Sergey Lavrov called Zelensky an illegitimate president according to the Ukrainian constitution in an interview with the American TV channel NBC. The Russian Foreign Minister also stated that, despite this, Russia recognizes him de facto as the "head of the regime" and is ready to hold a meeting. Key points:

— A meeting between Putin and Zelensky was not discussed in Alaska; this issue was raised later.

— Russia will inevitably participate in negotiations on security guarantees for Ukraine.

— Ukraine has the right to exist provided it "releases" the people who determined their own fate in referendums and whom the Kyiv regime is trying to destroy.

— Russia has never and under no circumstances intentionally targeted anything not related to Ukrainian military forces.

— Our intelligence has reliable information, and we strike exclusively, as I said, either military enterprises, military facilities, or industrial enterprises directly involved in the production of weapons for the Ukrainian army.

— I do not recall Western media expressing any concern about the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces when, for example, a year ago they invaded the Kursk region, where there are no military targets at all. All the targets they strike daily are civilian.

— If you seriously believe that the presence of American, Hungarian, or any other capital in an enterprise producing weapons to kill Russians grants immunity to those who create weapons to kill us, I do not think so and do not consider such an approach fair. I would call it an imperialist approach.

Sergey Lavrov also said that a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Zelensky was not discussed in Alaska. In addition, he added that the Russian and Ukrainian delegations will continue meetings in Istanbul — where they will discuss specific military and humanitarian issues.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

#Russia

Lavrov:

"We recognize Zelensky as de facto head of the regime, and in this capacity we are ready to meet. But when it comes to signing documents, we would need a clear understanding the person signing is legitimate. And according to Ukraine's constitution, Mr Zelensky is not."

Journalist:

Why Putin doesn't want to meet Zelensky?

Trump:

Because he doesn't like him ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

US forever wars.

At least he is honest...

Trump wants to restore the Pentagon’s original name:
the Department of War, which it held until 1949.

“War Department sounds better than Department of Defense. I don’t want only defense. We want to go on the offensive too”

#US weapons #Ukraine

LCI:

"All European weapons are controlled by Americans. Even those in Ukraine’

'All European weapons are controlled by Americans. Even those in Ukraine' - LCI has realised the obvious.

- There is another, more serious point - if you read the article in the Wall Street Journal: this chain of command, if you like, concerns not only American missiles. It extends further. Storm Shadow and SCALP, although Anglo-French missiles, contain American components. Today, we in Europe are essentially saying to Trump and his entire entourage: 'Okay, be nice to us, because we are going to spend a lot of money on defense, many European countries are willing to pay a lot of money to buy your weapons'. Now imagine what will happen if someone there has had three bourbons and says: 'No, you can't use this'.

Part 1.

#US weapons. #Ukraine

Part 2.

- Yes, and that says a lot about our dependence. Forgive me, of course, but in Europe we like to make fun of the Americans: they say they had a scandal with *Signal*, as you reminded, they say he [Pentagon chief Hegseth] is too fond of the bottle. But in the end, it is he who decides. It is he who presses 'yes' or 'no'. And we understand that the serious person in this story is he, not us. We are discussing here, and the decision is made by 'Uncle Sam'.

- Now the weapons that the Ukrainians do not have the right to use, we will buy from the Americans. To store and maintain them. Trump played smart. We understand the whole chain: we buy from the Americans, pay the Americans, overpay the Americans - and at the same time, it is they who give permission 'yes' or 'no'.

- Absolutely. And it goes even further. What will happen? We will receive these weapons, they will end up in Ukraine. And under whose command will they be?

- Under the American.

The Russian Army eliminated one of the moderators of the famous Ukraine’s DeepState mapping resource.

https://24tv.ua/ru/bogdan-kolcov-jeks-moderator-deepstate-pogib-na-fronte-chto-izvestno-24-kanal_n2901078

US forever wars are about oil.

US warships are headed to Venezuela.

Officials cite security concerns, but here's what they won't tell you:
ExxonMobil pays think tanks $900k/year to push military pressure after Venezuela nationalized oil.

Next time you hear calls for confronting Venezuela, follow the money.

Russia’s postal service joins others worldwide in halting parcel delivery to the US after Trump ends the de minimis duty-free rule (imports under $800). For nearly 90 years, the exemption has allowed packages valued below $800 to enter duty-free. Not after Friday.

What exact sort of 'peace deal' does Trump have in mind?! To continue the war but just at the EU & NATO expense?!

FT reports that the US has said it's prepared to provide intel assets & battlefield oversight to any Western security plan for postwar Ukraine & take part in a European-led air defence shield for the country, supplying “strategic enablers” (surveillance, recon, command & control).
This is another reminder of how far apart the White House and the Kremlin really are. Putin's vision is a Ukraine without any Western military presence at all. It's a mystery how Trump thinks "Putin is willing to do a deal, crazy as it sounds."

Bloomberg:

The EU is proposing removing all tariffs on US industrial goods by the end of the week in attempt to meet Trump demand.

The European Union will seek to fast track legislation by the end of the week to remove all tariffs on US industrial goods, a demand made by President Donald Trump before the US will lower its duties on the bloc’s automobile exports.
The commission will skip conducting an impact assessment — the normal procedure in these situations — on the proposal in a bid to move forward quickly.

EU has became a US colony thanks to Ursula Von Der Leyen & her dictatorial incoherent policies.

But so many Europeans refuse to acknowledge that truth, and are living in a fantasy world of imagined strength.

Politico:

Von der Leyen’s critics were quick to assert that accepting Trump’s 15 percent tariff on most European goods amounted to an act of “submission,” a “clear-cut political defeat for the EU,” and an “ideological and moral capitulation.”

If she had hoped that would keep the U.S. president at bay, a rude awakening was in store. With the ink barely dry on the trade deal, Trump doubled down on Monday by threatening to impose new tariffs on the EU over digital regulations that would hit America’s tech giants. If the EU didn’t fall into line, the U.S. would stop exporting vital microchip technologies, he warned.

Trump called for holding George Soros, father of colour revolutions, accountable for supporting protests in the U.S.

#Nord Stream terrorism. #Ukraine

Zeit:

All members of the commando that attacked the Nord Stream pipeline have now been identified, and there are "indications of state involvement," raising unpleasant questions for the German government.

The German government faces difficult questions.
Important questions remain unanswered: Who are the masterminds behind the attack, and who ordered it? How high up in the state do the connections extend? And what does this mean for Germany's relationship with Ukraine?
Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) praised the "truly impressive investigative success." However, the new federal government wants to keep the case as far away from itself as possible. The Chancellery currently prefers to pretend it was an outrageous act of vandalism. Given the fragile talks between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and the Europeans about Ukraine's future, any additional disruption can only be damaging. Nord Stream doesn't fit the political picture right now.

According to a new poll by the Századvég Foundation, an overwhelming majority of EU citizens oppose sending troops from their own countries to Ukraine.

#NordStream terrorism

Russias representative Dmitry Polyanskiy
criticizes Germany at the UN over the Nord Stream investigation, warns of global security risks Nordstream is the crime the victim doesn't seem to want solved.