Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears for an interview with Larry Kudlow to discuss the recent reporting around a potential meeting between President Trump and President Putin.
As Rubio notes, following the recent Moscow visit by Steve Witkoff, there is now great clarity on the terms and conditions for Russia to enter a ceasefire period. President Trump has reportedly told EU officials he will likely pick-up the ceasefire negotiations soon via a face-to-face meeting with Putin. WATCH:
At the White House event with Apple CEO Tim Cook, President Trump said that “there’s a really good prospect that” there will be a meeting with Zelenskyy and Putin. But he disagreed with the suggestion it amounted to a “breakthrough.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio notes in the interview here, “an opportunity will present itself very soon for the president to meet both with Vladimir Putin and with President Zelenskyy at some point here, hopefully in the near future.” Rubio added “a lot has to happen before that can occur.”
Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff held another meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier today. This is the fifth meeting between Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin.
Witkoff has spent more time with Putin than any government official in recent history.
“My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” ~President Trump
On Sunday President Trump remarked that emissary Steve Witkoff was likely to travel to Russia this week, presumably at the request of Kremlin officials. Earlier President Trump shortened the deadline for Russia to come to the negotiating table from 50 days to 10-12 days. The preferred timeline by President Trump ends this Friday.
(AP) – Vladimir Putin is open to meeting Volodymyr Zelensky for talks following “preparatory work at the expert level,” the Kremlin has announced, according to the state-owned RT television station.
“I would like to remind you that the president himself does not rule out the possibility of holding such a meeting,” Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman said. “But only after the necessary work is done at the expert level and the appropriate distance is overcome.”
The terms Ukraine and government corruption are synonymous regardless of who is funding the schemes. After Volodymyr Zelenskyy grabbed more power by stripping two key anti-corruption agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), of their independence, protests erupted.
European leaders immediately noticed the intent of the power move and threatened Zelenskyy with a withdrawal of support. The current dictatorship of Zelensky and his small team then quickly reversed course. However, the damage is done, and once again Ukranian corruption is center stage.
It doesn’t matter how much western intelligence agencies and pro-Ukraine western govt officials try to hide the nature of the duck represented by Zelenskyy by calling him a swan, eventually the quacking returns – the mask drops.
UKRAINE – […] Some also cautioned that the agitation could spark a popular uprising like the one that toppled then-President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. “We are now in the face of the most dangerous development in all the years since Maidan,” wrote Sevgil Musayeva, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper. And like others, she hazarded that Zelenskyy’s powerful Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak was behind the move, amid signs that NABU is preparing cases against presidential insiders.
Eventually, with public uproar mounting, Ukraine’s president bowed to the pressure and agreed to restore the independence of the agencies — a new law turning back the clock is meant to be voted on Thursday.
Today, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard declassified and released the 2020 House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence report (HPSCI), that outlines their investigation into the Intelligence Community Joint Analysis Report (JAR) of 2016 and the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) that followed.
I know that’s a lot of acronyms, however, the key element of Director Tulsi Gabbard’s release today is to underscore just how fraudulent the JAR/ICA created in 2016 and 2017 was. The JAR/ICA report was fabricated by the CIA and Intelligence Community to give the appearance of Russia interfering in the election. The declassified HPSCI report takes that fraudulent intelligence analysis apart, step by step.
The JAR/ICA was also used to justify President Obama expelling Russian diplomats, confiscating Russian property, targeting Russian officials for sanctions, and imposing a series of sanctions against various Russian entities, individuals, groups and organizations. All of the Obama’s Russian targeting effort was part of an enhanced IC op to give additional patina of credibility to the fraudulent premise.
In many ways, Russia was collateral damage created by a domestic USA political intelligence operation run by Obama allies in order to attempt to destabilize the incoming administration of President Donald Trump. ¹The framing of both Donald Trump and Russia is going to be a key facet to accept as time moves forward on this story.
¹The timing does not appear to be accidental. President Trump gives Russia 50 days to come to the negotiation table and end the conflict in Ukraine. A few days later, DNI Tulsi Gabbard begins releasing information that shows both President Trump and President Putin being framed by the U.S. Intelligence Community.
It would appear that President Trump is setting a new baseline for a relationship with Russia. However, first the tables need to be cleared of the historic manipulation and targeting that structurally, and fraudulently, set the course of conflict and antagonism in U.S-Russia relations.
Good job here by John Thune. Let President Trump work on the Russia-Ukraine problem and await his request for more legislative tools. A refreshing change in the Senate leadership approach.
WASHINGTON DC – Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday he would hold off on advancing a closely watched package of sanctions targeting Russia’s trading partners after President Donald Trump said he was prepared to act himself later this summer if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t move toward a peace deal with Ukraine.
“It sounds like right now the president is going to attempt to do some of this on his own,” Thune told reporters. “If at some point the president concludes that it makes sense and adds value and leverage that he needs in those negotiations to move the bill, then we’ll do it. We’ll be ready to go.” (more)
Let Trump be Trump. He’s trying to stop this U.S/NATO proxy war, by cutting the Gordian knot in Ukraine.
As expected, no one in the media pool asked the key question. If Ukraine is not a NATO member, and Russia is not a NATO member, then why is NATO even involved? Not a single media outlet cared enough to even ask the brutally obvious.
LET US NOT PRETEND. There is good news and there is bad news within the outlined strategy. More good than bad, despite the spin room narrative engineering being immediately spread by U.S. media.
First, President Trump is giving Russian President Vladimir Putin 50 days to finish his strategic military operations in Ukraine, before a 100% tariff rate is executed against the Russian economy. With direct U.S. trade with Russia already not happening, the tariff would likely be applied toward any country purchasing any goods or resources from Russia (specifically India, China, Iran, etc.).
Second, despite Lindsey Graham and the EU leaders discussing the confiscation of Russian assets held in EU/USA bonds, neither President Trump nor NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte mentioned it. Again, the media never asked that question. Thankfully, President Trump seems to realize if such a confiscation took place, the financial credibility of the entire western finance system would be compromised. No nation would want to put their national wealth at risk by buying U.S. and EU treasury bonds.
Third, the part the MSM will focus on. In the interim of the 50 days, NATO will be both purchasing and moving offensive and defensive weapons systems into Ukraine. On the defensive weapon side, Germany will likely send Patriot missile batteries, and NATO will replace them with new U.S. purchases. In addition all NATO states will provide increased offensive weapons and purchases will be made from U.S. stockpiles. Those new offensive weapons will likely be held back until the end of the 50 days, giving Putin something to think about to bring him to the table.
Summary. Putin has 50 days. In the interim NATO is approved by Trump to ship offensive and defensive weapons into Ukraine. The Senate sanctions package will continue to be assembled, perhaps approved, but not deployed until after the 100% tariffs are executed if Russia is non compliant in getting to the table.
The carrot is the 50 days to get finished. The stick is all hell will break loose on Russia, including new and powerful offensive weapons, if Putin doesn’t end the conflict prior to the 50-day deadline.
Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Richard Blumental appear on CBS with the always dramatic Margaret Brennan to discuss what President Trump is going to do against Russia and President Vladimir Putin tomorrow. Senator Lindsey Graham is very happy with the plans President Trump will outline tomorrow; very happy.
The action appears to center around the confiscation of Russian assets, Russian central bank reserves held in European bonds. The money belongs to the people of Russia in the form of bonds previously purchased by Russia using a system that many nations follow, including all those nations who buy U.S. treasuries.
If the USA or Europe end up confiscating those funds, the only thing this action would prove is that the western financial system cannot be trusted. Many Nations are already reluctant, some fleeing from EU/U.S treasuries as a result of this threat, and we are seeing changes in the bond rates as a result. Senator Graham doesn’t care about the strategic financial interests of the USA, he’s more concerned about fighting Russia regardless of long-term ramifications. WATCH:
[TRANSCRIPT] – MARGARET BRENNAN: Good morning, and welcome to Face the Nation. We have a lot to get to this morning. So, let’s begin with Senator Lindsey Graham in Clemson, South Carolina, and Senator Richard Blumenthal in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They both just returned from Europe, where they met with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Good morning to you both, Senators.
SENATOR RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: Good morning.
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: Good Morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Graham, I want to start with you. Russia is escalating. They’re not ending this war in Ukraine. NATO’s Secretary General is going to be here, in Washington, this week and will be meeting with President Trump, who is, according to our reporting, considering fresh funding for Ukraine. That would be the first time since he’s taken office. What do you know about what is coming?
Everyone can see the play by President Trump. Essentially, the “coalition of the willing” (U.K, Germany, France) are not willing to go to war against Russia without the United States in front of them. Giving the coalition the weapons puts the consequences of their use on the heads of NATO allies.
Despite the majority of Washington DC, specifically the Senate thirsting, pleading and demanding an expanded NATO war, President Trump does not want to go to war against Russia. However, simultaneously Trump has to try and steer the war machine controlled by DC, the Senate, USIC and NATO.
The INERTIA for expanded war is evident. President Trump is now trying to split the baby regarding Russia, by sending patriot missiles and weapons to NATO as opposed to sending them directly to Ukraine.
In February Marco Rubio earnestly and honestly said, “The Ukraine conflict is a proxy war for the United States against Russia.” President Trump has concurred with that statement and through his prior comments he attempted to extricate the U.S. from this dynamic.
The shipment of missiles to NATO instead of Ukraine is simply a way of trying to stop direct support, yet Trump is forced by the inertia toward war to maintain a footing of expanded conflict with Russia.
To be very clear, Russian President Vladimir Putin is clear-eyed on this situation with NATO, and he has been all along.
Putin has said repeatedly that NATO was/is in direct conflict against Russia despite Ukraine not being a NATO member. This conflict with NATO well precedes Putin’s decision to conduct a ‘special military operation’ within Ukraine.
Now, we see through Trump’s approach the dropping of pretenses. Putin was correct. With NATO directly providing the war weapons to Ukraine there is no pretense, no doubt. NATO countries are funding an offensive war against Russia using a non NATO proxy state, Ukraine.
CNN state media narrative engineers (think State Dept. in all things CNN) are running with a story to promote a new book by Josh Dawsey (Wall Street Journal – Author), Tyler Pager (New York Times – Author), Isaac Arnsdorf (Washington Post – Author) where they write about an audio segment by candidate Trump telling NY donors how he threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping.
The leaked audio is essentially unremarkable as President Trump has told this story several times. However, the background context is more interesting when we consider the motives of the WSJ, NYT and WaPo. Here’s the segment:
The WSJ is against President Trump based on economics; WSJ representing Wall Street. The NYT is against President Trump based on DHS/DOJ domestic opposition from within DC. The WaPo is against President Trump based on the CIA position and larger intelligence community. None of the motives within these outlets are challenged by the intellectually honest political observers.
