Putin upstages Swiss summit with Russian peace plan as German, US leaders bail

As Western leaders prepared to gather at Volodymyr Zelensky’s summit on the Ukraine conflict in Switzerland, Russian President Vladimir Putin preempted negotiations by promoting Moscow’s own peace plan during an address at the Russian Foreign Ministry Friday evening.

“Ukraine must return to neutrality,” said security analyst Mark Sleboda on Sputnik’s The Final Countdown, summarizing Putin’s address. “It cannot join NATO. It must not try to gain nuclear weapons, and it must respect the rights of Russian speakers and Russian ethnics and other minorities, like Hungarian speakers and so forth, in the country.” The international relations expert joined hosts Ted Rall and Angie Wong to discuss the implications of Ukraine’s much-derided “peace summit” this weekend at a luxury Swiss resort.

The communiqué that emerged from the meeting represented “a watered down version of Zelensky's 'peace formula,' a demand from the losing side of the conflict, a childish demand for Russia's unconditional surrender,” said Sleboda. Wong noted that many countries present at the summit opted not to sign the statement, citing the futility of negotiations that did not include representatives from Russia.

“Two of them then withdrew their signatures – Iraq and Jordan,” noted Sleboda. “The countries who signed it were mostly the West and a few client states. That's essentially it.”

“Evidently [US Vice President] Kamala Harris and [German Chancellor] Olaf Scholz – the conference was such an exercise in damage control that they left early,” he continued. “They didn't even stay for the signing, for the crafting or the signing of the statement of this not peace party. They left right after the opening ceremonies and the photo op. So that tells you how important the US and Germany thought the work being done there was.”

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USAID earmarks $1.5 billion to fund Ukraine civil society, launder image of US abroad

USAID has announced it is setting aside $1.5 billion in taxpayer funds to prop up Ukraine civil society and boost the public image of US aid efforts.

The agency’s plan was revealed when observers spotted a post on the US government’s online procurements portal soliciting assistance for “communication support activities.” USAID’s office announced it was seeking support in “public awareness-raising campaigns, translation and interpretation, public relations and media work, preparation of materials and engagement of influencers and photographers,” according to reporting from the TASS news outlet.

Although the public relations effort is aimed at Ukrainians, the posting of such material online implies US citizens would also be exposed to the content. Federal law has traditionally barred government agencies from creating propaganda aimed at Americans, but lawmakers lifted the ban in 2013 as the US government funded online bots to manipulate public opinion throughout the Middle East.

USAID has become highly controversial for using the provision of foreign aid as an under-the-radar tool of US influence. USAID has been banned by a number of foreign governments who oppose its use as a tool of covert subversion, including Venezuela, Ecuador, Cuba and Bolivia. Russia expelled the organization in 2012 after a cache of emails was leaked showing hidden cooperation between US-backed non-governmental organizations and opposition groups.

The agency’s latest public relations effort is part of a massive grant announced by US Vice President Kamala Harris at Ukraine’s diplomatic summit in Switzerland over the weekend. The $1.5 billion in funds will go towards such uses as maintaining Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure and paying the salaries of civil servants.

Just a few months ago USAID announced it had exhausted previous funds allocated for Ukrainian civil society. The United States has approved over $175 billion in support for the country since early 2022.

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Macron ‘on the ropes’ as support for war in Ukraine takes political toll

Former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy has warned the country could descend into “chaos” as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to fend off the right in upcoming snap elections.

“It could plunge it into chaos, from which it will have the greatest difficulty emerging,” said Sarkozy of Macron’s decision to hold early elections, which he said were “a major risk.” Columnist and political cartoonist Ted Rall joined Sputnik’s The Critical Hour to discuss the development, the latest in a series of political controversies for Macron.

“The French don't have an appetite for connoscription or even for wars of choice,” said Rall, saying that Macron’s provocative statements suggesting French troops could be sent to fight in Ukraine have dampened his popularity.

“They haven't been engaged in [a war] in a long, long time,” he continued. “Ukraine's a hot war. It's a real war. It's not like a police action, like going to quell the natives in New Caledonia. This is real serious. Frenchmen will be coming back in body bags from Ukraine. And it's a conflict that a lot of French people are deeply divided about. The politics are bad for Macron. I don't know why he's absolutely so determined to push this narrative because truly he and his administration and his legacy are really on the ropes right now.”

“There's no Jordan Bardella without a Marine Le Pen,” said Rall, referring to the party leader who would become Prime Minister if the National Rally prevails later this month.

Le Pen remains a highly controversial figure in France. The 55-year-old politician inherited leadership of her party, previously known as the National Front, from her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, a right-wing figure known for statements criticizing immigration and downplaying the Nazi Holocaust. The elder Le Pen’s shock advancement to the second round of the 2002 French Presidential election prompted an 82% victory for his opponent Jacques Chirac as voters flooded to the polls to prevent a right-wing win.

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