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Six U.S. senators are demanding that Trump stop the import of Russian diesel fuel, citing that it supports the Kremlin's war, while Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine have reached an agreement to cease attacks on energy facilities, but Moscow has not yet confirmed its consent. #Diislikütus #Venemaa #Trump (translated)

Henri Vanhanen wrote that he doubted whether Vladimir Putin had a realistic understanding of the situation in the war in Ukraine or whether he would be willing to accept information contrary to his own views. Vanhanen assessed that in Russia's system, reporting bad news to the leadership could be dangerous and that the military leadership, subordinates, or the president's inner circle might distort or filter information. Vanhanen referred to a recent assessment by the think tank ISW, which stated that Ukraine's successful counteroffensive in northern Donetsk had shattered Russia's plan to encircle the region's key defensive cities from two directions. According to him, Russia's goal of capturing the entire Donetsk region appeared to be further away as a result. Vanhanen wrote that Putin might continue the war to achieve unrealistic goals if he believed that Russia was closer to victory than reality suggests. He deemed it even more concerning that Putin might be receiving accurate information but did not want to believe it. Vanhanen emphasized that Russia's military failure, in his view, might not necessarily change Putin's goals or his desire to continue the war. He believed that an unrealistic situational picture could lead to the prolongation of the war and taking greater risks, and he appealed for continued support for Ukraine and to resist Russia's military pressure. https://t.co/Lb2advefv2 #Ukraina #Putin #sota (translated)

The USA threatens Ukraine by blocking its arms program, while Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, calling it a special military operation in Donbass and claiming to protect people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years. #Россия #Украина #война (translated)

Ukrainian Culture Minister Ivan Verbotsky emphasizes that culture is an important source of identity and resilience for Ukrainians in war, as Russia tries to destroy Ukraine's cultural heritage and identity, and Ukraine defends its culture. #UkrainaKultuur #Vastupanuvõime #Identiteet (translated)

Henri Vanhanen criticized Donald Trump's actions in the Ukraine war, noting that he declared agreements about which there was uncertainty, while pressuring Ukraine in a way that benefited Vladimir Putin. As a recent example, Vanhanen pointed to Trump’s announced energy ceasefire. According to him, Volodymyr Zelensky heard about it practically for the first time from the media, Russia had not confirmed the agreement, and continued, according to Zelensky, attacks on Ukraine's power plants. Vanhanen asked what kind of ceasefire it was if the other party did not know what had been agreed upon. He suggested that Zelensky had to be cautious of Trump’s criticism to avoid being blamed for obstructing peace. Vanhanen referred to the Financial Times reporting that the United States threatened to cut off arms and intelligence supplies to Ukraine unless the country stopped attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. He also wrote that Trump agreed to buy Russian diesel, demanded Ukraine to cease attacks on Russian oil refineries, and encouraged a change of leadership in Ukraine. Vanhanen estimated that the war in Iran and the resulting fuel prices, the upcoming midterm elections, and the need to show results might explain Trump’s urgency to secure an agreement. According to him, Trump aimed for cheaper diesel and a visible peace political achievement, while Putin would benefit from a decrease in attacks on Russia’s energy sector. Vanhanen noted that the alignment of these goals seemed to occur at Ukraine’s expense. Vanhanen stated that he did not oppose a ceasefire if it protected Ukrainians and also bound Russia. However, he observed that for Trump, merely declaring an agreement seemed to suffice, even without information about its terms or Russia's commitment. Vanhanen assessed that Russia would benefit from a situation in which the United States sought a quick agreement and Ukraine was cautious not to offend Trump. In such conditions, he believed Putin could gain concessions from Trump without Russia needing to win against Ukraine at the negotiating table. #Ukraina #Trump #Venäjä (translated)

Riku Ranta wrote that he thought Marin would have understood that she had been a good politician for a time and aimed for her own career. According to him, however, Marin seemed to consider herself a wartime stateswoman. https://t.co/lyvYjZbOxh #politiikka #ajatukset #Suomi (translated)

As Ukraine fights for its survival, Putin's war machine continues its terror campaign against the civilian population, and every day innocent Ukrainians die. Pence noted that, as he saw with his own eyes in September in Ukraine, Putin is losing the war against Ukraine. #Trump #Putin #Ukraina (translated)

Anne Nevgi wrote that she had read Hiilamo's column and found it full of ideological and anti-Israel interpretations. According to her, the bias of the column was evident in that the facts presented were interpreted in an anti-Israel way and events were framed through colonialism, racism, and whiteness. Nevgi argued that Hamas's brutality was not addressed and the origins of the Gaza conflict were not considered. She stated that the column created a misleading picture and inaccurately equated two different wars. #IsraelinKonflikti #Ideologiat #Propaganda (translated)

Niko A. Kauko pondered what would happen to the EU-Finland's support for Ukraine and the cooperation agreements between the countries if Ukraine were to hold elections, choose a new president, and the war were to end. He estimated that with a change in presidency, relations between Ukraine and Russia could also improve. Kauko asked whether Finland's support for Ukraine had ultimately been directed more towards Zelensky and the war than towards Ukraine itself. He referred to Stubbs' statement that the war was "his war," and wondered if Finland's "unwavering Ukraine first" line would fade as the war receded. Kauko described the war fundamentally as a great power conflict and believed that neither side had clean hands. According to him, Finland should not have participated in the conflict other than through diplomacy and mediation. He considered such an approach wise, which, in his assessment, was no longer visible in Finland's stance. #Ukraina #EU #sota (translated)

Pekka Toveri wrote that Trump started a war against Iran despite the advice of his military advisors. According to Toveri, Trump had disrupted the U.S. diesel market as the midterms approached and was now afraid of losing. Toveri added that Trump had asked for help from a person he described as a bloodthirsty dictator and thanked him. https://t.co/KyUKpbiU38 #Trump #Iran #politiikka (translated)

Jarno Limnell wrote that the United States' purchases of Russian diesel would bring revenue to Russia's war chest. According to him, Donald Trump simultaneously demanded that Ukraine stop attacks on Russian oil refineries and change its president. Limnell assessed that this meant a significant change in the strategic situation of the war. #Venäjä #Ukraina #diplomatia (translated)

Henri Vanhanen wrote that Donald Trump's Russia policy may not have been guided by a coherent strategy. According to him, Trump made decisions one by one, seeking quick political gains, and then had to fix the consequences. In his assessment, Vanhanen linked Trump's diminished commitment to arming Ukraine, the energy price increases resulting from the war in Iran, and the recent diesel trade with Russia. He believed that trade could bolster the Russian economy and give Vladimir Putin a means to pressure Ukraine into halting strikes on Russia's oil refineries. Vanhanen also criticized Trump for condemning strikes that he claimed weakened Russia's war economy. Vanhanen noted that Trump’s administration had not sought significant new funding from Congress for arming Ukraine. According to him, previously agreed deliveries had continued, and European countries had purchased American weapons for Ukraine. He stated that Trump was not fundamentally on the side of Ukraine or Europe but was primarily pursuing his own interests. According to Vanhanen, Finland's security should not be built on the assumption that there is a plan behind Trump's decisions that would turn in favor of Europe. He urged preparedness for the possibility that U.S. aid could be delayed or smaller than expected, to strengthen the availability of defense equipment and air defense, and to deepen cooperation with Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Britain, Poland, and the Baltic countries. He also believed that Europe should be able to support Ukraine and maintain economic pressure on Russia by its own means. #Trump #Venäjä #Ukraina (translated)

The Greens in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern voted at a small party congress in favor of coalition negotiations with the SPD and the Left, so that talks for the formation of a red-red-green state government can begin on Monday. #Koalitionsverhandlungen #MecklenburgVorpommern #Grüne (translated)

This is a major miscalculation, as agreements with dictators are a road to hell. Innocent people are being killed for gas and fuel money. And very likely, the hoped-for fuel will not arrive. According to Prime Minister Kristen Michal (RE), the diesel agreement signed with Russia helps finance the war against Ukraine. According to Marko Mihkelson, the upcoming midterm elections prompted Trump to agree to the deal. #Venemaa #Ukraina #diktaatorid (translated)