My wife and I woke up in fear at 6 a.m. Loud explosions outside, and our bedroom lit up like it was noon. Ballistic missiles - we knew it immediately. We survived that instant, I thought, hugging my wife, but the next one could come in a second kill us /
Putin isn’t looking for peace. Just days before Trump’s inauguration, he makes it clear he’s ready to keep going, pushing Trump to hand him Ukraine. That won’t happen2/
The war will drag on, and the only way to end it is by making Ukraine strong enough that Russia can’t advance on the battlefield 3/
I told Euronews that Trump’s 24-hour peace plan was essentially a surrender. His new six-month timeline signals a shift toward pressuring Russia - still not ideal for Ukraine, but a major improvement. 1/
There are signs that this leverage is being built now, maybe in coordination between the Biden administrations “last-ditch” attempt to confiscate $300 billion Russian assets. 2/
It's signaling to Russia that we are going to try to find leverage over you. And if you want your money back, we're willing to haggle over it. 3/
The news here is not that Europe is against seizing Russian assets, but that Biden and Trump teams coordinated the move 1/
CNN: Senior Biden officials have consulted closely on the idea with President-elect Donald Trump’s national security team, including Sen. Marco Rubio, his secretary of state designee, and Rep. Mike Waltz, tapped for national security adviser. 2/
What’s the idea? Currently, the Russian assets are immobilized, but not confiscated. This means they can’t be moved or used by Russia, but they still belong to it.
The idea is to actually confiscate them and deposit in a separate account. 3/
Trump’s team now says a quick peace in Ukraine is impossible and this is good news. Why?
The U.S. has leverage over Ukraine but not Russia. So, a quick deal means meeting Russian demands and pressing Ukraine into accepting it. Bad for Ukraine, the world, and the U.S. 1/
Russia is winning on the battlefield so it will seat and wait for the offer from Trump. It can afford to wait.
Any deal different from surrendering Ukraine requires time to strengthen Ukraine and find leverage over Russia 2/
The fact that the Trump team is now talking about patience for time is a telltale that Ukraine won’t be surrendered. 3/
Kennedy’s explosive analysis proves Russian economy is bankrupt. Craig exposes hidden defense debt and a credit bubble, aggravated by punitive interest rates and sanctions. It is not an economic fortress Russia but a house of cards. 1/
Russia funds its war through a dual system: the official defense budget and a covert bank financing scheme. Putin narrative of economic resilience is unraveling as financial instability mounts. 2/
Off-budget financing through forced bank loans equals $210-250 billion, matching size of defense budget. 3/