Former Ukraine PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk: The position of the American administration is to avoid involving the EU in negotiations with Russia on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy performed here to the maximum — everything that could be said and everyone that could be met, he did it. 1/
Yatsenyuk: We have to prepare for the next winter. Russia caused $65B in damage to Ukraine's energy sector.
Without long-range missiles, without Tomahawks, without Ukraine having the ability to retaliate, we will not be able to ensure energy security for the next year. 2/
Yatsenyuk: Starmer's statement is very clear. Even if a peace agreement is signed — Great Britain, the EU, and everyone else must continue funding Ukraine's defense.
He is saying that even if a peace agreement is signed, Russia will continue preparing for the next offensive. 3/
Yatsenyuk: Putin is not really negotiating. He wants to drag out negotiations, delay sanctions, sow discord within the EU, and keep bombing Ukraine.
Come to Kyiv if you're tired. There isn't always water and almost never electricity. That's what Putin is counting on. 4/
Yatsenyuk: China's FM statement is a textbook example of cynicism — they completely repeated Lavrov's narrative. China finances Russian economy, supplies dual-use goods, cooperates on intelligence, sponsors North Korea. They are co-conspirators in Russia's war. 5/
Yatsenyuk: These are no negotiations — even Russian FM calls them consults. Medinsky is a nobody with no authority. Ukraine sent the head of President's Office, diplomats, military. Russia sent no one allowed to make decisions. There isn't even a hint of a real negotiations. 6/
Yatsenyuk: If NATO had accepted Ukraine in 2008, there would have been no Georgia, no Crimea, no great war. Rubio's arrival here is perceived far better than JD Vance's visit last year. But there are cracks in NATO — and they need to be mended. 7X
Bolton: It is completely justified to strike Iran to stop it from getting nuclear weapons.
This regime has shouted death to America and death to Israel for 47 years. It is a terrorist regime, and in January it machine-gunned 32,000 people in the streets. 1/
Bolton: We have tried for decades to change Iran’s behavior through diplomacy and economic pressure.
We have tried hard and always failed. When you cannot change an adversary’s behavior, you either put up with the threat or you change the regime. 2/
Bolton: It doesn’t matter if there was an imminent threat. If you wait until there’s an imminent threat, you’ve waited too long, because intelligence can be imperfect.
I do not want to accept a world where these crazed rulers have nuclear weapons in hand. 3/
WSJ: The MEU could be used to raid or seize islands in the Strait of Hormuz that have been militarized by Tehran. It could also be part of an effort to seize Kharg Island, a launch point for 90 % of Iran's oil exports. 1/
WSJ: Military strategists say an attempt to capture Kharg would be extremely risky and could require more troops and equipment.
Marines could also escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz or play a role in seizing ships carrying Iranian oil. 2/
WSJ: The MEU could be used as military deception to draw Iran’s attention while another operation is launched.
The 31st MEU out of Japan is now in the Middle East, the 11th MEU out of California is on its way, and elements of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division are deploying. 3X
WSJ: Iran has militarized islands off its southern coast by building airstrips, missile tunnels, drone sites, hiding spots for attack boats, and mine-laying capabilities.
It helped Iran project power throughout the Gulf. 1/
Kharg Island. 20 miles off Iran's coast.
Tehran's major oil storage facilities and ports. It’s the launch point for 90% of the country's oil exports.
Iran gets a significant share of its revenue from oil, with shipments flowing to places like China. 2/
In mid-March, the US bombed military targets on the island, but so far it hasn't touched its oil facilities.
If the US were to attack oil facilities at Kharg, it could do major damage not just to the regime but also to the global economy. 3/
Russia is offering students up to $87,000 a year to drop university and fight in Ukraine. Positions available: drone operator, drone engineer, technical specialist. Most universities received recruitment quotas they must fill, writes Reuters. 1/
The full package at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok: first-year salary of $68,000, one-off payment of $31,000 after training, monthly allowance of $3,000, plus $2,500 from the university. Free accommodation. Fees covered on return. 2/
The Kremlin confirmed the recruitment drive. Spokesman Peskov: "This is a completely open offer — an offer to join a new type of unit." T he drone forces were created at the end of 2025 at Putin's direct order. 3/
Sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska — founder of Rusal and a longtime Putin ally agreed to fund the war.
His refinery in Limerick, Ireland has been running throughout the war. Alumina exports from Ireland to Russia grew from $243M to $376M since 2022— The Moscow Times. 1/
None of this breaches EU rules.
The refinery is owned by Rusal, where Deripaska holds a quarter of shares. Sanctioning a person while leaving his corporate structures intact lets governments claim compliance while keeping the profits flowing. 2/
An investigation by The Irish Times and OCCRP suggests that alumina produced at the Limerick plant feeds into supply chains that may reach dozens of Russian arms manufacturers.
Ukraine's ambassador to Ireland has raised the issue directly with the Irish government. 3/