Latest news with #Moscow-controlled
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Meet the Russian Propagandist Who Joined White House Press Briefing
The White House has officially opened its doors to a website accused of spreading Russian propaganda. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt welcomed Zero Hedge's Liam Cosgrove to the new media seat Monday—who predictably proceeded to relay conspiracy theories when given an opportunity to ask the first question at the morning press briefing. Zero Hedge is a financial blog started under a penname by Bulgarian-born former investment banker Daniel Ivandjiiski, and has been accused by U.S. intelligence officials of publishing articles crafted by Moscow-controlled media. The site has also spread conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement, and circulated fake quotes from politicians. The site amassed a large alt-right (now mainstream) audience, including racists, anti-Semites, and conspiracy theorists. Now, it's being granted an even larger platform and preferential treatment from the White House. Cosgrove asked two questions. The first was about whether Donald Trump planned to stop 'financing foreign wars' in Ukraine and Gaza, during which Cosgrove managed to laud Trump and take a shot at Joe Biden. The second was about an old conspiracy theory resurfaced by the president himself. 'So, over the weekend, President Trump posted Truth Social, a video highlighting what most people call the 'Clinton body count,'' Cosgrove said. 'Which is the strange number of suicides that seem to happen in Clinton circles—' As Cosgrove spoke, Leavitt was visibly holding back a smile. Cosgrove took issue with reporting from The Washington Post that Trump's Truth Social post had amplified 'false' conspiracy theories. Although it wasn't mentioned in the video shared by the president, Cosgrove raised the apparent suicide of Mark Middleton, a former aide to President Bill Clinton who had been a point of contact between the White House and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, as his own evidence of the 'Clinton body count.' 'That's just a lead-in to my question about the most famous Clinton-related suicide, which is that of Jeffrey Epstein. There's still a lot of questions about the Epstein files—' Cosgrove continued, asking whether the White House planned to release information that would connect Epstein's trafficking activities to intelligence agencies, 'even potentially as part of a blackmail ring with potential ties to the Israeli government.' In a classic Leavitt non-answer, she said that more information about Epstein would be released soon because Attorney General Pam Bondi had said she would release more information soon. The White House opened up its briefing room to 'new media' in January, and has made way for a revolving door of professional journalists, podcasters, and influencers. This crowd has inevitably included several MAGA talking heads, including content creators from Breitbart, the right-wing video platform Rumble, BreakingPoints, the Daily Wire, former Newsmax host Mark Halperin, and the right-wing substack Washington Reporter.
Telegraph
01-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Trump's art of the deal still doesn't apply to Putin
The problem is that in the real world, the value of mineral reserves isn't calculated by multiplying the estimated tons lying under the ground by the market price. By that measure, Ukraine is sitting on untold trillions. But to get to actual cash value, you have to look at the volume of the global market for any given metal or mineral and work out how much of that market demand you can fulfil. For example, in 2024 the world bought some $29 billion of lithium (used in car batteries) and $39 billion of titanium (used in engineering). Ukraine may control some 5 per cent of the world's lithium but as yet extracts none of it, and around 7 per cent of the titanium, but again produces no refined titanium and exports only much less valuable ore. Ukraine's only graphite mine, opened in 1934, closed last December after a collapse in world prices. There's also uranium ore, but again the real value is in semi-refined yellow cake that is used to create nuclear fuel and as yet Ukraine produces none. As for the famous 'rare earth metals' – a list of fifteen elements used in electronics – Ukraine officially has none, at least according to the US Geological Survey. Then there's the problem of distribution of these minerals. Geology is no respecter of borders, and many of the largest deposits – for instance of Lithium ore – run from Kyiv-controlled into Moscow-controlled territory. This is especially true of the biggest and most valuable prize of all, a vast and unexploited natural gas field that runs across the Northern end of the basin of the Donets River, now mostly under Russian occupation. In theory, then, Ukraine does have plenty of mineral resources which will one day generate plenty of wealth – just not immediately, in the words of an old Soviet joke, and not for everybody. The Americans and Ukrainians seem to have opposite visions of exactly who stands to gain. For many US Republicans, Trump has opened up a new Klondike which will enrich American businesses. For the Ukrainians, the deal will help attract the multiple billions of dollars in investment that will be needed to extract, refine and transport the minerals from mine to market. And ironically, it's the Ukrainians who are right – they've sold Trump a fantasy that his own side will have to pay to make real. But Kyiv also hopes that now that the deal is signed the Trump White House will now become more sympathetic to their interests. Good luck with that. Earlier this week the Kremlin – in the person of the granite-faced Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov – grimly re-stated that Russia's demands remained completely unchanged after three months of intensive Trump diplomacy. Trump, from his position of strength, can force his weaker Ukrainian allies to swallow their pride and dance to whichever tune he wishes. Putin, however, remains deaf to Trump's dealmaking, however artful.
Straits Times
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Russian journalist dies of wounds suffered in March in Ukraine war
Russian journalist dies of wounds suffered in March in Ukraine war A Russian journalist caught in a Ukrainian artillery strike last month died of his wounds in hospital, his publication said early on Thursday. Nikita Goldin, who worked for the military's Zvezda Television, was part of a group that came under attack in a Moscow-controlled part of Luhansk region in northeastern Ukraine on March 24. Six people died in the strike, including two other journalists and their driver. Goldin, who also wrote for the military daily Krasnaya Zvezda, was taken to a military hospital in Moscow, but died of his wounds nearly a month after the attack. Russia's Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting the journalists in the attack. Data provided earlier in the war by the Committee to Protect Journalists counted at least 15 journalists killed since Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Nearly all of the Luhansk region has been captured by Russian forces as Moscow drives to take control of the broader eastern Donbas region, one of Ukraine's most industrialised areas. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Russian journalist dies of wounds suffered in March in Ukraine war
April 23 (Reuters) - A Russian journalist caught in a Ukrainian artillery strike last month died of his wounds in hospital, his publication said early on Thursday. Nikita Goldin, who worked for the military's Zvezda Television, was part of a group that came under attack in a Moscow-controlled part of Luhansk region in northeastern Ukraine on March 24. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here. Six people died in the strike, including two other journalists and their driver. Goldin, who also wrote for the military daily Krasnaya Zvezda, was taken to a military hospital in Moscow, but died of his wounds nearly a month after the attack. Russia's Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting the journalists in the attack. Data provided earlier in the war by the Committee to Protect Journalists counted at least 15 journalists killed since Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Nearly all of the Luhansk region has been captured by Russian forces as Moscow drives to take control of the broader eastern Donbas region, one of Ukraine's most industrialised areas.
Gulf Today
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
45,000 in Ukraine without power after Russian strikes
Tens of thousands of people in southern Ukraine have been left without power after Russian strikes, despite Kremlin claims it is not launching attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Kyiv said on Tuesday. Russia has rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and full ceasefire, but says it agreed a temporary halt on Ukrainian energy sites. Kyiv says Russia has repeatedly hit energy sites anyway. 'This morning, another Russian strike damaged a power facility in Kherson, leaving 45,000 residents without electricity,' Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga told a news conference. Russia has launched systematic aerial attacks on Ukrainian power plants and grid since invading in February 2022. Moscow has also accused Kyiv of striking Russian energy sites and on Tuesday said there had been fresh attacks in the Russian region of Belgorod and the partially Moscow-controlled Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia. At the start of a meeting with top security officials Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin asked Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov to update him on how 'agreements are being fulfilled with regard to the end of mutual strikes on energy systems between Russia and Ukraine'. Only Putin's opening remarks were broadcast. Ukraine's Sybiga also said Kyiv and Washington were holding fresh talks on a minerals agreement that would give the United States access to Ukrainian natural resources in return for more support. 'It is always important to strengthen the presence of American business in Ukraine, so this process is ongoing, and we will work with our American colleagues to reach a mutually acceptable text for signing,' he added. The two countries had planned to sign a deal in February on extracting Ukraine's strategically important minerals, until a spectacular televised clash between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky derailed the agreement. Trump on Sunday warned Zelensky he would have 'big problems' if Kyiv rejected the latest US proposal, details of which have not been published by either side. Russia cannot accept US proposals to end the war in Ukraine in their current form because they do not address problems Moscow regards as having caused the conflict, a senior Russian diplomat said, suggesting US-Russia talks on the subject had stalled. The comments by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov suggest Moscow and Washington have so far been unable to bridge differences which President Vladimir Putin raised more than two weeks ago when he said U.S. proposals needed reworking. They come as Trump appears to be growing increasingly impatient with what he has suggested might be foot-dragging over a wider deal by Moscow. Trump in recent days has said he is 'pissed off' with Putin and has spoken of imposing sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if he feels Moscow is blocking a deal. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock accused Russian Putin of stalling talks to halt the fighting in Ukraine, during a visit to Kyiv on Tuesday. 'He is manoeuvring his way out of negotiations, continuing his illegal war of aggression and escalating with brutal, threatening attacks on houses,' Baerbock said at a press conference with her Ukrainian counterpart. 'Putin cannot be trusted in this situation,' she said. 'There will only be a real and lasting peace when the Russian president realises that he cannot win this war, that his destruction is not successful.' On March 11, Ukraine, whose army is struggling on the front line, agreed with the United States a plan for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia. But Putin has rejected the US proposal and upped his rhetoric on Moscow wanting to install new leadership in Ukraine. Baerbock was visiting Kyiv for the first time since the re-election of US President Donald Trump, who has upended US-Europe relations by reaching out to Russia over European heads to seek an end to the conflict. The shift in policy has sparked concern over the future of the NATO alliance and prompted Europe to focus on boosting its own defence capabilities and increasing its support for Ukraine. Agencies
