Free Republic

Again, there are multiple dynamics unfolding inside this story. However, as to the central component of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy complaining about hampered access to Starlink and/or Starshield, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sets the record straight. Ukraine has never had access to the U.S. military version of Starshield; providing that level of guidance access would be akin to the United States being in direct conflict with Russia using a proprietary U.S. military system. This is not our circus and not our war; there is no need for U.S. military conflict with Russia.

We’re in the eighth month of an on-and-off war, as we all know, with Iran, and since 2022, we have been watching Ukraine and Russia fight, and we have been supplying Ukraine. And one of the problems with these multifront wars, and we have been conducting operations against Iran as well as helping Israel supply its forces against the Houthis, Hamas, Hezbollah. Part of the problem is that in Ukraine, in Iran, in the Middle East, we have now, because of the use, cut our inventories of Patriot missiles by about 25% or 30%. And remember, we export them all...

Protesters have demanded that Vitali Klitschko resign as mayor of Kyiv after failing to prepare for the winter. Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets with placards, chanting "Kyiv without Klitschko" before congregating outside the city council building. Discontent has been bubbling since Russia increased its attacks on the capital, leaving many citizens scared for what will be the fifth winter since Vladimir Putin's invasion. One placard read: "It's too late for Klitschko to get busy now, time to say goodbye." Others said "Where are the shelters?" and "Your task is to make Kyiv safe, green and historic, not deserted"....

The president signed an executive order to exempt Russia from most parts of a law he signed last monthPresident Trump is halting implementation of most of the sanctions that were to be imposed on Russia under a bipartisan bill he signed last month.The announcement came in an executive order on Friday night, and was part of a broader pivot by Trump toward courting Moscow as he seeks to end the war in Ukraine and keep energy prices under control ahead of the midterm elections.The law, which was championed by and named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), targets...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said up to 20 million people could flee the country and head to Europe if Russia wins the war. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Zelenskyy said "Russia is Killing" us and Ukrainians are being "pushed" out of the country. So far, about four million Ukrainians live in countries part of the European Union under temporary protection status. There are currently just under 40 million people still living in Ukraine, so Zelenskyy's projection accounts for about half of the current population. Ukraine is facing a dire situation at the moment, its energy grid being constantly...

Things Have Changed “Most people are not the enemy. They are scared, proud, lonely, overworked, and trying to protect something they love with the only map they were handed.” —LHGrey I remind you once again: history is a trickster. Sometimes things turn out, and sometimes they just turn, and these days they’re turning hard. Get this: Russia is not our mortal enemy anymore. This is not 1956 or even 1986. It is no longer the so-called Free World against the wicked Hammer and Sickle. Russia is no longer a weird political science experiment acting in defiance of human nature —...

Kyiv lacks an answer, for now, to Moscow’s mass-produced new weapons In a field in central Ukraine, an experimental drone zoomed into the sky as engineers demonstrated its potential to intercept Russia’s jet-powered attack drones, which are tormenting the country. The prototype, called a Zirka, reached a top speed of 280 miles an hour as its propellers whirred frantically. Not fast enough, the testers acknowledged.“We still need to find a counter-jet solution,” said Lika Volovych, a manager at the Zirka’s manufacturer Noctis, as she watched it buzz high above.On the horizon, black smoke rose from a Russian drone strike on...

President Volodymyr Zelensky used his appearance at the Oct. 16 summit of EU leaders in Brussels to list the main things Kyiv needs to survive the winter and beyond, but those asks won't come cheap. "I am grateful for your support for Ukraine," Zelensky told EU leaders. "Without a determined European Union capable of making strong decisions Putin would have gone much further by now," Zelensky said. But with Russia ramping up its use of ballistic missiles and jet-powered Shahed drones to pummel Kyiv, and the U.S. taking steps to undermine Russia sanctions and Ukrainian security, Zelensky also came to...

Speaking to broadcaster Newsmax, the president blamed Volodymyr Zelensky for the war, claiming he – not Vladimir Putin – had 'destroyed' Ukraine. It came after Mr Zelensky resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries after hitting out at Mr Trump's 'betrayal' at a time of intense Russian attacks. In an interview with the Financial Times, the Ukrainian leader said the cutting off of US intelligence sharing and the simultaneous weakening of the Starlink satellite internet service was 'dangerous' for civilians. He added: 'The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done.' 'Well, I think that's a disgrace,' Trump said yesterday, adding...

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky praised “real leaders” in Europe at a summit in Belgium on Friday, taking a veiled swipe at US President Donald Trump amid testy relations between Kyiv and Washington. European leaders are rallying around Zelensky after the White House heaped pressure on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil facilities, even as Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure continue unabated. After halting strikes on Russian oil refineries for three days at the request of the United States, Zelensky said he would resume those attacks given Russia didn’t adhere to US President Donald Trump’s so-called “energy ceasefire.” Trump,...

President Donald Trump told Newsmax on Thursday he is "not a big fan" of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and considers him more difficult to negotiate with than Russian President Vladimir Putin, criticizing Ukraine's decision to resume attacks on Russian oil refineries amid efforts to end the war. "Zelenskyy is not a good guy for us to deal with," Trump said in an exclusive interview on "Finnerty" from the White House. "He doesn't want to settle. He says he wants to settle, but he doesn't. No, I'm not a big fan of Zelenskyy." Ukraine resumed strikes Thursday on Russian oil infrastructure....

Ukraine has run out of missiles for the US-made Patriot air defense system, leaving it more vulnerable to Russian ballistic missile attacks, a source familiar with the situation told CNN on Thursday. The stark development comes amid an increasingly bitter public feud between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. In recent days, the White House struck a highly criticized deal to import Russian diesel and heaped increasing pressure on Ukraine to halt its strikes on Russia’s oil infrastructure. Zelensky said he felt betrayed by Trump’s deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has since announced Ukraine...

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukraine will no longer abide by US President Donald Trump's demands not to strike Russian oil refineries, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in remarks published Thursday, amid deepening tensions between the two leaders over a US-Russia diesel agreement.Relations between Kyiv and Washington have soured since last week, when Trump eased sanctions on Russia in exchange for Moscow releasing large amounts of diesel onto global markets.Zelensky described the deal as a "weak decision", saying it would encourage Russia to prolong its four-and-a-half-year war with Ukraine, while several of Ukraine's European allies criticised the agreement.Addressing the criticism on Saturday,...

The trial regarding Nord Stream is now beginning in Germany. Do you remember the fall of 2022? Every single politician and "expert" in Swedish and Western media ran themselves ragged trying to explain that Vladimir Putin had blown up his own gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. That was the only narrative that was permitted, and questioning it was immediately branded as "Russian propaganda." Now the trial is starting in Germany. And who is standing trial? A Ukrainian ex-officer, suspected of involvement in the sabotage, while German prosecutors link the operation directly to Ukrainian authorities and classify the attack as...

Limitations on Ukraine’s access to military-grade Starlink terminals sparked panic among its officials and several U.S. lawmakers In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Denys Sienik, the top Ukrainian diplomat in Washington, D.C., sent a frantic message to U.S. lawmakers: Ukraine was suddenly facing restrictions on its military-grade Starlink terminals, and he didn’t know why. The change, Sienik warned, would give Russia an upper hand in the war and make it tougher for Kyiv to intercept strikes against Ukrainian civilians. By the time Washington’s morning rush hour was under way, other Ukrainian officials were already suspecting the worst: that President...

During his two-day visit, Kash Patel is expected to visit the capital Moscow and Russia’s second largest city of St. PetersburgWASHINGTON, October 14. /TASS/. FBI Director Kash Patel has arrived in Russia for negotiations, the MS NOW television reported, citing own sources. The report indicates that during his two-day visit, Patel is expected to visit the capital Moscow and Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg. It will be the first visit by an FBI chief to Russia since 2013. Earlier, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters that he has nothing to comment on about media rumors on...

Volodymyr Zelensky said that he felt betrayed by Donald Trump, and warned the US president was not acting on the "right side of history"."It is a pity that we are losing a strong partner," the Ukrainian leader said on Wednesday amid an escalating public clash with his American counterpart.Relations between Kyiv and the White House have sharply deteriorated after Mr Trump agreed on Friday to waive sanctions on Russia to import diesel.The US president has been pressuring Ukraine to halt its strikes on Russian oil refineries, blaming Kyiv – not the Iran war – for rising energy prices. On Saturday...

JoeLange@JoeLange·18hThere’s a reason why Zelensky doesn’t want another election.And it’s the same reason that he doesn’t want to end the war in Ukraine.He’s a really unpopular dictator in Ukraine and would lose an honest election in a landslide and then face justice for his war crimes against his own people.But canceling elections, wasn’t the only thing Zelensky did.He then “suspended” all political parties and then banned them. Otherwise, you would have seen huge uprisings in Ukraine against Zelensky.After that, he consolidated the large TV networks into one that he controlled and also banned the independent networks. He’s been throwing independent...

JoeLange@JoeLange·1hThe “Liddle” Ukrainian dictator is now experiencing the FO part of the equation.He thought he could just keep playing games.The GAME is over.Zelensky and the Iranian regime are the same.Both dictators who are still playing by the old rules.But the rules have completely changed.Zelensky still thinks he has “leverage.”He doesn’t know what “leverage” really is.He thought he could keep bombing Russian refineries after Trump told him to stop and he could gain leverage in the “negotiations.”But he’s completely misunderstanding what’s actually happening.There are no more “negotiations.”Trump gave Zelensky that opportunity over a year ago and he refused.It’s no longer a...

Ukrainian military officials allege that SpaceX interrupted military-grade Starlink terminals, which prevented Kyiv from using them to guide drone strikes.Serhiy Beskrestnov, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote on Telegram that the country's defense forces didn't receive a warning from SpaceX concerning the interruption, Reuters reported. Poland pays for Ukrainian Starlink subscriptions on Kyiv's behalf, and Polish ⁠Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski asked SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on X about the interruption. "Hey, @elonmusk, ‌big man, are you playing politics with your products again? As your European customers, we are watching you," Sikorski wrote. The U.S. has reportedly threatened to cut...