Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky faces an increasingly dire situation as peace talks with Russia have stalled out and U.S. aid may soon end.
www.newsweek.com
>In the now-famous exchange, Zelensky asked about the value of deals when Putin had broken previously agreed upon ones, which in turn provoked an angry response from Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Trump declared that Zelensky had "no cards" to play in the conflict and needed the U.S. to have any chance of survival. Speaking with Raddatz on Sunday through a translator, Zelensky maintained the need to defend his position and to stand up for his people. "We all saw that Oval Office, chaotic, disastrous meeting. I know after that meeting, you tried to repair that relationship. Tell us what it was like in the aftermath," Raddatz said. "It's quite complicated. You could watch it live, and it was very clear and very straightforward. I was very honest and open when I said that a small country is fighting for its life against the giant with all that evil they brought with their army and weapons to our land." Zelensky said. The pair would not speak directly again until they came face-to-face two months later at the funeral of Pope Francis in late April. Photos from that meeting show the two presidents sitting in close and isolated conversation. Zelensky said Sunday that following that meeting, he would "like to believe that the relationship has changed for the better," but added, "I don't know for sure. I can't give you 100 percent guarantee."<
It is clear that Trump values a relationship with Russia, and an odd friendship with Putin over Ukraine.
ibid
Trump's former Russia adviser Fiona Hill said Britain and NATO allies can no longer rely on the U.S. to protect them from Moscow's ambitions.
www.newsweek.com
>The U.S. can no longer be considered a reliable ally for Britain and the other NATO members, former Russia adviser to President Donald Trump Fiona Hill said in a recent interview with British newspaper The Guardian. "We're in pretty big trouble," the American-British national said during her interview about the U.K.'s vulnerable geopolitical situation. "We can't rely exclusively on anyone anymore," she said, casting doubt on Trump's determination to tackle Vladimir Putin's aggressive expansion ambitions in Europe. ,,,
Fiona Hill is an excellent Russia analyist which is probably one of the reasons why Trump wanted her gone.
Trump has always surrounded himself with losers, traitors, and criminals.... Roy Cohn, Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, etc. etc. Putin fits in nicely.
A Russian economist has warned that the country may slide into "stagflation" by the end of the year if its leaders don't take action.
www.newsweek.com
>Moscow's economy is sliding toward the brink of "stagflation," according to a new report published by a Russian economics research organization close to the country's government. The report's author, Dmitry Belousov, head of analysis and forecasting of macroeconomic processes at the Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting (CAMAC), said that the "economic dynamics" in Russia are "rapidly declining, with a risk of a technical recession in the second and third quarters" of 2025. In a sign that the Kremlin is aware of how fragile the country's economic position currently is, Russia's central bank cut its key interest rate to 20 percent on Friday, down from a two-decade high of 21 percent. The analyst recommends that the country focuses on reducing inflation to avoid the worst possible scenario for the Russian economy.<
Putin has Russia running on a "total-war' economy. This methodology will function adequately in the short term, but once the military necessity receeds, stagflation will set in which is very difficult to tame once unleashed.
Graph below from the ISW shows Russian drone/missile attacks on Ukraine during the past 6 months.
The number of drones/missiles used on any particular day is at the far left. Putin's retaliation for Ukraine's drone attacks on Russian aircraft on June 1 is evident at the far right.
engelsbergideas.com
abcnews.go.com
