Letters: Finance continues to rule U.S. health care
Also: Dan Walters | Legislative consequences | Therapy stigma | Trump hatred. East Bay Times reader letters to the editor for May 21, 2025.
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
As Trump and Putin posture, Europe tries to show some courage
đ Click Here to read in detail đ
Â
âMy whole life is like deals. One big deal. And if I thought that President Putin did not want to get this over with, I wouldnât even be talking about it.â
Donald Trump believes that there is room for manoeuvre following his two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin regarding the war in Ukraine.
He proudly announced the start of negotiations âtoward a ceasefireâ and even talked of having the Vatican City host the two leaders of Ukraine and Russia. Clearly, heâs already thinking way ahead: of the photo ops and symbolism â even the chance of a Nobel Peace Prize perhaps?
But Mr Deal-maker was making a bigger deal than the reality, not surprisingly. The US, the EU and Ukraine want a 30-day pause in fighting, something Putin has still not agreed to â simply stating that he was ready to work on a âmemorandum on a possible future peace agreementâ.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Putin was simply trying to buy time, with EU foreign and defence ministers unimpressed with the Russian leader saying all sides needed to show âcompromiseâ but not showing any of it himself. Today, the EU and the UK announced further sanctions against Moscow.
As Trump and Putin posture, Europe is clearly trying to show some mettle. They didnât wait for Washingtonâs input on those new sanctions â and European leaders are also pushing ahead with a new, more aggressive stance against Israel and its actions in Gaza. Is the EU finding its voice after being in Trumpâs shadow since the start of the year?
NicuČor Dan. Image credit: APPerhaps they feel a sense of relief after the pro-EU, pro-Ukraine moderate NicuČor Dan easily triumphed against the far-right nationalist and former football hooligan George Simion in Romaniaâs election for president last weekend. The EU flags flew triumphantly in Bucharest, but Simion had a warning in defeat. âWe may have lost a battle, but we will certainly not lose the war,â he said, as both he and the Kremlin cast doubts on the election, given the first presidential election was annulled by the constitutional court due to alleged Russian Moscow meddling.
Rafal Trzaskowski. Image credit: APThe next battle for Europe is in Poland, where on 1 June, the mayor of Warsaw, the centrist Rafal Trzaskowski, will face off against nationalist Karol Nawrocki. Trzaskowski won on Sunday in the first round, but only narrowly, and given many voted for far-right candidates that did not make the next round, Nawrocki will be hoping those voters flock to him.
âNot only are we the frontline in a way, but we are the other side of the coin from Ukraine.ââ Salome Zourabichvili
With all eyes on these elections, many have forgotten the ongoing situation in Georgia, where anti-government and pro-EU demonstrations have taken place daily since last year. âNot only are we the frontline in a way, but we are the other side of the coin from Ukraine,â Georgiaâs fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, told Channel 4 News.
She left office last year but claims her replacement and the current administration are illegitimate because of alleged Russian interference in elections last October.
âIn Georgia, Russia is testing an alternate strategy to military intervention (after invading Georgia in 2008). One of the objectives of Russia, even through the Ukraine war, is to control the Black Sea. So, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, and Georgia are essential.
âThe experiment that is in Georgia is to see whether through democratic instruments you can also control a country. And that means you use elections, you use propaganda, you use new technologies, artificial intelligence. That is not costly. And those are the things that an old KGB leader probably understands better than military affairs.â
âI think that itâs not the time to be silent because really we are a test. Russia is looking.ââ Salome Zourabichvili
Last yearâs vote ushered in a new prime minister and president, with the former suspending EU accession talks. Hence months of protests ever since, with Zourabichvili attempting to drum up support abroad. She talks about a frustration that the EU is not taking notice of Georgia more.
âI think the European Union has to be much more clear in its policy towards Georgia. Basically, weâve had silence. I know that sometimes when there is no clear policy they prefer to be silent. I think that itâs not the time to be silent because really we are a test. Russia is looking. Russia will take the lessons of what is happening in Georgia and we cannot be alone at this time.â
And the warning is not just one about democracy. Recent satellite images have shown the Russians bolstering their military infrastructure near to the Finnish border. The concern from many in the Baltics and across eastern Europe has been that whatever happens in Ukraine, Moscow will eventually regroup and amass all along Natoâs eastern flank.
President Zelenskyy today accused Putin of biding his time in the war. What is he waiting for? Further hybrid warfare tactics to bear fruit in European elections â or even causing further disruption in the Baltic Sea? Itâs notable that the new Russian sanctions today are meant to focus on Moscowâs âshadow fleetâ of oil tankers that have been accused of damaging underwater energy cables in recent months. Or is Putin simply readying for a favourable agreement in Ukraine that does indeed allow him to take the fight to Nato?
Watch more here:Trump: Ukraine-Russia to âimmediatelyâ start ceasefire negotiationsIsrael partially lifts Gaza aid blockade and launches new offensiveEast vs west? Romaniaâs biggest vote since the fall of communism
, the NOTUS journalist asked Mr Trump: â??Andy Harris said that you didnâ??t adequately convince enough people to vote for the bill?â? Trump asked the reporter who he worked for and when he replied NOTUS, Trump said: â??Who? I don't even know what the hell that is. Get yourself a real job.â? %23trump)
 â Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim and Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou donât think their jobs are at stake in Wednesdayâs Europa League final. Both coaches are un... %23angepostecoglou)
