Free Republic

Kim Jong-un’s rare decision to blame Russia for battlefield failures in Ukraine is less about Moscow and more about the fragility of his own regime, according to an expert. The North Korean leader has publicly wept for fallen soldiers and aired documents acknowledging heavy losses. North Korea is thought to have contributed around 10,000 soldiers to Vladimir Putin’s war, of which, according to intelligence sources in South Korea, more than 1,000 troops have been killed in action and some 4,000 wounded. Footage shown on Korean Central Television displayed internal military reports signed by Kim. One document stated that “Russian army...

President Donald Trump said he was ready to sanction Russia after Moscow launched its largest air attack against Ukraine since the start of the war on Sunday, setting Kyiv’s government headquarters on fire and killing at least five, including one infant.Forty-four more were injured in the attack that the Ukrainian Defense Department said included over 800 Shahed-type strike drones, 9 Iskander-K cruise missiles, and 4 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, which hit residential apartments and set ablaze the main government building where ministers meet.It was the second mass Russian drone and missile attack to target Kyiv in as many weeks, and comes...

By nature’s curious design, I was born an optimist — though in some obscure recess of my soul a cynic curls and whispers his dry, inconvenient truths. I believe neither in immaculate conceptions nor second comings, and certainly not in the benevolence of Russian rulers. The fragile hope entertained by some, that they might one day act with reason, springs from a naïve faith in miracles, and miracles stand at odds with both nature and common sense. At all times, under all tsars, commissars, and the latest Kremlin grotesques, Russian rulers, with rare exceptions, have acted not for the benefit...

Donald Trump has - not for the first time - said he's "very disappointed" in Vladimir Putin over ongoing strikes in Ukraine. Putin is in China, along with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, being hosted by Xi Jinping - ahead of a military parade in Beijing.

The Trump administration on Thursday authorized a major weapons shipment to Ukraine to aid the country in its fight against Russian invasion, intensifying pressure on Moscow to end its war on Kyiv. The State Department notified Congress that Ukraine is using funding from allies, in addition to U.S. foreign military financing, to pay Washington for $825 million worth of weapons, including 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munition missiles and 3,350 GPS units, along with military training and technical support. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a...

Drone attacks have been carried out on the Afipsky oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar Territory and the Kuibyshev oil refineries in the Samara region, APA reports, citing Russian media. Large fires broke out at the oil refineries after the drone attacks. According to the governor of the Samara region, Dmitry Azarov, the airport and mobile internet use in the city of Samara have been temporarily restricted due to the threat.

In one of the largest overnight strikes since the war began, Russia unleashed some 614 drones, ballistic and cruise missiles across Ukraine, killing one, injuring dozens and destroying an American-owned electronics company less than an hour from two NATO borders, officials confirmed Thursday morning. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy said the strike on the private U.S. company, which involved "several" cruise missiles, was "very telling" following President Donald Trump’s attempts to force Moscow to end its invasion.

United States President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday to explain that Kiev does not stand a good chance of winning the war against Russia if it is only permitted to defend its territory. "It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country. It's like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offensive. There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia. Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND defend,"...

US President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House on Monday, calling it "an honor to have Zelensky with us" ahead of joint talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Trump also noted there was a "reasonable chance" for progress following his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the same time, Zelensky thanked Trump for his help regarding the meeting and for the letter First Lady Melania Trump sent to Putin about abducted children.

Gen. Keane said, " i would be stunned if one of Trump's principle advisors like Rubio., talking to Lavrof, hasn't said, " if your boss doesn't make serious concessions and agree to a peace agreement., I can tell you for a fact that Donald Trump is going to crush your economy. That's the path that you're on end. You're going to have to make a decision.." Keane added, " I'm confident that we have said that."

BRUSSELS (AP) — European leaders have praised President Donald Trump for agreeing to allow U.S. military support for a force they are mustering to police any future peace in Ukraine — a move that vastly improves the chances of success for an operation that could prove essential for the country's security.The leaders said Trump offered American military backup for the European “reassurance force” during a call they held with him ahead of his planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. They did not say what the assistance might involve, and Trump himself has not publicly confirmed any support.The...

Watch our live coverage of President Trump's historic meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage Alaska, with RAV White House correspondent, Brian Glenn.

The summit between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will begin at 11:30 local time (Alaska Daylight Time), and will kick off with a one-on-one conversation in which only interpreters will be present, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov announced on Thursday in a briefing. After the initial meeting, the parties will continue negotiations in the format of a working breakfast. "It is expected that everything will begin tomorrow, August 15, at approximately 11:30 local time (22:30 Moscow time/ 21:30 CET/ 15:30 ET) with a conversation between Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Donald Trump," the diplomat said. "This conversation...

President Donald Trump threatened "very severe consequences" for Russia if President Vladimir Putin doesn’t agree to end the war in Ukraine after their meeting in Alaska on Friday. -snip- Trump later appeared to cast doubt on whether he could convince Putin to stop bombing Ukrainian civilians. "I'll tell you what. I've had that conversation with him. I've had a lot of good conversations with him then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home or a rocket hit an apartment building, and people are laying dead in the streets," Trump said. "So, I guess the...

In the last few minutes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has given his first reaction to the announcement of a Trump-Putin meeting next week, saying Ukraine "will not give their land to occupiers". In a statement on the messaging app Telegram, Zelensky says any solutions without Ukraine will be "solutions against peace". This comes after US President Donald Trump announced a few hours ago that he will be meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday 15 August to discuss the war in Ukraine. Trump signalled that Ukraine may have to cede territory in a peace deal with Russia, telling...

President Donald Trump issued a rare threat of nuclear escalation on Friday, saying he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be strategically positioned near Russia in response to what he said were aggressive remarks by Dmitry Medvedev, the country’s former president and current deputy chairman of its Security Council. “I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your...

US President Donald Trump again displayed anger with Russia following its latest deadly attack on Kyiv -- a strike that killed 16 people and injured dozens -- calling the action “disgusting” and vowing to slap new sanctions on Moscow. “Russia, I think it’s disgusting what they’re doing,” Trump told reporters at the White House on July 31. “I think what Russia’s doing is very sad. A lot of Russians are dying.”

During the USSR’s 73 years of existence, the list of wars it waged is enormous—a total of 25, including conflicts in the Caucasus, the Baltics, Finland, Poland, Germany, Japan, Afghanistan, Spain, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. Since 1991, Russia has continued to exist in a state of permanent war: Georgia, Chechnya, Syria, and now the most senseless war of all—against Ukraine. Why? The answer is in the title of this essay: Russia can exist only in a state of permanent war. Therefore, the goal of the Russia-Ukraine war is war itself. Nothing more.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday told U.S. President Donald Trump to remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort after Trump told Medvedev to "watch his words". -snip- "If some words from the former president of Russia trigger such a nervous reaction from the high-and-mighty president of the United States, then Russia is doing everything right and will continue to proceed along its own path," Medvedev said in a post on Telegram. Trump should remember, he said, "how dangerous the fabled 'Dead Hand' can be," a reference to a secretive semi-automated Russian command system designed...

US President Donald Trump on Thursday took a sharp jab at India and Russia -snip- Russia and the USA do almost no business together." He added, "Let’s keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!”