Jerry’s Finger🇺🇦🇬🇧🇪🇺🇬🇪

The devil in the details of Trump's new peace plan for Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine must now choose between "dignity" and losing US support

I wrote about the many devils in the details of the new US-Russian "peace plan" for Ukraine, which does, yes, include some concessions for Russia, but much bigger and more dangerous demands from Ukraine. In @newstatesman1913.bsky.social: www.newstatesman.com/internationa...

Nordic countries paying most for Ukraine ‘not sustainable,’ Swedish foreign minister says The EU must seize Russia’s frozen assets, Maria Malmer Stenergard believes, because any other solution would be unfair to Ukraine’s biggest backers.

When a Swedish minister gets this sassy, it means that they’re furious.

And rightly so. It’s amazing that the small ones have punched so far above their weight, but inexcusable that the bigger ones haven’t followed suit. There simply are capacity limits for the small ones.

I would expect this sort of mediation strategy from someone who had never made a deal of their own in their life — hell, had never even read anything about making deals.

“He Must Have Got This From K.” How a Russian operative used the American media to force a risible “peace deal” into existence

The most underrated point on this wish list is, as @michaeldweiss.bsky.social points out:

“If Ukraine launches a missile at Moscow or St. Petersburg without cause, the security guarantee will be deemed invalid.”

So hitting other Russian cities is okay !

The Putin-Witkoff Plan Worsens the War Five Reasons the US should not help Russia subjugate Ukraine

We have a US administration trying to bully Ukrainians into accepting Russia’s proposal that their sovereignty be undone. Aside from the naked injustice of this, there are five basic practical reasons why it would make the world far more dangerous.
(video)
snyder.substack.com/p/the-putin-...

And don't forget that under the terms of the 28 point plan, someone, presumably Ukraine, will be paying the US for this. It's a protection racket, which is how Trump understands all security relationships. And like all protection rackets, it's all racket and no protection.

Glory to Ukraine and the just peace in Ukraine!

Trump has made a choice over the course of the past few months to publicly reward Putin for illegally invading another country and stealing their land, rather than make him an international pariah. Those who say Ukraine needs to accept reality, think what precedent this sets

The Epstein Saga Has Only Just Begun The next phase will involve ensuring Trump complies with the disclosures. Let us distrust and verify.

"Donald Trump is an uncomplicated person. His crayon-drawn world is peopled by great friends and terrible enemies. He instinctively sides with the bloody autocrat who flatters him over the American journalist who holds him politely to account..."

www.thebulwark.com/p/the-epstei...

And the help in getting Trump elected.

Listen… Mike Johnson can claim he never tried to stop this, but the timeline tells the truth. If he wasn’t trying to bury this petition, we wouldn’t have spent weeks begging him to do the bare minimum.

Release the files.

Ukraine's independent anticorruption agencies have revealed a big corruption scandal involving very powerful people. The EU is deeply engaged, as are IFIs, but the US has not said a word, presumably because Trump & his cohort favor corruption at home & abroad.

Trump Boat Bombings Take Dark, Unnerving Turn with Leaked Memo Stunner A new Trump administration memo argues that those carrying out the boat attacks can’t be prosecuted. Why? Because the administration says so!

Trump seems to be claiming US is in an “armed conflict” with Venezuelan cartels to justify bombing boats. Congress needs to demand production of legal memo because this just doesn’t add up. “War on Drugs” was just a slogan, but Trump seems to be using it literally.
newrepublic.com/article/2032...

3/ Saboteurs recently damaged at least two segments of a Polish railway on a route to Ukraine.

France agreed to sell Ukraine weapons systems, such as fighter jets and air defense systems.

Ukrainian forces recently advanced in Novopavlivka.

Yeah the thing we’re all scared of is real

NEW: Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly reiterated his demand that Ukraine cede all of Donetsk Oblast as a condition for ending the war, and suggested that Russia would be willing to “surrender parts” of occupied southern Ukraine. 🧵(1/7)

May you live in interesting times. open.substack.com/pub/macspaun...

Hey @jaketapper.bsky.social, I'm no expert on cognitive illnesses, but it feels a bit detached from reality for a sitting POTUS to forget that he was in power during an attack on the U.S. Capitol, doesn't it? Do you know anyone in journalism with experience covering dementia-like symptoms?

...marzipan hat goes back into cupboard..

It looks like Moldova is defying Putin Good news - at last!

“The bravery and determination of ordinary Moldovans cannot be overstated. Putin has suffered a bad defeat. We do know that time and again, even when threatened, bribed and bullied, Europeans affirm their desire to be in Europe, not in the Russkiy Mir.”

open.substack.com/pub/nickcohe...

Trump didn’t know about this, did he? Vance did. Then Trump assumed they were foreign generals coming to look at US military hardware. Now he has been briefed Trump wants to be there to stamp his mark.

Shouldn't Schumer and Jeffries tell Trump:

Sorry, can't make it to the White House to chat tomorrow! You say a major city is so 'war-ravaged' as to require deploying federal troops authorized to use 'Full Force' against U.S. citizens. So we feel a responsibility to head to Portland to take a look.

Rezultate preliminare

Preliminary results from the Moldovan electoral commission show the Russian stooges having done poorly. If these results continue, this is incredibly good news.

pv.cec.md/preliminare

Sounds like a no-brainer

Pro-EU party leads in high-stakes Moldovan election The parliamentary election comes amid reports of an “unprecedented” Russian hybrid interference campaign.

Pro-EU party leads in high-stakes Moldovan election

The parliamentary election comes amid reports of an “unprecedented” Russian hybrid interference campaign.

www.politico.eu/article/poll...

Seeing Enemies Everywhere The government’s working definition of “hate speech” now seems to include anything that offends Donald Trump personally—including late-night comedy.

“The idea that speech or thought contrary to the government line could trigger punishment is the dream of autocrats. Eventually, it makes enemies of everyone.”
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Trump’s Censorship Binge After Kirk’s Killing Is Part of an All-Out Effort to Crush the Opposition He is rapidly consolidating his power so that no one can even challenge his authoritarian takeover

“The attack on free speech and free elections are two sides of the same coin…What is happening is a campaign to disarm and discredit the opposition and make it harder for it to mount an effective challenge to Trump’s growing authoritarianism.

www.theunpopulist.net/p/trumps-cen...

Who made this! 😹