Europe Hatches Plans for Ukraine Peacekeepers Without U.S.

March 21, 2025 Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Western allies are trying to hash out a bold European idea: sending 10,000 to 30,000 troops to Ukraine to help enforce any eventual peace deal with Russia.

…

As things stand, the chance of this force ever heading to Ukraine is a long shot, says Bence Németh, a defense expert at King’s College London. European leaders say they will only send troops if there is a lasting peace in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far ruled out signing a peace deal that includes Western forces in Ukraine.
Read More »

Here’s the “Security Backstop” Requested by the “Coalition of the Willing”

March 21, 2025March 21, 2025 Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Zelensky describes exchange with Trump on nuclear power plant ‘ownership’

Zelensky said “ownership” was not discussed specifically, but that a U.S. role in controlling the plant was a “question of whether we are able to recover it and recover operations,” according to The Financial Times.

It wasn’t until I listened to Jim Jatras and Rachel Blevins discuss Trump’s interest in gaining control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant that it finally clicked for me. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Previously:

Trump offers to take control of Ukraine’s nuclear plants in call with Zelensky

“UK Following US’ Ukraine Plan, Not Undermining it…”:

Zelenskiy presses allies for security guarantees, foreign troops in Ukraine

March 15 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday he had urged Kyiv’s Western allies to give “a clear position” on security guarantees including about a potential foreign troop contingent on Ukrainian soil with a U.S. backstop.

His comments came after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a virtual call with other European leaders and allies, including Zelenskiy, where Starmer said a “coalition of the willing” would help secure Ukraine “on the land, at sea and in the sky” in the event of a peace deal with Russia.

…

Starmer has also called for a U.S. security backstop to help secure a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine in the three-year-old war.

Trump offers to take control of Ukraine’s nuclear plants in call with Zelensky

March 20, 2025March 20, 2025 Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Trump offers to take control of Ukraine’s nuclear plants in call with Zelensky

“We talked only about one power plant, which is under Russian occupation,” Zelensky, who was on an official visit to Finland, said during an online briefing, referring to the plant in Zaporizhzhia.

…

But a wider ceasefire remains elusive with the Kremlin leader insisting in his own call with Trump on Tuesday that the West first stop all military aid for Ukraine.

…

Trump also pledged to help Kyiv get more air defense equipment from Europe, and to find Ukrainian children “abducted” by Russia, the statement said.

What happens when the AFU strikes the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant?

US ‘just about’ ready to lift Ukraine intel freeze, Trump says ahead of Saudi meet

March 10, 2025March 10, 2025 Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

US ‘just about’ ready to lift Ukraine intel freeze, Trump says ahead of Saudi meet

The U.S. is “just about” ready to lift its freeze on intelligence sharing with Ukraine, President Donald Trump said Sunday, as American and Ukrainian negotiators prepare for bilateral talks in Saudi Arabia intended to move toward a peace deal to end Russia’s three-year-old invasion.

…

The U.S. delegation in Saudi Arabia will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz. The Ukrainian team will be led by Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelenskyy’s presidential office. The U.S. side is expecting Ukraine to show willingness to make peace, Trump suggested on Sunday.

…

Trump and his top officials have said that both Ukraine and Russia will be expected to make concessions in pursuit of a peace deal to end Moscow’s invasion, which itself is only the latest chapter in more than a decade of cross-border aggression.

Trump last week suggested in a post to Truth Social that he was “strongly considering large-scale sanctions” and tariffs on Russia until a deal is reached, adding that Moscow “is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now.” Trump also told a joint session of Congress he had received “strong signals” that Russia is ready to make peace.

…

The Kremlin has also cited a September 2022 Ukrainian decree in which Zelenskyy declared negotiations with Putin “impossible,” after Moscow claimed to have annexed four partially-occupied Ukrainian regions.

On Monday, Peskov told journalists that Russia’s read on this week’s meeting “is not important.”

“What is important here is what the United States expects at various levels,” he continued. “We have repeatedly heard statements that the U.S. expects the Ukrainians to demonstrate their desire for peace. That’s probably what everybody is waiting for. Whether the members of the Zelenskyy regime really want peace or not. Of course, this is very important and it is necessary to decide.”

WaPo Putin-Trump call claim ‘pure fiction’ – Kremlin

November 11, 2024November 11, 2024 Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

WaPo Putin-Trump call claim ‘pure fiction’ – Kremlin

The WaPo report about a purported phone call “absolutely does not correspond to reality,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

…

Russia, which currently has the advantage on the battlefield, has said that it will only accept an outcome that addresses the core causes of the Ukraine conflict. Those include NATO’s enlargement in Europe and Kiev’s discriminatory policies against ethnic Russians, according to Moscow.

The Washington Post reported a phone call between Trump and Putin based on accounts by sources “familiar with the matter,” who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Kims Are Coming!

October 28, 2024October 28, 2024 Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

After a few cat and mouse days of Defense Secretary Lloyd “Raytheon” Austin’s denials, the Pentagon finally yesterday affirmed that there was evidence of a North Korean military presence in Russia. Asked what they were doing in Russia, Austin replied, “What exactly they are doing? Left to be seen. These are things that we need to sort out.”

The Kims Are Coming!

Previously:

Kiev leaves out milk and cookies for Santa