Trump's tariff failure with Xi Jinping is the handing over of Ukraine's sovereignty to Putin.

On 17 April, 2025, I wrote that,

"As his global "tariff" strategy accumulates ongoing failures and criticisms in the US and throughout the world, is Trump now going to ensure that Putin succeeds in demanding the complete capitulation of Ukraine in Putin's raging war with Ukraine, simply to "save face"? (blog entry : 17 April 2025)

That  "ACCAR" Trump's 'tariff' standoff with China's president Xi Jinping (right) has failed is best summed up by Lawrence O' Donnell (left), who commented that,

"Now remember way way back to last week when Donald Trump was promising that he would have a big beautiful trade agreement with China very soon, like now or sooner.

No-one in China is calling the White House... No-one!

..... Donald Trump has decided to surrender to China, without China giving Donald Trump anything in return ... absoultely nothing!

Donald Trump said today that he was going to .... at some time unknown ... cut his absurdely high tariffs on Chinese goods saying that the tariffs will, quote, "..Come down substantially but it won't be zero." (MSNBC: 24 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

Lawrence O' Donnell :MSNBC: 24 April 2025: YouTube

Having surrendered in his tariff war with China, "ACCAR" Trump had now set his sights on Zelensky, and the pople of Ukraine, as the 'whipping boys' that will enable him to save face from the debacle of his 'tariff war' with China's Xi Jinping. 

As Illia Novikov, Aamer Madhani and Jill Lawless report,

"President Donald Trump on Wednesday lashed out at Ukraine’s president, saying Volodymyr Zelenskyy is prolonging the “killing field” after pushing back on ceding Crimea to Russia as part of a potential peace plan.

Zelenskyy on Tuesday ruled out ceding territory to Russia in any deal before talks set for Wednesday in London among U.S., European and Ukrainian officials. “There is nothing to talk about. It is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people,” Zelenskyy said." (AP: 24 April 2025) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Michael Howie (left) and Nicholas Cecil (right),

"Trump's latest intervention on his Truth Social social media
platform came after the latest efforts in London to broker peace led by Foreign Secretary David Lammy were downgraded to technical talks, following the decision by US secretary of state Marco Rubio to not attend.

The US administration is urging Kyiv to accept Russia's continued control of occupied Ukrainian regions and to accept Moscow's ownership of the Crimean peninsula as part of a peace settlement." (Evening Standard: 24 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Let us recall that in 2015,

"Vladimir Putin has admitted for the first time that the plan to annex Crimea was ordered weeks before the referendum on self-determination.

Crimea was formally absorbed into Russia on 18 March, to international condemnation, after unidentified gunmen took over the peninsula.

Mr Putin said on TV he had ordered work on "returning Crimea" to begin at an all-night meeting on 22 February.

The meeting was called after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted." (BBC News: 9 March 2015) (my emphasis)

 

 CGTN: 2015: YouTube

 

Imperial War Museums: 2023: YouTube

 What we now have is "ACCAR" Trump, together with the motley crew of subordinates in his administration, including,

• Steve Witkoff (American billionaire real estate investor, and Trump's US Special Envoy to the Middle East),  
• Keith Kellogg (American diplomat and retired lieutenant general in the United States Army), 
• former Fox News presenter, (Trump's Secretary of Defence) Peter Hegseth, 
• and Marco Rubio (US Senator and now US Secretary of State), 

are ALL, likewise, demanding that Zelensky hand over Ukraine's Crimea to Putin as a prelude to any ceasefire in Putin's war with Ukraine.

 

(left to right: Witkoff, Kellog, Hegseth, Rubio)

Shannon Cook (left) reports on the conditions of "ACCAR" Trump's administration's so-called 'peace plan' for a 'ceasefire' in Putin's  war with Ukraine viz.

"The condition is reportedly part of a 'seven-point' plan to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

•  The plan, which will be discussed in London on Wednesday, leaves Ukraine devoid of a clear US security guarantee.
•  The proposal involves the US offering formal recognition of Russia's sovereignty over Crimea.
•  It also implies de facto recognition of other occupied territories.
•  The proposal would mean freezing the existing front line - enabling Putin to keep 'almost all' the land Russia has gained, reports The Telegraph.
•  However, in Ukraine's favour, Russia would relinquish two small areas that it is currently occupying.
•  Ukraine would recover unobstructed access to the mouth of the Dnieper River.
•  Meanwhile, Russia would withdraw from a second area of Kherson province.

US envoy, General Keith Kellogg, intends to gain Ukraine's agreement to the proposal on Wednesday.

Fellow US envoy Steve Witkoff would then present the proposal to Putin in Moscow. 

"ACCAR" Trump's failure in his tariff war with Xi Jinping is his handing over of Ukraine's sovereignty to Putin on a silver platter.

UPDATE: 24 April 2025: 15.43 GMT 

As Trump and Co. are pressuring Zelensky to hand over Ukraine's sovereignty to Putin, Putin continues to,

" ... launch huge missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, [last night] killing at least eight people and injuring dozens." (Kim Hjelmgaard : USA Today: 24 April 2025) (my emphasis)

This has somewhat rattled Trump.

As reported by the BBC,

"US President Donald Trump condemns Russia's overnight attack on Ukraine as "very bad timing", adding "I am not happy"

Ukraine's President Zelensky branded the strikes, which killed at least 10 in Kyiv, as "difficult" and "impudent"

In an update on social media, Trump spoke directly to Russia's President Putin: "Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!" (BBC: 24 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Trump is exhorting Putin to, "Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!",

In other words, "Take our deal, which destroys Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and, to boot, gives us control of Ukraine's riches under its soil, and stop the bombing ... "

But Putin, emboldened by Trump and his motley crew of subordinates gifting him with Ukraine's Crimea, has decided that,

"...  Moscow might consider a nuclear strike if threatened." (ibid Kim Hjelmgaard)

No doubt this threat was specifically aimed at the UK's Keith Starmer and France's Macron.

As Olivia AllHusen (left) and Will Stewart (right) report,

"Russia has warned Britain against deploying a 'coalition of the willing' in Ukraine, declaring it could lead to a nuclear World War Three.

Putin hawk Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the powerful Russian security council and ex-defence minister, said Russia rejected Western boots on the ground in the war-torn country." (Mail Online: 24 April 2025) (my emphasis)

What is disconcerting about this threat is that it comes from  Sergei Shoigu rather that from the infantile rantings of  Putin's 'glove puppet', Dmitry Medvedev.

What does this tell us?     

And where does it leave "ACCAR" Trump and his motley crew of subordinates?

                                                                                 

        

 

(to be continued)

Trump gives Putin the "green light" over his war with Ukraine

In my last blog entry I wrote that,

"As his global "tariff" strategy accumulates ongoing failures and criticisms in the US and throughout the world, is Trump now going to ensure that Putin succeeds in demanding the complete capitulation of Ukraine in Putin's raging war with Ukraine, simply to "save face"? (blog entry : 17 April 2025)

It is now reported by Alice Scarsi (left) and Jon King (right) that,

"Details of Donald Trump's plan to bring peace to war-torn Ukraine have reportedly been unveiled. The proposals were revealed hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the White House was ready to "move on" from its efforts to end the conflict should progress not happen quickly.

An outline of the plan was shared during talks in Paris on Thursday, according to European officials cited by Bloomberg. According to the same publication, Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia would remain under Moscow’s control. Kyiv’s aim to join NATO would be off the table. The plan also includes easing sanctions on Russia if there is a lasting ceasefire." (Express : 18 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Sky News: 18 April 2025: YouTube

And as "ACCAR" Trump reveals his plan of the complete capitulation of Ukraine to Putin's demented 'Novorossiya' demands in his proposals for a 'peaceful' end to Putin's war with Ukraine,

• 
  James Saunders (left) reports that, "Donald Trump is ready to recognise Crimea as Russian soil in a major blow to Volodymyr Zelensky's post-war hopes, according to fresh reports.
  
  Sources familiar with negotiations have revealed that formally handing the territory to Vladimir Putin, 11 years after his troops invaded it, is set to form part of a broader peace deal between Russia and Ukraine." (GB News: 18 April 2025) (my emphasis),
• and Putin's 'glove puppet', Dmitry Medvedev, once again ranted that, "...... any European peacekeepers sent to Ukraine would return in coffins. Dmitry Medvedev issued the warning after US officials met with a coalition of European leaders in Paris to discuss security in Ukraine. (Sarah Barltrop: Express: 18 April 2025) (my emphasis)
  

Most significant of "ACCAR" Trump now preparing to give the "green light" to Putin to do as he now wishes with Ukraine is the fact that,

"Kyiv and Washington have a signed a memorandum of intent (Reuters: Full Memorandum Text) pledging to advance an agreement on an investment fund for Ukraine’s natural resources and energy assets, officials familiar with the matter told the Financial Times.

The officials said the memorandum had been signed “virtually” and they hoped to finalise the full economic accord as early as the end of next week." (Christopher Miller and Guy Chazan: Financial Times: 17 April 2025) (my emphasis)

 I am somewhat reminded of the late Auberon Waugh, who recounted the dilemma of the Chinese button viz.,

“Press the button and a Chinese man drops dead in China. Nobody will ever tell you his name or worry you about the circumstances, but you will receive £1 million in the post the next day. Do you press the button?” (Melanie McDonagh (left): The Times: 15 August 2007)

Trump, practically giving Putin the "green light" to continue with his barbaric war in Ukraine (cf Sky News: Sumy bombing by Putin) and causing untold Ukrainian people to die, is akin to him "pressing the button" and causing the deaths of those Ukrainians", simply to receive the riches of the mineral wealth beneath the soil of Ukraine.

Al Jazeera: 14 April 2025: YouTube

UPDATE: 19 April 2025: 10.38 GMT 

It has just been reported by James Waterhouse (left) that,

"It had been hoped by Ukraine that America's growing impatience with Russia would translate into further sanctions for Moscow. Instead, the threat of the US washing its hands of the ongoing peace efforts suits the Kremlin more than Kyiv.
…
What it has done is launch some of the deadliest missile strikes on civilians in recent days (cf Sky News: Sumy bombing by Putin). In Kharkiv in the north-east, more than 100 people were injured and one person was killed after three struck a residential part of the city.
…
But [Putin's] attacks have not brought the slightest condemnation from the White House, which has continued to use more of a stick with Kyiv, by pausing military aid, and a carrot with Moscow, by improving relations, to get both sides to mirror its appetite for peace." (BBC News: 19 April 2025) (my emphasis)

'ACCAR' Trump and "The Button".

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Trump will now demand the complete capitulation of Ukraine to Putin.

In my last blog entry (13 April 2025) I wrote that,

"Not only have Putin and Trump boxed themselves in, they have now also painted themselves together into a political corner from which there is practically no escape." (blog entry : 13 April 2025)

The "delusional" and the "teritorial expansionist" aims of the political box which Putin has build around himself since his invasion of, and annexation of, Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 contains his "unwavering" delusion of recreating "Novorossiya".

This "Novorossiya delusion" of Putin, still smarting from the fall of the Soviet Union in  1991, is best illustrated when, in an interview in 2014, he stated that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in an interview on 17 April 2014 that the territories of Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa were part of what was called Novorossiya. In May 2014, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic proclaimed the confederation of Novorossiya and its desire to extend its control towards all of south eastern Ukraine" (Wikipedia)

Yet, in his current war with Ukraine to fulfill his "delusional ideas" about recreating a historical "Novorossiya",  and as reported by John T Psaropoulos (right),

"Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine are slowing down dramatically, two analyses have found, continuing a pattern from 2024 at a time when both nations are trying to project strength in the face of United States-mediated negotiations aimed at ending the war.
...
Russia’s diminishing returns have come even as it has greatly expanded the size of its forces from an estimated 150,000 soldiers who carried out its initial invasion in February to May 2022." (Al Jazeera: 10 April 2025) (my emphasis)

And whilst Europe and the UK continue to defend the inalienable right of Ukraine to defend itself against Putin's invasive war with Ukraine Trump, on the other hand, continues his 'near' unwavering support of Putin and his "delusional" dreams about recreating "Novorossiya".

As reported by Luke McGee,

"Sir Keir Starmer’s coalition of the willing can bring Donald Trump into line with Western allies over Russia’s war by ramping up joint production of ammunition and building new factories in Ukraine, multiple Western officials and defence sources have told The i Paper.

Officials said the coalition should help Ukraine build as much strategic leverage as possible while peace talks stall. Sources suggest this should include opening factories in Ukraine and massively increasing the country’s ammunition production." (The iPaper: 16 April 2025) (my emphasis)

On the other hand, and as reported in an interview on CBS with a former CBS National Security contributor,

"There are reports that the Kremlin is praising the [Trump] administration saying that Washington's rapidly changing stance onboard policy, quote, 

".... largely aligns with Moscow's vision on international affairs"

Further during the interview, a former CBS National Security contributor stated that,

"... President Trump does not view protecting Ukraine's sovereignty as a core US National Security interest. He views it more as charity. The reality is that the bi-partisan support for helping Ukraine ... was really centred on the fact that helping Ukraine was in America's National Interest"  (CBS News: 17 March 2025) (my emphasis)

 

 CBS News: 17 March 2025

Similarly, in a Sky News Q&A session, Michael Clarke reponded to a question about whether Trump is being manipulated by Putin by answering,

"He [Trump] is beginning to look as if he's been genuinly manipulated by Putin because the Kremlin shows all the signs of knowing that they've got the White House where they want them ..." (Sky News: 16 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

Sky News: 16 April 2025: YouTube

And underscoring the manipulation of Trump by Putin, France 24 (cf. also MSN) reports that,

"The US State Department has shut down its Global Engagement Center, which aimed to counter disinformation from countries like Russia, China, and Iran. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed on Wednesday that the centre restricted free speech in the US and elsewhere.

The State Department has shut down its office that sought to deal with misinformation and disinformation that Russia, China and Iran have been accused of spreading." (France 24: 17 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Similarly, as reported by Jon King (left) (cf also: MSN),

"Poland's Foreign Minister, Radek Sikorski, described the attack [on Sumy] as "Russia’s mocking answer" to Kyiv’s agreement to a ceasefire proposed by the Trump administration more than a month ago.

Mr Sikorski, speaking at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, said: "I hope that President Trump, the US administration, see that the leader of Russia is mocking their goodwill, and I hope the right decisions are taken." (Daily Express: 14 April 2025) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Mac William Bishop (right),

"Donald Trump doubled down on his pro-Russia strategy on Monday, deflecting blame away from Moscow for deadly ballistic missile attacks in Ukraine, while taking no action to ratchet up pressure on the Kremlin to implement the cease-fire the president repeatedly promised on the 2024 campaign trail." (Rolling Stone: 15 April 2025) (my emphasis)

And as Putin bombards the city of Dnipro,  Arpan Rai (left) reports that,

Donald Trump’s secretary of state Marco Rubio and Moscow-friendly envoy Steve Witkoff are travelling to Paris for talks aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine – as the US president’s Easter deadline for a truce rapidly approaches.

With Mr Trump having expressed frustration with both Kyiv and Moscow over the slow progress in peace talks, and lashing out at Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky with false claims that he “started” Vladimir Putin’s invasion, European officials are expected to plead Kyiv’s case in the talks on Thursday." (The Independent: 17 April 2025) (my emphasis)

As his global "tariff" strategy accumulates ongoing failures and criticisms in the US and throughout the world, is Trump now going to ensure that Putin succeeds in demanding the complete capitulation of Ukraine in Putin's raging war with Ukraine, simply to "save face"?

                                                                                

        

 

(to be continued)

Are we now heading for a Trump-Putin "Black Swan Event" over China?

In my blog entry of 28 March 2025 I wrote that,

"In the White House, discussions about a ceasefire in Ukraine and, more importantly, about Putin dragging his feet over any ceasefire by constantly moving the goalposts in favour of Russia, at the expense of Ukraine, can only be described as, "a dog's dinner" i.e. White House 'ceasefire' discussions that are "messy or bungled". 

 Since then, a mere two weeks ago, 'A Convicted Criminal And Rapist' (ACCAR), and President of the US, Donald Trump, unleashed a GLOBAL tariff war against the rest of the world that has caused international political and economic mayhem.

And in the background, overshadowed by the global economic mayhem that ACCAR Trump set in motion, Putin and Lavrov are jumping for joy as ACCAR Trump's chosen negotiators dealing with Putin's war against Ukraine demand Ukraine's FULL capitulation to Putin's demands.

As reported by  Benedict Smith (left), ACCAR Trump's United States Special Envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg (right), has proposed that,

"Ukraine could be divided like Berlin after the Second World War, Donald Trump’s envoy to the war-torn nation has said.

Keith Kellogg suggested that Ukraine could be partitioned with a British

and French-controlled zone in the west and Russian forces stationed in the east as part of a peace deal to bring the war to an end.

...

The proposal would require Ukraine to cede control of its eastern territories, which are currently under Russian control." (Daily Telegraph: 11 April 2025) (my emphasis)

 

 LBC: 12 April 2025: YouTube

Let us recall that, on the initiative of the UK and France, and as reported by Deborah Haynes (right),

"Vladimir Putin will break any peace agreement with Ukraine that is not "defended" by an international coalition of forces, the British prime minister has said.

Sir Keir Starmer was talking on Thursday as he visited a UK base to meet a group of senior military officers from more than 30 nations tasked with turning a political desire to support Kyiv into an actionable plan to help protect the country from land, sea and air in the event of a ceasefire."(Sky News: 20 March 2025) (my emphasis)

 

DW News: 16 March 2025: YouTube

Yet we now also have Keith Kellogg warning that,

"Lt Gen Kellogg warned Britain and France that they could not count on Mr Trump’s support for their coalition, advising them to “plan for the worst case”. (ibid Benedict Smith)

This 'worst case' for Ukraine is now emerging.

As reported by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar (left),

"As part of Donald Trump’s sweeping new demands for US control over all of Ukraine’s mineral and energy assets, Washington has proposed that its International Development Finance Corporation should take control of a natural gas pipeline running from the town of Sudzha in western Russia to the Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod.

Senior economist Volodymyr Landa told The Guardian that Washington's bullying, “colonial-type” demands had little chance of being accepted by Kyiv." (The Independent: 13 April 2025) (my emphasis)

 Added to which,

"US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg for talks aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine. The meeting took place at the city’s presidential library on Friday.

The Kremlin confirmed after the meeting that the focus was "aspects of a Ukrainian settlement." Russian media reported that the talks continued for more than four hours.

Witkoff, one of the key players in efforts to strengthen ties between Moscow and Washington, was spotted earlier today with Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's investment envoy. Dmitriev later concluded the meeting as "productive," the TASS state news agency reported." (India Today: 12 April 2025) (my emphasis)

 

CBS News: 12 April 2025: YouTube

And whilst ACCAR Trump's accolytes viz. Steve Witkoff (American billionaire real estate investor, and Trump's US Special Envoy to the Middle East), Keith Kellogg, and former Fox News presenter, (and now Trump's Secretary of Defence) Peter Hegseth, are scrambling to hand over the entire Ukraine territory of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions to Putin, it has emerged that,

"The Ukrainian military has captured two Chinese citizens who fought with the Russian army, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday.

The Chinese nationals were captured in the eastern Donetsk region and were being held by Ukraine’s security service, Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram, without providing evidence. He added that intelligence indicated that there were “significantly more Chinese citizens in the units of the occupier than two.”. (Chantal Da Silva (left): NBC News: 8 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Kyiv Independent: 11 April 2025: YouTube

Furhermore, as reported by John T Psaropoulos (left),

"Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine are slowing down dramatically, two analyses have found, continuing a pattern from 2024 at a time when both nations are trying to project strength in the face of United States-mediated negotiations aimed at ending the war.
...
Russia’s diminishing returns have come even as it has greatly expanded the size of its forces from an estimated 150,000 soldiers who carried out its initial invasion in February to May 2022." (Al Jazeera: 10 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Significantly, Psaropoulos goes on to report that,

"Despite this, almost all of the Ukrainian territory Russia occupies, about a fifth of the country, was the result of the seizure of Crimea in 2014 and its initial, full-scale invasion in 2022." (ibid John T Psaropoulos)

How ACCAR Trump will deal with Chinese soldiers fighting for Putin in Ukraine, and his current tariff war with China, now remains to be seen.

Not only have Putin and Trump boxed themselves in, they have now also painted themselves together into a political corner from which there is practically no escape.

Are we now heading for a Trump-Putin "Black Swan Event" over China? 

UPDATE: 14 April 2025: 07.05 GMT 

It has just been reported by Patrick Jackson (left) that,

"A Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, which killed 34 people - including two children - and injured 117 others, has been strongly condemned by Kyiv's Western allies.
…
Asked about the attack, the US president said it was "terrible" and that he had been "told they made a mistake", but did not elaborate.
…
Merz, who is expected to take over as Germany's new chancellor next month, told German public broadcaster ARD that the attack on Sumy constituted a "serious war crime".

"It was a perfidious act.. and it is a serious war crime, deliberate and intended," the conservative politician said." (BBC News: 14 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

That ACCAR Trump believes Putin that this heinous crime that he committed was, "a mistake", and Trump actually believes him, simply beggars belief.

                                                                                

        

 

(to be continued)

Putin and Trump are now boxed in by their own rhetoric.

In my last blog entry I wrote that

"Putin and Trump are now, together, raising an Iron Curtain against Europe and the UK." (blog entry: 28 March 2025)

Yesterday, in Trump's announcement about his TARIFFS imposed upon countries exporting goods and services to the USA, he conspicuously excluded Putin's Russia from ANY tarrif restictions on its imports into the USA.

As Arpan Rai and Alex Croft report,

 "Donald Trump has not included Russia on its expansive list of countries that will face major new tariffs starting today as Vladimir Putin’s top negotiator held meetings in Washington.

At the same time, war-hit Ukraine is facing 10 per cent tariffs from the US administration.

The White House has not explained why Russia will not face tariffs." (The Independent: 3 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Meanwhile, as Trump wields a tariff sledgehammer against the economy of the world, excepting Putin's Russia but also slapping tarrifs on Ukraine, Anna Chernova and Rob Picheta (right) report that,

"One of the largest rounds of conscription to Russia’s military for several years is underway, as President Vladimir Putin pushes ahead with an expansion of the country’s military at a crucial moment in the war in Ukraine.
...
It will see 160,000 men between 18 and 30 join Russia’s armed forces – an increase of 10,000 on last year’s spring drive, and a rise of more than 15,000 compared to three years ago, according to Russian state media outlet TASS." (CNN: 2 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

This increase in Putin's military consciption underscores the fact that, as reported by DW,

"Russia cannot accept a proposal from US President Donald Trump's administration for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, according to comments by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov (left).
...
Ryabkov added that the US proposals, in Moscow's view, do not address Russian concerns about the cause of the war. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and illegally annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea in 2014. (DW: 4 April 2025) (my emphasis)

CNN: 2 April 2025: YouTube

In other words, the US peace proposals do not address Putin's military intention of realising his "Novorossiya" dream i.e.,

" ...  when Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in an interview on 17 April 2014 that the territories of Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa were part of what was called Novorossiya. In May 2014, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic proclaimed the confederation of Novorossiya and its desire to extend its control towards all of southeastern Ukraine. (Wikipedia) (my emphasis)

Further underscoring Putin's delusions of his "Novorossiya" dream, and as reported by Robert Greenall and James Landale,

"Vladimir Putin has suggested that Ukraine should temporarily be placed under UN control to elect what he called a more "competent" government.

It is the latest attempt by the Russian president to challenge the legitimacy of the Kyiv government.

Ukraine accused Putin of proposing "crazy" ideas to delay further movement towards a peace deal - being championed by US President Donald Trump." (BBC: 28 March 2025) (my emphasis)

But calling Putin's bluff, James Landale (left) reports that,

"A poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) in March suggested the number of Ukrainians who trusted Zelensky was up a couple of points on the previous month at 69%.

Diplomats say the president might think now was his best chance of winning a second term rather than wait until political divisions emerge after the war.
…
Perhaps the strongest argument against elections is that Ukrainians themselves do not want [elections]. That same March poll by the KIIS found about 78% of people opposed holding elections even after a complete settlement of the war." ( BBC News: 1 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

Even with his distraction of the eyes of the world from Ukraine with his tariffs announcement to the world, US president Donald Trump still has to contend with the fact that,

"Russia cannot accept a proposal from US President Donald Trump's administration for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, according to comments by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov" (ibid DW)

Exempting Putin's Russia from his tariff assault against the economies of all other countries in the world once again exposes Putin and Trump, together, raising an Iron Curtain against the UK and the EU.

But as Andy Bounds (left) reports,

"The EU has given itself a four-week window to convince Donald Trump to drop his 20 per cent tariffs on the bloc, with retaliation ruled out before late April.

Brussels would prepare measures to hit back, but hold off for the time being in the hope that it could negotiate a solution, two officials told the FT.
...
Ursula von der Leyen (right), president of the European Commission, said on Thursday the bloc was “prepared to respond” to the US levies but emphasised it preferred to negotiate to “remove any remaining barriers to transatlantic trade”. (Financial Times: 3 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

 Bloomberg: 1 April 2025: YouTube

Putin and Trump are now boxed in by their own rhetoric.

                                                                    

        

 

(to be continued)