Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi: I was surprised to hear I had a conflict with Fedorov. I saw hard questions and different views as normal work in a major war.
Fedorov, if I offended you, I apologize. I can be tough, –– Militarnyi.
1/
Syrskyi: Ukraine is bigger than Fedorov, Syrskyi, or any of us. It will stand because it has an army, institutions and millions doing their jobs.
Turning the war into a fight between two names helps the enemy. Real work wins wars, not public drama.
2/
Syrskyi: The Defense Ministry equips the army, buys weapons, sets policy and provides civilian control. The minister does not have to sit at the front or plan the war.
War strategy, operations, the front, long-range strikes and Crimea are my responsibility before Zelenskyy.
3/
McFaul: Trump’s strategy was to appease Putin by making concessions without demanding anything in return.
He ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine and halted military and economic aid. Putin gave him nothing. Trump now seems to realize appeasement does not work. 1/
McFaul: Russia’s military has grown stronger, producing large numbers of drones and ballistic missiles.
The US and Europe, especially NATO’s eastern flank, must do more and coordinate joint defense commitments with Ukraine. 2/
McFaul: The West needs a Cold War–style strategy to deter Putin’s Russia. I once believed there was a clear divide between Putin’s dictatorship and Russian society.
I was wrong. Too many Russians support this war and accept the mass sacrifice of their own citizens. 3/
Kasparov: Ukrainians are publicly holding President Zelenskyy accountable during wartime.
It is the pulse of a living democracy. Even under Russian missile attacks, Ukraine's whole society is fighting for freedom, statehood, and its future. 1/
Kasparov: Ukraine's strike on the Wildberries storages targeted Russia's military logistics.
I accept Ukraine's account that Chinese components at the site supplied missiles and drones. Civilian losses are tragic, but the target was the war supply chain. 2X
Kasparov: If Ukraine fought the way Putin does, Moscow would be covered in corpses.
Ukraine does not target civilians because it is a state fighting by civilized rules. Russia deliberately attacks Ukrainian cities and kills civilians; that contrast defines this war. 1/
Kasparov: Russia's missile attacks on Ukrainian cities are an intensification of Putin's war, not retaliation for a Ukrainian operation.
His objective remains the destruction of Ukraine as an independent state and the terrorizing of civilians until they capitulate. 2/
Kasparov: Russian society today is adapting to drone strikes, fuel and power shortages, and higher prices without confronting the cause.
People complain, pay more, travel less, and carry on. That passivity lets Putin continue and escalate his war against Ukraine. 3X
Kuleba: Stripping temporary protection from military-age Ukrainian men already in the EU would create a serious legal crisis.
They would lose legal status across the bloc and face a choice: return to Ukraine or leave the EU for a country where they could regularize their stay. 1/
Kuleba: The new restriction does not apply to Ukrainians already in the EU under temporary protection, even when they renew it.
It applies to military-age men seeking protection for the first time after leaving Ukraine. 2/
Kuleba: This sounds like a very liberal version of the reform for citizens. But the devil is always in the details, and I do not want to interpret what I do not yet know. 3X
Trump is redirecting U.S. foreign aid toward MAGA-aligned projects in Europe and beyond.
The grants target EU tech rules, “censorship,” national sovereignty, conservative free speech groups and anti-communist messaging, — FT. 1/
One proposed grant would put $2M toward efforts to counter “censorship” linked to EU regulations, including the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act. 2/
Another $5M would support a “civilisational alliance” in Europe. The notice says the money could fund projects on freedom of expression, political competition and national sovereignty. 3/