President Trump was asked about the Witkoff and Kusher trip to Moscow, Russia as negotiations for an end to the conflict are ongoing.  President Trump noted he had not yet heard from the emissary duo, as he is spending time with media, answering questions and being the most transparent administration in history [Video Here].

In the contextual background, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov and Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev spent time walking through Moscow center city with Trump Emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.  This is before the meeting with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin.

This move is typical Putin.  It’s not a negative per se’, but rather an emphatic narrative contrast intended to draw attention to a Russian/American dichotomy.

This optical presentation was likely coordinated via Yury Ushakov and Steve Witkoff.  The optical message is psychological targeting; the city of Moscow -structural order, cleanliness, visual and representative Christmas holiday festival spirit- contrast and compared to the city of Washington DC, chaos, conflict and lack of social cohesion.

Traditional American intelligence review would be angered by what would be deemed psy-op manipulation; however, the reality of the situation doesn’t diminish just because the intent is to emphasize the contrast.

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On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with the Ukraine negotiating team in Florida to further discuss acceptable terms for a broader ceasefire and end to the war.

Still trying to recover from corruption charges against his senior presidential team, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not at the talks. Instead, the Ukraine delegation was led by State Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, while Zelenskyy went to Paris for an emotional support session with Emmanuel Macron.

Secretary Rubio and Secretary Umerov spoke before and after their 5-hour negotiation session.  Secretary Rubio emphasized the main topic as securing the long-term future of Ukraine both from a security position and from an economic prosperity position.

This state security aspect comes as the Ukraine delegation is facing pressure to accept, they will lose most -if not all- of the Donbas region to Russia. “The end goal is obviously not just the end of the war. Obviously, that’s central and fundamental,” Rubio said. “It’s also about securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity.”

In better-than-expected news, the EU is now saying they will not comply with any removal of sanctions against Russia.  If the U.S-Russia and Ukraine work out a negotiated settlement that permits legal or economic relief for Vladimir Putin, the European Union will not agree and will instead make up their own decision on the issues.

Europe is holding this position as a threat, because President Trump is not fully consulting with them on all the granular details.  However, this is the type of threat that is exactly beneficial to what appears to be the long-term strategy of Trump.

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I do not often go direct on this stuff, but Representative Mike Turner (Ohio, CD-10) is willfully participating in a Deep State operation.  This video below shows evidence of that operation.  Who is controlling him, and more importantly, who is paying him?  Ohio Wolverines need to dig hard and deep.

Before getting to the issue of the day, remember at the beginning of this Congress, even before President Trump was inaugurated 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 LIAR.  He lied about Nunes.  In January of 2025, Turner was removed from the HPSCI chair.

In 2024, Mike Turner also claimed “his intel team” would control speaker Mike Johnson and ultimately control the office of the president {Go Deep}.  Now, watch this interview; you only need to watch the first part – the setup – to see Turner working an IC operation.  Look at the notes in front of him. Look at his instructions; the framework he is being told to follow.  Watch his eyes as he attempts to talk while referencing the material that has been provided to him.  They are not usually this obvious.  WATCH:

Mike Turner is running a Ukraine intelligence operation. The question is, who’s behind it?

[Transcript] – NANCY CORDES: We’re joined now by Ohio Republican Congressman Mike Turner. Congressman, thanks for being with us. Happy Thanksgiving.

REP. MIKE TURNER: Thank you, Nancy. Happy Thanksgiving to you also.

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban not only represents a friendly European voice to the objectives of the Trump administration, but also Orban is a close personal friend of President Trump both in and out of office.

Trump and Orban have long held a very close relationship, including friendship with the family of First Lady Melania Trump.  They are all very close – Shinzo Abe-type close – both from the White House and time in Mar-a-Lago.

On November 7, 2025, Prime Minister Viktor Orban again visited President Trump in the White House, including dinner with the Trump cabinet.  Then, word of the Ukraine corruption scandal broke.

A week following the White House visit (November 14) Prime Minister Orban said, “The golden illusion of Ukraine is falling apart. A wartime mafia network with countless ties to President Zelensky has been exposed. The energy minister has already resigned, and the main suspect has fled the country. This is the chaos into which the Brusselian elite want to pour European taxpayers’ money, where whatever isn’t shot off on the front lines ends up in the pockets of the war mafia. Madness. Thank you, but we want no part of this.”

The direct and non-pretending remarks from Viktor Orban highlighted a sense of the issue carried by a majority of the commonsense people around Russia, Europe, America and the world in general.  However, soon thereafter, as President Trump, Steve Witkoff and Marco Rubio were delivering deliberate terms to finally end the conflict, the Western intelligence network leaked an intercepted phone call between Witkoff and Putin’s senior foreign policy advisor, Ushakov.

The intelligence apparatus, likely originating from the U.K., purposefully wanted to disrupt all this peaceful resolution effort. The conflict has both benefactors and beneficiaries that do not want peace, both here and in Europe.

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Earlier this month Ukrainian businessman Tymur Mindich, co-owner of Kvartal 95 the Ukrainian TV production company Volodymyr Zelenskyy founded before he became president, fled the country as the NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) announced results from a widespread corruption probe.

Money given to Ukraine for subsidies was being skimmed from the energy sector by several high-profile government and business officials. The NABU probe and raids on offices to discover document trails of the officials is ongoing.

Today, NABU officials raided the home of Andriy Yermak (pictured left), head of the Office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Simultaneous with the raid, Zelenskyy announced the firing of Yermak from his office:

“There will be a reset of the Office of the President of Ukraine. The Head of the Office, Andriy Yermak, has submitted his resignation. I am grateful to Andriy for always representing Ukraine’s position on the negotiation track exactly as it should be represented. It has always been a patriotic position. But I want to eliminate any rumors and speculation.” (SOURCE)

As I shared earlier regarding the NABU investigation, I have personally seen these corrupt Ukraine characters (politicians and private sector oligarchs) in action, literally spending tens-of-thousands of U.S. taxpayer funds (in cash) at the Port of Montenegro while I was tracking them in 2023 and 2024.  They were staying in massive suites at the Regent Hotel, expensive boats and exotic cars with each. So please, don’t try to sell me on the honorable Ukraine politician schtick.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is worried the Russians will use the corruption story to undermine his government, so he has spent the past two weeks on the phone with his U.K/USA and EU benefactors trying to keep the supportive money flowing while his government officials skim the funds.

However, notice how quiet the U.S. Senate has been on this explosive story about Ukraine officials being caught skimming money.  The Senate is quiet because almost two-thirds of the senators are taking money from the laundry operation [LIST HERE].It’s not just Ukraine officials making money from the massive EU/USA funding scheme.

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On the sidelines of a trade and economic discussion with the govt of Kyrgyzstan and the CSTO summit, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin took questions from media about the Ukraine -vs- Russia conflict.

Now, due to the significance of his remarks, and keeping in mind these responses are in the Russian language, it becomes important for WESTERN READERS to evaluate the translation.  Vladimir Putin speaks in direct terms that are often not understood in western translation, the nuance within the translation is important.

That said, I am going through the remarks; I will share the video and ongoing translation while extrapolating against the known backdrop of communication as shared by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Emissary Steve Witkoff and ultimately, President Donald Trump.

It appears that Russian President Putin is expecting the arrival of a U.S. delegation to Moscow, likely Witkoff, Saturday, Sunday or Monday (early next week).  This aligns with the prior statements of President Trump during remarks aboard Air Force One.

In general, and in the specifically official nuance that Russian President Vladimir Putin is known for, Putin affirmed that Steve Witkoff and Yury Ushakov are key “informal” negotiators. Each emissary from each leader allowed space for plain language discussions.  Witkoff represents the voice of Donald Trump, and Ushakov representing the voice of Vladimir Putin.

Witkoff and Ushakov can meet and discuss the reality of things without concern for the noise of diplomatic stakeholders. Both men are closely trusted advisors of their principals, Trump and Putin.  When the elements of their discussions need to transfer to formal contexts, Witkoff/Trump bring aboard Secretary Rubio while Ushakov/Putin bring in Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.  The official teams transfer the common language objective into diplomatic details.

As to the status of the current conflict from the Russian perspective.  Vladimir Putin was brutally honest and pragmatic in his remarks.

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The global intelligence motive (5 Eyes) would be laughable if it were not so transparent.  In an effort to create problems for President Trump and the Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations, an unknown intelligence agency intercepted the call then provided a recording to Bloomberg News.

The intercept was not likely U.S-based, or the leak would be to a different media outlet (WaPo, NYT or Politico). The Bloomberg angle indicates a likely EU intelligence source, with one of the “coalition of the willing” (U.K, France, Germany, or Brussels) the most likely suspect.  Given the nature of the intercept, and the intent behind the leak, the British seem the most likely of sources.

The phone call itself is generally a non-issue.  Essentially President Trump emissary Steve Witkoff and Russian Foreign Policy Advisor Yuri Ushakov were discussing the best way for their two principals (Trump and Putin) to connect and discuss the potential for a peace plan on October 14, 2025.

Between the margins there’s something we have discussed at length on these pages, a coordinated messaging campaign between the Trump administration and the Putin administration with both private objectives and public statements aligned in common purpose.  The call itself is solid affirmation of our prior analysis of the relationship.

As we have long discussed, both President Trump and President Putin want to end the conflict.  However, the EU, NATO, British, French, German govts, as well as the U.S. congress and Ukraine want to keep the war continuing.

President Trump and President Putin both understand the nature of each other’s political position.  Thus, their communication is coordinated in public with back-channel messaging organized by their emissaries.

The October 14th call between the emissaries was intercepted, and with the Trump administration having brought Ukraine into the proximity of agreement, the call is leaked in an effort to weaken the plan sponsored by President Trump, Secretary Rubio and Emissary Witkoff.  Some unknown intelligence agency doesn’t want the peace deal to be finalized.

The transcript was prepared after Bloomberg reviewed a recording of the call.

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President Trump holds an impromptu press conference aboard Air Force One heading to Mar-a-Lago.  The main questions to President Trump surround the breaking news of the Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations.   As noted by President Trump the conflict has just killed too many people, now both sides are closer to ending the bloodshed.

President Trump notes in the Ukraine deal the physical border is challenging to determine, “you can’t have a border through a house or dividing a highway.”   As soon as the Ukraine portion is complete, Steve Witkoff will be traveling to Moscow likely next week.

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When we are reviewing ‘western’ media presentations about Ukraine, proceed with extreme caution.

Remember, (1) Zelenskyy is ideologically opposed to coming to terms for a ceasefire against Russia. (2) Zelenskyy has the full support of the European nations to continue fighting. (3) Ukraine has a habit of using positive statements as tools to try and box in President Trump, only to hold firm to certain positions in an effort to derail peace negotiations.

Western media are now reporting the 28 points of President Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire have now been reduced to a core 19 points that Ukraine President Volodymr Zelenskyy accepts. Previously secret meetings between U.S. military and Russia are taking place in Abu Dhabi.

WASHINGTON – Ukraine has agreed to the U.S. peace plan with only “some minor details to be sorted out”, an American official told CBS News on Tuesday. Top Kyiv security official Rustem Umerov appeared to confirm the report, writing on X this morning that Ukraine had reached an understanding on the “core terms” of the U.S. peace plan during the discussions in Geneva. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to travel to the White House later this month to finalize the agreement.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and Russia held secret talks in Abu Dhabi on Monday, according to reports by Reuters and the Financial Times, as the Trump administration tries to maintain the momentum of progress with its evolving peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, which still rages in the background. Those talks are set to continue on Tuesday. (more)

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Sometimes it pays to remind what Marco Rubio said back in February, “Ukraine is a proxy war between the U.S. and Russia.”  From that context the remarks from SSCI Vice-Chair, Senator Mark Warner, make sense.

Warner appears on ABC News ‘This Week’ to denounce the peace proposal now being negotiated in Geneva, Switzerland between Secretary Rubio and the Ukrainian delegation.  Senator Warner makes it clear he will not accept the end to conflict in Ukraine.  Video and Transcript Below:

[TRANSCRIPT] – Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner joins me now.

Good to see you this morning, Senator.

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE VICE CHAIR: Good morning, Martha.

RADDATZ: What is your reaction to this peace proposal that is on the table?

WARNER: My reaction is it’s awful. It would make Neville Chamberlain’s giving in to Hitler outside of World War II looks strong in comparison. The fact that this was almost a series of Russian talking points, would require Ukraine to give the — totality of the Donbas, parts they still control, cut back their military forces going forward, never be able to join NATO.

This would be a complete capitulation. And it’s why I think you’re hearing from Congress, both sides, people pushing back. And, obviously, the Europeans feel like they’ve been totally left high and dry.

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