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Zelenskyy can leverage Moscow ties from comedy days to make peace deal, says former key aide

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's former spokesperson urged him Sunday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face in Moscow, arguing that his past business and political connections in the Russian capital from years back could help him negotiate a peace deal there.

Iuliia Mendel, who served as Zelenskyy's spokesperson from 2019 to 2021, told Fox News Digital that the former comedian had also made his first millions in Russia and should perhaps leverage those ties to pursue lasting peace.

"When Zelenskyy was an entertainer, he often performed in Moscow," Mendel said, adding that the Ukrainian president "knows a lot of people from Putin's elite."

"He actually professionally grew in Moscow and earned his first millions in Moscow, and today he pretends that he has nothing in common with them," Mendel said.

RECOVERING FROM LUNG SURGERY, POPE LEO URGES PUTIN TO AGREE TO CEASEFIRE IN RUSSIAN-HELD UKRAINE CITY

"He needs to go to Moscow and needs to agree on compromises that are acceptable," she said, before adding that Zelenskyy "doesn't need to play his maximalist games and to play this noble actor."

Mendel's criticism came as Ukraine, Russia and the United States prepared for another round of technical-level peace talks, potentially in Abu Dhabi or Switzerland, in November.

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have helped lay the groundwork for renewed negotiations that officials hope could finally lead to direct talks between the two leaders.

Before entering politics, Zelenskyy had built a successful entertainment career. Beginning in the late 1990s, he performed with the comedy troupe Kvartal 95, competed on the Russian-language comedy program KVN and later worked as an actor, writer and producer in television and movies. 

From the late 1990s, he performed on Russian stages and at private parties and appeared in movies shown across former Soviet republics, Mendel claimed. 

She said that after Russia annexed Crimea and launched its war in Donbas in early 2014, Zelenskyy traveled to Russia to work on the comedy film "Eight New Dates" which was released in Russian theaters in 2015.

ZELENSKYY TO SEEK OFFRAMP FOR YEARS-LONG RUSSIA WAR IN UN SPEECH AFTER TRUMP REVEALS PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE

According to a report by Business Insider, many of Zelenskyy's movies were also in Russian and were marketed to a Russian audience, David Dodson, an American movie editor who worked with Zelenskyy told the outlet.

"He was a well-loved comic, actor and performer in Russia, but after [the 2013-14] Maidan [Revolution], everything changed," Dodson said.

"People need to realize that Volodya’s movies were very big in Russia. Most of his market was in Russia. He’s always been a popular comedy star in Russia," Dobson also clarified to GQ when asked if he directed the former actor in "Eight First Dates" in Russia, released in 2012.

In 2013, the movie received the Russian National Movie Awards as the Best Russian Comedy of the Year.

In 2019, Zelenskyy also promised to relinquish ownership of a Cyprus-registered company operating a film studio in Russia after investigative journalists revealed that he and his business partners still owned three Russian companies, according to the Kyiv Post.

Zelenskyy's entertainment career made him a household name in Ukraine and other former Soviet republics before he entered politics and won Ukraine's 2019 presidential election with roughly 73% of the runoff vote on promises to fight corruption and pursue peace in eastern Ukraine.

Mendel argued that Zelenskyy's promise to bring peace at the time stands in stark contrast to the devastating war that has crippled the country and defined much of his presidency.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE ENERGY CEASEFIRE BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE

"Zelenskyy became the president with 73% record support," Mendel said. "Because he promised to bring peace to Ukraine."

"And now he has been presiding for almost five years (over) the largest war in Europe since World War II. This shows a lot."

"When his country is bleeding, he needs to make a peace deal for his people," she said before adding that the leader "needs to put the interests of his people first, just for Ukraine to exist as an independent state."

Whether Zelenskyy should travel to Moscow has, in fact, become a flashpoint in efforts to arrange direct peace talks.

In 2025, Putin offered to host Zelenskyy for talks in Moscow, but the Ukrainian president rejected the invitation as Russian forces continued attacking Ukraine.

"He can come to Kyiv," Zelenskyy told ABC News at the time, saying he could not visit Moscow while Ukraine remained under Russian missile attacks.

In September, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Russian journalists pressed Zelenskyy on when he would visit Moscow. He replied, "On a missile."

ZELENSKYY CONGRATULATES TRUMP ON TURNING 80 IN BIRTHDAY CALL, VOWS MORE UKRAINE PEACE TALKS AT G7 ON TUESDAY

Mendel, however, argued that personal animosity between the two leaders has become the main obstacle to diplomacy.

"Today there are diplomatic efforts to try to stop this brutal and bloody war that Russia started," she said.

"But what we see now is a personal opposition between Zelenskyy and Putin that continues to grow into constant escalation in which people suffer tremendously, Ukraine's infrastructure, energy grid, and businesses are in ruins, and refugees are fleeing."

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. More than four years later, peace negotiations are deadlocked over territory, security guarantees and the terms of a lasting ceasefire.

Moscow has demanded territorial concessions from Ukraine, including areas Russian forces do not fully control.

Kyiv has rejected ceding sovereign territory and insists that any agreement include enforceable security guarantees against another Russian attack.

RUSSIA RELEASES AMERICAN TEACHER IMPRISONED ON UKRAINE MERCENARY CHARGES AFTER TRUMP PRESSED PUTIN

Mendel went on to praise President Donald Trump's efforts to break the diplomatic deadlock, calling him the first Western leader to "challenge the status quo" and consistently push for an end to the war.

"For this reason, many Ukrainians place great hope in his ability to bring peace," she said.

"A sustainable peace deal cannot be reached solely between Zelensky and Putin; it requires the involvement and initiative of a strong third party to halt the ongoing devastation."

On Friday, the White House announced that first lady Melania Trump had helped broker a temporary ceasefire in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town in southern Ukraine's Kherson region, to allow humanitarian aid deliveries, demining operations and civilian evacuations.

An estimated 1,700 to 2,000 people remain in the devastated front-line town, many of them facing severe shortages of food, medicine and other essentials.

The White House said the ceasefire would begin Oct. 29, although Ukrainian and Russian officials have indicated that operations could begin Oct. 27.

Pope Leo also reportedly spoke with Zelenskyy and Putin about the humanitarian crisis, according to Vatican News.

ZELENSKYY ACCUSES PUTIN OF DEFYING TRUMP'S CEASEFIRE PUSH, SENDS POINTED MESSAGE TO WHITE HOUSE

"Melania Trump has become synonymous with the words of a saver and a hero, since she has brokered the deal for Oleshky," Mendel said. "This is something that is going to save around 2,000 people and that neither Ukraine nor Russia could have solved for months and months."

"That is why, you know, what Melania Trump has done is actually a case to show that where two men are fighting, a woman can actually save lives," she added.

"And this is the new approach that would show that peace really should focus on human lives, not on maps and territories."

Mendel also criticized the influence of Zelenskyy's longtime ally Andriy Yermak on his diplomatic approach, arguing that the Ukrainian president has favored confrontation over compromise.

"Mr. Yermak was teaching Zelenskiy to be a strong man in diplomacy. And what today we see is actually diplomacy that doesn't exist," she said.

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"It's a diplomacy of humiliation, diplomacy of constant threats, diplomacy of demands," Mendel added.

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In ‘unprecedented confrontation,’ IDF chief said resisting Netanyahu’s order for military action tied to Iran

Channel 12 says action could lead to conflict with Tehran just before election, Zamir demanded signed documents regarding legal authorization; PM calls report 'nonsense'
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Rogers dodges questions on MAGA label, Trump tariffs

Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) dodged questions on whether he identifies as a MAGA-Republican and avoided clarifying his position on President Trump’s controversial tariffs against Canada ahead of his competitive race against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Senate race.   During a Sunday appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Rogers was asked if he considered himself…

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US midterms could restore Ukraine’s American aid and curb Trump’s Russia deals, if Democrats win Congress

hill senators chose break leaving russia sanctions russia sanctions power trump’s hands congress lawmakers walked away sweeping bill trump decide how confront moscow month ukraine news ukrainian reports

If Democrats win the House, and possibly the Senate, a result nonpartisan analysts call plausible, they would gain the power to bring new Ukraine aid to a vote and to push back on President Donald Trump’s deals easing pressure on Russia, Reuters reports in an analysis of how US foreign policy could shift.

The stakes are concrete. Trump has largely halted direct US aid to Ukraine, which lawmakers of both parties had backed, and its current supplies run from packages passed under his predecessor.

Weeks ago, he also waived the sanctions on Russian energy that Congress had written into law and struck a deal to bring Russian diesel back to the market, angering Republicans and Democrats alike.

What a Democratic Congress could do for Ukraine

With both chambers, Democrats could put new Ukraine aid on the floor, and given the bipartisan support such aid has drawn, it could pass with the two-thirds majorities needed to override a Trump veto.

Other steps could be taken, too. Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, in line to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee if his party wins control, has already introduced bipartisan legislation to block Trump’s plan to return Russian diesel to the global market.

Democrats are also readier than Trump’s Republicans to rein in military spending. They blocked his request for an unprecedented 67% rise in the military budget, to $1.5 trillion, in the Senate, and many say they will try to restore the foreign aid he has withheld or canceled.

The limits of a slice of power

The leverage has limits. Even with both chambers, Democrats would still face a president who can veto, and overriding him would require two-thirds of each chamber. The pattern has already been visible in Iran: Trump launched that war on 28 February without congressional approval, and when a War Powers resolution passed with a handful of Republican votes, his administration ignored it.

The US midterms could restore Ukraine’s American aid and curb Trump’s Russia deals, if Democrats win Congress

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Billionaire Trump donor Bill Ackman says far-right ministers should not be in next gov’t

Noting Ben Gvir, Smotrich have caused Israel 'enormous reputational damage,' Jewish hedge fund exec says he supports Netanyahu, but PM should signal country is turning 'new page'
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Trump Exempts Some Canadian Products From Section 338 Tariffs—But His Illegal Trade War Continues

An American flag breaks with a Canadian flag
Illustration: Midjourney

Last week, the Liberty Justice Center (the public interest group I worked with on the case challenging Trump's earlier IEEPA tariffs, which led their invalidation by the Supreme Court)  filed the first lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's massive Section 338 tariffs against a variety of Canadian imports. Three days later, Trump exempted some previously covered Canadian products from the tariffs, probably to help Maine Sen. Susan Collins and other congressional Republicans fearful of voter backlash in the upcoming midterm election:

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday that removes some Canadian products from tariffs imposed under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and adds others, the White House said. The changes take effect Oct. 30.

Plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery and refrigeration equipment, and certain packing crates and boxes come off the list. Some valves, along with carpets, waste products and other goods, take their place.

The tariffs, set at 50% according to CNBC, apply whether or not a good originates under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement….

The fact that American businesses and consumers in states like Maine are suffering from the tariffs gives the lie to the notion that only foreigners are burdened by them. Trump's action here also underscores how the tariffs have become highly unpopular, and a drag on GOP prospects in the upcoming election.

While Trump may have (perhaps only temporarily) lifted some of the Section 338 tariffs, most remain in place. As noted above, he  imposed additional tariffs on some goods, even as he lifted them on others. And the Section 338 tariffs are still still illegal for a variety of reasons I summarized in my previous post on the LJC lawsuit against them, as well as earlier writings:

I have previously written about why Trump's Section 338 tariffs are harmful and illegal. See my recent Montreal Economic Institute paper on this topic, and earlier pieces here, here, and here. To briefly summarize, the tariffs on Canada are illegal because 1) Section 338 has been superseded by later legislation, 2) even if Section 338 is still operative, Trump's tariffs do not meet its requirements because the Canadian actions they supposedly respond to do not "discriminate" against US goods, as the law requires, 3) Trump's tariffs do not "offset" the Canadian actions (as Section 338 also requires), but go far beyond that, 4) the administration's interpretation of Section 338 runs afoul of the "major questions" doctrine, and 5) if Section 338 is operative and does authorize the Trump actions, it would violate the constitutional nondelegation doctrine (which restricts delegation of legislative power to the executive).

The LJC complaint advances all five of these arguments. To prevail, they need win on only one.

Trump has also used Section 338 to ban some Canadian imports entirely. That too is illegal, though the bans (unlike the tariffs) are not directly at issue in the LJC case. They may well be challenged in future litigation, however.

In addition to illegally usurping congressional power over taxation, the Trump trade war against Canada damages our economy and poisons relations with a key ally. Courts should strike it down, just as they did with the IEEPA tariffs and the more recent Section 122 tariffs. They should also invalidated the massive Section 301 "forced labor" tariffs, which have been challenged in three cases currently before the US Court of International Trade.

UPDATE: It's worth reiterating that giving one person the power to impose and lift tariffs whenever he feels like it is an affront to the rule of law.

The post Trump Exempts Some Canadian Products From Section 338 Tariffs—But His Illegal Trade War Continues appeared first on Reason Magazine.

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Trump’s Election Attacks Enter New Pre-emptive Phase

A lawsuit by the Justice Department challenging a potential narrow loss by the GOP Senate incumbent in Alaska reflects a new tactic by the president to try to shape the election results.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

President Trump at a midterm election campaign rally in Guardian Centers in Perry, Ga., on Saturday.
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Trump alle urne in Florida, ma i sondaggi fanno paura: il consenso crolla al 31%. Midterm decisive per il tycoon

Trump vota in Florida e rilancia la campagna in Georgia

Donald Trump si è recato alle urne in Florida insieme alla first lady Melania, a pochi giorni dalle elezioni di metà mandato del 3 novembre. Un appuntamento cruciale per il futuro politico del presidente, che arriva in una fase delicata del suo secondo mandato, segnata da un calo dei consensi e da sondaggi favorevoli ai Democratici nella corsa per il Congresso. Dopo aver votato a Palm Beach, Trump si è spostato in Georgia per partecipare a un comizio elettorale, mentre la campagna entra nella sua fase conclusiva. Al centro della contesa c’è il controllo della Camera dei rappresentanti e del Senato, destinato a influenzare la capacità della Casa Bianca di portare avanti la propria agenda.

I sondaggi: approvazione ai minimi e Democratici in vantaggio

A preoccupare i Repubblicani sono soprattutto i dati sul gradimento del presidente. Secondo un sondaggio Reuters/Ipsos pubblicato il 19 ottobre, solo il 31% degli americani approva l’operato di Trump, un punto in meno rispetto alla rilevazione precedente e il livello più basso registrato durante i suoi due mandati. Il 66% degli intervistati esprime invece un giudizio negativo.

La stessa indagine evidenzia un vantaggio dei Democratici nelle intenzioni di voto per il Congresso: tra gli elettori registrati, il 47% dichiara che sceglierebbe un candidato democratico, contro il 35% orientato verso i Repubblicani. Il divario è di 12 punti percentuali, ma il dato nazionale non si traduce automaticamente in una previsione sulla distribuzione dei seggi.

Un quadro simile emerge dal sondaggio del New York Times e del Siena College, pubblicato il 21 ottobre e condotto su circa 3.494 elettori considerati probabili votanti. In questa rilevazione, l’approvazione di Trump si attesta al 36%, mentre il 59% degli intervistati disapprova il suo operato. Il 52% dichiara inoltre di voler votare per un candidato democratico alle elezioni di novembre.

Economia e costo della vita al centro della campagna

Tra i fattori che incidono sul consenso del presidente figurano soprattutto l’economia e l’aumento del costo della vita. Secondo Reuters/Ipsos, il 68% degli intervistati disapprova la gestione economica dell’amministrazione, una valutazione negativa che coinvolge anche una parte dell’elettorato repubblicano. Alla domanda su quale partito sarebbe più capace di gestire l’economia, il 40% indica i Democratici, mentre il 33% si schiera con i Repubblicani. Tra le preoccupazioni segnalate dagli elettori figurano anche il rincaro della benzina e le possibili conseguenze economiche del conflitto con l’Iran.

Il peso di Trump sulla scelta elettorale emerge anche da un’indagine del Pew Research Center, realizzata tra il 28 settembre e il 4 ottobre. Il 63% degli elettori registrati considera il presidente un elemento determinante nella propria decisione per il Congresso: il 44% descrive il proprio voto come una scelta contro di lui, mentre il 19% lo considera un modo per sostenerlo. Nello stesso sondaggio, il gradimento presidenziale si ferma al 30%.

Il futuro politico di Trump passa dal Congresso

Per Trump, le elezioni di metà mandato rappresentano un banco di prova sulla gestione del Paese e sulla capacità di mantenere il sostegno degli elettori. Per il Congresso, il risultato determinerà invece gli equilibri politici con cui verranno affrontati i prossimi due anni di legislatura. Se i Democratici riuscissero a conquistare il controllo di una o di entrambe le Camere, il presidente potrebbe incontrare maggiori ostacoli nell’attuazione del proprio programma. Una conferma della maggioranza repubblicana gli consentirebbe invece di proseguire con maggiori margini di manovra.

LEGGI LE NEWS DI ESTERI

L'articolo Trump alle urne in Florida, ma i sondaggi fanno paura: il consenso crolla al 31%. Midterm decisive per il tycoon proviene da Affaritaliani.it.

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María Corina Machado on Venezuela’s Future and Her Relationship With the Trump Administration

Blocked from entering her country, Venezuela’s opposition leader spoke with The Times about her efforts to return and her relationship with the Trump administration.

© Nathalia Angarita for The New York Times

María Corina Machado in Panama on Wednesday.
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María Corina Machado returns to Venezuela

After nearly 10 months abroad, María Corina Machado, the anti-Chavista opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has returned to Venezuela. “I am here, with you,” the opposition figure wrote on social media on Sunday morning.

Seguir leyendo

© Vente Venezuela (EFE)

Supporters welcome María Corina Machado this Sunday at the Divina Pastora Shrine in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.
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Axelrod: Trump’s ‘I don’t give a damn’ remark on gas prices is no winning message 

Democratic strategist David Axelrod called out President Trump on Saturday, following Trump’s remarks at an evening rally where he told supporters he “did not give a damn” about high fuel prices because “we’re making a freaking fortune” on oil. “HE’s making money like he’s never made before. And he doesn’t give a damn about high…

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Europe’s Search for a Ukraine Negotiator Exposes a Much Deeper Struggle for Power

European leaders are considering appointing a senior representative to negotiate with Russia over Ukraine. But the search exposes a more fundamental problem: whether Europe can transform its economic strength, military resources and political influence into an independent capacity to shape its own security.

Europe is searching for someone capable of negotiating with Vladimir Putin. Yet the question confronting European capitals is considerably more difficult than identifying a politician with sufficient experience, authority and diplomatic skill. It is whether Europe possesses the political unity and strategic independence to negotiate with Moscow on equal terms.

According to diplomatic accounts published on 22nd October, five European leaders have emerged as possible representatives: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Czech President Petr Pavel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

No appointment has been announced, and a group of negotiators may ultimately prove more acceptable than a single representative. The initiative reflects concern that Washington’s negotiations with Moscow could produce arrangements affecting European security without sufficient European influence over their terms.

The European Commission insists that the EU is already participating in diplomatic consultations, including discussions held in Oslo on 20th October. But participation in preliminary meetings is not the same as possessing the authority to determine the outcome.

The paradox of European power

Europe’s predicament contains an extraordinary contradiction. The European Union is among Ukraine’s principal financial supporters. Its governments provide military assistance, maintain sanctions against Russia and control decisions affecting Moscow’s future access to European markets. Nevertheless, European capitals remain concerned that the decisive political framework for ending the war could be negotiated principally between Washington and Moscow.

This anxiety has intensified under President Donald Trump, whose transactional approach increasingly treats diplomatic settlements as exchanges of economic concessions and strategic advantages.

As EU Today recently examined, proposals involving sanctions relief, renewed energy cooperation and commercial opportunities raise the possibility of arrangements that depend upon European consent but are negotiated elsewhere.

Washington can discuss reopening economic relations with Russia. It cannot independently reverse European sanctions, guarantee Ukraine’s accession to the EU or decide the continent’s future security arrangements. The European Council explicitly reaffirmed this distinction in its conclusions of 16th October, insisting that decisions affecting the Union’s security and responsibilities belong to Europe itself.

The central issue is therefore not whether Europe has influence, but whether it can organise that influence into a coherent negotiating position.

Why Ukraine must help choose Europe’s representative

An equally important weakness would arise if European governments selected their representative without making Kyiv an integral participant in the decision.

Ukraine is not merely the geographical subject of negotiations. Its government controls whether a proposed settlement can acquire political legitimacy, while its armed forces determine much of what can be implemented on the ground.

A negotiated agreement rejected by Kyiv could neither reliably end the war nor provide the security arrangements that Europe seeks.

European security, moreover, can no longer be considered independently of Ukraine’s military capabilities. Ukrainian forces possess extensive operational experience against Russia, including in drone warfare, electronic warfare and long-range strikes.

Any future continental defence architecture that excludes this experience would disregard one of Europe’s most consequential military assets.

An effective European representative would therefore require a mandate developed jointly with Ukraine, rather than simply endorsed by European governments after the event.

The danger of negotiating without leverage

The proposed candidates illustrate the difficulty of combining political authority with negotiating credibility. Meloni possesses a working relationship with Trump and considerable influence within European conservative politics. Stubb combines experience of Russia’s immediate neighbourhood with access to Washington. Pavel brings military expertise and an understanding of NATO’s command structures. Yet none could independently commit Europe’s governments to financial, military or territorial-security obligations.

This is the fundamental weakness of the proposed office. A negotiator requires more than access to powerful leaders. The ability to make commitments, withhold concessions and impose costs is what gives diplomatic representation substance.

Europe possesses potentially significant instruments: sanctions, industrial capacity, financial assistance and growing defence expenditure. But these remain distributed across institutions and national governments with differing strategic priorities.

Poland, the Baltic states and Nordic governments approach Russian security threats differently from several Western and Southern European capitals. Reconciling those positions is not an administrative exercise. It is a prerequisite for meaningful diplomacy.

The historical shadow of Yalta

The search also reflects European concern about a return to great-power bargaining over the continent’s political geography.

The historical comparison frequently invoked is Yalta in 1945, when Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin discussed Europe’s post-war settlement. Munich in 1938 offers another warning about negotiating territorial concessions at the expense of directly affected states. Neither precedent precisely describes the present situation.

Unlike the countries subjected to Soviet domination after the Second World War, today’s European states possess established institutions, substantial economic resources and collective defence arrangements. Ukraine, meanwhile, has demonstrated that Russia cannot simply dictate its political future through military superiority.

Nevertheless, the danger lies in accepting the underlying principle that powerful states possess a privileged right to determine the sovereignty and security choices of their neighbours.

Moscow’s demands concerning NATO, Ukrainian territory and Europe’s wider security arrangements extend beyond any conventional ceasefire negotiation.

A European representative would have to challenge that premise rather than merely negotiate the geographical limits of Russian influence.

From diplomatic representation to strategic authority

The debate inevitably leads to Europe’s military dependence upon the United States. An American withdrawal from NATO is not inevitable. Indeed, US legislation restricts unilateral presidential withdrawal. But Washington could substantially reduce its military commitments without formally abandoning the alliance.

Europe must therefore consider how much independent military capacity it requires to support its diplomatic positions. That entails coordinated procurement, integrated military planning, sustainable defence production and deeper cooperation with Britain, Norway, Canada and Ukraine. Recent security challenges in the Black Sea illustrate the difficulty of converting European diplomatic commitments into effective collective action.

These developments would not automatically create a European army or replace NATO. They could, however, give European governments greater freedom to act if American priorities diverge from their own.

The relationship between military capability and diplomacy is particularly important in dealing with Moscow. European representatives cannot expect Russia to revise its demands simply because Brussels has selected a more prominent interlocutor.

Russia would have to conclude that continued aggression carries greater costs than a settlement respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty. Europe’s diplomatic standing would then derive not from the personality of its representative but from the collective resources and political commitments behind that individual.

The immediate search for a negotiator may appear a limited diplomatic initiative. Its implications are considerably larger.

For decades, European security rested upon an arrangement in which American military power compensated for Europe’s fragmented strategic authority. The present negotiations are exposing the limitations of that model. The decisive question is not whether Meloni, Stubb, Pavel or another European leader can secure a place at the negotiating table. It is whether Europe can establish a common position, backed by Ukraine’s consent and by sufficient economic and military power, that neither Washington nor Moscow can disregard.

Without those foundations, a European envoy risks becoming a participant in decisions made by others. With them, the appointment could mark the beginning of a substantially different European role in international security.

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Why Trump no longer wants to see or hear anything about Zelensky ?

Having promised a resolution to the Ukrainian conflict within days, Trump now finds himself searching for a culprit rather than a solution. Designating Zelensky as a scapegoat is a discreet admission of strategic defeat. The tragicomedy of Western diplomacy is already drawing to a close. Donald Trump now feels a profound disgust at Ukraine’s inability […]
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Nyt: “Teheran pronta a colpire personale Usa, sono considerati obiettivi legittimi”

Teheran è convinta che Israele e Stati Uniti si stiano preparando al terzo grande attacco su vasta scala contro la Repubblica islamica in 16 mesi, motivo per cui sarebbe in una “fase avanzata” la pianificazione da parte dell’Iran di attacchi contro funzionari statunitensi. Il timore all’interno dell’amministrazione Trump viene ribadito dal New York Times, che cita due fonti iraniane – tra le quali un ufficiale dei Guardiani della Rivoluzione, i Pasdaran – secondo cui tra gli obiettivi possibili ci sarebbero effettivamente diplomatici e personale americano, obiettivi che hanno detto di considerare “legittimi” dopo le operazioni militari dei mesi scorsi di Usa e Israele contro l’Iran. Osservazioni sulla portata delle capacità iraniane a parte, il conflitto in Medio Oriente, è la sintesi del giornale, è entrato in una nuova fase in cui una serie di fattori, dalle elezioni in Israele e negli Usa alla possibilità che le parti cerchino pretesti per l’azione, creano livelli di tensione e rischio sempre più elevati.

Funzionari Usa, rilancia il Nyt, affermano di essere concentrati su elementi delle informazioni di intelligence più recenti secondo cui gli iraniani potrebbero tentare di uccidere ambasciatori americani in Medio Oriente e funzionari americani in territorio Usa, quello che il quotidiano sottolinea essere un vecchio obiettivo dell’unità 840, unità d’élite iraniana, ricordando come “la storia insegni che le ambizioni dell’Iran sono spesso superiori alle sue capacità“. Fonti americane e alleati europei, evidenzia ancora il giornale, hanno sottolineato come le notizie di intelligence su possibili attacchi siano aumentate dopo i fatti nel Regno Unito, dopo l’allarme nella base Raf Fairford usata dalle forze Usa. E le fonti citate hanno precisato che le informazioni di intelligence valutate da ufficiali di alto livello includono la pianificazione da parte dell’Iran di un’eventuale risposta a possibili operazioni di Usa o Israele. In questo contesto, stando a una fonte, ci sarebbero prove che gli iraniani abbiano agenti negli Usa “che non sono semplicemente cittadini iraniani“.

Dal punto di vista politico, il ministro degli Esteri iraniano Abbas Araghchi ha portato l’attenzione sullo stretto di Hormuz, dove la situazione non tornerà “allo stato in cui si trovava prima delle due recenti guerre”. Il conflitto in corso, ha proseguito, “ha cambiato tutto. Le rotte attraverso lo Stretto di Hormuz non saranno più quelle di un tempo”. Araghchi ha inoltre aggiunto che l’Iran ha sottolineato agli intermediari che la guerra deve cessare su tutti i fronti della regione, “altrimenti la pace rimarrà irraggiungibile”. Riferendosi a recenti dichiarazioni del presidente statunitense Donald Trump, che non ha escluso l’ipotesi di nuovi attacchi contro l’Iran, Araghchi ha sottolineato: “Si parla di una nuova guerra, ma io sto già pensando al periodo successivo alla guerra. Indipendentemente dal fatto che una guerra scoppi o meno, le nostre politiche rimangono invariate. Se prevarrà un minimo di razionalità, non tenteranno nuovamente un’aggressione militare contro l’Iran. Ci hanno già provato due volte e hanno visto come è andata a finire. Se dovessero tentare ancora una volta, sanno bene che il risultato non sarà diverso da quello che hanno sperimentato in passato”.

L'articolo Nyt: “Teheran pronta a colpire personale Usa, sono considerati obiettivi legittimi” proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

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