Oh, this is a little funny.  The vertically challenged Ukrainian president who dresses like a UPS driver, is now likely to make a deal with President Trump where Ukraine puts up their “rare earth minerals” as collateral for taxpayer funds received by the United States.

Previously President Trump remarked that U.S. leadership were “stupid” for not securing Afghanistan future mineral contracts in exchange for U.S. military operations. Talking about the Ukrainian expectation from the oval office earlier today, President Trump outlined his expectations that Volodymyr Zelenskyy put up the rare earth minerals as collateral for continued financial support.  WATCH:

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday indicated that he wants to reach an agreement with Ukraine to gain access to the country’s rare earth materials as a condition for continuing U.S. support for its war against Russia.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump complained that the U.S. had sent more in military and economic assistance to Ukraine than its European partners, adding, “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things.”

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In the larger background of geopolitical conflict, the eyes of the world are concerned about increased military conflict within Ukraine.  Most reasonable people in the ‘west’ are concerned about the potential for escalation, as NATO and the Biden administration push more weapons into Ukraine in advance of their exit from the White House.

The larger group of ordinary observers are hopeful that President Trump can bring the war in Ukraine to a negotiated conclusion.

Yesterday, President Trump used his Truth Social account to share a story about Russian President Vladimir Putin being open and ready for talks with the new administration. Here is the article from December 19th that President Trump posted:

(via CNN) Russian President Vladimir Putin put a positive spin on a spate of recent setbacks Thursday, insisting in a marathon news conference that Russia had accomplished its mission in Syria and was winning the war in Ukraine.

And he nodded to the sea change expected in Washington, saying he had not spoken to US President-elect Donald Trump in over four years, but was “ready” for potential talks with him, amid expectation that the new administration in Washington will push for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine.

Thursday’s event – an annual display of Putin’s mastery of the minutiae of domestic policy as well as of geopolitics – consists of a public Q&A session combined with a public phone-in.

Russia’s war on Ukraine was a major topic, with Putin keen to emphasize Russia’s recent gains in grinding war of attrition.

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In the nation of Moldova, the left bank of the Dniester (Nistru) River is home to 360,000 citizens in the Russia-controlled region of Transnistria. To the right side of the dividing line made by the Dniester is the western/EU allied side of Moldova.

The Russian energy company, Gazprom, provides gas to Transnistria through Ukraine. The gas is subsidized by Russia, so the Russian-allied citizens of Transnistria do not pay market prices; in fact, the gas is provided free. However, the gas into Transnistria is also used to power the Moldavskaya GRES power plant, which generates electricity for both banks of the Dniester. In essence, the “free” Russian gas is provided to both the pro-Russia and anti-Russia elements in the region.

The contract for the transit of Russian gas into Transnistria through Ukraine’s territory expires on January 1, 2025. Despite the war between Russia and Ukraine, gas transit and the contract signed in 2019 have continued. However, Ukraine under Zelenskyy has repeatedly said they do not plan to extend the gas transit agreement with Gazprom. This is a way for Zelenskyy, technically NATO, to create anxiety and crisis in the region.

The western aligned government of Moldova have been demanding that Russia withdraw all military and influence from the Transnistria region, meanwhile the Transnistria local governing officials are requesting Moscow to keep the flow of Russian gas ongoing. Observers have noted, “It looks stupid to ask for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria and meanwhile request Russia to continue to give free gas to the region.”

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The media are claiming the attacks came from Ukrainian drones.  However, everyone understands the targeting and hardware for these drones is supplied by the U.S. and NATO forces.

Early this morning, timed to coincide similarly with the 911 attacks suffered by the United States in 2001, three waves of drones launched from Ukraine and hit residential buildings in Kazan, Russia.  Video quickly surfaced on social media of the drones targeting and exploding upon impact with the buildings.

Russia will retaliate.

Kazan is home to a strategic airbase for Russian long-range bombers.  There is also an explosive powder factory in the city. However, that’s not where the drones hit. The drones hit residential buildings.

Now, on one hand the way the drones flew into the region, and the eventual buildings they hit, could be interpreted as the drones did not use sophisticated targeting systems; at least that’s the argument the WEST would want to be used because that angle provides cover in saying that U.S-NATO provided satellite targeting was not used.

However, from my perspective the choice to hit residential buildings should not imply western guidance satellite systems were not used. The choice to target Kazan, the third largest city in Russia, and specifically the choice to target civilians in that region, is entirely intentional.  The NATO group want Russian citizens to feel like the USA did when the 9-11 terrorist attacks took place in New York, Pennsylvania and DC.

What I am saying is that NATO wants to create a bloodlust for revenge within the Russian people.  That is the way the U.S. and NATO get the escalation they desperately want. Unfortunately, this becomes a self-fulling prophecy because Vladimir Putin will attack Kiev, Ukraine with retaliatory strikes; he has no choice.

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About a mile away from the Georgia Parliament building in Tbilisi, rests a simple sculpture of a large circle on a pedestal.  Someone recently spray painted the graffiti message: “Your Empire Ends Here!”  I can well imagine the Wolverine who put the message there.

It is a simple message aimed toward the European Parliament in Brussels, from the majority of the Georgian people represented by Georgian Dream, the party of nationalist pride who refuse to become the next Ukraine.

Between that sculpture and the Parliament building there is an upscale shopping district filled with high-end stores.  However, the shop fronts are now covered in graffiti (“ACAB” and other international Antifa messages), many store windows are broken, and the visible scars of violent street protests are mixed in with festive Christmas decorations.

On the streets of Tbilisi protests take place almost every day, some pro-EU and some Pro-Georgia Dream.  The ordinary citizens of the city and region are, well, quite frankly, sick of it.  The CIA, USAID and EU groups tried and failed to install their puppet candidates and manipulate the people of Georgia into joining the EU.  Brussels now hates Tbilisi.  The street battle over influence continues.

Within greater Europe this conflict represented within Georgia, specifically Tbilisi, is the context for reactive globalists and their World Economic Forum politicians to another election outcome of similar scope, this time in Romania.   However, where Brussels had to let Georgia slip away, they are not going to allow Romania to escape their clutches.  {GO DEEP}

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The NATO war in Ukraine is essentially lost. Russia holds the strongest position against Kyiv and its supporters. President Donald Trump is set to take office in the USA raising new questions over Europeans’ trade relations, elimination of the Marshal Plan, and EU spending on their own common defense. Then add the slow-motion collapse of Trudeau’s Canadian government, and consider…

…Hungary has rebuked the Brussels control agenda. Georgia has rejected NATO and the EU’s manipulation. The government of France, essentially Germany’s most powerful partner leading the European Union, collapsed on a few short weeks ago. And now Germany, Europe’s largest economy, will be in the hands of a caretaker government until they can organize elections early next year.

When the control mechanisms of the totalitarian left fail, we see the machinery tremoring slowly, slowly, until suddenly, all at once it freezes.

GERMANY – The German government collapsed on Monday as Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in Parliament, deepening a crisis of leadership across Europe at a time of mounting economic and security challenges.

[…] On Monday, German lawmakers voted to dissolve the existing government by a vote of 394 to 207, with 116 abstaining.

Coming just nine months before parliamentary elections had been scheduled to happen, the vote was an extraordinary moment for Germany. The elections, now expected on Feb. 23, will be only the fourth snap election in the 75 years since the modern state was founded. The moment reflects a new era of more fractious and unstable politics in a country long known for durable coalitions built on plodding consensus.

Mr. Scholz had little choice but to take the unusual step of calling for the confidence vote after his three-party coalition splintered in November, ending months of bitter internal squabbling and leaving him without a parliamentary majority to pass laws or a budget.

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Incoming national security adviser Michael Waltz talks to Face the Nation with dramatic acting Margaret Brennan.  The first part of the interview discusses drones, fears and “gaps in our security” according to Waltz.

Within the interview Brennan questions Waltz about Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán personally meeting with President Trump and carrying a potential message from Russian President Vladimir Putin.  Waltz notes that Orban “clearly has a good relationship” with President Trump and that will be key to ending the war in Ukraine.  WATCH:

As National Security Advisor, Waltz likely won’t last a year.  “Gaps in our capabilities,” is DC intel codespeak for more rules, regulations, control mechanisms and anti-freedom national security legislation is needed.

My Spidey sense indicates a CNN gig in his future.  Waltz just gives off that ‘he will believe everything the IC tells him’ vibe.

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This is stunning, yet in a way not unexpected all things considered.

We previously outlined how Make Romania Great Again candidate Călin Georgescu came out of nowhere and won the first round in the presidential election. {GO DEEP}

The U.S. and EU heads went bananas at the surprise upset.

Georgescu is a nationalist, and his ideological outlook is the exact opposite of what the EU/U.S want to see. As a consequence, appeals were made to Brussels to intervene and simultaneously inside Romania the election results were reviewed by the court.

Last Monday the Romanian courts validated the first-round results, affirming their legitimacy.  However, on Friday with information provided by CIA and various intelligence services, just two days before the second round of voting, the same court annulled the election results, threw out the votes, and now say another election must take place.

The EU intelligence services apparently said social media platforms like TikTok were to blame for Georgescu’s surge in popularity.  His voters violated customs and norms of regular media that are used to control political outcomes in Romania, and therefore the election result cannot be allowed to stand.  The people in Romania are stunned at the intervention, and no political party agrees with it.

ROMANIA – […] The Constitutional Court in its published decision cited the illegal use of digital technologies including artificial intelligence, as well as the use of “undeclared sources of funding.” It said one candidate received “preferential treatment on social media platforms, which resulted in the distortion of voters’ expressed will.”

Georgescu slammed the verdict as putting “democracy is under attack.”

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Video from the first meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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There it is. The background for the first meeting between President Trump and President Zelenskyy is buried in the story of Emmanual Macron holding two bilateral meetings before the Notre Dame reopening ceremony.  [Now, where’s Tucker?]

If you carefully read this Politico Story you can see how President Trump and President Zelenskyy would be in the same place at the same time, courtesy of French President Emmanuel Macron.  This explains Trump’s willingness to go to the Notre Dame ceremony and simultaneously reconciles the absence of Joe Biden.

It’s a simple application of geopolitical Occam’s Razor. There’s no other background that reconciles all the variables. Trump is going to speak with Zelenskyy. All of it makes sense.

POLITICO – PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron will hold separate bilateral meetings with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump ahead of the reopening ceremony of the Notre Dame cathedral on Saturday, the French presidency announced.

This will be Trump’s first visit abroad since his victory in the Nov. 5 election. Macron is among those leaders currently in power to have known the soon-to-be 47th president during his first term in office — a position he will look to leverage in order to assert himself as a key European partner to the U.S.

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