Free Republic

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Belarus has a week to dismantle relay equipment used to direct Russian drone strikes against targets inside Ukraine. If not, Kyiv will deal with the problem itself. During a joint press conference on Friday with Honduran President Nasry Asfura, Mr. Zelenskyy said he was skeptical of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s claims that he didn’t want to be drawn into the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. “He should be honest, at least to his people, because it is not he who can be drawn into the war — it is his entire country that can be drawn...

A much deeper crisis appears to be taking shape behind the public clash between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, with Israeli officials saying that Trump’s pressure for a withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the Syrian Hermon is far from over and is expected to intensify as the anticipated signing of the memorandum of understanding with Iran approaches on Friday, Maariv reported on Thursday. Israeli officials told Maariv that Trump’s demands are not merely theoretical and that issues concerning Lebanon, Syria, and the Syrian Hermon were raised in recent discussions with Netanyahu, adding that the prime minister made...

There's so much to pick apart here, but there are really only three things that matter: "Status quo," "End all sanctions," and "$300 billion." As for the efficacy of a denuclearization plan involving the UN... I just throw my hands up in the air. I spent weeks coming up with or sharing other people's attempts to explain what Trump was thinking, from the "rug-merchant" delay strategy to the "there's no one left there with the authority to negotiate" conundrum. But reading these bullet points, you have to wonder if they weren't having the exact same discussion inside the White House,...

Iran gloats it achieved ‘everything’ it wanted; Hormuz to open ‘immediately’ but Tehran says tolls to be charged after 60 days; Netanyahu has distanced himself from deal the interim deal itself does not resolve any of the war goals declared by the US and Israel on February 28, since it pushes off discussion of Iran’s nuclear program and other core issues to a60-day negotiation process. Israel was not a party to the negotiations on the terms, and Israeli officials have expressed grave concern over them. ...The first clause of the MOU commits the sides “and their allies” to an immediate...

Ukraine is seeking an additional $20 billion in military funding from its allies, Defence ​Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Wednesday at a joint ‌press conference with his Dutch counterpart. A Ukrainian defence source told Reuters last week that Ukraine would make the request on Thursday at a meeting ​of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an alliance of ​more than 50 countries also known as the Ramstein ⁠group that provides financial and military aid for Kyiv. Fedorov ​said that of the nearly $40 billion funding already announced, Ukraine saw $24 ​billion in the supply schedule. He added that Ukraine has been...

Asked if the agreement is “final”, Trump replies, “No, it’s not final.” He added: “It’s a memorandum of understanding. And if I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs on their head.” “If I don’t like it, if they don’t behave, we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head.”

The head of Germany's air force has said the country is "ready to fight Russia tonight", and will "protect every inch of Nato" if Moscow were to launch an attack on allied territory. Lt Gen Holger Neumann, the Luftwaffe's commanding officer, delivered among the most blunt statements from a senior German military figure in years during his first interview with a British newspaper. He said devastating air strikes would be unleashed on Russia should it move against any Nato member, and that defensive action would be "32 against X", referencing the power of combined air forces. "Fight tonight means if...

The Group of 7 summit in France was intended to focus fresh attention on the war in Ukraine, which has largely fallen off President Trump’s radar since the start of the war with Iran. On Tuesday, President Trump dashed those hopes, making it clear at the summit that the Ukraine conflict, which he once said he could end in 24 hours, was no longer high on his priority list. “Look, we have nothing to do with it,” Mr. Trump said of the war. “It has no impact on us, other than we sell weapons” to Ukraine, he added. “We’re thousands...

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that the “new world order will be built from Europe” with his country playing a key role in comments that echo a speech earlier in the year interpreted as a criticism of President Donald Trump. During a visit to Ireland, Carney said that that Canada was “the most European of non-European countries, and we are transforming our cooperation with the EU.” In January, Carney addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, taking aim at the erosion of the rules-based international order in comments which were seen as a pointed reference to Trump’s...

The US secretly approved a financial and maritime arrangement between Qatar and Iran, under which billions of dollars were paid to Tehran in exchange for free passage for Qatari tankers and ships through the Strait of Hormuz, three diplomatic officials now confirm. This was a deliberate and conscious course of action by the US administration, which allowed its navy to turn a blind eye to the arrangement, in complete contradiction of its declared policy. The move was intended to ease the crisis in global energy markets and curb rising oil prices. The current revelation proves that the White House had...

They fought a world war, and they lost it, and their populations spent the next 85 years with shrunken militaries and a heavy reliance on their former enemy, America, for security. Now, both countries’ wariness of America has resurfaced, alongside heightened fears about a surging world power, China, and an aggressive Russia. Tokyo and Berlin are rushing to rebuild their militaries. And, once again, they are strengthening ties. Their cooperation is expected to gather momentum at the meeting of the leaders of the Group of 7 nations in Evian, France, this week. It already includes sharing know-how, technology and weapons,...

An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said Tehran would teach the attackers a “regrettable lesson” in defense of Lebanon after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday. “Neither the American diplomatic smile is trustworthy, nor is Israel’s savagery tolerable!" Mohammad Mokhber said on X. "We will teach the aggressors a lesson they will regret,” he added.

Iran’s decision to launch ballistic missiles at Israel after months of ceasefire was not only a military message but also an attempt to demonstrate the new balance of power in Tehran. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the driving force behind the decision was Revolutionary Guards commander Ahmad Vahidi, who has emerged in recent months as a key figure within the Iranian regime. Vahidi prevailed over more moderate voices in Tehran who opposed the strike out of concern that it could damage contacts with the United States and jeopardize the possibility of an agreement. He persuaded Iran’s...

President Trump publicly dinged Israel for striking near Beirut as the US and Iran prepared to sign a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran,” Trump posted on Truth Social. ” Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless.” “We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should...

After Israel strikes Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood, Iran seeks to paint the attacks as a threat to an emerging deal between Tehran and Washington. “The Zionists’ incursion into Dahiyeh has once again shown that America either lacks the will to fulfill its commitments or the ability to do so,” writes Iran’s top negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Ghalibaf, on X. “By giving the green light to the regime, you cannot gain concessions. The game of bad cop and good cop is outdated,” he says. "If you lack the will and ability to fulfill your commitments, speaking of continuing...

The Israeli military announced Sunday it launched strikes on Beirut targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. Smoke could be seen rising over the Lebanese capital. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were in response to Hezbollah attacks in northern Israel. When Israel last struck the Beirut suburbs a week ago, Iran responded with strikes on Israel. Tehran, which is Hezbollah’s main backer, has insisted that any U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal must also include an end to Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

President Trump announced that a deal to end the war in Iran is scheduled to be signed Sunday, with the Strait of Hormuz opening right away. “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL,” he posted Saturday on Truth Social. “We look forward to working with Iran, and the entire Middle East, long into the future. Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly,” he added. “If it doesn’t, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again!” ... Iranian Foreign Ministry...

Barack Hussein Obama’s Deal with Iran, the JCPOA, was an easy, beautiful, smooth road to a Nuclear Weapon, which Iran would have had six years ago, and would have used long before now. My Agreement with Iran is the exact opposite, A WALL TO NO NUCLEAR WEAPON! In fact, they no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement. The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL. Our relationship with Iran is a much different...

Strongman Vladimir Putin was forced to halt his annual Russia Day showcase in Moscow’s Red Square for the first time in 23 years Friday, after a Ukrainian attack battered key energy targets and sparked massive fires on Russian soil. Kyiv launched drone strikes overnight into Friday on critical Russian energy and transportation points, including the Armiansk Bridge, which connects occupied Crimea with the motherland. The bombing of the bridge “completely paralysed” a key logistical route and destroyed about 50 vehicles carrying fuel and ammunition, according to Ukraine’s 1st Separate Assault Regiment Da Vinci. Moscow’s centerpiece Russia Day concert was hastily...

US President Donald Trump on Friday claimed that details of the deal leaked by Iran are "fake news." In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, "The terms that Iran leaked out to the Fake News have NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing." "What they said, including their weak and pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth. Very dishonorable people to deal with. With them, there is no such thing as dealing in good faith. AMAZING!" "Also, their totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships...