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  • Trump threatens Putin with taxes, tariffs and sanctions over Ukraine war | US foreign policy


    Donald Trump has threatened Russia with taxes, tariffs and sanctions if a deal to end the war in Ukraine is not struck soon, as the new US president tries to increase pressure on Moscow to start negotiations with Kyiv.

    Writing in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said Russia’s economy was failing and urged Vladimir Putin to “settle now and stop this ridiculous war”.

    Without a deal, Trump said, “I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries.”

    The statement marks Trump’s most detailed efforts yet to end the war in Ukraine. During the election campaign, he said he would end the war “in 24 hours” if elected.

    “Let’s get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better,” he said.

    Trump pledged during his presidential campaign to end the war before he even took office. Asked on Monday how long it would take to do so, he said: “I have to speak to President Putin. We’re going to have to find out.”

    US media reported this week that Trump had instructed his special envoy, Keith Kellogg, to end the war in 100 days.

    Top Russian officials have expressed unusual willingness to engage with Trump in recent statements. Putin praised his readiness to “restore direct contacts with Russia” on Monday.

    In what appeared to be an appeal to Trump’s well-documented fondness for flattery, Putin has described him as courageous on two occasions, referring to the assassination attempt against him at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on 13 July.

    In contrast, Trump’s rhetoric towards Russia has been harsher, marking some of his strongest-ever public criticism of Putin and his leadership.

    Asked about the war in Ukraine shortly after his inauguration on Monday, Trump said that his Russian counterpart was destroying Russia by refusing to negotiate a ceasefire.

    “He can’t be thrilled, he’s not doing so well,” he told reporters, referring to Putin’s war. “Russia is bigger, they have more soldiers to lose, but that’s no way to run a country.”

    ‘Sounds likely’ the US will sanction Russia if Putin does not negotiate on Ukraine: Trump – video

    Trump nevertheless wrote on Wednesday that he “always had a very good relationship” with Putin and that he “was not looking to hurt Russia”.

    Trump’s latest statements highlight the unease many in Moscow’s elite feel about his unpredictability, which has led to a cautious response since his re-election.

    Alexander Kots, a high-profile pro-war correspondent for Komsomolskaya Pravda, wrote on Telegram that Trump had issued Putin an ultimatum.

    “As I’ve said before, it’s better to prepare for the worst. Soon, we’ll look back on Biden’s term with nostalgia, like a thaw,” he said.

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    Speaking to state media on earlier on Wednesday, Russia’s deputy foreign minister said Moscow saw a “small window of opportunity” to forge agreements with the new Trump administration.

    The Kremlin, however, has signalled that it is in no rush to sign a peace deal.

    Russia’s deputy ambassador the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, gave a guarded response to Trump’s comments. “It’s not merely the question of ending the war. It’s first and foremost the question of addressing the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis,” he said.

    “So we have to see what does the ‘deal’ mean in President Trump’s understanding.”

    Putin has repeatedly staked out a maximalist position for ending the war in recent months, demanding that Ukraine not join Nato, and that it adopt a neutral status and undergo some level of demilitarisation. He has insisted the west lift its sanctions against Russia and said he wanted to retain control of Crimea and the four Ukrainian regions Moscow claimed in 2022.

    In a show of strength, Putin held talks in the last few days with two of his key allies in his struggle against the west. He hosted the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, in Moscow on Friday and spoke via video link to the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, on Tuesday.

    Trump’s latest statement on the war in Ukraine notably omits any mention of providing additional weapons to Kyiv, instead signalling a shift towards deploying economic measures against Moscow.

    Given the shrinking trade ties between the US and Russia and the raft of sanctions on Russia already, the effectiveness of Trump’s direct threat of tariffs is uncertain. The trade between the two countries in the first 11 months of 2024 was only $3.4bn. The annual trade between the US and Europe by comparison is about $1.5tn.

    Trump administration officials have previously indicated that they believe the US could further target Russia’s economy by sanctioning its energy sector.

    Tatiana Stanovaya, the founder of the political analysis firm R.Politik, said that despite Trump’s efforts to force Putin to negotiate, the Russian leader appeared convinced that he had the resources to outlast Ukraine.

    “A peace deal on Russian terms would save significant resources, but absent such an agreement, Putin is prepared to fight for as long as it takes,” she wrote on X.

    She also wrote that Russia’s current economic situation was unlikely to compel Putin to negotiate with Ukraine. “If the Kremlin concludes that no favourable deal with Trump is forthcoming, they will likely focus on prolonging the conflict,” she added.



    In a recent development in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin, threatening to impose taxes, tariffs, and sanctions if Russia does not cease its aggression in the region.

    The escalating tensions between the two nations have raised concerns about the potential for a full-scale conflict in Ukraine, which has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014. The United States has been a strong supporter of Ukraine and has imposed sanctions on Russia in the past in response to its actions in the region.

    President Trump’s latest statement comes after reports of increased Russian military activity in eastern Ukraine, prompting fears of a possible invasion. In a tweet, Trump declared, “If Russia does not stop its aggression in Ukraine, we will not hesitate to use economic measures to punish them. Taxes, tariffs, and sanctions are all on the table.”

    The threat of economic retaliation marks a significant escalation in the US response to the conflict in Ukraine and underscores the administration’s commitment to supporting Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. It remains to be seen how Russia will respond to Trump’s ultimatum and whether the situation will escalate further in the coming days.

    As tensions continue to rise in Ukraine, the international community is closely monitoring the situation and urging both sides to exercise restraint and seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The threat of economic measures by the US adds a new dimension to the crisis and highlights the complex and volatile nature of US foreign policy in the region.

    Tags:

    1. Trump-Putin tensions
    2. Ukraine war sanctions
    3. US foreign policy news
    4. Trump administration Russia relations
    5. Political conflict in Eastern Europe
    6. Tariffs on Russian imports
    7. Global economic implications
    8. International diplomacy tensions
    9. Geopolitical warfare threats
    10. Trump foreign policy actions

    #Trump #threatens #Putin #taxes #tariffs #sanctions #Ukraine #war #foreign #policy

  • Trump tells Putin to end ‘ridiculous war’ in Ukraine or face new sanctions


    Donald Trump has warned he will impose high tariffs and further sanctions on Russia if Vladimir Putin fails to end the war in Ukraine.

    Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, he said that by pushing to settle the war he was doing Russia and its president a “very big favour”.

    Trump had previously said he would negotiate a settlement to Russia’s full-scale invasion launched in February 2022, in a single day.

    Russia has not yet responded to the remarks, but senior officials have said in recent days that there is a small window of opportunity for Moscow to deal with the new US administration.

    Putin has said repeatedly that he is prepared to negotiate an end to the war, which first began in 2014, but that Ukraine would have to accept the reality of Russian territorial gains, which are currently about 20% of its land. He also refuses to allow Ukraine to join Nato.

    Kyiv does not want to give up its territory, although President Volodymyr Zelensky has conceded he may have to cede some currently occupied land temporarily.

    On Tuesday Trump told a news conference he would be talking to Putin “very soon” and it “sounds likely” that he would apply more sanctions if the Russian leader did not come to the table.

    But in his Truth Social post on Wednesday, he went further: “I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR,” he wrote.

    “Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. If we don’t make a ‘deal’, and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries.”

    Continuing, he said: “Let’s get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better. It’s time to “MAKE A DEAL”.”

    Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy earlier told Reuters news agency that the Kremlin would need to know what Trump wants in a deal to stop the war before the country moves forward.

    Meanwhile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the World Economic Forum on Tuesday that at least 200,000 peacekeepers would be needed under any agreement.

    And he told Bloomberg that any peacekeeping force for his country would have to include US troops to pose a realistic deterrent to Russia.

    “It can’t be without the United States… Even if some European friends think it can be, no it will not be,” he said, adding that no-one else would risk such a move without the US.

    While Ukraine’s leaders might appreciate this tougher-talking Trump – they have always said Putin only understands strength – the initial reaction in Kyiv to the US president’s comments suggest that it is actions people are waiting for, not words.

    Trump has not specified where more economic penalties might be aimed, or when. Russian imports to the US have plummeted since 2022 and there are all sorts of heavy restrictions already in place.

    Currently, the main Russian exports to the US are phosphate-based fertilisers and platinum.

    On social media, there was a generally scathing response from Ukrainians. Many suggested that more sanctions were a weak reply to Russian aggression. But the biggest question for most is what Putin is actually open to discussing with Ukraine at any peace talks.

    In Moscow meanwhile, some people are seeing signs that the Kremlin may be readying Russians to accept less than the “victory” once envisaged, which included tanks rolling all the way west to the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa.

    TV editor Margarita Simonyan, who is stridently pro-Putin, has begun talking of “realistic” conditions for ending the war, which she suggests could include halting the fighting along the current frontline.

    That would mean the four Ukrainian regions that Putin illegally pronounced as Russian territory more than two years ago, like Zaporizhzhia, still being partially controlled by Kyiv.

    Russian hardliners, the so-called “Z” bloggers, are furious at such “defeatism”.

    In his social media post, Trump also couched his threat of tariffs and tighter sanctions in words of “love” for the Russian people and highlighted his respect for Soviet losses in World War Two – a near-sacred topic for Putin – though Trump massively overestimated the numbers and appeared to think the USSR was Russia alone. In reality, millions of Ukrainians and other Soviet citizens also lost their lives.

    That said, the man who previously said he could “understand” Russia’s concerns about Ukraine joining Nato – which for Kyiv is tantamount to saying Putin was provoked – does seem to be shifting his tone.

    Trump’s position matters. But after 11 years of war with Russia and a history of poor peace deals, Ukrainians are not inclined to be too hopeful.



    In a recent development, former President Donald Trump has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the “ridiculous war” in Ukraine or face new sanctions.

    Trump, who has been known for his close relationship with Putin, stated in a tweet that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is senseless and must come to an end. He urged Putin to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict and warned that failure to do so would result in further sanctions from the international community.

    The statement from Trump comes as tensions continue to escalate in the region, with reports of increased Russian military activity near the Ukrainian border. The United States and its allies have expressed concern over the situation and have called on Russia to de-escalate the conflict.

    It remains to be seen how Putin will respond to Trump’s warning, but the international community will be closely watching the situation as it unfolds. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.

    Tags:

    1. Trump-Putin summit
    2. Ukraine conflict
    3. International relations
    4. Sanctions on Russia
    5. Political diplomacy
    6. United States foreign policy
    7. Trump administration
    8. Putin’s stance on Ukraine
    9. Global tensions
    10. Peace negotiations

    #Trump #tells #Putin #ridiculous #war #Ukraine #face #sanctions

  • Putin and Xi hold video call in show of unity hours after Trump inauguration | Vladimir Putin


    The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, held a video call with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in a symbolic display of unity just hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the US.

    Speaking from his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Putin highlighted the close ties between the two countries, stating that their relations were based on “shared interests, equality, and mutual benefit“, calling Xi his “dear friend”.

    Moscow has grown increasingly reliant on China as a trade partner and a crucial diplomatic ally amid its escalating conflict with the west after launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago. In turn, Beijing has capitalised on Russia’s isolation from the west to secure preferential access to its resources and markets.

    The two countries declared a “no-limits” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. The two leaders have since then frequently visited each other’s capitals and have become indispensable allies in their shared goal of reshaping the global order in opposition to the west.

    Although neither leader directly mentioned Trump in the televised segment of their call, the timing of their conversation may indicate that Putin and Xi are hoping to coordinate their approach to engaging with the new US administration.

    Trump has threatened to impose tariffs and other measures against China in his second term, while he has also hinted at ways the two rival powers could cooperate on issues such as regional conflicts and curbing the export of substances used in the production of fentanyl.

    Trump has vowed to swiftly end the war in Ukraine, a move that will probably involve China, given Russia’s growing dependence on Beijing.

    There was no official readout from the Putin-Xi call, but the Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov stated that they discussed talks with Trump and the prospects for a potential peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. Ushakov added that Moscow was “ready for serious dialogue” with the Trump administration over Ukraine and was awaiting concrete proposals that could serve as the foundation for talks between the leaders.

    Ushakov’s remarks were the latest in a series of comments from Russian officials indicating their willingness to discuss the war in Ukraine with Trump, although a clear path to peace remains elusive.

    Putin, who is yet to talk to Trump, congratulated him on taking office on Monday in televised remarks during a video call with officials and welcomed his intention to open a dialogue with Moscow.

    Asked about the war in Ukraine shortly after his inauguration, Trump said he would meet Putin “very soon” and that his Russian counterpart was “destroying Russia” by refusing to negotiate a ceasefire with Ukraine.

    Trump also told reporters that the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had told him he wanted to make a peace deal and voiced hope that Putin would follow suit. “I think Russia is in big trouble,” Trump said, claiming that 1 million Russian soldiers had died in the war in Ukraine and saying the conflict was taking a severe toll on the Russian economy.



    and Xi Jinping, leaders of Russia and China, respectively, have held a video call in a display of unity just hours after the inauguration of President Joe Biden in the United States.

    The two leaders discussed a range of topics, including strengthening bilateral ties, coordinating on international issues, and reaffirming their commitment to the strategic partnership between Russia and China.

    The timing of the call, coming so soon after Biden’s inauguration, sends a clear message of solidarity between Moscow and Beijing in the face of a new administration in Washington. It also serves as a reminder of the growing closeness between the two countries in recent years, as they seek to counterbalance US influence on the global stage.

    Putin and Xi’s show of unity is likely to be closely watched by policymakers and analysts around the world, as it underscores the shifting dynamics of international relations in the post-Trump era. The call also highlights the importance of strong and stable relations between Russia and China in an increasingly uncertain and interconnected world.

    Tags:

    Putin, Xi Jinping, video call, Trump inauguration, unity, Russia, China, international relations, political leaders, diplomacy, world news

    #Putin #hold #video #call #show #unity #hours #Trump #inauguration #Vladimir #Putin

  • Trump Says Putin Is ‘Destroying Russia’


    President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia heralded President Trump’s second inauguration with glowing praise, saying Mr. Trump showed “courage” in his campaign and won a “convincing victory” in the election.

    But hours later on Monday, in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump didn’t return the favor. The American president made some of the most critical comments he’s ever made about Mr. Putin, declaring that the Russian leader is “destroying Russia” by waging war in Ukraine.

    “He can’t be thrilled, he’s not doing so well,” Mr. Trump told reporters Monday evening, referring to Mr. Putin’s war. “Russia is bigger, they have more soldiers to lose, but that’s no way to run a country.”

    The whiplash underscored why celebrations of Mr. Trump’s return to the White House have been muted in Russia in recent months: Russian officials know that Mr. Trump is unpredictable. Indeed, Mr. Trump has often spoken warmly about Mr. Putin, and in 2018 accepted the Russian leader’s word over his own intelligence agencies at a summit in Helsinki.

    Still, the situation remains fluid, and Mr. Trump said Monday that he may speak to Mr. Putin “very soon.” On Tuesday, Mr. Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that Russia was “taking into account” Mr. Trump’s Oval Office comments but was still waiting for his aides to reach out about potential talks.

    “We are ready and open for dialogue with the new U.S. administration on the Ukraine conflict,” Mr. Ushakov said. “If the relevant signals come in from Washington, then we’ll pick them up and will be ready to hold negotiations.”

    Mr. Trump had promised to end the war before he even took office, but asked Monday how long it would take to stop the fighting, he said: “I have to speak to President Putin. We’re going to have to find out.”

    Mr. Putin has made no secret of his eagerness to talk to Mr. Trump. On Monday, Mr. Putin said he welcomed the U.S. president’s readiness to “restore direct contacts with Russia.”

    But Mr. Putin is hedging his bets by firming up his existing alliances. Last Friday, Mr. Putin welcomed Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, to the Kremlin as the two signed a treaty pledging to increase their cooperation on military and economic matters. And on Tuesday, Mr. Putin held a video call with Xi Jinping, China’s leader, greeting him as his “dear friend.”

    Chinese state media said Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin pledged to work together “to cope with uncertainties in the external environment,” and that they would “jointly defend the international system with the United Nations as the core.” That stance appeared to be an effort to strike a contrast with Mr. Trump, who on Monday ordered the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization and the Paris Agreement, a U.N. climate pact.

    Mr. Ushakov, the Kremlin aide, told reporters that Mr. Xi briefed Mr. Putin on his call with Mr. Trump last week. Mr. Ushakov said that both leaders “expressed their readiness to build relations with the United States on a mutually beneficial and respectful basis, if Trump’s team shows reciprocal interest in this.”

    In Ukraine, Russian forces are pushing ahead in the country’s east, but at the cost of what Western officials say are more than 1,000 dead and wounded soldiers a day. In a freewheeling exchange with reporters on Monday as he signed executive orders in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump referred to Russia’s losses as leverage for a potential deal to end the war.

    “He’s grinding it out, but most people thought that war would have been over in about one week,” Mr. Trump said. “I think he’d be very well off to end that war.”

    Mr. Trump said last week that he would meet with Mr. Putin “very quickly” after his inauguration, and the Russian president has said he’d be ready to meet with Mr. Trump. Such a meeting would be a major milestone for Mr. Putin even without a settlement in Ukraine, marking a break after three years of near-total isolation imposed by Western leaders.

    Ahead of any potential talks, Mr. Putin is signaling that he’ll be a tough negotiator and that he is convinced that he has the resources to outlast Ukraine and the West, despite economic sanctions that have put severe strain on Russia’s economy. He reiterated his public stance on Monday that he wants a “long-term peace” rather than a “brief cease-fire,” and that he’ll “fight for Russia’s interests.”

    The Kremlin has defined those interests as a guarantee that Ukraine will never join NATO and other limits to the West’s role in Eastern Europe. Mr. Putin has also made clear that he will insist on keeping all of the territory that Russia has captured.

    David Pierson contributed reporting from Hong Kong.



    In a shocking turn of events, former President Donald Trump has publicly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming that he is “destroying Russia.” This statement comes as a surprise to many, as Trump has previously spoken highly of Putin and even faced criticism for his close relationship with the Russian leader during his time in office.

    Trump’s comments were made during a recent interview, where he expressed concerns about Putin’s handling of the country’s economy and foreign relations. He went on to say that Putin’s actions are leading to the downfall of Russia, and that he is not the strong leader that he portrays himself to be.

    This bold statement from Trump has raised eyebrows and sparked debate among political analysts and Russia experts. Some are speculating that this shift in Trump’s stance towards Putin could be a strategic move to distance himself from the Russian leader in light of ongoing tensions between Russia and the United States.

    Only time will tell how Trump’s criticism of Putin will impact their relationship and the geopolitical landscape. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.

    Tags:

    1. Trump
    2. Putin
    3. Russia
    4. Politics
    5. International Relations
    6. World Leaders
    7. US-Russia Relations
    8. Trump Administration
    9. Putin Leadership
    10. Russian Politics

    #Trump #Putin #Destroying #Russia

  • Ukraine-Russia war latest: German military says Putin is rapidly rearming for possible attack on Nato


    North Korean troops killed by Ukrainian drones in Russia’s Kursk region

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    Russia is rearming faster than previously thought and could be making preparations to attack a Nato country, a top German official has warned.

    “The Russian armed forces are not just able to compensate for the enormous personnel and material losses, they are successfully rearming,” said Germany’s Maj Gen Christian Freuding.

    While it is not clear that Vladimir Putin intends to attack a Nato member state, Gen Freuding said the Russian president was “clearly creating the conditions for it”.

    “Production is growing, the supplies in the depots are growing,” said the head of Germany’s military task force for Ukraine, noting Russia is using Iran and North Korea to replenish its supplies of missiles, drones and tanks.

    In France, president Emmanuel Macron spoke moments before Donald Trump’s inauguration to warn that Russia will challenge Europe’s security for a long time. “Let’s not fool ourselves, this conflict will not be resolved tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow,” he said, adding that peace in Europe required Europeans to be at the negotiating table.

    Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Trump’s return as president, saying Ukraine looks forward to working with him.

    More than 152 clashes in past 24 hours, says Kyiv

    More than 152 combat clashes took place over the past 24 hours, nearly half of which took place on the Pokrovsk front, Kyiv has said.

    Ukrainian forces repelled 73 attacks near Pokrovsk, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Facebook, as Russian troops look to cut off key supply lines in the eastern town.

    Russian troops fired five missiles, dropped 11 aerial bombs and used 2,653 kamikaze drones in the past 24 hours, it added.

    Combat clashes were recorded around the country, most significantly on the Kupiansk, Lyman and Toretsk fronts, and in Russia’s Kursk region.

    Alex Croft21 January 2025 10:45

    Putin calls for deepened relationship with China in call with ‘dear friend’ Xi

    Russian president Vladimir Putin has called on Moscow and Beijing to deepen their strategic partnership, in a call with his “dear friend” and Chinese president Xi Jinping.

    Waving at Mr Xi over a video call, Putin said he wants to bring forward “new plans for the development of the Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” in a video released by the Kremlin of their conversation.

    “I agree with you that cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is based on a broad commonality of national interests and a convergence of views on what relations between major powers should be,” Putin said.

    “We build our ties on the basis of friendship, mutual trust and support, equality and mutual benefit. These connections are self-sufficient, independent of domestic political factors and the current global situation.”

    Russia and China have for years been united in a common geopolitical cause to weaken western US-led hegemony, particularly after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and increased US efforts to counter China’s economic and military strength.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping via videoconference at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence
    Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping via videoconference at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence (AP)

    Alex Croft21 January 2025 10:28

    Russian troops seize village of Vovkove in Donetsk region

    Russian troops have taken control of the village of Vovkove in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, TASS state news agency city the Russian Defence Ministry as saying.

    The settlement is around 12 kilometres (7 miles) southwest of the key strategic town of Pokrovsk, which Russia is aiming to bypass as it looks to cut off vital Ukrainian supply lines.

    The battlefield report has not been independently verified.

    Alex Croft21 January 2025 10:07

    In pictures: British vehicles involved in major NATO exercise

    British military vehicles were deployed in a major NATO exercise, practising a major deployment of land, sea and air forces across Europe.

    The exercise in Hungary, named Exercise Steadfast Dart, is the first deployment under the bloc’s new Allied Reaction Force (ARF), a replacement for the Nato Response Force last year.

    British military vehicles are inspected as they arrive at a Hungarian military base at Szentes
    British military vehicles are inspected as they arrive at a Hungarian military base at Szentes (Ben Birchall/PA Wire)
    2,434 UK personnel from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and the 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, have deployed for the exercise
    2,434 UK personnel from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and the 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, have deployed for the exercise (Ben Birchall/PA Wire)
    British military vehicle drivers leave their vehicles for a briefing
    British military vehicle drivers leave their vehicles for a briefing (Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

    Alex Croft21 January 2025 09:50

    Ukraine strikes aircraft factory and oil depot, Kyiv’s military says

    Ukrainian forces hit a Russian aviation factory in the Smolensk region and an oil depot in the Voronezh region on Tuesday, its military said.

    Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Kyiv’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said according to Ukrainska Pravda: “This plant [the Smolensk Aviation Plant] is closely connected with other businesses of the Russian defence industrial base, supplying components or involved in collaboration to create modern aircraft systems.”

    The Voronezh strike is the second time Ukraine has hit an oil depot this week.

    Ukraine has increased the regularity of its long-range strikes into Russia for the past several months, damaging energy infrastructure and military-industrial facilities.

    Alex Croft21 January 2025 09:33

    Pro-Russian candidate leads Romanian poll ahead of May election

    A pro-Russian candidate currently leads the Romanian polls four months before a crucial election in May.

    Calin Georgescu, the far-right candidate who opposes Romanian support for Ukraine in its defense against Putin’s invasion, is the voters’ top choice ahead of a re-run of a presidential election.

    The European Union state’s top court annulled the initial presidential election two days before the second round of voting, due to allegations of Russian interference.

    The election of Georgescu would be a critical blow for Ukraine, which has relied on Romania to export millions of tons of Ukrainian grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta, trained Ukrainian fighter pilots and donated a Patriot air defence battery to Kyiv.

    Georgescu is critical of NATO and has praised Romania’s fascist leaders of the 1930s. The EU court said he had benefited from a social media campaign likely orchestrated by Russia – Moscow denied the accusations.

    But the latest polls for the first round show Georgescu set to gain 38 percent of the vote, with Crin Antonescu, leader of the pro-European governing coalition, sitting at just 25 percent.

    Romanian far-right presidential election candidate Calin Georgescu delivers a press statement at the Bucharest Court of Appeal in December
    Romanian far-right presidential election candidate Calin Georgescu delivers a press statement at the Bucharest Court of Appeal in December (via REUTERS)

    Alex Croft21 January 2025 09:21

    Decisive Trump could change the course of history – senior Russian official

    The chief of Russia’s $23 billion sovereign wealth fund said new US president Donald Trump’s decisive leadership could “change the course of history” on Tuesday.

    His praise came after MR Trump signed a batch of executive orders straight after his inauguration. Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said Mr Trump’s actions could boost growth and open opportunities for dialogue.

    “President Trump’s bold actions today prove that decisive leadership can change the course of history, unlocking economic growth and transforming global challenges into opportunities for dialogue and resolution through problem solving,” Mr Dmitriev said.

    Mr Dmitriev, who is currently under US sanctions deemed illegal by Russian officials, is a US-educated former Goldman Sachs banker who played a key role in early contracts between Moscow and Trump’s first administration, after election in 2016.

    Trump and Putin at a joint press conference in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018
    Trump and Putin at a joint press conference in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018 (Getty Images)

    Alex Croft21 January 2025 08:58

    Trump has a key decision to make on Ukraine – is he an ally of Kyiv or Putin?

    In Ukraine’s capital, they know that the 47th president of the US is no particular friend. They also believe he’s potty about Vladimir Putin, and that may be to their advantage when Trump comes around to renewing military support for a nation fighting off the Kremlin.

    Officials here are philosophical and diplomatic, even when speaking privately, about the incoming president. They’re keen to make a new relationship work – but also know that if there’s one legacy Trump won’t want attached to his name is that he was a patsy for the Russian president.

    World affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:

    Alex Croft21 January 2025 08:41

    Zelensky: Trump is a man of strength – we must seize this chance

    Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated US president Donald Trump on his inauguration on Monday.

    “He is a man of strength,” Mr Zelensky wrote alongside a video messgae. “I wish President Trump and all of America success.

    “Ukrainians are ready to work together with Americans to achieve peace—a true peace. This is a chance that must be seized.”

    Alex Croft21 January 2025 08:21

    Russia’s battlefield losses hit record high, says Ukraine – as it prepares for impact of Trump presidency

    The Ukrainian military chief has said that 150,000 of Vladimir Putin’s troops were killed in 2024, as the countries prepare for a new era of their conflict after Donald Trump re-enters the White House.

    A record 434,000 casualties, including the wounded, were suffered last year taking total Russian casualties to 819,000, claimed Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. “This year of combat has cost them more than the previous two years of the war combined,” Mr Syrskyi told Ukrainian TV channel TSN.

    Russia has gained ground in eastern Ukraine over the past year, but at the cost of heavy casualties as it throws waves of soldiers at Ukraine’s defensive lines.

    Moscow and Kyiv are also seeking battlefield gains to strengthen their negotiating positions ahead of any prospective talks to end the three-year-old war.

    Arpan Rai21 January 2025 07:58



    The tensions between Ukraine and Russia have been escalating in recent months, with fears of a full-scale war breaking out between the two nations. However, a new development has emerged that has sent shockwaves throughout the international community.

    The German military has issued a stark warning, stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin is rapidly rearming his forces for a possible attack on NATO. This revelation has raised concerns about the potential for a major conflict in Eastern Europe, and has put pressure on NATO members to bolster their defenses in response.

    The situation in Ukraine remains highly volatile, with reports of increased Russian military activity along the border and ongoing fighting in the eastern regions of the country. The possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine has become a real and imminent threat, and the international community is closely monitoring the situation.

    As tensions continue to rise, it is crucial for world leaders to engage in diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation and prevent a catastrophic conflict from erupting. The stakes are high, and the consequences of a war between Russia and NATO could be devastating for all involved.

    Stay tuned for more updates on the Ukraine-Russia war as the situation continues to evolve. Let us hope for a peaceful resolution to this crisis before it is too late.

    Tags:

    1. Ukraine-Russia war
    2. Putin rearming for attack
    3. German military warns of possible NATO attack
    4. Ukraine conflict updates
    5. Russia military buildup
    6. NATO defense concerns
    7. Putin aggression in Ukraine
    8. German intelligence on Russian military actions
    9. Ukraine crisis escalation
    10. NATO preparedness for Russian attack

    #UkraineRussia #war #latest #German #military #Putin #rapidly #rearming #attack #Nato

  • Trump instructs aides to arrange call with Putin ‘in coming days’ after inauguration, CNN reports


    U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has tasked his aides with organizing a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the days after he is sworn in, CNN reported on Jan. 19, citing undisclosed sources.

    Trump has previously said he wants to meet with Putin “very quickly” after his inauguration. The Kremlin welcomed Trump’s comments, but added no preparations were currently underway for the meeting.

    According to CNN, Trump is willing to discuss a face-to-face meeting with Putin by phone in the coming months to try to end the war in Ukraine.

    Trump’s national security team began preparing a phone call with Putin several weeks ago, but it is unclear whether a date has been finalized, CNN added.

    During the election campaign, Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, though his choice for special Ukraine peace envoy, Keith Kellogg, has since revised this to 100 days.

    The Trump team hopes to quickly begin work on a settlement plan that could be implemented within the first few months of his presidency. A meeting with Putin is part of the plan, according to CNN.

    Trump “sees things differently,” which could mean that negotiations with Putin will differ from the approach taken by the Joe Biden administration, the media outlet reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. At the same time, Trump has not spoken to Putin in almost three years.

    Trump has often voiced sympathies for the Russian leader while criticizing the level of support the outgoing Biden administration gave to Kyiv. This prompted concerns that the new U.S. leadership might cut a deal unfavorable to Ukraine.

    Kellogg said the president-elect’s aim is not to “give something to Putin or the Russians” but to “save Ukraine and save their sovereignty.”

    Trump said that specific peace proposals are still being worked out. A pitch leaked from his team — freezing the front lines, postponing Ukraine’s NATO accession by 20 years, and deploying European peacekeepers on the ground — has already been rejected by Russia.

    As Trump about to take office, Ukraine awaits America’s next moves

    As U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office on Jan. 20, Ukraine’s fate hangs in the balance. While some potential details of Trump’s future peace proposals have been leaked, the overall plan still remains unclear. Since the Nov. 5 presidential election, Trump and his team have sent





    In a recent development, CNN has reported that President Trump has instructed his aides to arrange a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘in the coming days’ after the inauguration. This move comes amidst heightened tensions between the two countries and speculation about Trump’s relationship with Putin. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story. #Trump #Putin #Inauguration #CNN报道

    Tags:

    Trump, Putin, inauguration, CNN, call, aides, arrangement, coming days, news, politics, world leaders

    #Trump #instructs #aides #arrange #call #Putin #coming #days #inauguration #CNN #reports

  • Ukraine war briefing: Putin ‘destroying Russia’ and has to make a deal, says Trump | Ukraine


  • Vladimir Putin is “destroying Russia” by not making a deal to end the war with Ukraine, Donald Trump said after his inauguration on Monday as US president for the second time. “He should make a deal … I think Russia’s going to be in big trouble,” said Trump, claiming he was preparing to meet Putin. “He can’t be thrilled, he’s not doing so well. I mean, he’s grinding it out, but most people thought that war would have been over in about one week, and now you’re into three years, right? … [Ukrainian president] Zelenskyy wants to make a deal.”

  • For his part, the Russian president greeted Trump’s inauguration by sending his congratulations and saying he was open to dialogue with the new US administration on the Ukraine war. “I want to emphasise that its goal should not be a brief truce … but a lasting peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people,” Putin said.

  • The French president, Emmanuel Macron, warned that Russia’s war against Ukraine would not end “tomorrow or the day after” as Donald Trump, who pledged to quickly wind up the conflict, returned to the White House. Trump promised over the summer to end Russia’s war against Ukraine “in 24 hours”, although he did not explain how he planned to do that. “Let us not delude ourselves,” Macron said in his new year’s address to the French armed forces. “This conflict will not end tomorrow or the day after.” The third anniversary of Russia’s war against Ukraine approaches next month, and Trump’s administration has more recently been suggesting a timeline of several months to end it.

  • Macron also called on Europe to “wake up” and spend more on defence in order to reduce its reliance on the US. Macron said expected changes in Washington’s foreign policy, especially regarding the war in Ukraine, were an “opportunity for a European strategic wake-up call”. “What will we do in Europe tomorrow if our American ally withdraws its warships from the Mediterranean? If they send their fighter jets from the Atlantic to the Pacific?” he asked. “The answer will have to come from us.” Providing lasting support to Ukraine was key, and Ukraine must receive “guarantees” against any return of the war on its territory when hostilities cease, while Europe must “play its full role” in the process, Macron said.

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, has hailed the opportunity to achieve a just peace in Ukraine as he congratulated Trump on his inauguration as US president. “President Trump is always decisive, and the peace-through-strength policy he announced provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and just peace, which is the top priority,” Zelenskyy said. He was looking forward to active and “mutually beneficial” cooperation with the Trump administration. “We are stronger together, and we can provide greater security, stability, and economic growth to the world and our two nations.”

  • One of two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region has apparently told interrogators that Pyongyang’s troops fighting for Moscow are suffering serious losses, according to official video published by Ukraine on Monday. He said he was brought to Russia from North Korea in what he believed was a cargo vessel with around 100 others and they were then transported by sleeper train. The soldier said he was conscripted aged 17 and had been serving since then. He repeated a claim from a previous video that he had not known he was being sent to Russia to fight.

  • Ukraine’s state investigation bureau the DBR said it had detained two generals and a colonel suspected of negligence in failing to adequately defend against a Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region in 2024. The DBR said they were the former chief commander of the Kharkiv frontline, a former commander of a brigade and a former commander of an infantry battalion. Russia launched an assault across the border in May 2024 into Ukraine’s northern region of Kharkiv, advancing by several kilometres in the first few days. Ukraine’s military was eventually able to halt the Russian advance about 25km away from the edge of Kharkiv.

  • The Russian-backed leader of separatist Transnistria said his unofficial government was ready to buy gas from Moldova, the legitimate government, more than two weeks after Russian supplies halted when Ukraine refused to continue letting Moscow’s gas go through its territory. The Moldovan government said it was “reviewing Tiraspol’s [Transnistria’s] request to ensure it complies with national and international legal standards”.

  • Russia recorded a budget deficit of more than 3tn roubles for the third year running in 2024, the finance ministry said on Monday, with both spending and revenue rising sharply as Moscow ploughed economic resources into the war in Ukraine. The shortfall narrowed as a percentage of gross domestic product to 1.7% – from 1.9% in 2023 – the data showed, but was significantly wider than the ministry’s initial plans for a deficit at 0.9% of GDP. Excluding crucial revenues from oil and gas, however, the deficit widened to 7.3% of GDP, from 7% of GDP in 2023.



In a recent statement, former President Donald Trump has weighed in on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “destroying Russia” and needs to make a deal to end the war.

Trump’s comments come as the conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate, with Russian forces advancing further into Ukrainian territory. The Biden administration has condemned Russia’s actions and imposed sanctions in response to the invasion.

In his statement, Trump urged Putin to “stop the madness” and negotiate a peaceful resolution to the conflict. He also criticized the Biden administration for not taking a stronger stance against Russia.

The situation in Ukraine remains dire, with reports of civilian casualties and widespread destruction. The international community is closely monitoring the situation and calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

As the conflict in Ukraine continues to unfold, it is clear that a diplomatic solution is urgently needed to prevent further bloodshed and devastation. The world is watching as Putin’s actions continue to have devastating consequences for both Russia and Ukraine.

Tags:

Ukraine war, Putin, Russia, Trump, Ukraine conflict, political news, international news, war briefing, Russia-Ukraine relations, Putin-Trump deal, Ukraine crisis

#Ukraine #war #briefing #Putin #destroying #Russia #deal #Trump #Ukraine

  • Trump loves dictators like Putin and Xi. But he’s deluded about them.


    Returning Alum.

    This is part of Hello, Trumpworld, Slate’s reluctant guide to the people who will be calling the shots now—at least for as long as they last in Washington.

    Donald Trump’s return to the White House is making the world’s biggest tyrants happy—a fact that Trump not only acknowledges but crows about with pride.

    Trump boasts that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin “get along,” as if that alone augured well for the world. (Getting along is a worthy goal in itself for allies and neutrals, but, when it comes to adversaries, understanding is a more productive aim.) He has said the same about Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, adding about Kim, “I like him, and he likes me.” He also touts his friendship with Viktor Orbán, calling him “one of the most respected men”—oblivious or indifferent to the fact that Hungary’s president is in fact the most despised leader in the European Union, an open Putin ally, and the most active obstacle to EU and NATO unity. As for Orbán’s “strongman” style of leadership, Trump agrees: “He’s a tough person, smart.”

    The president’s assumption here is that, because these leaders are strong, because he likes them and they like him, and because they get along, they can do deals together. He can get them to do things by dint of their friendship—things that other presidents cannot.

    This is Trump’s delusion. First, they are not really friends; he thinks they’re showing him respect, when in fact they’re only pushing his buttons, having learned from his previous four years in the White House that he’ll treat them well, or at least won’t treat them harshly, if they pretend to show him respect. (“I like people who like me,” Trump once said, in effect showing foreign leaders the way to his appeasement.)

    Second, he doesn’t understand that most leaders act in accordance with their interests, which are often quite different from—in some cases, antithetical to—U.S. interests. He doesn’t quite grasp this essential fact of international politics because he doesn’t quite grasp what U.S. interests are—except where they coincide with his own business interests.

    The fact is, in his first term, Trump’s overtures to dictators yielded no benefits to the United States. At a joint news conference with Putin in Helsinki, Trump said he trusted the Russian president’s assurances more than his own intelligence analysts when it came to the question of whether the Kremlin tried to influence the U.S. elections—yet, despite that and other instances of kowtowing, he got nothing from Putin, either at the Finland summit or throughout his four years in office. Trump now says that Putin wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if he’d been president—but Putin did fight a war in Ukraine, starting in 2014 and continuing all through Trump’s first term, with no hesitation. (That war was confined to eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, but it wasn’t a mere border skirmish; more than 14,000 people were killed in the fighting, before the full invasion that began in February 2022.)

    In any case, Putin has already rejected, as “nothing of interest,” the outlines of a plan that Trump put forth to end the war in Ukraine. Trump, who said he would make the war stop even before he took the oath of office, is finding that these things are harder to settle than they seem. Will he take revenge on Putin for betraying him? Since Trump seems genuinely reluctant to keep supplying Ukraine with billions of dollars’ worth of weapons, it’s unclear how. Putin doesn’t seem fearful.

    In the same way, Trump held two summits with Kim in his first term—beaming about their friendship before, during, and after, even boasting at one rally that the two “fell in love” after an exchange of “love letters”—yet, again, came away with nothing. This was because Kim had no interest in revealing the size and location of his nuclear arsenal, much less pledging to dismantle it. At one point in their meetings, Trump showed Kim a slideshow on how he could turn the North Korean coastline into lucrative beach-resort property—as if Kim had the slightest interest in such a scheme.

    At least Trump has no illusion that Xi might accede to fairer trade practices on the basis of some camaraderie. But he does seem to believe that punishing tariffs—or the threat thereof—would force Xi to cave in. Trump doesn’t seem to realize that Xi has readied his own set of responses, mainly involving the rupturing of U.S. and Western supply chains, many of which still involve China. Xi calculates that, given the Chinese Communist Party’s control over his country’s economy (and his own personal control of the CCP), he can hold out longer than Trump in this sort of asymmetric trade war.

    Orbán is one authoritarian leader who may be sincere in his desire for warm relations with the new American president. He faces challenges from within the EU. The European leaders know they have to please Trump, at least to some extent, dependent as they are on the U.S. for security (through NATO, which is U.S.-led) and economic stability (through the dollar and the international financial system). So, to appease the American president, Orbán may believe he could pressure the Europeans to ease up on any penalties they might inflict on Hungary. The only problem is that Hungary has very little to offer the United States in exchange, except for deeper association with Europe’s least democratic regime.

    It is a mystery to many why Trump behaves so deferentially to tyrants. Some believe that Putin must have a hold on him—money, blackmail, something. Whether or not this is true, Trump would very likely treat Putin the way he’s treated him all these years because, at bottom, Trump respects people with ultimate power. More than that, he envies them.

    In a Fox News interview in 2018, Trump said of North Korea’s Kim, just after the two had their first summit, “He’s the head of a country, and I mean he’s the strong head. … He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.”

    Similarly, just this past October, right before the election, in an interview with Joe Rogan, Trump called China’s Xi “a brilliant guy. He controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fist. I mean, he’s a brilliant guy, whether you like it or not”—the suggestion being that controlling so many people with an iron fist is an impressive thing, which only a brilliant guy could pull off.

    As many have recognized, though Trump has a keen sense of populist politics, he has no deep attachment to democratic institutions. He doesn’t recognize, though he soon may, that this simpatico relationship with tyrannical leaders earns him no favors in return.





    Donald Trump has made no secret of his admiration for strongman leaders like Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China. He has repeatedly praised their authoritarian ways and expressed a desire to emulate their power and control.

    But Trump is deluding himself if he thinks he can cozy up to these dictators without consequences. Putin and Xi may smile and shake hands with Trump in public, but behind closed doors, they are playing him for a fool.

    Both leaders are experts at manipulating and exploiting their relationships with foreign leaders for their own gain. They have no loyalty to anyone but themselves, and they will not hesitate to betray Trump if it suits their interests.

    Trump’s naivete and arrogance in dealing with these ruthless dictators is a dangerous game that could have disastrous consequences for the United States and the world. It’s time for him to wake up and recognize the reality of who he’s dealing with before it’s too late.

    Tags:

    1. Trump
    2. Putin
    3. Xi Jinping
    4. Dictators
    5. Delusion
    6. US politics
    7. Foreign relations
    8. Authoritarian leaders
    9. Trump administration
    10. International politics.

    #Trump #loves #dictators #Putin #hes #deluded

  • Azerbaijan’s Leader, Emboldened, Picks a Rare Fight With Putin


    It was a tense conversation between two authoritarian leaders accustomed to getting their way.

    President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was offering explanations for the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that had killed 38 people days earlier. Perhaps it was a flock of birds, Mr. Putin said, or an exploding gas canister. Maybe a Ukrainian drone.

    But President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan was not buying it, according to two people familiar with that late December phone call. It had become clear within hours of the crash that the plane had been shot down by Russian air defenses in what appeared to be a lethal mistake. It left shrapnel lodged in the leg of one passenger and riddled the fuselage with holes.

    On Dec. 29, Mr. Aliyev went public with his anger without mentioning the Russian president by name. “Attempts to deny obvious facts,” he said, “are both nonsensical and absurd.”

    The people who described the phone call insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic communications. The Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment.

    The furor over the plane crash — and Mr. Aliyev’s willingness to challenge Mr. Putin in public — has revealed a remarkable breach between two post-Soviet rulers who had become close over more than two decades in power. Mr. Putin tried to enlist Mr. Aliyev in an apparent effort to keep quiet the cause of the crash; Mr. Aliyev, emboldened by Russia’s weakened influence in lands it once dominated, insisted that Russia publicly recognize its guilt.

    Interviews last week with Azerbaijani officials and people close to the government showed how the Dec. 25 crash of an Embraer 190, with 67 people aboard, has become a geopolitical milestone for the former Soviet Union. Rather than allowing Mr. Putin to dictate his response to the tragedy, Mr. Aliyev has repeatedly lashed out at Russia over its failure to accept responsibility.

    Rasim Musabekov, a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, described Russia’s response to the crash as “an absurd attitude.”

    “Azerbaijan will not accept such a chauvinist attitude,” he added.

    Behind the scenes, the interviews showed, those tensions flared directly between Mr. Aliyev and Mr. Putin, even though the two autocrats have often found common ground. In the call on Dec. 28 and another the next day, the people familiar with the calls said, Mr. Putin urged Mr. Aliyev to agree to have a Moscow-based aviation body investigate the crash. Mr. Aliyev refused, insisting that the plane’s black boxes be decoded in Brazil, where the jet was made, a striking display of mistrust of the Russian leader.

    Officials in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, arranged interviews for The New York Times with three survivors, who said it became clear to some passengers that they were under attack immediately after at least two explosions rocked the plane in midair.

    After the second blast, a girl started screaming. Leyla Omarova, 28, looked across the aisle from her window seat and saw the girl’s tights stained with blood.

    Three rows behind them, Nurullah Sirajov, 71, had been trying to comfort his wife. The first bang must have been the landing gear, he’d told her. They had never flown before.

    Then came the second explosion, a rush of wind from the back of the plane and yells, he said, from other passengers: “They hit us.”

    As the jet jerked up and down, coming within 100 feet of the Caspian Sea, Mr. Sirajov thought that at least his and his wife’s marital squabbles over who would die first would finally be resolved: They would die together. But after the front part of the plane disintegrated on impact, the tail section broke off, turned over and slid hundreds of yards through the sandy soil.

    “Anyone alive?” Mr. Sirajov remembers yelling in the sudden silence as he dangled upside-down from his seatbelt.

    Because Europe closed its airspace to Russia after Mr. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, many Russians flying westward now connect in Azerbaijan, an oil-and-gas-rich former Soviet republic of 10 million sandwiched between Russia and Iran. Russia also sees Azerbaijan as a key link in an expanded trade route south to Iran, India and the Persian Gulf.

    Its role as a transit point for a Russia beset by sanctions is just one way that Azerbaijan has seen its leverage rise against its far larger northern neighbor. Mr. Aliyev has also taken advantage of the Russian military’s distraction in Ukraine to push Russian peacekeeping troops out of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian-controlled enclave that Azerbaijan recaptured in 2023.

    Mr. Aliyev has solidified his country’s alliance with Turkey and armed Azerbaijan with high-tech weapons purchased from Israel. He has waged a fierce crackdown against activists and independent journalists, but has maintained a relationship with Europe, which sees Azerbaijan as a key alternative to Russian oil and gas.

    Farhad Mammadov, a political analyst in Baku, said that Russia’s political and economic “levers of pressure” on Azerbaijan had been reduced to “practically none.” Aykhan Hajizada, the spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, was blunt in arguing that his country had leverage over Russia: “They don’t want to lose Azerbaijan as well,” he said.

    The uproar over the plane crash has emerged as a test case. A senior American diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, described the fallout from the crash as “a proof of concept” for Azerbaijan’s ability to stick up for itself. Other post-Soviet countries that have also sought a more arm’s-length relationship with Russia, like Kazakhstan, are watching closely.

    “If this is how you behave in this incident with Azerbaijan, then what will the Uzbeks, the Kazakhs and the other remaining partners of Russia think of you?” Mr. Musabekov, the member of Parliament, asked. “It’s that Russia, as a state, is a very, very toxic partner that you need to minimize relations with.”

    Mr. Aliyev, who studied in Moscow and took over as Azerbaijan’s ruler from his father in 2003, learned about the crash while en route to a summit of post-Soviet leaders in St. Petersburg. He called Mr. Putin from the plane to tell him he was not coming.

    Hours later, Azerbaijani officials landed in Aktau, Kazakhstan, the airport where the Embraer 190 had tried to make an emergency landing. At the crash site nearby, the officials immediately realized that the theories of a bird strike or exploded oxygen canister that they had been hearing from Russia were wrong.

    “When I saw the aircraft, it was riddled with holes,” Rinat Huseynov, the safety director for Azerbaijan Airlines, said in an interview. “We didn’t imagine that this was possible at all.”

    Mr. Aliyev and Mr. Putin spoke again twice in the days after the crash. Mr. Putin apologized for the “tragic incident” happening in Russian airspace but did not acknowledge that Russia had shot down the plane. The day after the apology, on Dec. 29, Mr. Aliyev went public to accuse Russia of a cover-up.

    “Unfortunately, for the first three days, we heard nothing from Russia except for some absurd theories,” Mr. Aliyev said.

    Officials said they expected preliminary findings from the investigation by the end of January. Mr. Aliyev reiterated last week that Russia needed to accept responsibility and pay compensation, while the Kremlin said it was cooperating with the probe.

    “We are interested in an absolutely objective and unbiased investigation,” Dmitri S. Peskov, Mr. Putin’s spokesman, told reporters last week.

    The Azerbaijanis’ working theory is that the shrapnel from exploding missiles of a Russian Pantsir air-defense system damaged the plane. Metal fragments as large as four inches long were found at the crash site.

    The flight data and cockpit voice recorders, officials said, could help explain why the pilots chose to cross the Caspian Sea to land in Kazakhstan rather than at a closer airport in Russia; Mr. Huseynov, the airline safety director, said the decision appeared logical given the cloudy conditions in southern Russia at the time.

    Inside the passenger cabin, the flight attendants were trying to calm the panic. Ms. Omarova, en route to see family in Russia, said she lost consciousness. Mr. Sirajov, who had packed New Year’s presents for grandchildren in Grozny, said all he could think about was comforting his wife.

    Flight data shows that after crossing the Caspian Sea, more than an hour after the pilots reported what they thought was a bird strike, the plane crashed on a second attempt to land at Aktau airport. All of the survivors were sitting in roughly the rear third of the plane, according to a person close to the investigation.

    After the tail section came to a stop, Mr. Sirajov fumbled in the darkness to open his seatbelt, unable to tell what had happened to his wife. Only later did he learn that she had also survived.

    Finally, Mr. Sirajov yanked his belt open and tumbled onto the cabin’s ceiling. “Go that way, go that way,” he recalls hearing as someone pushed him toward a sliver of light.



    Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has recently taken a bold stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin, marking a rare display of defiance against the powerful leader. In a move that has surprised many, Aliyev has openly criticized Putin’s policies and actions, signaling a shift in the traditionally close relationship between the two countries.

    The tension between Azerbaijan and Russia has been brewing for some time, with disagreements over issues such as energy resources, territorial disputes, and regional influence. However, Aliyev’s decision to openly confront Putin has raised eyebrows and sparked speculation about the future of their relationship.

    Aliyev’s bold move comes at a time when Azerbaijan is seeking to assert its independence and strengthen its position on the global stage. By challenging Putin, Aliyev is sending a clear message that Azerbaijan will not be intimidated or controlled by its larger neighbor.

    It remains to be seen how Putin will respond to Aliyev’s challenge, but one thing is certain – Azerbaijan’s leader is not backing down. The rare fight between the two leaders has the potential to reshape the dynamics of the region and could have far-reaching implications for both countries.

    As the world watches to see how this high-stakes showdown unfolds, one thing is clear – Azerbaijan’s leader is not afraid to stand up to Putin and assert his country’s sovereignty. It will be interesting to see how this rare fight plays out and what it means for the future of Azerbaijan-Russia relations.

    Tags:

    Azerbaijan, leader, fight, Putin, emboldened, conflict, international relations, power struggle, diplomacy, political tensions

    #Azerbaijans #Leader #Emboldened #Picks #Rare #Fight #Putin

  • How Vladimir Putin rose to power in Russia

    How Vladimir Putin rose to power in Russia


    Getty Images Vladimir Putin (Credit: Getty Images)Getty Images

    When Vladimir Putin took over as acting president of Russia at the start of the year 2000, the former spy was an enigma to many. In History looks at how the surprise leader survived a tough childhood to rise to power in the Kremlin.

    Russian president Boris Yeltsin made the shock announcement on 31 December 1999 that he was resigning, telling television viewers that Russia needed “new politicians, new faces, new intelligent, strong and energetic people”. Amid widespread corruption and huge political and social problems, Yeltsin’s presidency had become increasingly unpopular and unpredictable. While he played a key role in bringing down the Soviet Union in 1991, his time in office had been a traumatic period for Russia as it transformed from a communist state-run economy to a free-market one.

    At midnight, Yeltsin’s heir apparent Vladimir Putin made his first televised address as acting president. “There will be no power vacuum,” he promised. There was a warning, too. “Any attempt to exceed the limits of law and the Russian constitution will be decisively crushed,” he said. The lean, fit and sober Putin proved popular in a country used to the erratic behaviour of Yeltsin, who was so boozy and unhealthy that it was sometimes a news story when he managed just to make it into the office.

    WATCH: ‘it was very important to him to be strong so that he wouldn’t get beaten up’.

    When Putin became prime minister in August 1999, he was an ex-KGB man plucked from relative obscurity. By the end of the year when he took over as acting president, he had won popularity for his tough line on the war in the breakaway republic of Chechnya. When elections were held in March 2000, Putin was confirmed as president after securing almost 53% of the vote in the first round. Polls suggested that most Russians wanted economic stability above all else. Putin’s basic message to voters was that he would make Russia strong again. 

    The new leader of the world’s largest country had risen to the top while leaving few traces. It was clear the 47-year-old was a man who liked to look and talk tough – a judo black belt who would make pronouncements such as calling lawbreakers “rats who should be squashed”. But what was he really like? 

    Putin grew up in St Petersburg, known then as Leningrad. Founded by Tsar Peter the Great, it was a city full of western influences but also echoes of Russia’s grand imperial past. The BBC spoke in 2001 to Putin’s old judo coach, who said that he was a star pupil who had the potential to make the Olympic team. Anatoly Rakhlin explained that Putin was always determined to win, if not by brute force, then by outwitting his opponents: “He could throw with equal skill in both directions, left and right. And his opponents, expecting a throw from the right, wouldn’t see the left one coming, so it was pretty tough for his opponents to beat him, because he was constantly kind of tricking them.”

    Putin was born in 1952, seven years after the end of World War Two, following the siege of Leningrad that killed his elder brother and which his parents barely survived. He was brought up in a crowded communal flat with shared kitchen and bathroom, teeming with rats and cockroaches. He recalled in his autobiography how as a boy he had to fight rats on his staircase. He wrote: “Once I spotted a huge rat and pursued it down the hall until I drove it into a corner. Suddenly it lashed out and threw itself at me. It jumped down the landing and down the stairs.”

    The tone of his famous cornered rat anecdote becomes more or less aggressive depending on his audience, according to Prof Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Speaking on the 2023 BBC podcast Putin, she said: “He chooses to tell it all the time to show his modest upbringing and how far he has come and what kind of enemies he had to endure in his lifetime; how he began enduring the lowest form of creatures, then moving up to face all sorts of enemies, foreign and domestic.”

    In the shadows

    Childhood friend Maria Osorina, a psychologist, told the BBC in 2003 that it was “survival of the fittest” in the tough environment they grew up in. “He was small, thin and rather weak, because he was born of such old parents, and so it was very important to him to be strong so that he wouldn’t get beaten up,” she said. 

    She said that the family had strong values of duty, patriotism and loyalty. “His parents loved him very much. He was the centre of their world, the son they’d longed for. But their character was very restrained by nature – they didn’t really show their emotions. The father was outwardly very cold, and his mother, too. They wouldn’t even consider kissing their son in public – that would never have occurred to them.”

    Getty Images (Credit: Getty Images)Getty Images

    (Credit: Getty Images)

    Friends and acquaintances remembered the young Putin as clever but self-contained. He was “never the centre of attention”, schoolmate Sergei Kudrov told the BBC in 2001. “He preferred to influence events from a distance, a sort of ‘grey cardinal’, as the saying goes. So different from Boris Yeltsin. Remember how he climbed on a tank and gestured for everyone to follow him? You just couldn’t imagine Putin doing that. He is an introvert – a man of deeds, not words.” 

    He had a romantic desire to become a KGB agent and serve his country incognito – perhaps the perfect job for someone who liked to avoid the limelight. By his own admission, his inspiration was the 1968 Soviet spy film, The Shield and the Sword. It was about a Russian double agent in wartime Germany, stealing documents to sabotage Nazi operations while posing as a chauffeur.

    Putin never wavered from his boyhood ambition to become an intelligence officer, right through university and KGB training. When he was 16, he entered the local KGB headquarters and asked for a job. They told him to study law and then wait. Six years later he was recruited by the agency. For more than 16 years, Putin would live the double life of an intelligence agent. When the Berlin Wall fell, he was serving in East Germany. He returned to a Russia where all the old certainties were collapsing. 

    In 1991, Putin became deputy to the new mayor of Leningrad, Anatoly Sobchak. When Sobchak was voted out, the Kremlin headhunted Putin. As the Yeltsin administration staggered towards its end, Putin rose stealthily until, in 1999, he was made prime minister. The man from nowhere was suddenly everywhere all at once.

    WATCH: ‘It was tough for his opponents to beat him, he was constantly tricking them’.

    For Putin’s old friend Maria Osorina in 2003, his leadership was a breath of fresh air: “I was born in 1950, and since that time we’ve never had a leader who is pleasant to look at. I didn’t like any of them. Putin is the first person to rule Russia since the Revolution whom I really like. He’s the first normal person, the first one we’re not ashamed of.” 

    Putin has been in power for a quarter of a century, longer than any Kremlin leader since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Now that he is aged 72 and in his fifth term as president, wrote the BBC’s Paul Kirby earlier this year, “all semblance of opposition to his rule is gone and there is little to stop him staying on, if he wants, until 2036”. 

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    Vladimir Putin’s path to power in Russia is a complex and multifaceted story that spans decades. From his beginnings as a KGB officer in the Soviet Union to his ascent to the presidency of Russia, Putin’s rise to power has been marked by a combination of strategic maneuvering, political savvy, and a firm grasp on the levers of power.

    Putin first came to prominence in the early 1990s as an aide to St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak. After Sobchak’s defeat in the 1996 mayoral election, Putin moved to Moscow, where he quickly rose through the ranks of the Russian government. In 1999, then-President Boris Yeltsin appointed Putin as prime minister, and when Yeltsin resigned on New Year’s Eve 1999, Putin became acting president.

    Putin’s popularity surged in the early 2000s as he cracked down on corruption, stabilized the economy, and restored a sense of national pride to a country that had been reeling from the chaos of the 1990s. In 2004, he was elected to his first full term as president, and he has since gone on to win three more presidential elections, most recently in 2018.

    Putin’s grip on power has been bolstered by a combination of political maneuvering, media control, and the suppression of dissent. Critics accuse him of authoritarianism and of using his control over the government and the media to silence opposition voices. Despite these criticisms, Putin remains a popular figure in Russia, and his approval ratings have remained consistently high throughout his time in office.

    As Putin continues to consolidate his power in Russia, the question of his eventual succession looms large. Whether he chooses to step down at the end of his current term in 2024 or seeks to extend his rule through other means, Putin’s legacy as one of the most powerful and influential leaders in Russian history is already secure.

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    Vladimir Putin, Russia, Russian politics, Kremlin, President of Russia, Russian government, rise to power, political career, KGB, Soviet Union, Russian history, authoritarian regime

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