Emphasizing the need for President Trump and President Putin to come together and cut the gordian knot, Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds a press conference from Turkey explaining the background situation. WATCH:
.
The talks between Ukraine and Russia on the neutral turf of Turkey turned into a geopolitical game of theatrics and narrative competition following the announcement that Vladimir Putin would not attend.
NATO Secretary Mark Rutte traveling to Turkey (a posturing participant) is yet another indication of the stupidity of it all. Ukraine is not a NATO country and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, while it may be grounded in the origin of NATO encroachment, does not involve NATO unless you inject the ancillary issues into the equation. All of this extraneous party posturing shows the reason why Russian President Putin did not attend.
After a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, Zelenskyy chose to leave for home announcing he would send a delegation as the Russian group sat waiting for their peers to arrive. The back-and-forth between the two nations played out all day without any substantive negotiations or discussions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg sat around in a holding pattern waiting to see if the two sides would eventually have representatives in place to talk to each other.
Making a statement from Air Force One, President Trump seemed to encapsulate the dynamic saying he did not think any progress was likely until he personally met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Look, nothing is gonna happen until Putin and I get together,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One en route to the United Arab Emirates. “And he wasn’t gonna go … He wasn’t going if I wasn’t there. And I don’t believe anything will happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together. But we are gonna have to get it solved because too many people are dying.”
Later this afternoon Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to confirm that a Putin/Trump meeting was going to be needed to break the stalemate.
President Trump previously stated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. emissaries Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg would be traveling to Turkey as part of the U.S. support group to assist in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. However, the Kremlin has announced the delegation that will represent Russia’s interests and President Vladimir Putin is not attending.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said he would be attending the negotiations, yet doubted Russian President Putin would be present. It appears that prediction by Zelenskyy is accurate. The Kremlin announcement IS HERE.
Russia is sending: Vladimir Medinsky, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation (Head of the delegation), Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; (member of the delegation), Igor Kostyukov, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff; of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (member of the delegation), Alexander Fomin, Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation (Member of the delegation). {link}
WASHINGTON DC – Russian President Vladimir Putin will not travel to Turkey to attend peace talks with Ukraine that he himself suggested, the Kremlin announced Wednesday evening.
Earlier today President Trump was questioned about the current status of Ukraine-Russia peace talks, as contrast against the upcoming meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin in Turkey this Thursday.
President Trump said he was optimistic about the meeting which is the first direct face-to-face discussion between the leaders of the two warring nations since the beginning of the conflict. “I would fly there if I thought it would be helpful,” Trump said. “Thursday’s meeting with Russia and Ukraine is really important. I was really insistent that that meeting take place. I think good things can come out of that meeting. Stop the bloodshed, it’s a bloodbath.” WATCH:
President Trump is traveling to the Middle East right now for a series of meetings in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. President Zelenskyy quickly responded via Twitter, “all of us in Ukraine would appreciate it if President Trump could be there with us at this meeting in Türkiye.”
There is a precedent for President Trump to make quick scheduling changes. You might remember he ditched the press conference in Canada at the conclusion of the G7 events, and shocked the world by showing up at the DMZ in North Korea to meet with Chairman Kim Jong-un. President Trump famously walked into North Korea without any security detail. It was one of the most bold and stunning events in recent political history.
Can you imagine if President Trump showed up at the meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. lol
In several ways it was likely strategically smart for President Trump to distance himself from the Intelligence Operation in Ukraine known as World War Reddit. The odd and opaque narratives from NATO, EU and CIA elements bear all the hallmark tells of an intelligence operation running amok.
With President Trump slowly exiting the nonsense, the group colloquially known as the “Coalition of the Willing” organizes their latest public relations stunt with a visit to Kyiv. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the goofy Polish Prime Minister who doesn’t do much, Donald Tusk, took the pantomime train into Ukraine for a spring walk with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The U.K, German and French political leaders are all using their Ukraine involvement to deflect from the political chaos that exists back home. Starmer, Zelenskyy, Macron, Merz and Tusk brought their best videographers and photographers to provide the optics and visuals.
The quintet’s performance included a phone call to President Trump in order to collectively wag their finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin, while saying they all agreed to a 30-day ceasefire starting tomorrow (Mon). You can tell this is all theatrically produced as part of World War Reddit because earnest diplomatic negotiations do not take place through media.
If they want a Monday ceasefire, the ‘dramatic acting’ crew needs to have Putin on the call – not Trump. Duh!
In response to the latest chapter in the public relations campaign, Russian President Putin has requested to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Turkey next week on Thursday. Zelenskyy, speaking on behalf of the international intelligence apparatus that is conducting the proxy war, says he will not meet to discuss the terms for a ceasefire with Putin unless a ceasefire already exists. Again, the confliction is simply more surface evidence of the IC involvement.
Vice President JD Vance appears on Fox News to discuss the current status of negotiations and contact points to engage both the Russians and Ukrainians in a ceasefire.
From the response by Vance, it appears the Russians have the intention to gain a slightly larger part of Ukraine before they decide to enter discussions about halting the operation. As a result, the administration is awaiting the conclusion. WATCH (prompted):
.
Vice President JD Vance speaks at the DC session of the Munich Security Conference. Inside the discussion JD Vance outlines the status of President Trump foreign policy in a host of regions.
The status of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The perspective of the Trump administration toward NATO and the EU. The relationship between President Trump and the European leadership in Brussels. The China issue. The ongoing trade discussions. The middle-east, Iran, Gaza and the upcoming President Trump trip to Saudi Arabia.
.
In the U.K and throughout Europe May 8th is known as “VE Day” designating Victory of Europe Day, commemorating May 8, 1945, marking the Allies’ acceptance of Germany’s unconditional surrender.
In Russia May 8th is known as “Victory Day” celebrating the defeat of the Nazi regime and honoring the 27 million Russians killed in World War II. By several magnitude Russia suffered the most casualties in the war, losing approximately 9 million military and 18 million civilians.
Today, President Trump signed a proclamation designating May 8th also as “Victory Day” [SEE HERE], recognizing that without the United States entering the war, the German Nazi regime would not have been defeated.
Russia and the USA using “Victory Day,” while Europe uses “VE Day.” Huh, maybe a message in there somewhere.
The announcement was made during the swearing-in ceremony for David Perdue as U.S. Ambassador to China. The media questions begin at 9:11 of the video below. WATCH:
.
WHITE HOUSE – Today, our Nation proudly commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Allied Powers’ triumph over national socialism and fascism, and the end of World War II in Europe — one of the most epic victories for forces of freedom in the history of the world. On this Victory Day for World War II, we celebrate the unmatched might, strength, and power of the American Armed Forces, and we commit to protecting our sacred birthright of liberty against all threats, foreign and domestic.
Within Russia “Victory Day” on May 8th is a big deal, a very big deal. Russia lost approximately 27 million people in World War II, approximately 8.7 million military men and approximately 18 million civilians. Think of the scale. Somewhere in the range of 35 to 40% of Russian men were killed in war. Throughout Russia, honoring the history of May 8 is a big deal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a ceasefire of hostility in the Ukraine conflict surrounding Victory Day, as celebrations in Russia take place from Thursday through Sunday. However, in keeping tradition with the Nazi history, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Ukraine military, with support from EU NATO allies has launched an offensive into Russia’s Kursk region -regardless of human cost- simply to humiliate Vladimir Putin.
UKRAINE – Ukraine has launched a stunning offensive in Russia’s Kursk region in a major embarrassment for Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin was determined to expel all Ukrainian troops from Russian soil ahead of this week’s Victory Day parade.
He declared a three-day ceasefire with Ukraine, starting Thursday and ending Saturday, to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the official ceremony on Friday on Moscow’s Red Square.
But Volodymyr Zelensky’s army breached the Russian border Sunday night near the village of Tetkino. (read more)
At the behest of President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson previously removed House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) Chairman Mike Turner from his position. Representative Mike Turner is no longer Chairman of HPSCI. This was a big loss for the Deep State.
The removal timing was not coincidental as it followed President Trump announcing an intelligence advisory board headed by Devin Nunes {SEE HERE}. In addition to his manipulative support for Ukraine, in December of 2023 Chairman Turner lied about his FISA-702 renewal having support from Devin Nunes and John Ratcliffe {LINK}. Mike Turner was identified as a big fibber; he lied about Nunes; Turner was removed from the HPSCI chair.
After a few months of general invisibility, Mike Turner appears on CBS today to discuss the tariffs in addition to the removal of his good friend Mike Waltz from the position of National Security Advisor to President Trump. Video and Transcript below.
[Transcript] – MARGARET BRENNAN: Good morning and welcome to Face the Nation. We have a lot to get to, so let’s begin today with Ohio Republican Congressman Mike Turner. Good to see you here in person.
REP. MIKE TURNER: Thanks for having me, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, I have a lot of national security topics to get to you, but at the heart of so much is America’s economic strength, and so I want to ask you about what President Trump said this week about the cost, the impact of his China tariffs on the supply of goods in the United States. Take a listen.