Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at the Helsinki Summit, July 16, 2018


EA-Times Radio VideoCast: The World Faces Trump 2.0

Monday’s Coverage: Kyiv’s Commander — 150,000 Russians Killed and 434,000 Casualties in 2024


Map: Institute for the Study of War


UPDATE 1807 GMT:

Russia has initiated a disinformation campaign to influence Germany’s national elections on February 23 in favor of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, an investigation by the German think tank CeMAS has found.

The campaign seeks to boost AfD’s standing, erode trust in Germany’s mainstream parties, and fuel public anxiety about economic issues.

CeMAS tracked hundreds of German-language posts on X over the past month, noting patterns typical of Russian disinformation targeting Western nations. These posts spread false claims, blaming the Green Party for economic challenges and criticizing Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his support of Ukraine’s resistance of Russia’s 35-month invasion.


UPDATE 1658 GMT:

China is cutting coal imports from Russia despite a 14% increase in domestic demand last year.

Russia’s coal exports to China fell by almost 7% in 2024. Mongolian and Australian coal export volumes grew 18% and 60%, according to Chinese customs data.

The fall in Russian exports is being blamed on Western sanctions, insufficient transport infrastructure to the east, and Chinese tariffs on Russia’s coal.


UPDATE 1605 GMT:

Addressing the World Economic Forum, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged, “Europe must establish itself as a strong global player,” amid Russian threats.

Zelensky said that, while the US remains an indispensable ally, Washington doubts Europe’s ability to contribute meaningfully to global security.

The President noted that Russia can deploy 1.5 million troops compared to Ukraine’s 800,000 and France’s 200,000. While Russia has a smaller economy than Europe, Russia is well ahead in production of ammunition and military equipment.

Referring to Russia, Iran, and North Korea, Zelensky said, “These are their strategic priorities, and our priorities must meet this challenge — in politics, defense, and economics. We can only counter such threats together.”


UPDATE 1205 GMT:

Ukrainian State investigation agency DBR have detained two generals and a colonel suspected of negligence in failing to adequately defend against a Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region in northeast Ukraine in spring 2024.

The DBR said the detainees are the former chief commander of the Kharkiv frontline, a former commander of a brigade, and a former commander of an infantry battalion.


UPDATE 1141 GMT:

One of two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine, in the Kursk region in western Russia, has told interrogators of serious losses.

In a video posted by the Ukrainian military, the POW said he was brought to Russia in what he believed was a cargo vessel with around 100 colleagues, then transported by sleeper train.

Conscripted at age 17, the soldier said he had not known he was being sent to Russia to fight.


ORIGINAL ENTRY: Changing his rhetoric on Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Donald Trump has declared, “He should make a deal … I think Russia’s going to be in big trouble.”

Trump, who has been supported by Russia since his Presidential campaign in 2016, has long echoed Kremlin lines about “peace talks” to entrench the invasion’s long-term occupation of more than a quarter of Ukraine. He has condemned Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “salesman” ripping out the US by taking billions of dollars in aid.

But returned to the White House on Monday, Trump wants to portray himself as an international “peacemaker”. So he said after his inauguration:

I have to speak to President Putin, we’re gonna have to find out.

He can’t be thrilled, he’s not doing so well. I mean, he’s grinding it out, but most people thought that war would have been over in about one week, and now you’re into three years, right?….

Zelensky wants to make a deal.

Trump’s envoy, Keith Kellogg, and nominee for National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, have been floating a proposal for a ceasefire in which Russia would be allowed to retain the occupation of part of southern and eastern Ukraine. Kyiv would continue to receive military aid from partner countries, and European troops would be deployed to oversee a ceasefire.

The Kremlin, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, has rejected the proposal out of hand.

In two messages on Monday, Zelensky encouraged and flattered Trump as a “man of strength”. Congratulating Trump on his inauguration, he posted:

President Trump is always decisive, and the peace through strength policy he announced provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and just peace, which is the top priority.

This century is being shaped right now, and we must all work together to ensure that it is a great and successful century for democracies, not those who want us to fail.

Zelensky looked forward to “mutually beneficial” cooperation with the Trump Administration: “We are stronger together, and we can provide greater security, stability, and economic growth to the world and our two nations.”

Later, in his nightly video address to the nation, the President asserted, “Ukrainians are ready to work together with Americans to achieve peace — a true peace. This is a chance that must be seized.”

Putin also sent congratulations to Trump. He said he was open to dialogue with the new US Administration.

However, he gave no sign of giving up his ambition to annex all of four Ukrainian regions, two in the east and two in the south, as well as the Crimea peninsula. Nor did he show any retreat from the demand that Ukraine be barred from NATO, any effective long-term security guarantees, and maintenance of a strong military forces.

“I want to emphasize that the goal should not be a brief truce…but a lasting peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people,” he said.

Macron: Europe Must “Wake Up”

Other leaders were cautious about any breakthrough with Trump in the White House.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in his New Year address to the armed forced, “Let us not delude ourselves. This conflict will not end tomorrow or the day after.”

He said Ukraine must be assured of lasting support and “guarantees” against any renewed Russian invasion.

Macron called on Europe to “wake up” and spend more on defense, seizing the “opportunity for a European strategic wake-up call”:

What will we do in Europe tomorrow if our American ally withdraws its warships from the Mediterranean? If they send their fighter jets from the Atlantic to the Pacific? The answer will have to come from us.