Zelensky in Munich says what many think but are afraid to say: The old days are over.
The U.S. doesn’t see Europe as a partner. Europe must build its own army, together with Ukraine
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Zelensky: This war cannot be decided by just a few leaders - not by Trump and Putin, not by me and Putin, not by anyone here in Munich sitting down with Putin alone.
We must apply pressure together to make real peace. 1/
Zelensky: Many leaders have talked about Europe needing its own army. An army of Europe. I really believe that the time has come. The armed forces of Europe must be created 2/
Zelensky: Does America need Europe as a market? Yes. But as an ally? I don't know. For the answer to be 'yes,' Europe needs a single voice, not a dozen different ones 3/
Zelensky: A few days ago, President Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. Not once did he mention that America needs Europe at the table. That says a lot. 4/
Zelensky: Ukraine is now the world leader in drone warfare. This is our success, but it's also your success. Everything we build for our own defense also strengthens your security. 5/
Zelensky: The US Vice President made it clear: decades of the old relationship between Europe and America are ending. From now on, things will be different, and Europe needs to adjust to that. 6/
Zelensky: The old days are over when America supported Europe just because it always had, but President Trump once said what matters is not the family you were born into but the one you built.
We must build the closest possible relationship with America. 7/
Zelensky: Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs or without our involvement.
The same rule should apply to all of Europe: no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine, no decisions about Europe without Europe. 8/
Zelensky: Russia keeps opening new army recruitment centers every week, and Putin can afford it. Oil prices are still high enough for him to ignore the world. 9X
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The EU may give Ukraine EU-level protections before full membership
The EU is weighing a peace-deal formula that grants Kyiv early access to EU membership rights and safeguards, locking in a time-bound path to full accession, possibly by 2027 — Bloomberg.
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One option would grant Ukraine up-front accession protections, legal, economic, and regulatory safeguards, plus immediate access to selected EU rights, before formal membership.
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At the same time, the EU would lock in a time-bound accession roadmap, fixed steps and deadlines, replacing today’s open-ended process that can stall for years.
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Shot and bleeding in a dugout, Ukrainian soldier convinced his Russian captors to surrender.
Volodymyr Aleksandrov lay wounded in hand and pelvis as an FPV mine blocked the entrance and drones hunted above. “If I was going to die, I would take them with me” — Hromadske. 1/
Russian troops ambushed Aleksandrov and his partner while they collected food dropped by drone.
Russians fired from a house, wounded him, argued over killing him, then kept him alive to register a live prisoner for money. 2/
Russians carried Aleksandrov into the dugout and stepped on their own FPV mine.
The blast tore off part of one soldier’s leg, wounded another, and hit Aleksandrov again — shrapnel wounded his shoulder and ear and left him concussed. 3/
Russia gave its main security agency legal power to shut down internet and phone service nationwide. Like in Iran: cut the web when protests erupt.
If crowds fill Moscow’s streets, the switch is ready — United24.
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The State Duma passed the law on Jan. 27.
The UK Ministry of Defence says it lets the FSB order total communication blackouts for vaguely defined “security threats,” with no clear limits and no oversight.
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The order takes effect immediately.
Telecom operators must cut internet, mobile, landline, and messaging services the moment the FSB demands it — no court order, no appeal.
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Beevor, British historian: We are seeing a fresh conflict developing, a second Cold war, with Putin and the rise of China and the threat from Xi.
It is an extension of the Cold War, but also a new era of geopolitics, a split between authoritarianism and democracy. 1/
Beevor: In second Cold War, geopolitics are changing so rapidly. Russian and Chinese leaders used to stick with agreements. We’re not seeing that anymore. We cannot trust Putin to stick to anything he says. It will be seen as one of the greatest self-inflicted disasters in history. 2/
Beevor: We are not going to see a 1917 February revolution in the streets. That’s impossible because a revolution depends on the collapse of willpower of the ruling elite. They know they’ve got nowhere to go except perhaps for Qatar or Dubai into exile. 3X