18 Republicans Back $9 Billion Ukraine Aid - Ignore Trump and Speaker

18 Republicans Buck Trump to Pass $9 Billion Ukraine Aid

The House of Representatives approved a new package on Thursday that adds another round of aid for Ukraine and tighter sanctions on Russia. The vote landed at 226 to 195. Eighteen Republicans voted yes, along with one independent who often votes with the GOP.

The bill includes sanctions on Russian banks, oil companies, and mining firms. It also bars Russian oil imports and sets 500% tariffs on other Russian imports into the United States. On top of that, it extends Biden’s lend-lease program for Ukraine by $8 billion so Kyiv can keep buying weapons. Another $1 billion goes toward security and reconstruction aid.

The move came at a time when Trump is pushing both sides toward negotiations instead of more escalation. After Zelensky sent a letter calling for face-to-face talks with Putin, Trump said, “I think it would be great if they met” and urged them to “get it done.”

The vote shows how divided Republicans still are on Ukraine. Some want a harder line against Russia. Others want Washington to stop writing checks and let Trump drive the peace push. For now, the House sent a loud message anyway: the fight over Ukraine is far from settled.

Mike Johnson had pressed Republicans to vote no.

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Zelensky complains about the U.S. again

The United States' shift in focus to the Middle East has reduced pressure on Russia>

Zelenky said these risks prolong the war, and Moscow will not move toward peace without stronger action from Washington.

"We all want to stop this war," Zelenskyy told Newsmax's Shelby Wilder in an interview conducted at the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant on Sunday that aired Wednesday on "National Report." "The problem is that the priority for the United States has now shifted to the Middle East."

"I'm afraid that if we will have just talks, Russia will not feel the most important thing that America can give us, pressure on them," he added.

Zelenskyy said U.S. military support for Ukraine continues, even as diplomatic pressure has eased.

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It's always, somehow, the fault of the United States.

Zelensky at Mar-A-Lago on Sunday

Trump, Zelenskyy to Meet Sunday at Mar-a-Lago

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly are expected to meet Sunday in Florida to discuss the U.S. peace plan for Ukraine's war against Russia.

Trump is expected to host Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago as both sides try to finalize terms of a U.S.-backed framework aimed at ending the nearly three-year conflict, Axios reported.

The planned sit-down is being viewed as a major signal that negotiations have advanced, especially after Trump previously suggested he would only meet Zelenskyy if a deal was close.

Russia is bleeding resources, Ukraine needs reliable guarantees, and Americans are demanding an end to the open-ended conflict.

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European Leaders Sabotaging Trump's Peace Deal

European Leaders Got Caught In Leaked Call Revealing Their Plan To Sabotage Trump’s Peace Deal

President Trump's peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine finally brought both sides to the table after three years of endless war. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner spent five hours in Moscow this week discussing the President's 28-point framework with Vladimir Putin. The proposal includes territorial concessions from Ukraine, military caps, and security guarantees modeled on NATO's Article 5.

Trump's making progress where Biden failed for three straight years. But somebody doesn't want peace to break out. German magazine Der Spiegel obtained a transcript of a confidential December 1 call between top European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

What they said behind closed doors tells you everything about Europe's real agenda:

• French President Emmanuel Macron warned Zelenskyy that "there is a possibility that the US will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without clarity on security guarantees." He called Trump's efforts "a great danger" for Ukraine.
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz piled on, telling Zelenskyy to be "extremely careful in the coming days" because American negotiators are "playing games, both with you and with us."
• Finnish President Alexander Stubb declared "we must not leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys," referring to Witkoff and Kushner.
• NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte agreed: "I agree with Alexander — we must protect Volodymyr."

These aren't leaders worried about Ukraine's interests. They're political operatives panicking that Trump might actually deliver peace.

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New funding to Ukraine is on hold: The Trump administration has not sought new congressional approval for additional military aid funding, focusing instead on a negotiated peace settlement.

President Trump said that Zelensky has not even read the peace deal. NO more $$$ to Ukraine.

Putin gives Zelensky an Ultimatum

Trump Envoy Heads to Russia After Ukraine Talks

President Donald Trump says there's a “good chance” for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, but his negotiators have hard work ahead — they now head to the Kremlin and still need to iron out key details with Kyiv.

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff was set to travel to Moscow to meet with Putin on Tuesday, the Kremlin said, after what the United States described as “very productive” talks Sunday with Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was rallying European support in Paris, though he cautioned that some “tough issues” still have to be worked out with Washington.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled last week that he was ready to have a “serious” conversation after Kyiv and its allies demanded changes to the peace plan, but has shown little sign of stepping away from his hard-line demands that formed the basis of the original 28-point proposal backed by Trump.

Putin said last week he had received this new version of the Peace Plan and it could serve as a framework for a final peace deal. However, he also indicated that he was not keen to negotiate with the current “illegitimate” Ukrainian government.

He said fighting would only stop when Ukrainian troops withdraw from the territories they hold, showing little sign of compromise on the core issue of Ukrainian territorial concessions centered on the eastern Donbas region.

“If they don’t withdraw, we will achieve this by force,” Putin said.

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President Trump and Zelensky to meet

Trump, Zelenskyy to Meet at WH on Friday

To discuss strategy regarding Putin

President Donald Trump will welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House for a working lunch on Friday.

They will discuss how they can force Russian President Vladimir Putin to enter into peace negotiations.

Russia and Ukraine have been at war since February 2022 when Putin's unprovoked forces invaded Ukraine.

Zelenskyy's visit to the White House will be his third since Trump took office in January.

The meeting was confirmed by three people familiar with the matter, Financial Times first reported.

Trump and Zelenskyy spoke during the weekend and discussed the possibility of NATO allies purchasing U.S.-made long-range Tomahawk missiles for Kyiv and how to bring an end to the war.

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Peace Stalled between Russia and Ukraine

Trump Weighs Next Move on Stalled Ukraine Talks

President Donald Trump is grappling with how deeply to get involved in stalled negotiations over Russia's war in Ukraine, torn between pressing harder for a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or stepping back and letting events unfold, CNN reported.

Two weeks after his summit with Putin in Alaska, Trump has grown increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress toward ending the conflict, according to administration officials.

Despite his high-profile push, including a White House meeting with seven European leaders and Zelenskyy just three days after his face-to-face with Putin, the momentum has largely evaporated.

"It's gotta be up to them. It takes two to tango," Trump said Monday when asked whether Putin agreed to meet with Zelenskyy.

"I'm going to make a decision as to what we do," Trump said. "It's going to be a very important decision, and that's whether or not it's massive sanctions or massive tariffs, or both, or do we do nothing and say, 'It's your fight.'" But I'll know in two weeks what I'm going to do."

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In two weeks, if nothing changes, President Trump needs to act. Putin has had enough chances and warnings. Putin is not to be trusted and has broken every agreement since 2014. 

Trump-Putin Meeting today in Alaska

Trump Issues Warning to Putin Ahead of Summit

President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that there will be "very severe consequences" if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to agree to end the war in Ukraine following Friday's U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump was "very clear" during a virtual meeting with European leaders that the United States aims to secure a ceasefire at the summit.

In the same meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told participants he believes Putin "is bluffing" ahead of his talks with Trump. Zelensky accused Putin of "trying to apply pressure on all sectors of the Ukrainian front" to project that Russia is "capable of occupying all of Ukraine."

Zelensky also dismissed Putin's public posture on sanctions, saying the Russian leader acts "as if they do not matter to him and are ineffective," but in reality, sanctions are "very helpful and are hitting Russia's war economy hard."

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The Alaskan Summit

White House considering inviting Zelensky to Alaska summit?

Would three be better than two? While President Trump announced Friday that he'd be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska Aug. 15, word is now coming out of the White House that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may also get an invitation.

According to NBC News, a senior U.S. official and three people briefed on the internal discussions say it is a possibility.

"It's being discussed," one of the people briefed on the discussions said. "Everyone is very hopeful that would happen."

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I could be totally off the mark here but IMO, this is not going to happen. Two enemies in the same meeting with Trump--sparks will fly and it could get worse.

The Trump Administration has long argued that Ukraine would have to give up land in exchange for peace. Zelensky says no way will that happen. Trump has to use his Art of the Deal to get both sides to compromise in order to end the war.

More Than Just a Swap: A Thousand Reasons for Hope

Trump Announces Ukraine Prisoner Swap, Teases End to Russian War

President Donald Trump casually dropped a piece of news that has the establishment sputtering into their morning lattes. He announced a “major” prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia, congratulating both sides and cheekily asking if this “could lead to something big???” You bet your bottom dollar it could, Mr. President.

This isn’t just some token gesture, mind you. We’re talking about a deal to swap 1,000 prisoners each between Ukraine and Russia. That’s the largest such exchange of the war, a significant development by any measure.

Even Ukrainian President Zelensky, who hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with common sense, acknowledged, as reported by the Daily Wire, that “The agreement to release 1,000 of our people from Russian captivity became perhaps the only tangible result of the meeting in Turkey.”

While some might focus on the “only,” we see the “tangible result” – a thousand lives potentially changed, a thousand families given hope, all because there’s a new sheriff in town when it comes to global deal-making.

And it turns out, this prisoner swap is just the appetizer. President Trump followed up by revealing he’d had a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The result? An agreement for Russia and Ukraine to immediately start negotiations for a ceasefire and, more importantly, an end to the war. Imagine that – direct talks, potentially even hosted at the Vatican, cutting through the bureaucratic fog.

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Trump pushing hard for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine

Trump Will Speak with Putin, Zelensky on Monday

President Trump said on Saturday that he is going to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders on Monday to try and reach an agreement on a ceasefire.

Trump believes his personal involvement could break the logjam in the diplomatic efforts and has even said that no breakthrough can be achieved without a meeting between him and Putin.

Trump is pushing hard for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and has threatened that he will impose sanctions on any party that obstructs a deal.

While Putin has been opposing an unconditional ceasefire, Trump hasn't moved forward with sanctions against Russia. On Friday, he said in an interview with Fox that he will use his leverage on Putin if he thinks it is needed.

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Putin will not meet with Zelensky

Putin to Skip Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Turkey

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced he will not take part in peace talks in Turkey between Moscow and Kyiv today, despite pleas from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend.

White House officials said that US President Donald Trump will also not go to Turkey for the talks after Putin announced the list of Russian attendees, all of whom are relatively low-level officials.

Putin first proposed holding direct talks between Russia and Ukraine — “without preconditions” — last Sunday, in response to a demand from Ukraine’s western allies for a 30-day ceasefire in the war. He said the negotiations would be held on Thursday in Turkey.

The Russian president said their purpose would be “to remove the root causes of the conflict and move towards creating a long-term, durable peace in a historical perspective.”

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Trump and Zelensky at the Vatican

Trump Reveals What He Told Zelensky at the Vatican

President Donald Trump revealed new details Tuesday night about his recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two leaders crossed paths at the Vatican during the funeral for Pope Francis. It was their first face-to-face meeting since their tense Oval Office exchange earlier this year.

"I was telling him that it's a very good thing if we can produce a deal, that you sign it, because Russia is much bigger and much stronger," Trump said during a NewsNation town hall. He called the discussion meaningful and stressed the importance of reaching an agreement to end the war.

The White House and Ukrainian officials kept quiet about the conversation at the time. They described it only as “productive” and “symbolic.” But Zelenskyy later posted on X, sharing that the meeting focused on peace and preventing further bloodshed.

“We discussed a lot one on one,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out.” He called it a symbolic meeting with the potential to become historic.

Over the weekend, Trump spoke to reporters about one of Zelenskyy's key requests. “He told me that he needs more weapons, but he's been saying that for three years,” Trump said. He added that the U.S. will be watching how Russia responds before making further decisions.

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Trump and Zelensky meet in Rome

Donald Trump and Zelenskyy held a brief one-on-one discussion inside St. Peter’s Basilica

on April 26 before convening with other leaders to attend Pope Francis’s funeral.

The conversation took place before the funeral Mass began, at a point in the morning when the Vatican’s vast basilica was shut to allow world leaders and diplomats to visit the pontiff’s closed coffin and pay their respects.

Pictures showing Trump and Zelenskyy seated in a corner as if they just pulled up a couple of chairs, hunched over deep in discussion, were shared across social media.

This was the first face-to-face encounter between Trump and Zelenskyy since their heated meeting in the Oval Office in February that ended with Zelenskyy being asked to leave. [EpochTimes]

Both said it was a good meeting.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, an anti-American globalist puppet

and thief who belongs in prison

How Zelenskyy’s corruption robbed US taxpayers blind

Ukraine’s leaders live lavishly while soldiers freeze and weapons disappear.

With Trump investigating, will the truth about this fraud finally come out?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a thief. Ukraine’s little dictator has overseen the misuse of billions in American taxpayer dollars — amassing a vast personal fortune while running arguably the most corrupt nation in Europe. Ukraine has become little more than an organized crime state.

Donald Trump and his America First team have long been aware of the depth of Zelenskyy’s venality, but his insulting, disrespectful, and churlish spectacle in the Oval Office revealed the truth of his intentions and behavior.

Now, Trump “will lean into a Ukraine fraud probe,” shining the light on Zelenskyy’s serious crimes.

Read more at The Blaze

McConnell sides with Zelensky’s in dispute with Trump

Mitch McConnell stabbed Trump in the back by siding with this foreign country

Mitch McConnell sided with Ukraine’s President Zelensky, opposing Trump’s peace efforts between Ukraine and Russia, and endorsing a blank check for ongoing military aid.

McConnell falsely claimed Trump’s suspension of aid was aiding Russia, (and then all the weak kneed America Last Democrats jumped on that one) misrepresenting Europe’s financial contributions and criticizing Trump’s diplomacy tactics.

Despite McConnell’s criticism, Trump’s approach led to Ukraine agreeing to a ceasefire proposal and resuming intelligence sharing, bringing the U.S. closer to ending the war.

Read more about RINO Mitch

Ukraine: an organized crime state

"Volodymyr Zelenskyy is an anti-American globalist puppet and thief who belongs in prison

Ukraine’s leaders live lavishly while soldiers freeze and weapons disappear.

With Trump investigating, will the truth about this fraud finally come out?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a thief. Ukraine’s little dictator has overseen the misuse of billions in American taxpayer dollars — amassing a vast personal fortune while running arguably the most corrupt nation in Europe. Ukraine has become little more than an organized crime state.

Donald Trump and his America First team have long been aware of the depth of Zelenskyy’s venality, but his insulting, disrespectful, and churlish spectacle in the Oval Office revealed the truth of his intentions and behavior. Now, Trump “will lean into a Ukraine fraud probe,” shining the light on Zelenskyy’s serious crimes.

The DOGE is on the case, and Elon Musk has Zelenskyy’s number. Musk describes the dictator’s regime as a “massive graft machine feeding off the dead bodies of Ukrainian soldiers.”

Read more at Blaze Media

Zelensky's demands

Mineral deal might be signed

Johnson says Zelensky has done ‘about-face’ on mineral deal

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said during a radio interview that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has done a complete “about-face” on the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal that was not signed after a heated meeting between the two delegations late last month.

“I’m really grateful and glad that Zelensky, in the last several days, has done an about-face. He’s effectively apologized for all that.

And he said, ‘Oh no, no, we would like that deal after all.’ I think he had a rude awakening,” Johnson said during his Saturday appearance on John Catsimatidis’s radio show “Cats Roundtable” on WABC 770 AM.

Shortly after the heated meeting, Zelensky said he would not apologize. Days later, he described the meeting as a “regrettable” gathering. Ukraine’s leader also wrote that he is ready to sign the minerals deal, arguing it would be a “step toward greater security and solid security guarantees.”

Backers of the deal said the agreement would provide Washington with a strong argument to defend Ukraine against potential future aggression from the Kremlin.

Read more at the Hill

Jessica Tarlov, Fox's Liberal on Zelensky

Judge Jeanine EXPLODES AT Jessica Tarlov during HEATED live tv screaming match