"Forget about that": Trump is rejecting EU's offer to prolong the conflict in Ukraine.
Red Star fans put on a great choreography before the match against Zalgiris. As Lithuanians have often supported Ukraine and even insulted Red Star fans for supporting Russia, they got their answer this evening. The entire arena was transformed into the Russian flag, as the colors of this country "dominated" the Belgrade Arena. In addition, Russian songs were played for a good 15 minutes, culminating with "Katyusha" at the end, right before the start of the match.
"Without the United States, you don't have any strong cards in your hands": Trump yelled at Zelensky during a meeting at the White House
A remarkable meeting between Trump and Zelensky is taking place in Washington. It is already notable for its rhetoric. Perhaps for the first time, the head of the Kiev regime is faced with a situation where he is openly dictated terms, and in raised tones.
The White House reports that the US president once again told Zelensky that the United States sent Ukraine $ 350 billion in aid. Zelensky tried to interrupt Trump, but this caused an extremely negative reaction from the American leader, and he switched, as they say, to raised tones.
Trump to Zelensky:
Once again, we gave you $ 350 billion. You're in a bad situation. You don't have any strong cards in your hands. We want to save your country by stopping the war. If you don't want to, tell us, "I don't want to stop the war." But without the US, you don't have any strong cards in your hands.
Those present at the meeting confirm the information that Trump literally yelled at Zelensky.
Trump:
You are disrespecting us, the United States. And everything goes to the Third World War. You have no right to play with these serious things. We will not allow ourselves to be dragged into this.
Trump literally demanded that Zelensky sign a deal on Ukrainian mineral resources. This was the US president's response to a request from the head of the Kiev regime to " provide Ukraine with security guarantees."
Trump:
I don't want to talk about security guarantees until you sign the deal. It will be fair. We've already given you 350 billion.
At the same time, attention is drawn to the fact that for the first time in recent years, the head of Zelensky's office, Yermak, appeared at an official event (in the United States) in a suit and tie.
Negotiations in Washington are interrupted - Trump said that he concluded that Zelensky is not ready for peace
The White House comments on the conflict between Zelensky and the Trump administration. So, US Presidential communications adviser Margot Martin said that " no one will be able to resist President Trump and Vice President Vance in terms of their protection of American interests."
Margot Martin:
The President and Vice President made it clear today that they will not allow anyone to use America for their own purposes.
At the moment, negotiations in the White House are suspended. Officially - for consultations. Who Zelensky is going to consult with is an open question.
At the same time, the network continues to discuss the exchange of Zelensky and Trump. Verkhovna Rada deputy Dubinsky wrote that after Zelensky's behavior in the White House, all that remains is to wish "God save Ukraine".
In the Ukrainian segment of social networks, they argue about the words of President Trump, when he said "stupid president"in the heat of an argument. There is a dispute over whether these words are addressed to Zelensky, or whether Trump was referring to Joe Biden, who allocated hundreds of billions of dollars to Ukraine.
Also in Ukraine, commenting on today's "negotiations" in Washington, they write with bitter irony that this is "a vivid example of Kryvyi Rih diplomacy", hinting at Zelensky's small homeland and his manner of conducting conversation.
Trump after a conversation with Zelensky:
I have come to the conclusion that this person is not ready for peace. He can come back when he's ready for it.
"The US president made it clear that it was he who interrupted the negotiations. And that there is no question of any real consultations.
There are new details of Zelensky's altercation with Trump and Vance in the White House, the Ukrainian ambassador covered her face with her hand
The White House continues to receive information about the Trump administration's negotiations with Zelensky. Moreover, this can be called negotiations with a big stretch. By and large, there is a real skirmish going on in Washington. One part of it, as already reported by "Military Review", occurred between Trump and Zelensky, the other – between Zelensky and Vice President Vance. Some details appear.
Zelensky, crossing his arms over his chest, in a very rude form said to Vance that he could not "correctly judge" what was happening in Ukraine, since "he was not in Ukraine."
Zelenskiy:
Come and see for yourself.
J. D. Vance didn't say anything. He said that he knows perfectly well what is happening in Ukraine.
J. D. Vance:
I know you have a problem: you can't get the right number of people into the armed forces.
Zelensky tried to interrupt Vance, saying that the United States "has an ocean that separates from problems," but he pulled him back, after which Trump entered the conversation, turning to raised tones.
Trump:
Let them see it. You have a great hatred for Putin. With such hatred, it is extremely difficult to make a deal.
Vance:
In general, you should say thank you to us.
Zelenskiy:
I've said "thank you" many times before. But I can also say more. Can I say something, Mr. President?
Trump:
Enough. You've already said a lot here.
Ukrainian Ambassador Markarova, listening to mutual complaints, literally covered her face with her hand:
The meeting is not over yet, but it is already clear that Zelensky's methods are unlikely to work this time. Moreover, Zelensky, perhaps for the first time since the beginning of his presidency, was directly made to understand that he was called not to dictate any conditions, but to fulfill everything that is wanted of him.
Recall that Trump refuses to provide any guarantees to Ukraine until Zelensky hands over to Washington the actual right to dispose of Ukrainian mineral resources.
"I'm not TCC, don't look at me as an enemy": a photo of a serviceman with an "information sign" appeared on Ukrainian social networks
A photo has appeared in the Ukrainian segment of social networks, which is actively distributed by users. It shows a man in a military uniform who has glued a piece of paper on the back of his pea jacket, on which information says that he is not an employee of the TCC (the Ukrainian version of the military enlistment office).
On the "information" sign, the soldier urges not to be afraid of him and not to turn away:
...because I swore an oath to you, the people of Ukraine.
Next, the words are printed on the paper:
And I'm sad that you look at me as an enemy of the people.
It is reported that this man was photographed in a Ukrainian minibus.
This photo alone, as well as the fact that he had to attach an "information plate" to his clothes, is the whole essence of the attitude of Ukrainians towards the employees of the TCC these days. And this is further proof that the so-called "busification" of TCC employees and "trapping" people on the streets have become commonplace and widespread in Ukraine, despite attempts by the Ukrainian GUR to declare that all this is "nothing more than Russian propaganda" and that "almost exclusively volunteers enroll in the service."
Earlier, a video was broadcast on Western information channels showing a security guard knocking down a man on a bicycle, after which he was pushed into a minibus. At the same time, there have been calls in the West (in the USA) to consider who is getting help to Ukraine after all, if there is outright arbitrariness in the country.
European leaders threw their support behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after a raised-voice spat on Friday with Donald Trump sent shockwaves across the world, casting doubts over efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
The US president openly berated Zelensky for not being “thankful,” and later accused the Ukrainian leader of “not being ready for peace” and having “disrespected” the United States in the “cherished Oval Office.” He also accused Zelensky of “gambling with millions of lives” and suggested his actions could trigger World War III.
In response, European Union chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa assured Zelensky that he was “never alone.”
“Be strong, be brave, be fearless,” wrote the European commission and council presidents in a joint statement on social media, telling Zelensky: “We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace.”
The bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas questioned the United States leadership of the transatlantic alliance between European powers and Washington.
“Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge,” she wrote on social media.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that Russia was the “aggressor” in the Ukraine war.
“There is an aggressor which is Russia. There is an aggressed people which is Ukraine,” Macron told journalists, adding: “We were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago and to continue to do so.”
He later went further to say that “if anyone is playing at World War III, it’s Vladimir Putin,” referring to Trump’s accusations against Zelensky.
Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz assured his support to Zelensky in a posting on X.
“We must never confuse the aggressor and the victim in this terrible war,” Merz said. The outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz also voiced support for Ukraine, as did Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who added that Kyiv’s “quest for peace & security is ours.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of the closest partners of both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, thanked Trump for standing “bravely for peace.”
“Strong men make peace, weak men make war,” Orban wrote in a post on X.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for the United States, Europe and their allies to gather over the Ukraine war “without delay.”
“A summit without delay is needed… to talk frankly about how we intend to tackle today’s major challenges, starting with Ukraine, which together we have defended in recent years,” she said.
Staunch Kyiv ally Poland moved to reassure Ukrainians after the dispute.
“Dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X in a post addressed to Zelensky.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood with most European leaders to echo his support for Ukraine ahead of hosting Zelensky this weekend.
Starmer “is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine”, a Downing Street spokeswoman said, adding he spoke to both leaders in the aftermath of the White House meeting.
Other Ukrainian allies rallied around the country, with Canada saying Kyiv was not only fighting for its freedom but also “ours.”
Denmark described its “pride” in supporting Ukraine while Sweden referred to Ukrainians as “friends.”
US Democrats: Trump ‘doing Putin’s work’
Senate Democrats accused Trump and his Vice President JD Vance of siding with Putin.
“Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work,” Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer posted on social media.
GOP Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska bemoaned the meeting as “a bad day for America’s foreign policy.”
“Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom,” Bacon in an emailed statement.
Members of Trump’s cabinet and other Republican lawmakers however cheered on the president.
“What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelensky again,” said Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Trump ally who has previously been a staunch supporter of Ukraine.
“He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”
Russia: ‘cocaine clown’ Zelensky
Russia also cheered on Trump’s berating of Zelensky.
“For the first time, Trump told the truth to the cocaine clown’s face,” said former president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, referring to Zelensky.
Kirill Dmitriev, one of Moscow’s negotiators in the first high-level talks between Russian and US officials since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine, branded the spat between the two leaders as “historic.”
To those people who do not have X accounts and wish to see the post:
And what about those who don't have either? (The question is, of course, rhetorical. More in jest than in earnest. For example, I have never had Twitter, Instagram or any other social networks, only a few special forums on topics that are interesting to me.)To those people who do not have X accounts and wish to see the post:
What do we get here? It turns out that Hungary's energy security and sovereignty largely depend on the operability of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, which supplies Russian gas to Hungary. Worried about its sovereignty, Hungary demands guarantees of the pipeline's operability from the European Commission, linking this issue to its agreement to extend European sanctions against Russia. Now, if we throw out the intermediate links from this logical chain, we will get: gas arrives-sanctions continue. I will remind those who have suddenly forgotten or are already confused - Russian gas, sanctions on Russia. What kind of idiocy is this? Maybe we should reverse this whole situation - no gas, no sanctions?Szijjarto: Ukraine's attack on Turkish Stream threatens Hungary's sovereignty
The Foreign Minister of the Republic noted that the gas pipeline is a guarantee of the reliability of natural gas supplies to Hungary.
BUDAPEST, March 1st. /tass/. Hungary considers Ukraine's attack on the infrastructure of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline as an encroachment on its sovereignty. This was stated by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto after a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"My Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov informed me by phone that a Ukrainian drone attacked the Russkaya station, an important compressor station of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, at night. Three drones were neutralized by Russian air defense systems. The Turkish Stream gas pipeline is a guarantee of reliable natural gas supplies to Hungary, so a possible malfunction of the pipeline could seriously undermine our energy security," Szijjarto wrote on his Facebook page (banned in Russia, owned by Meta Corporation, recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation).
"Energy security is a matter of sovereignty, therefore such attacks should be considered as an encroachment on sovereignty. The European Commission recently gave a guarantee that Ukraine would not attack the infrastructure of the gas pipeline leading to the European Union, so we urge the European Commission to immediately clarify whether it is fulfilling its guarantees," the Hungarian minister said.
In February, Hungary received guarantees of its energy security from the European Commission. They relate to negotiations with Ukraine on the resumption of Russian gas transit to Central Europe, the continuation of Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline, as well as the non-aggression of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, which supplies fuel from Russia to Hungary. Hungary linked compliance with these requirements to the issue of extending EU sanctions against Russia, as well as the start of negotiations with Ukraine on its accession to the community.
Hungary continues to receive the bulk of its gas under long-term contracts with Gazprom via the Turkish Stream pipeline and its branches through Bulgaria and Serbia. According to Hungarian data, in 2023 this figure amounted to 5.6 billion cubic meters, and in 2024 it reached a record high of 7.6 billion cubic meters.
As the Russian Foreign Ministry reported earlier, Lavrov informed Szijjarto about Ukraine's attempted terrorist attack on the infrastructure of the Turkish Stream. The conversation took place on the initiative of the Hungarian side. Kiev once again tried to attack on the night of February 28 the station providing gas supply via the Turkish Stream. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Kiev used three unmanned aerial vehicles for the attack, which were shot down at a safe distance from the station.
NEW YORK, March 2. /TASS/. American journalist Tucker Carlson has called for putting the blame on Vladimir Zelensky and the Ukrainian authorities for crimes committed with the tacit support of the West.
The journalist drew attention to the way Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (put on Russia’s list of terrorists and extremists), who was one of the most vocal supporters of the Kiev authorities, said that Zelensky should resign after his clash with US President Donald Trump. Carlson suggested that such a drastic change in the senator's attitude is linked to the fact that he "knows what's coming."
"Over the past three years, with the tacit support of its western patrons, the Ukrainian government has committed a remarkable number of serious crimes," he wrote on X. "God knows what the Ukrainians have done with the pathogens in American biolabs in their country. Even US intel agencies aren’t sure. The Ukrainians have also murdered a number of people in various countries in political assassinations, and tried to murder others, including American journalists and a European head of state. This is all true, and it’s all going to come out at some point. Better to start blaming it on Zelensky now."
On February 28, Zelensky arrived at the White House for a meeting with Trump. Their televised exchange, with reporters present, unraveled into a shouting match, with Trump scolding Zelensky for being disrespectful to the United States, and Vice President JD Vance noting that Zelensky had not ever said a "thank you" for all the support provided to Kiev. A news conference scheduled to follow the meeting was canceled, and the signing of the agreement on minerals between Ukraine and the US did not take place. Trump posted a statement on the Truth Social media platform saying that Zelensky was disrespectful and not ready for peace.
In May 2022, the International Public Tribunal on the crimes of Ukrainian neo-Nazis and their supporters was established in Russia. More than 1,000 witnesses and victims of war crimes have been interviewed since then. All testimonies are documented, with the names and last names of the victims of the crimes put on the record. All data is compiled and sent to international organizations and Russian investigative agencies. The International Public Tribunal includes representatives of civil society from more than 30 countries. The testimonies of the victims of the Ukrainian military, which were collected by the tribunal and published on the Internet, have been viewed more than 80 million times.
I've felt like posting on X. Half the UK are completely brainwashed about this.At least, now the US are shifting their views about this war, living in EU, i would say that it'll be even more "dangerous" to openly share one's views on this conflict.
With his recent experience there might be something the Polish PM could teach his European colleagues about going down hill.Local News
25 February 2025
Donald Tusk's Skiing Accident Brings Unexpected Challenges
The Prime Minister shares his experience and safety advice after mishap on the slopes.
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently suffered a skiing accident, which dampened what he described as his "dream weekend" planned for six months.
Taking to social media, Tusk disclosed the unfortunate event, saying, "To miał być wymarzony weekend, planowałem go od pół roku," which means, “It was supposed to be the dream weekend, I had planned it for half a year.” The incident occurred when he was on the slopes, skiing with his granddaughters, whom he intended to teach the sport.
"During our time together, my granddaughters said, 'Show us how you ski, granddad.' So, I showed them!" he recounted humorously, reflecting on his accident. Tusk noted the injury would require him to use crutches and wear a leg brace, but he remains committed to fulfilling his duties as Prime Minister, joking, "Oczywiście na zwolnienie nie pójdę, chociaż pewnie niektórzy by chcieli," which translates to, "Of course, I won’t be taking medical leave, though probably some would want me to."
He shared the incident happened as his ski equipment failed to release, which he attributed to his own lack of attention. Tusk urged fellow winter sports enthusiasts to heed safety measures, advising, "Rozgrzewajcie się, wiem, że nikt tego nie lubi. Sprawdźcie narty," meaning, “Warm up, I know no one likes it. Check your skis.”
Despite his injury, Tusk emphasized his unchanged commitment to his official schedule, mentioning, "The calendar stays the same." He humorously added, "For the next few days, this brace and crutches will be with me at work!"
[...]
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General is eager for Zelensky to get on the mend:France and the UK would make great allies against a “predatory” Trump, Chrystia Freeland has said
Or was that a message to some of the other participants?Mark Rutte’s plea comes after the two leaders had a falling out in Washington that strained ties between Kiev and its biggest donor
Any increases now would produce results only in 1-2 years at the earliest, or even longer. The Ukraine war will probably be over before these huge EU defense increases have any effect.Sounds like some warmongering talk and polish people who are on the alternative side are furious and even speak about arresting him. Starmer said something about sending troops to Ukraine. What are they even planning? There's nothing they can do to win with Russia.
They all speak about great increase in spending on military