It seems that our Western world, which has been run for so many years by a bunch of spoilt children, is being taken over by adults - sort of. I’m not sure that everyone would agree that Donald J comes across as a good example of an adult but that’s not the point. Trump’s administration is acting in an adult manner making some good progress in ridding US society of the childishness allowed under Biden, the Democrats and others. For example, the childish delusion that Ukraine could defeat Russia has been shattered as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that a return to pre-2014 borders was ‘unrealistic’ and that Ukraine will never join NATO. But more important than this is the fact that after years without diplomatic dialogue, the US and Russia are finally talking. Trump and Putin spoke on the telephone:
I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects. We both reflected on the Great History of our Nations, and the fact that we fought so successfully together in World War II remembering that Russian lost tens of millions of people and we, likewise, lost so many. We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together. But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine. President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, “COMMON SENSE.” We both believe very strongly in it. We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now. I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful. Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end. No more lives should be lost! I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call…
Trump is talking about cooperation and friendship between the two nations which would have been unimaginable a few months ago and it is noteworthy that Keith Kellogg has been sidelined. This could be due to his age and/or revelations of his daughter’s involvement in delivering aid to Ukraine. Some European leaders will be knocked senseless by this statement and it is not clear how Russophobes such as Callous Kallas, Annalena Baerbock and Ursula von der Leyen will position themselves. Can a Russophobe European Union and a Russophile US peacefully coexist? (see below). Perhaps anti-Russian organisations such as NATO and the EU are not long for this world. Mark Rutte, speaking from a position of anachronistic irrelevance, warned Putin against attacking a NATO state, while Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), talked about NATO ‘reform’. But maybe dismantling the organisation could make it more efficient. The Europeans must wake up to the fact that a peace treaty is much cheaper than rearmament. Russia is spending more on ‘defence’ than the whole of the EU combined ($462 billions ppp1) and will no doubt stay ahead if Europe increases spending - which it can hardly afford
I am not suggesting that this development is anything more than a start but it is nevertheless welcome. It remains to be seen how this will affect the already low morale of those fighting on the Ukrainian side. It could also widen cracks within Ukraine’s governing body.
Woke/DEI has also been a huge part of this childishness and Trump is going after it in a triumph of ‘common sense’ - as his press secretary recently claimed. With someone like Karoline Leavitt representing him, Trump should do well in that Direction. I have never been a fan of positive discrimination, which is still discriminatory, and now there is a chance that it will be discarded like some horrible fashion whose ugliness can be appreciated only with hindsight. But it will be a long time before that happens throughout the Western world.
Trump is also slaying other dragons which you probably all know about and USAID is part of that. There is no doubt that the USAID revelations were dominating discourse among commentators this week, prior to Trump’s announcement. According to libertarian Ron Paul: ‘A look behind the curtain has revealed a certain truth: Nearly the entire Mainstream Media - worldwide - has been funded by the US government under USAID’. The BBC, The New York Times and Politico - the so-called - ‘independent media’ are all involved. What Simplicius eloquently calls ‘the unfathomable globalist infrastructure’ has now become fathomable. For years, many of us have observed that the legacy media always sings from the same hymn sheet like a propaganda tool for the Deep State. USAID made this all possible.
But USAID has spread its tentacles wider than this with its involvement in corruption, biolabs, colour ‘revolutions’ and regime change.
In addition, Donald J is ruffling the feathers of the US intelligence system and has denied Sleepy Joe customary access to classified intelligence briefings, while Anthony Blinken and Jake Sullivan have been denied security clearances. A probe is being launched into the Criminal Clintons, George Soros, Bill Gates and their connection with Epstein - according to Sputnik. Tulsi Gabbard will join Trump as Director of National Intelligence and RFK Jnr will join as Health Secretary - which is good news.
Trump is either threatening tariffs or implementing them - as in his imposition of 25% on steel imports. He wants Americans to produce steel and many other things neglected by the Democrats and their Green, anti-industrial mythology2.
In the Middle East, the Israelis continue to break both the Lebanon and Gaza ceasefires, killing many Palestinian civilians in the process. In consequence, Hamas is delaying the release of Israeli prisoners while in Tel Aviv Israeli settlers are demonstrating against the delay - as you can see here. And the Zionists are busy sending armour to the northern section of West bank for the first time in years. East of Jerusalem, the Israelis continue to demolish Palestinian houses and issue eviction notices to Palestinian occupiers. The Houthis are taking note of this and are ready to ‘unleash hell’ on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea unless Israel obeys the treaty - according to Zero Hedge. Meanwhile, Putin has had his first talks with HTS’s Ahmed al-Sharaa (the head chopper). It is not clear whether the Russians will be able to retain their Syrian bases.
In Ukraine, there is dissension in the ranks as Klitschko, mayor of Kiev, concedes that compromises may have to be made that could be ‘painful’. This can only mean conceding territory and according to Dmitry Kuleba, former Foreign Minister, anyone signing an agreement that concedes territory is dead. In the light of Hegseth’s statement (above) it seems that someone on the Ukrainian side will be required to sign their own death warrant. But I would be surprised if Zelensky or the Europeans get anywhere near a treaty document. Zelensky’s popularity is declining further as he accuses former President Poroshenko of treason and is trying to sideline opponents.
On the battlefronts, there are signs that a Ukrainian collapse can’t be far away as reports of 16 year old boys fighting on the fronts emerge. The similarities between this and Hitler’s Downfall will be familiar to anyone who has watched the movie of that name but has never read a history book.
In the UK, Nigel Farage’s Reform Party is ahead of everyone else for the first time. Starmer must know that Farage will be his successor/nemesis.
What a week! Some will be worrying where Trump and his administration are taking us but it will be nowhere near close to where we would have proceeded under the Democrats: we are no longer in Kansas. To top it all, Elon Musk has called for a revolution against the Deep State. Hold on everyone, we’re in for a bumpy ride.
Talks
Prior to Trump’s announcement on the 12th February, there had been rumours of talks but there was no confirmation from the Russian side. Professor Doctorow believes that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff could have been involved.
Dmitry Medvedev responded positively to Trump’s announcement with evident relief:
The talk between the Russian and US presidents has finally taken place, which is very important in itself. The previous US administration canceled all high-level contacts in an attempt to punish and humiliate Russia. As a result, the world was teetering on the brink of apocalypse.
Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov told Pravda that the meeting lasted for 90 minutes and that Putin has invited Trump to Moscow. Perhaps he will join Putin and Xi at the 80th celebrations of Victory Day in Moscow - which b writes about at the MoA (14th Feb). Peskov also said that instructions have been given to the relevant assistants to begin their background work in support of negotiations.
Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth has suggested that security arrangements outside of the NATO umbrella (unprotected by Article 5) should be agreed. He also talked of a non-US, non NATO peacekeeping force and a ceasefire - which I doubt will be acceptable to the Russians. In other words, the Europeans must now take responsibility for their own security. Some believe it is possible that a general settlement on European security and Middle East security could also be on the table to include a deal in which Iran will agree not to develop nuclear weapons. Time will tell.
Donald Trump himself has conceded that ‘[Ukraine] may or may not become Russian…’: sentiments echoed by Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who explained that many oblasts have already voted to join Russia - according to Tass.
It appears that Trump is being well advised of the history of the conflict. Zelensky, on the other hand, is less well advised since he still believes that he can exchange some Russian territory in Kursk for Russian held ‘Ukrainian’ territory. Zelensky doesn’t say where this territory is located but the Russians will insist on Ukrainian withdrawal from Kursk as a precondition for talks - as they have already made clear. But maybe the once great Z, wanting to remain great, is trapped in a bubble of his own choosing. He has said that he will not accept any agreement reached in the absence of Ukrainian involvement. But perhaps he won’t be around to object: cruel but true. He made a pact with the devil and is reaping his reward. This Ukrainian source can see the writing on the wall:
Our source in the OP reported that Zelensky is observing a strong change in attitude towards Ukraine not only from the US, but also from European countries. EU leaders are beginning to distance themselves from our requests, despite public rhetoric about increasing support. Behind the scenes at Bankova, they are constantly discussing that the West is dumping our country on Russia and will force Zelensky to accept the terms of a “cowardly peace” that we ourselves must approve.
Warning - expect something really nasty from Zelensky.
The Europeans have certainly been sidelined, as the UK’s David Lammy whined:
Our shared objectives should be to put Ukraine in a position of strength. Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations.
There he goes with that ‘position of strength; rubbish which only someone who is totally ignorant of the situation on the fronts could mutter. What a plonker. You can read more European whining at Sputnik.
The Europeans should be reminded that both Angela Merkel and François Hollande openly stated that they had no intention of honouring the Minsk Agreements they had sponsored in 2014/2015. They admitted that the agreement was made to give Ukraine more time to rearm. So, why should the Russians trust the Europeans.
Sergei Lavrov was amazed at the surprised Western response to the fact that Trump and Putin actually talked - yet this was normal before Biden:
…I was struck by the fact that now the whole world is in a kind of a daze and considers the phone conversation and the report about it as something out of the ordinary. That is what the Biden administration, headed by its president, and their European satellites have brought themselves to. They have discarded dialog, diplomacy as a method of communication with the outside world, and have switched to the language of threats, sanctions, and arming the Nazi Kiev regime to wage war against Russia.
As I have said, the adults are taking over.
A ‘Security Conference’ is taking place at Munich over the weekend (14th-16th Feb) in which representatives from the US, the EU and Ukraine will meet. Donald Trump has claimed that Russian representatives will meet with their American counterparts but I have seen no confirmation from the Kremlin at the time of writing. Vice President Vance will meet with Zelensky at the Conference on February 14th - Valentine’s Day.
We’re Russians!
Pokrovsk Resident
A Pokrovsk resident was recently interviewed by Euronews asking him why he has decided to stay in the city with the Russian army is so close. He told the reporter that he has no fear of the Russian army because he is Russian. With reference to fellow citizens of Pokrovsk he said ‘by passport they are Ukrainians but in their souls they are Russians'.
Donbass Resident
When asked about his nationality, a resident of Krasnoarmeysk (Donbass) told a Western reporter: ‘On paper I’m a Ukrainian, but in my heart…there are no Ukrainians here. We’re all Russians’.
USAID Used To Attack Orthodox Church in Ukraine
USAID was used to persecute Christians attending the Ukraine Orthodox Church which was linked to the Russian Orthodox Church - according to Tucker Carlson.
US Wants Ukraine USAID Money Repaid With Minerals
Donald Trump has apparently agreed with Zelensky (who is not the legitimate President) that funds supplied to Ukraine through USAID should be repaid with Ukraine’s mineral, gas and oil resources. Any future funds provided by the US will be funded in the same way - there will be no more freebies. You can read more at Sputnik. Trump has stated that he will want $500 billions worth of rare earth minerals to pay for past and future aid.
However, according to Daniil Hetmantsev, Ukraine’s Supreme Court Finance Minister, permits to exploit mineral resources have already been sold. ‘We have nothing or almost nothing to offer our partners’, he said. You can read more at the Moon of Alabama. According to Gilbert Doctorow, most of these minerals cannot be profitably extracted so are little use to anyone.
Ukraine To Mobilise Volunteer 18-24 Year Olds
Zelensky has told Reuters that he is attempting to recruit volunteers among 18-24 year olds with a ‘special one year contract' with benefits such as an interest free housing loan and free education. The ‘small print’ includes death and mutilation among the ‘benefits’ You can read more at Tass.
Zelensky Scares Europeans
The once great Z is trying to scare the Europeans with talk of 100,000 new Russian soldiers intent on conquering Europe - according to Slavyangrad. He also claimed if Putin is not stopped he will invade Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and even Hungary.
Ukraine Selling Arms To Drug Cartels - Carlson
According to Tucker Carlson, the Ukraine military is selling up to half the Western arms received to drug cartels. Some of these cartels are operating on America’s Southern border. Carlson also claimed that the funds acquired thus are making lots of Ukrainians rich.
Ukraine Terrorist Attacks (that target civilians)
7th/8th February
According to the War Chronicle:
At night, air defense repelled a massive enemy UAV raid on the Rostov region. In the Pervomaisky district of Rostov, windows and partially windows in 14 five-story buildings were broken. 68 people were evacuated from one house after a powerful explosion. Parked cars received a lot of damage. According to the Ministry of Defense, 18 drones were shot down over the Rostov region, 11 over the Volgograd region, 5 over the Belgorod region. In the Krasnodar Territory, 5 houses were damaged in the Slavyansk district.
Two civilians were injured by artillery fire in Kherson while a missile attack killed one and injured ten in an apartment building in Makiivka District (DPR). The missile was intercepted but the debris caused an explosion in the building.
9th/10th February
According to the Two Majors:
At night, our air defense repelled enemy UAV attacks. In the Rostov region (Millerovsky district), the attack was repelled. In Krasnodar, a Ukrainian drone damaged the residential complex "Tsentralny." Another drone was shot down in the village of Afipsky in the Seversky district, and a private house was damaged. Three aircraft-type UAVs were destroyed over the territory of the Bryansk region.
Belgorod suffered drone attacks which damaged residential buildings, vehicles, commercial/agricultural buildings but only one person was injured. Gorlovka (DPR) is still being attacked with barrel artillery/cluster munitions which damaged residential buildings but caused only one injury. One woman suffered shrapnel wounds from a drone drop in Kursk overnight while in Zaporozhye, a Ukrainian drone hit a car injuring a man, woman and their five year old grandchild. The woman is in a serious condition.
10th/11th February
According to the War Chronicle:
During the night, Russian air defense shot down 50 UAVs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Of these, 17 are in the Saratov region, 13 in the Rostov region and six over the Bryansk region
In Kukuyevka (Belgorod), a drone hit a car injuring the driver while drones caused damage to residential buildings and vehicles in many other villages. In Gorlovka (DPR) a man was injured by cluster munitions.
11th/12th February
Overnight, many villages in Belgorod suffered drone attacks which damaged commercial, agricultural and residential premises causing damage but no casualties. Gorlovka was less fortunate again as three civilians were injured by cluster munitions. Later, it was reported that a Ukrainian drone fell 300 metres short of the first reactor at the Zaporozhye NPP as part of an attack on a group of four IAEA inspectors who tried to rotate. The group was fired upon by mortars, artillery shells and drones forcing them to give up the rotation effort. This was clearly an attempt to kill the inspectors. The Russian MoD provides a chronology of the attack along with some footage.
In the Russian port of Ust-Luga, an oil tanker was damaged by what are thought to have been Limpet mines, according to this report. The ship’s cargo tanks were not damaged and there were no casualties.
12th/13th February
According to the War Chronicle:
During the night, according to the Ministry of Defense, 83 drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed. 37 over the Belgorod region, over the Kursk and Lipetsk regions, 12 pieces each, and another 1-2 over neighboring regions. Explosions are reported at the Lipetsk wastewater treatment plant, an employee of the enterprise was injured.
In Novaya Kakhovka (Kherson), three civilians were injured by shelling while Gorlovka (DPR) suffered drone drops which killed one and injured 15. Belgorod also suffered damage from cluster shelling which injured five civilians.
13th/14th February
Overnight, four drones was suppressed by EW over Rostov and 41 were shot down over Belgorod where some drones caused damage to houses and cars while injuring a man who was working in his garage. Drones also attacked Voronezh and Lipetsk. Once more, Gorlovka (DPR) was not spared as two men were injured by drone attacks.
Early on the 14th February, the defunct sarcophagus at the Chernobyl NPP was attacked with drones. It is feared that the spent nuclear storage could be targeted next. You can see some footage here. This Ukrainian source suggests that the attack was meant to send a message to Trump regarding Zelensky’s apparent exclusion from talks.
Drones also damaged a bus in Zaporozhye, injuring the driver.
The Sea War
10th/11th February
Overnight, several drones were destroyed over the North Western section of the Black Sea.
13th February
Two drones were shot down above Sochi on the Black Sea - overnight.
13th/14th February
Overnight, 2 drones were destroyed over Sochi and 5 over Crimea.
The Air War (Map)
Russian Missile/Drone Attacks
7th/8th February
Overnight, a lubricants and fuel depot at Chuguev (Kharkov) was set alight.
8th/9th February
Overnight, Geraniums were in the air above Western Ukraine in places such as Kiev, Lvov, Lutsk and Zhitomir.
9th/10th February
Overnight, the Russian Armed Forces carried out drone strikes on Kiev, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Chernihiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
10th/11th February
According to the War Chronicle:
Since the morning, Ukraine has been hit by a massive attack with modernized Kalibrs from the Black Sea and from the Tu-95. Arrivals at the Mirgorod airfield and gas fields in central Ukraine. We will find out all the targets of the strike by evening.
According to Slavyangrad, Russian drones attacked Kiev and other locations overnight:
No power again: Russian army strikes energy and gas infrastructure facilities in 4 Ukrainian regions
▪️Ukrenergo confirms that during the massive strike, emergency power outages occurred throughout the entire territory of Ukraine.
▪️The strikes and damage to gas infrastructure facilities were also confirmed by Energy Minister Galushchenko and MP Mosiychuk.
▪️The attacks hit energy facilities in the Kyiv, Kharkov, Sumy and Poltava regions:
➖In Poltava region, a morning missile attack damaged Naftogaz production facilities.
➖In Sumy Region, damage was recorded at oil refineries and oil and gas production facilities.
➖In the Kharkov region, after the strikes, the entire Mirgorod district was left without gas supply.
▪️A number of Ukrainian channels are already starting to complain about the frankly terrible work of the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces.
11th/12th February
Overnight, the Russians launched a large volley of Iskanders towards Kiev where 15 explosions were heard. Fires broke out in six districts of the city.
12th/13th February
According to the Two Majors:
On enemy territory, explosions were heard at night in Poltava, Kharkov, Chernihov, Nikolaev, Odessa, Kiev, and Dnipropetrovsk Regions. Footage has emerged of attempts to shoot down Gerani over the port of Reni.
A TV station which was responsible for the false ‘Bucha Massacre’ story was hit in Kiev along with drone production facilities but caused no casualties. The large gas processing plant in Chernihov was also hit.
13th/14th February
Port facilities in Odessa were attacked overnight along with targets in Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporozhye.
Ukrainian Missile/Drone Attacks
10th/11th February
Overnight, in Saratov region, an oil refinery and the ‘Engels’ Russian military airbase were subjected to mass Ukrainian drone attack. The oil refinery was set alight but the airbase suffered minimal damage.
The Ground War
Russian MoD Reports (excludes Kursk)
w/e 24th January 2025 12,815 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 654
w/e 31st January 2025 11,400 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 570
w/e February 7th 2025 10,435 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 745 (record high?)
w/e February 14th 2025 10,570 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 658
The Fronts
Front Line Cats
Kursk
On February 11th, the Russians forced the Ukrainians out of Sverdlivko and launched attacks against Nikolskoye.
On February 14th, the Two Majors gave this report:
In the Kursk Region, the Sever Group of troops continues to destroy dispersed groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces between Cherkasskaya Konopelka and the Kolmakov farm. In the vicinity of Makhnovka, the enemy continues to accumulate reserves for another suicidal counterattack in the direction of Cherkasskaya Konopelka. Airborne units are completing the liberation of Sverdlikovo in the western section of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' penetration near the State Border. In the vicinity of Kurilovka, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to counterattack but were destroyed. The arrival of new enemy reinforcements in the Sudzhansky District (up to 250 people) is reported.
Kupyansk
Svatove-Kreminna
Chasiv Yar
Dzerzhinsk (formerly Toretsk)
On February 7th, the Russian MoD officially announced the liberation of Toretsk which will now revert to its Russian name of Dzerzhinsk. Its capture will allow the Russians to move against Konstantinovka to the north west and interrupt the Ukrainian supply arteries feeding Chasov Yar.
East of Pokrovsk - Detail by Marat Khairullin
In this Direction, the village of Vodyanoye Vtoroye was liberated on the 13th February.
West of Pokrovsk
The Ukrainians have launched a number of counter-attacks in this Direction (see blue arrows) but none was successful - according to Marat Khairullin. According to Pravda, the Ukrainians could be attempting an encirclement of Russian troops deploying a force of 100,000 men. But the Russians are moving onto the flanks of these groups as the Ukrainians risk being encircled themselves.
Pokrovsk - Andreevka - Konstantinopol
On February 11th, the village of Yasenove, 20 miles south west of Pokrovsk, was liberated. Fighting continues in Andriivka and near the village of Dachnoye.
Kurakhovo - Detail by Marat Khairullin
Velikaya Novosilka - Detail by Marat Khairullin
According to Marat Khairullin on February 13th:
In the Velikonovoselkovskiy sector, the Russian Armed Forces have advanced east of Novosyolka, securing the road leading to Gulyaipole. This movement toward Privolnoye and Burlatskoye poses a threat to Ukrainian Armed Forces formations in the area of the fortification line north of Vremyevka, since it allows them to be bypassed. And it can seriously disrupt the ability to supply and rotate personnel, forcing the enemy to retreat to less advantageous positions.
Zaporozhye
According to the Majors:
Russian aviation and MLRS are striking the enemy’s immediate rear in the area of Malaya Tokmachka and Orekhovo, where the enemy is concentrating manpower and armored vehicles.
Kherson
Mutual artillery and drone strikes continue in this Direction.
The Economic War
USAID To Ex-Soviet States
$10 billions has been spent on ex-Soviet States in order to ‘promote democracy’ - aka ‘colour revolutions’. You can read more at Sputnik which provided the above chart.
According to Dr. Marco Marsili of the Portuguese Catholic University’s Institute of Political Studies:
"USAID played a critical role in influencing color revolutions by providing financial, logistical, and strategic support to opposition movements" in Ukraine, Lebanon, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan.
Russia was right to ban USAID in 2012.
Russian Oil Flow Diverted, Not Stopped
These are the figures in spite of the sanctions. Oil is like water in that it will flow towards points of least resistance.
Record Russian Gas Supplies To Europe
Gas supplies to Europe via the TurkStream pipeline reached record levels between February 3rd and 9th at 390 millions cubic metres - according to Tass.
All this has helped Russia’s GDP to grow by 4.1% in 2024 to a record 200 trillions rubles.
Callous Kallas Proudly Announces:
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are now completely disconnected from Russian energy. Her colleague, Ursula von der Leyen announced pompously: ‘We are breaking the last remaining ties with Russia. Finally freedom from threats and blackmail’. Shooting oneself in the foot has become de rigueur among Europeans of late. Gas prices immediately increased from 92 Euros per MWh to 146.8 Euros per MWh. Take that you Russkies!
Von der Leyen - Time to Replace NATO?
Ursula von der Leyen is publicly stating what many European leaders have been saying for years: ‘It is high time for EU to take security and defence into our own hands’. Of course, this has probably been prompted by Trump’s insistence that Europeans spend 5% of GDP on defence and Mike Waltz’s suggestion that Europe looks after its own security. Back in 2019, Emmanuel Macron called NATO ‘brain dead’ and called for Europe to obtain ‘strategic autonomy’ from the US. Both Merkel and Macron called for a European army with Italy in favour. But many other European countries, such as Denmark and Poland, wish to obtain security through the existing NATO framework. You can read more at RT. The trouble is that the European Union is a Union in name only.
Orban To Expose USAID Funding
According to RT:
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has declared that he will implement measures ensuring the transparency of aid from the United States to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media outlets critical of his government. Speaking on state radio on Friday, Orban emphasized the need to “eliminate these foreign networks” that meddle in the country’s domestic affairs, referencing US Agency for International Development (USAID) programs.
World Politics
US Interference in Romanian Election
According to Slavyangrad:
Mike Benz, former staffer at the State Department, explains to Tucker Carlson that what is happening in Romania's election is because the US wants to create the world's largest NATO base in that country.
The US and NATO wants to prevent Calin Georgescu's election in order to insure they have a compliant leader in Romania. Poland’s President Andrzej Duda also recently noted that the European Commission had interfered in the Romanian case.
On the 11th February, Klaus Iohannis, who was facing impeachment proceedings, resigned the Presidency after ten years in office. The frozen election process will resume on May 4th until which time Iohannis will retain power.
Italy To Leave WHO?
Following Trump’s lead, Argentina announced it was considering leaving the WHO last week. This week, Italy has also announced that it is leaving and will use the 100 millions Euros fee to treat the sick in Italy and fund its doctors and hospitals.
AfD
It looks as if some German parties will not work with the AfD after the election which is expected to be won by the CDU/CSU coalition. This could lead to political instability, according to some. You can learn more here.
War in the Baltic
The Europeans have discovered a novel way of stopping Russian oil tankers in the Baltic borrowing from the Green agenda by accusing the Russians of environmental damage and even piracy. If they continue with this nonsense, Russia will retaliate. Russian intelligence services believe that a false flag in the Baltic could be in the offing: a ship will be blown up with Russian mines and Russia will be blamed.
Protests
London Farmers
Hundreds of tractors blocked Central London on the weekend in protest against Starmer’s 20% inheritance tax on farms worth more than a million pounds. Tractors are becoming a bit passe or even pedestrian nowadays: these farmers had tanks.
HTS and Hezbollah Clash
HTS has been clamping down on smugglers at the border with Lebanon and has clashed with Hezbollah forces which were forced to retreat. You can read more at Zero Hedge.
Gazans Are Doing It For Themselves
While Donald J is attempting to sort out the lives of Gazans, Yousef Fares reports that they are getting on with life all by themselves. Who would have thought it.
All greetings and love to the righteous people of Gaza, the owners of commercial interests, companies and restaurants who rushed to reopen their shops, Abu Basir, Chef and Reef, Gold Sweets, Abu Sido Grills, Jawal Company, Kazem Refreshments, Sheikh Shawerma, Mahran Restaurant, Abu Sabry Shawerma, Kazenz Restaurant, Thai, Palmyra, Westro Arafat, Akila Falafel, Abdullah Restaurants, and to every owner of a tea, coffee, fruit and vegetable stall, to every son of the country who plants a rose and builds a stone in the midst of demolition and destruction, to every soul that believes in life and survival ❤️❤️
Journalist Yousef Fares - Gaza - Palestine
There may be more to Trump’s proposals for Gaza than meets the eye as Alastair Crooke explores here.
The emerging Multi-Polar World
Your Time Is Over - Wilders
The head of the Dutch Freedom Party Wilders at the Patriots of Europe congress in Madrid - that the time of Macron and Scholz is over:
The old regimes will collapse. We are living in historic times. And my message to all the old leaders from Macron to Scholz: your time is up. The awakening is over.
Multiculturalism and mass immigration have been a complete failure. And while left-liberal intellectuals may refuse to acknowledge this reality, most Europeans are very clear about what they want.
They want secure borders. They want an end to mass immigration. They want us to expel illegal migrants and criminals from our countries.
I have to say that this has been one of the most eventful weeks I have reported on during the conflict. No doubt, the prospect of talks represents a ‘sea change’ but we still have no idea where we will end up. Many thanks for your views, subscriptions, shares, restacks, follows, likes and comments. Have a good week - best Rob
Non subscribers can view Updates on Telegram: https://t.me/UWUupdate.
Purchasing power parity.
I think people should know that in spite of my skepticism on global warming, I remain an environmentalist as I have been for decades. We need to find renewable resources. But we can’t destroy the socio-economic-political systems of the Western world in some sort of experiment. We need to replace the non-renewables before they run out but we have time to find an alternative that will work better than windmills and solar panels. IMHO
"Trump’s administration is acting in an adult manner making some good progress in ridding US society of the childishness allowed under Biden, the Democrats and others."
I don't get it, I really don't! Is it wishful thinking or self-delusion that prompts this response to Trump? And this author is not alone in such fantasies from a so-called progressive perspective. Firstly, it seems that Trump the man and Trump the figurehead have been conflated, as if what he says, let alone what he does, are somehow separate from US imperialism's objectives. It ignores all the built-in contradictions of Trump's policy on, for example, the Ukraine, so whilst he claims to want an end to the conflict, he continues to arm the Zelensky regime, hoping, I assume that Russia will go along with it. I hope Putin is not going to get taken in by it in the same way many in the West seem to be.
The author claims that Trump is putting an end to the US's 'childishness', yet what could be more childish that Trump's tantrums and wild claims over everything, from Palestine to abolishing the US's social programmes and all of it in the name of a spurious freedom?
Barely concealed in Trump's childish and totally unrealistic outbursts, is the obvious fact that they conceal the same imperialist objectives of US capitalism but minus the now totally discredited claims that the US operates to defend human rights and democratic values. Trump represents naked capitalism and he shouts it out from the rooftops! The advantage of this approach is that if, in the unlikely event that it succeeds, the US Empire will reap the benefits and if it fails, it will be Trump who gets blamed, not the US Empire!
More to the point, why is this not obvious to all and sundry? Trump is the same person claiming to want to end the slaughter in the Ukraine, who is advocating slaughter and ethnic cleansing in occupied Palestine. How can these two contradictory positions co-exist, let alone his outrageous domestic policies? Yet, outlandish as these policies are, they are totally in line with the objectives of a bankrupt capitalism that seeks to pass the cost of its bankrupt policies on to working people.
Re the Lebanese border. Vanessa Beeley reported that Hezbola was not involved in the fight against HTS at the border. In fact it was local Lebanese tribes that forced them to retreat, so that the flow or arms to Hezbola could continue. Clearly HTS is a tool of !srael.