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Ukraine Invasion Day 1,099: Where are those who whined for 3 years that 'Ukraine's a US proxy'? [1]

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Date: 2025-02-25

King Krasnov doesn't really care about peace in Ukraine. He cares about the Nobel peace prize.

Volodymyr Zelensky tried to get the newly inaugurated American president on friendly terms by announcing that Ukraine intended to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump marginalizing Zelensky is about a Nobel Prize Trump may have to share with Putin. National security adviser Mike Waltz: "By the end of this all, we are going to have the Nobel Peace Prize sitting next to the name of Donald J. Trump."

Putin offered to make a deal with the United States on Russian rare earth minerals as part of efforts to outbid Ukraine on this matter and to push the United States to accept Russian offers of economic measures in lieu of any actual Russian concessions on Ukraine. Putin claimed to Zarubin on February 24 that Russia has an "order of magnitude" more rare earth materials than Ukraine and stated that Russia can cooperate with both the US government and US companies in capital investment projects for rare earth materials.[7] Putin included mineral reserves both within Russia and within occupied Ukraine in his attempts to appeal to the United States to invest in Russian rare earth minerals. Putin also offered to conclude deals with the United States on the supply of Russian aluminum. Putin held a meeting with senior Kremlin officials on February 24 specifically about the importance of further developing Russia's domestic rare earth minerals industry and identified this as a priority effort.[8] The Kremlin is framing any future US-Russian cooperation on rare earth minerals as conditional on the conclusion of a Russian-friendly peace deal on the war in Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on February 25 that any US-Russia cooperation on rare earth minerals can only begin after normalizing bilateral relations and achieving a peace settlement in Ukraine.[9] ISW assessed that Russian officials used the recent US-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia to start an effort to push the United States to accept economic benefits that are unrelated to the war in Ukraine in return for Ukrainian and Western concessions that are related to the war.[10] ISW continues to assess that American acceptance of these Russian-offered economic measures — without demanding any Russian concessions on Ukraine in return — would give away leverage that the United States will need to achieve Trump's stated objective of achieving a lasting and enduring peace that benefits the United States and Ukraine. x 😳 this dude ran the FSB [KGB]!



[image or embed] — Alexander S. Vindman (@avindman.bsky.social) February 25, 2025 at 10:53 AM x x YouTube Video

x My piece today on the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion. We have not only made Chamberlain's error; we have now actively sided with the aggressor. currentpub.com/2025/02/24/m...



[image or embed] — Amanda McCrina (@mccrina.bsky.social) February 24, 2025 at 5:52 PM

x Meanwhile in Russia: Vladimir Solovyov says that the Trump administration sounds exactly like his show. He is also claiming that under Trump, America wants to be in an alliance with Russia, the same way the U.S. was an ally to the USSR in WWII. www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEcU...



[image or embed] — Julia Davis (@juliadavisnews.bsky.social) February 24, 2025 at 1:47 PM

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Days before the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainians are as somber and tense as they were right before Moscow launched the war. Only now, they aren’t just worried about their longtime enemy. Ukraine’s stunning new threat comes from its once staunchest ally, the United States, whose support appears to be fading as President Donald Trump echoes the narrative of Russian President Vladimir Putin while pledging to stop the fighting between the two countries. Over three years of war, Ukraine’s initial unity had started to wear thin, as old frictions and political spats reemerged. But after Trump’s false claims this week that Ukraine is led by a “dictator” who started the war with Russia, even some of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s harshest critics have rallied around him and feelings of unity have surged again. apnews.com/... x Very tough day yesterday, with the US siding with Russia against Ukraine. But at least all of those people who told us for three years that Ukraine was just a US proxy will now admit they were wrong (no?) — Timothy Snyder (@timothysnyder.bsky.social) February 25, 2025 at 8:43 AM x NEW. Anne Applebaum. “That you take control of state institutions and make them work for you personally...every illiberal leader does...But [what's happening in the US] is more radical than anything any [contemporary] European far-right party has done.” youtu.be/WsBKxgOFSLg?...



[image or embed] — Bill Kristol (@billkristolbulwark.bsky.social) February 25, 2025 at 12:08 PM

Russian forces conducted a series of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine on the night of February 24 to 25. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 213 Shahed and decoy drones from the directions of Oryol, Bryansk, and Kursk cities and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai.[90] The Ukrainian Air Forces reported that Russian forces also launched seven Kh-101 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic bombers.[91] The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces shot down 133 drones over Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts and that 79 decoy drones were "lost," likely due to Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) interference. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces struck Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, and Sumy oblasts.[92] understandingwar.org/... Ukrainian Air Forces reported that Russian forces also launched seven Kh-101 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic bombers.[91] The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces shot down 133 drones over Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts

Key Takeaways: Russian President Vladimir Putin implicitly acknowledged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the legitimate president of Ukraine and Russia's future negotiating partner while promoting a new information operation that aims to destabilize Ukrainian society and the Ukrainian military from within.

Putin attempted to use new language to repackage the calls for regime change in Ukraine that he has demanded since 2021.

Putin offered to make a deal with the United States on Russian rare earth minerals as part of efforts to outbid Ukraine on this matter and to push the United States to accept Russian offers of economic measures in lieu of any actual Russian concessions on Ukraine.

Putin attempted to claim that he supports Europe's participation in negotiations on Ukraine while continuing to show his unwillingness to make concessions and seemingly proposing Russian allies as possible future negotiating parties.

Kremlin officials continue to exploit diplomatic engagements with Russia's allies to reinforce Moscow's narrative that Russia invaded Ukraine to protect Russian-speaking minorities in Ukraine.

A delegation from North Korea's Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) arrived in Moscow on February 25 at the invitation of Russia's ruling party, United Russia, amid reports that North Korea may be shipping more material to Russia.

Western officials continue to highlight the scale of European military aid to Ukraine.

Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast and near Kupyansk, Lyman, and Velyka Novosilka, and Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk.

Samara Oblast authorities reduced one-time payments to soldiers who sign military service contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) after temporarily increasing these payments in January 2025.

The BBC Russian Service reported on February 25 that over 100 Russian government, military, and security officials accused and convicted of various corruption charges are fighting in Ukraine.

The Kremlin continues efforts to use its "Time of Heroes" program, which places veterans of the war in Ukraine in government positions, to form a new Russian elite composed of loyal and ultranationalist veterans that will continue to militarize Russian society over the long term.

Russia may be reopening a Soviet-era submarine base in occupied Crimea.

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