Free Republic

The minerals deal was enough to entice President Donald Trump to cave, siding with Kiev and permitting the first US sale of military equipment to Ukraine since taking office. Trump has been extremely critical of Zelensky since the war began, consistently warning Zelensky that he has blood on his hands and must end the war. Congress approved a $50 million defense package to Ukraine through direct commercial sales (DCS). Trump is a businessman first and foremost—the mineral deal had to be approved before he would approve of any aid package. The United States now has preferential rights to extract minerals...

Donald Trump said Ukraine “may not survive” as the White House put pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky to give up territory seized by Russia.Ahead of the start of peace talks in Saudi Arabia this week, Mr Trump suggested Ukraine may cease to exist as a sovereign state.Mr Zelensky has been told he must show he is willing to cede land occupied by Russia if he wants Washington to lift its ban on weapons and intelligence sharing.The US president has repeatedly called for Ukraine to sign a minerals deal that would give the US access to 50 per cent of Ukraine’s mineral...

...According to Jeffrey Sachs, Jake Sullivan admitted—behind closed doors—that if he had told the truth about Ukraine and NATO, the war would’ve been over before it even started. He knew it, but never said it publicly.... ...Absolutely damning—and undeniable proof that this war was orchestrated by the US from day one. A scam, a hoax, and a betrayal of the American people, and the Russian and Ukrainian people, plain and simple....

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha is urging NATO leaders to invite Ukraine to join the Western military alliance during a meeting in Brussels next week, according to a letter sent to alliance leaders—reflecting the country's frenzied push to gain membership in the alliance in the final days of Biden's presidency. The letter, first reviewed by Reuters, comes as Ukraine has re-upped its request for NATO membership to help put an end to Russia's war, including a recent uptick in attacks on its energy infrastructure. It also comes as the Biden administration has granted Ukraine new permissions to fight back against...

Russia will not accept a reported Turkey-formulated proposal to end to the fighting in Ukraine after nearly 1,000 days of war, the Kremlin said on Monday, as the prospect of a ceasefire that had long seemed unrealistic looms over the horizon with a new U.S. presidency. Bloomberg reported on Sunday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was preparing to present a plan to fellow G20 leaders, which would freeze the war in Ukraine along the front lines currently snaking for hundreds of miles through the country. The Turkish leader would lay out the plans during the summit in Rio de...