Marco Rubio Slams Biden Administration’s ‘Secret’ Oil Meeting with Venezuelan President Maduro

"Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Monday slammed the Biden administration’s secret oil meeting
with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a “huge PR boost” for the socialist regime.

 Biden’s meeting with Maduro is likely a response to American dependence on Russian oil exports, which have been nixed by oil traders, impacting oil prices. Biden has refrained from sanctioning many relevant Russian energy companies in response to the Ukraine invasion." FOX

Logistic challenges abound for potential US-Poland-Ukraine fighter swap

".....there are very real logistics questions which would need to be addressed. First, it seems
likely Poland would want to strip classified modern equipment off the jets before handing them over, especially given the risk of the fighters being captured by Russia. How quickly that could be done — and how plausible it is that the planes would be able to operate with those capabilities stripped out — is unknown.

Then there is the question of transport. Direct flights from Bulgaria, Poland or Slovakia to Ukraine would be the easiest and fastest way, but come with a high risk of being shot by Russians, especially if they know such a deal is in the works. Transport by land would require disassembling aircraft and then re-assembling and performing flight checks after delivery to the destination, both time-consuming and risky. And any convoy of trucks carrying aircraft is a sitting duck for enemy aviation.

And who will operate them? Just how many Ukrainian fighter pilots are available at this point is unclear, let alone where they are located and how many of them are trained up on the MiG-29s." BreakingDefense

Captured Russian officer apologizes to Ukraine for ‘genocide,’ begs for mercy

"A Russian commander captured by Ukraine condemned Moscow’s “genocide” invasion —
saying in a remarkable televised statement that the troops were duped into believing Kyiv had been overthrown by Nazis and needed liberating. National Guard Lt. Col. Astakhov Dmitry Mikhailovich, who was captured along with two other soldiers, said he had been told they were being sent to help Ukraine because it was “dominated by a fascist regime” and that “nationalists and Nazis had seized power.” “Obviously, this information was unilateral information,” Mikhailovich told reporters in a video that emerged Monday." NYP

Putin hiding lover Alina Kabaeva and their kids in Switzerland

"Vladimir Putin’s mistress Alina Kabaeva is allegedly hiding in Switzerland with their four
young children, sources tell Page Six.

“While Putin carries out his assault on the Ukraine, attacking innocent citizens and causing a refugee crisis, his family is holed up in a very private and very secure chalet somewhere in Switzerland – for now, at least,” a source told us.

Kabaeva, an Olympic gold-winning gymnast, reportedly has four children with the Russian leader, 69, but the two have never officially confirmed it." NYP

Zelensky vows to hunt down and kill 'every b*stard' who targeted fleeing civilians after shocking image of slain family of four appalled the world - while Putin continues to shell refugees and LANDMINES are found on 'humanitarian corridor'

"Zelensky has vowed to kill 'every b*stard' who targeted civilians fleeing from the country's war-ravaged areas after harrowing images emerged of a family lying dead on a road as Vladimir Putin's invading forces continued to shell the region.

The country's leader said the family of four were 'just trying to escape' the town of Irpin, which sits on the outskirts of Kyiv, when they were killed in an attack by Putin's forces.

He vowed to hunt down 'every b*stard' that shot at Ukraine's cities and its people and 'punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war' before adding the country 'will not forget'.

In a televised address Mr Zelensky said: 'A man, a woman and two children. Right on the road. … when they were just trying to get out of town. To escape. 

'The whole family. How many such families have died in Ukraine! We will not forgive. We will not forget.'

Ukraine's president continued: 'We will punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war. On our land. We will find every b*stard. Which shot at our cities, our people. Which bombed our land. Which launched rockets. Which gave the order and pressed ''start''.

'There will be no quiet place on this Earth for you. Except for the grave.'

The stark warning comes after horrifying images showed four members of the same family, including two children, lying motionless on a pavement alongside their suitcases after they tried to flee Irpin, a town 12 miles from Kyiv, on Sunday.

It also comes after images emerged of the grieving Ukrainian parents of an 18-month-old boy weeping over their son's dead body after the toddler was killed by Russian shelling in the the southern city of Mariupol." DailyMail

Carnage Everywhere As Market "Begins To Break"

"There is no other way to describe today's market carnage than a market in turmoil where
things are rapidly breaking as the sudden disappearance of Russia's "toxic" commodity collateral is suddenly sparking contagion and widespread liquidations.... and the Dow tumbling more than 800 points, everything was in the red, with the exception of the defensive utility sector.

Europe was even worse, with Germany's DAX closing down 2%......wheat futures closed limit up again at a record $1,425 translating into an all time high $12.94 per bushel on fear Ukraine and Russian output will be cut off." ZeroHedge

'Ukraine Never Supported India': Hindu Organisation Marches to Back Russia

"Members of a Hindu organisation – Hindu Sena – have marched in support of Russia in
central Delhi. ..Hindu Sena group members can be seen carrying India and Russia's national flags and raising slogans in favor of Moscow amid its ongoing special military operation in Ukraine." Sputnik

Putin's invasion grinds to a halt: Kyiv claims to have destroyed dozens of Russian helicopters overnight, retaken a city, and killed 11,000 troops while Russians have captured no significant territory sparking hopes Ukraine could win the war

"Russian forces resumed shelling major Ukrainian cities today, but have captured no
significant territory after a weekend of heavy fighting with Kyiv claiming to have inflicted punishing losses. Thirty Russian helicopters moved to an airfield near the captured city of Kherson were destroyed overnight, Ukraine's military said, while also claiming to have re-taken the city of Chuhuiv, near Kharkiv, in the early hours - killing Russian commanders Lt. Col. Dmitry Safronov, and Lt Col. Denis Glebov in the process. Kyiv now says more than 11,000 Russian forces have died fighting, losses that experts say are 'slowly becoming unsustainable for Russia'. All of which has sparked hopes - however faint - that the unlikeliest of victories could be on the cards for Ukraine. Asked by the BBC on Sunday whether victory for Putin's men was 'inevitable' - as many had predicted before fighting started - UK general Admiral Sir Tony Radakin replied: 'No.'" DM

China-Backed Bank Halts Lending to Russia, Belarus

"The China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank said it will suspend business related
to Russia and Belarus in a sign of the two countries' deepening pariah status over the war in Ukraine.

In a statement issued Thursday, the AIIB said that "in the best interests of the bank, management has decided that all activities relating to Russia and Belarus are on hold and under review."

The bank was launched in 2016 to counter the West's dominance of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund." MT

Futures Bounce Hard After Russia Offers Conditions To Immediately End Military Operation

"Belarusian state TV has said the Russian delegation has arrived at the location where on
Monday at about 14:00GMT/09:00EST the third round of talks with the Ukrainian side are set to begin. 

After trading near session lows at the start of the US session amid a sea of red that sent many European bourses into a red market, futures bounced hard after Russia floated the above-listed conditions to "immediately" end the war in Ukraine." ZeroHedge

Trump Jokes U.S. Should ‘Bomb the S***’ Out of Russia and Blame China

"Former President Trump joked that the United States should send F-22 fighter jets with
Chinese flags to “bomb the s**t” out of Russia to inspire a hot war between both countries. Speaking to top Republican National Committee (RNC) donors at a retreat in New Orleans, the former president prompted scores of laughter." Breitbart