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DONALD TRUMP HAS said there is “a very good chance” that the war in Ukraine could end as he hailed “good and productive discussions” between the US and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, the US President said he had personally urged his Russian counterpart to “spare” thousands of Ukrainian troops who he said are “completely surrounded” by Moscow’s forces.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: “We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end.
“But, at this very moment, thousands of Ukrainian troops are completely surrounded by the Russian military, and in a very bad and vulnerable position. I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared,” he continued.
“This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all.”
Military analysts have said the claim of a mass encirclement of Ukrainian troops is not accurate.
It comes after the Kremlin said it was “cautiously optimistic” about a ceasefire deal with Ukraine following negotiations with US envoy Steve Witkoff.
Moscow made the announcement upon conclusion of the talks, stating that it expects Putin and Trump to discuss a US-proposed ceasefire, but not until Witkoff arrives back in Washington to relay Putin’s thoughts.
“When Mr Witkoff brings all the information to President Trump, we will determine the timing of a conversation (between Trump and Putin),” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“There is an understanding on all sides that such a conversation is needed. There are reasons to be cautiously optimistic,” Peskov added.
Putin said yesterday that he backed the idea of a truce with Ukraine, but said “serious questions” remain over how it would be implemented.
“I think we need to talk to our American colleagues… Maybe have a telephone call with President Trump and discuss this with him.”
However, the Russian President expressed a major grievance in relation to Ukraine’s geopolitical position, citing long-held concerns: “We agree with proposals to cease hostilities, but on the basis that cessation would lead to long-term peace and address the root causes of the crisis.”
It is not clear exactly what “root causes” Putin was referencing, but he has historically been a vehement opponent of the expansion of Nato along Russia’s borders, with the military alliance having said it was open to Ukrainian membership “in the long term”.
The issue of Nato expansion has been exacerbated in recent years after Finland and Sweden joined its ranks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, adding doubts to whether a ceasefire deal incorporating any Western peacekeeper presence in the region would be acceptable to the Russian leader.
The joint Ukrainian-US peace plan envisages a 30-day interim ceasefire in the three-year conflict that could be extended by mutual agreement.
However, the Russian President’s approach to achieving peace is not viewed positively by all.
UK foreign secretary David Lammy said it would be “wrong” for Vladimir Putin to place conditions on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
He was responding to Putin’s claim yesterday that the idea of a ceasefire is good, but that “there are issues that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to discuss it with our American colleagues and partners”.
Russia has been making military gains in recent weeks, particularly in retaking sections of Kursk.
Much of the region fell to Ukraine after it launched a shock counter-offensive last August, but Russia has claimed to have reclaimed more than 20 settlements in the last number of day.
Putin himself made a surprise visit to the frontline on Wednesday to urge his troops on.
Discussing the proposals for peace, Lammy, who is meeting other G7 foreign affairs ministers in Canada, said there is an “opportunity” for “a just and lasting peace” in Ukraine.
“The US and Ukraine have called for a full, immediate and unconditional 30-day ceasefire,” he told The Mirror.
“This would be a first step so that talks can start on a full settlement that protects Ukraine’s security and sovereignty. President Zelenskyy has shown that Ukraine is the party of peace.”
He then added: “It would be wrong for Putin to lay conditions. Our support for Ukraine, and that of other partners, remains ironclad.”
Putin and his allies have suggested Ukraine wants the ceasefire to allow its forces to regroup and rearm at a time when they are on the back foot and being forced out of the Kursk region after their incursion into Russian territory.
Putin said he was “for” the proposal of a 30-day ceasefire “but that there are nuances” and that he had “serious questions” about how it would work.
“I think we need to talk to our American colleagues… Maybe have a phone call with President Trump and discuss this with him,” he told reporters.
Trump has said he would be happy to meet with Putin to discuss the details, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rebuked the Russian president’s response as “very manipulative”.
“We now have all heard from Russia Putin’s very predictable, very manipulative words in response to the idea of a ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.
Downing Street has made clear the UK supports Donald Trump’s warnings of “very bad” financial consequences for Moscow if Putin fails to co-operate with peace talks.
Asked whether the UK would ramp up sanctions if the Kremlin rejected the ceasefire proposal, Downing Street said “ongoing US, UK and European pressure” would cripple Putin’s income streams.
“President Trump’s leadership to suffocate Russia’s economy is welcome,” a Number 10 spokesman said.
After G7 talks conclude today, British prime minister Keir Starmer will convene a summit of the “coalition of the willing” tomorrow.
Starmer said on yesteday that a peace deal in Ukraine is needed to ensure the Russian president’s war does not maintain a “choke hold” on Europe and stressed the need to deter him from attempting to conquer his neighbour again.
He said: “I profoundly believe that if we don’t secure a just peace and a lasting peace, then that insecurity, which we’ve already felt, will continue.
“And that means, here, higher prices, higher bills, the cost-of-living crisis going on for even longer – if you like, a choke hold on our future, which will be much, much harder for us to tackle.”
With additional reporting from AFP, Keith Kelly and Jane Moore.
Want to know more about what’s happening in Ukraine and why? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online.
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Russia is on the offensive. It makes sense they don’t want to give Ukraine 30 days to re-arm.
@common sense: hello comrade communist sense
@common sense: He’s a “comrade communist” for speaking the truth?. Russia is indeed on the offensive. They have taken back territory in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian military command has stated they have started to withdraw troops from Kursk because of Russia’s advance. It’s also gaining ground in Ukraine itself. So why is speaking the truth make someone a communist? Should we all be lying and say everything is awesome?
@Ger Whelan: lmao Ger , please stop switching your accounts.
@Ger Whelan: Ah it’s clearly a bot. Comment is general with no engagement with comments in response. They won’t be back on this comment thread
@Ger Whelan: Russians gained an advantage in Kursk because the US decided to pause intelligence from Ukraine, Russians are also fighting with North Korean troops there because they can’t field an army of their own, Ukraine are in a counter offense in Donetsk, Pokrovsk, Toretsk, Chasiv Yar and beating the Russians back, it’s Putin that needs the break and he knows it, but like typical Russian propaganda they say it’s the Ukrainian army that need it, Russian Military bloggers also disgusted at the Russian army using donkeys to move arms to the front because their machinery is destroyed , Ukraine ain’t doing as bad as you think.
@Lei tatt: Only one account here brains. tell me why does the truth hurt you?
@Seanie: hmmm Ukraine is losing ground to Russian soldiers who are using donkeys to move equipment to the front lines. And you don’t think Ukraine is doing bad. Honestly lad give your head a wobble and start making some sense.
@Ger Whelan: imagine labelling russian nonsense as truth. LOL , thats top trolling right there
@Mick Duvanny: Ger , you logged another account?? Comrade Dimitry you are one of a kind , working overtime for those roubles
@Ger Whelan: Ukraine are in a counter offense and beating Russia back on many fronts, How the fck could you pick that up as Ukraine losing ground to Russians using donkeys to bring ammunition to the front.
@Ger Whelan: You’ve made the point here that Ukraine should have sued for peace while Biden was in power. Which would have been fine in theory but what Ukrainian president could have sold that on the basis that things were going to get worse or indeed that Trump was even going to win?
But you’re correct when you say that Ukraine has to deal with reality now.
On the other hand we can be reasonably sure what the reality is for Ukraine, what about Russia? Can Russia actually continue this war indefinitely? To what extent is Putin bluffing, presenting the entire Special Military Operation as a success when it’s been a disaster?
@Lei tatt: The only troll here is yourself lad. Keep banging your head off the wall in denial of the truth there is a good lad.
@Bert Carolan: I’ve no idea if Russia can continue indefinitely or not. but as things stand Russia is the one gaining ground at the moment. Ukrainian forces are contemplating leaving the Kursk region due to russian gains in both the Kursk region and Ukraine itself. Ukraine’s relationship with its biggest ally the US is also at its lowest point. A cease fire leading to a peace deal is badly needed, but I doubt Putin will accept a 30 day ceasefire as it gives Ukraine a chance to regroup and re arm a dig back in. That’s the reality of things at present.
@Seanie: How can I pick up that Ukraine is losing ground?. Erm its military commanders have said they have? They have lost over a dozen towns in the Kursk to Russia. They have also lost several towns to Russia in Ukraine itself. Hence why the Ukrainian military command has said it’s considering pulling out of the Kursk region. I’d love to know where you are getting information that Ukraine is winning ground.
@Seanie: I can’t post links but I’ll leave this here for you. Would you like me to post more snippets from various different sources showing it’s Russia on the offensive and winning ground? KYIV — Ukrainian troops defending captured territory in Russia’s Kursk region are under fierce attack from a Russian counteroffensive that’s building up steam, and commanders will soon have to make a tough choice whether to continue the struggle or withdraw. If they get the timing wrong, Ukrainian forces risk being be cut off, warn military analysts. “The Ukrainian command must make a choice. Leave the Kursk region, completing the operation and preserving forces, or hold on, risking losing everything,” according to military analyst Yan Matveyev.
@Ger Whelan: Well the Ukrainians have retook Schevchenko , Pishchane in the last 24 hrs, look that up, it’s in the Povkrosk sector of the front. So the Ukraine military command have said it’s pulling out of the Kursk region because they have lost several towns in Ukraine itself…and you want me to give my head a wobble, Stick to your Russian propaganda mate. You’re fooling no one.
@Seanie: No russian propaganda from me bud. Just facts. Russia is the one advancing. And if they manage to surround Ukrainian forces in Kursk, it’ll be the end of them.
@Ger Whelan: Yes they are losing ground in Kursk and will likely withdraw, Kursk has served it’s purpose and stretched Russian forces and was a great move by Ukraine taking part of Russia, it made an absolute show of Putin. Like to tell me where in Ukraine they are losing several towns that you stated in Ukraine?
@Ger Whelan: Second best army in the world my arse, they need North Koreans to fight their battles for them. Ha ha, Russian wimps.
@Seanie: You’re as bad the pro Russian lads.
@Daniel Roche: Someone has to be!
@Seanie: Mate you are under some misconception that I support Russia I don’t. Putin’s is a war criminal. How about you use Google and check how many towns and villages Russia has taken in Ukraine the last few weeks. Or continue to bury your head in the sand. The fact remains according to you Russia using donkeys and still making gains against Ukraine which you have admitted to. So clearly they are doing badly but you can’t see that with your head in the sand
@Ger Whelan: you’re insane
@common sense: you’re over there at the moment I presume. Otherwise guessing. Like most of the chancers here.
@Ger Whelan: north Korean tropps.
@Seanie: Jaysus lad nothing could be further from the truth unfortunately. Ukraine is and has been beaten for a long time. When you are down to drafting the 18 year old its a bad sign.
@Ger Whelan: Ukraine retreated out of Kursh.
Seriously h should ask the Ukrainians to stop killing the Russian, South Korean, African and Indians who are being fed to the slaughter.
@Seosamh Ohuaine: You may find that every country that has mandatory military service will draft 18 year olds
@Gary Kearney: whatever you say Gary. Tell me how do you breath with your head buried in the sand?
@Seanie: show me your evidence for Korean troops,, or shut up
Don’t all ceasefires have conditions?
@Damien Leahy: Putin is not accepting any ceasefire. The conditions are an alternative way of saying no.
But why only a 30 day ceasefire why not indefinitely so they can start again in 30 days and blah blah blah more money pumped out all over again it’s an absolute joke. Finish this fake war at last send them all home and get them to pay back the money they owe enough is enough of taxpayers money being squandered in Ukraine
@Bren: fake war?? Tell that to the hundreds of thousands if not millions that have been killed or seriously injured, or the millions displaced or the 100′s of villages, towns and cities flattened. Something like this starts small ie, 30 days in order to get parties involved to agree to something.
@Tomas Barrett: yes and half the country is living life like normal going on holidays partying nightclubs and even Ukrainians from here going home for Christmas it’s an absolute joke while getting all the benefits in Ireland abusing our systems, yes hundreds of thousands of people have been killed because of the dictator Putin but if it was a proper war, why doesn’t the rest of the Ukraine handle the rest of its citizens? Take care of their own? It’s a massive country don’t forget.
@Bren: exactly its a massive country therefore, there can be a war in one part and normal life in the other. Yes people are taking advantage of Irelands generosity, but that doesn’t make the war in Ukraine any less real. Because its a proper war a huge amount of resources are being pumped into tha war effort. People leaving (not fighting ages males or economically prductive people) is an advantage because the country doesn’t have to commit resources to them and focus more on the war.
@Tomas Barrett: Yeah millions????????
I haven’t seen one image of mass graves etc.
Don’t get me wrong, any life lost is 1 too many but all this 100s of thousands and millions is pure bull.
Tell me why I can still book a hotel anywhere in Ukraine online?????
@martin lawlor: you haven’t looked very hard then if you haven’t seen any images of mass graves. That figure is for both sides combined and includes seriously injured (no grave required). Most western analysis are putting the dead and injuried figure for Russia alone at approximately 800,000. Then you have the Ukraine dead and injured then civilians.
You can still book a hotel in Ukraine because its a massive country. Only 18% has been taken over by Russia. The bit that hasn’t been taken by you could almost fit France into. There is parts of Ukraine 100′s of kilometers from the front lines and have been unaffected by the war.
@martin lawlor: well said
Just wondering how Trump will cripple the Russian economy? Should it not already be crippled? I just don’t see how Putin can be threatened.
@Bert Carolan: somebody needs to take him out eventually that’s the only solution
@Bren:
Putin or Trump?
@Gerry Dornan: Putin Trump won’t last
@Gerry Dornan: Both.
@Gerry Dornan: Both
If it’s wrong to invade your smaller neighbour and take their land are we getting Northern Ireland back anytime soon? No is the answer so why should I care if Ukraine gets all their land back?
@FoxyBoiiYT: Maybe because after years of fighting in NI people voted for peace that will allow people to vote in the future for reunification. Btw ….nobody could care less if you care or notbso don’t worry yourself on that front
@FoxyBoiiYT: why would we take back Northern Ireland and cripple our economy.You Brits can hold on to it and keep bankrolling it.
@Rian O’Callaghan: If Trump suddenly changed tack tomorrow and declared Ireland should be united you’d suddenly hail it as the greatest idea ever. Nothing but a deluded Trump cultist
3 years of bloodshed under warmonger Genocide Joe ended in 3 months by the President of Peace
@Paul:
President Biden assisted a Democratic country to defend itself against invaders.
The only warmonger is Putin.
Trump has not ended the war,and his terms of plundering Ukraine’s mineral wealth in return is an absolute disgrace.
Biden never made such demands when assisting Ukraine.
How do you expect Ukraine to rebuild their country,with their wealth in Trump’s greedy paws.
@Mary.E.: not entirely true though. The conditions attached to those arms by Biden hampered Ukraines ability to hit back. Both USA and Russia have imperial/ global ambitions. But we can’t wait forever for everything to be perfect before making a decision. So, in the meantime probably best to go against Russia even if it means siding with USA
But PULL THE BRAKES here, Mr Putin started grabbing in 2014 and then he thought it was a great idea to raid the Eastern and Southern part of Ukraine in 2022. Meanwhile the EU has never spoken with Mr Putin to ask him what does he want in the Ukraine? or Are we lead down a tunnel that’s deeper and deeper with no light at the end with endless financial contributions for the war that Ukraine will end up been carved out to suit Russia by Donald Trump.
Send those Burke extremists to Gitmo in chains.
@Dolly Mounted – Norside Drag Queen: You would have all right thinking silences if you had you’re way, only Two genders what you do in your spare time is not my business.
@087 bed: Daddy Burke is a convicted criminal. Enoch Burke hanging around a school of little kids in a long coat with his hands in his pockets terrorising them and breaking the law while we pay his salary and costs. Cops should have shot them.
@Dolly Mounted – Norside Drag Queen: The one time you want US cops to actually be trigger happy they aren’t! If only the Burkes were black
@Dolly Mounted – Norside Drag Queen: Pockets are cut out so he can have easy access while checking out the school kids.
@Sal Paradise: heard he was an ace at the aul pocket snooker alright. “Pink – top right”. Saucy beggar! Always takes his cue from mammy!
@087 bed: completely true only two genders like it’s always been
@FoxyBoiiYT: More nonsense from you. There is zero evidence that police in America are more likely to target Black people when it comes to the use of lethal force. Police are actually 20% less likely to shoot Black suspects than White suspects in identical circumstances. (Fryer, 2016). This means if a Black suspect and a White suspect pose the same level of threat, police are more likely to hesitate or avoid shooting the Black suspect. Johnson et al. (2019) found that the racial breakdown of police shootings is directly proportional to crime rates, not racial bias. Cesario et al. (2019) found that when adjusting for crime rates and police encounters, White suspects are more likely to be shot than Black suspects. Black people are over-represented in crime statistics (MacDonald, 2016).
@Bren: Enoch’s Oval Oriface.
@Dolly Mounted – Norside Drag Queen: you are either a troll or you are severely deficient in the IQ department. Do you really think the government and judicial system are beyond corruption? Seriously?
@Gavin Smartr: The MSM are the problem here, presenting the Burkes as having dusrupted an event attended by our leader. They did not. Mammy got one hoof 12 inches beyond the curtain before she was hauled out of it. The crowd laughed on. Thank God for the Journal that allows us to get the truth out about these nutters.
Putin wants to keep all territories that he currently occupies, with a view to continuing in a few years. That’s what he does and has done since 2014. (He’s broken at least 22 ceasefire agreements since 2014). Putin says that Ukraine would use any ceasefire to rearm and regroup, like Russia will suddenly stop manufacturing and supplying weapons/ munitions to their orc army/ north Koreans. Whatever Putin accuses others of is him admitting his own guilt to that charge.
@honey badger: Of course Russia will keep going but the pause will suit Ukraine more.
@honey badger: Maybe Ukraine government should think before starting the war killing people in Donbas, banning certain religions and refusing to hold elections.
@087 bed: Stop parroting Russian propaganda
@087 bed: Thank you, Comrade. You have received an extra potato for your brave defence of Rodina. Please keep this standard of discourse going. The people can not be told that it was Russian paramilitaries (little green men) that seized several small towns in Ukraine. It was an egregious offence of Ukraine to send their armed forces to repel this invasion by the Russian military.
@087 bed: they dont like us trannies either. Trans rights must be part of the peace agreement. Where’s me Javelin? Must polish it for Enoch Burke, grand master of the St Patty’s in Castlebar.
@honey badger: If the Russian military invaded and took those towns and Ukraine sent its armed forces to fight the Russian military like you claim, doesn’t that mean the Russian military invaded Ukraine in 2014. If that’s the case like you claim how did Ukraine manage to hold a presidential election in 2019 while fighting a russian invasion for over 5 years but could not have one in 2024?. Seems strange Zelenaky would be able to be elected in a war time state but not go for re-election in the same war. You need to re think what you say because if you stand by a russian military invasion in 2014 you are saying Zelensky is an illegitimate president who uses the law to suit himself.
@087 bed: Has to double check the “banning of certain religions” part of your putinista burp. As you know, or don’t, any religion with direct links to Moscow was given 9 months to cut ties. Within the context of a Russian invasion, this was a security driven measure, not a blanket ban.
Strangely, you make zero reference to the treatment of “certain religions” by Russian authorities within annexed Luhansk/ Donbas. Which eloquently proves my point about being guilty of what you accuse others of…
@honey badger:
The situation in the Russian-occupied parts of Donbas Russian-backed authorities have been documented banning or heavily restricting minority religious groups, such as Protestant denominations, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and non-Moscow Patriarchate Orthodox communities. A 2018 required religious groups to register with the separatist regime, and many that did not align with the UOC-MP were denied permission, effectively outlawing them. There are also accounts of churches being seized, clergy being targeted, and religious activities being suppressed if they were seen as pro-Ukrainian or disloyal to the separatist cause.
@honey badger: the real motivation here is USA getting a deal on Ukraine resources. losers and winners are totally secondary to them.
@honey badger: childish response this place is an adults only zone
@William Olivet: another fake account
@087 bed: 100% nonsensical kremlins propaganda. Nice try comrade Dimitry
@Ger Whelan: Martial law was first declared in Ukraine for 30 days from November to December 2018. Zelensky was elected in 2019. Martial law was redeclared in February 2022. Nothing illegitimate about it.
@Ger Whelan: simple, martial law not declared during that time therefore elections had to be run.
@Tomas Barrett: yes I know. But according to Honey badger Russia invaded in 2014 and the Ukrainian military has been fighting them since, so if he is correct in his statement why does Zelensky feel marital law is needed when the previous government didn’t. Now I know the real answer is Russia didn’t invade until 2022 but honey badger he knows different.
@honey badger:
Dictators control the people .
Like worker bees, the Queen bee needs them for survival.
If they don’t do as they are told,they are removed from the hive,and destroyed.
Zelensky is right to distrust Putin,a leopard doesn’t change its spots.
Trump is flippant.
He plays the popularity game.,and changes his mind,and opinions as often as his socks.
His love of money and power means he is also too fickle to trust.
@Ger Whelan: The 2022 war is much more extensive then the 2014 and pulled nearly the entire country into the war including its major cities being threatened. And an attempt being made on the capital. Therefore the necessity to introduce martial law was far higher in 2022 than 2014. Also martial law is introduced by the Ukrainian parliament not by the president (Zelensky) and his party are in a minority in parliament. Therefore its the opposition not Zelensky that is introducing martial law. Russia 100% invaded in 2014, they annexed Crimea that year after the invasion.
@honey badger: Don’t underestimate Trump.
Zelensky is finished.
Once Ukraine forces have been forced back out of Kursk, which is imminent, he will agree to a cease fire on his terms.
@Mike Dunne: if you check military bloggers online (Russian and Ukrainian) you can see that Ukrainian troops are not surrounded in Kursk. Again Trump is falling for Russian propaganda which even Russians themselves don’t support. But agree that it is necessary for Putin to clear Ukrainian troops out of Kursk. In the east and south the fighting seems to be a t a standstill. Even Pokrovsk appears to have stabilised.
Never trust a single word that is coming out of war criminals rat putin mouth. He haven’t said a single word of truth for the past 20 years of his dictatorship
@Lei tatt: just like our own government not a word can be trusted from their mouths either
@Bren: Jaysus Bren f sake.
@Lei tatt: he said there would be war if Ukraine tried to join nato
@Damien Leahy: tell me , is there a war with a neighbouring Finland that just joined NATO border of which is 200km away from st.pitersburg with 5.5 million population??
@Bren: Clown to conspire our government to Putin.
Tell me when we last invaded a neighbour.
It’s enivitable NATO faces off with Russia at this stage. Putin has no intention of playing it fair along line. Ukraine is just buying Europe time to prepare and prepare we must.
@J B: What does Europe have that Russia really needs, to justify a war with NATO?
@George Vladisavljevic: what does Ukraine have and why would having it justify Putins invasion of the country?
These overtures by Russia to get a sustained ceasefire established should be taken with a grain of salt. All Putin wants to do is give the Russian army time to rearm and restock weapons. It’s exactly why Israel kept rejecting the ceasefire proposals from Hamas because they were only putting it on the table for the exact same reason as Russia is now. This 30-day ceasefire will end and Russia will be back to killing Ukrainian civilians and bombing Ukrainian homes. Since the outbreak of the conflict in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, the European Union has given over €200 billion in payments to Russia for their oil and natural gas. Europe, despite all the lofty talk, is still financing the Russian war machine. There’s an easy place to start if Russia is to be properly punished.
@William Jennings: well said
@William Jennings: So when Russia kills civilians it’s bad but when Israel kills a much greater number of civilians in a shorter space of time, it’s good?
@Darth O’Leary: That’s such a laughable comparison. Russia is deliberately targeting Ukrainian civilians and launched a brutal invasion back in 2022 to achieve their goal of completing a Soviet-style absorption of Ukraine once again to fulfil Putin’s expansionist agenda. Israel is not deliberately targeting civilians and have never deliberately targeted civilians in any of the conflicts that they have been involved in. Hamas launched the same sort brutal invasion as Russia did on October 7th 2023 and massacred 1,200 innocent Israelis in a barbaric manner like Russia did at Kharkiv and Mariupol. Hamas deliberately builds their missile launching sites beside infrastructure like schools and hospitals and forces the people inside to remain there so they can maximise civilian casualties.
@William Jennings: Israel carried out “genocidal acts” against Palestinians by systematically destroying women’s healthcare facilities in Gazza and used sexual violence as a war strategy, United Nations said in a report on Thursday. You keep defending Benni the butcher and his far right extemist goverment. You claimed the last time that the “relocation” of Palestinian people would be temporary, while Gazza was rebuilt. Now that it’s clear that the aim is to “relocate” them permanently, you and your ilk still deny genocide and ethnic cleansing. Of course there’s a very good reason Israel banned the International press from the area.. so they could control the narrative and hide the murderous truth of their acts and shills like you could pedal their propaganda.
@Brian: The United Nations is a disgraceful organisation that has been institutionally antisemitic for many years. Anything they say should be taken with a grain of salt. There’s no evidence to their outlandish claims whatsoever. Hamas deliberately builds their missile launching sites beside critical infrastructure such as healthcare facilities. Their aim is to incur as many casualties as possible to aid their global propaganda efforts. Once again idiot, I will state the facts. The civilian to combatant ratio is 2:1. The global average for conflicts is 4:1. More people were born in Gaza than died last year (63,200 vs 40,000-42,500). Again, you throw out that usual tired “far-right” slur which has no basis in reality either. Benjamin Netanyahu is a centre-right politician and a great man.
@William Jennings: Of course, everyone that goes against the Isreali far right government propaganda machine is labelled anti semitic.. how utterly predictable and pathetic as your opening salvo. Of course you’re going to cite Isreali propaganda for your nonsensical and totally unverified figure of 2:1 civillan to combat ratio.. the figure is estimated to be 4:1 and in fact probably much higher. Just because you/IDF claim someone was a terrorist/member of Hamas doesn’t actually count as a verifiable fact. You can be willfully ignorant all you like but the Israeli government is full of far right wing extrimists like Ben Givr and Smotrich, but yet again you seem to think Kahanists, the most racist and most murderous Jewish political movement of modern times is perfectly ok and justifiable.
@William Jennings: I note also, you bypassed your ignorant assertion that Palestinian people were to be temporarily resettled while Gazza was rebuilt.. while in fact the wheels are in motion to permanently banish them from their homeland.. also known as ethnic cleansing. Finally you being of the opinion that the murderous butcher Benni, a man who advocated for the assination of a sitting Isreali President, being a great man.. tells me everything I need to know about you and the drivelous propaganda you come on here to spew.
@Brian: Cry more Brian. The statistics that I quoted are fully accurate and have been extensively researched and verified by the Henry Jackson Society, the Wall Street Journal and all of the UK and US intelligence agencies. Your source is the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry which deliberately inflates the death toll for propaganda purposes. 18,000 of the dead bodies are Hamas militants. 6,200 people that died of stage 4 terminal cancer were added to the conflict death toll. 10,400 of the dead bodies don’t have ID or proof that they even existed in the first place. Even if I chose to use the IDF as my source, so what? During World War II, would you have trusted the Nazis over the Allies for an accurate picture of the number of casualties? Israel’s government is centre-right, deal with it.
@Brian: The idea of “ethnic cleansing” being applied to the “Palestinians” is a farce when you actually stop to look at the reality. Let’s be very clear, there is no distinct Palestinian ethnicity. The notion that the people of Gaza, or any so-called “Palestinians,” are a unique, separate ethnic group is a modern political construct, and anyone who buys into that absurdity is either profoundly ignorant of history or intentionally distorting the truth. You cannot ethnically cleanse a group that isn’t ethnically distinct in the first place. The so-called “Palestinians” are just ethnic Egyptians and Jordanians that migrated to the Holy Land. Their dialects? Egyptian or Jordanian Arabic. Their surnames? Derived from Egypt and Jordan. These are not the markings of a unique, ancient ethnicity.
@Brian: That’s exactly the point of Trump’s great plan for Gaza. The goal isn’t just to rebuild Gaza physically but to rebuild it ideologically and culturally. The members of Hamas, who have spent decades turning Gaza into a terrorist breeding ground, should never be allowed to return. They’re the reason Gaza is in ruins in the first place. When Germany and Japan were rebuilt after WWII, the U.S. didn’t invite back the Nazi Party or the Imperial Japanese military to “have another shot.” The same logic applies here. If you want Gaza to thrive, you have to remove the elements that keep it in perpetual destruction. Hamas should be expelled immediately and the place needs to be flattened completely for the area to be rebuilt. I think Mar-A-Gaza has a very nice ring to it, don’t you?
YOU CANNOT TRUST PUTIN’S RUSSIA
So refreshing to see an American President that puts human life& peace before everything else……. Now, that that pointless proxy war is wrapped up time for President of Peace Trump to turn his attention to bringing peace to Israel/ Palestine conflict.
All lip service for the msm, putin and his bribed henchmen have long term plans to invade Georgia, moldova, and countries north of Belarus, and has already tried interfering in Romania’s presidential elections
Putin is obviously going senile, he is the root cause of the war.
Trump the traitor cut off intelligence which allowed the Russian advance in Kurst. He is a total hypocrite to ask that the brave Ukrainian soldiers who are fighting for Europe’s freedom be spared.
Ukraine is a great place to book a holiday right now.
“You have chosen to mute 087 bed comments”
Don’t trust Putin.
What a legacy Trump is leaving. His name will forever be in the dirt. His followers will be known as Americas worst.
Zelensky can’t survive without US aid. That is a fact.
Talking of ceasefire…seriously someone should sit down with the Burke family and end that madness!
Ukraine and the US along with the EU are screaming for a ceasefire, setting the stage for Russia to be the bad guy for not going along with it..
Why should Russia go along with it, while they’re battering Ukraine who have all the assets of the West, from munitions, to weaponry,to satellites, to missiles, to intelligence etc..
If Ukraine was winning there would be no mention of a ceasefire, the Kursk Gambit has failed miserably, 67,000 of Ukrainian best troops along with 7,000 units of weapons, Russia invaded both sides of the Kursk incursion, cutting off ALL supplies to what’s left in what’s now a cauldron,
Putin even visited the front lines in Kursk yesterday, anyone left inside the fire bag is classified as a terrorist and ALL mercenaries found will not have the Geneva convention
@John Darker: The gas pipeline the Russians used to get behind the Ukraine defense will be written into military manuals a hundred years from now..
Sent 800 troops through a disused gasline, by first pumping it full of oxygen, setting up depot’s inside for munitions, sleeping etc, at the other end out popped 800 Russians from different specialist battalions including Akhmat and the veterans, collapsing the whole Kursk front,
This is why the West wants a ceasefire, they’re finished,
Putin explained yesterday in a brilliant speech asking questions…what happens to all the Ukrainian troops caught in Kursk with the border blocked off,…do they just walk out during a ceasefire? After committing all the killing of civilians they did?
Or do they surrender and hope for the best
@John Darker: Putin also asked…how do you control and monitor a 2,000km Frontline for no breeches, how does Russia know that Ukraine aren’t re arming, training, conscripting during this western suggested pause?
Remember Russia trusted and honoured both Minsk agreements and the Astana agreement, only for the likes of Merkel to admit that the Minsk agreements was to give Ukraine time to be armed by the West..
Why should Russia accept terms now, when they hold a royal flush,
Europe is broke through sanctions on Russia, NATO warehouses are empty due to fighting Russia,
Putin will go for the jugular now and end it on his terms,
He has no interest in Europe, we’ve nothing he wants, including wokism and immigration
@John Darker: but he and his country will fight to the death for any other Russian population of any country to be left alone to do their thing,
Ukraine and the West ( especially O’Bama, MC Cain, Nuland) could have avoided all of this by simply letting Russian speaking Ukrainians live in peace…
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia should take note, instead of barking like Chihuahuas because they’re part of NATO, and can get away with Russophobia,
They can’t, and NATO won’t save them, they should learn to treat their Russian speaking civilians with respect, these people are the grandparents and great grandparents of those that live there now, same as Ukraine is,
The massive amount of old people in Ukraine who only speak Russian is mind-blowing, and they’re being attacked by grandkids now
@John Darker: Russia broke every agreement, the made demands which they were given and then broke the agreements they made to suit themselves.
@John Darker: Pure Kremlin/Orwell Road tosh. War criminal Putin must be so proud of you.
@Gary Kearney: you really should check out Merkel and her admission of such acts..
@Saoirse Strong: lol, look at you with your Saoirse strong American account trying to make a difference,
as if the Irish for freedom made a dent on the comments section when you’re a phooking clown thinking it’s making a difference,…lol
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