Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her government would announce plans on Wednesday for a "massive" rearming of Denmark's military due to the growing threat posed by Russia. [...] She did not disclose any details or sums, but according to Danish public broadcaster DR, the government is expected to announce the creation of a 50-billion-kroner ($7 billion) fund for additional defence spending in 2025-2026. ● The government had considered doubling the size of the fund, but determined that there was currently not enough defence equipment on offer to be able to purchase for a larger amount, according to the broadcaster.

The Trump administration has been clear that peace in Ukraine will entail no NATO membership, no return of Ukrainian territories, and no US security guarantees. Furthermore, the US is preparing to leave both Ukraine and Europe. The Europeans are outraged about the US preparedness to make peace with Russia, yet they have presented no other alternatives than sending more weapons. The Europeans and Ukrainians also oppose that a deal is being made behind their backs, yet they have boycotted all diplomacy for the past three years. Europe is waking up to a realist reality as the terms for a peace agreement will be decided in Moscow and Washington.

Representatives of the Russian and American media were simultaneously led to the meeting venue, with Russian and US journalists waiting in different parts of the building [...] From the Russian side, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov are at the negotiating table. Opposite them are three US negotiators: President Donald Trump's national security advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the US leader's special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. [...] The meeting is being held in one of the royal family's palaces, Diriyah in the Albasateen complex.

(Meanwhile in Kyiv): Coup in Kiev: Zelensky abuses peace talks to take out rivals

✅ Trump To Force Ukraine Peace on Europe (John Mearsheimer, Alexander Mercouris & Glenn Diesen)(VIDEO)
✅ Ukraine Risks Trump’s Wrath After Bombing Partially US-Owned Oil Infrastructure In Russia (Andrew Korybko)
✅ The Polish Security Chief Shared Some Interesting Insight About The Ukrainian Conflict’s Endgame (Andrew Korybko)

Europe has relied on US defense and funding for nearly 70 years and is incapable of handling this burden alone, Mikael Valtersson, a former Swedish Armed Forces and Air Defense officer, tells Sputnik, commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron’s urgent security meeting. | "Europe would have to spend 10 % for a couple of decades to reach the same level of defense that they have with US protection," Valtersson says. He argues that Europe's fears of a US military withdrawal from the continent are well-founded, as the Trump administration is expected to prioritize China and its own regional interests. "For the Trump administration, Europe is seen as just a burden," he adds.

■ Germany urges NATO unity following emergency meeting on Ukraine (RT)

The USA has announced that the Europeans will not be present at the upcoming peace talks concerning Ukraine. | A meeting between the Americans and Russians in Saudi Arabia, likely at the end of THIS month, has now been confirmed. The fact that Europeans are being deliberately kept OUT of this meeting, by the United States, has caused horrified reactions in Europe; so much so, that there seems to be an actual Hissy-Fit taking place! They simply do not understand why they are being sidelined, and seem totally unaware of their actual role in NATO and in the world. Your trusted servant, Hal Turner, wants to help Europe understand.

■ Participants of Paris summit seek to prevent peace in Ukraine — Hungarian foreign minister (TASS)
■ Trump Is Rushing Toward a Deal With Putin, Leaving Europe in the Dust (02/16/25)
■ Medvedev applauds Vance’s ‘humiliating rebuke’ of Europe (RT)

✅ U.S. Questions For European Governments - Another Wake-up Call (Moon of Alabama)
✅ Mess In Munich (Hunter Maxwell)
✅ How Trump is Unraveling the Fabric of Atlanticism? (Sergey Lebedev)
✅ Munich Bloodbath Ruptures Western Order Wide Open (Simplicius)
✅ Double-Decker Special: Hysteria Ignites as Trump Throws Ukraine on the Third Rail (Simplicius)

Dr. Regina Watteel | There are those of us who live in reality and there are those who are playing along with a simulated narrative fabricated to shape the “new normal.” Those who are both ethical and rational are awake in this dystopian nightmare. | Had the global response to Covid-19 been grounded in reality, the last 2.5yrs would have proceeded much the same as it had the decade prior. The Covid-19 episode would’ve been but a blip — a mostly unimpactful scare that had little effect on our children and the economy. ■ The data was clear from the get-go: the risk to children was close to zero and the risk to most of the labour force was small and manageable. The elderly and those with comorbid conditions were at significant risk; resources should have been directed towards improving hospitals, long-term care and early intervention. What actually played out was surreal.[...]This plunge into the world of dark mathematical fantasy has continued, showing no semblance of reality whatsoever or signs of letting up anytime soon.[...]They've gone from manipulating real data to relying fully on contrived mathematical models to fabricate faux benefits in support of unconstitutional policies.

Michael Lesher | Because here’s the thing: Israeli soldiers captured during a military operation – one launched, please remember, by the victims of Israel’s brutal, decades-long occupation and the criminal blockade that has crippled Gaza since 2007 – are not “hostages.” They are captured soldiers who (in my view) are lucky not to have been put on trial for complicity in crimes against humanity. | Dear fellow religiously-observant Jews, I have a request to make of all of you. ● Please, please – in the name of minimal decency – spare me another round of weepy propaganda over the release of some Israeli captives formerly held by inmates of the concentration camp you helped to create in Gaza. ● I cannot bear your misplaced sentimentality over the freed Israelis – many of whom actually wore their IDF uniforms as they left behind the ruins of what used to be Khan Younis – any more than I can tolerate your hypocrisy about the Israeli genocide you have applauded for over a year. [...] I am only asking you to begin to call things by their right names. Can you at least do that much – before making another sanctimonious speech? Before posting another self-pitying comment on Facebook about “our hostages”?

Two countries’ foreign ministers meet in Moscow and agree there are no obstacles to long-delayed plan | A plan for Russia to establish its first naval base in Africa will go ahead, Sudan’s foreign minister has confirmed, after years of delays over the Red Sea military port. If the agreement is implemented, Russia would join the US and China in the region; they have bases to the south in Djibouti. The announcement came during a visit by the foreign minister, Ali Youssef Ahmed al-Sharif, to Moscow where he met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. After their meeting, Sharif said the two countries were in “complete agreement” on establishing a Russian base “and there are no obstacles”.

Germany and NATO Defy President Trump; Refuse to Accredit Russia to Attend Munich Conference | NATO, the European Union, and Germany in particular, have openly DEFIED President Donald Trump by refusing to accredit a Russian delegation to attend today's Munich Security Conference. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Munich this morning. ● Earlier this week, during a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, the two leaders agreed that there would be contact between the two countries today, at the Munich Conference. ● When the Russians sought clearance to send their delegation into Germany, they were told Russia "is not accredited to attend the conference." As such, the Russians cannot be there to meet with the US Vice President. Clearly, someone in Europe is intentionally sabotaging the peace effort by President Trump.

The US president has shared more details and thoughts about the phone call with his Russian counterpart | US President Donald Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday evening, a day after his long-awaited phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The conversation, as Trump described it, spanned topics including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, NATO’s role, economic strategies like tariffs, and the geopolitical dynamics surrounding BRICS and the G8.

■ Scholz called for a state of emergency in Germany due to US statements on Ukraine (Pravda EN)
■ Medvedev explains Scholz's call to declare state of emergency over Ukraine by polls (TASS)
■ Hysteria Ignites as Trump Throws Ukraine on the Third Rail (02/13/25)

✅ Europe is shocked by the US refusal to keep Zelensky (Taya Silverhelm)
✅ In our small, controversial but highly interdependent world there can be no chief country or planetary ruler

Simplicius | Meltdown in the Atlanticist sphere ensues. | Everyone appears to be [...] sent into swoons of bliss or outrage over the now “certain” war-ending peace talks set to take place. I beg to differ. In short: the talk was the perfunctory, basic exchange of pleasantries and customary political gestures, nothing more. If you read the actual quotes and soundbites from various Russian officials, it is clear that Russia is no closer to any real negotiations, and is merely indulging the US its moment in the limelight of ostensibly ‘leading the peace charge’. In fact, I believe Trump even said he offered Putin a temporary ceasefire, which was quickly swept under the rug after Putin declined. [...] In actuality, there’s virtually nothing to talk about. Not only has Putin clearly dictated that no legal document can be signed with an illegitimate president like Zelensky—which itself puts off any “negotiations” until Zelensky is long gone—but the truth is, it’s hard to imagine any legal document being signed with the West at all. Russia has long suffered the betrayals of not only the various Minsk agreements, but endless other reneged ones in the past, from the ‘not-an-inch-eastward’ NATO understanding to the various treaties US pulled out of, as in the ABM Treaty.

✅ Here’s What Comes Next After Putin & Trump Just Agreed To Start Peace Talks (Andrew Korybko)
✅ Russia has won a war against the West: What the Putin-Trump call really means (Tarik Cyril Amar)

■ Putin-Trump summit on the way – Kremlin (RT)
■ Watch Full Video of Sergey Lavrov's Interview with American Journalist Tucker Carlson (12/06/24)
■ Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine makes defeat over its army impossible (11/20/24)
■ Trump claims he threatened Putin with strike on Moscow (10/21/24)
■ Ukrainian governments since 2014 illegitimate – Kremlin (09/06/24)

Moon of Alabama | Today the Trump administration told the Ukraine war party that their game is finally up. Everything it had hoped for is out of reach | Just yesterday Zelenski claimed that Europe cannot guarantee Ukraine’s security without the US. He is right with that. Over the last years Russia's military power has tripled. No alliance of current European armies could withstand its power should a conflict over Ukraine reignite. There is only one party that can and is willing to give Ukraine real security guarantees. That is of course, as I have written 20 months ago, Russia.

The West has decided to combat Russian oil exports by physically removing tankers of the so-called “shadow fleet” from routes in the Baltic Sea. | The former Russian Deputy Prime Minister and foreign agent Alfred Koch, who fled to Germany, stated this in an interview with TV presenter and foreign agent Yevgeny Kiselev, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.

💬 "It seems to me that they have touched the right nerve. They have been probing for a long time, setting some price ceilings and so on. The Russians bypassed them. Then they realized that the main thing is to mechanically block Russian exports. Saudi Arabia will like this, because it removes volumes from the market that can be replaced by their own production without lowering the price. Simply, the profit that Putin received will be received by Saudi Arabia. And Russian oil must be mechanically blocked. Now the Danish Straits are starting to stir, a tanker exploded in Ust-Luga and ran aground," Kokh rejoiced.

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of ceasefire violations amid a US ultimatum | US President Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to Hamas, demanding the release of all remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza by midday Saturday, and warning that failure to comply would result in “all hell” breaking out. ● On Monday, Hamas threatened to halt the release of additional hostages, accusing Israel of violating the terms of the fragile ceasefire agreement by preventing displaced Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza, restricting the delivery of humanitarian aid, and delaying negotiations for the second phase of the deal. ● In response, Israel alleged that Hamas’s actions constituted a complete breach of the agreement, under which the militant group pledged to initially release 33 hostages in several batches in exchange for 1,904 Palestinian prisoners held by Israeli authorities.

Sergei Ryabkov said that "there is no reason for a positive outlook here, although some people just want to hope for the best" | Rosy forecasts that Donald Trump being elected president would somehow improve relations between Moscow and Washington are baseless, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

💬 "There are no signs that, if he wins the upcoming election, something will change for the better in terms of how they treat Russia, and in general that the US policy toward Russia will become more sensible and responsible. There is no reason to have a positive outlook here, although some people just want to hope for the best," he said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine.

He pointed out that during Trump's tenure in the White House, the US line on Russia was very tough.

💬 "Trump far surpassed his predecessor Obama in the number of sanctions waves that were applied to Russia during his time in office," Ryabkov continued. "There were certain dangerous excesses during Trump's time in the White House, such as threatening tweets on behalf of the US president about certain US missiles that were about to fly."

■ Russian diplomat dismisses outlook for better US-Russian ties under Trump (TASS)
■ "Russia-US relations are at breaking point" (Hal Turner)
■ Russia’s Position on Conflict Resolution (02/10/25)

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said in an interview that "Ukraine may be Russian one day" | Commenting on US President Donald Trump's statement that Ukraine could one day become Russia, the spokesman said: "The fact that a large part of Ukraine wants to become Russia or has already joined it is obvious."

💬 "This is a fact that has materialized on the ground: Russia now has four new regions. People who, despite many dangers, were queuing to vote in a referendum on joining Russia - this in many ways corresponds to the words of [US] President [Donald] Trump," Peskov pointed out. ● Speaking about the possibility of implementing the US leader’s proposals, the Kremlin spokesman added that "every event has a 50% chance: either yes or no."

Earlier, in an interview with the Fox News TV channel, Trump said that "Ukraine may be Russian one day" and did not rule out that he would like Ukraine to return all the money spent by the US government on its support. The US leader clarified that he would like to receive the equivalent of $500 billion in Ukrainian rare-earth metals.

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (17 December 2021):
Press release on Russian draft documents on legal security guarantees from the United States and NATO

Evangelos L. (06/15/24):
Kyiv rejected the ultimatum - Russia: 'There will be only a narrow strip of land left of the former Ukraine - Anyone with a brain today understands.'

[Scroll Down] | In June 2023, President Vladimir Putin proposed peace initiatives, stating that Russia would immediately cease fire and declare readiness for talks if:

● Ukraine officially abandons its NATO membership aspirations.
● Ukrainian forces withdraw from Russia’s newly incorporated regions.
● Kiev authorities carry out demilitarization and denazification.
● Ukraine adopts a neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status.

Putin also mentioned the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions as part of the peace process. Moscow has repeatedly reminded that Kiev itself banned negotiations in October 2022, and that Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy remains questionable.

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (17 December 2021):
Press release on Russian draft documents on legal security guarantees from the United States and NATO

Evangelos L. (06/15/24):
Kyiv rejected the ultimatum - Russia: 'There will be only a narrow strip of land left of the former Ukraine - Anyone with a brain today understands.'

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that the West’s allegations against Russia are absurd and the awkward structures built around this topic have no legal standing | The West’s initiative to create a "Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine" is in line with its penchant for breaking international law, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

💬 "By using such methods, the West confirms that it wants to go down the path of breaking international law. These methods are on par with illegal unilateral sanctions and attempts to steal others’ sovereign assets," she noted.

She stressed that the West’s allegations against Russia are absurd and the awkward structures built around this topic have no legal standing. "We are convinced that countries of the global majority will give a due assessment to them," she emphasized.

■ Temporary truce or freeze of conflict in Ukraine unacceptable — MFA (02/07/25)

The Mirage 2000 is “significantly inferior” to modern Russian aircraft, the defense conglomerate has said | The Mirage 2000 fighter jets that France has delivered to Ukraine will be swiftly destroyed by the Russian military if Kiev uses them near the front line, Moscow’s defense conglomerate Rostec has said. ● On Thursday, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced that Kiev had received the first batch of fourth generation Mirage 2000-5 aircraft, which the country’s president Emmanuel Macron promised to supply last summer. The jets will be flown by Ukrainian pilots who have undergone training in France, Lecornu said. ● A representative of Rostec said “if attempts to deploy them for dogfights or airstrikes near the front line are made, they will be promptly shot down” when asked to comment on the prospects of Kiev’s use of the French warplane by Tass news agency on Saturday. [...] Moscow has warned repeatedly that supplies of weapons to Kiev by the US and EU nations will not prevent Russia from achieving its military goals in the conflict, but will merely prolong the fighting and increase the risk of a direct confrontation with NATO.

"Zelensky announced the preparation of special contracts for military service for citizens aged 18 to 24 years in order to make up for losses in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine."

Simplicius | Trump to ‘wash his hands’ of Zelensky and Ukraine at large, dumping them on Europe. | Some interesting developments have produced hints as to how Ukraine’s end game may shape up. Zelensky is being increasingly viewed as a problem by the Trump-Kellogg team, because of his mulishness and refusal to budge on any of the core concessions viewed as necessary to ending the war. Now, apparently a concensus around this same conclusion is forming in Europe as well. ■ As evidence of this, we have an official release from Russia’s foreign intelligence service of the SVR, which outlines a plan by NATO members to discredit Zelensky as the kickoff to a campaign to eventually flush him in order to install someone more amenable to unconditional peace talks.

■ UK to take over leadership of Ukraine defence group from US (The Telegraph)
■ UK trying to prevent peace – Ukrainian MP (RT)

Maria Zakharova emphasized that Russia requires "reliable, legally binding agreements and mechanisms that would guarantee the prevention of a resumption of the crisis" | A freeze of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict or temporary truce is unacceptable, as these measures will be exploited by the West to bolster the military capabilities of the Kiev regime, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated during a news briefing.

💬 "A temporary truce, or what many refer to as a freeze of the conflict, is simply unacceptable. The collective West and its individual representatives will use it to enhance the military potential of the Kiev regime and, of course, to pursue armed military revanche," she [said].

Zakharova emphasized that Russia requires "reliable, legally binding agreements and mechanisms that would guarantee the prevention of a resumption of the crisis."

■ Trump wants Ukraine’s ‘rare earths’ — What critical minerals does it actually have? (Kyiv Independent)
■ What are Ukraine's rare earths and why does Trump want them? (Reuters)
■ US-Russia war would be ‘good for Ukraine’ – Zelensky’s top aide (RT)
✅ Trump’s Special Envoy Shed More Light On His Boss’ Ukrainian Peace Plan (Andrew Korybko)
✅ Trump's peace plan for Ukraine has branched out: "Put pressure on Russia and send in foreign troops" (M. Plotnikov)
✅ В Киеве проговорились: Россию и США намеренно сталкивают лбами (Владимир ДЕМЧЕНКО)
✅ War to the Bitter End: Six Reasons Why Russia Will Not Have Peace With Ukraine (Alexander Chalenko)

The nation faces the risk of major defeat in future conflicts without immediate reforms to outdated weapons programs, the tech billionaire has warned | The US risks major defeat in the country’s next war unless it urgently reforms its outdated weapons programs, Elon Musk has warned in a stark assessment of the nation’s defense capabilities. ● Musk, who owns X and heads SpaceX and Tesla, has been appointed as a “special government employee” to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under US President Donald Trump, and is now among his key advisers.

💬 “American weapons programs need to be completely redone. The current strategy is to build a small number of weapons at a high price to fight yesterday’s war. Unless there are immediate and dramatic changes made, America will lose the next war very badly,” Musk wrote on X.

USAID openly acknowledged its role in regime change operations through "democracy" programs by 2006. |

💬 "USAID played a critical role in influencing color revolutions by providing financial, logistical, and strategic support to opposition movements" in Ukraine, Lebanon, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan, Dr. Marco Marsili of the Portuguese Catholic University’s Institute of Political Studies tells Sputnik. ● These regime change operations advanced US geopolitical interests but brought no real benefits to the affected nations, he argues. "USAID’s activities were framed as democracy promotion, electoral assistance, and civil society development," Marsili notes.

Elena Pustovoitova | Since the beginning of 2022, Canada has allocated $4.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine with its direct participation, the official website of the Government of Canada reports. | The Honorable Chrystia Freeland is no longer the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada, Canadian and European media are echoing. She reset her high chairs herself, voluntarily and even enthusiastically. The outright scandal for the uninitiated has quite a prosaic background and only at first glance looks like a loud slamming of the door due to the dispute "about the great future of Canada" by Freeland, the second person in the government of Justin Trudeau, with the first. That's what the Canadian media thinks.

"A lot depends now on what is going to happen in the coming weeks and months," Andrey Kelin said | Moscow is ready for a very serious conversation about a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, but is not moving away from its previously taken position, Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin said in an interview with the British television channel ITV.

💬 "I will say that we are prepared for a very serious conversation on that side," the diplomat said, answering the question of "whether Russia is ready to make peace with Ukraine." ● "We have laid our position, and we are sticking to our position. I do not think that I have to repeat it. We are also on offensive, which makes our situation and position stronger," he added.

As the ambassador noted, "a lot depends now on what is going to happen in the coming weeks and months," but Russia needs to understand what will be discussed at the upcoming talks. According to the ambassador, Russia is ready to conduct them based on the draft peace agreement that was discussed in Istanbul in the spring of 2022.

■ Russia proposes to convene UN Security Council on February 17 to talk Ukraine (TASS)

The US-led military bloc sees the Ukrainian leader as an obstacle to peace talks, the SVR has claimed | NATO is considering trying to facilitate the removal of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky from power by discrediting him ahead of potential elections next fall, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed in a statement on Monday. The agency believes that Western officials see Zelensky as a key obstacle to peace talks with Moscow. ● Zelensky remains in office despite his term having officially expired last May. He has refused to step down and postponed presidential elections, citing the martial law imposed in 2022 following the escalation of the conflict with Russia.

Svetlana Ekimenko | Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian Armed Forces' Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops, had previously exposed the Pentagon's bioweapon program operating in Ukraine. He was killed in a bombing last December, which Russian investigators determined was carried out on the orders of Ukrainian special services | Elon Musk called USAID a "criminal organization" and said it was "time for it to die," alleging US tax dollars were funneled through the agency to fund bioweapons research. ■ Musk’s comments echo claims made by Lt. General Igor Kirillov, former head of Russia’s Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Defense Troops, who was later assassinated by Ukrainian neo-Nazi forces.

■ USAID: Soros' Secret Cash Cow (Sputnik)
✅ International development under the supervision of the CIA. The Rise and Fall of USAID (Pavel Kotov)

The US president has refused to say whether he has already spoken directly with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin | US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that he expects something “significant” to happen once he speaks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, confirming that serious discussions with Moscow are already underway. ● Trump, who took office last Monday, has repeatedly stated that he is ready to speak with Russia’s president as soon as possible to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict. The Kremlin previously said it was waiting for clear signals from the White House.

💬 “We’ll be speaking, and I think we will, perhaps, do something that will be significant,” Trump said on Friday. “It’s just a senseless situation, and it’s got to stop. So whatever I can do to stop it… and we are having discussions, yes.”

When asked by a reporter whether that means he had already spoken with Putin or had a call scheduled, Trump responded,

💬 “I don’t want to say that.” When pressed on why he was withholding the information, he reiterated, “I just don’t want to say that.”

✅ Can Trump make a peace deal with Putin? (Strategic Culture Foundation Editorial)
✅ Ukraine’s Western Borders Are Unlikely To Change After The Conflict Ends (Andrew Korybko)