Friday, August 8, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Zelensky scolded at the White House – “You’re gambling with World War III”

The war in Ukraine

Published 28 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read

During an explosive meeting at the White House on Friday, a heated confrontation unfolded between US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The meeting, broadcast on rolling TV cameras, culminated in Trump and Vance demanding that Ukraine immediately start peace talks with Russia – with the threat of withdrawing all military aid.

You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now, Trump told Zelensky.

– Do you think it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country? added Vance.

When Zelensky responded by pointing out “we’ve been alone”, Trump countered that the US has contributed $350 billion in military aid since the conflict escalated.

Trump also vehemently denied accusations by media on the ground of allying himself with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

– I’m not aligned with anybody. I’m aligned with the United States and for the good of the world, Trump said.

In one of the sharpest statements to Zelensky, Trump warned of disastrous consequences if the war does not end.

You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people, you’re gambling with World War III, he stressed.

Finally, Trump gave an ultimatum:

– You’re either going to make a deal, or we’re out.

Zelensky kicked out of the Oval Office press conference canceled

After the meeting, which according to Reuters ended prematurely, the subsequent planned press conference was canceled.

“He can come back when he is ready for peace”, Trump commented at the Truth Social after Zelensky was “kicked out” of the Oval Office, according to Fox News.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev mocked the incident on Telegram:

“Trump told the cocaine clown the truth to his face: the Kiev regime is gambling with World War III”.

Elon Musk, an adviser and efficiency minister in the Trump administration, said on X that Zelensky had made a fool of himself with his appearance.

Zelensky has destroyed himself in the eyes of the American people”.

Mineral deal signed but peace path uncertain

Meanwhile, Trump claims a ceasefire is “pretty close” but that the terms remain unclear.

Despite the bitter tone, an agreement on US access to Ukraine’s mineral resources was confirmed to be signed. According to reports, 50% of the proceeds from resource extraction will be put into a joint fund for reinvestment in Ukraine. The deal, which the Ukrainian government approved on Wednesday, is valued by the White House at a whopping $20 billion.

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Nordic countries unite on new major aid package for Ukraine

The war in Ukraine

Published 6 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The support package will include ammunition for the Patriot air defense system, among other items.
2 minute read

Sweden, Norway and Denmark are joining forces in a new military aid package for Ukraine. Sweden is providing the largest portion of the assistance, which includes air defense systems, anti-tank weapons and ammunition.

In July, Donald Trump and NATO agreed on an aid package for Ukraine – an initiative where the US delivers advanced defense equipment to selected NATO countries, which in turn coordinate and finance further deliveries to Ukraine. So far, about ten NATO countries, including Sweden, have endorsed this arrangement.

Now Sweden, Norway and Denmark have decided to jointly contribute a military aid package totaling $500 million – Sweden’s share amounts to around $275 million.

We welcome the US decision to provide equipment to Ukraine, including ammunition for the Patriot air defense system, and that NATO is coordinating the support. Ukraine has a great need for support from allies and partners to defend itself against Russian aggression, says Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson (Moderate Party) at a press conference.

— Ukraine stands on the front line for our freedom and democracy. Blue-yellow solidarity is therefore the single most important thing right now. We stand by their side for as long as it takes, aid package after aid package – military and humanitarian. Together in NATO, together with Ukraine, we continue to defend freedom, claims Swedish Education and Integration Minister Simona Mohamsson (Liberal Party).

The aid package will include air defense systems, anti-tank weapons and ammunition that will be procured by the US and delivered to Ukraine. Sweden has previously contributed military support worth nearly €8 billion since the war in Ukraine began.

Greene: Ukraine support a betrayal of the American people

The war in Ukraine

Published 6 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Greene is highly critical of the neoconservative "war hawks" within the Republican Party - and their influence.
2 minute read

Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene directs harsh criticism at party colleagues and other politicians who continue to want to send American aid to Ukraine.

In a post on X, she describes the support as a “complete betrayal” of the American people – and argues that voters have already said no to financing foreign conflicts.

“Funding, fueling, and ultimately fighting Russia in Ukraine would be a complete betrayal to the majority of Americans”, she writes, referring to the recent presidential election where Trump defeated Joe Biden and returned to the White House.

According to Greene, one of the voters’ clearest signals was to put a stop to US involvement in foreign wars.

“America voted to end funding and fighting foreign wars”, the Republican adds.

Her statement came the day after a new bill was presented in the Senate, where $54.6 billion is proposed to be earmarked for Ukraine for budget years 2026 and 2027.

“Don’t want to pay to murder people”

Greene accuses politicians on both sides of the aisle of ignoring the message voters conveyed in the election. She argues that young Americans in particular feel betrayed:

“Republicans supporting such policies could lose the younger generation of voters and may never get them back”.

She argues that people under 50 increasingly feel unrepresented by both Republicans and Democrats, not least because of how tax money is used:

“Various taxpayer-funded initiatives have made life unaffordable and the future bleak for the vast majority of average American”, she continued.

In the same post, Greene criticizes the moral foundation for American Ukraine support:

“American taxpayers do not want to pay to murder people in some foreign land over a foreign conflict that has absolutely zero effect on our lives”.

Corrupt leadership?

She also supports the president’s line, where European countries are expected to bear greater responsibility for the war in Ukraine. Trump has since his return to the White House opposed continued economic support to Kyiv and has repeatedly questioned how the money is used and warned that billions from the Biden administration’s previous aid packages may have been embezzled.

Trump’s former advisor Steve Cortes has also expressed harsh criticism. He has called Ukraine “corrupt” and warned that its leadership “cannot be trusted,” referring to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acting against independent anti-corruption bodies.

Greene has in previous statements called Zelensky a “dictator” and accused him of blocking all peace initiatives.

The Russian government has in turn repeatedly warned that the Western world’s military and economic support to Ukraine only prolongs the war and leads to more bloodshed. According to Moscow, every new aid package is an obstacle to peace negotiations.

Russia rules out talks between Putin and Zelensky without final agreement

The war in Ukraine

Published 25 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Moscow says no to a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyj before a finished agreement is on the table.
2 minute read

Russia currently rules out a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, unless the parties first agree on the draft of a finished memorandum. This was stated by Vladimir Medinsky, the Kremlin’s lead negotiator in talks with Ukraine, in connection with the latest peace talks in Turkey.

Medinsky, one of the most prominent representatives of the Kremlin in the ongoing peace negotiations, emphasized that a personal meeting between the two leaders is only meaningful if they have already agreed on the terms of a peace agreement and are ready to sign it.

There’s no point in meeting only to begin negotiations from square one, he said, referring to previous summits that in practice prolonged the conflict rather than resolved it.

He also brought up historical cases where heads of state only met to sign already negotiated agreements, not to initiate new processes.

As an example, Medinsky mentioned the Chinese civil war in the 1940s:

Chiang Kai-shek constantly insisted on meeting in person to discuss everything. I believe they met five times, smiled, and posed for photographs, but it did not bring an end to the civil war. The core issues remained unresolved, and the war went on.

The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed Medinsky’s line and stated that Russia considers such a meeting relevant only when a final agreement is in place.

The statements come at a time when the question of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky is once again being discussed internationally as a possible path to peace in Ukraine.

Parties far apart from each other

Many diplomats and international actors, not least in the West, have for a long time advocated direct talks between the two leaders to break the diplomatic deadlock in the conflict.

Volodymyr Zelenskyj has previously expressed a willingness to meet Putin to discuss peace, but has also set demands including the withdrawal of Russian forces and confirmation of Ukraine’s sovereignty as prerequisites.

Russia, for its part, has consistently demanded that the talks should be based on Russian security interests, including control over certain territories – something that the Ukrainian government rejects.

Medinsky’s and Peskov’s statements underscore that Russia does not see any immediate room for a summit as long as the fundamental prerequisites for peace are not already established, which makes the conditions for direct dialogue continue to be difficult.

Ukraine’s parliament passes law undermining anti-corruption efforts

The war in Ukraine

Published 23 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
SAPO chief Oleksandr Klymenko (left) and NABU director Semen Kryvonos during a press conference in Kyiv after the parliament approved a bill that abolishes the independence of the two agencies.
2 minute read

Ukraine’s parliament adopted legislative amendments on Monday that severely limit the independence of the country’s two central anti-corruption agencies. The opposition and monitoring organizations warn that the reform “destroys” the agencies’ autonomy.

Parliament voted through legislative changes that give the prosecutor general new extensive powers over investigations led by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). The law was adopted with support from 263 parliamentarians, while 13 voted against and 13 abstained, writes The Kyiv Independent.

The legislative amendment still requires Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s signature to take effect, and the president has the option to veto it.

New powers draw criticism

Under the new law, the prosecutor general gains the authority to issue directives for NABU’s investigations or even transfer them to other agencies. The prosecutor general can also delegate SAPO’s powers to other prosecutors and close NABU investigations at the request of the judicial system.

The agencies themselves have reacted strongly to the changes. NABU announced in a statement that the amendments mean “destruction of NABU and SAPO’s independence and practically subordinate their activities to the prosecutor general”.

This is effectively the end of the work of two independent institutions, said Oleksandr Klymenko, head of SAPO, during a press conference after the vote.

NABU’s director, Semen Kryvonos, condemned the legislation and argued that it threatens Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration. He also expressed hope that Zelensky would veto the law.

Just one day before the vote, several law enforcement agencies, including the prosecutor general’s office and the security service SBU, conducted extensive searches at NABU and SAPO. Fifteen NABU employees are being investigated for various crimes, from traffic violations to espionage.

Concerns over aid accountability

While anti-corruption efforts face pressure, questions have been raised about accountability for the extensive Western aid to Ukraine. Since February 2024, the West has provided approximately $314 billion in support, with the Pentagon acknowledging that over $1 billion in advanced weapons systems cannot be properly tracked – though without evidence of theft, but rather due to inadequate tracking systems under wartime conditions.

The most documented corruption case to date linked to Ukraine involves Poland, where the EU’s anti-fraud office, OLAF, discovered irregularities worth €91 million in a generator project for Ukraine. Within Ukraine itself, the security service revealed in January 2024 a corruption scandal worth $40 million where the defense ministry paid for shells that were never delivered.

International monitoring organizations maintain that various control mechanisms have been established, but developments regarding NABU and SAPO now raise concerns that future aid could be affected by weakened anti-corruption efforts.

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