Ukraine updates in English

[US7IGN]

I try to rest as much as possible on weekends, although the weather is oppressive and even Sergiy UT3UFD complained of heart pain. Constant stress and physical inactivity will greatly worsen the health of many Ukrainians. Therefore, nothing but reading and radio. I try to replace the lack of walks with exercises. Perhaps we need to study the experience of prisoners who kept fit in prison. Comparing life now in Ukraine with the life of people in the Soviet Union, you find more and more in common. If you do not cooperate with the authorities and are not part of it, then you are doomed to be a marginal. However, it was a little easier for Soviet people because they never lived differently and for them it was the norm.

The US State Department has issued a halt to nearly all existing foreign assistance and paused new aid, according to an internal memo sent to officials and US embassies abroad. The United States is the world's biggest international aid donor spending $68bn in 2023 according to government figures. The State Department notice appears to affect everything from development assistance to military aid.
It makes exceptions only for emergency food aid and for military funding for Israel and Egypt. It also orders a wide scale review of all foreign assistance to be completed within 85 days to ensure the aid adheres to President Trump's foreign policy goals.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce9nx5k7lv0o

On January 25, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation in Ukraine, Andriy Kovalenko, stated that military aid from the United States would continue. In particular, this concerns aid packages that were approved earlier, Kovalenko said.

Ostap Yarysh, a Voice of America correspondent in the Pentagon, citing sources, also reported that the two main programs under which weapons are manufactured and supplied to Ukraine remain unchanged for the time being.

"The Pentagon has confirmed to me once again that no new instructions have been received to terminate these programs. This means that contracts for the manufacture of weapons under the USAI program, issued by the Biden administration, remain in force," Ostap Yarysh noted. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/cp82zxrjm8ko

The US Department of Homeland Security has suspended programs that allowed immigrants to temporarily settle in the US, including a key initiative that allows entry for Ukrainians, The New York Times reported. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/us/politics/trump-immigration-pause.html

The Anti-Corruption Center submitted a statement to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine about the abuse of official position by the Minister of Defense Rustem Umyerov. The conflict arose regarding the State Enterprise "Defense Procurement Agency" of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine - a national agency that carries out centralized procurement of weapons and military equipment for the needs of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense dismissed members of the Agency's Supervisory Board and the minister was accused of personal interest.

According to Minister Umerov, over the past six months, instead of providing the army with ammunition, the Ministry of Defense has received "political games, a flood of contracts, a flood of information, PR for inaction and failure to fulfill the KPI by a subordinate enterprise of the Ministry of Defense."
https://nv.ua/ukr/ukraine/politics/cpk-podala-zayavu-do-nabu-pro-zlovzhivannya-rustemom-umyerovim-sluzhbovim-stanovishchem-50484580.html

The biggest money in Ukraine now revolves around the defense sector, so it is not surprising that there is a fierce struggle for control over it. Unfortunately, such a fight against corruption often leads to the fact that purchases are not made at all.

Meanwhile, the russians have developed and are actively using new cheap and effective Molniya (Lightning) attack drones – FPV aircraft capable of covering more than 30 km. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/c17er5n2eg8o

[US7IGN]

In addition to the weekly UK-Ukraine net on 28MHz, which was joined today by two new UK stations, I had QSO with Australia, Brazil and the USA.

I also continue to fill the gap in management knowledge, while having the opportunity and need to apply it in practice. One of my favorite and best ways to do this is to study other people's experience, especially if it is well presented in a book. One of them is - Only The Paranoid Survive. It was written by Andy Grove, ex CEO of INTEL. I was also interested in his personal story and I gave his example to the children as the success of one of the emigrants who was forced to leave his own country, but achieved success and made another country stronger.

Alexander Lukashenko is elected president of Belarus for the seventh time. Many people call these elections undemocratic, but unlike Ukraine, they are at least formally taking place. It is not surprising that one of the arguments for leaving everything as is, according to Belarusians themselves, is their unwillingness to have it like in Ukraine. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/cwypew94rp4o

US President Donald Trump has said he wants Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinians from Gaza. Trump said he had made the request to Jordan's King Abdullah and planned to ask Egypt's president on Sunday, too. Describing Gaza as a "demolition site", Trump said: "You're talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing". https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07kpjyzgllo

This is how the fate of countries and peoples is decided. People are just trash that needs to be cleaned up.

President Donald Trump says he has directed his administation to impose a raft of tariffs and sanctions on Colombia after it turned away US military flights carrying deported migrants. https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cjw461nelzdt

It's strange that he still hasn't thought of sending them to Ukraine. I think the migrants themselves would quickly leave the US if they started catching them like Ukrainians and sending them to the front.

In Transcarpathia in western Ukraine, a furniture manufacturing company plans to hire 160 workers from the People's Republic of Bangladesh due to a shortage of Ukrainian workers. https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-society/3952787-na-zakarpatti-virobnik-mebliv-planue-zaluciti-160-pracivnikiv-iz-banglades.html

Probably because Bangladeshis are immune from mobilization and they will not be taken directly from the workshop.

No one will be surprised by stories of law enforcement officers helping businessmen to persecute competitors. But recently my colleagues told a story about how competitors hired mobilizers to take away their security in order to gain access to their assets.

[KD8ZM-Brady]

One of the things that many people outside the US don't understand, is that many American taxpayer/voters are tired of supplying everything for everyone, and then being resented for and blamed for every problem in the world, to some degree.
Hunger in Africa? America isn't supplying enough food/foreign aid.
Europe militarily exposed? America's not supplying enough troops and hardware to NATO, even if we are supplying more than Europe itself is.
No Palestinian state? America hasn't pressured Israel enough.
The list goes on and on.

I think it is wholly appropriate for a country that is $36 trillion in debt, and adding another trillion in debt every 100 days, to cease foreign aid (and many other expenditures) while it can be reviewed for whether the aid is fostering goodwill or bad will, benefit to America, or detriment. This should have been done on a regular basis, but I don't think it has been. The looming debt crisis is now forcing the issue to some degree, and this will only get worse in my opinion, as interest payments begin to dominate the US federal budget.

[KD8ZM-Brady]

Postscript: I think Trump is screwing up by wanting to keep tax rates from rising, as they are scheduled to do in 2026. A country as far in debt as we are has no business lowering taxes... in my opinion. Lowering taxes is only going to add to the rate of debt accumulation.

[seawar]

Many Americans do not understand russia's motivation. Ukraine for them is a minimum program, a springboard for an attack on Europe. Europe is also an intermediate link. The maximum program and the cherished desire of every russian is to destroy the USA. And they will not need your money and houses - the barbarians are coming to destroy, rape and kill.

[N0TZU]

I agree with your points, Brady.

[US7IGN]

One of the things that many people outside the US don't understand, is that many American taxpayer/voters are tired of supplying everything for everyone, and then being resented for and blamed for every problem in the world, to some degree.
Hunger in Africa? America isn't supplying enough food/foreign aid.
Europe militarily exposed? America's not supplying enough troops and hardware to NATO, even if we are supplying more than Europe itself is.
No Palestinian state? America hasn't pressured Israel enough.
The list goes on and on.

I think it is wholly appropriate for a country that is $36 trillion in debt, and adding another trillion in debt every 100 days, to cease foreign aid (and many other expenditures) while it can be reviewed for whether the aid is fostering goodwill or bad will, benefit to America, or detriment. This should have been done on a regular basis, but I don't think it has been. The looming debt crisis is now forcing the issue to some degree, and this will only get worse in my opinion, as interest payments begin to dominate the US federal budget.

Since the time when I worked in banks I learned a lot of specific jokes, and one of them says that if you owe 100 dollars - it's your problem, if you owe 100 thousand dollars - it's your bank's problem.

In fact, everything has two sides. The US has paid and continues to pay a high price for dominance in the world, but if they stop doing this, China will immediately take their place, as it has already done in many places. Another thing is that it is not only the amount of money that the US spends that matters, but also how effectively. Naturally, each administration manages this differently, getting different results. In Ukraine, many of those who lost funding were immediately revealed. It turned out that in addition to purely humanitarian goals related to demining or supporting people who lost their homes, education, some media, law enforcement and other government agencies, as well as some dubious public organizations were also financed with American money. Apparently, this was one of the channels for financing the current government. In Ukrainian society, this caused an ambiguous reaction.

The White House Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday rescinded a memo that froze federal grants and loans and created widespread confusion this week. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/29/politics/white-house-rescind-federal-funding-freeze/index.html

[UT7UX]

the world is ruled by madmen

Reminds me TV series, also parodied by Simpsons.

[US7IGN]

Another week has flown by, and with it the first month of the new year. Every night, russian drones attack Ukraine and Kyiv, and air bombs attack cities near the front line. Civilians are dying, houses are being destroyed, and this has long become a familiar part of Ukrainian life.
https://glavred.net/ukraine/kiev-atakovali-drony-rf-oblomki-bpla-upali-vozle-metro-10634807.html?utm_source=ukrnet_news
https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/c07km3xpdlmo

Every time we meet someone we know, we wonder if we did the right thing by staying in Ukraine. And even more surprising are those few who return and could not adapt to a new life abroad. Things look even worse for those in the army with no hope of leaving before the end of the war.

Zelensky said that currently there is no law in Ukraine to demobilize the military. In an interview with Italian journalist Cecilia Sali for the newspaper Il Foglio, he said that martial law involves the mobilization of people and all the country's resources. "We are defending ourselves today. If tomorrow, for example, half of the army simply goes home, then we should have surrendered on the first day. Because if tomorrow half of the people go home, Putin will kill us all," he added. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISB7siWg-PU

Unfortunately, neither he nor the parliament, in which the party he controls has a majority, are going to do anything to make the war a common cause, and not just a matter for a couple of million poor men who have become slaves. Why talk about there being no law, if he himself can submit such a law to the parliament?

Mobilization is used not only to persecute ordinary people or lawyers who defend them too effectively, but also for political persecution and pressure on opponents.

The Kyiv territorial center of recruitment and social support fined Oleksiy Poroshenko, the 39-year-old son of the former president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, for failure to appear on a summons, which gave the opportunity to put under arrest all his property. His lawyers say it is illegal and part of an "information attack" on the ex-head of state's family. Oleksiy has been permanently residing in the UK since 2019 and was removed from military registration in Ukraine. But after another change in the law, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian men abroad have become violators. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/cg5y151vdr9o

The heads of several settlements in the Lviv region have received fines from the territorial recruitment and social protection centers for allegedly failing to fulfill mobilization plans. The mayor of one city calls this "legal arbitrariness." The fact is that the heads of settlements do not have any law enforcement units to forcibly deliver citizens to mobilization centers. The only function available to them is to notify the population about mobilization measures. In addition, the mayor of Drohobych hinted that the mobilization plans imposed from above cannot be implemented, because there are not enough human resources. One of the mayors considers all this to be pressure on local government and "preparation for elections." These are just some of the cases in the first month of this year when, through artificial actions of state authorities, communities are deprived of leaders elected by residents. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/cd9qk7gj7qjo

In Kyiv, a conflict has also erupted between the newly appointed head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Timur Tkachenko, and Kyiv City Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Tkachenko accuses Klitschko of poorly performing his duties, while Klitschko accuses Tkachenko of encroaching on his power in the city. https://www.komersant.info/chy-znaydetsia-rishennia-shchodo-rukhu-transportu-pid-chas-tryvoh-ochilnyk-kmva-rizko-vidpoviv-klychku/

However, it was only a matter of time before the military tried to extend its power to the civilian part of life. Everyone wants to control property and money, using the opportunities they have.

Just don't forget that armies win battles, and economies win wars. And if russia is still fighting for its own money, then Ukraine exists solely thanks to foreign aid. According to the Ministry of Finance, in 2022-2024, Ukraine received more than $115 billion from international partners to the budget. The top three look like this: almost $45 billion came from the EU, $31 billion from the US, and $12.4 billion from the IMF.

Although the government has agreements on Western aid, which should last for the entire year 2025, everyone understands the risks that everything could change, and if the war ends, aid could be significantly reduced. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/cj48y778z4wo

Far-right pro-russian Romanian politician Calin Gheorghescu, who is the most popular potential presidential candidate according to polls, said that Ukraine is a "fictional state" that will "inevitably" be divided among its neighbors. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/clyz02j9qp7o

About 90 Patriot missiles from Israel are being sent to Ukraine in a transfer facilitated by the United States, according to a US defense official. The missiles had been in storage in Israel, which operated Patriot air defense systems for more than 30 years before retiring them in April. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/28/politics/patriot-missiles-ukraine-israel-us/index.html

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the suspension of the United for Ukraine program for Ukrainians fleeing war to the US. https://interfax.com.ua/news/general/1043798.html

Satellite images of the port of Tartus in Syria showed that from January 18 to 27, the russians began to take out military equipment collected at the port on ships of the Ministry of Defense of the russian federation. They say that russia could not come to an agreement with the new government in Syria because of their demand to hand over Assad. https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2025/01/27/7495541/

[US7IGN]

It was noisy again at night - air defense shot down drones. In Kyiv, apparently, there was no destruction, but in Poltava, a residential building was destroyed and people died https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/cly4z3nxqyxo

Someone is surprised why this does not cause a surge of people willing to go to war. Apparently, this is also because no one knows the answer to how busification (by the way, this new word even appeared in the English-language Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_conscription_crisis ) can stop russian missiles and drones. Also, sending old, sick and untrained soldiers to the front in conditions of a shortage of weapons does not replace retaliatory missile strikes on russia, and rare attacks on military facilities and factories do not cause significant harm and do not attract much attention in russia itself.

Today, two high-profile incidents related to mobilization occurred at once.
Today in the city of Pyriatyn, Poltava region, an unknown assailant attacked a serviceman of the mobilization center who was escorting newly mobilized soldiers. He shot him and fled with one of the mobilized soldiers. According to one version, the mobilized soldier's friend decided to free him in this way. But the fact that they took the soldier's weapon with them may indicate other reasons for what happened. https://rubryka.com/2025/02/01/ubyvstvo-vijskovosluzhbovtsya-ttsk-u-pyryatyni-pravoohorontsi-zatrymaly-pidozryuvanogo/

Also today, an explosion occurred in the Rivne mobilization center, as a result of which the building was damaged, one person died and six were injured. https://nv.ua/ukr/ukraine/events/u-rivnenskomu-tck-prolunav-vibuh-ye-postrazhdali-zmi-50486466.html

Some consider this a natural and expected result of how the government mobilizes and treats people.

If you look at the situation more broadly, you can ask yourself the question: if Western support means that russia should not only not lose, but also receive serious damage, and attacks on sensitive targets in russia are apparently directly prohibited even by the long-range weapons that Ukraine has, then what is the point of such a war?

Also, while soldiers are dying, some of their commanders are profiting from them. For example, in the 110th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, facts of multi-million extortions from soldiers were revealed. https://enovosty.com/uk/news-ukr/news_society-ukr/full/u-110-j-brigadi-zsu-vikrito-fakti-bagatomiljonnix-poboriv-iz-soldativ

So it is not surprising that many Ukrainians choose to leave this country instead of defending it. In 2024, 500,000 people left Ukraine. This year, an outflow of another 200,000 people is expected. https://enovosty.com/uk/news-ukr/news_society-ukr/full/na-nizkomu-starti-skilki-ukrainciv-planuyut-zalishiti-ukrainu-u-2025-roci

[US7IGN]

Yesterday at work I had several meetings with bosses and came back late. If someone thinks that being a middle manager is easy, they are mistaken. Although being a boss is even harder. If you are an ordinary employee, you have almost nothing to lose and you will easily find the same job if the company will have problems. But if you are a business owner and lose it, then creating a new one will be difficult. The stress level is always much higher. The owner cannot close the office door at 6 or 7 pm and go have a beer with friends, putting work out of his mind until the next morning.

Then there were drones at night and I woke up early without rest. It is not surprising that I feel bad and tired. But the best way to recover is to get distracted. Today I had interesting QSO with Didier F4HRM and Randy N1SP, who I met at the CW Academy last year. Finally I met him on the air! Also traditional QSO with Colin G3ZAF and then a long conversation on Zoom. Then coffee with Sergiy UT3UFD finally restored my mood.

Probably everyone who does not earn money from the war wants it to end as soon as possible. And this is the main topic of conversation now and we can only watch those who actually make decisions.

US President Donald Trump said his administration has already had "very serious" discussions with russia about the war in Ukraine, and that he and russian president vladimir pooteen could soon take "significant" steps to end the conflict. https://www.dw.com/uk/tramp-idut-duze-serjozni-diskusii-z-rf-sodo-vijni-v-ukraini/a-71479819?maca=ukr-rss-ukrnet-ukr-all-3816-xml

Ending the war in Ukraine is in the interests of the entire world, including the United States, Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said on Fox News. He also said he expects to make progress in the near term. Kellogg said he expects to make progress on Ukraine in the next 100 days. https://www.foxnews.com/video/6368078173112

With President Trump back in office, vladimir pooteen sees an opportunity to break his international isolation and rehabilitate his image as a statesman. What pooteen desires most is for Trump to help him reassert his stature on the global stage. https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5118007-what-putin-wants-from-trump/

The United States wants Ukraine to hold elections, potentially by the end of the year, especially if Kyiv can agree a truce with russia in the coming months, President Donald Trump's top Ukraine official told Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/us-wants-ukraine-hold-elections-following-ceasefire-says-trump-envoy-2025-02-01/

Trump officials are also debating whether to push for an initial ceasefire before trying to broker a more permanent deal, the two people familiar with the Trump administration discussions said. If presidential elections were to take place in Ukraine, the winner could be responsible for negotiating a longer-term pact with Moscow, the people said.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-wants-ukraine-hold-elections-following-ceasefire-says-trump-envoy-2025-02-01/

Trump may be pursuing two goals. On the one hand, he is really speeding up the process of concluding a real deal with the authorized parties, although pooteen's legitimacy is also questionable. On the other hand, it is obvious that the new government, which Trump should undoubtedly support, must guarantee him an investigation into Zelensky's activities, which will also give him the opportunity to persecute Biden. I would like to know which of the Ukrainians is already negotiating with Trump about future support in the elections.

It is said that Korean soldiers were withdrawn from the front line due to high casualties. They showed low efficiency due to poor coordination due to lack of knowledge of russian. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/world/europe/north-korea-troops-ukraine-russia.html

[US7IGN]

It got colder again to +2C and there was even a little snow. I still feel tired and sleepy. However, I almost managed to recover on Sunday.

The death toll among civilians following the airstrike in Poltava has reached 14.

But russia is also bombing its own citizens. Nearly a hundred people, many of them elderly and disabled, were trapped under rubble after a russian air bomb hit a boarding school in the town of Sudzha in russia's Kursk region. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/c1ezvjvgyg3o

The Prosecutor General's Office reports that two residents of the Poltava region have been reported as suspects in the murder of a soldier at a gas station in Pyriatyn. According to the investigation, on January 31 of this year, a resident of Poltava, together with other mobilized soldiers, accompanied by soldiers of the Poltava mobilization center, was going to a military unit for training. Intending to evade military service, he called an acquaintance from Lubny several times and reported the bus route. When the bus stopped at a gas station in Pyryatyn, a resident of Lubny shot one of the escorts with a rifle he had brought with him, causing the soldier a gunshot wound incompatible with life. Later, he took possession of the victim's machine gun and fled the scene with an accomplice. The soldier's machine gun was found in a forest plantation, where the suspects had abandoned it. https://t.me/pgo_gov_ua/28626

Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Mykhailo Drapaty, condemned the murders and attacks on mobilization center servicemen and called on citizens not to tolerate such crimes. https://interfax.com.ua/news/general/1045022.html

This murder has caused a lively discussion in society and the worst thing about it is that of course no one approves of murder as such, but many people are understanding towards those who avoid military service. I am surprised that the authorities did not use this as a reason to blame everything on russian agents, but I do not exclude that the consequence will be even more cruel treatment of mobilized people. On the other hand, the chances of survival in prison for attackers are much higher than at the front, and the conditions may even be better.

Also, this situation leads to a opposition between the army and the people, the victims of which will primarily be soldiers who are now at the front, and who will then be unreasonably associated with those who are now mobilizing people in the rear. However, this situation can be viewed as another demonstration of the principle of "divide and rule."

[KD8ZM-Brady]

I have been away from this forum for quite a few days and finally returned to read. All that is going on in regard to Ukraine makes my head hurt. I wonder if this is a result of the situation's seeming impossibility, or just a sign that I am old (65)?
I'm glad I don't have to make any of the decisions related to any of this stuff. The entire thing is a conundrum, a Gordian Knot. or whatever adjective you prefer... oy vey!
I appreciate what you all have had to say in response to what I wrote.
The sacrifices on the part of Ukrainian soldiers and families has been far too great, to let Putin get away with a peace deal that is unenforceable or too sweet.
God bless you all!

[US7IGN]

I have been away from this forum for quite a few days and finally returned to read. All that is going on in regard to Ukraine makes my head hurt. I wonder if this is a result of the situation's seeming impossibility, or just a sign that I am old (65)?
I'm glad I don't have to make any of the decisions related to any of this stuff. The entire thing is a conundrum, a Gordian Knot. or whatever adjective you prefer... oy vey!
I appreciate what you all have had to say in response to what I wrote.
The sacrifices on the part of Ukrainian soldiers and families has been far too great, to let Putin get away with a peace deal that is unenforceable or too sweet.
God bless you all!

As always, I am glad to see you! Time flies by very quickly. But there is a good thing about it - time heals everything. I hope your wife has already recovered and you are doing well!

I took another blood pressure and pulse measurement and my doctor was pleased with the results. My condition remains stable, although heavy loads and weather changes have a bad effect on me. Maybe work has a good effect on me, leaving no time for thoughts about the bad. Slowly but surely, I am developing my direction and feel confident in our large company. My son is graduating from university this year and chose the topic of his diploma to be the restoration of Ukraine after the war. I would like to do this together with him, using the resources of my company.

Trump says US could 'take over' Gaza and rebuild it. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2pwjgp59do This means that all Palestinians must leave Gaza and most likely will not be able to return there. This is even worse than what the russians did in the occupied territories of Ukraine. There they allowed those who did not resist them to stay.

The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine received the first French Mirage 2000 and F-16 fighters from the Netherlands. https://unn.ua/news/ukraina-otrymala-pershi-vynyshchuvachi-mirage-2000-ta-f-16-minoborony

Washington has halted the supply of weapons and military equipment to Kyiv, but last week it was resumed. The supplies are believed to have been authorized by Joe Biden. Due to the delay, they will continue for several more months. https://www.reuters.com/world/us-arms-shipments-kyiv-briefly-paused-before-resuming-over-weekend-sources-say-2025-02-03/

President Donald Trump says he wants to negotiate an agreement with Ukraine in which Kyiv guarantees supplies of rare earth metals, key elements used in electronics, in exchange for aid. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had floated such an idea last October as part of his “victory plan” for ending the war with Russia. “We’re telling Ukraine they have very valuable rare earths,” Trump said on Monday. “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things.” Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said Ukraine was willing, adding that he wants “equalisation” from Ukraine for Washington’s “close to $300bn” in support. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/04/ukraine-war-briefing-trump-demands-rare-earths-from-kyiv-in-exchange-for-aid

US allies expect President Donald Trump’s administration to present a long-awaited plan to end russia’s war on Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference in Germany next week, according to people familiar with the matter. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-05/us-set-to-present-trump-s-plan-for-peace-in-ukraine-next-week?srnd=homepage-europe

On Monday, February 3, US President Donald Trump signed an official order appointing retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg as special representative for Ukraine and russia. He also said that the US has "made significant progress in relations between russia and Ukraine." https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/news/2025/02/3/7204100/

Last weekend, a serious accident occurred at one of the energy facilities in Ukraine, which was caused by russia. Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko reported that as a result, significant generating capacity was lost, and the restoration process is currently underway. He also noted that possible power outages in Ukraine due to frost are not related to weather conditions, but only to russian attacks. So far, the temperature in Kyiv is near zero Celsius and the electricity has not been turned off. https://www.stolica.news/rf-seryozno-poshkodyla-odyn-z-ob-rsquo-iektiv-heneratsii-halushchenko.html

[KD8ZM-Brady]

Wlad, thank you, friend. It's wonderful to hear that you're doing well or at least, stable.
My wife has come a long way but still has some paralysis in her left foot. She is undergoing tests to determine whether she will need another back surgery (lumbar vertebrae fusion) or knee surgery, or both, to correct the paralysis.
On the rare earth minerals issue, with Trump what he says he wants is almost never what he actually wants. (Those who have read the famous Karrass negotiation books will understand). I have heard some suggest that by making Ukraine our supplier of rare earth's instead of China, he is creating a strategic interest that can be used as a justification for defending Ukraine. Is this speculation true? Your guess is as good as mine! 73!