Tag Archive for: Russia

Russia’s Diesel Export Ban

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For the past few weeks, I have been going by gas stations in the south of France, wondering if I was seeing double.

In early July, as prices were going down, something strange was happening to diesel. For the first time in twenty years, it was more expensive than premium gas.

I remember when Emmanuel Macron, the French boy president I call “Little Cookie” because of the way the locals pronounce his name in the south of France, tried to do this during his first few months in office in 2017.

He wanted to get rid of diesel vehicles because his enviro-crazy advisors told him they were not just big pollutants, but were keeping people from making the switch to electric vehicles (diesel engines are so much more efficient and powerful than normal gasoline engines, at least in Europe).

Added to that was the fact that French farmers, winegrowers, construction workers, and a host of related small business owners had been able to buy diesel for their vehicles at half price, without government taxes. These were the dirty unwashed Frenchmen who had never been to an elite school, and Macron instinctively hated them all.

The result of that exploit, which would have doubled the price of diesel fuel and bankrupted many farmers, was the gilet jaune movement, or what the Brits dubbed the “yellow jackets,” after the yellow safety jackets people put in their windshield to show their discontent.

Today, diesel fuel has not gone up because of French government policy, and there are no more yellow jackets on the roads.

This time, it’s the Putin tax.

On July 9, after successive drone attacks on Russian refineries that choked off diesel supplies, Putin ordered Russian refiners to stop exporting diesel fuel entirely so they could keep the domestic market supplied.

I don’t remember seeing headlines about this in the European press, but if you go back, the news was reported, even by CNN.  Americans paid no attention to it, because we don’t import much diesel fuel from  Russia. But Europe certainly does.

This is yet another sign I see of the surprisingly successful strategy of the Ukrainian military to bring the war home to the people of Russia, but also to their fellow Europeans.

Putin is increasingly behaving as an embattled dictator. Facing parliamentary elections in September, he has sent out his goons to arrest anyone in the opposition who actually declares themselves opposed to his policies.

That includes Russia’s biggest opposition party, Yabloko. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peshkov, brushed those reports aside like any czar’s aide would brush off an incoming mortar round. Yabloko? he said, incredulous. “They are not a party. They are no more than a cell.”

When i heard that I thought of Baghdad Bob, who claimed there were no US forces anywhere near Baghdad as US tanks rolled up behind him on live TV.

Tehran’s embattled dictators have also appeared increasingly on the ropes.

Last week, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, the two-faced negotiator who begs Trump in private to stop bombing while in public he beats his chest just like any other Revolutionary Guards officer, made an astonishing revelation.

He said that in December, just weeks before the regime opened fire and killed 54,000 protestors, the regime nearly lost control of Iran’s second-largest city, Mashad.

The regime has become so embattled that it is now treating 90% inflation as if it were a success story. I’m not joking. Check it out, here.

The Trump administration continues to tighten the noose around the regime’s neck.

Not only does our military pound the IRGC every time they attack ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz under US supervision and protection, but the Treasury is going after Iranian assets worldwide, including bitcoin money-laundering operations in Dubai.

Earlier this week, the Dubai authorities shut down a $4 billion bitcoin scheme — get this — that was used to launder the proceeds of illicit gambling inside Iran!

I remain sanguine about the war, the future of the people of Iran, and even about Russia and Ukraine, because corruption cannot last forever. After all, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, it figured number 8 on the Lord’s bad list.

I discuss all this and more on this week’s Prophecy Today Weekend, As always, you can listen live at 1 PM on Saturday in the Jacksonville, Florida, area on 104.9 FM or 550 AM or by using the Jacksonville Way Radio app.

Yours in freedom.

©2026 . All rights reserved.

Website: kentimmerman.com

Ken Timmerman’s 14th book of non-fiction, THE IRAN HOUSE: Tales of Revolution, Persecution, War, and Intrigue, can be ordered by clicking here or by viewing my author’s page, here. 

Raising Olives in Provence, can be ordered by clicking here.

Why State Department Says Cuba Poses Massive Threat to United States

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For seven decades, Cuba has funded political terrorists seeking to take down the United States, according to a new report from the State Department.

The State Department released a report Monday saying that Cuba has deeply penetrated the American political institutions, leftist organizations, universities, and even spy networks.

The report highlighted alleged Cuban espionage, saying the regime “perfected a new model for a long war of attrition, organized around espionage, infiltration, sabotage, proxy networks, and a revolutionary infrastructure designed to turn America against itself.”

In March, President Donald Trump said, “Cuba is next,” while discussing the success of the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, which captured the country’s dictator, Nicolas Maduro.

When asked by the Daily Signal on a press call how this report affects plans for future military action against Cuba, a senior State Department official said, “The president keeps all his options on the table.”

“His resolve is ironclad that we will not allow this failed state, this rogue state, state sponsor of terror, to continue to threaten the American homeland,” the official said.

“All options are on the table as we continue to both engage in diplomatic negotiations with the Cuban regime and take executive action to degrade their network,” he continued, “and to ultimately bring about what should be a free and prosperous Cuba.”

The Cuban people have been held hostage by the regime, the official said.

“This is a place that was as wealthy as Spain,” he said. “They had all of their things stolen. They had their economy plummeted into ruin. They were forcibly conscripted to go off on these ideological projects or tossed in jail.”

American universities are one of the Cuba’s top targets, “serving as fertile ground for recruiting ideologically sympathetic young Americans who will ascend to positions of influence, power, and access,” the report said.

The official told the Daily Signal the Trump administration is taking a “whole-of-government approach to look at radical leftism and political terrorism in American universities.”

“We have obviously revoked visas and continue to do so for all of these radical left subversives, noncitizens,” he said.

Cuba has a relationship with anti-American forces across the world, like Russia, China, and Iran, the report says.

“The reason that these superpowers like China have any interest in working with and supporting the Cubans, the sort of competitive advantage, the value proposition that the Cubans can go and offer to the Russians or the Chinese or the Iranians is their networks within the United States,” the official said. “First and foremost, it’s their intelligence networks.”

AUTHOR

Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Signal column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

The Russian Gas Stations are Out of Gas

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Gas lines. In Russia. And they stretch on for miles.

Even Czar Vlad had to admit this week there was a slight “penury” in fuel, “maybe 5 percent.” I guess some people did some thing to Russia’s refineries.

The gigantic gas station with nukes that is today’s Russia is running out of gas. It’s quite remarkable to see. Russia is now importing gasoline from Kazakhstan.

It also reminds us that war is not just fought with kinetic weapons, although they sure do make a difference when they work. It is also fought on the economic front. Just ask Donald Trump. (More on that later).

There are increasing signs that Russia’s war in Ukraine is heading toward disaster.

Sure, there was the soldier’s video who demanded an audience with Putin to explain the war to him from a soldier’s perspective, or else the army would turn on him. That video got twenty million views, and Putin responded characteristically: he had the guy arrested.

Until the next one appears.

The June casualty rate among Russian soldiers reportedly rose in June to 40,000, well above the 25,000 troops Putin can raise monthly through ordinary conscription. That is simply astonishing. And for all those losses, the Russians hardly advanced on the ground.

And then, there are the rumors. I hear them all them time on French television, which is known for preferring rumor to news. Putin has fled to a bunker, maybe the one north of Moscow, where Zelensky claims he has moved critical air defense assets. True? I doubt it. But who knows?

Another: that Putin’s 93 meter yacht, the Graceful, has been seen under heavy Russian naval escort in the seas off of Denmark. Why? To protect it from getting hit at port by a Ukrainian drone.

And then, there are the facts. The Ukrainians continue to pound Russian oil refineries and storage depots, even within visual range of the Kremlin, and this has brought the war home to ordinary Russians who might otherwise not care.

Another: Zelensky this week warned Belarus president Lukashenko not to throw his military behind Putin in the Ukraine war.  Calling him a “captive ally” of Russia, he threatened him with a drone barrage if he didn’t immediately cut off support for the Russian military.

What did Lukashenko do? He took a quick trip to Beijing, to kiss the ring of President Xi (Yes, Mr Lukashenko, you really are the president of a sovereign nation, not a Putin vassal).

All is not well for Czar Vlad at home or abroad. All of his former allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the replacement of the Warsaw Pact, told him this week he was on his own in Ukraine. (It’s not just effete NATO Euros who are ingrates, Vlad).

The word is, Putin is now looking for an offramp thanks to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who indicated this week that they can handle two negotiations at one time, especially when one of them, with the Iranians, is not going so well.

Speaking of those effete Euros, Trump reminded them in a Truth social post on Thursday just how ungrateful they really are. “The United States spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit from so doing.” In fact, the U.S. spends more than 10X the amount of the next biggest NATO spender, the UK, $999 billion to $90.5 billion.

The President is just warming up for the NATO summit in Turkey next week and wants the 32 member countries to remember just how furious he still is over their failure to provide any assistance whatsoever to the US during the Iran war. Italy, Germany, France, and initially Britain, wouldn’t even allow us to overfly their airspace to bring equipment to theater!

Today in Iran began the week-long ceremonies to bury the late and unlamented Ali Khamenei. After two days in Tehran, the show moves to Qom, traditional seat of Iran’s clergy, and for a two-day wanderlust to Najaf and Karbala in Iraq. Most people don’t realize that Iranian shiite clergy venerate those two Iraqi cities as much as they do Qom and Mashad. And many of Iran’s current crop of leaders were actually born in Iraq.

The one person who won’t be attending: Mojtaba, the Gayatollah who, we are told, replaced Daddy. How’s that for filial piety?

That of course has fed the rumor mill in Tehran that he is, in fact, a former non-ayatollah (aka, a naya-tollah”) who was killed during the same February 28 air strikes that took out Dad.

And all those written proclamations? Written in an underground room either by Qalbaf or Pezeshkian. It’s not me saying this, but hard-line members of the Iranian parliament who believe that Qalibaf and Pezeshkian have conducted a quiet coup, replacing the clergy with a newly-empowered Supreme Council on National Security they control.

I discuss this, as well as Trump’s increasingly frank statements that the Iran MoU was all about stabilizing oil markets and rebuilding our military stockpiles, on this week’s Prophecy Today Weekend.

As always, you can listen live on Saturday, July 4, at 1 PM, on 550 AM or 104.9 FM in the Jacksonville, Florida, area, or by using the Way Radio application.

Happy 250th, America! May we prove wrong all the nay-sayers and lefties who predict our imminent demise.

PS: and in case you missed my brief “wrestling with a squid” segment on Newsmax last week, you can watch it here: https://x.com/KenTimmerman/status/2070178197690339804?s=20

©2026 . All rights reserved.

Website: kentimmerman.com

Ken Timmerman’s 14th book of non-fiction, THE IRAN HOUSE: Tales of Revolution, Persecution, War, and Intrigue, can be ordered by clicking here or by viewing my author’s page, here. 

Raising Olives in Provence, can be ordered by clicking here.

Iran, Russia Sign $25 Billion Nuclear Cooperation Deal

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The world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism should never have been allowed another day in power—and certainly not another opportunity to pull garbage like this. Every extra day this regime remains standing comes at the expense of freedom, stability, and human life. They forfeited any right to exist through decades of terror, oppression, and bloodshed.

A nuclear deal between these two evil besieged allies wreaks of desperation.

Iran, Russia Sign $25 Billion Nuclear Cooperation Deal as Tehran Presses Ahead Amid U.S. Talks

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, Algemeiner, June 5, 2026:

Iran and Russia have signed a sweeping $25 billion nuclear cooperation agreement to expand Tehran’s civilian nuclear infrastructure, deepening strategic ties between the two countries even as negotiations with the United States continue over efforts to curb the Islamist regime’s nuclear activities.

Speaking at a conference attended by senior officials and nuclear experts from both countries in the Russian capital, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, unveiled what he described as the most extensive nuclear cooperation project ever launched between Tehran and Moscow, centered on the development of the Hormoz Nuclear Power Plant.

With the signing of a $25 billion memorandum of understanding, Jalali said the Hormoz project — alongside the ongoing expansion of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant — represents one of the most significant pillars of Iranian-Russian cooperation in the field of what Tehran describes as “peaceful nuclear energy.”

The Hormoz project is set to be developed by Iran’s “private sector” in cooperation with Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom, according to Iranian media.

The memorandum also includes the expansion of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant — Iran’s only operational nuclear power station, which is currently generating electricity — with its second and third reactor units already under construction.

During the conference, Jalali also highlighted plans for joint cooperation on small-scale nuclear power plants, expressing optimism that the projects would soon move from the planning stage into full implementation.

The Iranian diplomat further underscored the growing scientific and technological partnership between Tehran and Moscow in the nuclear sector, particularly in the production of radiopharmaceuticals, which are used in nuclear medicine for diagnosis and cancer treatment.

“Iran has made remarkable progress in this field,” Jalali said. “We now produce 70 radiopharmaceutical products. In 2025, Iran ranked among the world’s top three producers of radiopharmaceuticals – demonstrating that our use of nuclear technology is strictly for peaceful purposes.”

In recent weeks, regional tensions have intensified as negotiations between US and Iranian officials have failed to produce a breakthrough, even as US President Donald Trump repeatedly insists that he still believes a strong agreement can be reached that prevents Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

While Iran has long denied plans to develop nuclear bombs, Western countries have argued weaponization is the only reason for much of Iran’s nuclear activity, including building secret sites into mountains and enriching uranium well beyond what’s needed for civilian use.

For its part, Iran is now pushing for an interim agreement that could potentially include sanctions relief, thus granting the regime access to billions of dollars in oil revenue. However, Washington has continued to impose economic sanctions on Iranian entities even as talks have taken place.

According to multiple media reports, Iran is seeking a limited interim agreement to ease mounting economic pressure and respond to rising domestic risks driven by a deepening economic crisis, while steering clear of any major concessions on its nuclear program.

Tehran’s latest diplomatic maneuvering follows weeks of negotiations after US-Israeli strikes in late February spiraled into a broader regional conflict. Iranian attacks across the Gulf have heightened fears over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

Three months later, despite a fragile ceasefire reached in early April, the conflict has settled into a tense stalemate, with a US blockade on Iranian ports and Tehran’s continued leverage over the Strait of Hormuz sustaining pressure on both sides while leaving the threat of renewed fighting unresolved.

Now, both Washington and Tehran appear to be lowering expectations for a comprehensive settlement, instead exploring what officials have described as a temporary memorandum of understanding — effectively an interim arrangement designed to prevent a return to open conflict while postponing core disputes surrounding Iran’s nuclear activities.

If finalized, a potential framework would reportedly focus on phased sanctions easing and limited access through the strait while leaving unresolved the most contentious issues, including Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

It remains unclear whether Iran’s ambitious nuclear projects with Russia have been discussed with US negotiators.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller 

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Inside Russia’s Propaganda War In NATO’s Eastern most City

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NARVA, Estonia — Residents of Narva, NATO’s easternmost city, gathered along a promenade beneath a medieval Estonian castle May 9. But with their backs turned toward the European Union — Ukrainian and Estonian flags hanging from the fortress walls — the crowd’s attention was fixed across the river border on a bright display of Russian spectacle.

Just 101 meters away, a stage sat below an opposing 15th-century Russian fort in celebration of “Victory Day,” commemorating the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany.

As in years past, the stage and loudspeakers were positioned toward the Estonian city, broadcasting cultural performances, a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and additional displays of Russian grandeur. But unlike previous years, the pageantry appeared to capture more of Narva’s attention than ever before.

In his nationally broadcast speech, and moments after describing how past Soviets fought and died to defeat the Nazi threat, Putin said Russian forces are now actively “confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc.”

In response, Maria Smorževskihh-Smirnova, the head of the Narva Museum and its fort, had lowered a large poster along the fortress wall referring to Putin as a war criminal and comparing him to Adolf Hitler. But with most eyes turned toward the stage across the river, the Estonian’s yearly act of rebellion appeared to do little more than earn her a conviction and a 10-year prison sentence from Russia — that is, if Russian authorities can ever get hold of her.

Days after Victory Day, the Daily Caller visited Narva’s Castle, the border, and met with officials in the nation’s Capitol as part of a multiday tour of NATO countries that share a border with Russia. Transportation and lodging for the trip were sponsored by a group of those states.

During the visit, Smirnova told the Caller that Putin’s regime has been using other forms of soft power and messaging since it first attacked Ukraine with the intent of showing that Russian borders can extend well into Estonia.

“Russia’s borders do not end anywhere,” a billboard erected in 2023 said, placed to be the last thing travelers see crossing the border from Russia into Estonia and, therefore, NATO.

The following year, Russian border guards were seen taking boats into the middle of the river and cutting border buoys.

Cautionary actions have since been taken, with border crossings now limited to foot traffic. Yet the Caller found hundreds standing in line to cross the country’s connecting point — the ironically named “Friendship Bridge.”

As one resident told the Caller, “Friendship is on a break.”

Following Estonia’s occupation by the Soviets, many Russians had been relocated into Estonia in an attempt to maintain long-term control over the region and embed Russian culture and way of life into the northernmost Baltic nation, Smirnova told the Caller.

And it appeared to have worked. Narva, the nation’s third-largest city with just over 52,000 people, is currently composed of 96 percent Russian speakers, with one-third of residents being Russian citizens. Another 12.5 percent do not have citizenship and instead are issued “gray passports,” allowing holders to travel between the nations as they please, Smirnova said.

And Narva is not alone. Throughout Estonia, a nation 100 times smaller than Russia, 29 percent of residents speak Russian as a first language, and another 38 percent speak it as a foreign language, Statistics Estonia found.

While communicating among countrymen is key in nation-building, the lack of Estonian speakers may suggest a more serious threat, as Estonia is first and foremost a uniquely “language-based” identity, according to Secretary General for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jonatan Vseviov.

Vseviov, whose department has started to outgrow the now occupied old Communist Party headquarters, with its lobby still decorated in pink Cuban granite, told the Caller that Estonia does not have a strong sense of culture nor a strong claim to religion, blaming in part its history of being held under the thumb of other nations or existing as a collection of “oftentimes disputing villages and counties.”

Now, with fears of being ruled again, Estonia has resorted to taking often drastic measures in an attempt to build up its language-based culture, sometimes at the expense of Russian-speaking Estonians.

Efforts for an Estonian-speaking Estonia began after the Soviet Union collapsed, but perhaps reached their zenith after Russia’s attack on Ukraine. In 2024, all of the nation’s schools were required to begin teaching only in Estonian in kindergarten, first grade, and fourth grade, according to Estonian World.

Since then, multiple cases have been raised before the European Court of Human Rights, as several human rights groups have characterized the policy as a violation of freedom or forced assimilation, according to Eurac Research.

In 2024, a landmark constitutional amendment was passed, removing the ability of Russian and Belarusian residents of Narva to vote in local elections, the Russian media outlet Interfax reported.

The retaliation continued, with a 2025 law requiring that the Estonian Orthodox Church sever its connection with the Moscow Patriarchate, according to Kyiv Independent, in a move that echoes a Ukrainian policy that has been used by Russia to justify their agression.

Although many Estonians justify such actions as an existential necessity for self-preservation, Putin views these policy changes as direct attacks on Russians under his protection.

The Russian Constitution explicitly states that the Kremlin provides “compatriots” — ethnic Russians and Russian speakers — “living abroad in exercising their rights, ensuring the protection of their interests, and preserving their shared Russian cultural identity.”

Putin had previously cited the protection of Donbas compatriots as fuel for his war machine, sending soldiers in their parade uniforms across the Ukrainian border in the name of liberation. However, a diverse array of Ukrainian religious leaders told the Caller in August that Russia has spent the last four years dishing out Soviet-style persecution against the very compatriots they have come to emancipate.

Having watched this tactic play out from afar, many Estonians now fear similar talking points are being raised against their nation to justify more direct displays of power from Moscow, with the largest difference between Ukraine and Estonia being that the smaller of the two is backed by the united power of NATO, under Article 5 of the alliance’s founding treaty.

Despite these tensions, one initiative has decided to embrace Narva’s unique connection to the Russian border by exploring the dynamic between the two nations and the varying nationalities within the city.

In May, international participants at the Narva Art Residency shared works examining nature and borders, with one group introducing 7,000 new female workers into the abandoned Soviet textile factories of the Kreenholm Manufactory in the form of two transnational beehives. T

The residents of this “living monument” now freely commute between the Free World and the Eastern Bloc to produce honey derived from both Estonian and Russian wildflowers, demonstrating that borders, though negotiated and tested, remain only the problem of man.

AUTHOR

Derek VanBuskirk

Reporter

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

A Rocky China Trip for the Kremlin: How U.S. Energy Undercuts Putin’s Leverage

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Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing Tuesday seeking a “no-limits” endorsement of his energy ambitions — but left with little more than handshakes and a sharp reminder that even the closest partnerships have strict boundaries. While Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping put on a high-profile show of unity for the international community, the long-anticipated Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline remained bogged down. The project, a $15 billion lifeline to replace Russia’s failed European revenue, saw no signatures or start date. Instead, the Kremlin was forced to scramble in defense of a trip that appears to be an underwhelming fizzle.

The 1,600-mile pipeline would carry over 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually, direct from Russian fields to Chinese stovetops. Battered by sanctions following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Russian economy simply needs this deal to go through. Yet China continues to play hardball, demanding “domestic discount prices” of Moscow that have been resisted for half a decade. China has implemented rigid limits on how much energy can be purchased from any single nation, and Russia has reached that threshold, reports suggest.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attempted to soothe questions over the lack of progress, claiming the leaders reached “basic parameters of understanding” pertaining to the pipeline. However, the final 10,000-word joint statement failed to mention PoS-2 by name, instead emphasizing vague promises to “deepen comprehensive relations.”

While Putin fell short of securing his gas deal, President Donald Trump announced that China is now looking toward the West to fill its tanks.

“They’ve agreed they want to buy oil from the United States; they’re going to go to Texas, we’re going to start sending Chinese ships to Texas and to Louisiana and to Alaska,” Trump stated last Thursday. After his own meeting with Xi, Trump remarked on America’s “unlimited energy,” noting that at this date the U.S. out-produces both Saudia Arabia and Russia.

This rhetoric is already becoming reality. Tankers filled with American liquified natural gas are underway from Louisiana toward China and are expected to arrive by mid-June. These represent the first direct shipments of fuel to China in Trump’s second term, indicating a potential shift in global resource patterns that would likely leave Russia out in the cold.

New revelations, in addition to the energy issue, are now casting doubt upon China’s claims of neutrality in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Reports surfaced Tuesday that approximately 200 Russian troops attended “secret training exercises” in China in late 2025. This training reportedly consisted of drone warfare, specifically laser targeting artillery and the use of electronic weapons to disable enemy drones.

“By training Russian military personnel at [an] operational and tactical level … China is far more directly involved in the war,” several intelligence agencies told Reuters. While Beijing firmly dismisses these claims, photos have been leaked of uniformed Russian soldiers in Chinese military classrooms.

As the “Axis of Tyranny” maintains its rapport, it becomes increasingly clear that Putin may be becoming the overly needy member of the relationship. As China explores various energy options due to regional instability, Xi can now drive a harder bargain than ever before. Although Xi described the relationship as being at a “historic high,” the apparent lack of a gas line deal suggests that, for Beijing at least, friendship only goes as far as the bottom line. If the Russians fail to fulfill the pricing and contract concession Xi has fixed, the pipeline project will fall apart.

“China and Russia are cooperating more closely militarily, economically, and diplomatically, but their interests are not identical,” says Lt. Col (Ret.) Robert Maginnis, senior fellow for National Security at Family Research Council. “China’s leaders are thinking decades ahead. Putin is focused on surviving the current war and preserving his hold on power.”

Maginnis continued, “Russia urgently needs China to offset the collapse of its European energy markets, while Beijing is content to wait, negotiate from a position of strength, and deepen Moscow’s dependence on China’s economy. Xi understands that time is working in Beijing’s favor.” Frankly, he said, “The China-Russia relationship is best understood as a strategic alignment built on shared interests rather than genuine trust.”

Trump’s visit, he notes, “appears to have widened China’s diplomatic room to maneuver, while Putin left Beijing looking more dependent on Xi than ever before.” The bottom line, Maginnis concluded, “is straightforward: China and Russia remain aligned against the United States and the Western-led order, but this is no partnership of equals.” As Maginnis contends, “Russia is increasingly the junior partner.”

AUTHOR

Zachary Patton

Zach Patton is an intern at Family Research Council.

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2026 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Did China Take ‘The Deal’

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By all appearances, China’s President Xi Jinpeng took the deal President Trump offered him in Beijing.

At their joint press conference on Thursday, President Trump said that he and Xi were “united” when it came to Iran: no nukes, open the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian blackmail, and no Chinese weapons sales.

And while President Trump said before the summit he didn’t need Chinese help with Iran, after their initial meeting he told Sean Hannity that China will help “in any way it can.”

If all of this comes true, it is very bad news for Tehran.

Trump offered China a choice: enjoy your new status as the G2 with the United States, along with a $400 billion trade relationship that will continue to expand; or enjoy your missile sales to Iran and your dependence on Iranian oil.

The Iranians just watched as their biggest ally went over to the enemy.

The United States has a long history of playing the Chinese against the Russians, starting with Nixon’s famous trip to China in 1972.

Trump never made the same type of effusive statements with Putin during his first term, before the Ukraine war. Nor did he travel to meet Putin with a plane-load of US corporate CEOs.

A $400 billion trade relationship with Russia? Russian corporate investment in the United States? Are you kidding? All they have to sell are weapons and oil. And while they would love to get their hands on our high tech, why in the world would we sell it to them or allow them to invest in our companies?

Trump is not a China hawk. But neither is he a China appeaser.

On Taiwan, he was extremely cautious. He said he understood how strongly Xi felt about Taiwan and how much they wanted it back, but that he felt Xi didn’t want to go war to achieve that. He also told reporters on Air Force One that America didn’t need a war “9500 miles” from home.

When asked whether he had discussed a pending arms sales to Taiwan with Xi, Trump said Xi had raised the subject and yes, they had discussed it.

That prompted New York Times reporter David Sanger, whom Trump called the “fake news” and even “treasonous” for his false reporting on the extent of Iran’s surviving missile capabilities, to ask him if that meant he was revoking President Reagan’s 1982 pledge not to consult with the PRC on arms sales to Taiwan.

“1982?” Trump said. “That’s quite a long time ago.”

The 1982 pledge was part of the so-called “Six Assurances” that allowed the Reagan administration to expand relations with China while not throwing Taiwan under the bus.

All six were expressed as negatives. “We have not agreed to prior consultations on arms sales to Taiwan,” reads one. “We have not agreed to take any position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan,” reads another.

President Trump made clear he was not taking any position over Taiwan’s sovereignty, and pointedly would not tell Xi, when asked, whether the United States would defend Taiwan if China invaded.

But I can just about guarantee you that the New York Times will blast him for throwing Taiwan under the bus because he discussed the pending arms sale to Taiwan with President Xi.

Let’s recall that Bill Clinton was a China hawk when he ran for president against George H.W. Bush in 1992. Indeed, I helped draft a speech for the campaign that blasted the elder Bush for “cozying up to dictators from Baghdad to Beijing.”

But he soon turned into a China appeaser, once emissaries from Chinese military intelligence, working through the Lippo Group in Indonesia, bailed out his bankrupt campaign in October 1992 by handing over a briefcase containing $3 million in cash during a famous limo ride.

In the early months of his first term, Clinton put into motion the “China Plan” drafted by three relatively obscure academics in a 1992 National Academy of Sciences study. (The authors were William Perry, who went on to become Clinton’s Defense Secretary, Ashton Carter, who succeeded Perry as SecDef, and Mitchel Wallerstein, who was put in charge of the Pentagon’s export control office.)

The plan called export controls a “wasting asset” and called for removing them for China. Bill Clinton added the sauce: millions of secret campaign cash from Communist China and their cutouts. (I wrote about this extensively in the American Spectator in the 1990s and in a 2000 book, Selling Out America).

Among the sales that allowed China to leap-frog its way to building 5th generation stealth fighter jets were the advanced machine tools used in the B-1 bomber plant in Columbus, Ohio. I was fired from Time Magazine in July 1994 for reporting on that.

But President Trump is no China appeaser as Clinton was. He gave the Chinese very little during this trip. For example, he made no commitment to Xi that he would remove Chinese companies from US sanctions for buying Iranian oil, or that he would allow Chinese ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

The proof of the pudding will be if the Chinese stop supplying Iran with drone parts and sodium perchlorate, an oxydizer used to make solid rocket fuel.

During Epic Fury, four cargos of Chinese sodium perchlorate reached Iran, while China airlifted other weapons to Tehran once the ceasefire kicked in.

If they stop these sales, Trump will be pleased and good things will happen. If they don’t, you can expect Chinese ships to remain blocked in the Persian Gulf or intercepted by the US blockade.

I discuss the Beijing summit, Trump’s growing frustration with Iran, and Russia’s latest ICBM, on this week’s Prophecy Today Weekend.
 
As always, you can listen live on 104.9 FM or 550 AM in the Jacksonville, Florida area, or by using the Jacksonville Way Radio app. If you miss us live, catch the podcast later, here.

Yours in freedom.

©2026 . All rights reserved.

RELATED ARTICLE: What Xi Said to Trump About Imprisoned Christians in China

Continue to check my website, kentimmerman.com, for my latest media appearances.

Ken Timmerman’s 14th book of non-fiction, THE IRAN HOUSE: Tales of Revolution, Persecution, War, and Intrigue, can be ordered by clicking here or by viewing my author’s page, here. 

Raising Olives in Provence, can be ordered by clicking here.

Trump, Greenland, and American World Order

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As the second Trump administration reaches its one-year anniversary, no one can deny that President Donald Trump has reshaped not only American politics but the entire world. But Trump is no longer satisfied with tariffs and peace talks; he has set his eyes on a grander prize, an object America has rarely sought since the days of President Theodore Roosevelt: territorial acquisition. The territory in Trump’s crosshairs is the world’s largest island, a mostly glacier-covered wilderness deceptively called “Greenland.”

Despite widespread opposition, President Trump manages to mention his desire to own Greenland nearly every day. “I had a very good telephone call with Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, concerning Greenland,” Trump posted to Truth Social shortly after midnight on Tuesday. “As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security. There can be no going back — On that, everyone agrees! The United States of America is the most powerful Country anywhere on the Globe, by far.”

This past weekend, Trump escalated the Greenland question into an international incident when he threatened on Saturday to levy punitive tariffs against eight European nations opposed to his plan to annex Greenland. Last Wednesday, seven nations in western and northern Europe deployed token forces (for a combined total of slightly more than 30) to Greenland for Arctic military drills, signaling their continued support for Danish sovereignty over the island. Denmark boosted its military footprint in Greenland by just over 100 soldiers.

In a Saturday Truth Social post, Trump interpreted these small deployments in a nefarious light. “Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown,” the president wrote. “These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable.”

As a result, Trump said he would impose a 10% tariff on these seven countries for “any and all goods sent to the United States of America … until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.” The tariff would take effect on February 1 and increased to 25% on June 1.

The European response to this announcement was apoplectic. The European Union’s 27 member states convened an emergency meeting in Cyprus on Sunday to discuss their response, with leaders floating ideas ranging from reciprocal tariffs to boycotting the World Cup.

The leader of the European People’s Party (EPP), the largest bloc in the European Parliament, responded that Trump’s tariff threat compromises the passage of the EU-U.S. trade deal. “The EPP is in favour of the EU-U.S. trade deal, but given Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland, approval is not possible at this stage,” he wrote. “The 0% tariffs on U.S. products must be put on hold.”

Europe’s pique points to the greatest risk in Trump’s gamble for Greenland. As Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen put it, any American invasion of Greenland would spell “the end of NATO,” as one member would be invading the territory of another. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, whose member nations cover most of North America and Europe, is the world’s largest military alliance and an important part of America’s globally dominant position since World War II.

As readers may find it strange that President Trump would bet America’s largest military alliance for the territory of Greenland, an explanation of his reasoning is in order.

Both the president and his top officials have repeatedly cited America’s national security as the top reason for annexing Greenland. In his Truth Social post on tariffs, Trump declared that “the National Security of the United States, and the World at large, is at stake” in the Greenland question. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent argued in a recent interview, “For over a century, American presidents have wanted to acquire Greenland, and what we can see is that Greenland is essential to the U.S. national security.”

Why does Greenland factor into American security considerations? Trump explained, “China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it.” Bessent explained that Trump is thinking ahead to an inevitable competition with America’s geopolitical rivals over Arctic resources. “It might not be next year, might not be in five years, but down the road, this fight for the Arctic is real,” he insisted. “President Trump strongly believes that we cannot outsource our security.”

But how does possession of Greenland actually bolster U.S. national security? Two considerations come into play. First, Greenland holds vast, undeveloped mineral reserves, including rare earth elements, uranium, copper, graphite, gallium, tungsten, zinc, gold, silver, and iron ore. Controlling these resources would ensure America’s future access to critical military equipment and technology.

Second, Greenland plays a key role in Trump’s scheme for a “Golden Dome,” a continent-wide missile system that would make the U.S. nearly impervious to an intercontinental missile strike. With Alaska and the continental U.S., Greenland would form the third point in a vast triangle of geopolitical security. “Hundreds of Billions of Dollars are currently being spent on Security Programs having to do with ‘The Dome,’” wrote Trump, but “this very brilliant, but highly complex system can only work at its maximum potential and efficiency, because of angles, metes, and bounds, if this Land [Greenland] is included in it.”

Ironically, Trump’s concern for Greenland was heightened by the shift Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has made to align his nation with China, not the United States. In his Tuesday comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Carney declared that the “old … rules-based international order” was dead, leading Canada to “fundamentally shift our strategic posture.” On Friday, Carney announced a preliminary trade deal with China during a visit to Beijing, which his office described as “the foundation for a new strategic partnership.”

The “rules-based international order” Carney rejected is one built by the U.S. and like-minded allies after World War II. Principles such as territorial integrity were enshrined in the NATO treaty and other documents of the era. Territorial integrity is a corollary of national sovereignty and is ultimately rooted in Just War Theory. The aim was to forestall future wars by ruling out the ambition for territorial conquest, which characterized Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, imperial Japan, and the communist USSR.

Defending the principle of territorial integrity — which had the added bonus of constraining America’s communist rivals — led America into the Korean War (to defend South Korea) and the first Gulf War (to defend Kuwait). But these actions showed that America was willing to enforce this principle, thus deterring an unknown number of other aggressor nations over at least half a century, contributing to an environment of global peace that benefited America’s status as a worldwide merchant.

In other words, the international order which Canada has now rejected is one created by America for America’s benefit. A major reason why Canada rejected this order is because the government has increasingly lost faith in the will of the U.S. — particularly the Trump administration — to uphold it. This lack of faith is largely due to Trump’s own actions, which have called the principle of territorial integrity into question.

Even in an era defined by conflict with non-state terrorists, who do not hold territory, the principle of territorial integrity remains relevant. For instance, it provides a basis for condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It also provides a basis for deterring conflicts that have been threatened but not yet begun, such as communist China’s planned annexation of Taiwan.

The principle of territorial integrity even restrains ambitious leaders from acting on their ambitions, such as Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s ambition to reforge the Ottoman Empire. One ranking places Turkey’s military as the 9th most powerful in the world, the strongest state between India and France. If Erdogan did embark on a campaign to recapture lost Ottoman lands, he could easily gobble up prostrate Syria, divided Lebanon, fledgling Iraq, and non-entity Libya, enabling him to train considerable firepower against Israel from east, north, and west. But Erdogan is not able to conquer these struggling states because of the influence (and presence) of powerful Western nations, who insist that strong states are not allowed to steal territory from weaker ones.

If the U.S. wrestles Greenland away from our own NATO ally Denmark, then this U.S.-built international order loses all credibility.

America’s international order does provide a way for national borders to change: the people of that country can vote for a change (usually independence, not reunification). In January 2025 (the most recent poll available), 85% of Greenlanders opposed joining the U.S., while only 6% favored the change.

There is one other factor that may have influenced Trump’s thinking on Greenland, one which is more personal than U.S. national security. Trump himself revealed this motive in a text exchange with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

“Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,” Trump wrote, according to wording first published by The Independent, a British paper. “I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland,” Trump concluded.

Trump has made no secret about his desire to win the distinguished Nobel Peace Prize. But, last year, the Nobel Committee awarded the prize to Venezuelan opposition leader in exile Maria Corina Machado — a worthy candidate, but not Trump. Last week, Machado presented her Nobel Prize as a gift to Trump during her first visit to the White House. However, Trump doubtless remains hungry to win the prize in his own right.

The deadline for Nobel nominations is January 31 of every year, less than two weeks away. Trump may have ramped up his Greenland rhetoric and explicitly connected it to his Nobel snub as a way to pressure the committee into giving his nomination a harder look. If so, then it’s more than ironic that Trump is hoping to win a peace prize by threatening to take territory from an ally.

AUTHOR

Joshua Arnold

Joshua Arnold is a senior writer at The Washington Stand.

RELATED ARTICLE: A Conservative Analysis of American Interest in Greenland

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2026 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

The Fight for Freedom Around the Globe

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The world is divided as never before. The ideological allies of communists/socialists are fighting Western civilization. Russia, China, and Iran are sponsoring​ and supervising​ global terrorism. The environment in the world requires having smart and powerful Intel Apparatus. We don’t have it.  The last thirty + years the FBI and CIA had been infiltrated by foreign forces and malfunctioned, leaving our country deaf, speechless and naked. President Trump was right: “our country was dead under Biden.” The time has come to build a knowledgeable and powerful Intel Community with awareness of the ideological allies of Communists/Socialists confronting us in the world. Without that knowledge we can’t complete MAGA…

I have listened to Dan Bonjino very often and greatly respected him. His appointment as a deputy Director of the FBI surprised me. I expected him to be a Director of the FBI. Recently, he left his position in the FBI and there is an article in Patriot Journal, by Cole Harrison that explained Dan’s feeling about the destruction committed in our country by the Deep State:

“… here’s the part that should really send a shiver down your spine. Bongino didn’t blame a broken system or a flawed procedure. He blamed individuals. His simple, powerful statement that “people are guardrails, not robots” exposes the real cancer at the heart of the Deep State. Our Republic can have the greatest laws ever written, but they become worthless paper if the people sworn to enforce them are morally bankrupt.”

I agree with every word in this paragraph. I am a former Soviet defense attorney, who loves America and have been writing about our enemies foreign and domestic for decades. I have to admit that Dan Bonjino and Cole Harrison put it more eloquently and powerfully:

“The Russia hoax was never an “intelligence failure.” It was a moral collapse. It was a sequence of treacherous choices made by arrogant officials who decided their personal politics were more important than the law, the truth, and the will of the American people. Bongino wasn’t shocked by bad paperwork; he was shaken by the utter failure of character in the halls of power.

The Fight Is Far from Over

This isn’t just about settling old scores. Bongino’s warning is a flashing red light for America today. With President Trump back in the Oval Office, the very same swamp creatures who manufactured the Russia hoax are still burrowed deep inside our government. They still believe they are our rulers, and they despise a President who answers only to the people.

This is the fight of our lifetime. For years, patriots who questioned the official narrative were smeared as conspiracy theorists. Bongino’s confession is our vindication. It confirms that the threat is real, persistent, and driven by people who will stop at nothing to hold onto their illegitimate power. Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino Reveals Shocking News After Leaving FBI Patriot Journal, By Cole Harrison

“The Russia hoax was never an intelligence failure. It was a moral collapse.” Absolutely, and I can prove it by my writing constantly accusing the Dems party of treason by colluding with Russian Intel against the American republic. The recent Bill Clinton’s refusal to testify before the House Oversight Committee is a part of that. At this point in our lives, we are in the rare plexus of historical events in the world…

Today Hillary and Bill Clinton Defy Congressional Subpoenas in the Bipartisan Epstein Probe. January 14, 2026. “House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer made it clear Wednesday morning that Hillary and Bill Clinton will face criminal contempt of Congress charges after both refused to comply with lawfully issued subpoenas related to the ongoing bipartisan investigation into patriots fighting it.” I am not surprised by Bill Clinton skipping the public and for me, Hillary is an appendix to the story. I am a former Soviet defense attorney, who loves America and exposes her enemies foreign and domestic.  In my writing I have been following Bill Clinton since the 1990’s  of the 20th century. Jeffrey Epstein’s file has a lot of Bill’s incriminating pictures worth thousands of words.

Moreover, in my opinion, Jeffrey Epstein’s enterprise was a part of A Global Spy Ring run by Vladimir Putin, described in my columns. All Dems’ inflaming Anti-ICE protests are the result of the Dems’ collusion with the Putin KGB’s Mafia/Army—the Evil Doer. They comprised A Global Spy Ring in my opinion. The Dems Governor and Mayor have become the professional agitators against the Law Enforcement, inflaming the crowd of protesters and creating a very dangerous situation in Minneapolis, helping criminals to destroy America from within. The behavior of the Dems party and unity in confronting the Fed Agents was a major factor in the tragedy. Learn how Russian Intel brainwashed Somalia’s immigrants. “The Dems are a part of Socialist Revolution still going on in the Blue States of America.” A Great Maneuver to Save Western Hemisphere,  January 10, 2026

All troubles in America are deliberately orchestrated by Russia’s Intelligence, which I was writing about for 44 years. There is only one way to stop Putin’s socialist revolution in America—to know that Russia is a terrorist State and Putin is War Criminal; to know that the Soviet System still runs Russia; to know Putin’s the KGB’s Mafia/Army that is running the Middle East, to know its terrorist acts globally, other conniving capability and dirty tricks used in America destroying Western civilization from within. All of that has been described by me in my column. Please read it:  Ideas of Stalinism — The Basis of New Radical Democrat Party May 12, 2025.

Trump’s recent freeze is very actual! I hope this is reflected by my articles I published above. The Trump administration has halted immigrant visa processing from 75 countries. The state department cites welfare use as it pauses visa processing for Brazil, Iran, Russia, Somalia and others. The freeze, which takes effect on 21 January, targets applicants officials deem likely to become a “public charge” – who they describe as people who may rely on government benefits for basic needs.

“The administration has particularly focused on Somali Americans following fraud allegations and federal investigations in Minnesota. Trump referred to the Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar as “garbage” during a cabinet meeting last month and said he did not want Somalis in the US and they should “go back to where they came from”.

​As a person, who experienced emigration from the Soviet Union, I agree with the name of the Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar as “garbage” and I can explain it. Among emigrants have always been the Soviet/Russian agents—2-3 to 30-50 emigrants. We knew it. Regrettably, they had received American citizenship. Ilhan Omar is one of them. She was training in Somalia and followed the instructions. She is not alone in the Congress, the entire “Squad” should be investigated by the FBI. They have a variety of dirty tricks to obstruct Trump’s team, or to at least create chaos. They are all lying very successfully, manipulating information to confuse you. This is the reason I was regularly  giving you Socialist Modus Operandi: lies, deception, fabrication and fraud. Don’t be surprised by the pervasive fraud in America!!!  The Dems are using Socialist Modus Operandi…

The rare plexus, I have found above, consists of the forces of illegitimate power that are fighting against the American republic and its Patriots from within for decades. I have in mind Bad Actors—the KGB’s Mafia/Army, infiltrating the West for the last 70-80 years. In my opinion Bill Clinton is a part of that dreadful plexus, Obama and Biden are just a continuation of that. Please, read fragments of my conversation with Rush Limbaugh:

My conversation with Rush Limbaugh

When I came to the U.S. in the early 80’s, I didn’t know the language. It was a tough time for me—as a professional speaker, I was unable to construct a simple sentence. Somewhere toward the end of the 80’s, I found a station where a pleasant voice described the uniqueness of the American republic. I liked this voice, his fluency and his ideas, a new idea for me—the uniqueness of the American republic. I learned the name of the man—Rush and I was ready to listen to him.

It was the time when instead of reporting the facts, the media were looking primarily for sensation, to stir up human feelings, to excite or scare, to make more money—covering inconsequential episodes and overlooking significant events. It appeared the media had been deceived the same way that the American people had and, not knowing the truth, had to attract the public with sensations.  In doing so, our media had become a twin brother to the former Soviet media—empty in substance.  What could be worse than the deceiving media in democracy!

It was 1992; America was campaigning for a new president. My dislike of Clinton had overwhelmed me to such a degree that I could not remain silent. And despite my poor English, I dared to call Rush Limbaugh. He was the only person I could trust—his awareness of Clinton’s danger coincided with mine. So, in talking with him I went straight ahead and warned him and his listeners about the Soviet infiltration and other negative features of Soviet Socialism.

The one person who stood out from the chorus of America’s deceived believers was Rush Limbaugh, a real American patriot. I thought I should talk to him. And I did. One morning, I was unable to write my book; the sense of urgency tore me apart, and in the afternoon, when Rush began talking about Clinton’s character, I knew that my time to speak out had arrived. Nothing could stop me. . My hand, trembling, dialed the number. Busy signals followed for thirty or forty minutes and I redialed over and over again. My throat was dry, and my hands trembled, but I redialed unyieldingly. I had a goal.

Suddenly, the busy signals stopped and a polite male voice performed an inquisition, screening and tormenting me with dozens of questions. I had to prove my point. I did. He was a smart man, and I passed the test. I don’t remember Rush’s words as he presented them to me. Nervously I began talking about the ‘sixties and ‘seventies:

“The Soviet Union fully participated in the Vietnam War. It helped the North Vietnamese with weapons, grains, and the Soviet pilots fought air battles against the Americans. As a party to that war, the Soviets were interested in winning, and, for that reason, the KGB infiltrated the antiwar movement around the world and later led it. It’s not a secret anymore. The Russian newspapers today are filled with new revelations about the real Soviet participation in the Vietnam War. The point is that the KGB orchestrated many activities within the antiwar movement, and people from the movement worked with the KGB”.

​“Character is very important. When Clinton came to Moscow, he was already a member of the peace movement.” I wanted to say that he already knew whom he was dealing with. By his own admission, he “organized teachers in Oxford,” carrying out somebody’s assignment. I wanted to show his duplicity and arrogance, and his affiliation with the KGB prior to the Moscow visit, but I couldn’t say it so bluntly. Though extremely anxious and nervous, I nevertheless restrained myself from screaming: The Soviet mafia is coming to America! Nobody would comprehend what the term meant. There was only one way to expose the Soviet connection—I had to stay in the parameters of the familiar three letters—KGB.

“The point is that the KGB orchestrated all the activities and the antiwar movement was headed by the KGB,” I said.

“Did you know Clinton personally?” Rush asked me.

“No. But all Soviet people knew about the KGB and its involvement in the antiwar movement worldwide.”

After the break Rush again asked me about the connection between character and the issue. “I’m not an economist, but I’ve studied Marxism a great deal. Economy is not only about unemployment figures. Economy is a concept with two ideologically possible approaches—it’s a market economy, which is called capitalism, or a government-controlled economy. I can tell you, when I listen to Clinton—what he’s talking about and what he’s promising the United States—I have come to the conclusion that he very deeply inhaled utopian Soviet socialism. “ Baltic Winds Testimony of a Soviet Attorney Xlibris, 2002, pp. 567-574.

So, I gave you the fragment from my book to show that Clinton was a part of illegitimate forces confronting the American republic. I think that Dan Banjino, talking about people, had in mind something close to my opinion  He was shocked reading about that. In fact, we are not alone talking about Bad Actors and deadly Plexus. Peter Schwizer wrote a book: The Invisible Coup, where he also described Bad Actors. We are both pursuing the American interests, but coming from different angles, therefore with different information. But we all have one goal—to expose the Dems’ party treasonous behavior against the American republic. To succeed we need strong and knowledgeable FBI, which we don’t have today. Alas!

Greenland is the continuation of the fight for freedom around the globe and our national security in the 21st century. Greenland is a front-line between Western civilization and the aggressive ideology of Communism/Socialism: Russia, China, and Iran…

Humanity needs Greenland to survive!

©2026 . All rights reserved.

To be continued at www.drrichswier.com/author/spipko/. You can view and purchase my books at www.simonapipko.com

Polling Swings Trump’s Way on Venezuela as Dems’ Old Maduro Statements Come Back to Bite

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The shock finally seems to be wearing off on the biggest story of Donald Trump’s 2026: the capture of Venezuelan despot Nicolás Maduro. And while it took some time for Americans to understand the justification behind the stunning operation that put the dictator in U.S. custody, Republicans have certainly warmed up to the idea.

If you’d have asked GOP voters what they thought of using military force in Venezuela at the end of December, you wouldn’t have found many takers. Just 43% were on board with a mission like the one we witnessed in the new year. But as more people start to look beyond the anti-Trump bias, the more they seem to recognize the rationale for such an audacious move. In what Axios calls a “dramatic shift,” 74% of Republicans now either somewhat or strongly support the force the White House used in Venezuela — a more than 30-point shift from Christmastime. And while Democrats’ opposition is steady, there is one point on which both sides agree (49%-48%): a new election should be the next step in the oppressed country.

Of course, not every Republican is at peace with the president’s strategy, as last week’s Senate vote on the War Powers resolution proved. Five of Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-S.D.) majority crossed over to advance legislation that would grind any future action in Venezuela to a halt without Congress’s approval. “Even those who celebrate the demise of the socialist, authoritarian regime in Venezuela, as I do, should give pause to granting the power to initiate war to one man,” Kentucky’s Rand Paul (R) insisted. Together with Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Todd Young (Ind.), and Josh Hawley (Mo.), the small group brought the Senate closer — but not close enough — to the 60-vote threshold they would have needed to send the doomed resolution to the House.

Hawley, a conservative stalwart and former state attorney general, wanted to clarify that his vote was more a statement about additional military action than a critique of the initial operation. “With regard to Venezuela, my read of the Constitution is that if the president feels the need to put boots on the ground there in the future, Congress would need to vote on it. That’s why I voted yes on this morning’s Senate resolution,” he explained.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) respectfully disagrees. Sitting down with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins for Saturday’s “This Week on Capitol Hill,” the former Army infantry officer wanted people to know that the five Republicans “strongly support what President Trump did in Venezuela,” which contradicts the media’s messaging of growing cracks in the party. “They just have concerns about what’s next in Venezuela. And they have somewhat different views than I do about the extent of presidential power under the Constitution and Congress’s role in foreign policy and defense policy. I think those are genuinely heartfelt positions. … But as a practical matter, this is not going to have any impact on what we’re trying to accomplish in Venezuela.”

At the end of the day, Cotton argues that the vote “will have no impact.” After all, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is under no obligation to bring it up in the House, and President Trump would obviously veto it. And frankly, he pointed out, “You have a difference between those Democrats and the handful of Republicans who supported this resolution, though they all agree that Maduro was an illegitimate communist dictator and a drug trafficker, and the world’s a better place with him behind bars. The Democrats, though, want to eat their cake and have it too. They then say that Donald Trump was wrong to execute the operation that put him behind bars.”

That’s ironic, his colleague Mike Rounds (R-N.D.) emphasized on “Washington Watch,” since Democrats were upset Trump didn’t go after Maduro in his first term. “Then, we had a bounty out on him,” he reminded people. “The Biden administration recognized that this was a bad guy. And so, this isn’t something that’s political in nature. This is the case of where it was high time [to take out] an individual who had the ability to really cause great harm in our country.” He paused before adding, “There are thousands of Americans [who] are dead because of what this guy did and facilitated and made money on.”

And it’s not like this happened in a vacuum, Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery insisted to Perkins. “This was the natural consummation of a three-month pressure campaign by the president. The president, starting about three months ago, very aggressively started to communicate to Maduro and his cronies, ‘Your behavior is unacceptable.’ It began with strikes on boats. It evolved into sanctioning, shadow fleet ships… [then the] seizing three of those tankers and … an attack on one of their port facilities. So he was ratcheting up,” the admiral noted. “He was offering Maduro the opportunity to leave the country to get to Cuba on his own. And only when [Trump] felt that Maduro wasn’t taking him seriously did he then execute what Secretary [Marco] Rubio described as military-enabled law enforcement operation.”

While the media is all too eager to repeat the Left’s claims that Trump acted recklessly and unconstitutionally, some Democrats are quietly chiding the party’s furor. At least three of Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s members spoke off the record to Axios, warning that the outrage over Maduro is hypocritical. “Maduro is bad, [I’m] glad he’s gone. … You can’t have it both ways. Everything Trump touches must be bad according to the base.” Another wished the party “would be a little bit more measured on this.” “It looks weak,” the third chimed in. “If you don’t acknowledge when there’s a win for our country, then you lose all credibility.”

Adding to the other side’s embarrassment, House Republican Rick Crawford (Ark.) shamed his liberal colleagues by introducing a resolution on Monday that highlights eight bills calling for Maduro’s capture over the last four years – all sponsored by Democrats. “Democrats have introduced numerous pieces of legislation condemning the Maduro regime, declaring Maduro an illegitimate president, and urging the U.S. to take decisive action,” he said.

Until the operation that extracted the Venezuelan leader, Maduro’s track record wasn’t up for debate on either side of the aisle. He “wrecked his country, stole elections, facilitated the drug trade, flooded the hemisphere with millions of refugees, and aligned his regime with enemies of the United States,” the editors of National Review rattled off. “That Trump pulled the trigger after months of what many believed was a gigantic bluff sends a message about the seriousness of his threats that will be duly noted from Havana to Tehran.”

And that matters significantly, Cotton insisted. Venezuela has turned into “a crossroads and a playground for every American enemy around the world: China, Russia, Cuba, Iran, [and] even Islamic terrorists like Hezbollah,” he cautioned. The country has become a staging ground for terrorists, which isn’t happening anywhere else in Latin America. “And they were using Venezuelan territory to radiate threats out to the United States, so I think the president was right to act decisively after trying diplomacy and trying to let Maduro go into exile.”

Yes, Cotton acknowledged, there’s a long way to go in righting the ship in that nation. “But remember, this was once a stable, prosperous, pro-American country before Hugo Chavez and Nicolás Maduro turned it into a virulent anti-American country. We want to return it to those roots.” In the meantime, he stressed, the United States “is safer and Venezuela has the hope of a brighter future … because we had our brave troops and intelligence officers go in, apprehend Nicolás Maduro, and bring him to justice in the United States.”

AUTHOR

Suzanne Bowdey

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2026 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

U.S. Already Has Wide Berth in Greenland without Possession, Say Experts

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Fresh from the successful capture of Venezuelan dictator and wanted drug smuggler Nicolás Maduro, the Trump administration has ramped up rhetoric hinting at a possible takeover of Greenland, which is raising alarm among conservatives and NATO allies. Experts say that the U.S. can continue to take advantage of the vast autonomous territory’s natural resources and strategic military locations without wresting away ownership from Denmark.

On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the Trump administration is exploring a range of options to acquire Greenland, going so far as to say that “utilizing the U.S. military is always an option.” President Trump also contended that “we need Greenland from the standpoint of national security.” The president’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller added that the U.S. “should have Greenland as part of the United States,” but declined to say if it should be acquired through military force.

Republican leaders on Capitol Hill were quick to throw cold water on the idea of a military operation to obtain the territory. “No, I don’t think that’s appropriate,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) remarked. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) bluntly dismissed the idea, stating, “This is a topic that should be dropped.”

A number of the U.S.’s NATO allies, including Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the U.K. quickly issued a statement in response to the idea of a military takeover, stating, “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen urged the U.S. to proceed with a “respectful dialogue” on the matter.

Greenland, the world’s largest island, has long been considered to be of great strategic importance to the U.S. from a military perspective due to its relative proximity in the Arctic region, missile defense, the ability to control naval shipping routes and chokepoints, and to counter the growing presence of Russia and China in the region. It is also home to vast amounts of untapped rare earth mineral deposits and oil underneath its ice sheet.

Military experts like Brigadier General (Ret.) John Teichert, who formerly served as Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for the Air Force for International Affairs, argue that existing agreements between the U.S. and Denmark already give the U.S. broad leeway in how to utilize the island.

“[W]e get all or almost all of the benefits from Greenland by the partnership we currently have with Greenland and Denmark,” he explained during “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” Wednesday. “There are economic benefits, there are security benefits, there are diplomatic benefits. And we have a very robust series of mechanisms to allow for collaboration in Greenland, including a U.S. Air Force or Space Force base that we utilize regularly. And I don’t know why now we are threatening, implicitly or explicitly, our friend and our partner in Denmark and Greenland to try to bargain better and get those benefits that were already receiving from that territory.”

As Teichert went on to detail, the partnership is rooted in a Cold War agreement the U.S. signed with Denmark in 1951, which allows America to “construct, install, maintain, and operate” military bases virtually anywhere on the island, including the ability to “house personnel” and “control landings, takeoffs, anchorages, moorings, movements, and operation of ships, aircraft, and waterborne craft.”

“[T]hose mechanisms for collaboration can allow us mutual benefit from the territory by working alongside of our Danish and our Greenlander partners,” the general pointed out. “I reflect back on the U.S. Space Force base that’s already there, the agreement that allows space situational awareness, missile defense, Arctic defense. And I have no doubt that if we ask Denmark and Greenland for an economic collaboration on critical minerals or oil or another base or a series of bases, then we could easily get to yes on that without again threatening our friends and our partners.”

Greenland’s immense mineral and metal deposits will almost certainly prove to be vitally important to the U.S. going forward, since they are used extensively in everything from military fighter jets and electric motors to rechargeable batteries and magnets for electronic devices and vehicles. As highlighted by National Review, harnessing more mineral production will be critical if the U.S. hopes to compete with China. “China now has 70 percent of global rare-earth mining inside its borders, 85 to 90 percent of mineral refining, and more than 90 percent of magnet production,” the outlet noted.

“[T]here are a lot of critical minerals, rare earth metals, and oil that [are] there in the territory,” Teichert observed. “But we have economic agreements with Greenland and Denmark that can allow us the benefit of exploring and exploiting those minerals, metals, and that oil. And there’s no reason why we need to own it to benefit from it. And I think that we could very easily, without threats, pursue opportunities for added collaboration to benefit economically like we already are, but maybe even a larger extent without the threats that we’ve seen in the last few days.”

As Teichert went on to postulate, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s planned meeting with Danish officials next week could go a long way in smoothing things over with America’s European allies.

“I really hope … that they come to some conclusions about the mutual benefit of how we can work together to use Greenland alongside of Denmark and our NATO partners,” he emphasized. “… [T]he president loves the negotiating tactic of keeping all options on the table. And in general, when working against adversaries, that’s wise. You don’t want the adversary to know what you’re not going to do because it simplifies their strategic calculus.”

“But the trust that’s ingrained in this large network of allies and partners allows us to benefit massively and mutually,” he insisted. “And the problem with threats is that we can’t explore the benefits, because now you don’t have the trust that cements the nations together. And I fear that [the] comment[s] from the [administration] [could have] a chilling effect on … the benefits that we get from a close relationship with NATO and allies and partners.”

AUTHOR

Dan Hart

Dan Hart is senior editor at The Washington Stand.

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2026 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Putin is Out of the Box

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If you thought Putin had been marginalized by the US and Europe because of the Ukraine war, think again.

The Europeans have done a lot of huffing and puffing. And President Trump has sent Ukraine powerful offensive missiles. But we haven’t succeeded in blowing Putin’s house down. Far from it.

This week, Putin once again defied the International Criminal Court, which has an international arrest warrant against him, by traveling to India for talks with Prime Minister Modi.

He was received by Modi with all the pomp and circumstance normally accorded the leader of a great power. The two leaders signed an economic cooperation agreement that expanded Russia’s oil sales to India and included a Russian pledge to buy more Indian goods, all of it in defiance of international sanctions and U.S. tariffs.

It wasn’t long ago that President Trump announced he was doubling tariffs on India to 50% until India reduced its purchases of Russia oil.

I commented at the time that Trump was trying to force India to chose between Russian oil and exports to the US, and that I suspected the Indians would call his bluff and choose Russia.

And that is exactly what Prime Minister Modi did, despite his good personal relations with President Trump. India will also get new shipments of S-400 air defense systems and upgrades to its advanced Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets.

And why not? We were never going to offer them the F-35 because of all the Russia technicians already working with the Indian military.

That’s why Trump rescinded the F-35 co-production agreement with Turkey during his first term. He gave Erdogan the choice of buying S-300 air defense systems from Russia or the F-35, and Erdogan chose the S-300.

Look, the Russians are really, really good at espionage. But why should we make it ridiculously easy for them to steal our secrets?

Putin also signed a deal with the military regime in Sudan to establish a naval base on the Red Sea last week. It will allow the Russians to permanently house 300 personnel and dock up to four warships, probably in Port Sudan.

The deal also expands mining concessions (mostly gold) to the Russians, and includes Russian air defense systems, as well.

If you thought having the Houthis shooting Iranian-made missiles against Israel, US warships, and commercial shipping in the Red Sea was bad, just wait until the Russians get there.

They don’t have to fire a single shot to disrupt US naval operations, intimidate our allies, and gain intelligence on US and allied fleet movements.

According to an analysis by the Robert Lansing Institute, a Russian naval base in Sudan will “complicate American force flow in a crisis,” while providing “operational support” for covert arms shipments and Wagner group operations throughout Africa.

It also satisfies Russia’s centuries-long quest for access to the warm seas.

French president Macron traveled to China this week, ostensibly to get the Chinese to pressure Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Macron is at best a bit-player on the world scene, but he is always good at preening. He really went to Beijing to sell more French goods to China. French presidents have always been their nation’s “salesman in chief.”

Trump is the first American president to play that role for us, and with $18 trillion in new investment in the US in just ten months, he has way outclassed the French.

The really big news about China, however, was a virtually unreported investigation by the Kyiv Independent that revealed a secret arms pipeline between Russia and China.

Since the very beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Chinese began sending top-level military officials to Russia, mostly in secret, to negotiate new contracts for advanced Russian armaments and to fund Russian arms manufacturers.

The Kyiv Independent based its revelations on a large leak of Russian defense industry documents obtained by the Black Moon hactivist group earlier this year, supplemented by Russian customs and flight records, court documents, and facial recognition software that allowed them to identify the visiting Chinese officials.

That China would want to buy Russian military technology suggests to me that the Chinese claims of developing fifth generation stealth fighters and other advanced AI-assisted systems are overblown.

But it also reveals China’s strategic partnership with Russia and their support for Russia’s war with Ukraine.

The Chinese want that war to go on forever. The reason is simple: as long as the US and Europe are focussed on Ukraine, they have less bandwidth to deal with China’s military buildup and its threats to Taiwan. And for China, that is the real prize.

I discuss all of this, as well as the Democrat and media phony outrage over the Veneuzuela coke boat strikes, and the president’s just released National Security Strategy, on this week’s Prophecy Today Weekend.

As always, you can listen live at 1 PM on Saturday on 104.9 FM or 550 AM in the Jacksonville, Florida area, or by using the Jacksonville Way Radio app. If you miss us live, you can catch the podcast here.

©2025 . All rights reserved.

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Ken Timmerman’s 14th book of non-fiction, THE IRAN HOUSE: Tales of Revolution, Persecution, War, and Intrigue, can be ordered by clicking here or by viewing my author’s page, here. 

Raising Olives in Provence, can be ordered by clicking here.

Did the Russians just thwart a major false-flag attack designed to kickstart World War III?

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According to Russian media, a British-led operation sought to hijack an advanced Russian jet fighter armed with a hypersonic missile and possibly use it for an attack on a NATO-member state in Europe. 

There’s an interesting story being reported in the Russian media today that, if true, shows just how close we are to World War III. Just one false-flag attack away.

On Tuesday morning, November 11, the Russian Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, said it thwarted an operation by Ukrainian military intelligence and its UK handlers to hijack a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet armed with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

The Russian news outlet Sputnik International cited a Russian military expert for the following report:

First and foremost, Ukrainian intelligence planned to capture Russia’s advanced weapon system, military expert Sergey Gorbachev told Sputnik, commenting on the botched Ukraine-UK attempt to hijack a Russian MiG-31 jet armed with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

He didn’t rule out that the perpetrators planned a provocation involving the MiG-31 to simulate an attack on Romania or Bulgaria, both NATO members. Gorbachev also pointed to a possible media effect related to the scenario of a Russian pilot becoming a traitor and being used for nefarious purposes.

The military expert further noted, “So, it was a multifaceted operation that could have caused not only reputational damage to Russia, but also serious security consequences. A provocation imitating a combat strike against a NATO country would have obvious and easily predictable repercussions.”

He added that it is only natural to suspect that the UK’s MI6 was involved in the operation, as the Ukrainians “could not have planned, organized, and carried out such an operation all by themselves.”

Of course, the fact that it failed suggests that maybe the Ukrainians did try to pull this off by themselves. No further details were given. But either way, UK involvement or no UK involvement, the ramifications for the world would have been catastrophic if it had been carried out successfully.

Another political analyst, Vasily Belozerov, told Sputnik that the goal of the operation was multi-faceted. First, it would have made Russia look weak and vulnerable, while making Ukraine look like it is still capable of countering Russia. And, lastly, the operation, if successful, would have been meant to sow misinformation among the Russian people by getting them to believe there are unreliable Russian servicemen cooperating with the enemy.

“All these purposes are provocative, and any reasonable person understands that each and every Russian serviceman remains loyal to the oath of allegiance,” the analyst emphasized.

When it comes to Ukrainian intelligence, it is “not independent and operates under political directives from abroad, following instructions that come from outside Ukraine as part of the West’s confrontation with Russia,” Belozerov concluded.

©2025 . All rights reserved.

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First Lady Helps to Reunite 8 Children with Their Families amid Ukraine War

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Last Friday, First Lady Melania Trump shared some very good news: eight children who had been displaced from their homes during the Russian war with Ukraine had been returned to their parents within the previous 24 hours.

Three of the children had been displaced to the Russian Federation because of frontline fighting, and the other five had been separated from family members across borders, including one girl who was reunited with her family in Russia. Mrs. Trump even said that Russia was providing detailed background and medical information about each child, and the information has been verified by both the Ukrainian and United States governments.

The first lady explained that she had had “an open channel of communication” with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the last three months ever since President Trump had handed Putin a letter from Mrs. Trump in front of international media bringing attention to the horrific situation that these children were forced into. In the letter, the first lady reminded Putin that it is parents’ duty to “nurture the next generation’s hope.” Yet so many kids are facing darkness and their dreams are silenced because of the war. She appealed to our shared humanity, telling Putin “you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter” if you would return these children with a “stroke of the pen today.” Apparently, the letter had an immediate effect, creating the current open communication between the Russian government and the office of the first lady.

While this is wonderful news that we can celebrate and thank God for, it also reminds us of the tragic fact that there are still close to 20,000 Ukrainian children that have been displaced from their parents during this war which has now been going on for almost three years. (The Yale School of Public Health estimates that this number may even be as high as 35,000.) According to Bring Kids Back (an initiative of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to bring Ukrainian children home), 19,546 children have been unlawfully deported and forcefully transferred, and 1,700 have been returned from deportation, forced transfers, or temporarily occupied territories.

A few of these 1,700 children that have returned home have shared their devastating stories. Russian soldiers abducted many of them and took them to “recreation camps” inside Russia and Belarus. These “camps” are actually orphanages, psychiatric institutions, and military schools. Some children are placed in foster homes or with adoptive families. Russian authorities do everything they can to remove the children’s love for Ukraine and erase their Ukrainian identity and instead “Russify” them with Russian materials, pledges, and music. Threatening to harm their families, some are forced to join Russia’s military or perform acts of sabotage and espionage.

One 12-year-old boy name Illia told the group Friends of Europe, “I was nine when it all started. We lived in Mariupol: me, my mom. I loved school and my friends. We had a beautiful home. Then the explosions began. A missile hit our house, and we couldn’t live there anymore, so we went to a neighbor’s. But that night, there was another blast. I was hit by shrapnel. My mom was hit in the forehead. We buried her in the yard.”

Illia went on to say, “Then the Russian military came and ordered us to leave. That’s how I ended up in Donetsk. I had several surgeries there: the first one, without anesthesia, to remove a fragment. They made me learn to write in Russian. One doctor told me I shouldn’t just say ‘Glory to Ukraine’ anymore, but ‘Glory to Ukraine as part of Russia.’ Then one day, my grandma saw me in a propaganda hospital video. She managed to come and take me back — we arrived in Kyiv on my birthday. We didn’t celebrate — I was unwell, and doctors removed four more pieces of shrapnel. But now I want to become a doctor myself.”

Another 12-year-old, named Oleksandr, shared, “The Russians said that my mother did not need me and that I would be given to a foster family in Russia.” Thirteen-year-old Artem recalled the moment he was abducted: “I wanted to escape through the backyard but was afraid they might shoot me. So I had to get in the truck with them. It was so scary.”

Thankfully, there is hope that more children will soon be reunited with their families. According to the first lady, her office’s coordination with Russia is ongoing and plans are underway to reunite them in the “immediate future.” She said that her mission consists of two goals: “to optimize a transparent free-flow exchange of health-related information surrounding all children who have fell victim to this war” and to “facilitate the regular reunification of children with their families until each individual returns home.”

We need to pray that all of these children that are victims of war are reunited with their families as soon as possible. As the first lady said, “We must foster a future for our children which is rich with potential, security, and complete with free will. A world where dreams will be realized rather than faded by war.”

AUTHOR

Kathy Athearn

Kathy Athearn is a correspondence writer at Family Research Council. She studied Political Science and Religion at Hope College, was a Witherspoon Fellow at FRC, and is passionate about helping Christians contribute a biblical worldview to the public sphere.

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2025 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Melania Trump Secures Agreement With Russia On Displaced Ukrainian Children

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THE WHITE HOUSE — First lady Melania Trump announced Friday that she secured an agreement with Russia on the reunification of Ukrainian children with their families.

WATCH: Melania Trump reveals “open channel of communication” with Putin on Ukrainian children

Trump spoke for six minutes, sharing that she had been keeping an “open channel of communication” with Russian President Vladimir Putin over displaced Ukrainian children. She shared that Russia agreed to return Ukrainian children with their families, and in the 24 hours since the agreement, eight children have been returned.

“Each child has lived in turmoil because of the war in Ukraine,” Melania Trump said. “Three were separated from their parents and displaced to the Russian Federation because of frontline fighting. The other five were separated from family members across borders because of the conflict, including one young girl who has now been reunited from Ukraine to Russia.”

The first lady also said she had expressed concern over children who were displaced as minors but have since turned 18 years old. Russia has also agreed to return these children, she announced.

She wrote Putin a letter for her husband to deliver to the Russian president during their meeting in Alaska. That letter started an “open channel of communication” after Putin responded to the letter, the first lady shared.

Plans to continue to reunite more children with their families are already underway, she said.

“We have agreed to cooperate with each other for the benefit of all people involved in this war,” Melania Trump said.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House Correspondent

RELATED ARTICLE: Melania Trump Set To Make Surprise Big-Screen Debut

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