HowRu68

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 2 as part of the U.S. effort to advance negotiations aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine.

Top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who took part in the talks, called the meeting "very useful, constructive, and highly substantive" but said no concrete deal was agreed upon — a statement suggesting that a final peace agreement remains far off.

"If Europe suddenly wants to start a war with us and starts it," Putin said, then it would end so swiftly for Europe that there would be no one to negotiate with in Europe. Putin used the Russian word for "war". He also suggested that the war in Ukraine was not a full-blown war and that Russia was acting in a "surgical" manner which would not be repeated in a direct confrontation with European powers. "If Europe suddenly wants to fight with us and starts, we are ready right now," Putin said.

NOTE: imo there is a lot of saber-rattling going on lately. Its all part of the political game. Pls let's keep our heads cool with clickbait titles and speculations. I can sympathise with the worries and that these are trying times for us.

Lithuania will cover all the costs associated with hosting U.S. troops in the country, where a new barracks is among the improvements made for American forces deployed along NATO’s eastern edge.

More than 1,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed to Lithuania, which has long been regarded as a potential flashpoint in any conflict, given the country’s proximity to the Russian military exclave of Kaliningrad and Kremlin ally Belarus.

The worst-case scenario is now a possible one: European troops fighting off an invasion largely alone

It’s by no means clear the Europeans would succeed. Romanian and other European officials at the exercise in Cincu, about 260 kilometers (162 miles) north of Bucharest by road, voiced concerns about how long it would take for NATO allies to make it to the front.

French four-star General Philippe de Montenon said he’s confident Europe could prevail, even without the US on side.

“The direction of history is a progressive disengagement of the United States from the European continent,” he said.

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The worst-case scenario is now a possible one: European troops fighting off an invasion largely alone.

It’s by no means clear the Europeans would succeed. Romanian and other European officials at the exercise in Cincu, about 260 kilometers (162 miles) north of Bucharest by road, voiced concerns about how long it would take for NATO allies to make it to the front.

French four-star General Philippe de Montenon said he’s confident Europe could prevail, even without the US on side. “The direction of history is a progressive disengagement of the United States from the European continent,” he said.

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The EU hopes changes will make doing business easier, but campaigners fear citizens' rights are under threat. What can we expect from the EU's proposed new laws on GDPR and AI?

What is being presented as a 'technical streamlining' of EU digital laws is, in reality, an attempt to covertly dismantle Europe's strongest protections against digital threats," an open letter read.

"I can confirm 100 percent that the objective... is not to lower the high privacy standards we have for our citizens," said Thomas Regnier, EU spokesman for digital affairs.

Bremen, GERMANY – The 23 countries of the European Space Agency agreed on Thursday to provide €22.1 billion to cover everything from rocket subsidies and science projects to the modernisation of Europe’s spaceport infrastructure.

The commitments, which will mostly run to 2028, mark a roughly 20% increase when adjusted for inflation compared with ESA’s last ministerial pledging summit in Paris in 2022, at which €16.9 billion was committed to various programmes.

In its new draft for combating child abuse online, the EU is abandoning chat control. Instead: risk assessments and voluntary measures

One headline in a Russian paper (Izvestia) can say so much according to Steve Rosenberg, like showing Russia’s approach to what is happening.

"EU and Ukraine derail Trump's (Peace)plan. And; " With its strikes on Russia Kyiv is demonstrating it doesn’t want peace."

They want to sow divisions between Europe and Ukraine on the one hand, and America on the other. Europe and Ukraine are warmongers while Russia and USA want peace.

#Note: This is how the Russian propaganda machine works.

Mao Zedong, the longtime Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and the founder of the People's Republic of China, was reported to have expressed his gratitude to the Japanese military and political figures who visited China in the 1950s and 1970s. Mao said that the Japanese invasion of China had united Chinese people and allowed the Chinese Communist Party to win the Chinese Civil War.

In the 21st century, these remarks by Mao caused strong reactions on the internet in China. With the 2020 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) history subject controversy on the historical understanding of Japan's invasion of China, these remarks have returned to the spotlight on Hong Kong and mainland Chinese websites. The word "thanks" expressed by Mao has been also interpreted by some observers as dark humour.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s chief interlocutor with the Russian government last month advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how the Russian leader should go about pitching the U.S. president on a peace plan aimed at bringing an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to a transcript of the call published by Bloomberg News on Tuesday.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, according to a transcript of the Oct. 14 call published by the news service, advised Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov that Putin should call Trump to congratulate him for the Gaza peace deal, say Russia had supported it and that he respects the president as a man of peace.

The new European Parliament, elected in June 2024, has shifted further to the right, with conservative and nationalist parties gaining ground and forming two new groups — Patriots for Europe (PfE) and Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN).

Since taking office, the new parliament has voted on at least 14 resolutions concerning Russia and Ukraine — an early test of how its fresh line-up approaches foreign policy.

Drawing on these voting records, EUobserver and Novaya Gazeta Europe are releasing an updated ranking of the most pro-Kremlin parties and MEPs.

Note# The wiki for euobserver, states they were founded as an euro skeptical organisation but have developed into reliable in-depth journalism it seems