The Irish Independent's View: Why is Putin being rewarded for illegal invasion of Ukraine?
Mr Trump sees more gains in keeping Russia close than in maintaining bonds built up over 80 years since the end of World War II. European allies have been pressing for a ceasefire freezing the current front line as a first step ahead of talks on a more enduring settlement. But Washington had other plans. Moscow insisted Ukraine must cede its entire eastern Donbas area as well as Crimea, illegally annexed in 2014, as a ceasefire condition. This week, EU leaders issued a somewhat forlorn statement saying: 'The people of Ukraine must have the freedom to decide their future.'
It added that the principles of 'territorial integrity' must be respected and 'international borders must not be changed by force'. But Mr Trump has already made clear that he expects territories will be 'swapped'.
The nervousness surrounding Friday's meeting is understandable, especially in countries bordering Russia. So far, Putin has been offered everything without conceding anything. An illegal invasion has been rewarded.
Permitting Putin to take all he wants puts Ukraine and the whole continent at risk
An International Criminal Court warrant was issued for Putin on March 17, 2023, following an investigation of crimes against humanity and genocide, yet he is to be welcomed in the US.
It ought to be remembered that most of Europe's borders were drawn in the blood of war. Since the Yalta conference in 1945 (involving the US, UK and Russia), when a post-war peace rooted a collective security order and a plan to give self-determination to the liberated peoples of Europe was put in place, some kind of stability prevailed.
Whatever comes out of Friday's meeting, without cast-iron commitments from the Russian leader, Europe and Ukraine have everything to fear.
Mr Trump's ambition to end the war is laudable, but permitting Putin to take all he wants puts Ukraine and the whole continent at risk. There is acceptance that concessions will have to be made by Kyiv, but that must involve discussing, not dictating, terms. Dissecting a sovereign country against its will would be a disastrous outcome.
Nato chief Mark Rutte has said territory would 'have to be on the table', along with security guarantees for Ukraine, but how do you rate a pact with someone who does not recognise international law?
Any deal that Moscow could flip on a whim after securing Mr Trump's embrace might put a dent in American credibility. But it could undermine the security of both Europe and Ukraine.
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RTÉ News
44 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Made-for-TV pageantry as Trump brings Putin in from cold
Stepping foot on Western soil for the first time since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin basked in choreographed pageantry courtesy of Donald Trump, but awkwardness was not far away. In made-for-television images, Mr Putin and Mr Trump each flew in their presidential planes to Elmendorf Air Base, the largest US military installation in Alaska that once played a key role in monitoring the Soviet Union. President Trump waited in Air Force One until President Putin's plane landed and then waited again for him on the tarmac, clapping as he saw the Russian leader for the first time since 2019, this time under a grey sky. They then walked towards each other, smiled and shook hands before posing together at a sign that read "Alaska 2025". In a highly unusual move, Mr Putin stepped into "The Beast," the ultra-secure US presidential limousine, alongside Mr Trump before they headed into talks. The Russian leader grinned widely and appeared to joke about his silence to reporters as the two started their meeting in a room which the American hosts emblazoned with "Pursuing Peace" - written only in English. Mr Putin has curtailed his travel sharply since he sent troops to invade Ukraine and he faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court related to the war. He was quickly confronted on the issue as a reporter repeatedly and loudly shouted out to him: "When will you stop killing civilians?" But Mr Putin did not react and his aides ahead of the summit sought to press their message, sometimes in unsubtle ways. Sergei Lavrov, the veteran Russian foreign minister rarely seen out of a jacket and tie, was photographed in Alaska in a sweatshirt emblazoned with "CCCP" - the USSR - in a reminder of the superpower status that Mr Putin has been striving to recreate. Senior Russian officials were temporarily relieved from the severe US sanctions in place since the Ukraine invasion, allowing them not just to arrive in the United States but to carry out day-to-day transactions such as withdrawing money from cash machines. The presidents are not expected to step off the base, but activists held out hope of at least a fleeting protest by posting blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags on roofs that could be in eyesight if either leader stared out of a plane window on their descent. Demonstrators also taped signs to lampposts and walls near the convention centre where journalists picked up accreditation and the occasional Russian official may have walked. One sign, with a portrait of Mr Putin, read: "This war criminal kidnaps children". With just a week to prepare since President Trump announced the summit, Anchorage was strained to capacity with hotels full of prebooked tourists on fishing expeditions and coastal cruises who had no warning that their summer destination would become the focus of global diplomacy. Russian journalists, unable to secure accommodation, posted disapproving pictures of staying in a sports arena, where they slept on beds partitioned from one another by black curtains. The US hosts served the Russian journalists a selection of familiar foods - shashlik meat skewers and grilled fish - as well as a common dish for Russians that suddenly could take on another meaning, chicken Kiev.
The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Debunked: Irish influencer's video peddles baseless claims about immigration and crime in Sweden
AN IRISH ANTI-IMMIGRATION video which has been viewed tens of thousands of times makes a string of false claims about Sweden — including that ethnic Swedes will be a minority within a decade and that the country suffers more bombings than any nation not at war. In the video, a man called Michael McCarthy speaks directly to the camera as he makes a series of claims. As well as the other statements, he also says that the city of Malmö is as dangerous as Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. None of these claims are backed up by facts. McCarthy has previously posted misleading claims about migrants, many of which have been debunked. The Journal previously fact-checked claims by him that children are being taught Islamic prayers in schools; that footage of a woman being attacked in a church was from Europe; and that the majority of Irish people disagree with the EU . His video on Sweden has been viewed more than 43,000 times since being posted to Facebook on 2 August. So, how do these claims stack up? A Swedish minority 'This is disappearing,' McCarthy says in the video as an image of three white-skinned blonde adults wearing blue and yellow clothing appears on screen. 'Swedish people are set to become a minority in Sweden in just ten years time,' he says. As he speaks, a chart appears showing the 'annual decline' of white Europeans in a number of countries, and the projected year when the population of white people is set to reach under 50%. A screenshot of the chart from the video. McCarthy seems to be using 'white' and 'Swedish' interchangeably here, given the words he uses and what the chart says. But even if you treat these two categories the same, the stats still don't work. No source for this chart is given. A search for the terms used in the chart does not shed any light on the source of the data, and directs back to versions of McCarthy's video on different social media platforms. The chart in McCarthy's video claims that 67% of Swedish people are white in 2025, and this is falling by 1.1% a year. Even if these figures were true, they do not imply white people would be in a minority in ten years. Whether he means a 1.1% decrease per year, or a drop of 1.1 percentage points each year, you still get a figure higher than 50%. However, there are compelling reasons to think that these figures are false. Sweden does not officially collect racial or ethnic statistics due to a legal prohibition , and 'white' is not a recognised category in official statistics, let alone a rate of decrease in white people. There is no indication of where the 1.1% figure comes from, and it is not backed up by official statistics. The SCB (Sweden's state statistics agency) does however collect data on where each person in the country was born, as well as the nationality of their parents. These figures are what are usually cited when estimates of Sweden's ethnic makeup are given, such as in the CIA World Factbook , which says Sweden is 79.6% ethnically Swedish. This information on parents nationality and country of birth like the most likely candidate for where the 67% figure came from. This was the proportion of Swedish citizens from 2018-2020 that were born in Sweden to two Swedish parents. It should be noted that these statistics give us no information about what percentage of the population is white, which McCarthy seems to conflate with being Swedish. People born in Sweden to two parents who were also born in Sweden may be non-white. And people born in a different country can also be white, or be born to two Swedish parents. To give an idea of the breakdown , last year, more than 208,000 Swedish residents that were born outside the state were from other Nordic countries, and almost 380,000 were from non-Nordic EU countries. A further almost 350,000 were from non-EU European countries, including almost 60 thousand from Yugoslavia, a country that hasn't existed since the early nineties. In either case, there is no reliable source corroborating the claims made in the video. Bombings McCarthy goes on to claim that this supposed change in demographics will cause Sweden to become particularly dangerous. Advertisement While there has been a significant increase in organised crime in Sweden since about 2005, the claims McCarthy makes about this subject are, again, not based in fact. 'Sweden has the most bombings of any country not in a war,' McCarthy says. 'Sweden! A place people probably thought was very safe.' So, is this true? The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention has specific statistics on this, showing that there have been 129 explosions associated with criminal violence in 2024. It was 149 in 2023 and 90 in 2022. However, there are other countries not at war that have worse figures than this. For example, in 2024, 248 bombings were recorded in Pakistan — a country that is not at war (albeit one that did experience escalated tensions with India this year). Colombia saw 457 launched explosives and controlled detonation devices in 2024, according to the Red Cross . It should be noted that these comparisons are not always apt. The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention warn that comparing figures between nations is tricky. 'Does Sweden stand out when it comes to explosions, compared to other countries?' a section on their website reads (in Swedish). 'It is not so easy to answer because it is difficult to find reliable comparative statistics,' it answers. 'Different countries register differently. What is legally considered an explosion in Sweden may be registered as something else in another country.' The casualties that are caused by the explosions can help to give us an idea of the scale of such incidents. The casualty count , including deaths and injuries, from bombings in Pakistan in 2024 was 1,476. In Colombia, it was 719. Despite the number of explosions in Sweden, no deaths were recorded to have been caused by criminal explosives in 2024, police report. 'The explosion is used primarily as a marker and a threat,' an analysis by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention reads. 'The purpose is rarely to kill someone.' Malmö and Baghdad In the video, McCarthy says: 'Malmö in Sweden is ranked as dangerous as Baghdad.' Onscreen, a headline echoing this claim appears. This claim might sound familiar to recent claims about Ireland, repeated by Conor McGregor and Fox News , about how Dublin is ranked as the most dangerous city in Europe. And, indeed, this claim about Sweden has an almost identical unreliable source. The headline that appeared onscreen was taken from the English newspaper The Express, which made that claim in January , linking back to a website called Numbeo – the same Serbian company that was behind the claim about Dublin being dangerous. Numbeo describes itself as 'a crowd-sourced global database of quality of life data' and notes that data on crime is 'derived from surveys conducted by visitors to our website,' rather than from facts. The site also includes a disclaimer that none of its data has 'necessarily been reviewed by people with the expertise' to provide 'accurate or reliable information'. 'There is absolutely no assurance that any statement contained on the website is correct or precise,' it says. While it did rank Malmö and Baghdad next to each other (the 97th and 96th most dangerous cities, respectively), it ranked other well-known cities as much worse, such as Manchester (89), Paris (80), Washington, DC (72), and Houston, Texas (51). In other words, these rankings are worthless for giving an indication of crime in cities. There has been a real surge in gang violence that has affected Sweden's rankings in more rigorous studies of its safety. Nevertheless, Sweden's levels of danger are dwarfed by Iraq's, which is still the target of attacks by insurgent groups, such as Islamic State. Want to be your own fact-checker? Visit our brand-new FactCheck Knowledge Bank for guides and toolkits The Journal's FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network's Code of Principles. You can read it here . For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader's Guide here . You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... It is vital that we surface facts from noise. Articles like this one brings you clarity, transparency and balance so you can make well-informed decisions. We set up FactCheck in 2016 to proactively expose false or misleading information, but to continue to deliver on this mission we need your support. Over 5,000 readers like you support us. If you can, please consider setting up a monthly payment or making a once-off donation to keep news free to everyone. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Heather Humphreys emerges as favourite for Fine Gael presidential nomination
Former social protection minister Heather Humphreys has emerged as a favourite for the Fine Gael presidential nomination following the shock withdrawal of Mairead McGuinness. Ms Humphreys had earlier this year said that she would not be contesting the presidency having retired from politics before last year's general election to spend more time with her family. However, the Monaghan woman could be set for a remarkable return to politics following Ms McGuinness's announcement on Thursday that she would be withdrawing from the race on medical grounds. Sources within Fine Gael said they believe "the landscape has changed" sufficiently for Ms Humphreys to consider a run if she were approached by the party's leadership. "Heather is someone who could win and I think could be convinced in the circumstances," a senior party source said. Ms Humphreys did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. Ms Humphreys' candidacy was backed by one junior minister from outside her party, with independent TD Michael Healy Rae saying he would back Ms Humphreys "wholeheartedly". Quite simply because she's a very well-grounded person, what I would call a sound, solid political performer. She'd be an excellent person, both nationally and internationally, to fly the flag for Ireland. I would consider her a very safe, sound pair of hands. Ms Humphreys could face a battle for the nomination from Ireland South MEP Sean Kelly. Mr Kelly was believed to have been interested in a run when nominations opened last month, but withdrew without being nominated. It is understood that he is considering his position in light of Ms McGuinness's withdrawal. The former GAA president has been a huge vote-getter for Fine Gael in the south of the country, taking over 127,000 votes in last year's European elections. One former minister who will not be tempted to return, however, is Frances Fitzgerald. She confirmed to the Irish Examiner that she would not seek the nomination, having declined to do so earlier this year. Former minister for foreign affairs Simon Coveney is another name which has been suggested by party members, though he has not responded to speculation. The Fine Gael Executive Committee is set to meet over the weekend to decide the party's next steps. Ms McGuinness's withdrawal means that independent Galway TD Catherine Connolly stands alone as the only candidate currently with the requisite support to be on the ballot. On Friday, Ms Connolly said that she "truly" wishes Ms McGuinness the best. She said it was "premature" to speculate on how the race might be affected by the withdrawal of the former European Commissioner. While a date hasn't been set for the election, there is growing belief within government parties that it will come in late October.
