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Vladimir Putin Issues His Conditions for Ending the War in Ukraine

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has put out a list of demands for ending the war in Ukraine — and they’re almost entirely unchanged from even before he launched his brutal invasion more than three years ago.

The authoritarian wants a written letter by Western leaders that they would not allow Ukraine to join NATO — a red line for the security alliance whose charter holds that any country can join if they are approved unanimously by its member states, three Russian sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

Putin further wants NATO to disavow more expansion to the east, also barring Georgia and Moldova from joining the alliance.

He also wants the West to lift sanctions on his country, whose economy has taken a harsh hit since the world protested his invasion of its sovereign neighbor.

Two other conditions — the unfreezing of Russian assets and “protection” for Ukraine’s Russian speakers — are also key desires, according to Reuters. (Read more from “Vladimir Putin Issues His Conditions for Ending the War in Ukraine” HERE)

Trump Slams Putin Over Deadly Ukraine Strikes: ‘I Don’t Know What the Hell Happened to Putin’

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By Fox News. President Donald Trump delivered a rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, saying he was “not happy” about Moscow’s deadly missile strikes across Ukraine that left several dead, including three children, and others wounded. Despite Trump talking up Ukraine and Russia being on the cusp of a peace deal, his latest comments mark a clear condemnation of Putin’s aggression and one that suggests Russia is not ready to end the war.

While speaking to reporters at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey, Trump accused Putin of “killing a lot of people” in the attack, which was launched on Sunday afternoon.

“I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,” Trump said, adding that he is not pleased with what the Russian President is doing.

“I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all,” the president added.

On Sunday, Russia launched drone and missile attacks in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities that resulted in 12 people dead and more critically injured. As a result, Trump suggested he would consider more sanctions against Moscow. (Read more from “Trump Slams Putin Over Deadly Ukraine Strikes: ‘I Don’t Know What the Hell Happened to Putin’” HERE)

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Trump Says He’s ‘Not Happy’ With Putin After Massive Ukraine Strike

By Fox News. President Donald Trump told journalists that he was “not happy” with Russia’s recent large-scale strike against Ukraine while speaking to the press on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey, Trump accused Putin of “killing a lot of people” in the attack, which was launched on Sunday afternoon. . .

Trump’s comments came after Russian forces launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight. The attack, which has been called the largest aerial attack of the war so far, targeted the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Ukrainian officials said that at least 12 people were killed and dozens more were injured. (Read more from “Trump Says He’s ‘Not Happy’ With Putin After Massive Ukraine Strike” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Trump: Russia and Ukraine Set to Begin Ceasefire Negotiations

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President Donald Trump announced Monday that Ukraine and Russia will begin negotiations toward a ceasefire and suggested that talks could take place at the Vatican.

Trump took to Truth Social after a two-hour conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to share that it “went very well.”

“Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War,” Trump wrote.

“The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,” he added.

Trump said that Russia looks to engage in “large-scale trade” with the United States once peace is reached.

(Read more from “Trump: Russia and Ukraine Set to Begin Ceasefire Negotiations” HERE)

Trump May Travel to Turkey for Putin-Zelensky Talks on Ending Ukraine War

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President Trump is considering making a pit stop in Turkey on Thursday to attend scheduled Ukraine-Russia peace talks during his tour of the Middle East.

“I think you’re going to have maybe a good meeting. You have the potential for a good meeting,” he told reporters Monday, referencing the talks proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

“That meeting wasn’t going to take place, I insisted that that meeting take place, and it is taking place.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky committed to the talks over the weekend — telling Putin on X Sunday that he “will be waiting” for him in Turkey. But so far, the Kremlin has yet to confirm whether the Russian leader will attend.

“Here in Ukraine, we have absolutely no problem engaging in negotiations, we are ready for any format,” Zelensky wrote. “I will be in Türkiye this Thursday, May 15, and I expect Putin to come to Türkiye as well. Personally. And I hope that this time, Putin won’t be looking for excuses as to why he ‘can’t’ make it.” (Read more from “Trump May Travel to Turkey for Putin-Zelensky Talks on Ending Ukraine War” HERE)

Zelensky Willing to ‘Personally’ Meet With Putin in Istanbul, but Demands Ceasefire Before Talks

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Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be willing to “personally” meet with Vladimir Putin for peace talks in Istanbul next week, but he continued to demand that a ceasefire be established before negotiations begin.

Following meetings with the leaders of France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom in Kyiv to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, President Zelensky and his European counterparts called for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” starting on Monday for 30 days.

In a counter-proposal, Russia’s Vladimir Putin proposed direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv for the first time since 2022. Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that he would be willing to host the parties again in Istanbul next week for a potential redo of failed talks held there in the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion.

Responding to the proposal on Sunday, Zelensky wrote on X that he would be willing to meet with Putin in Istanbul but demanded that a ceasefire begin on Monday as a prerequisite for such talks.

“We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses.” (Read more from “Zelensky Willing to ‘Personally’ Meet With Putin in Istanbul, but Demands Ceasefire Before Talks” HERE)

Ukraine Signs Rare Earth Minerals Agreement With U.S.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that Ukraine has signed a “historic economic partnership agreement” with the United States that establishes the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund and allows the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.

In a press release from the Department of the Treasury, Bessent praised President Donald Trump’s “tireless efforts to secure a lasting peace” in the war between Ukraine and Russia.

“Thanks to President Trump’s tireless efforts to secure a lasting peace, I am glad to announce the signing of today’s historic economic partnership agreement between the United States and Ukraine establishing the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund,” Bessent said in a statement. “As the President has said, the United States is committed to helping facilitate the end of this cruel and senseless war. This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.”

Per the press release, the agreement between Ukraine and the U.S. positions both countries to “work collaboratively and invest together to ensure” their “mutual assets, talents, and capabilities can accelerate Ukraine’s economic recovery”:

In recognition of the significant financial and material support that the people of the United States have provided to the defense of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, this economic partnership positions our two countries to work collaboratively and invest together to ensure that our mutual assets, talents, and capabilities can accelerate Ukraine’s economic recovery.

(Read more from “Ukraine Signs Rare Earth Minerals Agreement With U.S.” HERE)

Trump Says Zelensky Is the Stumbling Block to Peace in Ukraine, Will Meet With Putin Soon

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Volodymyr Zelensky surprised the U.S. President by being the more difficult of the two principals to negotiate with in the Ukraine War talks, Donald Trump said, expressing hope for talks for the sake of the “humanity” of those being killed.

U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his hope there is still a deal to be achieved to bring peace to the Ukraine War in Oval Office remarks that follow days of comments from key players that clearly suggest talks are on the brink of collapse. While Russia and Ukraine daily accuse each other of undermining the process, and overnight Russia has launched a major assault on Kyiv with at least eight dead in the air-raid, President Trump named Ukraine’s Zelensky for dragging his heels on peace.

On Tuesday, President Zelensky dismissed a compromise peace where Russia would be able to keep Crimea in return for handing back several Ukrainian provinces and ending the fighting, stating he was sticking to his maximalist absolute victory policy. Zelensky said, as reported: “There is nothing to talk about – it is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people”.

President Trump had already responded to these words in a social media post, reminding the Ukrainian that “Crimea was lost years ago” during the Obama era and that his remarks were “very harmful to the peace negotiations”. Following up in the Oval Office on Wednesday evening as he spoke with reporters while signing executive orders, the U.S. President remarked: “I will say I think that Russia is ready, and a lot of people said Russia wanted to go for the whole thing, I think we have a deal with Russia.

“We have to get a deal with Zelensky. I thought it might be easier to get a deal with Zelensky but so far it has been harder, but that’s OK, it’s alright. But I think we have a deal with both, I hope they do it… this is about a lot of humanity.” (Read more from “Trump Says Zelensky Is the Stumbling Block to Peace in Ukraine, Will Meet With Putin Soon” HERE)

Candidate Who Called Opponent ‘Senator Ukraine’ Used Ukrainian Footage In Campaign Video

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Several scenes from Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign announcement video were shot in foreign countries, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.

Paxton released a two-and-a-half-minute-long video April 9 following his decision to mount a primary challenge to incumbent Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn. The video, which touts Paxton’s conservative credentials and accuses Cornyn of betraying the “America First” movement, uses stock footage shot in Ukraine, Russia and South Africa, according to a DCNF review of the video’s sourcing.

“Senator John Cornyn turned his back on President Trump,” the video’s narrator states. “It’s time for a change. Ken Paxton is the conservative fighter they couldn’t cancel.”

Paxton’s campaign is not the first to use foreign imagery licensed from stock footage websites to depict Americans. Candidates across both parties, including Democratic Oregon Rep. Janelle Bynum and former Republican Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, have raised eyebrows in recent years by featuring foreign stock footage in campaign materials.

The locations of the foreign footage used in Paxton’s video or those of the footages’ contributors were easily identifiable on most commonly used stock footage websites, according to a DCNF review. (Read more from “Candidate Who Called Opponent ‘Senator Ukraine’ Used Ukrainian Footage In Campaign Video” HERE)

Trump Will Walk Away From Ukraine Talks in Days if Moscow and Kyiv Aren’t Serious About Peace, Warns Rubio

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The United States will do whatever it takes to get peace in Ukraine as long as “either side or both” actually engage in the process, but as things stand now America will “move on” within days if there are no signs of progress.

Neither Ukraine or Russia are engaging in the peace process properly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested on Friday morning as he boarded his flight back to the U.S., saying if there isn’t a breakthrough in the peace process within days the United States would disengage.

The United States is not willing to attend endless unproductive meetings, and meetings for the sake of having meetings, Rubio told press on the tarmac in barely-veiled criticism of both Moscow and Kyiv. He said: “We came here yesterday to begin to talk about more specific outlines of what it might take to end the war, to try to figure out very soon and I’m talking about a matter of days, not a matter of weeks, whether or not this is a war that can be ended.

“If it can, we’re prepared to do whatever we can to facilitate that to make sure that happens, that it ends in a durable and just way.

If there are no indications the two sides are actually willing to agree to a ceasefire — previous bids to establish such a state have been met with further demands for concessions, conditions, and carveouts — then “the President’s probably at a point where he’s going to say ‘well, we’re done’.” (Read more from “Trump Will Walk Away From Ukraine Talks in Days if Moscow and Kyiv Aren’t Serious About Peace, Warns Rubio” HERE)

Second Failed Trump Assassin Charged

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Ryan Wesley Routh, the second wannabe assassin of President Donald Trump during the 2024 election season — who is accused of trying to kill the president at his golf course in September — has been charged with attempted murder and terrorism by the state of Florida.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told Fox & Friends on Thursday that his office has finally secured a warrant and is charging Routh with attempted first-degree murder and terrorism after the former administration stonewalled Florida’s efforts to “pursue justice.”

“We want a justice system that is willing to pursue justice, no matter what party is in charge,” Uthmeier said. “Joe Biden and the Democrats did everything they could to drag their feet and refuse to cooperate with the state of Florida.”

“Under Attorney General Bondi and the Trump administration and our new FBI director, it’s been a breath of fresh air — very different. They’ve been transparent and cooperative,” the Florida Attorney General added.

Uthmeier also noted that the federal government has made their evidentiary folder available to his office, and that more evidence about the case will become public soon. (Read more from “Second Failed Trump Assassin Charged” HERE)