Free Republic

Russian forces are working to establish a buffer zone along the country's border with Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, following his return from the Kursk region in southern Russia The decision to establish the zone had been taken, Putin said by video link during a government meeting. He did not stipulate where the buffer zone would lie or how large it would be. "Our forces are currently engaged in solving this task, hostile firing points are being actively suppressed, and the work is ongoing," he said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that if he does not "make a serious proposal for an immediate ceasefire" with Ukraine, the Senate will pass new sanctions against the Russian government. -snip- "If Russia is not willing to engage in serious diplomacy, the Senate will work with the Trump administration to consider additional sanctions to force Putin to start negotiating," Thune said Thursday. This comes the same week Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned senators in a hearing that if "you start threatening sanctions, the Russians will stop talking." -snip- The bill also would set...

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, will speak by phone on Monday evening. During a press conference in Moscow on Monday, Peskov confirmed that the call is scheduled for 5 p.m. Moscow time (GMT1400). According to him, the purpose of the call is to discuss the outcomes of the recent Russia-Ukraine talks held in Istanbul last week. Peskov described the upcoming contact as "important," noting that the leaders will also discuss future communications between the two countries.

Putin could reject his own offer to Zelensky. UKRAINE is now piling the pressure on Russia as Vladimir Putin stays silent on his own offer to meet for peace talks on Thursday. Moscow's bungle has seen Volodymyr Zelenksy take up Vlad's offer to for a face-to-face meet in Istanbul for long-awaited negotiations between the two leaders. But the Kremlin has gone deathly silent as Putin weighs rejecting the offer he sent to the Ukrainians. Zelensky has filled the dead air and now said he will definitely go to Istanbul - but will only meet with his counterpart Putin and not...

"We continue our meaningful dialogue with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, following our meeting in Munich,” the Ukrainian leader said. “An important conversation about a just end to the war and strengthening European unity."

Some 400 calls for help went unanswered when the helpline at Ukraine’s Veteran Hub went silent for a week after key funding from the United States was abruptly cut last month. The Ukrainian NGO gets all sorts of calls. Some come from military families who have just found out their loved one was killed on the frontline. Some are from injured veterans who are struggling to cope with their return to civilian life or need help navigating the bureaucracy.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the United States is working toward a "fair" and "sustainable" solution to end Russia’s three-year war on Ukraine, but that both Moscow and Kyiv would have to make concessions to achieve peace. -snip- Rubio said he was "convinced" that Moscow was willing to engage in a "serious process" to end the war, which Russia started with a full-scale invasion of its neighbor three years ago next week. Lavrov had a similar upbeat view of the talks, saying, “We weren’t just listening to each other, but we heard each other. I have...

Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will never give in to Vladimir Putin's 'ultimatums' and has cancelled a visit to Saudi Arabia as he hit out at the United States and Russia for holding talks there 'behind our backs'. 'I wonder why they believe Ukraine would accept all these ultimatums now if we refused them at the most difficult moment,' the Ukrainian President said, referring to Kyiv's refusal to bow to Moscow's demands during crisis talks at the start of the war. Zelensky pointed out that there were 'no agreements with the Russians during the occupation of Kyiv region,' nor during negotiations...

Ukrainian drones have attacked a pumping station responsible for transporting oil through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). This is not a Russian asset; the oil in this pipeline is classified as international property, belonging in various proportions to multiple companies, primarily American and European. The pipeline transports oil from Kazakhstan’s major oil projects—Tengiz, Karachaganak, and Kashagan. In 2024, American businesses accounted for over 40% of CPC oil shipments, and together with other Western companies, their total share exceeded 65%. The neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv was well aware of this. And despite its extreme dependence on Washington, it deliberately struck American...

Donald Trump's peace plan for the Ukraine/Russia conflict is coming under fire from some entertaining quarters. There is, of course, the domestic whining from the likes of John Bolton, who said “I think we know exactly what's gonna happen. President Trump has effectively surrendered to Putin before the negotiations have even begun.” I asked Grok what Bolton's solution to the conflict and it said this: No Negotiations with Russia: At various times, Bolton has argued against negotiating with Russia from a position of anything less than strength. He believes that as long as the conflict can be won militarily, talks...

Washington could impose tougher sanctions on Moscow and send U.S. troops to Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin fails to negotiate a Ukraine peace deal in good faith, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday. “There are economic tools of leverage, there are of course military tools of leverage,” Vance was quoted as saying. “I think there is a deal that is going to come out of this that’s going to shock a lot of people.”

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the U.S. would hit Moscow with sanctions and potentially military action if Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t agree to a peace deal with Ukraine that guarantees Kyiv’s long-term independence. Vance said the option of sending U.S. troops to Ukraine if Moscow failed to negotiate in good faith remained “on the table,” striking a far tougher tone than did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who on Wednesday suggested the U.S. wouldn’t commit forces. “There are economic tools of leverage, there are of course military tools of leverage” the U.S. could use against Putin, Vance said....

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday reportedly warned that the U.S. wouldn’t rule out tough sanctions or even potential military action against Russia if President Vladimir Putin didn’t come to the negotiating table on a deal that would guarantee peace for Ukraine. In speaking with The Wall Street Journal, which was the first to report on Vance’s comments, the vice president said sending U.S. troops to Ukraine was "on the table" if Russia failed to negotiate in good faith. Vance said there are "economic tools of leverage [and] there are, of course, military tools of leverage" that the U.S. could...

Chernobyl CNN — A Russian drone struck the destroyed nuclear power plant at Chernobyl in an attack overnight into Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. The strike hit the concrete shelter that covers the plant’s destroyed former fourth power unit, sparking a fire that was later extinguished, he said. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, said that its team at the site heard a large explosion shortly before 2 a.m. local time Friday (7 p.m. ET Thursday).