Zelenskyy Praises Trump's Russia Sanctions But Says "It's Not Enough" — Demands Long-Range Missiles to Force Putin Into Peace Talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed President Trump's new sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil, calling them "a significant step," but insisted that Ukraine still desperately needs long-range missiles to pressure Vladimir Putin into serious negotiations.
In an exclusive interview with Axios, Zelenskyy estimated that Trump's sanctions could slash Russia's oil exports by 50%, costing Moscow up to $5 billion monthly. However, he warned bluntly: "sanctions alone won't stop" Putin.
The Shift in Trump's Approach
The Ukrainian leader revealed details of his tense October 17 White House meeting with Trump, which he diplomatically called "constructive" but acknowledged "wasn't easy." During that meeting, Trump rejected Ukraine's request for Tomahawk cruise missiles, citing escalation concerns.
But after Putin stuck to maximalist demands and diplomatic talks stalled, Trump cancelled a planned Putin summit and imposed the first direct sanctions on Russia since taking office — a dramatic U-turn.
Ceasefire Plan in the Works
Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and its allies will finalize a ceasefire plan within the next 10 days following discussions with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The plan will be "short, without too many details" and modeled loosely on Trump's Gaza approach.
The Ukrainian president said he accepted Trump's proposal to freeze current front lines as the basis for negotiations, though he remains skeptical Putin will accept any peace proposal.
"We Need More Pressure"
"We speak not only about Tomahawks. The U.S. has a lot of similar things that don't require much time for training. I think the way to work with Putin is only through pressure," Zelenskyy told Axios.
He argued that Ukraine wouldn't even need to use the missiles immediately — just the threat of strikes on Russia's energy facilities could bring Putin to the negotiating table.
#Ukraine #Russia #Trump
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Which state(s) could Kamala and Walz *realistically* try to win that she and Biden did not win in 2020 (flip from red to blue)?
#USElections
I was looking at the 2020 presidential election results the other day on Wikipedia, and based on the states that were won by a narrow margin by either candidate, most were won by Biden.
However, Trump won North Carolina by 1.35% (74,483 votes), which seems to be the most likely state Kamala and Walz could flip.
Although Florida was won by Trump by 3.36% (371,686 votes), it’s likely to remain red especially based on the 2022 governor election results.
I’m not sure how much effort the Harris campaign would/will put into Maine’s 2nd congressional district 7.44%, 27,996 votes).
By this point things are looking like more of a longshot. Trump won Ohio by 8.03% (475,669 votes).
Trump won Iowa by 8.20% (138,611 votes).
Based on this alone, it seems like only North Carolina could be where the Harris campaign could expand from 2020, but of course that would be in addition to holding the close states they won that election (Arizona, Georgia…).
Any thoughts on how the Harris campaign will proceed? Would the Harris campaign be better off with focusing all their efforts on maintaining what she and Biden won in 2020? Or would it depend how polls are trending in the next few/several weeks?
Edited to add: I completely missed mentioning Texas, my mistake. Trump had won by 5.58% (631,221 votes). Maybe if there’s a strong enough push this could be flipped?
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Dancing cactus baby reaction 👶🌵❤️
Dancing cactus baby reaction #cutebaby #funnybaby #babyvideos
👶🌵❤️
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That $300 Million WH Ball Room being built - Trump to name it after himself.
Construction on Donald Trump’s controversial new White House addition is off to a disastrous start if his model of the glitzy East Wing ballroom is anything to go by. Plans shared by the MAGA administration suggest “a hurried process,” the New York Times reports, noting that a miniature mock-up of the 90,000 square foot annex, proudly unveiled to the press Wednesday, featured some truly bizarre architectural features.
Critics, like MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, have lamented what they describe as the president treating the physical structure of the nation’s highest office as if it was his own personal backyard. “To take literally a wrecking ball to the White House… it’s grotesque, just grotesque!” the Morning Joe host said Tuesday. “It’s not yours! You rent it from the American people for four years.”
Others have compared the Trump administration’s work on the building, which the president had previously promised would leave the existing structures untouched, to ISIS’s desecration of historic sites and artifacts during the terrorist group’s brutal reign across parts of Syria and Iraq.
“The first reaction I had was, what the f---? It’s not OK. The White House doesn’t belong to Donald Trump—it’s a federal building, a taxpayer building, belonging to the American people,” archaeologist Matthew Vincent, who spent two decades documenting the recovery of artifacts looted by the Islamic extremist movement, told the Daily Beast.
“What he’s doing is horrific and done without any oversight or acknowledgment from the bodies that should oversee this—and certainly not with the American people,” he added.
The NYT says Trump has indeed failed to follow established procedure for renovations on White House grounds, bypassing the usual reviews from federal groups like the National Capital Planning Commission. #Trump #US #News
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Iraq postpones plans for US troop withdrawal amid regional tensions
Iraq has postponed announcing an end-date for the US-led military coalition’s presence in the country due to “recent developments,” raising questions about the future of US military presence in the Gulf state amid heightened tension in the region.
Iraq’s Higher Military Commission had aimed to propose an end date for Operation Inherent Resolve, the US military operation combatting terror group ISIS.
“We were very close to announcing this agreement, but due to recent developments, the announcement of the end of the international coalition’s military mission in Iraq was postponed,” a statement by Iraq’s foreign ministry said Thursday, without giving further details on what the “recent developments.”
Tensions are mounting in the region as Israel and the United States brace for a potential Iranian attack on Israel to avenge the killing of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. Iran blames the assassination on Israel, which has not confirmed or denied responsibility.
Iran-backed militias in Iraq are pressuring the Shia-led government to end the US troop’s presence in Iraq.
Several powerful militias in Iraq have stepped up attacks on US sites in the country since October 7, saying in support of people in the Gaza Strip, where they view the US administration as one of Israel’s main allies. In response, the US has launched retaliatory airstrikes inside Iraq targeting the groups.
The US has roughly 2,500 troops currently in Iraq who have been operating there in an “advise and assist” capacity since December 2021, when the US military announced the end of its combat role in the country.
#news #worldnews #cnn
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In 2016, a Domino’s Pizza employee in Oregon noticed that a regular customer, who ordered almost every day for years, suddenly stopped.
Concerned, the employee asked for a welfare check. Police found the man in distress, having suffered a medical emergency, and saved his life.
#Interesting
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