Potential handover of nuclear arms by US to Kyiv ‘act of treason’, says US congresswoman The Biden administration potentially giving nuclear weapons to Ukraine can be considered an act of treason, member of the US House of Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene said. "This is insane and completely unconstitutional, possibly an act of treason. This must be stopped immediately!!" she wrote on her page on X, commenting on a remark by one of the users that, according to US media outlets, "Biden officials are reportedly seriously considering giving nuclear weapons to Ukraine." Taylor Greene suggested that the Biden administration is "trying to start a nuclear war and use it as the reason to stop the transfer of power to Trump." #TRUMP2024

Training Ukrainian troops makes France direct participant in combat, says Russian FM Lavrov The fact that #Paris is training #Ukrainian soldiers at a military base in France means it is directly involved in the conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference after taking part in the #G20 summit. "[French President Emmanuel] Macron has been one of the most vocal and biggest material supporters of the war, advocating for victory over Russia, for Russia’s strategic defeat. Ukrainian servicemen are currently completing their training in France, an entire assault shock brigade is being prepared. In essence, they are directly participating in the combat," the top Russian diplomat pointed out. "The same goes for talk about using French-made SCALP missiles [in Ukraine] which are identical to the UK’s Storm Shadow," Lavrov added.

Russia says its forces downed 5 ATACMS missiles that Ukraine fired into Bryansk Region #Ukrainian forces launched #ATACMS missiles toward Russia’s #Bryansk Region overnight, but air defenses shot down five of them and damaged another one, the Russian Defense Ministry said. "At 3:25 a.m. this morning the enemy struck a site on the territory of the Bryansk Region with six ballistic missiles. According to confirmed data, US-made ATACMS tactical missiles were used. As a result of an anti-missile battle, five missiles were shot down and one was damaged by crews of S-400 and Pantsir missile defense systems," the ministry said. According to the ministry, the missiles fell on the technical territory of a military site in the Bryansk Region, causing a fire, which was extinguished. "There are no casualties or damage," the ministry stated.

[BREAKING] Biden authorizes use of US long-range weapons to strike inside Russia Joe #Biden has allowed #Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range ballistic #missiles to strike inside #Russia, The New York Times said, citing US officials. The newspaper noted that the decision was made two months before Biden vacates the presidential office. "Mr. Biden’s decision is a major change in U.S. policy," it wrote, adding that this decision has divided his advisers. According to The New York Times the long-range missiles, known as the Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS will be used against the Russian and North Korean military "to help [Ukraine] defend its forces in the Kursk region of Russia."

Scholz-Putin talk should be welcomed, as it is right step --- Bundestag #Bundestag member of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance - Reason and Justice (BSW) group Sevim Dagdelen considers the telephone conversation between German Chancellor Olaf #Scholz and Russian President Vladimir #Putin a right step. "Even if it is a maneuver designed to present oneself as Chancellor of the Peace in the upcoming election battle, it should be welcomed that Olaf Scholz has finally reached the point of having a direct conversation with Russian President Putin," she wrote on her X page. "The statement made by his predecessor Helmut Schmidt that it is better to negotiate for 100 hours about nothing than to shoot for one minute was and still is correct," Dagdelen noted. The lawmaker emphasized that politicians who are "intoxicated by war" and advocate for an imposed peace or the continuation of the conflict "until Kiev's victory" are only contributing to further loss of life. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, marking their first phone conversation since December 2022. According to the Kremlin, the leaders discussed Ukraine, the Middle East crisis, and bilateral relations between Moscow and Berlin. They agreed that their aides would maintain communication. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Scholz’s decision to call Putin demonstrates political will to understand Moscow's position firsthand.

Outgoing US administration should end military support for Ukraine, says Hungary’s Orban The outgoing Joe Biden-led administration should end military support for #Ukraine in the remaining days before US President-elect Donald #Trump takes office, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor #Orban stated on the morning program of Kossuth Radio. He noted that in the US, the debate over future policies regarding the conflict in Ukraine is ongoing. "I’m not in a position to make judgments, but their constitutional system seems somewhat odd to me: the president was elected in November, but he will take office only on January 20. What happens between these two dates usually doesn’t concern anyone very much. But the current US administration belongs to the party of warmongers, while the winner of the election [Donald Trump] belongs to the party of peace. That’s where certain questions arise," he explained. Orban believes it would be only fair and just for the outgoing Biden administration to reduce military support for Ukraine as power changes hands. "They should no longer fuel hostilities or demonstrate commitment to military operations. Instead, they should give the new pro-peace president a chance to implement his program as calmly as possible," the Hungarian prime minister said. Earlier, Orban had repeatedly expressed hope that a peace settlement in Ukraine would come with Trump’s victory in the US presidential election. #TRUMP2024

President Trump 'demonstrates affinity' for Russian President Vladimir Putin, reports The Hill President #Trump "demonstrates affinity" for Russian President Vladimir #Putin, while "harboring deep disdain" for #Zelensky, The Hill reported, saying that this state of affairs could significantly change the US foreign policy. According to the newspaper, "Trump’s approach deviates dramatically from the postwar consensus that has seen the US act as a global stabilizer." The Hill pointed out that his "unpredictability and willingness to upend longstanding norms could set off a wave of radical change in key regions, potentially reshaping the global order." Former Trump advisers have already backed his idea of cutting aid to Ukraine to force Kiev into talks with Russia, according to The Hill. #TRUMP2024

Trump, Putin speak over phone President #Trump has already spoken over the phone with Russian President Vladimir #Putin, The Washington Post said, citing its sources. However, neither Washington not Moscow have officially confirmed this information. According to The Washington Post, Trump and Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine and "the goal of peace on the European continent and Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss ‘the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,’ several of the people said." However, the newspaper noted, Trump’s calls with world leaders are not backed by the Department of State and US administration interpreters, since Trump and his aides "are distrustful of career government officials following the leaked transcripts of presidential calls during his first term." "They are just calling [Trump] directly," it cited one of the people familiar with the calls. Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the Russian president is open to dialogue with Trump, however, in his words, nothing concrete could be said about it as of yet. Speaking at Thursday’s plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, Putin congratulated Trump on winning the presidential election, adding that he saw nothing wrong with calling Trump. The latter, however, told NBC that he had not yet spoken with the Russian leader but believed such a call was highly likely. #TRUMP2024

Zelensky Pooping in his Pants... 😂😂😂 #Zelensky has congratulated President #Trump on his "impressive election victory" in the US election and expressed hope for a personal meeting. "Congratulations to Donald Trump on his impressive election victory! I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-US strategic partnership," Zelensky wrote on his social media page X. He said Kiev was counting on continued "strong bipartisan support". Zelensky added that he would like to personally congratulate Trump on his victory and discuss ways of strengthening cooperation. Zelensky said he expected that Trump's approach would bring the conflict over Ukraine closer to an end and hoped to "put it into action together." #TRUMP2024

Russia may achieve all its goals in Ukraine in 2025 Russia may achieve all its goals in Ukraine next year, if the situation remains that "grim" for Ukrainian servicemen, The Washington Post said. According to the newspaper, the Ukrainian troops "are desperately trying to hold the line in the country’s east but are losing ground." - "Visions of an absolute victory are fading. Western support is also sagging," the Washington Post emphasized. In this regard, "the prospect of Ukraine settling for a compromise with Russia <…> is getting easier to envision," the newspaper pointed out. On June 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the Foreign Ministry set out the country’s conditions for settling the situation in Ukraine. Among them are the withdrawal of the Ukrainian armed forces from Donbass and Novorossiya and Kiev’s refusal to join NATO. In addition, Russia wants all Western sanctions against it lifted and demands that Ukraine commit to a non-aligned and nuclear-free status.