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Trump Announces New Ceasefire In Russia-Ukraine War

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President Donald Trump announced that there will be a three-day ceasefire and prisoner swap in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump announced the ceasefire and prisoner swap on Friday in a Truth Social post, declaring it on May 9, 10 and 11 in recognition of Victory Day, a Russian state holiday. The holiday is also celebrated by Ukraine on May 8 and is known as “Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II.”

“I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11th) in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump announced in the Truth Social post. “The Celebration in Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of World War II. This Ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prison swap of 1,000 prisoners from each Country.”

“This request was made directly by me, and I very much appreciate its agreement by [Russian] President Vladimir Putin and [Ukrainian] President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” he added. “Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War.” (Read more from “Trump Announces New Ceasefire In Russia-Ukraine War” HERE)

Russia blames Ukrainian naval drones as tanker sinks in Mediterranean

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A Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker has sunk in the Mediterranean between Libya and Malta after it was hit by explosions and a fire, Libyan port officials have said.

Russia accused Ukraine of targeting the Arctic Metagaz with “uncrewed sea drones” launched from the Libyan coast.

Ukraine’s SBU state security service has not commented on the allegation and the Libyan port authority said the cause of the fire was unclear.

The Libyans said the tanker was carrying about 62,000 tonnes of LNG before the blasts and that it sank about 130 nautical miles (240km) north of the Libyan port of Sirte.

Russia’s transport ministry said 30 Russians were aboard the Arctic Metagaz. Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said they were all found “safe and sound in a lifeboat” during a rescue operation by Malta’s armed forces. (Read more from “Russia blames Ukrainian naval drones as tanker sinks in Mediterranean” HERE)

Olympics Ban Ukrainian Athlete for Helmet Depicting Athletes Killed by Russia

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Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych, 27, was banned from the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday, just minutes before his event was due to begin, because he insisted on wearing a helmet covered with images of athletes killed by Russia’s invasion of his country.

Heraskevych said he accepted the ban as the “price of our dignity,” but he insisted his helmet did not actually violate the rules set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and he noted that other athletes have been allowed to express political opinions at the Winter Games.

“U.S. figure skater, Canadian freeskier, Israeli skeleton athlete who is also here today, they didn’t face the same things,” he said. “So suddenly, just a Ukrainian athlete in this Olympic Games will be disqualified for this helmet.”

In an interview on Thursday after the IOC announced its decision, Heraskevych said he felt “emptiness” because he was banned over “an interpretation of the rules which I do not agree with.”

“I was at many funerals when I was in Ukraine and it’s a truly terrible tragedy that young people at such a young age were killed for nothing. Because of their sacrifice, we’re able to be here today, and I want to honor them, and I want to honor their families,” he said. (Read more from “Olympics Ban Ukrainian Athlete for Helmet Depicting Athletes Killed by Russia” HERE)

Zelensky Says U.S. Pushing for End to Ukraine War by June

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The United States wants Ukraine and Russia to end their nearly four-year war by June, and has offered to host talks between the two sides in Florida next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

US-led efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II have stepped up a gear in recent weeks, but Moscow and Kyiv remain at odds over the key issue of territory.

Russia, which occupies around 20 percent of its neighbour, is pushing for full control of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region as part of any deal and has threatened to take it by force if talks fail.

But Ukraine says ceding ground will embolden Moscow and so it will not sign an agreement that fails to deter Russia from invading again.

“The United States has proposed for the first time that the two negotiating teams — Ukraine and Russia — meet in the United States, probably in Miami, in a week’s time,” Zelensky told reporters in comments made public early Saturday. (Read more from “Zelensky Says U.S. Pushing for End to Ukraine War by June” HERE)

Trump Scolds Ukraine After Russia Claims Putin Home Attacked, Zelensky Slams ‘Typical Lies’

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President Trump directed a public rebuke at Ukraine Monday after Russia claimed that Kyiv had attacked one of Vladimir Putin’s official residences with 91 long-range drones overnight — despite Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissing the report as “typical Russian lies.”

Ahead of a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump initially told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort that “I don’t know about” the reported assault on the Kremlin tyrant’s home in the Novgorod region before adding “that would be too bad, that would not be good.”

The president then confirmed that his Russian counterpart had “told me about” the assault on a Monday morning phone call that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had described as “positive.”

“This is not the right time,” Trump said about the alleged drone incursion. “It’s one thing to be offensive, it’s another thing to attack his house. I was very angry about it.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed to reporters that all 91 drones had been shot down, and there were no immediate reports of other damage or casualties. (Read more from “Trump Scolds Ukraine After Russia Claims Putin Home Attacked, Zelensky Slams ‘Typical Lies’” HERE)

‘I’m On The Side Of Peace’: Trump Optimistic For ‘Very Close’ Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal After Zelenskyy Meeting

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President Donald Trump expressed his continuing hope during a Sunday press conference at Mar-a-Lago that a peace deal could be reached between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Sunday with Trump in Florida, during which the two discussed a proposed 20-point peace plan. Trump later told reporters during a joint press conference he and Zelenskyy spoke with multiple European leaders after their meeting.

“I do think we’re getting a lot closer, maybe very close,” Trump said. “The President and I just spoke to the European leaders.”

“They were President Emmanuel Macron of France, President Alexander Stubb of the Republic of Finland, President Karol Nawrocki of the Republic of Poland, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of the Kingdom of Norway, Prime Minister Georgia Meloni of the Italian Republic, Prime Minister Kier Starmer of the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland, Chancellor Friedrich Merz [of] the Federal Republic of Germany, Secretary General Mark Rutte, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, [and] President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission,” Trump continued.

Trump paused aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Zelenskyy clashed with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance during a Feb. 28 meeting in the Oval Office. (Read more from “‘I’m On The Side Of Peace’: Trump Optimistic For ‘Very Close’ Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal After Zelenskyy Meeting” HERE)

Time to Prepare For World War-Size Conflict With Russia, Warns NATO

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If NATO members fail to “stop a war before it starts” by successfully deterring Russia from trying its hand in Europe, the Atlantic, and the Arctic it will be a conflict on the scale of the First and Second World Wars, the Secretary General warns.

“The dark forces of oppression are on the march again”, said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in a speech in Berlin on Thursday, as he implied a coming world war is in the offing if the alliance fails to deter Russia from empire-building. Expressing the importance of continuing to support Ukraine, Rutte said it was better to defeat Russia and have something of a buffer zone, rather than directly meet Russia along the NATO border in central Europe.

Explaining the purpose of the address is to explain “what we must do to stop a war before it starts”, Rutte named Russia as the main threat and China as its main backer, and called for NATO nations to enhance their preparations for war, including pushing their industrial bases to produce more munitions.

He said:

We must all accept that we must act to defend our way of life, now. Because this year, Russia has become even more brazen, reckless, and ruthless, towards NATO and towards Ukraine… Russia’s economy is now geared to wage war, not to make its people prosperous. Russia is spending nearly 40 per cent of its budget on aggression, and around 70 per cent of all machine tools in Russia are used in military production. Taxes are going up, inflation has skyrocketed, and petrol is rationed…

…How is Putin able to maintain his war against Ukraine? The answer is China. China is Russia’s lifeline. China wants to prevent its ally from losing in Ukraine. Without China’s support, Russia could not continue to wage this war. For instance around 80 per cent of critical electronic components in Russian drones and other systems are made in China. So when civilians are made in Kyiv or Kharkiv, Chinese technology is often inside the weapons that kill them… NATO’s own defences can hold for now but with its economy dedicated to war, Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.

(Read more from “Time to Prepare For World War-Size Conflict With Russia, Warns NATO” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

NYC Financial Giants in Talks to Manage Ukraine’s Postwar Reconstruction Fund: Sources

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Larry Fink’s BlackRock, Marc Rowan’s Apollo Global Management, and Henry Kravis’s KKR are in talks to manage a US investment fund to bankroll postwar reconstruction in Ukraine, The Post has learned.

Sources familiar with the matter said Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, was in New York City on Wednesday for exploratory discussions with the top asset managers in Manhattan’s swanky Hudson Yards development.

“Kushner is looking for a US-based asset manager who will administer and officiate over the Ukraine reconstruction fund,” said one insider.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink halted his firm’s own multi-billion-dollar Ukraine Development Fund in July amid uncertainty over how President Trump would try to end the war.

Fink and Kushner, who runs the Saudi-backed Affinity Partners fund, took part in a call with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday. (Read more from “NYC Financial Giants in Talks to Manage Ukraine’s Postwar Reconstruction Fund: Sources” HERE)

Zelensky Doubles Down on Refusal to Cede Land in Donbas to Russia

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reaffirmed his strong refusal to cede any territory, resisting U.S. pressure for painful concessions to Russia as he moved ahead Tuesday to rally more European support for his country.

“Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories. We, clearly, don’t want to give up anything. That’s what we are fighting for,” Zelenskyy told reporters in a WhatsApp chat late Monday.

“Do we consider ceding any territories? According to the law we don’t have such right,” he said. “According to Ukraine´s law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don’t have a moral right either.”

In an interview with Politico released Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump again pressed Zelenskyy to accept the U.S. proposal that Ukraine cede territory to Russia, arguing that Moscow retains the “upper hand” in its nearly 4-year-old invasion, and that Zelenskyy’s government must “play ball.” (Read more from “Zelensky Doubles Down on Refusal to Cede Land in Donbas to Russia” HERE)

Chechen Leader Vows Retaliation After Ukrainian Drone Strike Near His Home

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Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov issued new threats against Ukraine after a drone strike hit a high-rise building close to his residence in Grozny.

According to Reuters, the strike on Nov. 5 targeted a 28-story tower in the Grozny-City complex, located less than a kilometer from Kadyrov’s home. Russian officials reported no casualties, but the attack appeared to rattle the Chechen strongman, who pledged an imminent response. He accused Ukraine of selecting a civilian site “without tactical sense” and warned that Ukrainian forces would “feel a stern response” in the coming days.

A former Ukrainian government official, speaking anonymously to Fox News Digital, said Kadyrov’s remarks amount to another threat aimed directly at Zelenskyy. “The Chechens are really serious about revenge,” the official said. However, the source added that Ukrainian leadership is reacting far differently than it did two years ago: “In Kyiv they are not panicking about this like they were in 2022. Zelenskyy is now better protected, feels more powerful and is less fragile.”

Chechen involvement in attempted operations against Zelenskyy dates back to the early days of the war. The same official described how a Chechen unit aligned with Russia planned to use a metro station in Kyiv as a potential access point to Zelenskyy’s underground wartime bunker. Ukrainian officials at the time viewed that station — deep below the city center — as a major vulnerability. “They were afraid that Chechens would get to the bunker through this metro station,” the source said, recalling how Zelenskyy and top adviser Andriy Yermak urgently sought additional security.

Ultimately, the Chechen fighters were intercepted and killed before reaching the capital. “They tried to reach Kyiv somehow downtown, somehow via the river,” the former official said, “but it’s quite a complicated way to get there.”

Kadyrov’s fighters have been among the Kremlin’s most loyal and aggressive forces since the 2022 invasion. Ukrainian strikes have previously hit Chechnya, including police and training facilities, but Sunday’s attack appears to have penetrated deeper into government-linked territory. The Moscow Times reported that the damaged tower hosts regional government offices, including departments tied to the Chechen Security Council and agencies overseeing tourism and religious affairs.

With cross-border attacks increasing, Kadyrov’s latest warning suggests a more confrontational stance as the conflict increasingly spills into Russian regions. Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, have dismissed the Chechen leader’s threats as bluster.