The Russia-Ukraine War has begun

[WeFlossDaily]

Russian drone hits Chernobyl nuclear plant

The attack caused a fire at the plant, which has since been extinguished.

tvpworld.com

 

[Free]

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Prem Sikka (@premnsikka.bsky.social)

New Imperialism Ukraine rejects Trump bid to take rights to half its mineral reserves. Trump claims US was owed half a trillion dollar for war-aid. US support was apparently all about grabbing resources. Trump wants Greenland, Panama, Gaza, Canada, Ukraine minerals. What next...

bsky.app

Joseph Cotterill (@jsphctrl.ft.com)

This is quite weird to demand because the rights on their own wouldn’t be worth much. As usual you’d have to explore and prove up resources, then pour capex into a mine and infrastructure. All of which is harder to finance if Ukraine is long-term insecure anyway...

bsky.app

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Trump's special envoy Keith Kellog for the Ukraine peace negotiations stated at the MSC2025 that the EU will not be participating at the peace talks, but its interests will be considered.

The reason why is because it didn't work well in the past in his eyes: "There were a lot of people at the table, but it didn't work out." stated Kellog, meaning Minsk I and II.

Europe won't participate in peace negotiations, but its interests to be considered, Kellogg says

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Kellogg mentioned the Minsk II deal of 2015, saying that it involved "a lot of people" but didn't work out.

kyivindependent.com

 

[Khamon]

Joseph Cotterill (@jsphctrl.ft.com)

This is quite weird to demand because the rights on their own wouldn’t be worth much. As usual you’d have to explore and prove up resources, then pour capex into a mine and infrastructure. All of which is harder to finance if Ukraine is long-term insecure anyway...

bsky.app

He’s not wrong. But Trump will sell access to the rights to mercenary types that will dare discovery and extraction for the payoff. Trump can resell when they fail, rinse, repeat. Meanwhile he can claim (lie) that extraction is planned and guaranteed to borrow against the unrealized value of the haul then never pay that back.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

The American and Russian peace talk delegations will meet tomorrow in Riyadh. Participants are on American side will probably be Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

Russia will send probably Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as well as Yury Ushakov, Aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Sergey Naryshkin, Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia.

Zelensky will join that format probably 1 week later.

The Russians do get what they want, namely peace talks with the USA, which they always called the steering driver behind the curtain.

And Trump stopped pretending that the Ukraine really matters or the EU have anything to say, aside later paying for troops and rebuilding of the Ukraine.

US and Russian delegations to meet in Saudi Arabia tomorrow: Details

Read more

newsukraine.rbc.ua

 

[Isabeau]

Anonymous (@youranoncentral.bsky.social)

The European Union is preparing to announce a historic €700 billion aid package for Ukraine. The project was top secret but "accidently let out" after the US visit to EU. This is unprecedented in scale and declaws Trump & Putin's plot to force Ukraine to surrender to plunder it for its resources.🧵

bsky.app

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

These "peace talks" are looking more and more like a new conference of Jalta, but with the difference that Ukraine is still existant, not defeated nor giving up and would like to have a say in it. Which so far America and Russia refuse to happen, what a dick move.

Trump's special envoy is set to meet with Zelensky at Thursday this week.

US and Russia to 'normalise' relationship and start Ukraine talks

Russian and US officials spent four hours in Saudi Arabia in talks delegations described as "positive" and a "first step", despite criticism from Ukraine and Europe over their lack of involvement.

www.euronews.com

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Trump blames Joe Biden for Russian invasion in Ukraine, says the war began over NATO membership.

Trump said, “Long before President Putin, Russia was very strong on the fact that I believe that’s the reason the war started—because Biden went out and said that they could join Nato, and he shouldn’t have said that. As soon as he said that, I thought, you know what? You’re going to have a war now. And I was right about that. This is a war that would have never happened if I were President.”

President Trump said, “The Ukraine war must end. Young people are being killed at a scale not seen since World War II. It’s a senseless war, and it has to stop. I had a good conversation with President Putin and another very good talk with President Zelenskyy.”

President Trump emphasised, “Some people said I should have called Zelenskyy first, but I don’t think so. I know Zelenskyy wants to make a deal because he told me that. Now, I also know that Russia wants a deal. As for Ukraine joining Nato, I don’t see how Russia, given its position, would ever allow that to happen.”

US President Donald Trump has expressed optimism about peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The development came after he held phone calls with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy.

Trump blames Biden for Russian invasion of Ukraine, says war began over Nato membership

Former US President Donald Trump has criticised Joe Biden’s stance on Ukraine’s Nato membership, blaming it for triggering Russia’s invasion. He said that Biden’s comments on Ukraine joining the alliance provoked Moscow into launching the war.

www.firstpost.com

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

Russia invaded in 2014, Donald.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Trump is dismantling Zelesenky's authority to sit at the peace talk table talking like Putin in a new low deep blow: "You know, they want a seat at the table, wouldn’t the people of Ukraine have to have a say, like it’s been a lot of times since we’ve had an election?” with "That’s not a Russia thing; that’s something that’s coming from me and many other countries also." So in short he wants to push Zelensky out of the office.

Also Trump thinks that Kyiw not already being a parking lot is only happening because the Russians are holding back on the capital on purpose, because they could do it make happen any time in his opinion.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Trump calls Zelensky a 'dictator' as he hits back at 'disinformation' criticism

It comes after the Ukrainian president suggested Donald Trump was "living in a disinformation space" created by Russia.

www.bbc.co.uk

Anyone who follows the news has known for a long time that the US is not a reliable ally (as, for example, the Kurds and Marsh Arabs found out the hard way at the end of Iraq 1 in 1991, and the Afghans found out more recently).

It's pretty horrible watching it happen in Europe, though, though we knew what was coming.

It's going to be particularly interesting to see how this works out in the UK, since ever since WW2 (and despite the Suez debacle) the centrality of the trans-Atlantic alliance has been an unquestioned fundamental of all the main parties' foreign policy, and was a key argument of the leave campaign.

All that's gone now.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

The thing is that the USA right now is destroying the whole security architecture it painstakingly erected after WWII in Europe within weeks.

Also on Trump's agenda is to stop the sanctions then against Russia once a "result" has been reached in these "peace talks."

So Trump is restoring Russia's influence on the global stage at record speed. In short America did a u-turn under Trump from "Russia is bah" to "Russia is our friend."

 

[Isabeau]

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Pence is such a distinguished man when talking to Trump. The NYT dropped that and now just calls him Mr. Trump:

"Mr. Trump was eager to work with Russia to end the war — an approach that would most likely fulfill many of the demands of its president, Vladimir V. Putin — and that he was prepared to cast aside the worries of American allies in Europe. [...] President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine reacted angrily"

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/world/europe/us-russia-saudi-ukraine.html

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Soen Eber]

He’s not wrong. But Trump will sell access to the rights to mercenary types that will dare discovery and extraction for the payoff. Trump can resell when they fail, rinse, repeat. Meanwhile he can claim (lie) that extraction is planned and guaranteed to borrow against the unrealized value of the haul then never pay that back.

And those mercenaries will employ children, lots of them, just like in the third world. I know the type.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

I don't like Pence but I respect him for not going along with some of the crazier MAGA nonsense. They hate him now because of it. I bet they think he's a closet liberal even though he's more conservative than most of them in an old fashioned sense.

Trump is dismantling Zelesenky's authority to sit at the peace talk table talking like Putin in a new low deep blow: "You know, they want a seat at the table, wouldn’t the people of Ukraine have to have a say, like it’s been a lot of times since we’ve had an election?” with "That’s not a Russia thing; that’s something that’s coming from me and many other countries also." So in short he wants to push Zelensky out of the office.

Also Trump thinks that Kyiw not already being a parking lot is only happening because the Russians are holding back on the capital on purpose, because they could do it make happen any time in his opinion.

Sure... but how about Putin ALSO have to have an election that is monitored internationally to ensure fairness? Even if all of the exaggerated bullshit about Zelesenky was true, he'd at worst, be just like Putin.

There is a huge burden of proof on Russia sympathizers to justify this invasion, and they can't meet it so they are just deflecting.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

I don't like Pence but I respect him for not going along with some of the crazier MAGA nonsense. They hate him now because of it. I bet they think he's a closet liberal even though he's more conservative than most of them in an old fashioned sense.

Well the difference between Pence and Vance became clear after the 2020 election: Pence does honor the constitution at least to some point, Vance I don't think so.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

I think this is free to read

The End of the Postwar World

Trump and Vance are sending a dark message to America’s allies.

www.theatlantic.com