Free Republic

Larry Summers, former U.S. secretary of the treasury and former president of Harvard University, called for the Western governments to “seize” Russian government assets held in international banking institutions to “support” Ukraine and other countries during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria aired on Sunday. .@LHSummers says the U.S. should “seize” Russian assets held in international banks & redistribute them to Ukraine & “other nations” as well pic.twitter.com/vibKS065kh — Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 27, 2023 Summers framed reparations paid by the German government to the Soviet Union after World War II as a precedent for seizure of Russian government assets.

European Union officials have spent months focused on a plan to use frozen Russian assets to make a loan to Ukraine that could help Kyiv fight the next phase of the war. It is increasingly clear that the bloc has nothing but bad alternatives should that fail. The loan plan, through which the European Union would use Russia’s central bank assets in Belgium to funnel 140 billion euros, or about $160 billion, to Ukraine, was expected to move forward at the bloc’s political meeting last month. Instead, in a last-minute surprise, Belgium blocked it. Belgian officials say they are worried...

"Danny argues that the truth about the Ukraine–Russia war can no longer be concealed: Ukraine is heading toward a strategic and battlefield defeat, a reality now acknowledged even by strongly pro-Ukraine voices like journalist Julian Röpcke. According to the commentary: Western and Ukrainian leaders have long misrepresented battlefield conditions, offering “PR” optimism while ignoring deteriorating realities. Russia prioritized destroying Ukraine’s armed forces over capturing territory, but is now accelerating territorial gains as Ukrainian capacity collapses. Ukrainian reports and government messaging continue to “sugarcoat” the situation, preventing honest assessment and prolonging unnecessary losses. Russia maintains overwhelming advantages in drones, glide bombs,...

Kiev regime fatcats lining own pockets with nato largess while nation circles the toilet bowl.....

A Russian victory in Pokrovsk will have a negligible impact on frontline dynamics but a far-reaching impact in Zelensky’s nation After nearly 17 months of attritional combat, Russia is on the verge of capturing the Donetsk battleground of Pokrovsk. By leveraging the dense fog engulfing the city, the Ukrainian military estimates that between 300-500 Russian troops have entered Pokrovsk. Even more ominously, Russia is creating a troop “cauldron” to militarily encircle Pokrovsk and the neighbouring city of Myrnohrad.As Russia inches towards this much-anticipated battlefield success, the mood in Kyiv is sombre. President Volodymyr Zelensky recently conceded that the situation in...

The potential for a military clash between Turkey and Israel is growing. There are several colliding points, and each one of them has the potential to become a full-scale war, despite mechanisms designed to avoid conflict. The most obvious is the Syrian front. Reports indicate that Turkey plans to help Syria’s transitional government develop a military force of approximately 200,000 personnel (approximately 10–15 divisions). Turkey has assumed the role of protector of Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa (al-Jolani, his nom de guerre). Israel, for its part, has assumed the role of protector of the Druze minority in southwestern Syria, an area...

The NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) names another batch of corrupt Ukraine officials connected to Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Quickly jumping into action, Zelenskyy shouts ‘prosecute them’.Having previously said the NABU needs to be shutdown, “President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has [now] said he supports the ongoing investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) into corruption in the energy sector. Although Zelenskyy did not name names, reports suggest that an associate of his may be involved in the case.” {source}I have personally seen these corrupt Ukraine characters (politicians and private sector oligarchs) in action,...

-50 year mortgages -600,000 chinese students -ANTIFA riots -Bombing Iran -No Epstein Files -Antisemitism crackdowns -ISIS in White House -InflationMAGA is losing me, to he honest.My life has seen zero improvement since Trump took office. It's actually worse.Americans Last.

The best way to support Israel while being 100% America First is for Israel to be sovereign and to call for an end to all US aid to Israel. A country with financial handcuffs cannot make decisions to preserve itself and ensure its survival if their funding is dependent on taking orders. A sovereign Israel that never takes aid from the US can respond to its hostile Islamic neighbors anyway it sees fit.The beauty of that is that it’s no longer going to be America’s concern.When we eventually cut off all aid to Israel, we will also be able to...

The authoritarian behavior of Volodymyr Zelensky has become impossible to ignore. An article written by Pavel Lokshin for the German newspaper WELT sharply criticizes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his increasingly authoritarian tendencies.The report shows how the man lionized by the MSM as ‘a second Churchill’ is in fact consolidating his power through the suppression of political opponents.Welt reported (translated from the German):“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is consolidating his power. Anyone who stands in his way must give way – most recently the freely elected mayor of the city of Odessa. Zelensky is thus sending a clear signal to other...

America should be embracing trade opportunities and peace vs. advocating for the neocon agenda of war with Russia. Why would we alienate a superpower when we could have open dialogue for peace and negotiate trade that would benefit all Americans?

Let’s put the events of the last 72 hours into context.On Monday and Tuesday, Russian oil refineries in NATO countries Hungary and Romania suddenly, and simultaneously, have mysterious explosions and catastrophic fires {citation}}. On Wednesday, NATO head Mark Rutte comes to visit President Trump in the White House, and at the end of the day, the same Russian company, Lukoil, whose refinery exploded in Romania, suddenly becomes sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury. These events are not disconnected.President Trump then disputes a Wall Street Journal report, further saying he did not give approval, nor does he know where NATO long-range missiles...

ATLAS — Europe, the EU & Russian Frozen Assets: Short-Sighted or Necessary? Reports are circulating that European Union leaders are moving toward using an estimated $300 billion in frozen Russian assets—held in European banks—to support Ukraine’s war effort. Whether this involves direct seizure of the principal or only using interest generated from those assets, the implications are serious and long-reaching.Why This Matters Beyond Russia One of the core pillars of the global financial system is that assets held in foreign nations—especially central bank reserves—are protected under international law. If the EU breaks that precedent, it sends a message to every...

Napoleon Bonaparte was a genius. Adolf Hitler had an above-average IQ. Joe Biden is a half-wit. All three are fools who believed they could destroy Russia. The West’s failed Ukraine project has forced us to confront a bewildering array of what look like instances of stupidity, verging even on psychosis. Competent analysts like John Mearsheimer and Jacques Baud confirmed the obvious: total defeat for Ukraine has been inevitable from the get-go, yet the politicians and media kept telling us Ukraine was sure to win, and even if Ukraine lost, at least Putin could easily be removed from office. To me,...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with several US defense contractors this week, including Raytheon, GE, and Lockheed Martin. A few days later, major defense companies raised their full-year profit estimates significantly. Spokespeople say that tariffs have no impact on demand for the defense industry. Naturally, Ukraine is seeking duty-free defense imports on defense products paid for by other countries. Lockheed raised its profit forecast from $22.15–$22.35 per share, up from $21.70–$22.00. The revenue forecast increased to $74.25–$74.75 billion from the previous range of $73.75–$74.75 billion. CEO Jim Taiclet noted there is “unprecedented demand” for Lockheed’s F-35 fighters, CH-53K helicopters, and...

"Vladimir Putin has ordered massive, near daily missile and drone attacks which are devastating Ukraine's capacity to fight on. Brian Berletic of The New Atlas and Alexander Mercouris of The Duran join the show to break down the military and diplomatic shockwaves being sent through the West as Ukraine crumbles, as well as a new war being declared by Donald Trump that is leaving the world in shock." Not sure what the claim of a new war is about....

Ukraine may import gas worth around $2 billion from Europe, the United States, and Azerbaijan this winter, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, after its gas infrastructure was severely damaged by Russian attacks. He did not specify how much gas Ukraine planned to purchase. Kyiv had expected to import 4.6 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas before a series of Russian strikes hit Ukraine's gas sector earlier this autumn. Due to the damage, energy minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said imports would need to be increased by 30%, while analysts estimated total gas import requirements at no less than 6.3 bcm. "We expect that...

The American Conservative sits down with Balázs Orbán, political director to the Hungarian Prime Minister, to discuss why the logic of war should be replaced in the forthcoming Budapest summit by the idea of political settlement. (Wikimedia Commons) President Donald Trump recently demonstrated willingness for a summit with Russia, in Budapest, to seek an end to the conflict in Ukraine. Balázs Orbán, political director to the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (no relation), sat down with The American Conservative to discuss what are the possibilities of peace in Ukraine, and who in the EU might try to hinder that. Hungary...

Those who think that Israel is guilty of genocide as if that is something unique to the Middle East, are obviously blind to the the entire region of the Balkans and Ukraine. This is the motherland of ethnic cleansing and genocide that the Western Press is paid to ignore. Trying to achieve peace in the Balkans may be more difficult than getting it to snow in Hell. The Balkans’ ethnic tensions stem from a mix of historical, political, and cultural factors that have compounded over centuries. Ukraine may not be in the Balkans and is technically part of Eastern Europe,...

U.S. President Donald Trump pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to give up swaths of territory to Russia during a tense meeting on Friday that left the Ukrainian delegation disappointed, according to two people briefed on the discussion. Trump also declined to provide Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine's use, and mused about giving security guarantees to both Kyiv and Moscow, comments that the Ukrainian delegation found confusing, added the two sources, who requested anonymity to discuss a private conversation. After his meeting with Zelenskiy, Trump publicly called for a ceasefire on the current frontlines, a position that the Ukrainian president then embraced...