Ukrainian & Polish American Groups Denounce Russian Provocation of Poland

Two major American civic organizations, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) and the Polish American Congress (PAC), have denounced Russia’s violation of Warsaw’s sovereign airspace and endangering of NATO’s eastern flank.

On Tuesday night New York time, September 9, several Russian drones that were targeted to hit Ukraine, crossed into Polish airspace, raising fears of Moscow’s expansion of its invasion of Ukraine. It has been commonly expected that Russia would enlarge its war zone to include the former captive nations of Eastern Europe.

Poland confirmed that a number of Russian drones entered its airspace during an attack on Ukraine early Wednesday local times and were shot down with the help of NATO allies, a first since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Leaders across Europe condemned the incident as the latest sign of escalation from the Kremlin, which has rebuffed President Donald Trump’s bid to broker peace talks.

Russia denied as always, the accusations “groundless" and said it did not plan to attack any targets in Poland.

However, Poland’s foreign minister says Poland and NATO believe the country was “deliberately targeted” by Russia.

In a video from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski noted: “The assessment of Polish and Nato air forces is, they did not veer off course, but were deliberately targeted.”

He added that, with NATO’s help, some drones were shot down. Properties were damaged, but nobody was injured.

President Donald Trump has weighed in on the situation, posting on his social media platform Truth Social. In a short statement, he quipped: “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!”

Following is the statement issued by the UCCA and the PAC.

The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) and the Polish American Congress (PAC) strongly condemn russia’s most recent act of aggression, which violated Poland’s sovereign airspace and endangered NATO’s eastern flank.

On September 9th, Poland, with the support of NATO allies, was compelled to shoot down russian drones that entered its territory during a massive aerial assault on Ukraine—the largest of its kind since the full-scale invasion began. This marked the first time that a NATO member has been forced to take direct military action against russian aggression during its genocidal war against Ukraine.

Despite moscow’s denials, Poland confirmed that 19 objects breached its airspace, and it acted decisively to neutralize those posing threats to its citizens. This grave provocation triggered Article Four of NATO’s treaty, underscoring the seriousness of russia’s escalating aggressiveness.

This large-scale provocation underscores the grave danger of Russia’s escalating recklessness, which not only threatens Ukraine but deliberately tests NATO’s resolve. Such behavior is unacceptable and must be met with unity, strength, and decisive action. 

As representatives of the Ukrainian and Polish American communities, UCCA and PAC reaffirm our shared commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, to Poland’s security, and to the defense of democratic values. Our advocacy in the past underscored that any hesitation only emboldens the kremlin.  Thus, we call upon the United States government and our NATO allies to:

• Tighten and expand sanctions, including secondary sanctions, to strangle russia’s war machine;

• Accelerate and increase support for Ukraine with urgent military, economic, and humanitarian assistance it needs to win;

• Strengthen NATO’s eastern flank to ensure the safety and security of all alliance members.

russia’s escalating attacks not only threaten Ukraine, but are a direct challenge to NATO, a blatant assault on international law, and a grave threat to global security. A just and lasting peace can only be achieved by ensuring Ukraine’s total victory and holding russia fully accountable for its crimes.

Together, we stand united—in defense of freedom, democracy, and peace.

www.ucca.org • www.pac1944.org

Didn’t Trump Get the Email about Putin’s Imperial Aspirations?

It seems as if the entire free world is aware of the global danger posed by Russia and Putin.

Leaders of old Europe are conscious of this and have been preparing to stop Russia’s encroachment on its territory if necessary.

Leaders of the former captive nations, who know the meaning of Russian subjugation, are also concerned by Moscow’s threats, its bombardment of Ukrainian cities and towns, and killings of innocent civilians. They are taking steps to protect their homelands from Russian invaders such as increasing its military budgets and building a new Maginot Line.

It seems that the only national leader who’s not concerned is President Donald J. Trump of the United States. To be truthful, he has expressed his displeasure and concern at Putin’s bombardment of Ukraine and frustration at the Russian dictator’s murderous behavior and refusal to stop the war he began in February 2022. But is that all that the White House capable of doing? Whining?

The latest alarms were sounded by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He warned Monday, September 8, that Putin’s “imperialist plan wouldn’t end with the conquest of Ukraine but would rather be just the start.”

Merz told a conference of Germany’s ambassadors that “we are experiencing daily and with increasing intensity hybrid Russian attacks, including on our infrastructure” and pointed to Moscow’s “provocations in the North and Baltic Seas.”

Germany has been Ukraine’s second-biggest supplier of military aid since Russia invaded Ukraine and has been on high alert for sabotage plots directed from Moscow.

Merz has moved to ramp up Germany’s defense capacities in the face of Trump’s questioning of the future strength of the transatlantic alliance and wants Germany to have Europe’s strongest conventional army.

“We have historic tasks, namely building a new security architecture which should last for several decades to come,” Merz said. “What we referred to as the liberal world order is under pressure from many sides, including within the political West,” he added.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer also issued a stark warning to Trump about his approach regarding Putin. Starmer said the Russian dictator “could not be trusted” over attempts to end the war in Ukraine.

Starmer told a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing countries backing Ukraine that “Putin could not be trusted as he continued to delay peace talks and simultaneously carry out egregious attacks on Ukraine”.

“That was further underlined by the indiscriminate attacks in Kyiv last week, causing significant damage to the British Council and EU delegation buildings,” he added.

Even in the wake of the latest Russian bombardment that damaged a government building in Kyiv and the stalled peace process, Trump remains confident that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine in its war is reachable.

Trump addressed the state of the peace talks on Sunday night, stressing to reporters that “We’re going to get it done.”

“The Russia-Ukraine situation — we're going to get it done. I have confidence we’re going to get it done," the President said, pointing to the peace deals he has brokered throughout his second term thus far.

“Think of it, I got seven done, all of which were impossible to do,” Trump said, before adding that he thought a deal in the Ukraine war would be the “easiest” to reach.

Sadly, every Trump utterance about the war demonstrates that he knows very little about the issues and Russia’s unquenchable desire to subjugate Ukraine.

Where will the next invasion begin? The Baltic States have been frequently mentioned as a possible starting point for a Russian invasion of NATO territory. There are fears that a future peace agreement in the war with Ukraine, which could allow Russia to maintain control over occupied eastern Ukraine, would embolden Putin’s forces and lead to an advance on former members of the Soviet Union, reported The Mirror in Britain.

Analysts believe the Baltic States are most vulnerable, with Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia providing Russia with greater sea access and thus potentially posing a risk to the Nordic countries, Poland, and Germany.

Russian forces struck Ukraine with its largest air attack since the war began on Sunday, September 7, launching a mass of drones, decoys and missiles.

Ukraine’s Air Force said 810 drones and decoys were used in the strike, including at least 13 missiles. Ukrainian forces intercepted 747 of the drones and four of the missiles.

At least two people were killed and 20 people injured in Kyiv. Total casualty reports are not yet available.

Hits from nine missiles and 54 drones were recorded at 33 locations across Ukraine, and the debris of shot down targets fell at eight locations, the Air Force said.

The government facility that was struck in the attack was the Cabinet of Ministers building. 

The building is the home of Ukraine’s Cabinet, housing the offices of its ministers. Police blocked access to the building as fire trucks and ambulances arrived.

“For the first time, the government building was damaged by an enemy attack, including the roof and upper floors,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a statement. “We will restore the buildings, but lost lives cannot be returned. The world must respond to this destruction not only with words, but with actions. There is a need to strengthen sanctions pressure — primarily against Russian oil and gas.”

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said in a statement Sunday that the strike on the cabinet building was part of a sweeping attack on cities across the country, including Sumy, Kremenchuk, Odesa, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia.

Russia used more than 800 drones, as well as four ballistic missiles and nine cruise missiles in the attack, making it the largest such strike since the war began, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in its own statement.

At least four people were killed in the broader airstrike, Zelenskyy said in an earlier statement. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that at least one of the people killed was a child.

“In Kyiv, the rubble is still being cleared – there may still be bodies beneath it. The Cabinet of Ministers building has been damaged. As of now, more than forty people have been reported injured across the country, 20 of them in Kyiv,” Zelenskyy said, demanding that the West responds to this attack in the strongest way possible.

By the way, the latest Trump threat against Russia has come and gone on September 5, 2025, without any consequences.

Victory over Russian Invaders of Ukraine Isn’t a Naïve Wish

Ukraine, just a week after its 34th independence anniversary, is a virtual ping-pong ball between its ardent and tepid supporters on one side and its archenemy Russia on the other.

The former captive nations are solidly in Ukraine’s corner because they know well Russian aggression, subjugation and repression. Old Europe which includes the NATO member-states fears it could be Russia’s next victim so it is putting up a strong front, offering Ukraine weapons and political support. They favor Ukraine’s perseverance and even victory in the face of Moscow’s threats but without forcing a humiliating defeat on Russia. The coalition of the willing European countries is supplying Ukraine with a wide assortment of weapons and aircraft.

On the other side is Russia, which hasn’t changed its stripes for centuries. It still regards Ukraine as the Hope Diamond of its fallen empire and its return to the fold is Russia’s number one sacred goal. Russia is prepared to run its tanks and incompetent army across Ukraine up to the Polish border, subjugate the country and annihilate everyone who resists captivity.

And then there is the United States and President Donald Trump. Washington’s fluctuating policies of helping Ukraine or not, of brokering, negotiating or forcing a truce is confounding all parties. His flippant observations that Zelenskyy and Putin want to fight more do not help the cause of peace. Everyone on the European side of the table is hoping for a meeting of all three elements. Trump believes Putin wants peace and is hopeful that a meeting will be held with all sides concerned but Putin is balking.

Ukraine is also eager to sit down and talk. Zelenskyy is very well aware of the human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine with its daily bombardments and killings.

Putin launched his war against Ukrainians searching for Nazis, but he and his blundering, pathetic pack of cutthroats found a united nation of Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian speakers from east to west, of Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, Protestant and Moslem Ukrainians, of professionals and farmers, of senior citizens and youth all committed to fight once more for the independence of their nation and country. He didn’t find Nazis. Today even Putin has abandoned that farcical quest and admitted that he simply wants Ukrainian land if he’s to agree to peace. Imagine a criminal, a war criminal making demands of his victim. Ukraine’s neighbors are rightfully scared that if Ukraine and the free world succumb to Putin’s demands, they will be the next dominoes to fall victim to Russian aggression.

However, negotiating a truce or ceasefire will result in at best a fragile peace. It is a foregone conclusion among Ukrainians and East Europeans that one day, like a phoenix, a temporarily quelled Russia will again wage war of conquest against Ukraine.

Trump has declared his opposition to defeating Russia in hopes of a peaceful stalemate between Ukraine and Russia. On the other hand, he insists that Ukraine must surrender parts of Ukrainian lands to Moscow in order to satiate its aggressive appetite. As for Crimea and Donbas, temporarily Russian occupied regions of Ukraine, Trump has categorically said Ukraine can forget about them. The American president as well as the Washington GOP establishment would rather see Ukraine go away quietly.

Ukraine is caught in the middle. Fortunately, the nation, government and President Zelenskyy, and military are united in their understanding of the mission. For them, victory over Russia is not a naïve wish. It is an achievable goal.

At a recent gathering of senior Ukrainian government officials and Ukrainian American civic leaders at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York City, this point – victory – was enunciated.

Present were Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President, Minister of the Economy and Agriculture Oleksiy Sobolev, Ambassador Extraordinary Sergy Kyslytsya, and Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova.

In a brief overview of the issues at hand, Yermak, who is regarded as the most powerful official in Kyiv, unabashedly used the word “victory” in a sentence. I decided to pursue this in the Q&A and asked him to confirm that Ukraine’s victory over Russia is possible and it’s not a naïve wish of Ukrainians in Ukraine and around the world.

Yermak said, yes, and elaborated that all of Ukraine, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is committed to that real end.

While the current global political climate is awaiting trilateral meetings, truces and ceasefires, for Ukraine they are merely steppingstones to victory and expelling Russian invaders from Ukraine. This will not be an immediate achievement, he continued, but rather it will be fulfilled over time.

Ukraine has the political and battlefield will and skills, weapons and unified national vision to realize this, he said. Furthermore, Zelenskyy is tenacious and unwavering in leading the nation to this objective.

Ukraine will also return to the native land all POWs, the bodies of the KIAs, and all stolen children will be returned to their heart-broken parents, he assured.

Yermak said Ukraine will even return to its national domain Crimea and Donbas, which emphatically clarifies Kyiv’s position against surrendering Ukrainian territory to the criminal aggressor. This will not happen overnight but rather it will be achieved in time.

Yermak’s message is encouraging for all Ukrainians everywhere. Ukrainian Americans can take this message of victory to President Trump, their elected representatives and the entire Washington establishment.

This message should be contrasted with the declarations emanating from the White House and The Kremlin. The latter certainly doesn’t want peace but rather it wants all of Ukraine and its citizens from the Caucasus to the Carpathians – nothing less. For the sake of his Nobel Peace Prize, Trump won’t stand in Moscow’s way.

Russian leaders say this regularly and Putin substantiates this. Sadly, Trump dangerously belittles or disregards this Russian assertion which resembles Hitler’s “Mein Kampf.”

High-ranking Russian officials, Putin and former President Dmitry Medvedev, have publicly denied Ukrainian statehood and promoted the military’s goal of inflicting “maximum defeat.” This has been interpreted as incitement to genocide. 

in a June 2025 speech, Putin declared, “All of Ukraine is ours,” a statement that was widely interpreted as an affirmation of Russia’s imperialist and expansionist ambitions.

Russia’s top military leadership has announced that its campaign of large-scale strikes against Ukraine will continue into the coming months irrespective of negotiations, with offensive operations set to remain the central focus, Army General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff and commander of Russia’s joint forces in Ukraine, stated on August 30. “The execution of tasks by the Joint Grouping of Forces will continue by conducting offensive operations. Today we will clarify the tasks for the groupings of troops on the directions for the autumn period,” he said. 

The Russian Orthodox Church in March 2024 approved a document that called the invasion of Ukraine a “Holy War” aimed at extinguishing Ukrainian independence and imposing direct Russian rule. Patriarch Kirill has provided ideological justification for the war, framing it as a confrontation with a “decadent West” and claiming that dying in Ukraine “washes away” all sins. He also exonerates all Russians of the sin of murder when they kill Ukrainians.

Fortunately, while this is being played out, European defense ministers pledged Friday to ramp up support for Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia, a day after a Russian air assault on Kyiv killed 23 people and badly damaged a European diplomatic compound.

Outrage over the attack propelled Europe’s leaders to condemn Russia even before Friday’s meeting and call for tougher measures on Moscow like seizing frozen assets, further sanctions and increasing support for Ukraine’s military and membership in the European Union.

“Everybody understands that, considering how Putin is mocking the peace efforts, the only thing that works is pressure,” said Kaja Kallas, foreign policy chief for the European Union.

They also discussed European troops’ deployment in Ukraine to guarantee security and monitor a peace that seems distant as peace Russia appears to have stalled the efforts.

With the West at least, Ukraine is walking on a thin tightrope. Kyiv can’t outrightly snub Washington or else Trump will stop all political and military aid. But at least Ukraine has announced its national target for the world to know.

Russia Kills 19 Adults & 4 Children in Latest Bombing of Kyiv

Be careful of Russia. Its leaders Putin and Lavrov will look in the face, smile, perhaps greet you, shake hands and then kill you with their free hand.

Russian dishonesty and treachery are of extraordinary proportions.

It has happened time and again. It has happened throughout history. It is happening today. It has happened during the infamous ambush in the Oval Office earlier this year, during the Alaska summit earlier this month, at the subsequent White House meeting, and since then. It is almost a daily – or rather nightly occurrence.

It happened last night. The Russians won’t stop bombing and killing Ukrainians until Moscow has captured all of Ukraine and subjugated or killed all Ukrainians regardless of negotiations, the status of relations between President Trump and Putin, irrespective of the number of dead Russian cutthroats, or the number of killed Ukrainian men, women and children.

Last night during the second largest aerial bombardment of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, the Russians killed 19 adults and four children the youngest being 2 years old.

Buildings belonging to the European Union and the British Council were damaged in the strikes, prompting both the EU and the United Kingdom to summon the top Russian diplomats in their capitals for a talking down.

Ukraine’s Air Force said that the Kremlin unleashed 629 air attack weapons on the country overnight, comprising 598 drones and 31 missiles.

Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for the air force, told CNN that the strikes comprised “one of the largest combined attacks” on the country.

Russia’s defense ministry cheered as it claimed it struck “military-industrial complex enterprises and military air bases in Ukraine” using “high-precision weapons.” However, it lied again. The targets weren’t military-industrial complex enterprises and military air bases or energy facilities, but rather people’s homes.

Kremlin spokesperson-chief liar Dmitry Peskov facetiously said in the aftermath of the death and carnage that Moscow is still interested in peace talks, but emphasized that the “special military operation,” Russia’s way of describing the war, “continues.” Regardless of how you state it – war, special military operation, conflict – deaths, bloodshed and destruction won’t end so long as Putin and Lavrov are leading Russia to continue this inhuman bloodbath.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault a “horrific and deliberate killing of civilians” in a post on X.

“These Russian missiles and attack drones today are a clear response to everyone in the world who, for weeks and months, has been calling for a ceasefire and for real diplomacy,” he said in an earlier post.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she was “outraged” by the incident, calling it “another grim reminder of what is at stake.”

“It shows that the Kremlin will stop at nothing to terrorize Ukraine, blindly killing civilians, men, women and children, and even targeting the European Union,” she said.

The EU chief spoke to both Zelensky and US President Donald Trump following the strikes, von der Leyen added in a post on X, also stating that Putin “must come to the negotiating table.”

Honestly, the negotiating table is a waste of time when there is no desire to participate in it or fulfill its outcome. Zelenskyy has said repeatedly let’s negotiate, Trump offered to participate but Putin and Lavrov have not agreed.

And what’s to discuss? Russia and Ukraine aren’t equal aggressors, hoping to end the war through negotiations. Russia invaded Ukraine and every country and person knows it is guilty. So, what’s to negotiate? How much booty the free world should permit the criminal to take so it stops the war and evacuates?

The European bloc is summoning the Russian envoy in Brussels in response to the attack, the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said. “While the world seeks a path to peace, Russia responds with missiles,” said  Kallas. “The overnight attack on Kyiv shows a deliberate choice to escalate and mock the peace efforts.”

Trump is “not happy” but “not surprised” by the strikes, the White House said Thursday, adding that he was watching the developments “intently.” If Trump wasn’t surprised, as he said, then he must have anticipated it. Did he warn Zelenskyy of an imminent attack?

Trump, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, wants the war to end, but both Putin and Zelensky “must want it to end as well.” That is the wrong approach. That assigns equal culpability to both sides and thus strengthens Russia’s obstinacy and resolve not to budge. 

Afterall, Moscow has access to millions of Russian and non-Russian disenfranchised citizens who will be caught like stray city dogs and dragged to the front.

As of Thursday night, the White House hadn’t issued a formal condemnation of Russia’s bloody actions.

The Spanish foreign ministry said on Thursday it had summoned the Russian embassy’s charge d’affaires in protest of the “unacceptable attack.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Moscow of targeting diplomats “in direct breach of the Vienna convention” and called for “worldwide condemnation” in a statement on X.

The White House’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, also condemned the overnight strikes, writing on X that “these egregious attacks threaten the peace that (Trump) is pursuing.”

Russia has increased the frequency and intensity of aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities since the start of 2025. On July 29, Russia launched its deadliest attack against Kyiv this year, killing 32 civilians in a massive, combined strike.

Most Americans support expanding sanctions to Russia’s trading partners to pressure Moscow to end its war in Ukraine, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on August 27. The three-day survey, which concluded on Aug. 24, found that 62% of respondents favored sanctions against countries that continue to trade with Russia. The results indicate bipartisan support for a more aggressive economic strategy against Moscow.

Among supporters of Trump from the Republican Party, 76% backed sanctions against Russia’s trading partners, while Democrats shared this position at 58%. The survey covered 1,022 American adults nationwide with a margin of error of 3% points. Despite international sanctions, Russia has maintained trade relationships with several nations.

In retaliation, Ukrainian strikes on 10 Russian oil refineries have disrupted at least 17% of its refining capacity, equivalent to 1.1 million barrels per day, Reuters reported on August. 25, citing its own calculations.

Kyiv has targeted dozens of refineries, oil depots, and military-industrial sites since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 to disrupt Moscow’s war effort. Winter drone attacks forced at least four Russian refineries to temporarily shut down. The attacks have disrupted Russia’s ability to process and export oil and created gasoline shortages in some Russian regions, as well as in occupied Crimea.

The massive, early morning Russian attack on Ukraine also damaged the offices of at least three news outlets. In Kyiv, the offices of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and independent news outlet Ukrainska Pravda were damaged in a drone and missile attack. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, in eastern Ukraine, a drone strike damaged the office of local newspaper Mezhivsky Merydian.

No media workers or journalists were injured in the attacks.

“Today’s devastating Russian attack on Ukraine, which damaged at least three media offices, is a stark reminder of the risks journalists face working and living in the country,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “The strikes show that journalists’ safety remains a major concern, regardless of how far they are from the front lines. We strongly condemn these attacks and call on Russia to immediately stop attacking civilian infrastructure.”

Zelenskyy’s Independence Day Pledge: Ukraine will Continue to Fight for its Freedom

No people want peace more than Ukrainians. After more than 1,278 days of fighting against the Russian invaders, Ukrainians are understandably tired and frustrated. They’re in this fight for their existence alone. Except for a handful of allies that are providing Ukraine with a wide array of weapons to stand up Russian aggression, Ukrainians are battling for their lives without external help. 

Unfortunately, their single-handed fight will go on as it has in the past, bringing death and destruction to their people and country.

As President Donald J. Trump raises the world’s hopes for an end to this costly combat, Russian leaders are slapping his face every day by continuing to bomb Ukrainian cities and kill its civilians even as they pretend they’re seeking peace.

Since the Alaska summit, and then the Oval Office meeting and the ensuing days, as Trump, Zelenskyy and Russian officials, including Putin genuinely or not talked about peace, Russia launched hundreds of aerial bombs and drones against Ukrainian targets. Russians didn’t even conceal their intentions. It merely rained death on unarmed Ukrainian civilians, hoping to suppress their support for the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is daily confronted by barrage of lies and deviations as he endeavors to save his people, push back or defeat Russian aggressors and even save the integrity of the free world.

While he wants peace, he understands he must defend his nation against Russian aggression and the prospect of re-subjugation. The BBC quoted him as saying: “President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would continue to fight for its freedom ‘while its calls for peace are not heard,’ in a defiant address to the nation on its Independence Day. We need a just peace, a peace where our future will be decided only by us,” he said, adding that Ukraine was “not a victim, it is a fighter.”

He continued: “Ukraine has not yet won, but it has certainly not lost.”

No one can accuse Zelenskyy of rejecting peace; no one can blame him for opposing the war that Russia brought to his country.

His Independence Day speech was filled with historical references about the nation’s quest for freedom and independence. As Russians declare that there are no such country and nation as Ukraine and Ukrainians, Zelenskyy set the record straight by stating: “When we hear from the enemy every day: ‘There is no such state, there is no such nation.’ And when, every day, we prove the opposite. We prove that Ukrainians exist – and Ukrainians will remain on this land, on this square, where our future generations will stand a hundred years from now. And a hundred years from now, they will celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day here.”

Asserting that Ukrainians will continue to strike back against Russian aggression, Zelenskyy said “No one can forbid us such strikes because it’s justice itself that delivers them. Just as when Russia attacks us every day – our peaceful cities, our hospitals, our schools, killing our civilians, our children – it receives the ‘Spiderweb’ in response. And this is how justice strikes. This is how Ukraine strikes when its calls for peace are ignored. How many times have we proposed a ceasefire? How many times have we said: ‘We want silence, we seek peace?’ But a dignified, all-encompassing peace – and that is why we count on the strength of the entire world.”

Zelenskyy believes Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggressors has united the free world in an important mission. Not only to save Ukraine but to also to save the free world and stop Russia’s westward incursion.

“Ukraine that can, indeed, in a single day, gather and unite the world’s leaders around itself. Ukraine with which the United States – and the entire world – wants to co-produce drones. Ukraine that has restored the unity of Europe and the United States and now serves as the foundation of this alliance. Ukraine that stands its ground and can defend itself. And that is why Ukraine is heard, Ukraine is taken into account, and Ukraine is listened to. Its place is at the table; it is not told, ‘Wait outside the door.’ It is said, ‘The decision is yours alone.’”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Ukraine’s fight against the aggressor has united the nation in a cause. It has united the people, the military, the mission and the President. To be sure, there are malcontents egged on by Moscow, but for the most part the nation is united. Just watch the funeral corteges that everyday bring home the bodies of the dead heroes.

And the people, all the people around the world know. They know that Russians are bloodthirsty killers.

“Ukraine has secured its independence. Ukraine is not a victim; it is a fighter. Ukraine does not beg; it offers. Alliance and partnership. The best army in Europe. Advanced defense technologies. Experience in resilience. We say: ‘We need the EU.’ And we do. But the EU needs us just as much. And everyone acknowledges this. And this is how Ukraine is seen – not as a poor relative, but as a strong ally.

This is precisely what the Coalition of the Willing is about. This was what Washington was about. About that and about ensuring a sustainable, reliable, long-lasting peace. Ukraine will achieve it because it will receive security guarantees – so strong that the thought of attacking Ukraine would never cross anyone’s mind,” the Ukrainian President said.

“This is not just our goal – it is exactly what we want and must pass on as a legacy to our children and grandchildren: a strong Ukraine, an equal Ukraine, a European Ukraine, an independent Ukraine,” he continued. “We are building a Ukraine strong and powerful enough to live in security and peace. So that here, on this square, on our Independence Square, beneath our flags, on our land, our children and grandchildren will celebrate Independence Day. In peace. In calm. With confidence in the future. With respect. And with gratitude to all those who defended Ukraine in this war for independence. To those who endured, who prevailed, who gained victory. Such a goal is worth living for. And this is what we stand for.”

Will the United States and the free world again abandon Ukraine in favor of Russia?

White House Confusion

While Vice President JD Vance’s grasp of the issues and Ukraine’s history has been questionable, he said on Ukrainian Independence Day that Putin will not install a “puppet regime” in Ukraine after the war between Russia and Ukraine has concluded. 

Vance made the remarks in an interview on Sunday with Kristen Welker on NBC News’s Meet the Press while discussing the aftermath of Trump’s meeting and subsequent communications with Putin. Vance also praised Trump’s “energetic diplomacy” while pursuing peace negotiations to end the war.

He said Russia was prepared to make some concessions in peace negotiations, but not everything, as of yet. He stressed that there was still work and a long way to go. However, he did not say concessions is a concept that is alien to Russia’s miliary doctrine.

“But what they have conceded is the recognition that Ukraine will have territorial integrity after the war,” Vance said. “They’ve recognized that they’re not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kyiv. That was, of course, a major demand at the beginning.”

“And importantly, they’ve acknowledged that there is going to be some security guarantee to the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he added. “Again, have they made every concession? Of course, they haven't. Should they have started the war? Of course, they haven't. But we’re making progress, Kristen.”

What territorial integrity when Moscow demands Donbas and Washington is ready to submit to it. Furthermore, Trump has said Kyiv can forget about Crimea.

There is a small, anointed cabal of leaders in the Kremlin that make all of the decisions. Putin is the capo di tutti capi, then there’s Sergey Lavrov and the last one is Dmitry Peskov. Former President Dmitry Medvedev talks, complains and threatens like a Chihuahua but does not decide. Even the cabinet members are around only for show. None of them has ever talked about concessions, surrendering something to Ukraine in order to bring about an end to the war. The only truths emanating from the Russian corner office are that Ukraine will never accede to NATO, Russia wants Donbas today but tomorrow it will want all of Ukraine, and its military machine is poised to roll over Eastern Europe, an eventuality that scares the peoples of the former captive nations. 

Russia is also scaring Ukrainians in Donbas who are panicking at the thought of being turned over to Russia, something that some in the free world, like Trump, are hoping for in order to satiate Russia’s thirst for conquest.

Two More Weeks

As if Russia hasn’t used up all of its grace periods. Trump said last Friday he will give Putin “a couple of weeks,” further extending his deadline for potential consequences against Moscow after urging the Russian leader to meet with Zelenskyy in hopes of ending the war.

Asked by CNN’s Alayna Treene if there’s a possibility he does nothing if Putin doesn’t come to the table, Trump said, “We’ll see. I’ll see whose fault it is.”

“If there are reasons why, I will understand that; I know exactly what I’m doing. We’re going to see whether or not they have a meeting, that will be interesting to see, and if they don’t, why didn’t they have a meeting? Because I told them to have a meeting,” Trump said.

“But I’ll know in two weeks what I’m going to do,” Trump added, repeating a timeline he’s repeatedly issued to determine Putin’s willingness to end the war in Ukraine. What is unknown is why is Trump being so magnanimous? Why does he want to give Putin a break? Why doesn’t Trump want to choose sides – Ukraine’s – and strive for its victory and Russia’s defeat?

His latest comments come as the momentum around peace talks has stalled, with no sign that the bilateral meeting the White House has pushed is happening. Lavrov said earlier on Friday that there were no plans for a meeting between the two leaders. Despite hopeful headlines in newspapers around the world about a bilateral meeting to end the war, nothing could be farther from the truth. Unless Russia has the upper hand, unless it wins everything that it can, unless the United States will pledge to stay away from Moscow’s ill-gotten gains, Russia won’t budge toward a summit.

After Trump met with Putin in Alaska last week and hosted Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House earlier this week, he’d teased a bilateral meeting, potentially to be followed by a trilateral meeting he would join. 

“You understand that I wanted to have a meeting with those two. I could have been at the meeting, but a lot of people think that nothing’s going to come out of that meeting. ‘You have to be there.’ Maybe that’s true. Maybe it’s not, but we’re going to see in the meantime, people continue to die,” Trump said Friday. Trump repeated his two-week timeframe several times. “We’ll see what happens. I think in two weeks, we’ll know which way I’m going, because I’m going to go one way or the other, and they’ll learn which way.” 

We’ll see September 5, 2025.

Why Don’t US Presidents Know their Russian Counterparts?

Why are American presidents so ignorant about Soviet/Russian leaders? Why aren’t they better briefed by the CIA and other American intelligence agencies about the enemy? Why don’t American leaders or their righthand advisers know everything there is to know in a timely manner about their adversaries – topline as well as bottom line.

You may recall that a couple of weeks ago, ahead of the Alaska summit, President Donald Trump observed that he will “feel out” Russian dictator Putin on ending the war in Ukraine. It is dangerous for the leader of the free world, who has boasted of his close relationship with the Russin despot, to admit he has to feel out Putin. If Trump had only read American newspapers, he would have a clear answer and understanding about Putin’s aggression and desire to re-subjugate Ukraine.

Franco Ordoñez of NPR, and probably other journalists caught this brag and wrote: “President Trump said on Monday that he plans to use a Friday summit in Alaska to gauge whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to end his war on Ukraine — and said he’d been disappointed in the past with Putin’s actions.”

On the other hand, perhaps Trump is covering his mistakes and misjudgments about knowing or not knowing his arch nemesis and sometime buddy. Afterall, Trump is known for bragging, deceiving and outrightly lying.

In the April 2022 edition of Vanity Fair, Bess Levin observed: “And speaking of Putin, elsewhere in the interview, the former president (Trump) apparently couldn’t help himself from boasting, yet again, about how tight he was with the man currently responsible for the slaughter of innocent people (Ukrainians). ‘I knew Putin very well. Almost as well as I know you, Sean (Hannity),’ Trump said, as images of body bags were flashed across the screen. ‘I will tell you, we talked about it, we talked about it a lot, he did want Ukraine, but I said, ‘You’re not going into Ukraine.’ He would never, ever have gone into Ukraine [on my watch].”

So, who are you going to believe – that Trump or this Trump or none of them?

This malady of not knowing the Russian adversary is not only afflicting President Trump. In the fall of 1989, President George H.W. Bush was preparing to meet Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in an equally unusual location – at sea – in preparation for the following year’s arms summit. Bush met Gorbachev for the first time in December 1989 at the Malta Summit that was held aboard a Soviet cruise ship. It came less than a month after the fall of the Berlin Wall and was widely seen as a symbolic ending to the Cold War. 

The New York Times trumpeted in a page-one banner headline: “Bush Will Meet Gorbachev to Get Better Acquainted in Talks at Sea Next Month.”

It will offer the two leaders “a chance to put our feet up and talk,” Bush was quoted as saying.

American presidents’ gap in understanding of who their adversaries are is certainly detrimental to the United States, the free world and the former subjugated nations of Russian aggression, such as Ukraine.

After White House Follow Up, More Handshakes, Hugs and Vows of Loyalty

Returning to the White House six months after the notorious “Ambush in the Oval Office,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was besieged with handshakes, hugs and mutual vows of loyalty.

Sitting beside the Ukrainian leader, who was dressed in a black casual jacket, shirt and trousers, President Donald Trump was his affable self, expressing his love for Ukrainians, admiration for Ukraine’s military achievements and optimism about concluding Russia’s 42-month war against Ukraine.

With European leaders present, the picture that emerged was one of unity with Ukraine. There was a well-deserved round of backslapping. Zelenskyy also sought to build family ties during the meeting, handing his host a letter from Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska to be delivered to US First Lady Melania Trump, who had interceded on behalf of stolen Ukrainian children.

Trump told Zelenskyy on Monday during the White House meeting that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine’s security in any deal to end Russia’s war there, though the extent of any assistance was not immediately clear.

Zelenskyy hailed the promise as “a major step forward,” adding that the guarantees would be “formalized on paper within the next week to 10 days.” He added that Ukraine offered to buy about $90 billion worth of US weapons that Ukraine does not have, including aviation systems, anti-missile systems "and other things I will not disclose.”

Trump made the pledge during an extraordinary follow-up summit at the White House, where he hosted Zelenskyy and a group of European allies days after Trump met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

However, thoughts of peace notwithstanding, Russian missiles and drones weren’t silenced. A ceasefire or truce, which would have at least temporarily halted their deadly flight and killings, was disregarded in favor of hopes for an unclear peace agreement.

Russian cutthroats attacked Ukraine on the night August 18 with four Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 140 Shahed strike UAVs and simulator drones of various types, 88 drones were neutralized; hits of missiles and strike UAVs were recorded at 25 locations, the press service of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reported.

“On the night of August 18 (from 21:00 on August 17), the enemy attacked with four Iskander-M ballistic missiles (from the areas of Taganrog, Millerovo, Kursk), as well as 140 Shahed strike UAVs and simulator drones of various types from the directions of: Kursk, Orel, Bryansk, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk - Russia, Chauda – temporarily-occupied Crimea,” the press service reported on Telegram on Monday. Russian missiles and strike UAVs were hit at 25 locations in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Kyiv regions. According to preliminary data, as of 09:00, air defense systems shot down/suppressed 88 enemy Shahed UAVs and simulator drones of various types in the north, south, east and center of the country. Earlier, Russian bombardment killed civilians in Kharkiv and Odesa.

From the rubric of mortal possibilities, Trump reaffirmed his opposition to returning Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014, to Ukraine and the country’s accession to NATO. The consolation expressed by US envoy Steve Witkoff was that the US “could offer Article 5-like protection” to Ukraine, referring to NATO’s commitment to defend any member who comes under attack. No one offered what “Article 5-like” will mean in practice.

Security was high on the list of topics discussed by all participants. When asked his thoughts about what security means for Ukraine, President Zelenskyy clarified, saying "Everything." Zelenskyy said when asked by a reporter in the Oval Office what security guarantees he’s looking for from Trump to reach a deal. “It includes two parts. “It’s a lot about weapon and people and training missions and intelligence,” he said alongside Trump. “And second, we will discuss with our partners. It depends on the big countries, on the United States, on a lot of our friends.”

Zelenskyy added that the details of the security concept would be formalized on paper in 10 days.

Trump assured that US will give Ukraine “very good protection.” He said the United States will be involved in security assistance for Ukraine but did not elaborate on what exactly that would look like or give any specifics.

“We’re going to be discussing it today, but we will give them very good protection, very good security,” Trump said.

The American president also said Europe would need to shoulder much of the burden when it comes to security guarantees, but that the US will play a role. “They are first line of defense because they're there,” Trump said, “But we're going to help them. And also, we'll be involved.”

European leaders accepted this promise. At the table were NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finland President Alexander Stubb.

Nearly all the leaders emphasized the need for security guarantees for Ukraine, with several saying it should look similar to Article 5 obligations. Ukraine is not a member of NATO but the nation has pushed for membership, something Russia is strongly opposed to. Along with Trump.

“The fact that you have said that I’m willing to participate in the security guarantees is a big step. It’s really a breakthrough,” NATO’s Rutte told Trump. “And it makes all the difference. So also, thank you for that. It is important to also know what the situation will be with the security guarantees to prevent Vladimir Putin from ever, ever trying again to invade parts of Ukraine.”

France's Macron and Germany's Merz challenged Trump on a ceasefire, insisting it’s a necessity for moving forward. “Let’s try to put pressure on Russia, because the credibility of these efforts, these efforts we are undertaking today are depending on at least a ceasefire from the beginning of the serious negotiations,” Merz said.

“The next steps ahead are the more complicated ones now ... To be honest, we all would like to see a ceasefire,” Germany's Merz said. Merz said he cannot imagine a trilateral meeting would be able to occur without a ceasefire in place.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the most significant outcome of talks at the White House was the willingness of the US to work on the content of security guarantees for Ukraine.

“We have agreed on several important points that were not as clear a few days or weeks ago,” Macron said, adding that the “first and most important” was the US commitment to further develop the security plans.

In addition to ceasefire, sanctions against Russia, which Trump threatened to institute if Putin wouldn’t stop the war, were also overlooked.

Trump made a confusing point in another post on Sunday night, saying that Zelenskyy could “end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.” Actually, Russia could end its war against Ukraine immediately by having its invaders drop their weapons and leave the country. On the other hand, if Ukraine ends the war by stopping to defend itself, then it would be overrun by Russian cutthroats.

At the end of the 25-minute press conference, Trump went to call Putin. He said they discussed the possibility of holding a three-way meeting in the near future though more information was not forthcoming.

Trump made hopeful announcements in posts on social media Monday, saying he had spoken with Putin and “began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined.”

Trump said he would meet with the two leaders afterward but did not provide details on when the talks would take place.

"This was a very good, early step for a war that has been going on for almost four years," Trump posted.

The announcement followed several hours of talks between Trump, Zelenskyy and leaders from five European nations, the president of the European Commission and the secretary general of NATO. Hours earlier, he said that if Ukraine and Russia can meet for trilateral talks with the US, there’s a “reasonable chance” of ending the war. “We're going to work with everybody, and we're going to make sure that if there's peace, the peace is going to stay a long time,” Trump said.

"I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security, and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump, everyone in America, and every partner and ally for their support and invaluable assistance," Zelensky added.

"Russia must end this war, which it itself started. And I hope that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace."

I, for one, do not share Trump’s optimism for a foreseeable end to the war. Putin’s demands such as Luhansk and Donetsk are impossible to fulfill. Indeed, Putin will has also hinted that his ultimate goal is to re-subjugate all of Ukraine. American encouragement was regularly belittled. While Russian assurances were never fulfilled. Security guarantees were discussed and signed but never fulfilled. The war, sadly, will continue and Ukrainians will continue to die.

Alaska 2025: The Dealmaker Gets Taken in by a KGB Agent

It was billed as a high-stakes meeting between President Donald Trump and the convicted Russian dictator Putin to lay the groundwork for a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia but it turned into a slam-dunk victory for Putin.

Trump was played by Putin like a KGB interrogator played an incarcerated dissident.

From the moment Trump and Putin stepped onto the tarmac and greeted each other with a handshake, Putin was in the driver’s seat. The mere fact that an American President, the leader of the free world, welcomed to the United States a convicted war criminal and child molester put Putin in that significant position.

The global media present in Anchorage on August 15 noted several times that the Russian despot had nothing to lose since it was he who was shunned by the international community. Even the slightest gesture in his direction would be seen as a victory to be cheered in the hallowed halls of the Kremlin. But Putin and Russia won even more. Putin is now a player.

As much as journalists tried to show objectivity, the truth about Putin’s career and lawless actions was visible their coverage. 

The absence of Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy from a meeting that was deciding his nation’s fate was not omitted from the reporters’ narrative. They pointed out that in the days leading up to the summit and during the talks Russia continued its bloody bombardment of Ukraine with deadly consequences.

Just as the presidents were greeting each other on the Elmendorf Air Force Base tarmac, alerts went out in Ukraine about incoming Russian drones and aircraft — a sign of Putin’s intent to keep up his war, even as Trump was lavishing him with trappings of respect on US soil.

In the post-summit analysis both Trump and Putin offered a vague accounting of a meeting that stretched for hours but didn’t conclude with concrete actions. Journalists said they did not learn anything new about the two presidents’ plans for Ukraine’s future in the wake of the talks, indicating that the pre-summit hoopla and expectations were a waste of time and money.

To quote the late Ukrainian senior diplomat, Hennadiy Udovenko, Alaska 2025 turned out to be a mixture of two great literary creations: “Great Expectations,” “Gone with the Wind.” 

“We had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to,” Trump told reporters. “There are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there. We didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there.”

The reference to “most significant” is a veiled attempt to reveal that an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine or at least a ceasefire — the central focus of the preparations — was not discussed.

Consequently, Ukrainians — innocent civilians, men, women and children — have been condemned by Putin and Trump to  die every night and every day.

To be sure, Putin’s goal was not a temporary ceasefire. It should be evident to supporters and detractors that Putin doesn’t want a buffer zone made up of captured Ukrainian territory but rather he wants all of Ukraine as some commentators finally pointed out. This imperial goal is what sends shock waves through the spines of all Eastern Europeans, who know well the pain and suffering of Russian subjugation.

In what was touted by the White House as a press conference following their meeting, Trump and Putin took no questions, while ignoring shouted ones from reporters. 

Putin spoke little of Ukraine, focusing on the bond and heritage between the US and Russia, while Trump said many points were agreed to, and a few are left, regarding Ukraine. Trump plans to call European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he said. 

It was revealed today that Zelenskyy plans to visit the White House on Monday, August 18.

In his address, Putin, who spoke first, accentuated that it was important that Alaska was chosen as the site of the summit because it is part of a common heritage, “common history between Russia and the US, and many positive events have to do with that territory.” But Putin did not mention that Ukrainian Kozaks were forcibly exiled there by the tsars.

Putin praised the summit as being needed because “It is apparent that sooner or later, we have to amend the situation to move on from the confrontation to dialog, and in this case, a personal meeting between the heads of state has been long overdue, naturally, under the condition of serious and painstaking work, and this work has been done.”

He admitted that the reason for this state of affairs is the situation around Ukraine.

“We see the strive of the administration and President Trump personally to help facilitate the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, and his strive to get to the crux of the matter, to understand this history, is precious. As I've said, the situation in Ukraine has to do with fundamental threats to our security. Moreover, we've always considered the Ukrainian nation, and I’ve said it multiple times, a brotherly nation. How strange it may sound in these conditions. We have the same roots, and everything that's happening is a tragedy for us, and terrible wound. Therefore, the country is sincerely interested in putting an end to it,” Putin facetiously lamented.

He again overlooked that Russia is the root cause of all pain and suffering that Ukrainians have experienced for centuries. Just recall the massacre of Baturyn, the Holodomor and today’s war. The reason for the bloodshed is Moscow’s age-old mission to subjugate or annihilate Ukrainians.

“At the same time, we’re convinced that in order to, to make the settlement lasting and long term, we need to eliminate all the primary roots, the primary causes of that conflict, and we’ve said it multiple times, to consider all legitimate concerns of Russia and to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world on the whole, and agree with President Trump, as he has said today, that naturally, the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well. Naturally, we are prepared to work on that,” the KGB war criminal said.

Russia never cared about the security of Ukraine much less about the welfare of Ukrainians. Ukrainian culture and ecology are also subjects for destruction.

The concept of Russian legitimate concerns is laughable because Ukraine and Europe have never threatened Russia. On the other hand, Russia threatened and threatens all its near and distant neighbors.

Blaming Kyiv and European capitals for the possibility of throwing “a wrench” that would “torpedo” the peace process, Putin insisted that his is the only way to peace. Ukraine must surrender and Europe must turn a blind eye and deaf ear to events in the former captive nations as they set out to become re-subjugated.

As for security guarantees, if Russia is involved, history has shown that they’re not worth the paper they’re written on.

The “primary roots and causes,” in Putin’s words, of the conflicts between East and West, the United States and Russia, Russia and Ukraine, Zelenskyy and Putin are Russia’s voracious, maniacal desire for conquest as a means to build its evil empire.

Eliminate that, eliminate Russian imperialism and peace in Ukraine and Europe will prevail.