Alex Raufoglu

Alex Raufoglu

@ralexdc.bsky.social

✍️ DC Correspondent covering Eastern Europe | @AmericanU 🎓 | @ForeignPressUSA Board | Posts=personal

8,752 Followers 999 Following 1,464 Posts Joined Nov 2024
1 day ago
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Can Trump Pull Off A Swift Victory In Iran? US President Donald Trump has signaled the conflict with Iran could be nearing an end. But is that realistic?

NEW!! Can Trump Pull Off A Swift Victory In Iran?

READ 👇

www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran...

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5 days ago

Russia is helping Iran target U.S. troops.

Ukraine is helping the U.S. protect them.

The contrast couldn't be clearer.

🇷🇺🇮🇷 | 🇺🇸🇺🇦

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5 days ago
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US Officials Confirm Russia Providing Targeting Intelligence to Iran In Middle East War US officials on March 6 told RFE/RL that Russia is providing Iran with targeting information to attack US troops and military assets in the Middle East, confirming a Washington Post report that sugges...

NEW!! US Officials Confirm Russia Providing Targeting Intelligence to Iran In Middle East War

READ 👇

www.rferl.org/a/russia-ira...

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5 days ago
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NEW!! Russia preparing for conflict with NATO as it adapts to sanctions, Lithuania's intel warns

Annual threat assessment says Kremlin is expanding military presence on eastern borders and shifting GRU tactics toward more destructive ‘kinetic operations’

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1 week ago
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With Trump's Eye On Iran, Merz Pressed Ukraine's Case In Washington With US President Donald Trump sharpening his focus on Iran, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spent his time in Washington this week with a clear objective: ensure Ukraine does not get pushed to the p...

With US President Donald Trump sharpening his focus on Iran, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spent his time in Washington this week with a clear objective: Ensure Ukraine does not get pushed to the periphery. READ 👇

www.rferl.org/a/trump-iran...

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1 week ago
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NEW!! Bipartisan push for Russian oil sanctions grows as Senate duo joins McCormick bill

Republican Sen John Curtis and Democrat Michael Bennet throw weight behind Sen McCormic's bill to choke off Kremlin energy profits.

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1 week ago
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Merz To Meet Trump Amid Fears In Europe That Iran War Will Divert Attention From Ukraine US President Donald Trump will meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on March 3, with transatlantic security and Ukraine high on the agenda. But as Washington intensifies military o...

NEW!! As Washington intensifies military operations against Iran, European officials fear the war in the Middle East will divert attention from supporting Ukraine as it battles to repel Russia’s full-scale invasion.

READ 👇

www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-uk...

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1 week ago
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NEW!!! Trump officially notifies Congress of strikes on Iran as threat becomes ‘untenable’

Formal War Powers notification 👇 warns of an uncertain timeline for military operations following targeted air and missile defense strikes.

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1 week ago
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NEW! German Chancellor Merz arrives in Washington for a meeting with Trump on Tuesday

Merz is the first foreign leader to visit the White House following the U.S.-Israeli 'Operation Epic Fury' in Iran

Berlin is signaling a historic shift toward a 'harder-edged' foreign policy"

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1 week ago
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Khamenei’s Removal Could Reshape Iran: General Petraeus Explains the Risks In an interview with RFE/RL on March 2, Patraeus endorsed the Trump administration’s frank account of operations, noting substantial achievements alongside losses of personnel and aircraft.

NEW!! Could pragmatists seize the moment inside Iran?

Or will “those with the most guns prevail”?

Gen. David Petraeus on what happens next.

READ!! My interview 👇

www.rferl.org/a/khamenei-i...

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1 week ago
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US Strategy In Iran: Create An Opening, Let Iranians Decide, Analysts Say As the war with Iran enters a volatile new phase, analysts in Washington say the Islamic Republic is confronting a convergence of crises unseen since its founding in 1979.

NEW! US Strategy In Iran: Create An Opening, Let Iranians Decide, Analysts Say

www.rferl.org/a/us-strateg...

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1 week ago
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JUST NOW!!! Trump announces from Khamenei “is dead.”

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1 week ago
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Latvian Foreign Minister Says Kremlin Lacks Political Will For Peace In Ukraine, Urges Sustained Pressure On Russia Latvia’s foreign minister said the Kremlin lacks the political will to end the war in Ukraine and argues that only sustained military and economic pressure will bring Moscow to serious negotiations. B...

Sat down with Latvian FM Baiba Braže this week in Washington.

As Ukraine enters its 5th year of war, her assessment of the Kremlin is sobering: Russia is using "peace talks" as a tactic to gain time, not to end the war.

READ 👇

www.rferl.org/a/latvia-for...

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2 weeks ago
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NEW!! U.S. ‘doesn’t want to walk away’ from role as sole mediator in Ukraine, Rubio tells reporters.

Secretary of State claims only Washington can bring Moscow and Kyiv to the table, warning that a U.S. withdrawal would leave a diplomatic vacuum the UN and EU cannot fill

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2 weeks ago
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Trump, Zelenskyy Speak By Phone Ahead Of Geneva Talks As Pressure Mounts For Tougher Line On Russia US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke by phone on February 25, a high-stakes conversation confirmed by both the White House and Kyiv as diplomatic efforts intensi...

NEW!! Trump, Zelenskyy Speak By Phone Ahead Of Geneva Talks As Pressure Mounts For Tougher Line On Russia

READ 👇

www.rferl.org/a/trump-zele...

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2 weeks ago
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NEW!! Another U.S. Senator joins bipartisan push for return of abducted Ukrainian children

Illinois Democrat Senator Tammy Duckworth backs Republican Senator Grassley's resolution demanding Moscow repatriate thousands of minors as precondition for any peace deal

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2 weeks ago
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NEW!! U.S. targets Iran’s ‘shadow fleet’ in latest wave of maximum pressure sanctions

Treasury blacklists 30 vessels and entities linked to ballistic missile programs and illicit oil trade

DoS Statement 👇

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2 weeks ago
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Former General Manager for U.S. Defense Contractor Sentenced to 87 Months for Selling Stolen Trade Secrets to Russian Broker Peter Williams, 39, an Australian national, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to 87 months in prison for selling his employer’s trade secrets — sensitive and protec...

NEW!! U.S. Defense Secrets Sold to Russians for Millions in Crypto

Peter Williams, 39, an Australian citizen, admitted selling 8 pieces of cybersecurity software and information to a Russian broker for $4 million in cryptocurrency

👇
www.justice.gov/opa/pr/forme...

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2 weeks ago
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At Washington Rally, Ukraine's Supporters Say It Is 'Holding The Line' For Europe Just ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, crowds rallied in Washington, DC, to show their solidarity and call for US support in ending the war. EU representative...

For the fourth consecutive year, Ukrainians and their supporters assembled in the US capital to mark the anniversary of the war with prayer, song, and defiant chants before marching toward the Russian ambassador’s residence.

WATCH 🎥👇
www.rferl.org/a/washington...

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2 weeks ago
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Four Years On, Ukraine Supporters Rally in Washington, Call for ‘Rock-Solid’ Western Unity Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor, hundreds of Ukraine's supporters gathered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, transforming the heart of the US capital into ...

Four Years On, Ukraine Supporters Rally in Washington, Call for ‘Rock-Solid’ Western Unity
READ 👇
www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-wa...

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2 weeks ago
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As Russia's War On Ukraine Nears Fifth Year, Analysts See 'Frozen' Prospects For Peace As Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches its fourth anniversary, former US diplomats and analysts say the conflict is increasingly defined by hardened positions and structural constraints...

NEW!! As Russia's War On Ukraine Nears Fifth Year, Analysts See 'Frozen' Prospects For Peace

www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-wa...

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2 weeks ago
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Diplomacy Or Conflict? US-Iran Crisis Now '50-50,' Experts Say After US-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva ended without a breakthrough, experts say the crisis is at a tipping point as military buildups continue and both sides remain “very far apart.”

NEW!! Diplomacy Or Conflict? US-Iran Crisis Now '50-50,' Experts Say

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www.rferl.org/a/us-iran-nu...

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3 weeks ago
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NEW!!! Leading U.S. Senators visit Odesa, call for ‘sledgehammer’ sanctions on Putin’s shadow fleet, and warn that any peace deal must not 'trade away' Ukrainian sovereignty

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3 weeks ago
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BREAKING!!! U.S. House moves to fast-track ‘snapback’ sanctions if Russia spurns Ukraine peace talks

Resolution introduced by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick seeks to force floor vote on bill that would trigger economic penalties should Moscow violate future ceasefire or launch fresh invasion

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3 weeks ago
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Rubio Wraps Warnings In Warmth As Europe Breathes A Sigh Of Relief At this year's Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed European leaders with affirmations of transatlantic ties -- calling America a "child of Europe" -- while urging r...

“He didn’t soften the substance,” one senior EU official said of Rubio speech #MSC2026.

“But he softened the delivery. And that makes it easier to listen.”

👇 www.rferl.org/a/rubio-warn...

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3 weeks ago
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All Eyes On Rubio: Munich Braces For Transatlantic Reality Check After a day defined by pointed rhetoric and “wrecking-ball” warnings from European leaders, the focus of the Munich Security Conference has shifted entirely to the man set to deliver Washington’s answer: Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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1 month ago
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NEW! U.S. lawmakers move to 'drain' Putin’s war chest with bipartisan plan to crush Russian oil trade

The DROP Act, introduced by Rep. McCaul and others, targets global 'shadow fleet' and third-party middlemen as Washington demands an end to the bankrolling of Kremlin’s brutality

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1 month ago

“russia's paramilitaries sow chaos wherever they go and present a major challenge to US national security," Congressman Wilson tells me

“We must ensure that they are properly designated and defeated -- this bill gives President Trump the means to do that."

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1 month ago
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NEW!! 🚨 U.S. approves $185m in military spare parts for Ukraine to boost ‘battlefield effectiveness.’

State Dept tells Congress the Class IX parts will streamline repair cycles for U.S.-supplied vehicles, helping Kyiv maintain high operational rates while reducing costs.

🇺🇸🇺🇦

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1 month ago
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US Lawmakers Target Russian Mercenary Groups as Terrorist Organizations A bipartisan coalition of US lawmakers is seeking to tighten the legal and financial vice on Russia's global mercenary network, introducing legislation on February 10 that would designate the Kremlin'...

NEW!!! US Lawmakers Target Russian Mercenary Groups as Terrorist Organizations

READ 👇

www.rferl.org/a/us-target-...

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