US envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to bring the Ukraine conflict to a settlement, US President Donald Trump told journalists on Wednesday.

A day earlier, Witkoff and Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, visited the Kremlin for talks on key parts of a US-backed peace proposal. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov characterized the visit as “constructive, very useful, and substantive,” but stressed that no overarching compromise has yet been reached.

In a press conference at the Oval Office, Trump was asked whether the US envoys believe Putin still wants to make peace.

“He would like to end the war… That was their impression,” he said.

“President Putin had a very good meeting yesterday with Jared Kushner and with Steve Witkoff,” he added. “What comes out of that meeting, I can’t tell you, because it does take two to tango.”

 

Trump noted that he urged Ukraine to sue for peace earlier this year.

“I said, you have no cards... That would have been a much better time to settle,” he said, adding that since then, the situation for Kiev has deteriorated.

Ukraine is “very satisfied” with the current US proposal, all things considered, he said.

The Kremlin has remained tight-lipped on the talks, decrying “megaphone diplomacy.”

 

Moscow believes “it is better for these negotiations to be conducted in silence,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Wednesday.

“Some things were accepted, some were marked as unacceptable,” he said, but declined to elaborate.

Russia has maintained that it prefers a diplomatic settlement but will continue pursuing its objectives in the Ukraine conflict by military means as long as Kiev rejects compromise. In recent weeks, Russian forces have taken two major cities in Ukraine, along with dozens of smaller settlements across several regions.

https://www.rt.com/news/628897-us-envoys-russia-wants-peace-trump/

 

MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT (WW3) HITS THE FAN:

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

THESE WILL ALSO INCLUDE ODESSA, KHERSON AND KHARKIV.....

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

TRANSNISTRIA TO BE PART OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

RESTORE THE RIGHTS OF THE RUSSIAN SPEAKING PEOPLE OF "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

RESTITUTE THE ORTHODOX CHURCH PROPERTIES AND RIGHTS

RELEASE THE OPPOSITION MEMBERS FROM PRISON

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE EU.....

EASY.

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

Russia will drive Ukrainian troops from Donbass and fully liberate the region, whether through military action or diplomatic efforts, President Vladimir Putin has said.

Putin made the remarks in an interview with India Today on Thursday, ahead of his state visit to the country and two days after talks in the Kremlin with US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff which centered on an American-drafted peace plan for the Ukraine conflict.

The initial 28-point version of the roadmap leaked to the media last week reportedly asked Kiev to relinquish territory in the Russian Donbass regions of Donetsk and Lugansk still under its control, abandon its NATO ambitions, and limit the size of its military – conditions Kiev has rejected.

Putin, however, signaled that the Ukrainian Army will soon lose the parts of Donbass it still controls. “It all comes to that. Either we will liberate those territories though military force, or Ukrainian forces will withdraw and stop fighting there,” he said.

He also suggested that the devastating fighting in the area was entirely avoidable. “We told Ukraine from the start: ‘The people don’t want to stay with you, they took part in referendums [in 2022], voted for their independence; pull back your troops, and there will be no fighting’. But they chose to fight,” Putin said, adding that Kiev’s mistake is now becoming obvious.

Russian forces have been gradually pushing back Ukrainian troops in Donbass and elsewhere for many months. According to Moscow, Kiev is increasingly struggling to replenish manpower losses despite draconian mobilization efforts. 

On Monday, the Russian military reported that it had taken control over the key frontline city of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) in the Donetsk region, with a major Ukrainian force encircled in the area. In another significant development, Putin reported last week that Moscow’s forces have broken Ukrainian defenses in the northern part of Zaporozhye Region, and are now bypassing Kiev’s heavily fortified defenses to the south.

https://www.rt.com/russia/628903-russia-will-liberate-all-donbass/

 

MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT (WW3) HITS THE FAN:

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

THESE WILL ALSO INCLUDE ODESSA, KHERSON AND KHARKIV.....

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

TRANSNISTRIA TO BE PART OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

RESTORE THE RIGHTS OF THE RUSSIAN SPEAKING PEOPLE OF "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

RESTITUTE THE ORTHODOX CHURCH PROPERTIES AND RIGHTS

RELEASE THE OPPOSITION MEMBERS FROM PRISON

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE EU.....

EASY.

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

A report published by Der Spiegel reveals new details from a confidential phone call held on Monday between French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the magazine, the conversation underscored deepening European unease over the direction of ongoing negotiations to end the war.

Macron Warns of Potential U.S. Betrayal

During the call, Macron allegedly warned Zelensky that the United States could ultimately “betray” Ukraine on territorial issues without providing sufficient security guarantees. The Élysée Palace has since denied that Macron used the term “betrayal,” but acknowledged that the French president raised concerns about the reliability of Washington’s commitments.

Merz Urges Extreme Caution

Merz reportedly reinforced Macron’s message, cautioning Zelensky to be “extremely careful in the coming days.” He added that “they are playing games — with you and with us,” a remark understood to reference Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of President Donald Trump, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, both of whom are involved in the ongoing negotiations.

European Leaders Unite to Protect Ukraine

According to Der Spiegel, Stubb intervened as well, telling the participants: “We cannot leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these two men.” Rutte backed him, saying: “I agree with Alexander, we need to protect Volodymyr.”

Growing Distrust in Washington

The exchanges, as described in the leaked transcript, paint a picture of mounting distrust within Europe regarding Washington’s strategy and intentions. They also suggest that key European leaders fear Kyiv may be pressured into concessions without adequate guarantees — a scenario they believe would jeopardize both Ukraine’s security and Europe’s broader stability.

Subscribe to Pravda.Ru Telegram channel, Facebook, RSS!

https://english.pravda.ru/news/world/165088-european-leaders-warn-zelensky-us-betrayal-leak/

 

MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT (WW3) HITS THE FAN:

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

THESE WILL ALSO INCLUDE ODESSA, KHERSON AND KHARKIV.....

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

TRANSNISTRIA TO BE PART OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

RESTORE THE RIGHTS OF THE RUSSIAN SPEAKING PEOPLE OF "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

RESTITUTE THE ORTHODOX CHURCH PROPERTIES AND RIGHTS

RELEASE THE OPPOSITION MEMBERS FROM PRISON

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE EU.....

EASY.

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

Merz to visit Belgium after European Commission unveils Russian frozen assets proposal Nina Haase

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to travel to Brussels on Friday evening for a dinner meeting to speak privately with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The meeting marks a last-minute change of plans, as Merz had originally been scheduled to visit Norway.

No official explanation was given for the shift, but the timing is notable: It comes just one day after the European Commission unveiled a proposal to raise €90 billion (about $105 billion) for Ukraine, with some of it coming from leveraging frozen Russian assets.

Merz and his government strongly support the initiative. In an opinion piece published Wednesday in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he argued that the financial risks should be shared fairly among EU member states, proportionate to their economic strength.

Belgium, which holds the largest share of frozen Russian assets, has voiced concerns about the legality of such a move — a position that appears unchanged despite Merz’s assurances.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul reiterated Berlin’s stance on Thursday, saying the government is "pursuing the clear political goal of making these assets usable" to help Ukraine sustain its defense and basic services. He stressed that consultations with all EU partners were ongoing.

The decision to arrange a private dinner of national leaders at short notice underscores the complexity of the negotiations.

While Merz, von der Leyen, and De Wever all identify as conservatives, De Wever’s party sits with the hard-right bloc in the European Parliament, which includes euroskeptic and nationalist forces. The stakes are high: Proponents of the plan hope EU leaders will reach an agreement at their summit from December 18 to 19.

https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-updates-witkoff-kushner-to-meet-ukrainian-officials-in-florida/live-75023809

 

MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT (WW3) HITS THE FAN:

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

THESE WILL ALSO INCLUDE ODESSA, KHERSON AND KHARKIV.....

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

TRANSNISTRIA TO BE PART OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

RESTORE THE RIGHTS OF THE RUSSIAN SPEAKING PEOPLE OF "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

RESTITUTE THE ORTHODOX CHURCH PROPERTIES AND RIGHTS

RELEASE THE OPPOSITION MEMBERS FROM PRISON

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE EU.....

EASY.

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, could play a key role in drafting a Ukraine peace deal, top Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has said following high-stakes Russia-US talks in Moscow.

Kushner joined US special envoy Steve Witkoff in negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week which lasted five hours, and which centered on a US-backed proposal to end the Ukraine conflict.

The initial 28-point version of the plan, which was leaked to the media last month, required Kiev to relinquish parts of Russia’s Donbass region still under Ukrainian control, pledge not to join NATO, and cut the size of its armed forces.

Moscow has since said it accepts some elements of the US proposal but rejects others, adding that a final compromise has not been reached yet and that “much work” remains on the text.

In an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin on Friday, Ushakov described the atmosphere at the Kremlin meeting as “constructive and friendly,” noting that Putin has now met with Witkoff six times. “They understand each other almost without words,” he said.

Kushner’s participation, Ushakov noted, “turned out to be very timely.”

“He added an element of systematization… I personally believe that if a settlement is drafted on paper, then the one holding the pen, to a large extent, will be Mr. Kushner.”

Kushner, a real estate investor, served as a senior adviser in Trump’s first administration, with a portfolio that included Middle East policy and domestic priorities. He was a central architect of the 2020 Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and which were later joined by Morocco and Sudan.

Although Kushner does not have a formal position in the White House, he has continued to play a role in Middle East affairs, including negotiating a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

https://www.rt.com/russia/629105-putin-aide-kushner-ukraine-talks/

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

GUSNOTE: THE TOON AT TOP "GRADES" THE RELATIVE POSITION OF THE USA AND RUSSIA... LIKE IN ALL "PEACE" TREATIES, THERE IS A SENSE WHO IS GOING TO PROFIT THE MOST AND WHO IS GOING TO LOSE THE LEAST, WHILE THE DRIVERS ARE SECRET OPS.... HERE THEY ARE REPRESENTED BY WITKOFF BEING CIA AND KUSHNER BEING MOSSAD. WHILE PUTIN STILL HAS THE KGB JUICE IN HIS VEINS.... (ONE DOES NOT FORGET THE TRICKS OF GEOPOLITICS). ALL OF THEM ARE AWARE OF THE WAY THE YUCKRAINE (THE KIEV CORRUPT NAZI REGINE) HAS BEEN SET UP — BY PREVIOUS AMERICAN ADMINISTRATIONS — AS A(NOTHER) PROXY TO A PRECURSER OF THE DESTRUCTION OF RUSSIA...

MEANWHILE, EUROPE IS BEING USED BY THE USA AS A ROTTEN APPLE IN THE BASKET.... THERE IS NO MORALITY IN THE AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION, WHILE THERE IS A LOT MORE CONCERNS IN THE RUSSIAN POSITION.

IN RESPONSE TO THE WESTERN SLOW ASSAULT ON THE DONBASS REGION — A REGION MOSLTY POPULATED BY RUSSIANS — RUSSIA [PUTIN] WAS LEFT WITH LITTLE CHOICE BUT TO CLEAR THE DECK. IT WAS PROVOKED....

CAN THE RUSSIANS TRUST THE AMERICANS INTENTIONS? NOT IN THE LEAST... BUT BOTH COUNTRIES WANT PEACE TO A POINT... RUSSIA WANTS SECURITY. AMERICA STILL WANTS A PIECE OF RUSSIA, BUT INSTEAD OF WAR, TRUMP'S AMERICA WILL PREFER COVERT INFLUENCE TO SUCK ON IT, ONCE PEACE IS "SETTLED"....

THIS IS WHY, THE RUSSIANS ARE STICKING TO THEIR DEMANDS...

THIS IS WHY THE AMERICANS ARE SECRETLY HELPING THE EUROPEANS TO ACT LIKE DORKS AND CARRY ON SUPPORTING THE WAR. TO AMERICA, THE EU IS PAWN FODDER. TO RUSSIA, THE EU IS BRAINLESS.

I TRUST THE RUSSIANS [PUTIN] KNOWS THIS AND AS THE DUST IS BEING SHAKEN FROM THE UKRAINE CONFLICT, PUTIN IS VISITING INDIA...

THE US ADMINISTRATION WOULD DO WELL TO REMEMBER ITS OWN PAST... TAXES FROM ENGLAND ENGENDERED THE REVOLUTION THAT LED TO THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE USA...

TARIFFS ON OTHER NATIONS SHOULD BE SEEN AS HAVING THE SAME EFFECT... COUNTRIES WILL BREAK OFF FROM THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOLLAR, NOT BY WAGING MILITARY WARS WHICH WOULD END THE GAME VIOLENTLY FOR ALL WITH MODERN DAY WEAPONRY, BUT BY HAVING COMMERCIAL ALLIANCES IN QUIET REVOLUTIONS...

AT THIS STAGE, WITH A GARGANTUAN DEFICIT, THE USA HAVE TO SWALLOW THE BITTER PILL... BUT THEY DO NOT WANT A COMPLETE RUSSIAN VICTORY IN UKRAINE... UKRAINE IS NOT A UNIFIED COUNTRY BUT A CONGLOMERATE OF OBLASTS, SOME LIKE IRELAND AND ENGLAND BEFORE 1922.

UKRAINE WILL BE BROKEN UP ALONG ITS ETHNIC LINES...

THE NAZIS IN UKRAINE WILL HAVE TO PIPE DOWN. 

THE PEACE TREATY WILL HAVE TO BE FIRMLY STRUCTURED.

THE THREATS FROM THE EU AND UKRAINE WILL SLOWLY TONE DOWN. THE RUSSIANS ARE MAKING SMARTER WEAPONS....

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.