trump responded: "I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks. Within two...

Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev has issued a sobering warning to Donald Trump after the US leader accused Vladimir Putin of “playing with fire”. US President Mr Trump, writing on his Truth Social platform, said: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!” The remark drew a sharp response from Mr Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and one of Mr Putin’s most outspoken allies. Posting on X, formerly Twitter, he said: “Regarding Trump's...

The price of potatoes in Russia has soared by 52% since the start of the year, according to new figures. Imports have failed to offset the poor harvest last year, which saw the total potato crop decline by 12%, according to Reuters. Heavy rain and a frosty spring this year has hit potato farmers, made worse by the fact the area of the country seeded for the crop was reduced after the bumper 2023 harvest which drove down prices. According to Kommersant daily data, potatoes have tripled in price in the supermarkets compared to 2024, reaching a record high of...

Vladimir Putin’s chief delegate at peace talks with Ukraine is a historian who once claimed that Russians have an extra chromosome due to their superiority. -snip- Mr Medinsky also earned widespread ridicule after arguing that Russians were particularly heroic and able to survive hardship because they “have one extra chromosome”. While it is likely that he was trying to speak figuratively, the assertion, made in 2012, prompted scorn even within Russia, with critics pointing out that having an extra chromosome is associated less with genetic superiority than with conditions such as Down’s syndrome.

United States President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he expects some "pretty good news" on the war in Ukraine soon. During a meeting with Qatar's Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Trump thanked the Arab country for its peace efforts, noting Doha was "very much involved in helping us in other regions," like Ukraine. "I think we're having some pretty good news coming out of there today, and maybe tomorrow, and maybe Friday, frankly," the US president stated. The comments come ahead of expected talks in Istanbul on Thursday between Moscow and Kiev. It is still unclear if the...

United States President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is unsure whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate in the proposed Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, suggesting the leader may decline if Trump himself does not attend. When asked about Putin's possible participation, Trump admitted to reporters on Air Force One that he does not know if the Russian head of state will travel to Istanbul. "I don't know if he's showing up [at peace negotiations]. I know he would like me to be there ... and that's a possibility," Trump replied. "I don't know that he would be there...

President Trump said Tuesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will represent him at Russia-Ukraine peace talks expected to take place Thursday in Istanbul — after suggesting he might go himself to try to end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II. -snip- “Talks are being held in Turkey later this week — probably on Thursday, and they could produce some pretty good results. Our people are going to be going there, Marco is going to be going there, others are going to be going, and we’ll see if we can get it done,” Trump said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law ratifying the agreement on mineral resources between the United States and Ukraine, APA reports, citing Unian. It should be noted that on May 1, Washington and Kyiv signed an agreement granting the US access to Ukraine’s mineral reserves. The Ukrainian Parliament later ratified the deal.

European leaders have called US President Donald Trump to discuss proposals for a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine from Monday while on a visit to Kyiv. The call came after leaders of the so-called "coalition of the willing" held a meeting to discuss advancing peace talks. The leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Poland were hosted in person by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, while others joined remotely. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the coalition backed a "full and unconditional" ceasefire - originally mooted by Trump - and that the EU was ready to "impose further...

A full rehearsal for the Moscow Victory Day Parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War (May 9, 1945 – 2025) took place at Red Square on May 7. The Việt Nam People’s Army (VPA) contingent was also among the several foreign armed forces invited by the Russian Government to take part in this famous parade. This is a major event honouring the historic victory of the then Soviet Union, affirming the indomitable will and solidarity of the Soviet people and progressive forces worldwide in the fight against fascism. The organising committee commended the VPA...

The leaders of Cuba, Mongolia and Venezuela arrived in Moscow Wednesday ahead of attending Russia's Victory Day celebrations. Victory Day, which is celebrated in Russia on May 9, has become the country’s most important secular holiday. -snip- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel are on the guest list which also includes Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have signed a strategic partnership agreement. -snip- Since 2022, Russia has already signed strategic partnership pacts with China, North Korea and Iran. -snip- During his visit to Moscow, Maduro is also due to attend commemorative events around the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany, including a military parade on Friday.

Russia marks on Friday the 80th anniversary of the Soviet and allied victory over Nazi Germany, though there are fears that Ukraine may seek to disrupt the most hallowed celebration in the Russian calendar. -snip- The Kremlin's list of expected attendees includes the leaders of the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Also expected are the leaders of Bosnia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea–Bissau, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Palestinian Territories, Serbia, Slovakia, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

Russian military-affiliated sources have acknowledged the loss of a combat jet following a Ukrainian sea drone attack near the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The pro-Russian Telegram channel Rybar reported the incident late Friday, writing, “Unfortunately, the enemy attack did not go unanswered. Yesterday evening, a Su-30 naval aviation fighter was hit 50 kilometers west of Novorossiysk by a drone boat carrying an R-73 surface-to-air missile.” While official channels in Moscow have not released a formal statement, additional details were provided by Russian propagandist Ilya Tumanov, who runs the well-known Fighterbomber aviation blog. According to Tumanov, the aircraft crew ejected...

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said on Saturday that nobody could guarantee that the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv would survive to see May 10 if Ukraine attacked Moscow during World War Two victory celebrations on May 9.

The Kremlin said on Saturday it wanted a definitive response from Ukraine to Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer of a three-day ceasefire next week, criticising the reaction so far as ambiguous and historically wrong. Putin on Monday declared a three-day ceasefire to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany in World War Two. The Kremlin said the 72-hour ceasefire would run on May 8, May 9 - when Putin will host international leaders on Moscow's Red Square, including Chinese President Xi Jinping - and May 10. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy...

An unmanned Ukrainian sea drone shot down a Russian SU-30 fighter jet near the port of Novorossiysk - home to the Kremlin's Black Sea Fleet. The downing of the £38 million jet was carried out by Group 13 on May 2, a special unit within Ukraine's military intelligence. The sea drone was reported to be equipped with a R-73 air-to-air missile, which struck the jet in midair. The SU-30 crashed into the sea. Reports suggest that the crew were able to eject from the stricken jet and were later picked up by a civilian cargo ship. In a statement confirming...