US - Russia Maneuvering

Without discounting the magnitude of Trump’s initiative vis a vis Russia this week—the public shift of American positions was real, not just talk—we need to take a deep breath as some of the excitement subsides a bit. Clearly the dynamic that’s playing out is that Trump is trying to push the timeline for the deal that he really needs. While he has caught his domestic enemies flatfooted he has to be ready for a possible change in that situation, and prolonging foreign entanglements won’t help. On the other hand, Putin—who has nothing to learn about the duplicity of the West—needs to avoid being rushed into any deal, and especially because for strategic reasons Russia needs to expand its hold over formerly Ukrainian lands.

The Russians are nothing if not tough negotiators. However, in their public statements, and especially under Putin, their Yes tends to be Yes and their No, No. Putin hasn’t wavered in his public diplomatic positions since coming to power in 2000. He has sought to remain on good terms with the West, but has never changed his views on Russia’s security needs. We see none of Trump’s flamboyant and seemingly reckless rhetoric and changes of position for public effect or to move his opposite numbers in any given direction. So let’s round up what’s being said in the aftermath of the big phone call.

First, here’s an expansive view of the geopolitical landscape. Obviously, this doesn’t reflect Trump’s MAGA views—or certainly not in all respects. Two US navy ships just transited the Strait of Taiwan, so the aggressive stance toward China—thousands of miles away—hasn’t changed overnight:

Amrullah Saleh @AmrullahSaleh2

Russia won the war.

President Putin achieved most of the strategic objectives he had set at the outset of the Special Military Operation against Ukraine. My impression of his achievements.

1- Ukraine will not become a member of NATO.

2- Much of the Russian-speaking lands of Ukraine are already under Russia's control.

3- The Trans-Atlantic alliance is shaken.

4- Sanctions have failed to weaken the Russian economy or the Russian military.

5- A multi-polar world is now a reality, not just an abstract concept.

6- Europe's economy is weaker than before the Ukraine war due to the boycott of Russian energy and the destruction of Nord Stream 1.

7- The Russian army has modernized the hard way and got battled hardened and experienced through hardship and sacrifice.

8- Confidence in Russian weaponry has been restored, attracting more clients as it stood against the entire NATO war industry.

9- Cohesion with a character of conservatism is back in Russian society - liberals, oligarchs and anarchists are missing altogether. The NGO community lost it badly too.

10- A geographic space more commonly called Eurasia is now recognized as a zone of Russia's influence, acknowledged verbally by the United States of America.

11- Russia has gained enough geopolitical weight to assert influence in any global matter particularly in places that are void of meaningful western presence.

We are witnessing the dawn of a new world order. The post-1991 or post cold war word order has just died today.

8:14 AM · Feb 13, 2025

While Trump would like nothing more than to rush Putin into a deal, there should be no illusions about Russia’s bitterness over the Anglo-Zionist war on Russia and, from the Russian perspective, on Slavs. Maria Zakharova makes that clear, speaking for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Euros have no seat at the table and deserve no such respect. Please note, among other important aspects of this statement, Zakharova’s emphasis on the violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions by the Euro puppets of the Anglo-Zionist Empire. That’s a key consideration for any negotiations on a new security order—who can Russia trust?

Zlatti71 @Zlatti_71

Maria Zakharova:

„The Italian Foreign Minister, reacting to the phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, expressed the opinion that Europe should not play a “secondary role” in negotiations on Ukraine.

There is no emoji to convey the full range of emotions, so I’ll have to use words. 

Let me remind you that it was precisely the leaders of EU countries—German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande—who not long ago openly admitted that they never actually intended to implement the Minsk agreements, despite previously assuring the world otherwise. Their official position now is that the Minsk agreements were merely an attempt to rearm Kyiv and “buy it time.”

In other words, they pretended to be working in good faith on the Ukrainian issue while actually engaging in a harmful charade.

The problem is not just that they lied—everyone is used to that by now. The real issue is that they betrayed Europe’s interests, and this betrayal is one of the causes of the current tragedy.

The Minsk agreements became part of international law through their approval by the UN Security Council. This means they were legally binding.

Both Hollande and Merkel, as well as Italy’s leadership, knew this perfectly well then and understand it today. By violating international law—something they now openly admit—EU leaders became key accomplices in the catastrophe that unfolded in Ukraine. As a direct result of their actions, Europe now faces an armed conflict on its own continent. Had the Minsk agreements been implemented, Ukraine would have been saved, and at the same time, the current dire situation of EU citizens—whose well-being has significantly declined due to their leaders’ misguided, and at times outright criminal, decisions—would have been alleviated.

Looking even deeper, this was not only a personal betrayal by these leaders but also a reflection of the complete loss of independence in conducting a “sovereign” foreign policy. The European Union, as an integration bloc, and nearly all of its member states have become an extension of NATO, obediently following Washington’s directives. In this regard, the situation surrounding the sabotage and “investigations” of the Nord Streams is more than revealing.

Further confirming this is the vague comment from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about whether Putin’s phone call with Trump constitutes a “betrayal of Ukraine” by the West or not. Both the question and the answer are meaningless.

Let me repeat: The West betrayed Ukraine when it obstructed its democratic transition and independence, interfered in its internal affairs, pitted Ukrainians against Russians, incited Slavs against Slavs, then initiated an unconstitutional coup, lied about implementing the Minsk agreements, and ultimately provoked a bloodbath in the region.“

11:41 AM · Feb 13, 2025

There’s no mistaking the anger—and contempt—behind those words. You can count on it, these words were not lightly chosen. So it is unsurprising that, amid all the excitement in the West, Putin dashed some cold water on Trump’s. Russia has not reason to feel grateful to the Anglo-Zionist West—Russia knows that it has simply coerced the respect that it deserved all along: Trump Looks to Correct a Disastrous 1990’s Mistake. In the exchange over the G7 Peskov takes a swipe at Trump’s rhetoric about BRICS:

DD Geopolitics @DD_Geopolitics

"I'd love to have them back; it was a mistake to throw them out."

Trump clearly states his desire to bring Russia back into the G8.

"It wasn't a question of liking Russia or not liking Russia, it was the G8. I think Putin would be happy to come back," Trump said.

Brian McDonald @27khv

The Kremlin shrugs off Trump's G8 invite—says it’s not interested. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov: "The current G7 has significantly lost its relevance... it unites countries that are not now leaders in global economic growth... this dynamism has moved to other regions of the globe."

JDVance’s foolish and insulting words—which Trump never should have allowed—warning Russia, of all nations, against negotiating in “bad faith”, and threatening further attempts at coercion. This will likely only delay matters. Russia is demanding “clarification” and may well refuse further discussion until a walk back is made publicly. This type of disrespectful rhetoric is totally out of place in a negotiation between peers. Besides, everyone knows a threat of US troops in Ukraine is nonsense. I understand much of this rhetoric is for domestic US consumption, but it also angers Russians:

Megatron @Megatron_ron

BREAKING:

 US Vice President JD Vance warned Putin that if he does not accept a deal, the US will take "military actions" towards Russia and deploy troops to Ukraine - WSJ

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the U.S. would hit Moscow with sanctions and potentially military action if Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t agree to a peace deal with Ukraine that guarantees Kyiv’s long-term independence.

Vance said the option of sending U.S. troops to Ukraine if Moscow failed to negotiate in good faith remained “on the table

“There are economic tools of leverage, there are of course military tools of leverage” the U.S. could use against Putin, Vance said.

Levan Gudadze @GudadzeLevan

Russia expects to receive clarifications about Vice President J.D. Vance's words regarding military leverage over Russia during contacts with the United States, said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president.

"As for the interview in the American press, these are new elements of the position. We have not heard such formulations before, they were not voiced. Therefore, of course, during those very contacts that we talked about, of course, we expect that we will receive some additional clarifications," Peskov told journalists.

…

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Catching up on revelations of pure evil on the part of the Anglo-Zionists:

African Hub @AfricanHub_

Under Obama and Biden, USAID Was Funding Boko Haram

Russia has made advances in compact drones which travel at relatively high speeds and low altitudes, making them almost impossible to intercept or block electronically:

Maimunka News @MaimunkaNews

The latest #Russian drones are used for massive strikes on targets throughout #Ukraine.

The new "Geran-3" is capable of reaching speeds of up to 600 km/h, has a wingspan of 2.5 m and a length of 3.5 m.

The drone is invisible to enemy radars and is guided to the target via satellites.