Eilish Hart

Unpacking the paradoxes of Poland’s migration debate — Meduza With roughly a million Ukrainian refugees now residing in Poland and fears about hybrid war and border security unabated, discussions about migration have become entangled with a range of domestic…

Poland’s open-arms policy for Ukrainian refugees has given way to a roiling migration debate deeply entangled with domestic and foreign policy issues. The Beet’s latest, from journalist @aga-pik.bsky.social. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Kremlin talks stretch past midnight as U.S. envoys and Putin again fail to bridge peace-plan gap on Ukraine war — Meduza Russian and U.S. negotiators met at the Kremlin for nearly five hours on Tuesday, concluding talks roughly 30 minutes after midnight, the newspaper Kommersant reported. The Russian delegation…

U.S. envoys left Moscow without a breakthrough after hours of talks at the Kremlin, underscoring how far apart Washington and Moscow remain on key terms of a possible settlement to the war in Ukraine. meduza.io/en/news/2025...

Putin falls back on one of his recurring strategies in these talks: trying to drive a wedge between the U.S. and European allies by painting Europe as the obstacle to peace. As long as the Trump admin believes Russia is not the problem, the negotiations will just drag on.

WW1 toxic compound sprayed on Georgian protesters, BBC evidence suggests Anti-government demonstrators are likely to have been targeted with camite, our investigation finds.

According to a BBC investigation, the Georgian Dream regime used a WWI-era chemical agent called “camite” during last year’s protests. This finally explains the symptoms many of us experienced both on the night of the crackdown and in the following months.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Witkoff and Kushner’s Ukraine Turkey Trump’s latest push for peace with Russia appears destined to repeat the cycle of false promises, mismatched expectations, and inevitable disappointment. Sources close to the Kremlin say the current p...

How does the Kremlin see Steve Witkoff?

“Witkoff sometimes works like a broken telephone,” the source close to the Kremlin said. “He doesn’t like being precise. He gets upset when people try to write down what he says.”

My latest.

puck.news/jared-kushne...

Yermak’s resignation comes after anti-corruption authorities searched his home earlier today. bsky.app/profile/medu...

Зеленський: Єрмак написав заяву про відставку Президент України Володимир Зеленський заявив, що керівник його офісу Андрій Єрмак написав заяву про відставку.

⚡️Zelensky announces the resignation of Andriy Yermak, his long-time chief of staff and head peace negotiator. hromadske.ua/personaliyi/...

‘Georgians will not accept autocracy’: Former defense minister and diplomat Vasil Sikharulidze reflects on Georgia’s year-long political crisis — Meduza Protesters in Georgia have been taking to the streets for 364 straight days. On October 26, thousands joined an anti-government march in central Tbilisi marking the anniversary of the country’s…

“What sustains these protests is a clear sense among Georgians that they won’t accept a Russian-controlled autocracy.”

Meduza talks to former defense minister and diplomat Vasil Sikharulidze about Georgia’s year-long political crisis. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Anti-corruption authorities raid house of top Zelenskyy aide Search carried out at home of presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak

Ukraine’s top anti-corruption authorities searched the home of Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff and lead negotiator in peace talks with Washington, as corruption probes widen among the president’s inner circle. www.ft.com/content/4f48...

‘We will achieve this by military means.’ Putin calls Trump’s peace plan a ‘basis’ for future talks — and then demands Ukraine surrender territory. — Meduza The Trump administration has laid out a possible “basis” for a peace deal with Ukraine, but signing an agreement with the current leadership in Kyiv is “legally impossible” in Russia’s view,…

As the Trump admin fine tunes its peace plan, Putin sets out his own ceasefire terms for Ukraine: “Ukrainian forces will withdraw from the territories they occupy... If they don’t, we will achieve this by military means.” meduza.io/en/feature/2...

‘Georgians will not accept autocracy’: Former defense minister and diplomat Vasil Sikharulidze reflects on Georgia’s year-long political crisis — Meduza Protesters in Georgia have been taking to the streets for 364 straight days. On October 26, thousands joined an anti-government march in central Tbilisi marking the anniversary of the country’s disput...

🇬🇪Tomorrow, Georgia will mark day 365 of anti-government protests in the face of an ongoing crackdown. What keeps protesters in the streets? “A broad national understanding that Georgia cannot survive or prosper as an autocracy,” former diplomat Vasil Sikharulidze told me. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Ukraine Says It Won’t Give Up Land to Russia Ukraine’s chief negotiator, in an exclusive interview, says conceding sovereign territory is off-limits in peace talks.

“As long as Zelensky is president, no one should count on us giving up territory. He will not sign away territory,” says 🇺🇦 chief negotiator Andriy Yermak. “Nobody can do that unless they want to go against the Ukrainian constitution and the Ukrainian people.” www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

‘Georgians will not accept autocracy’: Former defense minister and diplomat Vasil Sikharulidze reflects on Georgia’s year-long political crisis — Meduza Protesters in Georgia have been taking to the streets for 364 straight days. On October 26, thousands joined an anti-government march in central Tbilisi marking the anniversary of the country’s disput...

🇬🇪Tomorrow, Georgia will mark day 365 of anti-government protests in the face of an ongoing crackdown. What keeps protesters in the streets? “A broad national understanding that Georgia cannot survive or prosper as an autocracy,” former diplomat Vasil Sikharulidze told me. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

U.S. delegation to come to Moscow next week to discuss peace plan, Putin says — Meduza A U.S. delegation is set to travel to Moscow next week for talks on President Donald Trump’s “peace plan,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

A U.S. delegation is set to go to Moscow next week for talks on Trump’s “peace plan,” Putin told reporters.
meduza.io/en/news/2025...

“I told the president that the Russian Federation has always wanted a peace deal. That’s my belief. [...] And I believe the issue is is that we have two nations that are having a hard time coming to a compromise,” Witkoff told Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.

Looks like Yermak spoke to Axios too soon. Trump says he’s sending Steve Witkoff to meet with Putin and Dan Driscoll to meet with the Ukrainians. And that he’ll only meet with Zelensky *and* Putin “when the deal to end this war is final or in its final stages.”

Journalist Farida Rustamova explains how Russia’s elites went from dreading war to fearing peace — Meduza In his 2024 state-of-the-nation address, Vladimir Putin declared that the word “elite” had lost much of its credibility. “Those who have done nothing for society and consider themselves a caste with…

“People who work with Putin know that the main thing for him is always his image, and that in an effort to save face, he — the leader of a nuclear power — won’t stop at anything,” journalist @faridaily.bsky.social tells Meduza. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Russia signals it could reject modified US peace plan for Ukraine Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov suggests Moscow would walk away from proposal that differs substantially from Alaska talks

Scoop @financialtimes.com: Under the US-Ukraine deal, Kyiv agreed to cap the size of its army at 800,000, according to senior officials who say they're pleased with the plan. Points left are territorial matters and security guarantees, which are TBD by Zelensky and Trump. www.ft.com/content/b0d9...

Russian Red Cross supports Kremlin war machine – while receiving millions from the West The Russian Red Cross is providing military training to children, engaging in propaganda networks and operating in occupied Ukraine. But the Red Cross’ international factions and the European Commissi...

🚑🕊️ The Red Cross stands for “neutrality” and “impartiality”.
Our investigation shows Russia’s branch trains children in military skills, works with Kremlin linked groups, and operates in occupied Ukraine while still receiving millions from a system funded by EU governments.

Full story below:

Ukraine reiterates its 'red lines' amid speculations about military size, territory Ukraine remains ready for peace talks with Russia but will never legally recognize the Russian occupation or accept restrictions on its army size or alliances, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk sai...

⚡️ Ukraine reiterates its 'red lines' amid speculations about military size, territory.

Ukraine will not recognize the Russian occupation or accept restrictions on its army size or alliances, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said.

Or listen to the full interview on the @meduza.io podcast! bsky.app/profile/medu...

Journalist Farida Rustamova explains how Russia’s elites went from dreading war to fearing peace — Meduza In his 2024 state-of-the-nation address, Vladimir Putin declared that the word “elite” had lost much of its credibility. “Those who have done nothing for society and consider themselves a caste with s...

Important tidbit from my Q&A with @faridaily.bsky.social in the context of the current peace talks. Kremlin insiders believe that Putin will not stop the war against Ukraine unless there’s “a substantial rethinking of the global security system.”

Read more here👇 meduza.io/en/feature/2...

US and Ukraine draft new 19-point peace plan but defer biggest decisions The most politically sensitive elements are left for Trump and Zelenskyy to discuss

Exclusive: First interview with negotiator in the room in Geneva. Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya tells me the US and Ukraine drafted a new peace deal but left the most politically sensitive elements to be decided by the countries’ presidents. www.ft.com/content/883e...

Lots of insights here from former Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev. Too many to quote, in fact. Just read it!

What does Trump’s peace plan mean for Putin? It’s ‘a reward to a dictator,’ says Free Russia Foundation’s Natalia Arno. — Meduza Members of the Trump administration are sending mixed messages about the new, 28-point peace plan drafted by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev. On Friday, President Donald Tru...

“Every dictator will think that they can attack anybody, hold on long enough, and then the world will reward them. This is not a peace plan.” My conversation with Natalia Arno of the Free Russia Foundation on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

However, issues concerning Europe and NATO are not off the table. Finland’s Alexander Stubb says, “Any decision falling in the remit of EU or NATO will be discussed and decided by EU and NATO members in a separate track.”

Update: Talks in Geneva have produced an “refined peace framework” with issues concerning Europe removed and toned down language about Ukraine joining NATO, according to @politico.eu www.politico.eu/article/dona...

Russia’s elites once dreaded war. Now, they fear peace. — Meduza In his 2024 state-of-the-nation address, Vladimir Putin declared that the word “elite” had lost much of its credibility. Russia’s “real elite,” he said, are those who serve their country: “the workers...

For @meduza.io’s podcast, I talked to the excellent @faridaily.bsky.social about how Putin’s war effort has changed the rules for Russia’s “old elites” and made them fear the prospect of peace. Listen now! meduza.io/en/episodes/...

St. Petersburg Street Musicians Released - The Moscow Times Authorities in St.

Authorities in St. Petersburg released street musicians Diana Loginova and Alexander Orlov Sunday after a month in custody. According to radio station Ekho Moskvy, Loginova has reportedly fled Russia to an unnamed destination.

Leaked: Europe’s rival peace plan for Ukraine in full Draft from Continent’s leaders has several key differences to Trump proposals, including deployment of foreign troops

Rival European peace plan leaked to @telegraph.co.uk calls for a full unconditional ceasefire, plus no restrictions on the size of Ukraine’s army, its path to NATO, or stationing of “friendly forces” on its territory. www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...