Lithuania plans to lay mines on its bridges to Russia, ready to detonate should Kremlin tanks try to cross. In the nearby Baltic Sea, NATO ships are hunting Russia’s so-called “Shadow Fleet” accused of cutting undersea communications cables. And in Europe’s skies there are plans to construct a vast missile defense system.
European governments and citizens worry that an emboldened Kremlin may turn his armies their way after Ukraine. There is also widespread nervousness that the new U.S. president—has suggested he may not defend America’s historical NATO allies if they are attacked by Russia.
While President Donald Trump this week criticized Vladimir Putin, Trump has showed few signs of a meaningful shift from that position but said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “was fighting a much bigger entity,” and that “he shouldn’t have done that, because we could have made a deal.”
During a rally at Circa Resort & Casino in Downtown Las Vegas, the president told those in attendance that it was unfair a country like China, with a population much greater than the U.S., was only paying a fraction of what the U.S. was paying annually to the WHO.
"We paid $500 million a year and China paid $39 million a year despite a much larger population. Think of that. China's paying $39 million to have 1.4 billion people, we pay $500 million we have – no one knows what the hell we have, does anyone know? We have so many people pouring in we have no idea," Trump told rally goers on Saturday.
"They offered me at $39 million, they said 'We'll let you back in for $39 million,' they're going to reduce it from [$500 million] to [$39 million], and I turned them down.
Information flew across the Atlantic from U.S. spy agencies to NATO and Western partners showing that Russia was poised to launch the biggest attack on a European country since World War II.
It was designed to muster support for Kyiv, and on the strength of the U.S. warning, some nations sent weapons to Ukraine.
Now, officials are bracing for a potentially changed security landscape under President Donald Trump. He has criticized America's allies and lambasted its intelligence agencies. He's been accused of disregarding secrecy rules.
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, has parroted Russian propaganda while his nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, has promised changes that could significantly curtail the flow of intelligence to America's friends.
"Disrespectful", "insulting", and "ill-informed." Donald Trump's threats aimed at strong-arming Moscow into ending its war in Ukraine have been badly received by some politicians and nationalists in Russia who say his tactics bode ill for a deal.
Trump said on Wednesday he would likely impose new sanctions, taxes and tariffs on Russia, whose economy he said was failing, and on Moscow's allies, unless President Vladimir Putin struck a deal with him "soon" to end the conflict.
In an apparent attempt to balance his threat with a compliment, Trump spoke of the need to never forget that Russia had helped the United States win World War Two and incorrectly stated that the then Soviet Union had lost 60 million people in that conflict as opposed to the 26.6 million people estimated by the Russian authorities.
President Vladimir Putin casts the war, which Moscow officially calls a "Special Military Operation", as a difficult but necessary fight against a Western- and NATO-backed Ukraine. He says it is part of a wider existential battle against a decadent West trying to weaken and dismember Russia.
Ukraine and its Western allies say Russia is waging a brutal and unprovoked war, merely to gain territory.
The three-volume "Military History of Russia" was edited by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin who headed a delegation that held unsuccessful peace talks with Ukraine in 2022, in the early months of the war, and has already co-authored Russia's main history textbook. The third volume, likely to be dismissed by Ukraine's leadership as propaganda, is designed to be taught to children aged 15 and older.
Acting Attorney General James McHenry transmitted letters to the officials informing them of their termination, officials said, that said given their part in the prosecutions they couldn't be trusted in "faithfully implementing the president's agenda."
It's not immediately clear the exact number of officials who were fired on Monday, but the move was largely expected after President Trump's threats leading up to the 2024 election stating he planned to fire Smith "on day one."
Smith resigned prior to Trump taking office and submitted his final report to former Attorney General Merrick Garland. Garland released Vol. 1 of Smith's final report detailing Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but he was blocked by District Judge Aileen Cannon from sharing with Congress the second volume.
Wang tells Rubio leaders have set tone and direction of US-China ties
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday and Beijing said he told the known China hawk that the direction and tone of U.S.-China ties had been set by their leaders and he hoped Rubio would play a constructive...
https://afriprime.net/posts/91090
Iran’s supreme leader forced to wear flak jacket as fears of...
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, faces four difficult years ahead that could reshape the region. Iran has ordered its proxy forces across the Middle East to exercise caution as the Islamic Republic fears an existential threat following Donald Trump’s return to the...
https://afriprime.net/posts/91072
What did Rubio say about Taiwan independence? US, China at odds
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday, affirming Washington does not back Taiwan independence, according to China's foreign ministry, a detail omitted from the American side's read-out.
https://afriprime.net/posts/91068
I expected Trump’s fury, but I'm shocked at how quickly...
Donald Trump’s war with America is provoking fear and confusion and whipping critics into obedience, at dizzying speed. This will not end well — not if Americans allow him to go unchecked. Trump marked his return to the White House with sweeping executive...
https://afriprime.net/posts/91044
Trump suggestion on Gaza strip: ‘Clean out the whole...
President Trump indicated Sunday that the way to help the situation in Gaza is to “clean out the whole thing.” Aboard Air Force One, Trump said Gaza is a “real mess,” after the Palestinian militant group Hamas’s war with Israel, CNN reported....
https://afriprime.net/posts/91039
Another Country Has ‘First Dibs’ On Greenland Before...
Denmark’s former representative to Greenland has claimed US President Donald Trump needs permission from a third country if he is to fulfill his pledge to take over the self-governing island. Tom Høyem, 83, who was Copenhagen’s top envoy to Greenland from...
https://afriprime.net/posts/91035
Putin says Russia 'ready for negotiations' with Donald...
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is
https://afriprime.net/posts/91022
Ukrainian Navy intercepts Russian Kh-59 missile with US’...
The Ukrainian Navy’s official Telegram channel reported that a Sukhoi Su-57 multirole fighter launched a Kh-59 cruise missile at the port, which was intercepted by a surface-to-air missile fired from a patrol boat. The Ukrainian Navy used a ship-mounted VAMPIRE SAM to intercept and...
https://afriprime.net/posts/91015
The spectacular failures and successes of massive dams
Not far from Cairo stood a remarkable dam, the Sadd el-Kafara, more than 100m long, and 14m high, and able to store about half a million cubic metres of water. These statistics are modest, by modern standards - but the Sadd el-Kafara is not a modern dam. It was built nearly 5,000...
https://afriprime.net/posts/91009
Dam plan busted? World's biggest hydropower project in the...
Inga I and II were built in the 1970s and 1980s, while construction for Inga III was supposed to begin in 2020. From a set of roaring rapids, comes a grand vision. There are plans to build a magnificent, multi-billion dollar mega-dam on the Congo River - one that would produce enough...
https://afriprime.net/posts/91004
China tells India Yarlung Tsangpo mega dam in Tibet will not be at...
China has tried to reassure India over its plans for a mega dam in the Tibetan Plateau, which has prompted fears it will cause water shortages and damage the environment, by saying it will not try to benefit at the
https://afriprime.net/posts/90976
Opinion: Trump promised to end the Ukraine war, but neither side is...
Soldiers train in Ukraine. Earlier this month, a full moon blocked Mars from view. Historically, some have taken that as a sign for peace as Mars has been the “planet of war and conflict in many cultures, from ancient China to ancient Rome,” according to science...
https://afriprime.net/posts/90974
Opinion - To end the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump will need to get...
President Trump once claimed he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours. That was absurd. More recently, people close to him have offered a longer timeline, measured in months. Even that will prove a daunting challenge: a wide chasm separates the warring...
https://afriprime.net/posts/90973
Ukraine's Kursk invasion was a risky play, but it might have...
Ukraine took a huge risk attacking into Russia and taking territory last year. It has had positives and negatives for both countries. But if it still holds enough of the territory as Trump pushes for negotiations it could pay off. Ukraine's risky gamble to...
https://afriprime.net/posts/90969
Tens of thousands of people lined the road on a cold Sunday morning to watch the long parade to mark the anniversary of the official adoption of India’s Constitution on Jan. 26, 1950, nearly three years after independence from British colonial rule.
Soldiers from India’s military and paramilitary, various floats displayed India’s cultural diversity with one showcasing the Maha Kumbh festival, the ongoing massive Hindu festival touted as the world’s largest religious gathering.
The parade took place on Rajpath Avenue, built by India’s former British rulers and lined by huge lawns, canals and rows of trees. The avenue was redeveloped as part of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Indian independence and renamed Kartavayapath, or the Boulevard of Duty, in
"After 76 years in which the majority of the population of Gaza was detained under hard conditions to maintain the aim of destroying Israel, the idea of helping them by finding other places where they could start a new and better life is outstanding,"
For years, politicians had put forward impracticable proposals, such as establishing a Palestinian state that would jeopardize Israel's existence and security, Smotrich posted.
Only "unconventional thinking" on new approaches could bring peace and security, he said, pledging to work with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement Trump's plan.
Smotrich has in the past backed Israeli resettlement of the Gaza Strip. Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, rejected this. A year ago, Smotrich said that, if Israeli acted correctly, Palestinians would emigr
Leslie Voltaire made the comment in Rome on Saturday following a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. He visited the pope to ask for help for Haiti.
“I’m knocking on the doors of people who love Haiti. The pope loves Haiti, and he is eager to help,” Haiti's interim president said.
The pontiff and Voltaire discussed the dire situation in Haiti where gangs have killed civilians and operate across the Caribbean nation with impunity. Half of Haiti’s 11.4 million people are already hungry, according to Voltaire, and losing humanitarian assistance will make the situation dramatically worse.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi conveyed the message in a phone call Friday, their first conversation since Marco Rubio's confirmation as President Donald Trump's top diplomat four days earlier.
“I hope you will act accordingly,” Wang told Rubio, according to a Foreign Ministry statement, employing a Chinese phrase typically used by a teacher or a boss warning a student or employee to behave and be responsible for their actions.
The short phrase seemed aimed at Rubio's vocal criticism of China and its human rights record when he was a U.S. senator, which prompted the Chinese government to put sanctions on him twice in 2020.
It can be translated in various ways — in the past, the Foreign Ministry has used “make the right choice” and “be very prudent about what they say or do” rather than “act accordingly.”
These statistics send a message to audiences at home and abroad, said Elina Ribakova, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. To the Russian public: “We’re still standing.” To Ukraine’s allies: “We can outlast you.”
Projecting an image of Russia’s economic strength has real-world consequences. Some in the West have questioned whether the sanctions imposed by Ukraine’s backers – and dismissed by President Vladimir Putin as mere “logistical hurdles” – work at all. If they don’t, why bother?
But other experts say this image of resilience is a mirage – one carefully curated by the Kremli
“This war has been handled so badly by the Ukrainians and by NATO and the United States that Putin has got a foot in the door in doing whatever he wants to do. Why would he want to negotiate with anybody,” Tuberville said in a conversation with radio host John Catsimatidis in an interview aired on “The Cats Roundtable” Sunday on WABC 770 AM.
The former football coach drew an analogy through sports strategy on the field.
“Say it’s a football game and you’re [up] three touchdowns. Why would you want to do some kind of deal when you’re winning? The guy is winning,” the lawmaker stated.
The president spoke and blamed Zelensky’s failure to preemptively capitulate to Russia invading Ukraine, even though Russian forces have occupied parts of the country since 2014.
“Zelensky was fighting a much bigger entity, much bigger, much more powerful,” Trump told Hannity. “He shouldn’t have done that, because we could have made a deal, and it would have been a deal that would have been, it would have been a nothing deal.”
But Republican senators dodged commenting on Trump’s remarks about the war that began when Russian President Vladimir Putin attacked his neighbor.
Zelenskyy did not clarify whether humanitarian aid had been paused. Ukraine relies on the U.S. for 40% of its military needs. “I am focused on military aid; it has not been stopped, thank God,” he said at a press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
The two leaders met in Kyiv on Saturday to discuss the energy needs of Moldova’s Russian-occupied Transnistria region, which saw its natural gas supplies halted on Jan. 1 due to Ukraine’s decision to stop Russian gas transit. Ukraine has said it can offer coal to the Transnistrian authorities to make up for the shortfall.
The future of U.S. aid to Ukraine remains uncertain as President Donald Trump begins his second term in office.
In a press release published by the Pentagon on Saturday after his swearing-in ceremony, Hegseth wrote, “The President gave us a clear mission: achieve Peace through Strength. We will do this in three ways—by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.”
“We are American warriors,” he continued. “We will defend our country. Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear. The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose.”
“All of this will be done with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards, and readiness,”
Hegseth, 44, who was among President Donald Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks, on Friday eked out a successful Senate confirmation by a single tie-breaking vote, cast by Vice President JD Vance.
U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened tariffs and sanctions on Colombia to punish it for earlier refusing to accept military flights carrying deportees as part of his sweeping immigration crackdown
White House said Colombia had agreed to accept the migrants after all and Washington would not impose its threatened penalties
"The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay," it said
Draft orders imposing tariffs and sanctions on Colombia would be "held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement"
"Today’s events make clear to the world that America is respected
