Russia Watch

Meloni says ‘many points were acceptable’ in US proposal to end Russian-Ukraine war– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser November 25, 2025 0

Blurb:

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed support for the peace plan proposed by the United States to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

President Donald Trump presented the 28-point draft proposal for a peace plan to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian officials last week, according to the Associated Press. The plan included security guarantees for Ukraine, an agreement not to join NATO in the future, Ukraine’s eligibility for membership into the European Union, and territory concessions by Ukraine and Russia, among other details.

While speaking at a press conference during the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, Meloni rejected the idea of needing a counterproposal to the U.S. deal, emphasizing the plan had “many points that were acceptable.” She suggested using the plan as a foundation for a peace agreement, rather than scrapping it and drafting a counterproposal.

EU Lawmakers Vote to Deepen Defense Industry Ties with Ukraine– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser November 25, 2025 0

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BRUSSELS (AP) – European Union lawmakers voted on Tuesday to deepen integration of the bloc’s defense industry with Ukraine as a U.S. peace plan remains in flux and Russia’s unconventional warfare operations rattle the 27-nation bloc.

European Parliament legislators voted 457-148, with 33 abstentions, to approve a 1.5-billion euro ($1.7 billion) program, with 300 million euros ($345 million) slated for the Ukraine Support Instrument.

Raphaël Glucksmann, an EU lawmaker from France’s S&D party, said that the defense program “will enable us to build a more resilient and sovereign Europe” through partnering with Ukraine to build a cutting-edge military industrial complex.

“This is key to making sure we can protect our democracies effectively and autonomously,” he said.

Ukraine’s defense industry “needs us,” EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told EU lawmakers before the vote in Strasbourg, France, without mentioning the ongoing peace negotiations to end the war. “But we need Ukraine’s defense innovations even more.”

Another historic peace imminent? Ukraine signals support for altered version of Trump’s peace plan– www.theblaze.com

pgnewser November 25, 2025 0

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President Donald Trump has in recent months brokered peaceful resolutions between numerous warring parties, including Israel and Hamas; Azerbaijan and Armenia; Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Cambodia and Thailand; and India and Pakistan.

The major peace he campaigned on securing between Ukraine and Russia has, however, proven elusive.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his government’s representative to the U.N. appeared to reject the fundamentals of the Trump administration’s 28-point plan for peace.

The plan would have: barred Ukraine from NATO, having an army exceeding 600,000 men, and acquiring nukes but provided Kyiv with a NATO-style security guarantee from the U.S.; recognized much of the occupied territory in eastern Ukraine as Russian; set the stage for an American-backed rebuilding of Ukraine; and granted full amnesty to all parties involved in the conflict.

‘Don’t believe it until you see it.’

House members move to force Russia sanctions vote as Trump pushes peace deal– www.politico.com

pgnewser November 21, 2025 0

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A bipartisan coalition of pro-Ukraine lawmakers will seek to force a House vote to impose crippling sanctions on Russia, even as President Donald Trump is moving to swiftly clinch a peace deal between the two warring nations.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said in an X post Friday that he and his allies have “officially notified both the Clerk of the House and House leadership of our discharge petition to force a vote on crushing Russian sanctions immediately upon our return” from the Thanksgiving holiday recess.

Fitzpatrick was responding to news that Trump wants the Ukrainian government to approve the draft peace deal assembled by his envoy Steve Witkoff no later than Thursday. The plan would cede vast portions of eastern Ukraine to Russia in exchange for a security guarantee from western nations.

Sign Peace Deal by Thanksgiving, Or Else– www.westernjournal.com

pgnewser November 21, 2025 0

Blurb:

The Trump administration is urging Ukraine to sign a new peace proposal by Thanksgiving or risk losing U.S. support, according to Friday reports from The Washington Post and Axios.

U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll delivered the message to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday.

He presented a version of the 28-point plan drafted by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev.

Officials told The Post that the plan includes steep concessions from Ukraine to bring an end to the three-year war.

They include a major reduction of its armed forces and the ceding of territory that Russia has not taken by force.

Ukraine Risks Losing Dignity or U.S. Support, Zelensky Says– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser November 21, 2025 0

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed Friday that he would not “betray” his country as he publicly pushed back against a U.S. plan that would end the war on terms widely seen as favorable to Russia, even at the risk, he said, of alienating Washington.

In an address, Zelensky said he would present “arguments” and “alternatives” to the 28-point proposal drafted by the Trump administration, which stunned Kyiv and its European partners when details leaked earlier this week.

That draft plan, seen by AFP, would reportedly require Ukraine to cede territory, drastically reduce the size of its military, pledge never to join NATO and hold snap elections. Russia, meanwhile, would not only be allowed to keep the land its forces have seized but also receive sanctions relief and rejoin the G8.

Russia awaits US peace plan, won’t comment on ‘conflicting’ media reports — diplomat – Russian Politics & Diplomacy– tass.com

pgnewser November 21, 2025 0

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MOSCOW, November 21. /TASS/. Russia will react to the United States’ peace plan for Ukraine once it sees something concrete, refusing to comment on “conflicting” reports about it that have come out in the media, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

“I think that commenting on leaks that are contradictory and contain conflicting elements is pointless. When we have some official information, when we receive it via a relevant channel, naturally, we will always be open to work,” she told reporters.

“For several days now, Western media outlets have been releasing various leaks and drafts – whatever this could be called – with different details, in different sequences, under various labels,” she said, referring to the US plan. “We have official channels of communication with Washington. The Foreign Ministry has received no information, plans or drafts.”

Top Ukraine security official denies accepting terms of Trump’s peace plan– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser November 21, 2025 0

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KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top security official denied on Friday (Nov 21) he had agreed to the outline of a Trump administration peace plan, after US officials said he had accepted most of its terms.

Washington has presented Kyiv with a 28-point plan that would endorse many of Russia’s main demands, requiring Kyiv to give up additional territory, cut back the size of its military and forever abandon hope of joining the NATO western alliance.

US officials said the plan was drafted after consultations with Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, who served as defence minister until July and is a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Justice department investigates handling of Adam Schiff’s mortgage fraud case | Trump administration– www.theguardian.com

pgnewser November 21, 2025 0

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The justice department is investigating how two Trump allies handled the investigation into whether California senator, Adam Schiff, committed mortgage fraud, according to a copy of a subpoena obtained by the Guardian and a person familiar with the matter.

The office of the deputy attorney general Todd Blanche is overseeing the inquiry, which appears to have developed as an offshoot of the main case into Schiff – a notable development since the justice department is essentially investigating activities of two close allies of the president.

A federal grand jury in Maryland, where prosecutors are investigating the mortgage allegations against Schiff, issued the subpoena to Christine Bish, an associate of federal housing finance agency (FHFA) chief Bill Pulte and a Republican congressional candidate in California.

The Trump Administration Has Secretly Crafted a 28-Point Deal to End the Ukraine War: Report– www.westernjournal.com

pgnewser November 19, 2025 0

Blurb:

The Trump administration had partnered with Russia to develop a peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine, according to a new report.

The 28-point plan is modeled after the plan developed that brought a ceasefire to Gaza, according to Axios.

Axios reported that a top Russian official who was not named supports the plan, but the reaction of Ukraine and its European allies remains unknown.

The report said the general areas of the plan include security guarantees, the issue of security in Europe, future American-Russian relations, and an end to the fighting in Ukraine.

Zelensky Caught In New ‘Golden Toilet’ Scandal– trendingpoliticsnews.com

pgnewser November 19, 2025 0

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Volodymyr Zelensky is facing a political firestorm as calls grow for him to dump his powerful chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, in a corruption scandal that now includes a golden toilet.

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau says roughly £76 million was siphoned out of the country’s energy sector by business leaders and government officials. Yermak, Zelensky’s closest aide, is accused of choking off anti-corruption probes, though investigators have not accused him of taking a cut of the scheme himself.

Unnamed officials warned local media that Zelensky’s entire government could collapse if he refuses to remove Yermak, saying, “Our enemies smell blood.”

The allegations hit a nerve in a country where families endure constant rolling blackouts because of Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure.

Poland Promises Payback After Terror Strikes Its Rail Line – PJ Media– pjmedia.com

pgnewser November 19, 2025 0

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A Sabotage Attack That Crossed a Line

Last weekend, an explosion ripped through railway tracks near Warsaw, Poland, tearing open a NATO-linked supply route feeding Ukraine’s war effort. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the explosion an “unprecedented act of sabotage,” as early reports from the scene confirmed that military aid shipments moved along the same corridor.

Hungary to mount court challenge to EU’s planned phase-out of Russian energy, Orbán says– www.euronews.com

pgnewser November 19, 2025 0

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Hungary will challenge the European Union’s plan to end Russian energy imports and take the case to an EU court, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday.

Speaking on state radio, Orbán accused the bloc of trying to sidestep his veto power over sanctions on Russian energy by instead using trade rules in its plan to phase out all imports of Russian oil and gas by the end of 2027.

“We are turning to the European Court of Justice in this matter,” Orbán said.

“This is a flagrant violation of European law, the rule of law and European cooperation … They will pay a very high price for this.”

DOJ Partisans Killed Probe Into Clinton, DNC– thefederalist.com

pgnewser November 19, 2025 0

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The same Department of Justice partisans who played key roles in the launch and cover of the FBI’s politically driven Arctic Frost investigation killed a criminal probe into the driver of the Russia collusion hoax, according to new emails released Thursday by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley.

The emails, dating back to 2019 at the height of the hoax, expose DOJ players freezing investigative efforts to look into campaign finance violations committed by Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee. As became clear over time (no thanks to the accomplice media), the failed 2016 Democrat presidential candidate’s campaign and the DNC pushed opposition research to fuel a deep state soft coup aimed at toppling President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

In 2022, the Federal Election Commission fined the Clinton campaign and the DNC for “misreporting” (disguising) campaign funds paid to Fusion GPS to deliver the infamous Steele dossier that falsely and maliciously accused the Trump campaign of colluding with the Kremlin.

Russia pummels Ukraine with missiles and drones, killing at least 25 as U.S. tries to revive peace talks– www.cbsnews.com

pgnewser November 19, 2025 0

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A massive volley of Russian missiles and drones killed at least 25 people — including two children — across Ukraine overnight in one of the biggest aerial attacks since Moscow launched its full-scale war in February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched 476 drones and 48 cruise and ballistic missiles at his country. Ukraine’s military said six or seven missiles and nearly three dozen drones made it past Ukraine’s air defenses.

Explosions and fires were reported close to the front lines around the eastern city of Kharkiv, but also far from the front, in the western city of Lviv, which is close to Ukraine’s border with NATO-member Poland.

Most of the deaths were in the western city of Ternopil, where the Interior Ministry said two high-rise apartment blocks and energy facilities were hit. Many of Ukraine’s regions reported some loss of power, as temperatures plunge and the need for heat becomes a matter of life and death.

Zelensky under heavy pressure to fire ‘co-president’ Andriy Yermak– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser November 19, 2025 0

Blurb:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is under heavy domestic and international pressure to fire his right-hand man, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, after a massive corruption scandal.

Zelensky’s government is embroiled in one of its worst domestic crises since the Russian invasion in February 2022, following accusations by Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, that Timur Mindich, a close ally of Zelensky, is involved in large-scale corruption. Mindich and his associates were accused of siphoning $100 million in revenue from Energoatom, the state nuclear energy company. The affair, now dubbed “Mindichgate,” is threatening a man so powerful that analysts have drawn historical parallels with Cardinal Richelieu, a figure from the French King Louis XIII’s era.

Several NATO Nations Scramble Jets as Russian Airstrike Kills At Least 20– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser November 19, 2025 0

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The air forces of several NATO states were scrambled overnight to protect the airspace of the alliance along its eastern border as Russia launched one of its deadliest air strikes against Ukraine’s western regions of the war so far.

Polish, Romanian, German, Spanish, Norwegian, and Dutch fighter jets were scrambled in two deployments in airspace bordering Ukraine over Poland and Romania and the Russian armed forces hammered western Ukraine. According to Kyiv, Russia launched 476 drones, 47 cruise missiles and one ballistic missiles in strikes across the country, but particularly on Western cities Ternopil and Lviv.

At least 20 people have been found dead in Ternopil, which is approximately 225 miles west of Ukrainian capital Kyiv and 110 miles short of the Polish border. Of the killed, at least two are children, and a further 66 were wounded including 16 children in the strikes which badly damaged two apartment blocks.

Zelenskyy condemns Russia’s ‘wicked’ overnight attack on Ukraine – Europe live | Ukraine– www.theguardian.com

pgnewser November 19, 2025 0

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Russia has launched a “wicked” attack on Ukraine overnight with 430 drones and 18 missiles, with the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying was “deliberately calculated” and “aimed at causing maximum harm to people and civilian infrastructure.”

A drone explodes during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters
An apartment is seen damaged after a Russian attack on residential neighbourhood in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

At least four people were killed, with “dozens” wounded, including children, he said.

The attack largely targeted Kyiv, hitting “almost every district” of the capital, the head of the city’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said on social media.

Finance Ministry to Debut Borrowing in Chinese Yuan in December– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser November 12, 2025 0

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Russia will issue government bonds denominated in Chinese yuan for the first time next month, the Finance Ministry announced Wednesday.

The ministry said it would offer two series of OFZ bonds, each worth 10,000 yuan ($1,400), with maturities ranging from three to seven years and interest payments every six months.

Investors will be able to buy and receive payments either in yuan or rubles, it said in a statement.

Order placements are scheduled for Dec. 2, with the sale itself planned for Dec. 8.

The Finance Ministry did not specify the total amount of its yuan bonds, saying it would be determined after assessing investor demand. Reuters reported last month that the ministry was preparing to issue up to 400 billion rubles ($4.9 billion) worth of yuan bonds.

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s troops exploit bad weather to force Kyiv withdrawal from multiple towns– www.independent.co.uk

pgnewser November 12, 2025 0

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Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces, told public broadcaster Suspilne that troops had “completely withdrawn” from the villages of Uspenivka and Novomykolaivka.

“Very fierce fighting continues for Yablukove and several other locations,” he said. “The defensive operation is ongoing, and the contact line remains dynamic.”

Russia is taking advantage of the weather to advance in small groups, moving on foot or motorcycles, with the adverse weather preventing Ukrainian forces from deploying drones against them.

It comes as Ukraine’s government suspended its justice minister on Wednesday, amid an investigation into corruption in the energy sector.

Key Ukrainian city in danger of falling to Russia– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser November 7, 2025 0

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THE BATTLE FOR POKROVSK: For a year and a half, Russia has committed an inordinate number of forces and suffered horrific casualties (over 1,500 dead last month) trying to take the city of Pokrovsk, located on the front lines of Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine.

The latest battlefield reports suggest Ukrainian defenders of the city — which once had 60,000 inhabitants but is now mostly deserted — may soon be overwhelmed by Russian forces who have taken about 90% of Pokrovsk and are slowly advancing in house-to-house battles.

“Russian forces are just a few km away from closing their pincer movement around Pokrovsk and neighbouring Myrnohrad and are also closing in on Ukrainian forces in Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region,” Reuters reported from Moscow.

“Moscow’s forces are now close to cutting off the main roads into Pokrovsk, with its two key supply routes already under fire from Russian drones, making it dangerous and difficult to bring in supplies and also threatening Ukrainian forces ability to withdraw,” ABC news reported.

Dubbed “the gateway to Donetsk” by Russian media, the fall of Pokrovsk would give Russian President Vladimir Putin a psychological victory and buttress his effort to seize more territory before seriously considering ending the war. It would give Putin his biggest win since the fall of Bakhmut in May 2023, and would put the last two major cities in Donetsk, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk, in peril.

Puzzled by Trump’s public comments, Putin orders ‘first steps’ to resume nuclear tests– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser November 7, 2025 0

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PUTIN ORDERS ‘POSSIBLE FIRST STEPS’ FOR NUKE TESTS: At a meeting of his security council at the Kremlin on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin quizzed his ministers about what to make of President Donald Trump’s recent pronouncement that the U.S. would resume testing of nuclear weapons after a three-decade moratorium.

“I would like to note that Russia has always strictly adhered to its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and we do not plan to abandon these obligations,” Putin said, according to the official Kremlin transcript of the meeting. “At the same time, indeed, in my 2023 Address to the Federal Assembly, I said that if the United States or any other state party to the Treaty was to conduct such tests, Russia would be under obligation to take reciprocal measures.”

Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said Russian analysts have scrutinized the public statements of Trump, Vice President JD Vance, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and they still can’t figure out what the U.S. actually plans to do. “We analyzed these statements, but we are not entirely clear about the United States’ future plans and steps regarding nuclear weapons testing.”

Security Concerns Mount After Drones Fly Above U.S. Nuclear Weapons Storage Site in Belgium– legalinsurrection.com

pgnewser November 5, 2025 0

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Over the weekend, unidentified drones were detected hovering above Belgium’s Kleine Brogel air base, which his the location of a U.S. nuclear weapons storage facility, prompting investigations into a possible espionage operation.

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said Sunday that a jammer was unsuccessfully used during the overnight drone sightings over Belgium’s Kleine Brogel airbase, which is used by NATO forces.

“Last night, we received 3 reports of drones above Kleine Brogel, of a larger type and flying at higher altitude,” Francken wrote on X. “It was not a simple overflight, but a clear command targeting Kleine Brogel. A drone jammer was used, but without success.

“A helicopter and police vehicles pursued the drone, but lost it after several kilometers,” he added.

…Francken said on Saturday that he would meet police next week to assess the threat and take the necessary steps to find and arrest the drone pilots.

A spokesperson for Francken’s office told Reuters news agency police were investigating the incident. Government ministers will discuss the sightings this week.

UK supplies Ukraine with more missiles for strikes inside Russia – Bloomberg — RT World News– www.rt.com

pgnewser November 5, 2025 0

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Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of attacking civilian infrastructure with Western-made weapons

The UK has supplied Ukraine with additional long-range ‘Storm Shadow’ cruise missiles to enable deeper strikes into Russia, Bloomberg reported.

London first announced the delivery of the air-launched rockets – which have a range of more than 250 kilometers (155 miles) – to Kiev in May 2023.

The latest shipment of an unspecified number of Storm Shadows is meant to help Ukraine maintain its campaign of long-range attacks against Russia during the coming winter months, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing unnamed sources.

During a meeting with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that London was “accelerating our UK program to provide Ukraine with more than 5,000 lightweight missiles” in a bid to put “military pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin.