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Category: War
February 18, 2025
William Upton
News
War
World

Zelensky Throws Toys From Pram, Cancels Peace Talks Appearance.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is canceling his expected appearance at peace talks with Russian officials to be held in Saudi Arabia and moderated by the United States. Zelensky instead announced on Tuesday he would depart Ankara, Turkey, where he was holding meetings with Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and head home to Ukraine.

“For Europe, it is fundamentally important that any talks on ending the war do not happen behind the backs of the key parties involved, who are affected by the consequences of Russia’s aggression,” Zelensky said in a press conference on Tuesday in Ankara. He continued: “Ukraine, and in the broader sense Europe, Turkey, and Great Britain, must be involved in the talks and in working out the necessary security guarantees, together with America, that concern our destiny in our part of the world.”

“For a lasting peace, it is important not to make any mistakes. It is only possible when the talks are just,” Zelensky added.

Between the lines, Zelensky’s 11th-hour decision to skip the Saudi Arabia talks is partly due to his desire to bring other pro-Ukrainian countries into the negotiations. Zelensky appears intent on ensuring that the United Kingdom and Turkey are party to any peace discussions, which appears to be aimed at reducing the United States’ influence on these discussions. Zelensky and U.S. President Donald J. Trump have had a strained relationship, with the latter suspecting Zelensky of being unrealistic regarding his country’s position in its ongoing U.S.-sponsored defense against Russia’s invasion.

The National Pulse has previously reported that President Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin have agreed to a series of meetings as the former continues to push the Russians to end their war with Ukraine.

Image by European Union 2023– Source: EP.

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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is canceling his expected appearance at peace talks with Russian officials to be held in Saudi Arabia and moderated by the United States. Zelensky instead announced on Tuesday he would depart Ankara, Turkey, where he was holding meetings with Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and head home to Ukraine. show more
February 14, 2025
Jack Montgomery
War

Pentagon Pre-empts DOGE Cuts.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is set to tackle the Pentagon’s massive budget. Defense officials report that DOGE members will arrive at the Defense Department as early as Friday, with the Pentagon already receiving a list of assigned DOGE officials. Anticipating DOGE’s scrutiny, some military branches are proactively proposing cuts.

The Army has identified outdated drones and surplus vehicles for elimination, potentially saving billions. Col. Dave Butler, an Army spokesman, emphasized, “We’re taking a proactive approach to making our spending more efficient. There are several systems that we know won’t survive on the modern battlefield.”

Meanwhile, according to sources familiar with the plans, the Navy is also considering cuts to frigates and littoral combat ships. The Air Force, however, declined to comment, though Musk has previously criticized the F-35 program, calling it a “flop” and its builders “idiots,” with lifetime costs projected to exceed $2 trillion.

The Defense Department’s budget, exceeding $800 billion and employing three million troops and civilians, presents DOGE’s most significant challenge yet. Historically, military branches proposed cuts to redirect funding to newer programs, but lawmakers—protecting local spending—have consistently blocked these efforts, leading to a growing Pentagon budget since 9/11. Dan Grazier of the Stimson Center has noted, “It was in the permissive post-9/11 environment that we saw a whole slew of ill-conceived weapons programs. Now we are seeing the results—failed program after failed program.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is positive about DOGE scrutinizing military spending, stating, “We welcome DOGE to the Pentagon.” However, opposition to cuts from both parties is expected. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), a DOGE supporter, predicted, “We have big [defense] spenders in both parties. I’m expecting all kinds of squealing as you’re trying to come back to some kind of prepandemic level spending.”

Image by Asten.

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The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is set to tackle the Pentagon's massive budget. Defense officials report that DOGE members will arrive at the Defense Department as early as Friday, with the Pentagon already receiving a list of assigned DOGE officials. Anticipating DOGE's scrutiny, some military branches are proactively proposing cuts. show more
February 13, 2025
William Upton
War
World

Secretary of State Rubio Expects Deal With Ukraine to Repay Aid With Rare Earth Minerals.

President Donald J. Trump’s Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, says he expects a deal to be struck with Ukraine to repay American military and economic aid with rare earth minerals mined in the Eastern European country. The acquisition and securing of rare and valuable minerals—critical in the production of semiconductors and other advanced technology—is a top priority of the Trump administration. Additionally, President Trump’s recent overtures to purchase the Arctic island of Greenland partly stem from the U.S. interest in attaining a secure supply of the vital resource.

“Some of that money will go back to pay back the U.S. taxpayer for the billions of dollars that’s been spent there,” Sec. Rubio said in a radio interview on Thursday. The deal, being negotiated at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, could see Ukraine supply the U.S. with hundreds of billions of dollars worth of graphite, uranium, titanium, and lithium in exchange for future American military aid.

“I told [Ukraine] that I want the equivalent [of] like $500 billion worth of rare earth,” President Trump said in an interview aired on Fox News on Monday. Sec. Rubio is joined in Mnuchin by Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The two cabinet officials have led ongoing talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, the latter indicating he hopes to finalize an agreement in Munich this week.

Ukraine currently has access to at least 22 of the 50 rare earth minerals considered critical to the American economy and military by the U.S. government. A deal with Ukraine would allow the U.S. to reduce the import of these critical resources from China, currently the world’s largest supplier of rare earth minerals.

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President Donald J. Trump's Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, says he expects a deal to be struck with Ukraine to repay American military and economic aid with rare earth minerals mined in the Eastern European country. The acquisition and securing of rare and valuable minerals—critical in the production of semiconductors and other advanced technology—is a top priority of the Trump administration. Additionally, President Trump's recent overtures to purchase the Arctic island of Greenland partly stem from the U.S. interest in attaining a secure supply of the vital resource. show more
February 12, 2025
William Upton
War
World

Mexico Authorizes Entry of U.S. Special Forces.

Mexico is making further overtures to avert President Donald J. Trump’s imposition of tariffs on exports to America. In  their latest move, at President Claudia Sheibaum’s urging, the Mexican Senate approved on Tuesday the entry of a U.S. Special Forces group into the country, ostensibly to train Mexico’s marines as part of the “Strengthening the Capacity of the Special Operations Forces of the Navy” program.

The training arrangement—which was approved by a unanimous vote—will see a contingent of U.S. military personnel serving as advisors and trainers for Mexico’s marine forces, with a special focus on combating the country’s drug cartels. A similar agreement was approved during the six-year term of Mexican President López Obrador, which saw 11 U.S. military personnel enter Mexico to oversee marine training.

Upon final approval by Mexico’s Ministry of the Interior and the Board of Directors of the Permanent Commission of the Congress of the Union, the U.S. military personnel will oversee training exercises from February 17 to March 28, 2025.

“With the authorization of that legislative body, a delegation made up of 10 members of the Seventh Special Forces Group of the United States of America would enter the national territory, which will carry the weapons, ammunition, material, and special equipment necessary for joint combined training,” President Sheinbaum said. The training will primarily focus on amphibious assaults, aquatic combat, and conventional and unconventional combat tactics.

The move comes as President Trump has increased pressure on both Mexico and Canada to crack down on illegal drug trafficking into the United States. Earlier this month, Trump announced and then paused the imposition of 25 percent tariffs on exports from America’s northern and southern neighbors after both countries indicated they would undertake new measures to curb the flow of illicit drugs.

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Mexico is making further overtures to avert President Donald J. Trump's imposition of tariffs on exports to America. In  their latest move, at President Claudia Sheibaum's urging, the Mexican Senate approved on Tuesday the entry of a U.S. Special Forces group into the country, ostensibly to train Mexico's marines as part of the "Strengthening the Capacity of the Special Operations Forces of the Navy" program.

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February 12, 2025
News
War
World

U.S. Will Not Send Troops to Ukraine to Enforce Ceasefire: Hegseth.

Pete Hegseth, the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense under President Donald J. Trump, has confirmed that American forces will not be part of any potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine following a ceasefire agreement. Addressing allied representatives in Brussels, Belgium, he suggested that European nations should lead in securing the continent.

During the NATO and allied meeting, Hegseth also stated that expecting Ukraine to revert to its pre-2014 territorial boundaries is “unrealistic.” He dismissed the notion of Ukraine joining NATO as a means of ensuring its security, advising against NATO involvement in a peacekeeping role. Instead, he proposed that European and non-NATO troops might deploy as part of a non-NATO mission, stressing the importance of international oversight on any line of contact.

Hegseth also highlighted that all NATO allies should raise their defense spending to five percent of GDP. He emphasized the need for Europe to assume greater responsibility for its own security.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded entry into NATO, threatening to acquire nuclear weapons if not allowed into the alliance.

The comments from Hegseth came after Zelensky called for NATO member states, including the United States, to deploy troops to Ukraine to deter any future Russian action against his country. “It can’t be without the United States… Nobody will risk without the United States,” Zelensky complained at a meeting of the globalist World Economic Forum (WEF) last month.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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Pete Hegseth, the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense under President Donald J. Trump, has confirmed that American forces will not be part of any potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine following a ceasefire agreement. Addressing allied representatives in Brussels, Belgium, he suggested that European nations should lead in securing the continent. show more
February 12, 2025
Jack Montgomery
War

Trump Says Putin Has Agreed to ‘Immediately’ Begin Negotiations to End Ukraine War.

President Donald J. Trump says President Vladimir Putin has agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine “immediately,” following what he described as a “lengthy and highly productive phone call” with the Russian leader. President Trump announced on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday that an agreement has been struck to “work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations” to stop “the millions of deaths taking place” in the conflict.

“We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now,” Trump wrote. He added that he is dispatching “Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful.”

Additionally, Trump indicates that he intends to make an official visit to Russia and that Putin has agreed to make an official state visit to the United States as well.

COMMON SENSE.

The pair are said to have reflected on their time as allies during the Second World War, when Russia—then the leading socialist republic within the Soviet Union—while “remembering, that Russia lost tens of millions of people, and we, likewise, lost so many!”

“We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together… President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, ‘COMMON SENSE.’ We both believe very strongly in it,” the America First leader said.

During his inaugural address, President Trump vowed that his “proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and a unifier.”

In addition to Ukraine, Trump, and Putin also “the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, [and] the power of the Dollar”—with Trump previously threatening crippling sanctions should the ‘BRICS’ alliance that includes Russia attempt to launch a currency rivaling the U.S. dollar for global supremacy.

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President Donald J. Trump says President Vladimir Putin has agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine "immediately," following what he described as a "lengthy and highly productive phone call" with the Russian leader. President Trump announced on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday that an agreement has been struck to "work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations" to stop "the millions of deaths taking place" in the conflict. show more
February 11, 2025
War
World

Trump Dispatches Treasury Secretary Bessent to Ukraine for Zelensky Meeting on Critical Minerals.

President Donald J. Trump has announced plans to send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine, aiming to secure a mineral trade arrangement as part of U.S. aid efforts amid Ukraine’s ongoing military conflict with Russia. Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday.

“I am sending Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This War MUST and WILL END SOON—Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show. WHEN AMERICA IS STRONG, THE WORLD IS AT PEACE.”

The special envoy assigned by Trump for Ukraine and Russia matters, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, mentioned that the Treasury Department is evaluating ways to secure a contract bringing rare-earth minerals into the U.S. The potential agreement would make U.S. aid contingent on the acquisition of these minerals.

Ukraine is a major supplier of rare-earth minerals in Europe, possessing significant deposits of lithium, titanium, uranium, and iron. President Zelensky has shown an openness to discussing mineral agreements, as noted in recent comments made by Trump during a recent interview, indicating Ukraine’s willingness to proceed with such a deal in return for sustained U.S. support.

Trump has expressed a commitment to ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, highlighting plans for negotiations involving Zelensky and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Discussions between Trump and Putin have been reported, though specific timelines for formal talks remain undisclosed.

Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. Vance is scheduled to meet with Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference this weekend, along with Lt. Gen. Kellogg. This meeting may offer further opportunities to facilitate progress toward peace in the region.

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President Donald J. Trump has announced plans to send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine, aiming to secure a mineral trade arrangement as part of U.S. aid efforts amid Ukraine's ongoing military conflict with Russia. Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday. show more
February 11, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
War
World

Netanyahu Threatens to Resume War If Hostages Not Returned By Trump’s Deadline.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the terrorist group Hamas that his country will resume its war against the Islamist organization if hostages captured on October 7, 2023, are not released by a deadline set by President Donald J. Trump for Saturday at noon. “If Hamas does not return our hostages by noon on Saturday, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will resume intense fighting until Hamas is decisively defeated,” Netanyahu said following a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday, February 11.

Initially, Israel did not expect all nine remaining hostages to be released at noon on Saturday. However, they are now backing demands from President Donald J. Trump, who called on all nine to be freed by the noon deadline.

“In light of Hamas’s announcement of its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, I instructed the IDF last night to amass forces inside and around the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu said. Israeli media reports that reservists have also been called up and deployed.

The move comes after Hamas claimed that Israel was violating the ceasefire deal, which President Trump helped to broker. As a result, the terror group stated it would postpone the release of hostages.

The initial ceasefire agreement called on Hamas to release all hostages in a three-phase plan. Hamas has already released some hostages who were held for over 500 days.

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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the terrorist group Hamas that his country will resume its war against the Islamist organization if hostages captured on October 7, 2023, are not released by a deadline set by President Donald J. Trump for Saturday at noon. "If Hamas does not return our hostages by noon on Saturday, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will resume intense fighting until Hamas is decisively defeated," Netanyahu said following a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday, February 11. show more
February 11, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
War
World

Zelensky Offers Russia Territory Swap After Lacklustre Kursk Offensive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is reportedly open to exchanging territory with Russia after an attempted Ukrainian military offensive in Russia’s Kursk region. The Ukrainian leader has offered to return the land Ukrainian forces now occupy in Kursk in exchange for land Russia occupies. Zelensky was not specific about what territory he wished to regain in the trade.

“I don’t know, we will see. But all our territories are important, there is no priority,” Zelensky told the Guardian newspaper in an interview on Tuesday, February 11.

The announcement by Zelensky comes after Ukraine attempted a new offensive in the Kursk region earlier this month. Russian Defense Ministry sources claim that Russian military forces repelled the attack, while Ukrainian sources claim their forces had made some advances in the area.

President Zelensky recently expressed a desire to meet with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for face-to-face talks. Putin and the Kremlin, meanwhile, refuse to recognize Zelensky as the legitimate leader of Ukraine, arguing that his term as president ended last year in May. Under Ukraine’s current martial law status, no new elections have been held.

President Donald J. Trump has stated that he spoke with President Putin this week on ending the conflict, but he did not go into detail on what was said. President Trump has vowed to end the war and negotiate a ceasefire.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is reportedly open to exchanging territory with Russia after an attempted Ukrainian military offensive in Russia's Kursk region. The Ukrainian leader has offered to return the land Ukrainian forces now occupy in Kursk in exchange for land Russia occupies. Zelensky was not specific about what territory he wished to regain in the trade. show more
February 11, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
Crime
War
World

Woman Sentenced to 12 Years for Enslaving Children with ISIS.

A woman has sentenced a woman to 12 years in prison for taking part in the enslavement of children and women in Syria when she was a member of the Islamic State terrorist group. Lina Ishaq, 52, was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes by a Stockholm court and was sentenced on Tuesday, February 11.

Ishaq was a member of the Islamic State terrorist group and lived in Raqqa, Syria, in 2015, when the group controlled that area of the country. During that time, she enslaved at least three women and six children belonging to the Yazidi minority.

The victims, who all appeared as plaintiffs in the case, stated they were all held for at least five months by the terrorist group after Islamic State fighters had initially captured them during a series of attacks on their villages in Iraq in August of 2014.

Ishaq is said to have forcibly converted the victims to Islam and made them recite the Quran and pray five times a day. The victims were also forced to do household chores, and some were held for years by human traffickers.

While the Islamic State no longer holds vast swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, and several of its leaders have been killed, the group remains a threat. Several recent terror attacks have seen perpetrators pledge allegiance to the group, including the New Orleans New Year’s Day terrorist.

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

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A woman has sentenced a woman to 12 years in prison for taking part in the enslavement of children and women in Syria when she was a member of the Islamic State terrorist group. Lina Ishaq, 52, was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes by a Stockholm court and was sentenced on Tuesday, February 11. show more