A leaked phone call transcript shows #US envoy #SteveWitkoff coached #Putin aide #YuriUshakov on how Russian leader should pitch #Trump on #Ukraine “peace” plan

Trump’s chief interlocutor with #Russia last month advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how the Russian leader should go about pitching the Trump on a peace plan aimed at bringing an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, acc/to a transcript of the call published by Bloomberg News Tuesday.

#PutinsPuppet
https://apnews.com/article/trump-witkoff-putin-ukraine-bloomberg-3844a3721d92dd9ae9681547a0814d88

A leaked phone call transcript shows #US envoy #SteveWitkoff coached #Putin aide #YuriUshakov on how Russian leader should pitch #Trump on #Ukraine “peace” plan

Trump’s chief interlocutor with #Russia last month advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how the Russian leader should go about pitching the Trump on a peace plan aimed at bringing an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, acc/to a transcript of the call published by Bloomberg News Tuesday.

#PutinsPuppet
https://apnews.com/article/trump-witkoff-putin-ukraine-bloomberg-3844a3721d92dd9ae9681547a0814d88

The meeting is to be resumed after the call, Germany's top-selling Bild tabloid reported.

#intervention #geopolitics#Russia#Ukraine#US#PutinsPuppet#StrongmanFanboy#TACO#StandWithUkraine

The meeting is to be resumed after the call, Germany's top-selling Bild tabloid reported.

#intervention #geopolitics#Russia#Ukraine#US#PutinsPuppet#StrongmanFanboy#TACO#StandWithUkraine

In Alaska, Putin proposed that #Ukraine hand over the remainder of the #Donbas region to #Russia to stop the fighting.

…Already, #Trump has signaled he may pressure Zelensky to give up the land….

“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump posted late Sunday.

#PutinsPuppet#StandWithUkraine
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/world/europe/putin-trump-zelensky-ukraine.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

In talks with #US officials this year, #Russia negotiators had been demanding the full territory of all 4 #Ukraine regions that the Kremlin declared annexed in 2022 — #Luhansk, #Donetsk, #Zaporizhzhia & #Kherson — even though Kyiv still controls much of the land.

“It’s smart negotiation tactics,” said Gabuev who noted that #Trump views #Putin’s proposal involving just 2 of those regions as a concession, even if it’s still “really unrealistic.”

#PutinsPuppet#StandWithUkraine

“Some of Ukraine’s strongest defensive positions are in #Donetsk, & ceding those defenses would position #Russia to reattack in the future from a much more advantageous position,” said David Shimer, who led #Ukraine policy on the White House #NationalSecurity Council during the #Biden admin. Ceding the region, he said, would be a “massive concession.”

#geopolitics#Trump#PutinsPuppet#StrongmanFanboy#TACO#InternationalLaw#LawsOfWar#StandWithUkraine

It has strategic value for #Ukraine. 2 cities, Kramatorsk & Sloviansk, have served as a Ukrainian military hub since #Russia mounted a hybrid invasion of the area in 2014 & are among the most heavily fortified parts of the front. If Ukrainian forces were to fall back, they would lose those defenses. At least 200,000 Ukrainians also still live on the land.

#geopolitics#Trump#PutinsPuppet#StandWithUkraine

In Alaska, Putin proposed that #Ukraine hand over the remainder of the #Donbas region to #Russia to stop the fighting.

…Already, #Trump has signaled he may pressure Zelensky to give up the land….

“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump posted late Sunday.

#PutinsPuppet#StandWithUkraine
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/world/europe/putin-trump-zelensky-ukraine.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Thank goodness. #Trump prefers to do his bullying when he outnumbers his target. He also may be able to be re-influenced with multiple people telling him the same thing.

#Europe & #NATO leaders announced Sunday that they’ll be joining President #Zelensky in DC for crucial talks with #Trump, rallying around the #Ukraine leader after his exclusion from Trump’s disastrous summit with #Russia President Vladimir #Putin.

#geopolitics#PutinsPuppet#TACO#StandWithUkraine
https://apnews.com/article/european-leaders-white-house-meeting-zelenskyy-trump-d7b082bae4136ef8932e16ac2d166303?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=2025-08-17-Breaking+News

Thank goodness. #Trump prefers to do his bullying when he outnumbers his target. He also may be able to be re-influenced with multiple people telling him the same thing.

#Europe & #NATO leaders announced Sunday that they’ll be joining President #Zelensky in DC for crucial talks with #Trump, rallying around the #Ukraine leader after his exclusion from Trump’s disastrous summit with #Russia President Vladimir #Putin.

#geopolitics#PutinsPuppet#TACO#StandWithUkraine
https://apnews.com/article/european-leaders-white-house-meeting-zelenskyy-trump-d7b082bae4136ef8932e16ac2d166303?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=2025-08-17-Breaking+News

“#Trump thinks he can look into Putin’s eyes & get a deal. He believes in his own talents as a negotiator,” Mr. Nizhnikau, the Finnish expert on #Russia, said. “The problem is that Putin has been doing this his whole life & is going into this summit with the [correct & proven] idea that he can manipulate Trump.”

#PutinsPuppet #strongman #fanboy#TACO#Ukraine

…A #peace deal on #Ukraine is not #Putin’s real goal for the summit, said Tatiana Stanovaya, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. “His objective is to secure #Trump’s support in pushing through the Russian proposals.”

For Putin, she said, the meeting is a “tactical maneuver to turn the situation in his favor” & calm what had been increasing White House anger over #Russia stalling on a #ceasefire.

#PutinsPuppet #strongman #fanboy#TACO #geopolitics

@dangillmor Makes even more sense when considering Trump is #PutinsPuppet.

“#Trump thinks he can look into Putin’s eyes & get a deal. He believes in his own talents as a negotiator,” Mr. Nizhnikau, the Finnish expert on #Russia, said. “The problem is that Putin has been doing this his whole life & is going into this summit with the [correct & proven] idea that he can manipulate Trump.”

#PutinsPuppet #strongman #fanboy#TACO#Ukraine

That, he added, could push #Trump back to the openly hostile stance he took on #Ukraine in February. He berated #Zelensky at the White House for [supposedly] showing insufficient gratitude for US assistance & for pressing on with a #war that he insisted Ukraine could not win.

#PutinsPuppet #strongman #fanboy#TACO#Russia #geopolitics

…“The worst-case scenario for #Ukraine & more broadly is that #Putin makes some sort of offer that is acceptable to the #UnitedStates but that #Zelensky cannot swallow domestically,” said Samuel Charap, a political scientist & the co-author of a book about Ukraine & post-Soviet Eurasia.

#Trump#PutinsPuppet #strongman #fanboy#TACO#Russia #geopolitics

On the eve of the summit on Thursday, the Kremlin signaled that it planned to inject other issues beyond #Ukraine into the talks, including a potential restoration of economic ties with the #UnitedStates & discussions on a new #NuclearWeapons deal. The arms idea plays into #Russia’s longstanding efforts to frame the #war in Ukraine as just part of bigger East-West conflict.

#Trump#PutinsPuppet #strongman #fanboy#TACO #geopolitics

…A #peace deal on #Ukraine is not #Putin’s real goal for the summit, said Tatiana Stanovaya, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. “His objective is to secure #Trump’s support in pushing through the Russian proposals.”

For Putin, she said, the meeting is a “tactical maneuver to turn the situation in his favor” & calm what had been increasing White House anger over #Russia stalling on a #ceasefire.

#PutinsPuppet #strongman #fanboy#TACO #geopolitics