Fred Weir

2 weeks ago | csmonitor.com | Fred Weir

President Donald Trump’s hopes of securing a quick Ukraine peace deal hang in the balance after Washington’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, held his fourth Kremlin meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday. The talks’ focus is reportedly to bridge the gap between Russia’s demands for recognition of its annexations, and those of Europe-backed Ukraine to ensure its territorial integrity and security.

2 weeks ago | csmonitor.com | Fred Weir

President Donald Trump’s hopes of securing a quick Ukraine peace deal hang in the balance after Washington’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, held his fourth Kremlin meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday. The focus of today’s talks is reportedly to bridge the gap between Russia’s demands for recognition of its annexations, and those of Europe-backed Ukraine to ensure its territorial integrity and security.

1 month ago | csmonitor.com | Fred Weir

Voice of America started programming in Russian in 1947 at the start of the Cold War, and from the very beginning the Soviets sought to silence it. Authorities made elaborate efforts to jam the signals of foreign radio stations like VOA that broadcast news happening both inside and outside the USSR. In the era of Vladimir Putin, VOA came under attack again. In 2014, Kremlin authorities labeled it a “foreign agent” spreading propaganda aimed at undermining the Russian state.

2 months ago | csmonitor.com | Fred Weir

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is ready in principle to accept Donald Trump’s idea of a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but that the devil is in the details and that more work is needed to craft an acceptable deal. Mr. Putin met Mr. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, in the Kremlin Thursday night, but neither side had anything to say when they emerged.

2 months ago | csmonitor.com | Fred Weir

A couple of years ago, Arend Feenstra and his wife, Anneesa, were unhappy with their lives in northern Saskatchewan. Mr. Feenstra says that it was getting increasingly difficult in Canada to make a living as a farmer, with costs going up and too many middlemen between field and grocery store partaking of the profits. Moreover, they were fed up with what they describe as “woke” culture, particularly the defense of LGBTQ+ and trans causes, which he claims is ubiquitous in Canada.