Free Republic

US Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday that Moscow and Kyiv must strike a deal or Washington will end its efforts to reach a ceasefire. 'We've issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it's time for them to either say yes, or for the United States to walk away from this process,' Vance told reporters in India, where he is on a four-day visit. -snip- 'It's now time, I think, to take, if not the final step, one of the final steps, which is, at a broad level, the party saying we're going to...

KYIV, Ukraine—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back on a U.S. proposal to recognize Russia’s control of Crimea as part of a cease-fire agreement, throwing into doubt President Trump’s efforts to bring a quick end to the war. “Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Zelensky said at a press conference here on Tuesday. “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.” Zelensky’s dismissal upends Trump’s latest gambit to halt the war in Ukraine—now in its fourth year—and casts new uncertainty on the future of the relationship between Kyiv and Washington, which Trump has made conditional...

Don’t fall for it, Trump! Don’t fall for it.Fake news “60 Minutes” ran another hit piece on President Trump on Sunday night – actually two hit pieces.In one segment the far left opinion operation spoke with warmonger and serial liar Volodymyr Zelensky about the situation.Zelensky said he wants President Trump to visit Ukraine before any peace negotiations are signed. Zelensky is once again ordering President Trump to visit Ukraine before any peace deal is signed.This crazy man really believes he is calling the shots.It would be a huge mistake for President Trump to visit Ukraine, ground zero of the globalist...

Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to “finish off” Ukrainian troops on Friday — after the warmonger ordered strikes on a Ukrainian energy facility in a bold violation of the US-backed partial cease-fire. Russian forces this week attacked a Ukrainian energy facility in Kherson, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned, accusing Putin of breaching the precarious deal halting military action in the Black Sea and pausing long-range attacks on energy infrastructure. Putin, who had said that Moscow would end its strikes on Ukrainian energy targets, called on his troops to continue pushing forward into Ukraine and even step up their attacks.

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....

Russia has launched a huge attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which authorities said was the twelfth large-scale attack on energy facilities this year. Russia said the attack was in response to a Ukrainian strike on a military airbase in south-west Russia using US-made missiles, which US President-elect Donald Trump described as "crazy". In an interview with Time magazine on Thursday, to mark being named Person of the Year, Trump said he disagreed "very vehemently" with American made missiles targeting sites in Russia. "We're just escalating this war and making it worse," he said.

Russia rejected Western claims that a ceasefire would improve the situation in Ukraine, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stating that such an action would not lead to lasting peace, News.az reports citing TASS. "We are growing more and more concerned about what we are hearing from the West lately. The West - Brussels, London, Paris, Washington are starting to float the idea of a ceasefire as a means to give a respite to Ukraine and hence grant themselves a possibility to flood Ukraine with advanced long-range weapons again. Of course, this is not a path to peace," he said...

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...

A senior Russian lawmaker has declared that President Vladimir Putin is justified in targeting NATO nations aiding Ukraine, as tensions escalate over military support to Kyiv. Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Russian State Duma's defense committee, said the supply of Western weapons enabling strikes on Russian territory gives Moscow "every right to strike military facilities in NATO countries" that assist Ukraine, according to Russian news agency TASS. "Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has made a decision that we fully support," Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stated on his Telegram channel. He described the move as "an appropriate and long-awaited response," adding that the...

South Korea's foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul on Monday and urged an "immediate" withdrawal of North Korean soldiers from the war in Ukraine. "We condemn North Korea's illegal military cooperation, including its dispatch of troops to Russia, in the strongest terms," said South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun in a press release, calling for an "immediate withdrawal" of the troops. The minister warned the Russian ambassador Georgiy Zinoviev that Seoul will respond by mobilizing "all available means in cooperation with the international community to any acts that threaten the core interests of South Korea."...

The leader of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has threatened the west with a nuclear warning saying World War 3 will be triggered if NATO advance into his country. The leader of Belarus warned World War 3 will break out - if NATO attacked his country or Russia. Alexander Lukashenko threatened to use nuclear weapons against NATO despite Belarus not having any. However, since last year, the nation has hosted Russian tactical warheads, on behalf of close ally Vladimir Putin. Lukashenko made his sinister threats while speaking in Minsk, saying “World War Three” would be unleashed if NATO troops entered his country,...

The Biden administration has already decided to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-provided weapons to strike targets deep within Russian territory and any hesitancy is merely political camouflage, a Kremlin spokesman said Thursday. The White House is close to an agreement to provide Ukraine with the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile that could “significantly alter” the ongoing conflict with Russia, according to Reuters. It has a range of about 230 miles, or more than 570 miles if Kyiv receives the extended-range version. The JASSM can be launched from an F-16 Fighting Falcon, which the U.S. and other NATO allies are in...

RUSSIA has declared a state of emergency in one of its regions after Kyiv launched a huge kamikaze drone strike on a missile storage facility. Video circulating on social media showed explosions erupt in Russia's Voronezh region after a hit on one of Vlad's ammunition dumps. Authorities were urgently evacuating residents after the Ukrainians struck around 3am. A huge blaze burned and there were follow-up explosions throughout the night. Footage taken from a highway showed constant explosions as the night sky was lit up by bright orange flashes. A major highway was closed while shells and other munitions exploded. The...