(2025-07-17). Russia's Real Power Is Not Weapons, It's Culture — OpEd. api.follow.it 
By Jonathan Power | Observers say that what drives President Vladimir Putin is to make Russia respected. However, perhaps Putin overestimates the extent of Russia's existing power. He has overlooked which trumpets to blow — it is not his "hang tough" militaristic policies in international affairs, especially vis-à -vis Ukraine, the EU and the United States. It is Russia's culture. | These thoughts were prompted by watching the opening twelve years ago of the magnificent extension of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on Mezzo, the French cable station for classical music. (You can see it on YouTube…
(2025-07-17). Trump's 50-Day Deadline Threat Against Putin Will Backfire. popularresistance.org In the first six months of his second term, President Donald Trump has demonstrated his love for three things: deals, tariffs, and ultimatums. | He got to combine these passions during his Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday. Only moments after the two leaders announced a new plan to get military aid to Ukraine, Trump issued an ominous 50-day deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire. "We're going to be doing secondary tariffs if we don't have a deal within 50 days," Trump told the assembled reporters. | The threat is unlikely to change Putin's calculus…
(2025-07-17). Trump Has Backed Himself Into A Corner On Ukraine — OpEd. api.follow.it 
One year after he undertook to end the Ukraine war in one day, and just past six months into his Presidency, Donald Trump has kicked the peace can down the road by fifty days. The ultimatum to President Putin to make peace or face sanctions has practically no chance to changing Russian aims in Ukraine. Backed into a corner, Trump may finally be forced to address Russia's underlying concerns. | In televised remarks on 14 July during his meeting with NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, President Trump said, 'if we don't have a [peace] deal in fifty days, we're going to be doing very severe tariffs, tariffs at a…
(2025-07-17). Ukraine: The Drone Wars — Analysis. api.follow.it 
By Maryna Bezkorovaina | When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, few predicted that some of the war's most dramatic moments would involve small, buzzing machines that you could once buy at any electronics store. Yet here we are, watching Ukraine use everything from repurposed hobby drones that some people used to film weddings and other family occasions, to sophisticated military UAVs that strike targets deep inside Russia, fundamentally changing how wars are fought. | When you are fighting a war of survival, and your enemy outnumbers you in both military personnel and hardware, you are forced to get cr…
(2025-07-17). Gen Muhoozi Declares Uganda's Support for Russia, Calls Ukraine Conflict a "Just War" plusnews.ug 
Uganda's First Son and Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has once again stirred international and regional attention with a bold declaration of support for Russia in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine. In a post shared Wednesday evening on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Gen Muhoozi made a direct appeal to former …
(2025-07-17). Trump's About-Face On Ukraine — OpEd. api.follow.it 
(2025-07-17). Trump Asked Zelensky if He Could Strike Moscow. globalresearch.ca During a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 4, Donald Trump is said to have proposed attacking Moscow with American weapons. This information comes from the influential financial newspaper
(2025-07-17). Selected Articles: Trump Allegedly Demanded Zelensky Hit Moscow after a 'Disappointing' Putin Call. globalresearch.ca 
By On July 15,
(2025-07-17). 12 countries commit to arms embargo on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza. peoplesdispatch.org In the final document, the signatory countries commit, among other things, to cease arms trade with Israel, review public contracts with that country, and seek accountability for war crimes.