Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill banning the adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender reassignment surgery is legal.At the same time, he has approved a law banning the dissemination of material discouraging people from having children.
The new laws, approved by both chambers of the Russian parliament, are part of a broader effort to strengthen what Russian authorities describe as traditional values, The Associated Press reports.
According to Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the Russian lower house of parliament, the aim is to protect Russian children from “dangers” linked to gender manipulation in those countries.
– it is extremely important to eliminate possible dangers in the form of gender reassignment that adopted children may face in these countries, Volodin wrote in a Telegram post earlier this year.
The adoption ban covers at least 15 countries, mainly in Europe, as well as Australia, Argentina and Canada. Back in 2012, Russia imposed a ban on the adoption of Russian children by US citizens.
“…public arguments against having children are part of purported Western efforts to weaken Russia by encouraging population decline.”
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Moscow bans adoption of Russian children to countries that allow gender transitionhttps://t.co/E3MRqHrKGO
The laws have drawn criticism from international human rights organizations, which say they make it difficult for children to find stable family relationships abroad.
At the same time, Moscow insists that the measures are “necessary to protect the country’s future and demographic development”. Russia has tightened legislation related to LGBT issues and gender identity in recent years.
Last year, it banned medical procedures aimed at changing gender identity and labeled the LGBT movement as extremist. Vladimir Putin also signed a law banning the dissemination of LGBT-related information to people of all ages.
With the population shrinking, Putin has repeatedly advocated large families and urged women to have more children. During a speech last year, he suggested that women should aim to have as many as eight children.
According to the Kremlin, the new laws will help promote traditional values and ensure a stable future for future generations in Russia.
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Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, says he is ready to sit at the negotiating table and talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin if that is the only way to bring peace to Ukraine.
However, Zelensky is careful to emphasize that he still considers Putin “an enemy” and “murderer”– but that the most important thing now is to end the war quickly.
In a lengthy interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, published this week, the Ukrainian president confirmed that he has abandoned his previous position of not giving up any territory to Russia and that the focus is now on ending the war.
– Today, we cannot reclaim all our territories. We are reasonable people. We cannot sacrifice millions of our people for an outcome that is uncertain.
He also states that he is ready to negotiate with Russia and Putin – something previously dismissed as unthinkable.
– If this is the only configuration in which we can bring peace to the citizens of Ukraine and not lose more lives, then, of course, we will proceed with a meeting involving these four parties (Ukraine, Russia, the US and Europe).
– Frankly, what difference does it make how I personally feel about him? (Putin) I still won’t regard him in a positive light. To be honest, I consider him an enemy. And, truthfully, I believe he sees me as an enemy as well. That’s all.
Demanding security guarantees
Zelensky claims Putin is “a murderer and a terrorist” but says he is ready to sit down at the negotiating table if his allies demand it.
– Talking to Putin at all – one conversation with this murderer – is already a compromise. Isn’t that true? I am convinced that engaging with him is already a compromise for the entire civilized world. Beyond that, everyone must stay strong, support Ukraine, strengthen Ukraine, and not betray Ukraine, he pleads.
Ukraine’s leaders point out that Donald Trump wants to see results and hopes that the active phase of the war can soon be over – but also emphasize that they want strong security guarantees to avoid a flare-up.
– Should we not think about our grandchildren? If the Russians decide to come back in 10 or 20 years, is that not a risk?
“NATO provides guarantees”
The solution, according to the President, is for Ukraine to be granted NATO membership very quickly– but that is not enough. Ukraine, with the help of its allies, must also build “the largest professional army in Europe”.
– NATO provides guarantees. It makes another Russian invasion highly unlikely. NATO is also a guarantee for NATO members themselves – Ukraine will strengthen the alliance with hundreds of thousands of highly trained troops, making NATO even stronger. That matters for everyone. And NATO is even a guarantee for Russians: it ensures that Ukraine, over time, will not wage war against them but will resolve all issues diplomatically.
NATO soldiers during an exercise. Photo: NATO/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
In practice, however, Ukraine’s membership of the US-led military pact is considered highly unlikely by many analysts – and in such a scenario, according to Zelensky, “a million-strong army – at a minimum” is needed. However, such an effort is seen as very costly.
“Give us nuclear weapons”
If Ukraine’s NATO membership remains a distant dream that is unlikely to materialize in the next few years, Zelensky suggests another solution – that Ukraine’s allies share their nuclear weapons with Kiev.
– What will protect us from this evil? All this time, or along this entire path, what support package will it be? What missiles? Will we get our nuclear weapons back? Let us get our nuclear weapons back, he demands.
When the Soviet Union fell, Ukraine inherited some 1,700 nuclear warheads, which however remained under Moscow’s operational control and which were also handed over to Russia in 1994 in exchange for security guarantees. It is these nuclear weapons that Zelensky now wants back and describes as “his”.
– Give us nuclear weapons back, give us strong missile systems, partners, help us fund a million-man army, and deploy your contingent to those parts of our country where we want the maximum stability, the president repeats.
Handing over Soviet nuclear weapons was a fatal mistake, says Zelensky. Photo: George Chernilevsky
“Deserves a just peace”
If Ukraine had not handed over Soviet nuclear weapons in the 1990s, Putin would never have dared to attack, according to Zelenskyj, who believes that this decision effectively left Ukraine completely unprotected – without receiving anything of value in return.
– Those were our security guarantees. Undoubtedly, it was because of them that he invaded. They should have been exchanged, and if we were to give up nuclear weapons, that could have been discussed. There was certainly such a policy in the world. But for what? It should have been exchanged for NATO, it should have been exchanged for NATO weapons. We didn’t even start receiving NATO weapons, honestly, until after the full-scale invasion.
The interview ends with Zelensky stressing that the focus now must be on not just ending the war – but ensuring it does not resume again.
– I believe it would be incredibly difficult for us to withstand another war if it were to return. That’s why I always emphasize the importance of security guarantees – guarantees strong enough to ensure that this man (Putin) never comes back. I simply don’t want the Ukrainian people to have to face another challenge like this.
– We deserve a just peace. And today, the timeline for these agreements, the strength of these agreements depend on President Trump. And they depend on us, on our dialogue, and on the pressure placed on Putin. I believe the sooner we do this, the happier people will be – everywhere.
In November, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant – both accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Now Donald Trump is responding with sanctions – but not against the Israeli war criminals, but against the court that allegedly threatens the US and its allies.
“I, Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America, find that the International Criminal Court (ICC), as established by the Rome Statute, has engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”, the President writes in his decree.
“The ICC has, without a legitimate basis, asserted jurisdiction over and opened preliminary investigations concerning personnel of the United States and certain of its allies, including Israel, and has further abused its power by issuing baseless arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant”, it further claims.
Trump is careful to point out that the ICC has no jurisdiction over either the US or Israel because neither country has ratified the Rome Statute, is a member of the ICC or has recognized the court.
“Both nations are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war”, the presidential order continues.
President Trump has signed sanctions on the ICC. Last May, I asked chief prosecutor Karim Khan about possible retaliation for seeking arrest warrants. “We’re not going to be dissuaded by threats,” he told me then. “We have to fulfil our responsibilities as prosecutors… to… pic.twitter.com/GtCyIk16C6
It can be noted that Trump’s move comes in the context of Netanyahu’s visit to the US President in Washington, where the two also unveiled the plan to turn Gaza into American territory and permanently displace the entire Palestinian population.
According to Trump, the ICC’s actions against Israel and the US “set a dangerous precedent” and “undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States Government and our allies, including Israel”.
“The United States will impose tangible and significant consequences on those responsible for the ICC’s transgressions, some of which may include the blocking of property and assets, as well as the suspension of entry into the United States of ICC officials, employees, and agents, as well as their immediate family members, as their entry into our Nation would be detrimental to the interests of the United States”, he continued.
“Final solution”
According to local authorities, nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during the Israeli invasion – the majority of them women and children. Many more have been injured or are reported missing and a majority of the territory’s population is now internally displaced.
Trump’s continued close alliance with Israel and the ethnic cleansing of Gaza is also facing harsh criticism, including from American journalist Max Blumenthal, who argues that the American people hardly benefit from funding or participating in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians:
Trump’s pledge to “take over” Gaza offered a rare opportunity to hear an American president articulate the logic of Zionism in its rawest, most essential form. The history of Israel is defined by a continuous process of controlling and removing the Palestinian population by…
”Now, Trump has vowed to carry out the Final Solution on Israel’s behalf, and possibly with US troops. Israelis love his genocidal energy, with 80% telling the Jerusalem Post they favor Trump’s plan, and only 13% declaring it ‘immoral’. Average Americans might be less enthusiastic about embarking on a foreign ethnic cleansing adventure, but as this episode makes undeniably clear, they are not the ones who determine their government’s policy when it comes to the ‘Jewish and democratic’ state“.
The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, has decided to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO).The decision comes shortly after US President Donald Trump announced that the US has also started the process of leaving the organization.
According to Milei, the decision is due to deep disagreements on health issues.
Javier Milei has announced that he has instructed his Foreign Minister, Gerardo Werhin, to begin the process of withdrawal from the WHO and the decision was presented through a decree signed on February 5, 2025, La Nacion reports.
The Argentine president believes that the decision is based on deep disagreements between the country’s own health policy versus WHO guidelines, especially in the context of the coronavirus crisis. Milei, known for his libertarian and market liberal positions, further accuses the organization of being “an instrument of leftist ideology”, and not focusing on core medical issues.
MILEI’s POST AFTER LEAVING THE W.H.O.
“We will never forget that they were the thinkers of such a caveman-like quarantine that involved, in accordance with the 1998 Rome Statute (article 7.k), committing, in complicity with all the States that took their orders, one of the most… https://t.co/6a1uQoLqDHpic.twitter.com/hShkxnv8UR
The Argentine government has declared that it intends to follow formal procedures for an organized withdrawal. This process, assuming it goes smoothly, is expected to take between six and twelve months.
The decision means that Argentina formally ends its membership of an organization it has been affiliated with since 1948. The Mileis administration believes that the country can address international health challenges through bilateral agreements.
Following in the footsteps of the US
US President Donald Trump has also announced that the US plans to leave the WHO. Trump’s decision is partly based on what he sees as the deep injustice of the US paying too much to the WHO compared to China.
However, this is not the first time Trump has made such a decision. During his previous term, he initiated a similar process, which was later withdrawn by Joe Biden when he took office in 2021.
At the time of writing, neither the WHO nor Milei have made any official comment on the pledge.
The much-criticized US aid and development agency USAID may soon be shut down, according to Elon Musk, who heads the Trump administration’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In an official statement, the White House also points out that the agency is deeply dysfunctional, and that US taxpayers’ money has been wasted on LGBTQ propaganda for children in other countries, funding of terrorists in the Middle East, and financial support for an organization that has been engaged in experimental virus research at the infamous Wuhan laboratory.
Trump’s negative attitude towards the agency has been well known for a long time, and he has declared that it is “time for it to die”.
Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), says the President is of the same opinion and “agrees that we should shut it down”.
– It became apparent that its not an apple with a worm it in. What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair. We’re shutting it down.
“Did you know that USAID, using your tax dollars, funded research on bioweapons, including covid-19, that killed millions of people?” he writes in a post on his own platform X.
Did you know that USAID, using YOUR tax dollars, funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people? https://t.co/YVwyKA7ifs
The White House seems to share the view that it is time for the agency to “die”. A press release states that for decades the agency has “has been unaccountable to taxpayersas it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous – and, in many cases, malicious – pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight” and that those responsible have never been held accountable for their actions.
It also lists the following examples of “waste and abuse” and emphasizes that this is only a small part of the agency’s destructive activities:
$1.5 million to “promote diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business community”
$70,000 for the production of a “DEI musical” in Ireland
$2.5 million for electric vehicles in Vietnam
$47,000 for a “trans opera” in Colombia
$32,000 for a “transgender newspaper” in Peru
$2 million for gender reassignment and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala
$6 million dollars to fund tourism in Egypt
Hundreds of thousands of dollars to a nonprofit with ties to terrorist-labeled organizations – even after an inspector general launched an investigation
Millions to EcoHealth Alliance – which was involved in research at the Wuhan lab
Hundreds of thousands of meals that went to al-Qaeda affiliated fighters in Syria
Funding to prescribe “personalized” contraceptives in developing countries
Hundreds of millions of dollars to fund “irrigation canals, farming equipment, and even fertilizer used to support the unprecedented poppy cultivation and heroin production in Afghanistan”, which benefits the Taliban.
“The list could literally go on and on – and all this has been going on for decades.Under President Trump, the waste, fraud, and abuse will end immediately”, the White House communique concludes.
Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) reads off a list of what USAID has been funding with U.S. taxes:
– $1.5m to Serbian DEI ️ programs
– $70k for a DEI ️ musical in Ireland
– $47k for Colombian trans ️⚧️ operas
– $32k for Peruvian trans ️⚧️ comics for kids pic.twitter.com/DS1CsT4yYD
The agency has also been accused of funneling money to suspicious lobby groups and foundations, where it is often unclear where the money has actually ended up. It is also alleged to have funded CIA-linked organizations and projects engaged in subversion in other countries to further US geopolitical interests.