Free Republic

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...

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday that the peace process regarding the war in Ukraine is still in its early stages. "The bad news is that we are still at the early stage of all of this. You would, of course, love for the whole peace process to be much further along. The good news is that [United States] President [Donald] Trump is absolutely committed to this," Rutte shared at a joint press conference with Prime Minister of Luxembourg Luc Fieden and Defense Minister of Luxembourg Yuriko Backes. Additionally, Rutte stressed that NATO "is taking...

Speaking in China at the end of a visit there, Putin said that he perceived "a certain light at the end of the tunnel" given what he said were sincere efforts by the United States to find a settlement to Europe's biggest land war since World War Two. "It seems to me that if common sense prevails, it will be possible to agree on an acceptable solution to end this conflict. That is my assumption," he told reporters in Beijing. "Especially since we can see the mood of the current U.S. administration under President Trump, and we see not just...

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.

China kicked off its largest-ever military parade on Wednesday, a show of its growing firepower and geopolitical clout as President Xi Jinping seeks to cast Beijing as the custodian of a post-U.S. international order. Flanked by Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, a smiling Xi strolled up a red carpet to take his seat for the lavish event at Tiananmen Square to mark 80 years since Japan's defeat at the end of World War Two. More than 50,000 spectators packed into stands joined a vast choir singing patriotic songs as the dignitaries took their seats on the...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday he was grateful to Chinese President Xi Jinping, his "dear friend", for the warm welcome he has received during his trip to China. "Dear friend, both I and the entire Russian delegation are pleased to meet once again with our Chinese friends and colleagues," Putin told Xi at a meeting, according to a video published on the Kremlin's official Telegram messaging app. "Our close communication reflects the strategic nature of Russia-China relations, which are at an unprecedentedly high level."

THIS is the bizarre moment Vladimir Putin is seen holding hands with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an "anti-Nato" summit. The inseparable pair were seen giggling and smiling at one another as they met up with Chinese despot Xi Jinping for crunch talks in Tianjin.

Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi held hands as they walked side-by-side to greet Xi Jinping at a summit designed to showcase China’s vision for a new world order. The Indian prime minister rode in the back of a car with his Russian counterpart and shared a picture of the pair embracing, saying it was “always a delight to meet President Putin”. Mr Xi, the Chinese president, has used the summit to present his vision for a new global security and economic order in a direct challenge to the United States. “We should advocate for equal and orderly multipolarisation of the...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin stole the spotlight at the Shanghai Cooperation Council summit in Tianjin with their warm gestures and camaraderie. The two leaders walked together, shared light moments, and exchanged jokes, showcasing a bond that appeared stronger than ever. Modi was seen hugging Putin on the sidelines, a moment that fuelled headlines amid growing Western unease over India’s oil trade with Russia.

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,"...

Russia will only agree to security guarantees for Ukraine if it has the power to veto them, its foreign minister has said.Sergei Lavrov said that any attempt to bolster Ukrainian security that did not involve Moscow was a “road to nowhere” and “will not work”.Mr Lavrov said a “very good example” of a potential blueprint could be found in the Istanbul framework of 2022.Under a draft discussed at the time, Ukraine would have received guarantees from a group of countries including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, Russia, the United States, Britain and France. Kyiv...

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.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia's refusal to agree to a ceasefire is complicating efforts to end the war. "We see that Russia rebuffs numerous calls for a ceasefire and has not yet determined when it will stop the killing. This complicates the situation," he said in a statement on 'X'. On Monday, the Ukrainian leader travel to Washington DC, where US President Donald Trump has said he will urge Zelensky to agree to a peace deal. Trump has said he wants to bypass a ceasefire in Ukraine to move directly to a permanent peace agreement after his...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed he will President Trump in Washington, DC, on Monday “to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war.” Zelensky spoke on the phone for over an hour and a half with Trump, who was on board Air Force One en route back to the White House after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska for nearly three hours on Friday. .... Trump appeared to confirm that an in-person trilateral meeting with Zelensky and Putin was in the works.

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reached an agreement to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.Still, Ukraine and NATO are “going to have to agree,” Trump stated, noting that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” and “it’s ultimately up to them.” This comes after a three-hour-long meeting between President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and their Russian counterparts. ” I would like to hope that the agreement we’ve reached together will help us bring closer that goal and will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine,” Putin...

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...

Summary Trump, Putin cite progress but offer no details First summit between the two presidents since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 Trump greets Putin on red carpet at US air base in Alaska Zelenskiy, not invited, says Ukraine is 'counting on America' ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug 15 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said that nearly three hours of direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday did not yield an agreement to pause Moscow's war in Ukraine, though he characterized the meeting as "very productive." During brief remarks to reporters, the two leaders said they had made progress on...