Nicholas Vinocur

RT @ACT_FAST_: The deadline is here. It’s been 2 weeks. Is this another T.A.C.O. moment? https://t.co/0MIU46T6RR

RT @MSolletty: Michel Barnier slams ‘authoritarian drift’ in Brussels under Ursula von der Leyen Speaking to POLITICO's @cleacaulcutt @Nic…

RT @POLITICOEurope: The Security Service of Ukraine sent a barrage of drones to attack four military airfields in Russia, hitting 41 of Mos…

The details of this strike using FPV drones smuggled deep into Russia are nothing short of jaw-dropping. Kyiv has made a powerful statement to set the scene for further peace negotiations with Moscow https://t.co/hE84YlkMlp

RT @JorgeLiboreiro: Ursula von der Leyen proposes a "new form of Pax Europaea for the 21st century – one shaped and managed by Europe itsel…

RT @DarrigoMelanie: Don’t know who needs to hear this but claiming that you’ve prevented lots of really bad things from happening to our en…

RT @jmart: The mood music for ⁦@peterbakernyt⁩ piece on the lack of outrage over The Trump Grift: the same week the sitting prez held a d…

Concerning

Anton Gerashchenko @Gerashchenko_en

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: "Russia is at an enormous pace reconstituting itself. They are producing at this moment, ammunition at a level which has not been seen in recent decades. They produce four times as much ammunition as the whole of NATO is producing as we speak. https://t.co/8q0JQHILzj

Zero agenda, but thnks for the long post. San Diego is a long way from EU. The view here is that Trump is giving Putin an out at every key juncture, doing zero to pressure Russia, resisting calls in his own party to do so. Call that what you will (plus, the UKR aid is all legacy)

Branislav Slantchev @slantchev

POLITICO-Europe seems hell-bent on pushing the Kremlin strategy of dividing the US from Europe. Nobody in their right mind is going be saying anything like this, for two reasons. First, it's false. The US is NOT an ally to Russia and Trump isn't an "objective ally" to Putin

Europe has 17 packages of sanctions vs Russia in the bag with an 18th on the way. These might be incremental but they do constitute pressure, more than US is applying. EU is blocked on frozen assets and powerless to increase military pressure, but some efforts are being made.

Yaroslav Trofimov @yarotrof

State of play: Putin demands Ukraine’s capitulation (aka “eliminating root causes”) and rejects Trump’s ceasefire call. Trump, who threatened sanctions should Putin reject a ceasefire, says he just had a great conversation with Putin. Sanctions not happening. Europe remains

This may explain the truly astonishing gap between public and private discourse on the United States in Europe at the moment. In public, EU governments are bound by contracts, etc to an alliance with the US. In private, many say it's a matter of time before this expires

Shashank Joshi @shashj

As long as there’s a minimal level of US involvement - ongoing intelligence support, a trickle of USAI aid, American acquiescence in re-export of US-origin weaponry - there’s not much to be gained from a public spat. Moreover European allies also have to manage the US-NATO issue.

The operative question is when is the first ally going to come out and state the obvious: Trump is Putin's objective ally in pursuing his war against Ukraine, thwarting all other attempts to end the war.

Shashank Joshi @shashj

Back to square one. Trump abandons his own ceasefire demands without a whimper. US peace proposal presented in Paris cast aside. No hint whatsoever of pressure on Russia to soften draconian demands. Dangles a giant carrot (trade, implicitly end to sanctions) but offers no stick. https://t.co/L8C3HCLKZe