NATO’s Rutte Tells Zelenskiy to Restore Relationship With Trump

"NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to repair his relationship with US counterpart Donald Trump after a public spat at the White House. Qualifying the incident as “very unfortunate,” Mark Rutte said in an interview with the BBC that he’s spoken to Zelenskiy twice since and told him that “we really have to respect what President Trump has done so far for Ukraine.” MS

As Zelensky Fallout Continues, U.S. Pulls Plug on Ukraine Power Grid Funding

"NBC News reported Friday afternoon, in the wake of the Oval Office
blowup, that the U.S. just a few days ago halted the Ukraine Energy Security Project. The State Department this week terminated a U.S. Agency for International Development initiative that has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help restore Ukraine's energy grid from attacks by the Russian military, according to two USAID officials working on the agency’s Ukraine mission."
RedState

Zelensky Refuses To Apologize, Angles For Closed-Door Meeting

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Fox News that he does not believe he owes President Trump an apology after a contentious Oval Office meeting, which devolved into a shouting match after the president thought Zelensky was being disrespectful and ungrateful.
Zelensky sat down with Fox News host Bret Baier for a 40-minute, live interview within

hours of the meeting. When asked whether he believed he owed President Trump an apology, the Ukrainian president refused to give a solid answer before eventually saying no.
The Trump Administration, along with congressional leaders, were under the impression that Zelensky was in D.C. to sign a minerals deal and work towards security guarantees. After the meeting got off to a cordial start, tensions boiled over when Zelensky continued to ask for increased military aid despite a hard red line from President Trump.
About halfway through the meeting, Vice President Vance took issue with Zelensky’s tone and asked whether he had ever said “thank you” to the American people. The Ukrainian president then said that the U.S. will “feel pressure” in the near future if they pull funding from the war, at which point President Trump became furious with what he perceived as veiled threats and an ungrateful attitude." TP

Serbian President Mistakenly Voted Against Russia on Ukraine Resolution Because He Was ‘Tired’

"Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Monday he “mistakenly” backed a United Nations (U.N.) resolution that condemned Russia for launching the war against Ukraine. Vucic said he actually wanted Serbia’s U.N. delegation to abstain from the vote.

The highly contentious U.N. resolution led to a showdown between the Trump administration and Europe, as the latter insisted on formally condemning Russia for starting the war, while the U.S. introduced a competing resolution calling for immediate peace in Ukraine without assigning blame for the conflict.
The resolution in the U.N. General Assembly to condemn Russia for starting the war passed on Monday by a vote of 93-18. The U.S. was one of the 18 nations to vote against the resolution. Serbia, which has friendly relations with Moscow and opposes sanctions on Russia, surprised U.N.-watchers by voting in favor." Breitbart

Zelensky Jets Off to Britain Early After Oval Office Smackdown From Trump and Vance

"Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky departed from the

United States for Britain on
Saturday, landing in London ahead of talks with European leaders earlier than expected after a dressing down in the Oval Office by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance." Breitbart

Vance Family Moved to ‘Undisclosed Location’ After Pro-Ukrainian Protesters Disrupt Ski Trip

"Vice President JD Vance and his family were moved to an “undisclosed location” after they were met with pro-Ukrainian protesters outside of a ski resort in Vermont.
Protesters could be seen holding signs at Sugarbush Ski Resort that read “Vance is a traitor. Go ski in Russia,” and “JD Vance is Nazi scum,” according to a post on X.
One skier told the outlet that the protesters were “f***ing morons.” Breitbart

Absolute Idiocy’ — Zelensky Blasted by Ukrainian Lawmaker for ‘Arguing’ With President Trump in Front of the World

"A prominent Ukrainian lawmaker declared it was “absolute idiocy” for President Volodymyr Zelensky to openly argue with U.S. President Donald Trump in front of the world during

their Oval Office meeting on Friday.
Oleksiy Goncharenko, a member of the Verkhovna Rada parliament in Kyiv, lamented that Ukraine’s relationship with President Trump came to an “end” on Friday after a heated White House meeting in which President Zelensky was accused of being “disrespectful” to the U.S. leader and the American people.
Goncharenko wrote on Facebook that it was “absolute idiocy to start ARGUING with the President of the United States in front of the cameras,” adding that “it can be done and probably should be done, but not in front of cameras.” Breitbart

Slovakia will not provide financial or military support to Ukraine

"The Slovak government will not support Ukraine financially or militarily to continue its war against Russia, according to Prime Minister Robert Fico." Ukrin

Russian forces strike Sloviansk with cluster munitions, hitting gas station, vehicles

"Russian forces have shelled Sloviansk, Donetsk region, using cluster munitions, striking a gas station and parked vehicles. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported." Ukrin

Casualties, damage reported as Russians strike Odesa with ballistic missile

"The Russian forces launched a ballistic missile strike on Odesa’s port infrastructure, injuring two people and damaging a civilian vessel, according to preliminary reports.
Emergency services are currently working to eliminate the consequences of the strike, while medical personnel are providing necessary assistance to the injured." Ukrin

Trump-Zelensky meeting devolves into shouting match after Vance accuses Ukraine leader of being ‘disrespectful’

"What was supposed to be a triumphant White House visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to mark the signing of a mineral rights deal between the United States and Ukraine devolved into an Oval Office shouting match between Zelensky, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Friday after the
American vice president began lecturing Zelensky for what he called a lack of open gratitude towards the United States for the aid his country has received to combat Russia’s invading forces.
As reporters watched, the two men spoke about the mineral deal that Zelensky’s government has been discussing with Trump administration officials for several weeks, with Trump saying it was “an honor” to have Zelensky at the White House — his first visit to Washington since the change of administration — and describing the work to reach a deal as “very hard” while saying it was going “very well.”
But the conversation took a turn after roughly 30 minutes of questions from reporters as the subject turned to whether the agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine would include any security guarantees from the American side.
When Trump was asked by a reporter from Polish radio about concerns that he is “aligned” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump replied that he was “not aligned with anybody” save for “the United States of America, and for the good of the world.”
He also accused Zelensky of harboring “tremendous hatred” for Putin and said that made it harder to “make a deal” to end the war.
Vance asserting a forceful stance on diplomacy. “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” he declared, cutting off Zelensky’s attempt to interject. When Zelensky tried to respond, Vance admonished him sharply: “Mr. President, Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
“Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems,” he said. “You should be thanking the president for trying to bring it into this conference.” Zelensky fired back, questioning Vance’s firsthand knowledge: “Have you ever been to Ukraine that you say what problems we have?”
The vice president, undeterred, pressed his point. “I have been to Ukraine once. I have actually,” he replied. “I’ve actually watched and seen the stories. And I know what happens — you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour.”
He then challenged Zelensky directly: “Mr. President, do you disagree that you’ve had problems bringing people into your military? And do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”
Zelensky, visibly exasperated, responded, “A lot of questions. Let’s start from the beginning.”
As the exchange unfolded, Trump joined the fray, which amplified the tension. When Zelensky suggested that the U.S. might not yet feel the war’s impact, saying, “First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have nice ocean and don’t feel now, but you will feel it in the future. God bless,” Trump snapped, “You don’t know that.”
Zelensky’s repeated “God bless” did little to calm the president, who shot back, “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.”
Zelensky warned, “You will feel influence,” which prompted Trump to double down.
Trump’s intensity grew as he accused Zelensky of reckless leadership. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people,” he charged. “You’re gambling with World War III.” Moments later, he reiterated, “You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, far more than a lot of people said they should have.”
Vance circled back to a theme of ingratitude, pointedly asking, “Have you said thank you once?” Zelensky insisted he had, replying, “A lot of times. Even today. Even today.”
Vance wasn’t satisfied.
“You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October," Vance pointed out. "Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.”
In a statement posted to Truth Social, Trump said: “I have determined that President Zelensky is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.” MS

PKK Founder Orders Kurdish Group To Lay Down Its Arms, Dissolve In Historic Statement

"A grand deal involving Turkey, Syria, and the

Kurds is in the works, and on Thursday a
historic announcement was made by the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Abdullah Ocalan, speaking from a Turkish prison, has called on the group that he founded to lay down its arms and disband. This is the result of years of running Turkish -PKK battles as well as fragile negotiations. The PKK has long been in an official state of war with the Turkish government, which considers it a terrorist organization.
"Convene your congress and make a decision," Ocalan said in the statement, read aloud both in Kurdish and in Turkish . "All groups must lay down their arms and the P.K.K. must dissolve itself." ZH

Ukrainian plot to assassinate top Crimean cleric foiled

"Russian law enforcement operatives have thwarted a terrorist attack against Crimean Metropolitan Tikhon of the Russian Orthodox Church which was ordered by Ukrainian military intelligence, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has said. One of the suspects was Tikhon’s aide, who received threats that his family would be killed if he refused to cooperate." RT

128 clashes on front lines, most intense fighting in Pokrovsk sector

"Ukrainian forces engaged in 128 battles with Russian troops, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Russian military targeted several regions with airstrikes, including Krasnopillia in the Sumy region, Halahanivka in the Chernihiv region, Riasne, Slatyne, and Doroshivka in the Kharkiv region, Siversk, Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, Oleksiivka, Pokrovsk, Udachne, Zvirove, Oleksandro-Kalynove, Hrodivka, Nadiivka, Horikhove, and Novopil in the Donetsk region, Kamianske, Mali Shcherbaky, Zaliznychne, Huliaipole and Novodarivka in the Zaporizhzhia region, and Tiahynka, Prydniprovske, Tarasivka, and Inhulets in the Kherson region.
In the Lyman sector, six Russian assaults near Yampolivka, Torske, Zelena Dolyna, and Kolodiazi were unsuccessful.
In the Siversk sector, two Russian attacks near Bilohorivka were repelled.
In the Kramatorsk sector, Russian troops launched two assaults near Vasiukivka and Predtechyne.
In the Toretsk sector, 11 Russian attacks near Krymske and Toretsk were stopped.
The most intense fighting was recorded in the Pokrovsk sector, with 49 Russian assaults repelled in multiple settlements, including Pokrovsk, Beresivka, Lysivka, and Uspenivka.
In the Novopavlivka sector, 16 Russian attacks were stopped near Kostiantynopil, Novopil, and Burlatske.
In the Huliaipole sector, six Russian assaults near Charivne were repelled.
In the Orikhiv sector, nine Russian attacks near Stepove, Piatykhatky, and Kamianske were stopped.
No signs of Russian offensive formations were detected in the Volyn and Polissia sectors. The Kupiansk and Dnipro River sectors also saw no offensive actions.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continue operations in Russia's Kursk region. The enemy launched 16 airstrikes, dropping 28 guided bombs, and carried out 405 shelling attacks, including 15 with MLRS. Ukrainian defenders successfully repelled 11 Russian assaults." Ukrin

Ukrainian forces shoot down 107 Russian UAVs

"Ukraine's defense forces shot down 107 Russian drones, while another 97 disappeared from radar tracking. Russians attacked Ukraine with 208 Shahed-type attack UAVs and various types of decoy drones launched from the following areas: Orel, Bryansk, Kursk, Millerovo, Shatalovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk." Ukrin