‘The US “blackout” on sanctions, the easing of pressure on the aggressor and financial rewards for Putin — all of this merely encourages him to launch further attacks,’ President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, following one of Russia’s largest coordinated attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector to date.
According to the president, more than 15 key power generation and transmission facilities across different regions were targeted. Repair work is currently under way, with all necessary services and available resources of Ukrainian energy companies mobilized to restore power supplies around the clock.
Attack Details and Impact:
▪️ Scale of Assault: Between 7:00 pm yesterday and 7:00 am today, Russian forces deployed more than 320 Shahed drones—both jet-powered and petrol-powered—alongside other loitering munitions, cruise, and ballistic missiles.
▪️ Severest Damage: The impact was most critical in Lutsk, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Shepetivka, Slavuta, and Netishyn. Energy infrastructure was also struck in the Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
▪️ Strategic Objective: Russia is attempting to deplete Ukraine’s reserves and reconstruction capacity, deliberately aiming to orchestrate a nationwide blackout and deprive millions of civilians of electricity and heating before winter.
While Zelenskyy thanked European partners for preparing new support packages, he directly appealed to the United States regarding the stalled enforcement of critical legislation following recent diplomatic concessions to Moscow.
‘At a time when the Russians have launched such a massive attack on our energy sector, a decision was unfortunately taken in America to completely ignore the Lindsey Graham Bill, which was intended to exert truly effective pressure on Russia to end this war,’ he said. ‘This bill could — and still can! — help a great deal. But we must ensure that it really starts to work, and every vote in its favour counts.’
Zelenskyy stressed that robust international pressure is strictly required to halt the strikes and force a genuine resolution. ‘We must not give in, and we must strive to end the war. To end it, not to give Putin further pretexts to prolong it indefinitely. Thank you to everyone who is truly fighting for peace and helping Ukraine!’
#Ukraine #Energy #Sanctions #OSINT #War
According to the president, more than 15 key power generation and transmission facilities across different regions were targeted. Repair work is currently under way, with all necessary services and available resources of Ukrainian energy companies mobilized to restore power supplies around the clock.
Attack Details and Impact:
▪️ Scale of Assault: Between 7:00 pm yesterday and 7:00 am today, Russian forces deployed more than 320 Shahed drones—both jet-powered and petrol-powered—alongside other loitering munitions, cruise, and ballistic missiles.
▪️ Severest Damage: The impact was most critical in Lutsk, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Shepetivka, Slavuta, and Netishyn. Energy infrastructure was also struck in the Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
▪️ Strategic Objective: Russia is attempting to deplete Ukraine’s reserves and reconstruction capacity, deliberately aiming to orchestrate a nationwide blackout and deprive millions of civilians of electricity and heating before winter.
While Zelenskyy thanked European partners for preparing new support packages, he directly appealed to the United States regarding the stalled enforcement of critical legislation following recent diplomatic concessions to Moscow.
‘At a time when the Russians have launched such a massive attack on our energy sector, a decision was unfortunately taken in America to completely ignore the Lindsey Graham Bill, which was intended to exert truly effective pressure on Russia to end this war,’ he said. ‘This bill could — and still can! — help a great deal. But we must ensure that it really starts to work, and every vote in its favour counts.’
Zelenskyy stressed that robust international pressure is strictly required to halt the strikes and force a genuine resolution. ‘We must not give in, and we must strive to end the war. To end it, not to give Putin further pretexts to prolong it indefinitely. Thank you to everyone who is truly fighting for peace and helping Ukraine!’
#Ukraine #Energy #Sanctions #OSINT #War
Late on Friday evening, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order waiving virtually all sanctions, restrictions, and tariffs against Russia provided for under the bipartisan Lindsey Graham Act, which he signed into law just one month earlier.
While the punitive measures targeting Russia have been suspended, the sanctions against Iran included in the legislation remain fully in force.
Facing an 18 October deadline to either implement the law's provisions or notify lawmakers of a change in policy, Trump released the executive order stating: ‘By this executive order, I hereby waive the application of the sanctions, restrictions and tariffs provided for in the Graham Act. I have submitted to Congress formal certification that the waiver of these measures at this stage is in the national interest of the United States’.
The decision drew immediate and sharp condemnation from Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who co-authored the legislation alongside the late Lindsey Graham.
‘Donald Trump has once again shown that he stands with a bloodthirsty dictator and those who are helping Russia wage war, rather than with the majority of Americans, Congress and America’s European allies,’ Blumenthal stated. ‘This sanctions waiver has nothing to do with US national security. Its aim is to please Vladimir Putin. I hope my Republican colleagues will join me in condemning this shameful and cowardly move’.
The timing of the announcement—released late on a Friday evening just ahead of the weekend—follows a recognized political pattern of burying controversial or unpopular decisions during hours when media coverage and public attention are significantly reduced. Analysts note that the administration appears increasingly reliant on this tactic, suggesting more Friday evening releases may occur before the new Congress convenes in January.
#USA #Russia #Sanctions #OSINT #Diplomacy
While the punitive measures targeting Russia have been suspended, the sanctions against Iran included in the legislation remain fully in force.
Facing an 18 October deadline to either implement the law's provisions or notify lawmakers of a change in policy, Trump released the executive order stating: ‘By this executive order, I hereby waive the application of the sanctions, restrictions and tariffs provided for in the Graham Act. I have submitted to Congress formal certification that the waiver of these measures at this stage is in the national interest of the United States’.
The decision drew immediate and sharp condemnation from Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who co-authored the legislation alongside the late Lindsey Graham.
‘Donald Trump has once again shown that he stands with a bloodthirsty dictator and those who are helping Russia wage war, rather than with the majority of Americans, Congress and America’s European allies,’ Blumenthal stated. ‘This sanctions waiver has nothing to do with US national security. Its aim is to please Vladimir Putin. I hope my Republican colleagues will join me in condemning this shameful and cowardly move’.
The timing of the announcement—released late on a Friday evening just ahead of the weekend—follows a recognized political pattern of burying controversial or unpopular decisions during hours when media coverage and public attention are significantly reduced. Analysts note that the administration appears increasingly reliant on this tactic, suggesting more Friday evening releases may occur before the new Congress convenes in January.
#USA #Russia #Sanctions #OSINT #Diplomacy
‘An important and truly historic moment’ — this is how Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin’s economic envoy, described US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend key provisions of the Graham Act.
Dmitriev claimed that following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, the legislation underwent ‘radical and extremely negative changes’. He argued that, in practice, these punitive provisions could have led to a complete cessation of all economic cooperation between Russia and the United States — an outcome he claimed would have caused ‘serious damage primarily to the US economy and global markets’.
‘Economic cooperation between Russia and the United States is in the interests of both countries, contributes to global economic stability and forms the basis for building trust and achieving lasting peace,’ Dmitriev stated.
Advocating for a broader shift in US–Russia relations, he concluded: ‘Instead of sanctions and confrontation, we need dialogue, mutually beneficial cooperation and shared responsibility for global stability.’
#Russia #USA #Sanctions #Economy #Diplomacy #OSINT
Dmitriev claimed that following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, the legislation underwent ‘radical and extremely negative changes’. He argued that, in practice, these punitive provisions could have led to a complete cessation of all economic cooperation between Russia and the United States — an outcome he claimed would have caused ‘serious damage primarily to the US economy and global markets’.
‘Economic cooperation between Russia and the United States is in the interests of both countries, contributes to global economic stability and forms the basis for building trust and achieving lasting peace,’ Dmitriev stated.
Advocating for a broader shift in US–Russia relations, he concluded: ‘Instead of sanctions and confrontation, we need dialogue, mutually beneficial cooperation and shared responsibility for global stability.’
#Russia #USA #Sanctions #Economy #Diplomacy #OSINT
MARTIAL LAW. JUST IN CASE
There are just over two weeks to go until the US midterm elections on 3 November, and the MAGA camp already knows they will be rigged. How do they know? From the same source as always: the fear that they might lose.
Axios describes how activists are pressuring Trump to resort to extraordinary measures in the event of ‘fraud’. They laid out their plan of action during a video conference on 30 September and in subsequent interviews with the media:
🔹 Peter Tiktin, Tina Peters’s lawyer and a childhood friend of Trump’s, wants martial law imposed and ballot papers and election equipment seized ‘before anything else happens’. For example, before anyone counts the votes.
🔹 Gregory Stenstrom, a witness to alleged 2020 ‘irregularities’ in Pennsylvania, would prefer to suspend the election altogether. The best protection against fraud is apparently no election at all.
🔹 Tina Peters wants ballot papers to be completed by hand and votes counted manually wherever possible. In a country where more than a hundred million votes are cast in midterm elections.
Peters is a chapter unto herself. In 2024, she was convicted of offences related to tampering with election equipment. She was released this year after Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis, commuted her sentence. At the end of June, she visited the White House with Tiktin, and this month she met Trump again.
A person convicted of tampering with voting machines is now advising on voting-machine security. It is rather like asking a bank cashier convicted of theft to design the alarm system.
A brief note from Lviv. Ukraine is not holding elections because martial law has been in force since 2022, while missiles and Shahed drones continue to strike its cities. Trump, however, called Zelenskyy a ‘dictator without elections’ in February 2025. This week, he again called for Zelenskyy to be replaced.
Today, inside Trump’s own political camp, there is talk of martial law and suspending elections in a country where nothing is falling from the sky except poll numbers.
Now let’s see what the law actually says.
Article I, Section 4 of the US Constitution states that the times, places and manner of congressional elections are determined by state legislatures and may be altered by Congress. The president is not mentioned in that clause.
Derek Tisler of the Brennan Center points out that emergency powers are not a ‘blank cheque’. Nor does martial law confer the right to seize election materials. The Supreme Court established that principle as far back as 1866 in Ex parte Milligan: martial law cannot replace civilian authority where the civil courts remain open and functioning.
Meanwhile, Moscow is doing its part.
According to Alethea, as reported by The New York Times, Operation ‘Doppelgänger’, run by the Social Design Agency — an organisation under US and EU sanctions — has been flooding X since 7 October with claims about the collapse of bipartisan support for Israel. The date marked the third anniversary of the Hamas attack.
The figures:
🔹 more than 50 fake accounts, often posing as ‘Israeli women’;
🔹 more than 1,000 accounts inserting the messages into popular discussions;
🔹 approximately 150,000 posts;
🔹 links to cloned versions of reputable news websites.
None of the posts went viral. They did not need to.
‘Hacking into someone’s system is very difficult, but lying online is very easy,’ says Lisa Kaplan, founder of Alethea.
Verdict: there is no evidence that Peters, Tiktin or Stenstrom are acting on Russia’s behalf.
And that is perhaps the worst news of all: they do not need to.
The Kremlin is not necessarily interested in the victory of one particular candidate. It is interested in the collapse of trust. And that trust is also being undermined inside America itself — for free and under the Star-Spangled Banner.
Moscow does not need to rig an American election.
It is enough for someone to declare it rigged before it has even taken place.
Artur Żak
#USA #Elections #Disinformation
There are just over two weeks to go until the US midterm elections on 3 November, and the MAGA camp already knows they will be rigged. How do they know? From the same source as always: the fear that they might lose.
Axios describes how activists are pressuring Trump to resort to extraordinary measures in the event of ‘fraud’. They laid out their plan of action during a video conference on 30 September and in subsequent interviews with the media:
🔹 Peter Tiktin, Tina Peters’s lawyer and a childhood friend of Trump’s, wants martial law imposed and ballot papers and election equipment seized ‘before anything else happens’. For example, before anyone counts the votes.
🔹 Gregory Stenstrom, a witness to alleged 2020 ‘irregularities’ in Pennsylvania, would prefer to suspend the election altogether. The best protection against fraud is apparently no election at all.
🔹 Tina Peters wants ballot papers to be completed by hand and votes counted manually wherever possible. In a country where more than a hundred million votes are cast in midterm elections.
Peters is a chapter unto herself. In 2024, she was convicted of offences related to tampering with election equipment. She was released this year after Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis, commuted her sentence. At the end of June, she visited the White House with Tiktin, and this month she met Trump again.
A person convicted of tampering with voting machines is now advising on voting-machine security. It is rather like asking a bank cashier convicted of theft to design the alarm system.
A brief note from Lviv. Ukraine is not holding elections because martial law has been in force since 2022, while missiles and Shahed drones continue to strike its cities. Trump, however, called Zelenskyy a ‘dictator without elections’ in February 2025. This week, he again called for Zelenskyy to be replaced.
Today, inside Trump’s own political camp, there is talk of martial law and suspending elections in a country where nothing is falling from the sky except poll numbers.
Now let’s see what the law actually says.
Article I, Section 4 of the US Constitution states that the times, places and manner of congressional elections are determined by state legislatures and may be altered by Congress. The president is not mentioned in that clause.
Derek Tisler of the Brennan Center points out that emergency powers are not a ‘blank cheque’. Nor does martial law confer the right to seize election materials. The Supreme Court established that principle as far back as 1866 in Ex parte Milligan: martial law cannot replace civilian authority where the civil courts remain open and functioning.
Meanwhile, Moscow is doing its part.
According to Alethea, as reported by The New York Times, Operation ‘Doppelgänger’, run by the Social Design Agency — an organisation under US and EU sanctions — has been flooding X since 7 October with claims about the collapse of bipartisan support for Israel. The date marked the third anniversary of the Hamas attack.
The figures:
🔹 more than 50 fake accounts, often posing as ‘Israeli women’;
🔹 more than 1,000 accounts inserting the messages into popular discussions;
🔹 approximately 150,000 posts;
🔹 links to cloned versions of reputable news websites.
None of the posts went viral. They did not need to.
‘Hacking into someone’s system is very difficult, but lying online is very easy,’ says Lisa Kaplan, founder of Alethea.
Verdict: there is no evidence that Peters, Tiktin or Stenstrom are acting on Russia’s behalf.
And that is perhaps the worst news of all: they do not need to.
The Kremlin is not necessarily interested in the victory of one particular candidate. It is interested in the collapse of trust. And that trust is also being undermined inside America itself — for free and under the Star-Spangled Banner.
Moscow does not need to rig an American election.
It is enough for someone to declare it rigged before it has even taken place.
Artur Żak
#USA #Elections #Disinformation
‘Ukraine has done what it was supposed to do,’ President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated regarding the pan-European ‘Freya’ anti-ballistic missile-defence project, urging international partners to aggressively accelerate the system's development toward its first live test.
During a comprehensive update, the Ukrainian president addressed several critical defence and diplomatic developments:
▪️ Air Defence and the Freya Project:
Ten countries are currently participating in the Freya project, with Zelenskyy noting recent detailed discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron and upcoming talks with Norway, a key partner. While long-term defence agreements with Germany for 2027–2028 are secure, Ukraine urgently requires PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors now. Zelenskyy pointed out that partners are fully aware of Ukraine's immediate needs, though the United States has redirected most of its PAC-2 and PAC-3 stocks to the Middle East. Operationally, sufficient 20 mm ammunition for F-16s has been secured, domestic production of automated gun turrets is scaling up, and the Ukrainian Air Force is now successfully intercepting 55–60% of all incoming jet-powered Shahed drones.
▪️ Geofenced Starlink Restrictions:
Addressing the controversial speed limits imposed on the satellite network, Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine recently tested Starlink-equipped vehicles in EU countries at speeds exceeding 180 km/h without any loss of connectivity. In contrast, within Ukraine’s borders, the system completely shuts down at approximately 161 km/h (100 mph), causing operators to lose control of interceptor drones attempting to chase high-speed Russian targets. ‘The restrictions exist. They apply within Ukraine, but not within the territory of European Union member states. This means that this is a planned operation,’ Zelenskyy concluded, noting that Kyiv possesses video evidence of the geographical discrepancy.
▪️ Diplomacy and Negotiations:
Zelenskyy announced a readiness to meet with US negotiators next week in any location and in any format (‘the three of us, the two of us, the four of us, plus five’). However, he emphasized that American leverage must be directed at Putin, rather than pressuring Kyiv to make unfair concessions. He also called on European nations to develop their own independent negotiation strategy. Regionally, he highlighted a highly successful meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk—noting that a strong Kyiv-Warsaw alliance deeply concerns Moscow—and announced upcoming talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan regarding Black Sea maritime and food security.
▪️ Russian Escalation:
Warning against any display of Western weakness, Zelenskyy argued that Putin's ultimate goal remains Ukraine's total annihilation, not merely its political surrender. Anticipating further escalation, he stressed that Russia will maintain its pressure on the Black Sea while continuing systemic strikes on energy infrastructure, water supplies, and bridges. Appealing to both domestic authorities and international partners, he urged: ‘Fewer words — more protection, more action.’
#Ukraine #Freya #Starlink #OSINT #War
During a comprehensive update, the Ukrainian president addressed several critical defence and diplomatic developments:
▪️ Air Defence and the Freya Project:
Ten countries are currently participating in the Freya project, with Zelenskyy noting recent detailed discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron and upcoming talks with Norway, a key partner. While long-term defence agreements with Germany for 2027–2028 are secure, Ukraine urgently requires PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors now. Zelenskyy pointed out that partners are fully aware of Ukraine's immediate needs, though the United States has redirected most of its PAC-2 and PAC-3 stocks to the Middle East. Operationally, sufficient 20 mm ammunition for F-16s has been secured, domestic production of automated gun turrets is scaling up, and the Ukrainian Air Force is now successfully intercepting 55–60% of all incoming jet-powered Shahed drones.
▪️ Geofenced Starlink Restrictions:
Addressing the controversial speed limits imposed on the satellite network, Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine recently tested Starlink-equipped vehicles in EU countries at speeds exceeding 180 km/h without any loss of connectivity. In contrast, within Ukraine’s borders, the system completely shuts down at approximately 161 km/h (100 mph), causing operators to lose control of interceptor drones attempting to chase high-speed Russian targets. ‘The restrictions exist. They apply within Ukraine, but not within the territory of European Union member states. This means that this is a planned operation,’ Zelenskyy concluded, noting that Kyiv possesses video evidence of the geographical discrepancy.
▪️ Diplomacy and Negotiations:
Zelenskyy announced a readiness to meet with US negotiators next week in any location and in any format (‘the three of us, the two of us, the four of us, plus five’). However, he emphasized that American leverage must be directed at Putin, rather than pressuring Kyiv to make unfair concessions. He also called on European nations to develop their own independent negotiation strategy. Regionally, he highlighted a highly successful meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk—noting that a strong Kyiv-Warsaw alliance deeply concerns Moscow—and announced upcoming talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan regarding Black Sea maritime and food security.
▪️ Russian Escalation:
Warning against any display of Western weakness, Zelenskyy argued that Putin's ultimate goal remains Ukraine's total annihilation, not merely its political surrender. Anticipating further escalation, he stressed that Russia will maintain its pressure on the Black Sea while continuing systemic strikes on energy infrastructure, water supplies, and bridges. Appealing to both domestic authorities and international partners, he urged: ‘Fewer words — more protection, more action.’
#Ukraine #Freya #Starlink #OSINT #War
No sanctions against Russia can be lifted until Vladimir Putin halts his campaign of violence — a position that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says is fully supported by all of Ukraine’s European partners.
Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy highlighted a sharp divergence between European and American approaches to applying economic pressure on Moscow. He stated that he hears nothing but words of support from Europe, stressing that absolutely no one among the European partners backs the controversial US–Russia ‘diesel deal’. Instead of easing economic leverage, European nations are actively drafting their next comprehensive package of restrictions.
The president also provided an update on the status of frozen Russian assets, following detailed discussions with EU leaders and officials from Belgium — where the vast majority of these funds are held.
Zelenskyy confirmed that European partners are acutely aware of the risks and possess intelligence indicating that Russia will do everything in its power to regain access to the frozen funds through various third-party intermediaries. However, he offered firm reassurances regarding the security of the capital.
‘Today, this is entirely under Europe’s control. And that means the assets are currently in a safe place,’ Zelenskyy stated, expressing his gratitude to the Belgian prime minister and European allies for their continued vigilance and cooperation.
#Ukraine #EU #Sanctions #OSINT #War
Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy highlighted a sharp divergence between European and American approaches to applying economic pressure on Moscow. He stated that he hears nothing but words of support from Europe, stressing that absolutely no one among the European partners backs the controversial US–Russia ‘diesel deal’. Instead of easing economic leverage, European nations are actively drafting their next comprehensive package of restrictions.
The president also provided an update on the status of frozen Russian assets, following detailed discussions with EU leaders and officials from Belgium — where the vast majority of these funds are held.
Zelenskyy confirmed that European partners are acutely aware of the risks and possess intelligence indicating that Russia will do everything in its power to regain access to the frozen funds through various third-party intermediaries. However, he offered firm reassurances regarding the security of the capital.
‘Today, this is entirely under Europe’s control. And that means the assets are currently in a safe place,’ Zelenskyy stated, expressing his gratitude to the Belgian prime minister and European allies for their continued vigilance and cooperation.
#Ukraine #EU #Sanctions #OSINT #War
Putin wants Ukraine, not gas pipelines
The New York Times has described one element of the US peace plan: the return of Russian gas to Europe. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have been lobbying European officials on the idea, and in September they also raised it directly with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Under the proposal, Kyiv would consider reopening the gas pipelines, while Moscow would end the war in return.
Firstly: there is nothing new about this. Discussions about a ‘business-based’ path to peace have been under way since last year. David Ignatius wrote about them only this week. Witkoff and Kushner appear to believe that if Putin is offered enough money, everything can return to the pre-war norm.
It won’t.
Even the NYT acknowledges that the prospect of lucrative business deals with Washington has so far failed to persuade the Kremlin to make concessions on any of its key demands. Putin is not a businessman with whom one can simply haggle over the price. Without achieving his objectives in Ukraine, money alone is unlikely to be enough.
Meanwhile, Washington is paying up front. On Friday, Trump waived new sanctions on Russia provided for by legislation passed by Congress. A week earlier, he lifted restrictions on Russian diesel. Kirill Dmitriev is already declaring that ‘we’ve managed to break the ice’.
America gives. Russia takes. Nothing has yet been given in return.
Secondly: without Europe, there will be no deal. The pipelines end in Germany, not in Texas.
As long as pro-Ukraine centrist governments remain in power across most EU capitals, such an arrangement will face strong resistance. According to the NYT, during the talks in Florida, Günter Sautter, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s security adviser, voiced the strongest objections.
Berlin’s position is straightforward: Russian gas sold through an intermediary — even an American one — remains Russian gas.
The figures are equally clear. In 2021, Russia accounted for 45 per cent of EU gas imports. By 2025, that share had fallen to just 13 per cent. By 2027, the EU is due to phase out Russian gas entirely.
Ukraine halted Russian gas transit in January 2025 and is losing around $1 billion a year as a result. Europe has paid a high price for reducing its dependence on Russian energy. Reversing that process in exchange for Putin’s ‘guarantees’ would therefore be a major political decision, not merely a commercial arrangement.
Thirdly: Washington appears to be betting on political change in Europe.
According to a source quoted by the NYT, the administration assumes that European voters ‘will ultimately want cheaper energy’.
Peskov says that renewed energy cooperation ‘may be even more in the interests of Europeans themselves’.
Alice Weidel tells the Bundestag: ‘We want natural gas and crude oil from Russia.’
Three voices. One message.
But the timetable works against the plan. Germany’s next federal election must take place by March 2029. Trump’s current term ends in January 2029. Nor is it clear what the political balance in Washington or Berlin will look like by then.
The AfD currently leads some polls with around 30 per cent support, but at federal level its support remains below the combined backing for the CDU/CSU, SPD and Greens.
Witkoff and Kushner’s plan is therefore an attempt to buy peace from someone who has so far shown no willingness to sell it on these terms.
The Kremlin counts in square kilometres, not cubic metres.
Article from The New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/17/us/politics/russia-gas-trump.html
#Russia #Ukraine #USA
The New York Times has described one element of the US peace plan: the return of Russian gas to Europe. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have been lobbying European officials on the idea, and in September they also raised it directly with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Under the proposal, Kyiv would consider reopening the gas pipelines, while Moscow would end the war in return.
Firstly: there is nothing new about this. Discussions about a ‘business-based’ path to peace have been under way since last year. David Ignatius wrote about them only this week. Witkoff and Kushner appear to believe that if Putin is offered enough money, everything can return to the pre-war norm.
It won’t.
Even the NYT acknowledges that the prospect of lucrative business deals with Washington has so far failed to persuade the Kremlin to make concessions on any of its key demands. Putin is not a businessman with whom one can simply haggle over the price. Without achieving his objectives in Ukraine, money alone is unlikely to be enough.
Meanwhile, Washington is paying up front. On Friday, Trump waived new sanctions on Russia provided for by legislation passed by Congress. A week earlier, he lifted restrictions on Russian diesel. Kirill Dmitriev is already declaring that ‘we’ve managed to break the ice’.
America gives. Russia takes. Nothing has yet been given in return.
Secondly: without Europe, there will be no deal. The pipelines end in Germany, not in Texas.
As long as pro-Ukraine centrist governments remain in power across most EU capitals, such an arrangement will face strong resistance. According to the NYT, during the talks in Florida, Günter Sautter, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s security adviser, voiced the strongest objections.
Berlin’s position is straightforward: Russian gas sold through an intermediary — even an American one — remains Russian gas.
The figures are equally clear. In 2021, Russia accounted for 45 per cent of EU gas imports. By 2025, that share had fallen to just 13 per cent. By 2027, the EU is due to phase out Russian gas entirely.
Ukraine halted Russian gas transit in January 2025 and is losing around $1 billion a year as a result. Europe has paid a high price for reducing its dependence on Russian energy. Reversing that process in exchange for Putin’s ‘guarantees’ would therefore be a major political decision, not merely a commercial arrangement.
Thirdly: Washington appears to be betting on political change in Europe.
According to a source quoted by the NYT, the administration assumes that European voters ‘will ultimately want cheaper energy’.
Peskov says that renewed energy cooperation ‘may be even more in the interests of Europeans themselves’.
Alice Weidel tells the Bundestag: ‘We want natural gas and crude oil from Russia.’
Three voices. One message.
But the timetable works against the plan. Germany’s next federal election must take place by March 2029. Trump’s current term ends in January 2029. Nor is it clear what the political balance in Washington or Berlin will look like by then.
The AfD currently leads some polls with around 30 per cent support, but at federal level its support remains below the combined backing for the CDU/CSU, SPD and Greens.
Witkoff and Kushner’s plan is therefore an attempt to buy peace from someone who has so far shown no willingness to sell it on these terms.
The Kremlin counts in square kilometres, not cubic metres.
Article from The New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/17/us/politics/russia-gas-trump.html
#Russia #Ukraine #USA
Nytimes
U.S. Floats Another Lifeline to Russia: Allowing It to Sell More Gas to Europe
The Trump administration is pitching the idea as part of a peace deal with Ukraine, but Europe is wary and critics say Russia would be strengthened.
‘No, no, no… Of course, certain restrictions are still in place,’ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said when Kristen Welker of NBC News’s Meet the Press asked whether Starlink service had been fully restored.
Welker also asked who was responsible for the disruption to Starlink and Starshield services and whether the restrictions had been introduced deliberately.
According to Zelenskyy, the instruction to impose the speed restrictions came from the US administration, while SpaceX implemented them technically.
‘I don’t know exactly where it came from, which office, and so on. I think it couldn’t have happened any other way. But, to be honest, I don’t know,’ he said.
Zelenskyy stressed that this was not merely his personal assessment, but also the position of Ukrainian generals and the government.
The allegations were criticised by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who also appeared on Meet the Press.
‘It is very ill-advised of President Zelenskyy to make such allegations,’ Bessent said.
He stressed that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had categorically denied that anyone in the Trump administration had ordered such restrictions.
Zelenskyy also addressed the issue of elections in Ukraine:
‘If elections in Ukraine take place during the war, I will of course stand as a candidate. It is my responsibility — I must defend my country from the beginning right through to the end of this war.’
He said that he was not afraid of elections. However, he stressed that holding a democratic and, above all, secure vote would require a ceasefire lasting at least 60 days. Ukraine has communicated this position to the United States.
The president also said that new talks between the Ukrainian and US delegations could take place in Brussels as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.
‘The United States has expressed a willingness to hold such talks. I am very open to this,’ he said.
#Ukraine #USA #Starlink
Welker also asked who was responsible for the disruption to Starlink and Starshield services and whether the restrictions had been introduced deliberately.
According to Zelenskyy, the instruction to impose the speed restrictions came from the US administration, while SpaceX implemented them technically.
‘I don’t know exactly where it came from, which office, and so on. I think it couldn’t have happened any other way. But, to be honest, I don’t know,’ he said.
Zelenskyy stressed that this was not merely his personal assessment, but also the position of Ukrainian generals and the government.
The allegations were criticised by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who also appeared on Meet the Press.
‘It is very ill-advised of President Zelenskyy to make such allegations,’ Bessent said.
He stressed that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had categorically denied that anyone in the Trump administration had ordered such restrictions.
Zelenskyy also addressed the issue of elections in Ukraine:
‘If elections in Ukraine take place during the war, I will of course stand as a candidate. It is my responsibility — I must defend my country from the beginning right through to the end of this war.’
He said that he was not afraid of elections. However, he stressed that holding a democratic and, above all, secure vote would require a ceasefire lasting at least 60 days. Ukraine has communicated this position to the United States.
The president also said that new talks between the Ukrainian and US delegations could take place in Brussels as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.
‘The United States has expressed a willingness to hold such talks. I am very open to this,’ he said.
#Ukraine #USA #Starlink
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that easing sanctions against Russia is a way of putting pressure on Vladimir Putin because, ‘in order to be able to sell diesel, he must end the war’.
A CNN journalist asked whether this meant that the current US position was to put pressure on Ukraine rather than on Russia.
‘That is precisely what putting pressure on Russia means. Russia has no diesel to export. The only way to obtain it is to de-escalate the conflict with Ukraine. This is a novel approach,’ Wright replied.
#Russia #Ukraine
A CNN journalist asked whether this meant that the current US position was to put pressure on Ukraine rather than on Russia.
‘That is precisely what putting pressure on Russia means. Russia has no diesel to export. The only way to obtain it is to de-escalate the conflict with Ukraine. This is a novel approach,’ Wright replied.
#Russia #Ukraine
SPECIAL ZONE OF INFLUENCE
In 1980, Shenzhen became China’s first Special Economic Zone. On 18–19 November, Putin wants it to become the first Special Zone of Influence of the 21st century.
According to the WSJ, the Kremlin proposed a trilateral meeting with Xi Jinping to Trump on the sidelines of APEC. Three men, one table, Ukraine on the menu. The idea was floated on 9 October, during the same conversation in which the diesel fuel issue was settled. First diesel, then the fate of a nation. The order of priorities was maintained.
Putin dreams of the ‘spirit of Yalta’. At Yalta, Europe at least had Churchill. In Shenzhen, Europe would not even get a chair. And whoever is not sitting at the table is on the menu. Nihil novi nisi commune consensu: we adopted that principle in Radom in 1505. In Washington, they still have not finished reading it.
Beijing will graciously ‘not object if Trump agrees’. The courtesy of the host. In Taipei, they will be taking note of every word. If decisions about Ukraine can be made without Ukraine, then decisions about Taiwan can be made without Taiwan.
And now Marco Rubio, or the art of answering without answering.
▪️ Evidence that Putin wants to negotiate? ‘This isn’t a criminal case, it’s diplomacy.’ Interesting, given that an ICC arrest warrant for Putin has been outstanding since March 2023. For The Hague, this is a criminal case. For Washington, he is a negotiating partner.
▪️ ‘Neither side is scoring clear victories; both are suffering huge losses.’ Perfect symmetry: the arsonist and the victim of the fire, both covered in soot.
▪️ Kyiv once again without early warning of incoming ballistic missiles? ‘Software issues.’ Missiles are flying towards Kyiv, and all Washington has to offer is a helpdesk response: have you tried switching it off and on again?
▪️ Russian drones over Europe? They are getting through ‘as a result of electronic warfare’. Poor stray drones, losing their way night after night and somehow heading straight for Poland, Romania and other countries. The Kremlin’s version of events, voiced by the US Secretary of State — free of charge.
▪️ Zelenskyy says intelligence is being withheld? He would do better to ‘focus, just as we and Russia are doing, on ending the war’. Just like Russia. The very same Russia that was firing ballistic missiles at Kyiv the previous night. A role model.
▪️ StarShield? Yesterday, Zelenskyy ‘didn’t know what he was talking about’. Today, Ukraine ‘has benefited from it’. A diplomat’s memory is shorter than the flight time of a ballistic missile to Kyiv.
For dessert, Trump is calling for elections in Ukraine. He will no doubt discuss the matter with a man who does not need elections and another who wins them with 87 per cent of the vote. Quite a trio to be giving lessons in democracy.
The only hope lies in 3 November. If Americans show Trump a yellow card in the congressional elections, he will arrive in Shenzhen in a weaker position. Except that the new Congress will not convene until 3 January — and Yalta lasted eight days.
Rubio is right: this is not a criminal case. In a criminal case, the perpetrator is put on trial. Here, it is the victim who is to receive the verdict.
Author: Artur Żak
https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/putin-floats-a-summit-with-trump-and-xi-to-decide-ukraines-fate-1cf6acc1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NjdWAsOwl8
#Ukraine #USA #China
In 1980, Shenzhen became China’s first Special Economic Zone. On 18–19 November, Putin wants it to become the first Special Zone of Influence of the 21st century.
According to the WSJ, the Kremlin proposed a trilateral meeting with Xi Jinping to Trump on the sidelines of APEC. Three men, one table, Ukraine on the menu. The idea was floated on 9 October, during the same conversation in which the diesel fuel issue was settled. First diesel, then the fate of a nation. The order of priorities was maintained.
Putin dreams of the ‘spirit of Yalta’. At Yalta, Europe at least had Churchill. In Shenzhen, Europe would not even get a chair. And whoever is not sitting at the table is on the menu. Nihil novi nisi commune consensu: we adopted that principle in Radom in 1505. In Washington, they still have not finished reading it.
Beijing will graciously ‘not object if Trump agrees’. The courtesy of the host. In Taipei, they will be taking note of every word. If decisions about Ukraine can be made without Ukraine, then decisions about Taiwan can be made without Taiwan.
And now Marco Rubio, or the art of answering without answering.
▪️ Evidence that Putin wants to negotiate? ‘This isn’t a criminal case, it’s diplomacy.’ Interesting, given that an ICC arrest warrant for Putin has been outstanding since March 2023. For The Hague, this is a criminal case. For Washington, he is a negotiating partner.
▪️ ‘Neither side is scoring clear victories; both are suffering huge losses.’ Perfect symmetry: the arsonist and the victim of the fire, both covered in soot.
▪️ Kyiv once again without early warning of incoming ballistic missiles? ‘Software issues.’ Missiles are flying towards Kyiv, and all Washington has to offer is a helpdesk response: have you tried switching it off and on again?
▪️ Russian drones over Europe? They are getting through ‘as a result of electronic warfare’. Poor stray drones, losing their way night after night and somehow heading straight for Poland, Romania and other countries. The Kremlin’s version of events, voiced by the US Secretary of State — free of charge.
▪️ Zelenskyy says intelligence is being withheld? He would do better to ‘focus, just as we and Russia are doing, on ending the war’. Just like Russia. The very same Russia that was firing ballistic missiles at Kyiv the previous night. A role model.
▪️ StarShield? Yesterday, Zelenskyy ‘didn’t know what he was talking about’. Today, Ukraine ‘has benefited from it’. A diplomat’s memory is shorter than the flight time of a ballistic missile to Kyiv.
For dessert, Trump is calling for elections in Ukraine. He will no doubt discuss the matter with a man who does not need elections and another who wins them with 87 per cent of the vote. Quite a trio to be giving lessons in democracy.
The only hope lies in 3 November. If Americans show Trump a yellow card in the congressional elections, he will arrive in Shenzhen in a weaker position. Except that the new Congress will not convene until 3 January — and Yalta lasted eight days.
Rubio is right: this is not a criminal case. In a criminal case, the perpetrator is put on trial. Here, it is the victim who is to receive the verdict.
Author: Artur Żak
https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/putin-floats-a-summit-with-trump-and-xi-to-decide-ukraines-fate-1cf6acc1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NjdWAsOwl8
#Ukraine #USA #China
The Wall Street Journal
Exclusive | Putin Floats a Summit With Trump and Xi to Discuss Ukraine Deal
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky wouldn’t be included in the proposed talks, as Russia’s leader seeks to negotiate an end to the war that favors Moscow.
According to The Hill, some Republican members of the House of Representatives are warning US President Donald Trump that they will block $350 billion in funding for the Pentagon unless he takes a tougher stance towards Russia.
The Department of Defense had already requested the funds in July in connection with the war with Iran and the need to reform the armed forces. Of the total, $113 billion is to be allocated to expanding production capacity and $102 billion to the development of drones and missile systems. The requested funding forms part of a defence budget totalling $1.5 trillion.
Congressmen Brian Fitzpatrick and Don Bacon have openly raised the possibility of blocking the package. According to Bacon, no bill proposed by Trump will pass during the so-called ‘lame-duck’ session — the period between the congressional elections and the beginning of the new term — unless the administration changes course.
‘The administration’s decision to restrict Ukraine’s access to intelligence and the Starlink network amounts to aiding an aggressor and a war criminal who is bombing cities. Does the administration believe it will gain ANY support during the remainder of the 119th Congress? Their agenda is doomed to failure unless they take a different path,’ Bacon said.
Blocking the bill would require opposition from at least three members of the party controlling the House, but according to The Hill, the number of dissenters is growing. Pro-Ukraine Republicans mentioned in this context include Michael McCaul, Joe Wilson and Dan Newhouse.
Behind closed doors on Capitol Hill, harsh criticism is also being voiced, particularly over the agreement with Russia on diesel fuel.
‘The Capitol will exert sufficient pressure if the administration fails to realise that it must back down, even just a little. We have enough members who are not standing for re-election or who — having lost their seats — will be free from the need to work hand in hand with the president,’ one congressional aide said on condition of anonymity.
Another congressional aide is demanding that Trump reverse his agreement with Putin on diesel:
‘He must reverse this decision. We have passed a bill imposing an energy embargo on Russia. At the same time, why get involved in a war in the Middle East if it leads to higher fuel prices? If you want to bring prices down, sort this out.’
In an effort to secure Republican support for the package before the election, the Pentagon is currently holding a series of closed-door meetings. Those talks, however, may not be enough to persuade members of Congress angered by the administration’s policy towards Moscow.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/6155127-gop-pentagon-funding-trump-russia/
#USA #Ukraine #Russia
The Department of Defense had already requested the funds in July in connection with the war with Iran and the need to reform the armed forces. Of the total, $113 billion is to be allocated to expanding production capacity and $102 billion to the development of drones and missile systems. The requested funding forms part of a defence budget totalling $1.5 trillion.
Congressmen Brian Fitzpatrick and Don Bacon have openly raised the possibility of blocking the package. According to Bacon, no bill proposed by Trump will pass during the so-called ‘lame-duck’ session — the period between the congressional elections and the beginning of the new term — unless the administration changes course.
‘The administration’s decision to restrict Ukraine’s access to intelligence and the Starlink network amounts to aiding an aggressor and a war criminal who is bombing cities. Does the administration believe it will gain ANY support during the remainder of the 119th Congress? Their agenda is doomed to failure unless they take a different path,’ Bacon said.
Blocking the bill would require opposition from at least three members of the party controlling the House, but according to The Hill, the number of dissenters is growing. Pro-Ukraine Republicans mentioned in this context include Michael McCaul, Joe Wilson and Dan Newhouse.
Behind closed doors on Capitol Hill, harsh criticism is also being voiced, particularly over the agreement with Russia on diesel fuel.
‘The Capitol will exert sufficient pressure if the administration fails to realise that it must back down, even just a little. We have enough members who are not standing for re-election or who — having lost their seats — will be free from the need to work hand in hand with the president,’ one congressional aide said on condition of anonymity.
Another congressional aide is demanding that Trump reverse his agreement with Putin on diesel:
‘He must reverse this decision. We have passed a bill imposing an energy embargo on Russia. At the same time, why get involved in a war in the Middle East if it leads to higher fuel prices? If you want to bring prices down, sort this out.’
In an effort to secure Republican support for the package before the election, the Pentagon is currently holding a series of closed-door meetings. Those talks, however, may not be enough to persuade members of Congress angered by the administration’s policy towards Moscow.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/6155127-gop-pentagon-funding-trump-russia/
#USA #Ukraine #Russia
The Hill
Republicans warn that Pentagon funds will hinge on Trump getting tougher with Russia
A growing chorus of House Republicans is warning President Trump that they’re ready to block additional Pentagon funding unless the administration gets tougher on Russia. Behind Defense Secre…