Putin to Trump: No Peace until Ukraine Surrenders

I’ve written about this here many times. Peace in Ukraine and an end to Russia’s war are not on the table regardless of how many bilateral and multilateral meetings are held. Russian fuhrer Putin will never allow peace in Ukraine until Kyiv surrenders and he told this to President Donald Trump in Alaska.

Putin’s goal is to seize all of Ukraine and subjugate all Ukrainians in a renewed prison of nations.

According to the Financial Times, as cited by Ukrainska Pravda, during the summit on August 15, 2025, the issue of ending the war was to be discussed between Trump and Putin. However, the Russian despot began by attempting to show that Russians and Ukrainians are a single people by referencing Grand Prince Rurik, Grand Prince Yaroslav Mudryi and Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky. This irritated an already confused Trump, the Financial Times said, who threatened to walk out of the meeting if Putin wouldn’t talk about peace. Putin balked but ultimately declared angrily that there will never be peace in Ukraine until Kyiv capitulates and permanently returns Crimea and Donbas to Russia.

Furthermore, Trump later revealed that he was angered by the global notion that the Alaska Summit was Putin’s triumph.

Putin’s admission about his plan for Ukraine should open everyone’s eyes about Moscow’s real goal in Ukraine: re-subjugation of 45-or-so million Ukrainians in a rebuilt prison. The Kremlin has never quietly or publicly denied that but nobody cared to listen. Trump who enjoyed making flippant comments about Ukraine’s chances of defeating Russia and admitted to sharing with Putin his inside information is the least capable intermediary in this matter. Why? Because he doesn’t care and he’s ignorant of history and the issues. He seems to be unaware that this isn’t about sealing a deal about building a skyscraper in Manhattan. This is about 45 million red-blooded, breathing human beings who call Ukraine their home.

During their latest meeting on October 17, President Trump called on Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end their brutal war following a lengthy White House meeting with President Zelenskyy. 

Reportedly, Trump’s frustration with the conflict has surfaced repeatedly in the nine months since he returned to office, but with his latest comments he edged back in the direction of pressing Ukraine to give up on retaking land it has lost to Russia. He teased Zelenskyy with on again, off again support for Ukraine only to return to Putin’s flock.

“Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts,” Trump said in a Truth Social post not long after hosting Zelenskyy and his team for more than two hours of talks. “They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!”

How arrogant and obnoxious of Trump to quip in such a manner.

Later, soon after arriving in Florida, Trump urged both sides to “stop the war immediately” and implied that Moscow keep territory it’s taken from Kyiv. 

“You go by the battle line wherever it is — otherwise it’s too complicated,” Trump told reporters. “You stop at the battle line and both sides should go home, go to their families, stop the killing, and that should be it.” 

No, Mr. President, you don’t deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.

On social media, Zelensky said: “I spoke with our European partners – the leaders of the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Finland, Norway, and Poland, as well as with the heads of the EU and the Secretary General of NATO.

“I shared details of my conversation with US President Donald Trump. We discussed many important issues. The main priority now is to protect as many lives as possible, guarantee security for Ukraine, and strengthen all of us in Europe. That is exactly what we are working for.

“Our national security advisors will discuss the next steps. We are coordinating our positions. I am grateful for the conversation, for all the support, and for the readiness to stand with Ukraine.”

Indeed, Europe’ fate is in Ukraine’s hands. If Ukraine wins, Europe and the United States and the free world will win. Otherwise, hell will spread across the world.

Fortunately, European leaders reiterated their steadfast support for Ukraine in a virtual call with Zelenskyy after his meeting with Trump at the White House.

The European leaders gave “their unwavering commitment to Ukraine in the face of ongoing Russian aggression,” the UK’s Downing Street said in a statement.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “A just and lasting peace for Ukraine was the only way to stop the killing for good, they agreed.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also took part in the call, the spokesperson said.

“Further discussions about how they could support Ukraine in the lead up to, and following, a ceasefire would continue this week, including in a Coalition of the Willing call on Friday, the leaders agreed,” the spokesperson added.

As painful as this is, Ukraine again is being betrayed by the leader of the free world. Trump, who always pushes back his deadline for Putin, is to meet the Russian dictator in Budapest in two weeks. That surely can turn out to be an Alaska Part 2.

Russia Maintains Lies and Drones

What do you call someone who looks you square in the eyes and says he’s interested in peace but nonetheless continues bombing a neighboring country, its cities and towns, and residential neighborhoods with impunity?

Some may say extreme recidivist.

But the shorter answer is Russia.

Russia continued bombing Ukraine’s energy facilities with 300 drones and 37 missiles in its latest heavy, virtually daily bombardment of the country’s power grid, authorities said Thursday, October 16.

But hope for peace has not evaporated, at least not in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has already arrived in Washington, is prepared to ask President Donald Trump at a White House meeting on Friday for more American-made air defenses and long-range missiles that have filled Putin and his cronies with concern and trepidation.

As he considers Zelenskyy’s push for US missiles, Trump said after Thursday’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that they will meet in Budapest, Hungary, to try to bring the war to an end. No date for the meeting has been set. 

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he will discuss his call with Putin “and much more” when he meets Zelenskyy on Friday, adding that “I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation.” 

Trump is either naive or thinks Zelenskyy and everyone else are morons. Trump reportedly raised the issue of ending his war against Ukraine countless times, claiming have no fear, all is going well. He has also told Zelenskyy, after berating him in the Oval Office, yelling that the Ukrainian president doesn’t have the cards to pursue a victory, that all is going well, the Tomahawks will help, and he’ll tell Putin the same later. But Russia is continuing bombing Ukraine and making the American president look foolish.

The aerial attack against Ukraine continues in between meetings, conversations, paragraphs, sentences and words. Moscow’s strategy is death and destruction.

Meanwhile, eight Ukrainian regions experienced blackouts after the barrage, Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, said. With the cold weather just around the corner, DTEK, the country’s largest private energy company, reported outages in the capital, Kyiv, and said it had to stop its natural gas extraction in the central Poltava region due to the strikes. Natural gas infrastructure was damaged for the sixth time this month, Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas company, said. 

Rest assured that Ukraine and Zelenskyy will not budge in the negotiations. Russia invaded Ukraine for its own imperial reasons. Fear and panic are not part of that. Moscow simply wants to re-subjugate Ukrainians and rebuild its prison of captive nations.

To return peace and stability to the region, the US and other countries must ensure that Russia is disarmed, that it is forced to pay reparations, and that Ukraine is allowed join NATO or any alliance that it wants.

Russia Continues Bombing Ukraine ahead of Presidents' Meeting on Friday

Even with a bilateral meeting between President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this Friday, October 17, Russia is not silencing its attacks against Ukraine and its unarmed civilian population. There is no contribution or regret.

At least three people were killed and 17 others injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on October 14.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down or suppressed 69 out of 96 Shahed-type attack drones and other drones launched by Russia overnight, according to the Air Force. Twenty-seven drone strikes were recorded at seven locations, with drone fragments striking another location, according to the report.

Russian forces launched powerful glide bombs and drones against Ukraine’s second-largest city in overnight attacks, hitting a hospital and wounding seven people, an official said Tuesday.

The Russian attack on Kharkiv in Ukraine’s northeast, 25 miles from the Russian border, hit the city's main hospital, forcing the evacuation of 50 patients, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said. The attack’s main targets were energy facilities, Zelenskyy said, without providing details of what was hit.

“Every day, every night, Russia strikes power plants, power lines, and our (natural) gas facilities,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Russian long-range strikes on Ukraine’s power grid are part of a campaign since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022 to disable Ukraine’s power supply, denying civilians heat and running water during the upcoming bitter winter.

Zelenskyy urged foreign countries to help blunt Russia’s long-range attacks by providing more air defense systems for the country, which is almost the size of Texas and hard to defend from the air in its entirety.

“We are counting on the actions of the U.S. and Europe, the G7, all partners who have these systems and can provide them to protect our people,” Zelenskyy said. “The world must force Moscow to sit down at the table for real negotiations.”

According to the UN, Russians also hit humanitarian mission trucks in the Bilozerska community. Russian forces deliberately targeted them with drones and artillery, said Ukrainian officials.

Four WFP-marked trucks delivering aid to civilians were hit. As a result, one vehicle was burned, another was severely damaged, and two others managed to escape the strikes. No one was injured.

“Today, the ‘second army’ of the world defeated several tons of humanitarian aid. Terrorists — there’s nothing more to say,” officials said.

Zelenskyy prepared to travel to Washington and ask President Trump for more American military help. The talks are expected to center on the potential US provision to Ukraine of sophisticated long-range weapons that can hit back at Russia.

Trump has warned Moscow that he may send Tomahawk cruise missiles for Ukraine to use. Such a move, previously ruled out by Washington for fear of escalating the war, would deepen tensions between the United States and Russia.

But it could provide leverage to help push Moscow into negotiations after Trump expressed frustration over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to budge on key aspects of a possible peace deal.

Tomahawks would sharpen Ukraine’s ability to fight back against Russia, though its long-range attacks are already taking a toll on Russian oil production, Ukrainian officials and foreign military analysts say.

Its strikes using newly developed long-range missiles and drones are causing significant gas shortages in Russia, according to Zelenskyy.

Russians Intensify Aerial Attacks against Ukraine

Ukrainian government and news media sources have tabulated a marked increase in Russian aerial attacks on Ukrainian civilian residences and energy facilities.

Kyiv reported a 38% jump in combined Russian drone and missile attacks through September compared with August, Ukrainian Air Force data analyzed by ABC News showed, as Moscow intensified its nightly long-range barrages across the country. Most recently, Russia has begun daytime bombing runs against Ukraine.

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched a total of 5,636 drones and 187 missiles into the country through September. That meant a roughly 39% increase in the number of drones and a nearly 20% increase in the number of missiles versus August.

The air force reported a daily average of nearly 188 Russian drones and just over six Russian missiles in September. Defenders downed or suppressed almost 87% of all Russian drones and over 68% of Russian missiles through the month – rates roughly comparable with previous months.

To date, July 2025 was the busiest month for Ukrainian defenders, who faced 6,443 drones and missiles across the course of the month, per air force data.

The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine confirmed that the number of Ukrainians killed and injured in the first five months of 2025 has increased by 1.5 times compared to the same period in 2024. Russian attacks have become significantly more lethal, according to a report by the HRMMU.

“Ballistic missiles, when used in densely populated areas, cause predictable and widespread harm to civilians, as demonstrated by these recent attacks,” Danielle Bell, head of the HRMMU, said.

This deadly intensification comes at a time when the White House, national advocates for Ukraine and even Moscow claim to want peace. If and when peace comes to Ukraine, it must include the evacuation of all Russian cutthroats to Russia and the maintenance of Ukrainian territory and borders, according to international agreements.

Russian troops launched more than 3,100 drones, around 1,360 glide bombs and 92 missiles of various types on Ukraine in the past week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on October 12.

In a renewed effort to disrupt Ukraine’s energy grid ahead of winter, Russia carried out several large-scale missile and drone strikes on energy and gas facilities last week.

An overnight attack on October 10 led to widespread power outages across multiple regions. Civilian infrastructure was also hit, resulting in casualties both in Kyiv and in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.

Zelenskyy said Russia is purposefully ramping up attacks as global attention shifts to the Middle East, where Israel and Hamas this week agreed to the first phase of a US-brokered peace plan.

“That is precisely why no weakening of pressure can be allowed,” he said. “Sanctions, tariffs, and joint actions against the buyers of Russian oil — those who finance this war — must all remain on the table.”

In addition to deadly drones and missiles, the number of cyberattacks on Ukraine spiked by 69.8 percent in 2024, reaching 4,315 incidents, compared to 2023, when 2,541 cyber incidents were recorded, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection reports on their website.

Hackers most often targeted: local authorities, the government and government organizations, the security and defense sector, the energy sector, commercial organizations, and telecommunications.

The most common types of attacks included: distributing malicious software, phishing, malicious connection, and compromising accounts or systems.

The hackers’ goal is to steal sensitive information and to destroy data and information systems, notes the State Special Communications Service.

There is a steady trend towards an increase in cyberattacks today, primarily targeting Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, notes the government’s computer emergency response team CERT-UA.

“The enemy does not abandon their attempts to destabilize our country with the help of cyber warfare. This indicates that confrontation in the cyber realm remains one of the hottest spots in the war,” they noted, suggesting that Russia would continue to employ all possible methods to obtain important intelligence.

Before the weekend, Russian drone and missile strikes overnight Friday, October 10, caused blackouts across large sections of Ukraine, damaged residential buildings and injured at least 20 people in Kyiv, authorities said. A child was killed in attacks in the southeast of the country.

In the heart of the Ukrainian capital, rescue crews pulled more than 20 people out of a 17-story apartment building as flames engulfed the sixth and seventh floors. Five people were hospitalized, while others received first aid at the scene, authorities said.

The Russian “cynical and calculated” strikes targeted civilian and energy infrastructure as Ukraine prepared for falling winter temperatures, Zelenskyy said on social media.

Nonetheless, the people remember and pay tribute to Ukraine’s fallen heroes, according to the Associated Press. Every morning at 9 o’clock, Kyiv stops for a minute.

Traffic lights turn red, and the steady beat of a metronome on loudspeakers signals 60 seconds of reflection. Cars idle in the middle of the street as drivers step out and stand with heads bowed.

Across Ukraine — in cafes, gyms, schools, on television and even on the front lines — people pause to remember those killed in Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The world must also remember and pay tribute to Ukrainians killed defending their homeland as well as protecting Europe.

 

Only Sadists can Behave Like This

Demented sadists are shown cutting off body parts of living human beings in so-called snuff movies.

In real life, these demented sadists are Russian cutthroats led by their führer Vladimir Putin. They slaughter unarmed Ukrainian men, women and children who are going about their daily civilian activities.

The past week has seen more waves of Russian drones and ballistic missiles striking residential apartment buildings, heating complexes and power plants ahead of the cold weather as Moscow seeks to inflict as much pain and suffering on the people as it can. The high-pitched sound of incoming drones and missiles count off the last minutes of life before they strike their non-military targets. The Russians have bombed supermarkets, churches, schools, hospitals, nurseries, playgrounds, food lines and trains with technologically sophisticated weapons that don’t arbitrarily kill without a human digital directive to strike civilian objectives.

Russian drone and missile strikes overnight Friday, October 10, caused blackouts across large sections of Ukraine, damaged residential buildings and injured at least 20 people in Kyiv, authorities said. A boy of 7 was killed in attacks in the southeast of the country.

In the center of the Ukrainian capital, rescue crews pulled more than 20 people out of a 17-story apartment building as flames engulfed the sixth and seventh floors. Five people were hospitalized, while others received first aid at the scene, authorities said.

The Russian “cynical and calculated” strikes targeted civilian and energy infrastructure as Ukraine prepared for falling winter temperatures that begin in October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media.

Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately timing the strikes to maximize damage while minimizing the political implications of the attacks.

“I believe that the weather conditions affected our capability to repel by something like 20-30%," Zelenskyy told reporters during a press briefing following the attack, Reuters reported.

Weather conditions overnight were favorable for Russia's attempt to evade air defenses, with low visibility reported in Kyiv and the country's eastern regions. The temperature in Kyiv also dropped to approximately four degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight.

In his evening address, Zelenskyy further lambasted Russia for staging the attack amid an international focus on the ongoing peace deal between Hamas and Israel.

“Putin is clearly taking advantage of the moment when the world is now paying almost all its attention to the possibility of establishing peace in the Middle East. Most of the world's states, all key leaders, have focused their attention on what is happening there. And this is a really good chance to achieve real peace after so many victims in that region,” Zelenskyy said. “And this is a new record of Russian meanness - to intensify terrorist attacks at such a moment, to strike precisely at the lives of our people.”

Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko also described the attack as “one of the largest concentrated strikes” against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure of the war that began with Russia's invasion in February 2022.

A journalist friend of mine, a resident of the capital, described the horror in this manner: “All night long, shaheeds and ballistic missiles. There is no electricity in a large part of Kyiv. There is no water either. The metro (subway) from one bank of the Dnipro to the other is not running. On all metro lines on the right bank, the intervals have been increasing and so on…”

Zelenskyy observed on social media: “At many critical infrastructure sites, recovery efforts continue following Russia’s strike on the energy sector. It was a cynical and calculated attack, with more than 450 drones and over thirty missiles targeting everything that sustains normal life, everything the Russians want to deprive us of. As of now, more than 20 people across the country have been reported injured – all are receiving the necessary assistance. Sadly, a child was killed in Zaporizhzhia as a result of the attack. My sincere condolences to the family and loved ones.

“It is precisely the civilian and energy infrastructure that is the main target of Russia’s strikes ahead of the heating season (which means the onset of winter). Together, we can protect people from this terror. What’s needed is not window dressing but decisive action – from the United States, Europe, and the G7 – in delivering air defense systems and enforcing sanctions. We count on a response to this brutality from the G20 and from all those who speak of peace in their statements yet refrain from taking real steps. The world can defend itself against these crimes – and doing so will undoubtedly strengthen global security. Thank you to everyone who is helping.”

This attack came on the heels on an even larger bombardment on the previous weekend. Russia launched drones, missiles and guided aerial bombs across Ukraine early Sunday, killing five people in a major nighttime attack that Ukrainian officials said targeted civilian infrastructure.

Moscow fired 53 ballistic and cruise missiles and 496 drones, Ukraine’s air force said. Zelenskyy reported that nine regions were targeted. Four people, including a 15-year-old, died in a combined first drone and missile strike on Lviv, according to regional officials and Ukraine’s emergency service.

It was the largest aerial assault on the historic western city and surrounding region since Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, according to Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the local military administration. Earlier in the war, Lviv was seen as a haven from the fighting and destruction farther east.

Earlier, on October 4, a Russian double-tap drone strike on a railway station in Sumy Oblast killed one person and injured at least 30 others including 3 children, authorities said. Drones struck the passenger station in the city of Shostka, Sumy Oblast, damaging two trains. Video from the scene shows the flaming wreck of several carriages of one of them.

Passengers and Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railroad) workers were on the site at the moment of the attack, according to Zelenskyy

And this weekend, October 11-12, the Russians launched 118 drones and a Kh-31 guided missile in its attack on Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, 113 drones have been shot down or jammed.

Ukraine has not been waiting idly for the war to end as it has been taking the fight to Russia. Its drones have struck near Moscow and have been wreaking havoc with Russia’s oil refineries and petroleum reserves. Gasoline shortages have been reported in Moscow and other large cities.

Fortunately, America’s Tomahawk missiles will soon be on the way to Ukraine. “I had a call with US President Donald Trump — a very positive and productive one,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “I received the necessary signals that the US is considering ways to strengthen our cooperation. We are grateful for this.”

Tomahawks are seen as a game changer in the Russian war against Ukraine because they can reach targets as far as 1,500 miles away with precision, putting even Moscow easily within reach — and would “scare the shit out of the Russians more than almost anything else we could do,” according to a senior congressional aide.

Russians deserve to be scared into capitulation. 

Senate Passes National Defense Authorization Act with Support for Ukraine

The Senate approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the massive annual defense policy bill late Thursday, October 9, as the U.S. government remains shut down.

The GOP-led chamber approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 70-20, aiming to fund the U.S. military at $924.7 billion in fiscal 2026 as well as provide assistance to Ukraine. The vote came after lawmakers reached a deal earlier in the day to unlock the stalled legislation.

The House and Senate will now work together to craft a final, reconciled version that the president will sign into law.

“The federal government’s number one responsibility is to look after the safety and security of this country. I’m glad this legislation passed the Senate with broad, bipartisan support, and I was proud to secure multiple provisions to support Iowa and invest in our state’s military installations,” Sen. Chuck Grassley said. “While this legislation sets the Defense Department up for success next year, our military service members are sadly working without pay today because Democrats have shut down the government and are holding government funding hostage for unrelated policy demands. I’m once again calling on more of my Democrat colleagues to join the three conscientious members of their party and end their partisan obstruction and join with Republicans to support a continuation of government. Our brave men and women in uniform shouldn’t have to suffer as a result of Democrats’ senseless political tactics.”

Grassley secured the following priorities in the Fiscal Year (FY) 26 NDAA:

Authorization of federal funds to support Iowa’s military installations:

• $148 million for projects at the 185th Air Refueling Wing/Sioux Gateway Airport, including aircraft parking apron, extended runway, runway repair and warm-up/holding pad;

• $13.8 million for the vehicle maintenance shop at the Waterloo Armory (Army National Guard);

• $8.5 million for Corrosion Control Research which helps support the work at the University of Northern Iowa under the STAR4D program;

• Provisions to bolster the Rock Island Arsenal through a pilot program on arsenal workload sustainment, which encourages public-private partnerships to increase minimum workloads at US owned arsenals like Rock Island;

Measures to crack down on costly price gouging by defense contractors by ensuring the Department of Defense (DoD) gets transparent pricing information. This builds on Grassley’s previous oversight work on price gouging with C-17 spare parts;

• A Grassley-led provision to allow the three Baltic countries to share High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers and ammunition purchased from the United States between each other without bureaucratic red tape, to complicate Russian strategic planning;

• The Abducted Ukrainian Children Recovery and Accountability Act with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to support Ukraine’s efforts to investigate and track the nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children who have been abducted during Putin’s brutal invasion. The bill would also assist with the rehabilitation and reintegration of children who are returned and provide justice and accountability for perpetrators of these abductions;

• The Baltic Security Initiative Act with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) to enhance and strengthen U.S. security cooperation with the Baltics amid Putin’s aggressive action in the region. The bipartisan legislation effectively codifies the Baltic Security Initiative effort; and

Provisions to increase transparency on foreign influence in U.S. policy by defining “informational materials” under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The measure would clarify what types of materials that aim to influence public opinion and policy must be both labeled with a conspicuous message and filed with the DOJ.

Grassley also secured key wins in the NDAA in his capacity as Senate Judiciary Chairman, including six bipartisan law enforcement bills that had previously been blocked by Senate Democrats since passing out of the Judiciary Committee during Police Week in May.

The six law enforcement bills passed as part of the NDAA include:

• The Grassley-Klobuchar Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act to protect officers and first responders against accidental exposure to dangerous substances;

• The Grassley-Klobuchar Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act to address law enforcement staffing shortages;

• The Reauthorizing Support and Treatment for Officers in Crisis Act to expand mental health resources for law enforcement officers;

• The Strong Communities Act to boost law enforcement recruitment and retention;

• The PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act to aid state and local law enforcement agencies in combating child sexual exploitation online; and

• The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act to expand access to federal support for the families of firefighters and other first responders who pass away or become permanently disabled from service-related cancers.