'Very dangerous illusion' that Trump thinks Putin wants peace: Ukrainian Parliament Member
Ukrainian Parliament Member Kira Rudik joins José Díaz-Balart to weigh in on President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy meeting at the White House today and to share what she believes will be accomplished.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump speech at Fort Bragg prompts questions, concerns about politicization of military
WASHINGTON — Defense Department officials say troops who cheered and jeered Tuesday at President Donald Trump's political statements at a rally at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, did not violate military regulations, but a former military legal officer said they did just that. During the speech, uniformed soldiers yelled in support of Trump's political statements and booed former President Joe Biden and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. 'Do you think this crowd would have showed up for Biden? I don't think so,' Trump said to boos about Biden. Trump made other comments about Newsom and about Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, where protests against the administration's crackdown on immigrants have been taking place and where Trump has ordered thousands of National Guard members and active-duty Marines deployed in response. Other Trump comments about the 'fake news media,' transgender people, protesters in California and flag-burning also drew boos from the uniformed military members in attendance. Trump is known for his rallies at which he goes after and pokes fun at political enemies and other issues, but typically he makes those remarks at political events, not on U.S. military bases. Such overt political activity on a base is the prerogative of the commander in chief. But military leaders would typically frown upon troops' reacting the way they did as inconsistent with military good order and discipline, and, according to one expert, it is a violation of military regulations found in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or UCMJ. Presidents of both parties often use troops as political props and put them and their commanders in difficult positions by doing so, but Trump's speech took that to a new level, said Geoffrey DeWeese, a retired judge advocate general who is now an attorney with Mark S. Zaid PC. (Zaid has represented whistleblowers on both sides of the aisle, including one who filed a complaint about Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2019 that led to Trump's impeachment, and he was one of the people whose security clearances Trump revoked this year.) 'It's a sad tradition to use the military as a backdrop for political purposes,' DeWeese said. 'To actively attack another president or a sitting governor and incite the crowd to boo, that's a step in a dangerous direction, that really says we want to politicize the military, that sends a bad message.' DeWeese said there were likely to have been violations of the UCMJ. 'I would be cringing if I was a senior officer and it happened under my watch,' he said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said repeatedly that he wants to take politics out of the military by removing diversity, equity and inclusion programs and banning service by transgender service members. Kori Schake, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who worked at the State Department and the National Security Council under former President George W. Bush and at the Pentagon under former President George H.W. Bush, said in an email that commanders at Fort Bragg should have done a better job preparing troops there. 'It's terrible,' she wrote. 'It's predictably bad behavior by the President to try and score political points in a military setting, and it's a command failure by leaders at Ft Bragg not to prepare soldiers for that bad behavior and counsel them not to participate.' The Pentagon said in a statement that there had been no violation of the UCMJ and suggested the media was against policies that Trump has championed. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also alleged in a statement that the media 'cheered on the Biden administration' and its policies regarding the Defense Department 'when they forced drag queen performances on military bases, promoted service members on the basis of race and sex in violation of federal law, and fired troops who refused an experimental vaccine.' 'Believe me, no one needs to be encouraged to boo the media,' Parnell said. 'Look no further than this query, which is nothing more than a disgraceful attempt to ruin the lives of young soldiers.' On Wednesday, Army officials at Fort Bragg addressed the sale of some MAGA merchandise at the event, which was planned in cooperation with a nonpartisan organization, American 250. 'The Army remains committed to its core values and apolitical service to the nation,' Col. Mary Ricks, a spokeswoman for the Army's 18th Airborne Corps at Bragg, said in a statement. 'The Army does not endorse political merchandise or the views it represents. The vendor's presence is under review to determine how it was permitted and to prevent similar circumstances in the future.' The Army's own new field manual, published recently, says the apolitical nature of being a U.S. soldier is what contributes to the public trust. The Army 'as an institution must be nonpartisan and appear so, too,' says the new field manual, 'The Army: A Primer to Our Profession of Arms.' 'Being nonpartisan means not favoring any specific political party or group. Nonpartisanship assures the public that our Army will always serve the Constitution and our people loyally and responsively.' U.S. troops can participate in political functions, just not while on duty or in uniform, the book says. 'As a private citizen you are encouraged to participate in our democratic process, but as a soldier you must be mindful of how your actions may affect the reputation and perceived trustworthiness of our Army as an institution,' it says. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Zelenskiy says Russia seeks to disrupt Ukraine, Moldova, southeastern Europe
ODESA, Ukraine (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday Russia was determined to sow chaos in and destroy the south of his country as well as nearby Moldova and Romania, and called for increased pressure on Moscow to prevent further military threats. Zelenskiy, addressing a conference of southeast European leaders in the Black Sea port of Odesa, said collective efforts were needed to keep Moscow from causing further disruption. "The security of Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea is indivisible ... Today, we are forced to fight not only for our country, but also for this reality to become the cornerstone of a new regional policy," Zelenskiy said on Telegram. "We are here in Odesa, a city that Russia wants to destroy, as it has destroyed countless other cities. Russian military plans are aimed at this region, and then at the borders with Moldova and Romania. We need protection now. But even more, we need long-term guarantees that this will never happen again." Odesa, site of three ports, has been a frequent target of Russian air strikes in three years of war. The city came under a massive drone attack on Monday that targeted an emergency medical building, a maternity ward and residential buildings. Much attention has focused on a possible Russian threat to Moldova, where pro-European President Maia Sandu has accused Moscow of trying to destabilise her country and unseat her. Her Party of Action and Solidarity, which holds a majority in parliament, faces a general election in September, the outcome of which could affect the president's ability to press on with a campaign to join the European Union in 2030. Ukraine has also started talks on EU membership. "For three decades, Russia has tried to keep Moldova poor and unstable in order to take full control of it," Zelenskiy said. "If Europe loses in Moldova this year, it will embolden Russia to meddle even more in your countries' affairs, taking away your resources, your sovereignty, even your history." Sandu told the conference that Moldova "knows just what hybrid war is and is prepared to share its experience". "Moldova is facing one of its most important elections. Russia wants to see Moldova turn away from Ukraine. More to the point, it wants to use Moldova against Ukraine and the EU." (Additional reporting by Alexander Tanas in Chisinau; Writing by Ron Popeski; Editing by Sandra Maler)
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Russia fired North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine in latest barrage, Zelensky says
Russia has been firing North Korean ballistic missiles against Kyiv in the deadly overnight barrages, the latest of which killed three people in Ukraine's second-largest city, officials said. The attack on Wednesday morning saw the Kremlin fire 85 drones and one missile across 14 locations over the border, with Kyiv identifying the rocket's origin as North Korean, similar to the ones fired during Monday's record-breaking airstrike. 'The Russians have once again used ballistic missiles from North Korea,' Ukrainian President Zelensky said of the attacks. Advertisement 4 A residential building in Kharkiv was hit by a Russian drone strike overnight. AP 4 A Ukrainian firefighter walks past a car destroyed by the Kremlin's attack on Wednesday. AFP via Getty Images 'We are also tracking evidence that Russian-Iranian drone technologies have spread to North Korea. This is extremely dangerous both for Europe and for East and Southeast Asia,' he added. Zelensky said that the longer the Russian invasion lasts, the more the Kremlin's war machine will evolve and prove to be a 'threat' to the West. Advertisement 'This must be addressed now — not when thousands of upgraded Shahed drones and ballistic missiles begin to threaten Seoul and Tokyo,' Zelensky warned North Korea's usual targets. The warning highlighted the growing military alliance between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with UN officials finding that Pyongyang delivered as many as nine million rounds of artillery and rocket launcher ammunition to the Kremlin so far this year. 4 Officials said the overnight attack rocked Kharkiv with nine consecutive minutes of nonstop bombings. AP Advertisement 4 Ukraine warned that the military alliance between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin is growing and could threaten Europe and Asia. AP Russia's plethora of drones and missiles have been used to relentlessly attack Ukraine, with more than 1,500 drones and missiles fired over the past week, the most intense airstrike campaign of the three-year war. Moscow's latest attack, significantly smaller than the ones of previous nights, was aimed at Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the attack killed at least three people in the northeast city, with another 56 injured in the assault, which allegedly included Iranian-designed Shahed drones. Advertisement The attack also saw more than 103 residential buildings damaged in what officials said was nine minutes of non-stop bombings, with Terekhov describing the destruction as 'enormous.' Moscow had vowed to retaliate hard against Kyiv over the humiliating attack earlier this month that saw Ukrainian drones damage and destroy dozens of Russia's heavy bombers in 'Operation Spider Web.' With Post wires
