₦airaland Forum

Sabadon:
naaaaa this was my kinda dream girl.....very calm and collected,she still looks it tho. happy birthday

I tell u bro..... happy birthday to her

More characters needed 😜

Disenfranchised:
Taaa!

She was my crush that same days.

Crush snatcher like you!!

Taaaaaaa I even crushed on her before both of you.... I'm still crushing self can u imagine

Nigeria is unique will the way they transformed English into something else, some of my friends from other countries envy the way will speak this pidgin English.....when it's comes to speak good English we are active, when it comes to pidgin we mount.....God bless Nigeria....add your to the list just for fun 😊

Sometimes seeing the way Nigerian escaped some incidents due to poor safety measures...I can only say God lives in Nigeria and Visit other places.

Jennyclay:
50th years of cheating on Annie with different women
I don’t like this 2face

Honestly, Men can never be trusted

Shior!!

Who like you?

dominique:
STOP mixIng football with politics! The players worked hard for that qualification, let them play! If the football governing bodies are allowing genocidal terrorists play in competitions, don't let your players suffer for their indiscretion.

So what about Russia if I may ask

ebexofficial:
If na our beloved Naija, they go don arrest person wey talk say president wife na man

Fact!!
36 more characters needed....so I don't knw what else to say

Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, are planning to present photographic and scientific evidence to a US court to prove Mrs Macron is a woman.

Their lawyer says the French president and Mrs Macron will present the documentation in a defamation suit they have taken against the right-wing influencer Candace Owens after she promoted her belief that Brigitte Macron was born male.

Ms Owens' lawyers have responded with a motion to dismiss the claim.

Speaking to the BBC's Fame Under Fire podcast, the Macrons' lawyer in the case, Tom Clare, said Mrs Macron had found the claims "incredibly upsetting" and they were a "distraction" to the French president.

"I don't want to suggest that it somehow has thrown him off his game. But just like anybody who is juggling a career and a family life as well, when your family is under attack, it wears on you. And he's not immune from that because he's the president of a country," he said.

Mr Clare said there would be "expert testimony that will come out that will be scientific in nature" and while he would not reveal, at this stage, its exact nature, he said the couple were prepared to demonstrate fully "both generically and specifically" that the allegations are false.

"It is incredibly upsetting to think that you have to go and subject yourself, to put this type of proof forward," he said.

"It is a process that she will have to subject herself to in a very public way. But she's willing to do it. She is firmly resolved to do what it takes to set the record straight.

"If that unpleasantness and that discomfort that she has of opening herself up in that way is what it takes to set a record straight and stop this, she's 100% ready to meet that burden."

When asked if the Macrons would be supplying pictures of Brigitte pregnant and raising her children, Mr Clare said they existed and would be presented in court where there are rules and standards.

Ms Owens, a former commentator for conservative US outlet Daily Wire who has millions of followers on social media, has repeatedly promoted her view that Brigitte Macron is a man.

In March 2024, she claimed she would stake her "entire professional reputation" on the allegation.

The allegation originated in fringe online spaces years earlier, notably through a 2021 YouTube video by French bloggers Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey.

The Macrons initially won a defamation case in France against Roy and Rey in 2024, but that ruling was overturned on appeal in 2025 on freedom of expression grounds, not on the basis of truth. The Macrons are appealing the decision.

In July, the Macrons filed a lawsuit against Ms Owens in the US. It alleges she "disregarded all credible evidence disproving her claim in favour of platforming known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers".

In American defamation cases against public figures, plaintiffs are required to prove "actual malice" - that the defendant knowingly spread false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

In August, Emmanuel Macron explained to French magazine, Paris Match, why they had chosen to pursue legal action.

"This is about defending my honour! Because this is nonsense. This is someone who knew full well that she had false information and did so with the aim of causing harm, in the service of an ideology and with established connections to far-right leaders."

Ms Owens' lawyers have responded to the Macrons' lawsuit with a motion to dismiss, arguing that the case should not have been filed in Delaware, as she says it does not relate to her businesses, which are incorporated in the state. They claim forcing her to defend the case in Delaware would cause "substantial financial and operational hardship".

The BBC has approached Candace Owens' legal team for a comment. She has previously said she believes what she is saying is true and there is nothing more American than free speech and the ability to criticise.

Okekeni90:
How is Igede and Idoma one apart from political merger which is collapsing on daily basis because of Idoma deep hatred, greed and obsessive desire to suppress Igede..

Igede is not Idoma and Idoma is not Igede.
We are different in all aspects.
You call your king Oche, I call mine Adirahu
Our languages are different
Our market days are different
Our ancestral gods are different. You have alekwu, I have Akpang.

Ajene Okpabi who was made the Ochidoma then because Ogiri Oko died without an heir to the throne and Ajene Okpabi being an Igede man was his in-law.
His enthronement was even met with resistance from some quarters within Idoma because they felt Ajene Okpabi being an Igede man is a stranger and shouldn't be allowed to rule over them.
If we're truly one, why don't you guys enthrone another Igede man as Ochidoma since then or vote us in as senator of benue south. Una greed and obsessive desire to suppress and oppress others stinks.

Point of correction sir, am not an Idoma man, am full blooded Igede Man okay.....But traditionally we are one that's my point ☝️

UKEMY:
This is Idoma for you.
Very arrogant and myopic
That's why TIV's don't want them to lead the State.

Igede is a distinct tribe from Idoma and they occupies Oju and Obi local government area of Benue state,thou found in Southern Benue.

This is an insult on the Igede people.

Idoma's should know their boundary.

Your knowledge is poor on this topic sir, ochi'Idoma rules over the zone C people, idoma and Igede are one traditionally

Blackman101:
And he was allowed by the Idoma to rule for 35 years abi?

Don't mind him, nothing like royal lineage in ochi'Idoma appointment sir

Exousiang01:
I don't understand what Business the Ochi Idoma has with Igede Land.
Igede land is not Idoma land.

The Adirahu'Igede is a first class king and doesn't answer to the Ochi'Idoma.

Imagine the insult. I expect better from the Ochi'Idoma

Says who?
Do you really knw the tradition of the idoma and Igede people?

Igede rule as ochi'Idoma some years ago, they even did better than those ruling from the idoma axes... Igede chief is bond and control by the ochi'Idoma stop spitting things you don't knw okah

benalvino3:
They should focus on ending the war first. That's why I dislike the EU.

Use the money to get significant weapons for Ukraine to flatten Russia as well. The war will end

😂 If it's easy they should try it na,Putin knew there game plans and he is the chess master, they should keep the money while Russia will keep the natural resources in Ukraine 😂😂

Osariemen12:
This is nothing but the truth. As a student in 2014, we did a group activity on the removal of the then president of Ukraine and what it might result to in the international politics.

It was obvious that the west has a hand in what was supposed to be an internal affair to Ukraine. Just two years later, there was alleged ill treatment of the Eastern Ukraine by the central government.

Now, everyone suddenly wants the military oppression to stop; the same people who looked away when the eastern part of Ukraine was being destroyed by the government of Ukraine.

Anyway, God bless Mother Russia!

Western slaves won't get the truth behind this.....

Osariemen12:
This is nothing but the truth. As a student in 2014, we did a group activity on the removal of the then president of Ukraine and what it might result to in the international politics.

It was obvious that the west has a hand in what was supposed to be an internal affair to Ukraine. Just two years later, there was alleged ill treatment of the Eastern Ukraine by the central government.

Now, everyone suddenly wants the military oppression to stop; the same people who looked away when the eastern part of Ukraine was being destroyed by the government of Ukraine.

Anyway, God bless Mother Russia!

God bless you too my friend

SadiqBabaSani:
Easy boasting Mr Ambassador, some day your country will be powerless against smaller countries, where is the Roman Empire?

What about your Western masters?

The Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Andrey Podelyshev, on Thursday called on the international community to reframe its understanding of the war in Ukraine, insisting that any meaningful resolution must confront the “root causes” of the conflict, not merely its symptoms.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, the ambassador rejected the Western narrative that Russia’s actions in February 2022 marked the beginning of an unprovoked war.

Instead, he offered a lengthy exposition of what he described as the true genesis of the crisis, tracing it back to the 2014 political upheaval in Kyiv.

“According to the narrative promoted by the Western countries, the conflict is considered to begin in February 2022, when Russia allegedly ‘launched an unprovoked and aggressive war against peaceful Ukraine’.
“In this context as presented by the Western countries, the events of February 2022 are usually analyzed without reference to what has occurred in and around Ukraine during the previous eight years starting in 2014,” Podelyshev said.

Calling the 2014 ouster of then-President Viktor Yanukovych an “unconstitutional coup d’état,” Podelyshev asserted that Western countries not only supported the opposition but actively enabled Ukraine’s descent into civil strife.

“The President of Ukraine, in order to avoid a bloody scenario, was forced to flee the country. The guarantors, represented by Germany, France, and Poland, remained silent, effectively encouraging the opposition to take further unconstitutional actions.”

He accused Ukraine’s post-2014 leadership of pursuing a deliberate campaign of marginalisation and discrimination against Russian-speaking citizens, outlawing the Russian language and dismantling cultural heritage.

“Imagine a situation where the Hausa, Fulani, or Yoruba languages were banned in Nigeria. In fact, more than half of the Ukrainian population spoke Russian.”

He added that revered Russian cultural and wartime symbols were torn down and replaced with monuments to controversial nationalist figures like Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych, whom he described as “war criminals” who “personally took part in the executions of tens of thousands of civilians.”
He portrayed the Minsk Agreements, signed between 2014 and 2015, as a missed opportunity for peace due to Ukraine’s alleged refusal to implement them in good faith.

Citing statements by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President François Hollande, Podelyshev argued that the West saw the Minsk process not as a path to peace but as a “temporary pause” to arm Ukraine for war.
“Ukraine, feeling the support of the West, refused to comply with [the Minsk Agreements] under various excuses. Over eight years, more than 10,000 civilians, including children, were killed as a result. Curiously, no one in the West cares to mention this.”
Describing the days leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Podelyshev claimed it was a response to appeals for help from Donetsk and Luhansk, which Russia recognized as independent states just three days before launching its military operation.

“Russia launched its Special Military Operation in Ukraine. Therefore, there are no grounds for calling Russia’s actions an act of aggression. Russia did not initiate any military actions in Ukraine, but sought to put an end to them.”

He added that Russia’s actions were legal under international law, citing past UN resolutions and the case of Kosovo to argue that self-declared republics like Donetsk and Luhansk had the right to seek independence and security alliances with Russia.
“Russia possessed both the capacity and the obligation to respond. That is what Russia did, attempting to stop the hostilities initiated by the Kyiv regime in 2014.”

Podelyshev reiterated that Russia remains committed to a peaceful resolution but said that conditions must be met.

“What is required is not a temporary ceasefire, but a sustainable and lasting peace. First and foremost, threats to Russia’s security must be eliminated, particularly those associated with NATO’s eastward expansion.

“Kyiv and Brussels must accept that compromise is the only option. The European Union is seeking only a pause to give Kyiv time to prepare for continuing the war against Russia.”

helinues:
Eze, Nwaneri, Odegard, Zubimendi, Rice at the midfield would be hard to crack oo

The one Man utd destroyed abi I laughed....abeg stay humble

dominique:
5-0!
Top of the table baby!!!

Victor Goalkeres for golden boot!

Stay humble o.... Man city do like this last week collect this week ooo, is too early abeg

The 42-month-old Russia-Ukraine war remains central to global diplomacy, with US President Donald Trump’s separate meetings with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky raising hopes for peace. While the talks drew international attention, former Nigerian External Affairs Minister Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, in an exclusive interview with Channels Television, explained that the outcomes of the meetings have wider implications beyond Europe. He stressed that the conflict could reshape Nigeria’s economy, particularly in the areas of energy sustainability and trade.


Did you ever see Mr. Vladimir Putin going on American soil, especially in the case of Ukraine?


On a military base, for that matter. These are interesting times diplomatically. There are losers, and there are winners. Now, let’s first talk about the losers at the Alaska summit. The first is the international community, because there is an outstanding International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for the arrest of Putin. And yet the United States allowed him on American soil.

Yes, indeed, the United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court. So, to that extent, the US could claim that it is not legally binding for it to have arrested Putin. But as the most powerful country in the world, its behavior undermined the legitimacy of the ICC. So, the international community is a loser. That’s number one.
The second loser is Europe. This war is being fought on the soil of Europe, and yet Europe was sidelined; it was not invited to Alaska. The third loser is Ukraine, with Volodymyr Zelensky as the president. He is the other protagonist in this war, and he wasn’t invited to Alaska.

The fourth loser is the United States itself. I have never, since I’ve been studying diplomacy, heard of a situation where a president will go to a major summit like that and not be prepared. There’s no doubt that Trump acts by impulse, and you don’t act by impulse on a major issue like that.

The main winner is Putin because Putin, who had been marginalised and sidelined internationally for how many years now, was released from, I would say, the cell of isolation where he was put because he was dodging the ICC warrant. Here, he was being received by the most powerful man in the country, red carpet and everything.

With your many years of experience studying global diplomacy, does this move the needle towards peace in any way?

Of course not, it doesn’t. And there is one last evidence I want to draw your attention to. When the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, turned up in Alaska, he was wearing a T-shirt. And what was written on that T-shirt? Soviet Union. Not Russia, Soviet Union.

In other words, Putin aims to reconstitute the Soviet Union that was dissolved when it fell apart. And he was telling you that the first nation he was going to grab was Ukraine.
So, he didn’t move towards peace at all because Ukraine had let him know, and Europe had let him know, that they were not going to allow Russia to swallow Ukraine. Because if they allowed Russia to swallow Ukraine, they know that other nations like Georgia and the Baltic countries that were part of the Soviet Union were going to be the next targets.

That Alaska summit did not move the world, did not move Europe, and did not move even the United States towards peace, a peaceful resolution of the war.


The war has affected the global economy, food, energy, transport, and inflation. Even Nigeria’s economy and some parts of the world felt it, and even stock markets. How much of an impact would this Alaska meeting have on the world economy?



Well, already as far as the Alaska summit is concerned, the main summit itself, we all know how G3 is made in most of the world. You mentioned Nigeria just in passing, but I will say, don’t do so because of this war, Trump had put a tariff, a body of 50%, on India that was buying Russian oil as an alternative.

What do you think would be a fair arrangement to ensure lasting peace without Russia appearing to bully Ukraine in the negotiations?
Well, I think that there have been leaks from the decision arrived at in Alaska. And part of the leak is that the United States agreed with Russia that Russia could keep the area conquered, plus the rest of the provinces that have not been conquered. But in exchange, there will be this security guarantee for Ukraine.

And the language that is being used is that even though Ukraine is not going to be allowed to join NATO, the guarantee that it will be given will be like an Article 5 guarantee, that an attack on one member of NATO will be like an attack on all members. Therefore, the kind of guarantee that will be offered to Ukraine is that an attack on Ukraine will be treated as an attack on all NATO members.

Now, if that is true, it would be difficult for Ukraine to reject that kind of guarantee. And the reason why almost all leaders of Europe are following Zelensky to Washington is to ensure that he’s not bullied. We seem to think that the war between Russia and Ukraine is localised. It isn’t. Russia, since the time of the Soviet Union, has always been regarded as a danger to the whole of Europe. That’s why NATO was formed.

So, in a way, European leaders’ following Zelensky to Washington is a message to Trump that what affects Ukraine affects the whole of Europe. And to that extent, they are showing support for Europe and for Ukraine. But I must say that the reason NATO was formed was that, without the United States, Europe could not stand up to Russia. And that has never changed.

If Trump decides to do to Europe, to European countries, buying oil from Russia what he has done to India, then Nigerian oil will be at a premium as an alternative to people who don’t want tariffs as a punishment for buying Russian oil.

So, Nigeria could find itself affected by what has been going on in Europe. We have to watch very closely what’s going to happen. It’s a foreign policy issue, but it can also become a domestic economic issue for a country like Nigeria.


What do you think would be a major lesson that you think that the whole world and Nigeria could learn or take away from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine?


It is a big lesson for countries in the Global South: don’t get yourself caught in a conflict between the big boys. In a way, Putin is right that he had an understanding with the United States that when there would be disintegration of the Soviet Union, there was an agreement that NATO would not move East to share a frontier with Russia. It was the United States that broke that agreement, and Ukraine found itself caught in the middle.

The US, especially under Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, pushed a section of the elite of the Ukrainian Republic into a confrontation with Russia. I remember it was the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) that encouraged a coup in Ukraine that overthrew a president who was supposed to have been. He had to be lifted by helicopter out of the presidential grounds. And there’s a recording of Hillary Clinton saying, “No, this is our candidate. This is the person we want. We will make money available for the election.”

So, Putin is right that there was a coup in Ukraine before Zelensky then won the so-called election. The direct answer to your question is this: Nations in the Global South must avoid becoming pawns in the conflicts of the Global North. Let us define our national interests very narrowly so that it does not become part of the national interests of any of the global powers, whether it is Russia, whether it is the United States, or whether it is China; we should all be careful.

Especially in a country like Nigeria, we call ourselves the biggest Black power in the world. We should pay very close attention to the implications of what we call ourselves; the Black population of the world looks up to us. And to that extent, we should take ourselves seriously, and we shouldn’t get caught on the side of any of the global powers. We are a medium power, and we should be serious about that.

So far so good
Still living today
But we don't know what tomorrow brings
In this crazy world
People dying like flies every day
You read about it in the news
But you don't believe it
You'll only know about it
When the man in the long black coat
Knocks on your door
Cause you're his next victims..

Leaders starting wars
Any time they want
Some for their rights
Some for fun and their own glory
Letting people die for the wrong that they do
Oh it's painful
Come on now little boy
Say your prayers before you sleep
Little boy went down on his knees and he said
Oh Lord
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
And if I die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take
Cause he's living in this crazy world oh Lord.

Lucky Crazy world dedicated to NATO

RollinTNDA:
Putin sounding so scared

Nato don show am shege

From we will defeat Kiev in 2 weeks
To blaming Past president for war.

From begging North Korea for soldiers .

This Alaska meeting is an opportunity for putin to seek soft landing after losing over 200k soldiers while Ukraine lost 60k

He will soon look for another thing to blame for his disastrous mistake of invading Ukraine.

Putin came to this summit looking esperance to end the war he started

Scared old man

I wonder where some of una the reason from? When did Putin mentioned defeating Ukraine is 2weeks....una go just they type.

Putin is big period!

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has underlined he will make no territorial concessions to Russia ahead of a scheduled meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on the future of the war in Ukraine.

The US-Russia meeting is due to take place in Alaska on 15 August.

Hours before announcing the meeting, Trump had signalled Ukraine might have to cede territory to end the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Zelensky said in a Telegram post on Saturday that "Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier". He reiterated that Ukraine must be involved in any solution for peace, and said he is ready to work with partners for a "real" and "lasting" peace.
Zelensky said Ukraine "will not give Russia awards for what it has done".

"The answer to the Ukrainian territorial issue is already in the Constitution of Ukraine. No one will and cannot deviate from this," he added.
His statement followed comments from Trump at the White House on Friday that there "will be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both".

"You're looking at territory that's been fought over for three and a half years, a lot of Russians have died. A lot of Ukrainians have died," the US president said.

He did not provide further details on what any such proposal would look like.

Sacrificing land for peace has been the Trump position all along. Zelensky has always made clear that is unacceptable under Ukraine's constitution and would only reward Russia for starting the war.
He did not provide further details on what any such proposal would look like.

Sacrificing land for peace has been the Trump position all along. Zelensky has always made clear that is unacceptable under Ukraine's constitution and would only reward Russia for starting the war.

While Ukraine's president has been careful not to criticise Trump, his post on social media makes clear that he will not accept it.

Trump announced his meeting with Putin - which was later confirmed by the Kremlin - on Friday, saying details would follow.

Zelensky on Saturday said that Ukraine is ready for "real solutions that can bring peace" but underlined that Ukraine needed to be involved.

"Any solutions that are against us, any solutions that are without Ukraine, are simultaneously solutions against peace," he said.

"We are ready, together with President Trump, together with all partners, to work for a real, and most importantly, lasting peace - a peace that will not collapse because of Moscow's wishes."

This is what Ukraine, and many European allies, were always worried about - Trump and Putin trying to do a deal without Ukraine present.

Trump's words on Russia may have hardened in recent months, but for Ukraine they have yet to be followed by tangible actions.

The US president's deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face more sanctions has passed without any apparent consequences. Now, reports suggest Trump is still willing to discuss Ukraine giving up some of its territory in return for a ceasefire when he meets Putin in Alaska next week.

Donald Trump says he will meet Vladimir Putin for Ukraine war talks in Alaska on 15 August, after the Russian leader failed to meet Trump's Friday deadline on Ukraine ceasefire

Trump hints at concessions that Ukraine will have to make, saying a deal would involve "some swapping of territories... to the betterment of both"

Kyiv has not yet commented while Europe has not been invited to Alaska

The White House is proposing a deal which would see Ukraine hand over territory to Russia, the BBC's partner CBS news reports

The Kremlin confirms Putin's plan to travel to US soil for his first face-to-face negotiations with Trump since 2019.
The US and Russian leaders have confirmed a meeting in Alaska next Friday to discuss Moscow's war against Ukraine. Here is how it's played out overnight:

Speaking at the White House, Trump confirmed reports he would meet Putin soon. Shortly after, he said on social media that the meeting would take place in Alaska on 15 August
The BBC's US news partner CBS reported that the White House is trying to sell a peace deal to European allies that would see Ukraine give up vast swathes of territory
Under its terms, Russia would take the eastern Donbas region and Crimea, while pulling its forces out of other parts of Ukraine where it has some control
The White House has not confirmed that, but Trump earlier said a deal would involve "some swapping of territories"
Trump put pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying he has to "get ready to sign something"
Trump previously set a deadline for Putin to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine by Friday - but that deadline came and went with no announcement or additional sanctions.

The West African Examinations Council is pleased to inform candidates who sat WASSCE for School Candidates, 2025 that the result has officially been released today, Monday, August 4, 2025.
To access the result, log on to waecdirect.org.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced hopes for further peace talks with Ukraine - but stressed his troops were "advancing on the entire front line", despite the threat of looming US sanctions if a ceasefire was not agreed upon.

"All disappointments arise from inflated expectations," Putin said, in an apparent reference to Trump's "disappointment" with the Russian leader for not bringing an end to the war.

Speaking a day after one of the deadliest Russian air attacks on Kyiv, he repeated his demands for Ukrainian neutrality and recognition of the occupied territories, which Ukraine views as a capitulation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to meet Putin "any time".

Speaking on Friday at the Valaam Monastery on an island in north-western Russia, Putin said he expected negotiations with Ukraine to continue, adding that he viewed "negotiations positively".

But in a veiled reference to growing pressure from Ukraine and its Western allies to agree to a long-term ceasefire, he said: "As for any disappointments on the part of anyone, all disappointments arise from inflated expectations.

"Our enemies and ill-wishers... now have one fiery passion: to stop our advance [on the front line in Ukraine] at any cost".

Ukraine and its allies have repeatedly accused Russia of stalling peace negotiations and rejecting any meaningful ceasefire, saying Moscow is trying to seize more Ukrainian territories.

Three rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul, Turkey, in recent months ended without any major breakthrough. The two sides, however, agreed to swap several thousands of prisoners of war.

Speaking shortly after Putin's comments, Zelensky questioned whether Russia was showing "serious readiness to end the war with dignity and establish a truly lasting peace" or whether it was "just an attempt to buy more time for war and postpone sanctions".
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its deadly drone and missile strikes on Ukraine.

On Thursday, at least 31 people - including five children - were killed in a Russian aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital.

US President Donald Trump condemned Russia's actions, threatening new sanctions.

"Russia, I think it's disgusting what they're doing," he told journalists.

When in July Trump announced his original 50-day deadline for Russia to end the war, Putin didn't react. When that was reduced to 10-12 days, Putin said nothing.

But on Friday the Kremlin leader left little doubt that he would not be swayed by a White House ultimatum.

Trump may claim to be "disappointed" with Putin for not making peace - but the Russian leader is unrepentant.

His guest on the Valaam island, Belarus' authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, was more direct in his dismissal of Trump's deadline.

"50 days, 60 days, 10 days. You don't do politics like that," Lukashenko said.

Experience shows that, for Trump, deadlines are not set in stone. But on paper, at least, his latest deadline expires on 8 August.

If by then Russia hasn't signed up to a ceasefire in Ukraine, it will face more sanctions – so in theory will countries that buy Russian oil.

But judging by what the Russian state media has been saying in recent days, many in Moscow doubt the White House will go through with its threat of tougher sanctions.

What's more, from what Putin said on Friday about Russia advancing along the entire front line in Ukraine, he clearly believes a ceasefire now is not in Moscow's best interest.

Ukrainian officials on Friday said Kyiv had received "positive signals" from the US about potential new sanctions.

A day earlier, senior US diplomat John Kelley told the UN Security Council that Russia and Ukraine "must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace".

https://bbc.com/news/articles/cn845mm7xemo

CaseSensitive:
Russia started the war? It’s funny how you’re praising Trump for ‘threatening Russia’ when the U.S. literally promised not to move an inch eastward after the Cold War. But here you are cheering on a man who not only talks too much but openly exposes classified movements just to flex. That’s not strength, that’s stupidity on full display. My pillow might not talk, but at least it knows when to shut up and not endanger lives just to score points with clueless fanboys like you.

Oh, if there's anything I agree with you on, it's the fact that the EU is nothing but a toothless dog. Remember when George Bush claimed that Iraq had "weapon of mass destruction"? EU wasn't buying it until Bush told them to fall in line, even though no "weapon of mass destruction" was found in Iraq but America still killed thousands of Iraqis in the process of finding this "weapon of mass destruction".

EU lost its voice since then and never regained it. That's why Trump had the power to impose trade terms on the EU today. What's the condition of the trade terms? European Union MUST buy America's expensive oil and gas. But hey! There's Russia next door who can supply those oil and gas cheaply but too bad Russia and EU are not even talking even though they're neighbours. Who pays for this expensive oil and gas? Myself and millions of others in this Europe. So, yes, EU is clueless, just like you MAGA plonker.

God bless you ☺️

CoronaVirusPro:
😂😆😂😂

Trump is the dumbest living thing.

He talks too much and doesn’t even realize the risk he is putting his naval officers.

Russia now knows they have submarines close to their coast.

What a dumb creation of God!

This is why NATO want Ukraine at all cost, and why Russia won't accept it. Imagine getting NATO base close to Russia from all angles. The truth behind Ukraine war is unfolding gradually

President Trump on Thursday sharpened his threat to impose sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine, even while acknowledging that the weapon he once argued worked on everyone — the threat of financial ruin — may have no effect on its president, Vladimir V. Putin.

“We’re going to put sanctions,” he said, even though a deadline he gave Moscow this week to seriously engage on a cease-fire had not yet passed. “Russia? I think it’s disgusting what they’re doing,” he said, apparently referring to its continued bombing of Ukraine.

Mr. Trump’s comments came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged in an interview with Fox News Radio that the administration held secret talks with Russia this week — “not with Putin but with some of Putin’s top people” — and made no progress on a cease-fire. Mr. Trump said he was dispatching his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Russia again, but the last visit that Mr. Witkoff, a fellow real estate investor, paid to Mr. Putin proved fruitless.
Administration officials gave no reasons to believe the latest engagement with Russia would be any more useful. And Mr. Trump himself, usually a true believer in the power of economic sanctions to alter the decisions of foreign leaders, admitted for the second time this week that Mr. Putin appears to be immune.
“I don’t know that sanctions bother him,” he said on Thursday.

Nonetheless, Mr. Trump has now executed a 180-degree turn on Russia, at least in tone, in roughly 180 days.

Kremlin says Russia has developed immunity to sanctions
Russia has now acquired immunity to sanctions from the West thanks to long experience, the Kremlin said yesterday, adding that it continues to monitor statements by US president Donald Trump regarding sanctions against Moscow.

"We have been living under a huge number of sanctions for quite a long time, our economy operates under a huge number of restrictions," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Therefore, of course, we have already developed a certain immunity in this regard, and we continue to note all statements that come from president Trump, from other international representatives on this matter," the aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin said.

Mr Trump on Tuesday said that the United States would start imposing tariffs and other measures on Russia in 10 days if Moscow showed no progress towards ending its more than three-year-long war in Ukraine.Russia doubled down on its defensive stance against the upcoming sanctions and said that the West seems to be stuck in a pattern.

"We see that the West simply cannot let go of the issue of sanctions. It seems as if they are constantly stuck in a rut," Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a news briefing in Moscow yesterday.

"Apparently, there are no other options left - they have been exhausted. We are responding and taking measures to counteract all of this or even turn it to our own advantage,” she said.

Mean while, Russia continue to bombard Kyiv, Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent
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41 minutes ago
NewsWorldEurope
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russian strike on Kyiv kills 6 after Kremlin boasts of Trump sanctions ‘immunity’
Top Ukrainian minister says Putin attacking Kyiv 'on purpose' while Trump has been 'patient' with him

Arpan Rai
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Alexander Butler
,
Bryony Gooch
Thursday 31 July 2025 14:00 BST
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Multiple blasts hit Kyiv as Russia launches overnight drone strike
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A child was among six people killed and more than 50 injured in Kyiv today after Russia unleashed a combined missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital, president Volodymyr Zelensky said this morning.

“There is extensive damage to residential infrastructure. In one of the residential districts, an entire section of an apartment block has been destroyed. As of now, six people are known to have been killed, including a six-year-old boy,” he said on X.


The attack came as a senior Kremlin official said, in response to US president Donald Trump’s 10-day ultimatum to agree to a ceasefire or face sanctions, that Russia had developed immunity to sanctions after living under them for years.

“We have been living under a huge number of sanctions for quite a long time, our economy operates under a huge number of restrictions,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said yesterday.

Trump previously warned Russia that Washington would start imposing punitive tariffs and other measures in 10 days if Moscow did not prepare to end the war in Ukraine.

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(Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Sam Rkaina31 July 2025 13:49
1 hour ago
Watch: Multiple blasts hit Kyiv as Russia launches overnight drone strike

Multiple blasts hit Kyiv as Russia launches overnight drone strike
Bryony Gooch31 July 2025 13:00

2 hours ago
People trapped under the rubble in Kyiv
Emergency services are searching for people trapped under rubble after a Russian strike on Kyiv.

Some have been rescued,” said Volodymyr Zelensky, who received a report from the minister of internal affairs. “Information on each name is being verified. As of now, 7 people are confirmed dead, including, tragically, a child. Dozens have been injured across different districts of the city.

“So far, 80 people have received necessary assistance; 64 have been wounded in the attack, and 50 are currently hospitalised. Among the injured are 9 children.
“Many buildings in the city have been damaged — these are ordinary residential buildings, and other facilities — all civilian.

“Among the damaged sites is one of Kyiv’s mosques. The attack was extremely insidious and deliberately calculated to overload the air defense system.

“Kyiv was the main target for ‘shaheds,’ other drones, and missiles, though there is damage in other regions as well. Rescue operations will continue as long as necessary — until the fate of every person is clarified. There are sufficient forces and resources.”