Putin says Trump must go harder on Europe and Ukraine; must move faster; he promised 24 hours; won’t meet with Trump until Trump is ready for serious results; the cause of the war is NATO
Putin: I’m surprised by Trump’s restraint toward allies who behaved rudely 0/
Putin: The U.S. is working with European allies on Ukraine to reach solutions acceptable to both sides. It’s not an easy task.
When Trump was a candidate, he spoke about resolving the Ukraine crisis quickly. But after becoming president and receiving more information, his position changed. 1/
Putin: I haven’t seen Donald in a long time. We don’t have a close relationship, but during his presidency, we met and discussed U.S.-Russia relations. I’d gladly meet him again today.
I think he would too - it was clear from our phone call. But just meeting for coffee isn’t enough. Our teams need to prepare serious issues that matter to both Russia and the U.S. 2/
Putin: There are many issues where both the U.S. and Russia are involved.
Of course, Ukraine remains our top priority. 3/
Putin: It’s natural - Trump started receiving real information, and it changed his approach. That takes time. I want to meet, but the meeting must be prepared to bring real results. 4/
Putin: Trump was accused of ties to Russia, dragged through courts - nothing was proven because nothing happened.
Meanwhile, European leaders openly interfered in the U.S. election, even insulting a candidate. We had our sympathies but didn’t interfere. 5/
Putin: We don’t speculate on Euro-Atlantic relations, but Europe, as U.S. allies, is to blame for what’s happening.
They dragged him through courts, accused him of ties to Russia, while every European leader directly interfered in the U.S. election. 6X
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Veronika Melkozerova, Politico’s correspondent wrote about her survival guide to the Kremlin’s winter of terror in Kyiv. Russian attack came in the harshest winter since Feb 2022: drones destroyed power and heating systems, freezing temperatures make damage impossible to fix. 1/
Without electricity for 12 hours a day, the fridge is no longer any use. But it’s a stable minus 10 degrees Celsius on the balcony, so I store my food there. Russia’s latest attack disrupted heating for 5,600 residential buildings in Kyiv, including mine. 2/
At times the temperature drops to -20C and the frost permeates my apartment, its crystals covering the windows and invading the walls. My daily routine now includes walking up and down from the 14th floor of my apartment, carrying liters of water, mostly to my grandmother. 3/
AI-powered air defense could counter Moscow’s greatest advantage — mass missile attacks, writes David Ignatius in WP.
Since 2022, Ukraine’s defense manufacturing grew from $1B to $35B. In 2025 alone, it approved 1,300+ new domestic weapons. 1/
Russia’s strategy is physical and simple: bomb power plants, cut heat, freeze cities, and force surrender.
In January, Kyiv faced temperatures below −12°C while Russian strikes damaged electricity and heating infrastructure across the country. 2/
Ukraine’s response is technological.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov: Ukraine will deploy a new generation of AI-powered air-defense interceptors that can operate autonomously across the entire country. 3/
Serhii Plokhy: The war in Ukraine may become a catalyst for Russia’s collapse.
The Harvard historian in United24 argues that Russia’s attempt to preserve its empire through war follows a historical pattern that usually ends in exhaustion and disintegration. 1/
Empires rarely collapse overnight. They erode under pressure, miscalculation, and prolonged conflict. In the 20th century, the biggest imperial collapses followed World War I, World War II, and the Cold War.
War speeds up every internal weakness. 2/
Russia still fits the imperial model. It controls vast territory, rules a multiethnic population, concentrates power in Moscow, and allows little real self-government.
These features create constant strain, which war multiplies rather than resolves. 3/
Trump’s split with Europe over Greenland is a double-edged sword for Russia — CNN.
For years, Russia tried to split the US and Europe and weaken NATO. Trump’s pressure on Denmark over Greenland does exactly that — at first glance. 1/
Pro-Kremlin voices call it a “catastrophic blow to NATO.” Less Western unity usually means less support for Ukraine.
But there’s a second layer: US control of Greenland would strengthen Washington in the Arctic and directly challenge Russia. A real risk for the Kremlin. 2/
More importantly, Moscow is alarmed not by US weakness, but by US unpredictability.
A US willing to seize Maduro, threaten Greenland, and talk regime change in Cuba is harder to manage than a rules-based order. 4/