The key component: Ukraine's security
Link to quote: Trump says no security promises or NATO for Ukraine
Yesterday during President Trump's first cabinet meeting, in which he took about an hour's worth of questions, he gave away some of the framework for the peace deal involving Ukraine. As we all know, Zelensky's main objective is to come out of the deal with solid secure protection for his country so that Russia will be deterred from attacking again. For the first time, Trump let it be known that the security forces would be European:
"I'm not going to make security guarantees beyond very much," Trump said.
"We're going to have Europe do that," Trump said. "Europe is their next-door neighbor, but we're going to make sure everything goes well."
Asked what concessions would need to be made to end the war, he ruled out Ukrainian membership in NATO, again repeating Russia's stance that the issue was behind its invasion.
"NATO -- you can forget about," Trump said. "I think that's probably the reason the whole thing started."
Trump says no security promises or NATO for Ukraine
I'm sure many Americans are wondering how strong a European security force could be. It is after all, their back yard. What has Europe become?
Let us use what has been up until recently, the engine for Europe: Germany. For those who missed it, there were elections recently in Germany and as polls had correctly predicted, Conservative parties won nearly 50% of the vote. Although they have the support of almost half of German voters, it is likely that the will of those voters will not be represented. The seats that will comprise the majority will be most likely made up of either the Socialist party or the Green party or both. Such are the ways of European politics.
Just like in the recent US election there is a counter revolution going on in Europe, but under their "Parliamentary democracy" the majority will not have much of a voice in the government and that is only going to polarize German society even more. The Christian Democratic Union is one of the victorious Conservative partys and Friedrich Merz will be the new Chancellor. There is another Conservative party called the AFD which under European standards is considered extreme simply because it wants secure borders or having a right to buy guns. Something that might be considered normal in the US.
Merz is already separating himself from President Trump. He leads a pacifist nation which still hasn't paid its fair share of NATO membership. That is the state of affairs in Europe and that is what Ukraine has to depend on.
The point here is that Zelensky must know how weak such support will actually be. Zelensky will meet with Trump tomorrow. Is he really going to be satisfied with European boots on the ground?
In the news:
At the first cabinet meeting of his second term, President Trump praised Elon Musk’s cost-cutting efforts and refused to guarantee Ukraine's security with US troops. In the meeting, Trump said that the head of the E.P.A. intended to fire 65% of its staff.
Thousands of Israelis lined the streets to mourn Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, whom Hamas kidnapped on Oct. 7. Hamas turned over the remains of what they said were four Israeli hostages as Isreal released dozens more Palestinian prisoners.
Three Austrian political parties reached a deal that would form a government that would exclude Conservatives they consider "far right."
ATLANTA — A Fulton County judge has ruled against District Attorney Fani Willis in her attempt to quash a subpoena from a state Senate special committee investigating alleged misconduct in her prosecution of President Donald Trump’s election interference case.
Judge Shakura L. Ingram rejected Willis’s argument that the subpoena was invalid due to the expiration of the General Assembly’s legislative term. In her ruling, Ingram acknowledged the complexities of the issue but stated that allowing individuals to repeatedly challenge subpoenas until a new legislature is convened would lead to “an absurd result.”
Judge rules against DA Fani Willis in fight over state Senate subpoena – 95.5 WSB
The Washington Post’s opinion editor resigned after Jeff Bezos, the paper’s owner, directed the section to advocate “personal liberties and free markets” without publishing opposing views.
The energy giant BP announced that it would move more on oil & gas development and far less on green energy.
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Good morning to all my friends and our readers.
Get ready for the release of the Epstein Files:
Attorney General Pam Bondi teased Wednesday that the Justice Department will likely release files related to Jeffrey Epstein today.
Interesting, isn't it?
Is Jesse Waters on the list?
I remember when we had a lot of speculation on this site about those files.
I wonder why Garland didn't release them?
I'll wait for the Durham report.
You already rejected it, remember?
To date this administration has been far more transparent that it's predecessors. This is another step in that transparency. I'm sure this will rightfully destroy the lives and careers of so many across the board. And bring justice to those that were abused.
An understatement.
The man who told us that it was just a stutter has a new book out on the coverup of the Biden decline.
Border czar Tom Homan suggested Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is being investigated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for potentially impeding immigration enforcement law.
Ocasio-Cortez hosted a live webinar on Wednesday advising migrants in her congressional district about their rights if they come into contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) agents looking to deport them.
"Impediment is impediment in my opinion," Homan told Fox News , as he questioned whether her behavior was "crossing the line."
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Under Investigation Over Illegal Migrant Video - Newsweek
What does "beyond very much " mean? It sounds like something a halfwit would say.
To a rational human being it would mean protecting US mining interests.
To a Trump hater it means back to the echo chamber.
It means the US contribution will be cut. That the US will no longer foot the bill. This, in turn, forces the European nations to step up and do their part instead of, again, relying on the US to do everything. It seems like a halfwit wouldn't understand that.
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily delayed a court-mandated deadline requiring the Trump administration to pay nearly $2 billion to contracted aid organizations for work they already completed.
Chief Justice John Roberts, in an order Wednesday night, stayed a lower court order that the administration pay out $1.9 billion by midnight. In his order, Roberts asked the aid groups that sued the Trump administration to provide a response by noon Friday after which the court will decide its next steps.
Supreme Court delays deadline for Trump administration to pay $1.9B in foreign aid
Ukraine gave up its security in 2014. The singular event that destabilized Ukraine's security was the impeachment, overthrow, and ouster of Viktor Yanukovych. Ukraine could have waited and removed Yanukovych in the next election in a more democratic fashion. And the ouster of Yanukovych didn't follow a line of succession; the parliament installed one of its own to replace Yanukovych.
Russia and NATO had coexisted in Ukraine for well over a decade. Russia had not objected to Ukraine's trade with the EU. Ukraine was actually in an enviable position between Russia and the EU who were attempting to become trade partners. There are gas pipelines through Ukraine delivering Russian gas to the EU. Post-Soviet Russia was attracting European (and American) investors and that trade expanded markets for Ukraine's industrialized east.
So, why is Trump trying to shackle US taxpayers to a back stabbing, duplicitous Ukraine? Trump is requiring that Ukraine nationalize its mineral reserves so the government can provide mineral rights to the United States. And owning mineral rights guarantees nothing. Ukraine can require that those mineral deposits be developed and worked by Ukrainian companies, Ukrainian labor, and Ukrainian transport. Ukraine can follow the US model and kill mining with environmental regulations, labor regulations, trade regulations. Ownership of nationalized mineral reserves means nothing. Is Donald Trump really that astoundingly stupid?
One of the largest mineral deposits is now under Russian control.
Didn't Putin offer the same deal to the US?
Seems like I heard that idea before.
Another Uranium One deal? Is Putin trying to start a bidding war? Is Trump really that stupid?
Tune in tomorrow for another exciting episode of "As the Sphincter Burns".
How true your words turned out to be!
" The singular event "
That did not make it acceptable for Russia to attack the Ukraine
Maybe the problem was the guy who said he would accept a minor incursion and offered Zelensky a helicopter ride out.
Right now, President Trump is meeting with British PM Starmer
There will be a press conference at 2 PM EST
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) eliminated federal regulations created during the Obama administration, which Secretary Scott Turner accused of putting "extreme and restrictive demands" on local housing developers.
HUD terminates Obama-Biden housing rule that Trump said 'destroys' home values | Fox News