Fiona Hill, the former aide to Trump during his first term, participated in the #Kultaranta Talks, organised by the President of Finland, and gave an interesting interview to the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. Some excerpts: ▪️Greenland could suffer the same fate as Crimea. ▪️Hill says she sees the United States acting more like Russia, the White House more like the Kremlin, and Trump behaving more like Putin. ▪️Hill says that Trump's desire to take over Greenland is psychological. “He wants to own things. This is about him." ▪️”If we look at history, this is exactly how the Soviet Union acted towards its own Warsaw Pact allies: it occupied Hungary, it occupied Czechoslovakia, and it pressured Poland in a way that led to the declaration of martial law in Poland," Hill says. ▪️”Trump is now essentially treating his NATO allies the same way the Soviet leaders treated the Warsaw Pact members: as vassal states and states that have no decision-making power of their own." ▪️On the stage of the Kultaranta discussions, Hill was asked whether Europe can trust the United States. Hill answered bluntly no. And she reminded that the next administration cannot necessarily be trusted either. 1/

Entire fireworks and lightshow at the end of Pope Leo XIV’s La Sagrada Familia mass ceremony is incredible. The final tribute to Antoni Gaudi includes part of one of the legendary architect’s most famous quotes: “To do things right, first you need love, then technique.”

Esmu redzējis daudz NBA spēļu un atspēlēšanos un uzvarētu spēļu noliešanu. Bet šitādu aunpierību, ko otrajā spēles pusē nodemonstrēja Spurs (Fokss), pat vēl pēdējā spēles minūtē, laikam redzēju pirmo reizi. Jesus!

Ragozin is more pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian than most Russian officials at this point. The fact that he acts like he is in the opposition makes his takes even more dangerous. Some of them are really low level though, including this one that he already deleted

These guys are working hard at replacing the idiom “selling a bridge” with “I have a tunnel to sell you.”

I ferocissimi paesi baltici sono armati fino ai denti e, a quanto pare, sognano di invadere la Russia da un momento all’altro. Monaco invece prepara l’assalto a Parigi: orde di monegaschi su Lamborghini e Rolls-Royce, coperti di Chanel e Loro Piana, avanzeranno sugli Champs-Élysées. Il Vaticano, naturalmente, si sta militarizzando per occupare Roma. Conquistare tutta l’Italia però sarà complicato: San Marino ha già mobilitato le sue temibili forze armate e lucidato le balestre per difendere la penisola che considera già sua. Il Liechtenstein, invece, è già pronto alla guerra ma non ha ancora deciso dove invadere: Svizzera o Austria. Dilemmi geopolitici del XXI secolo. Il Lussemburgo ha iniziato le sue ambizioni imperiali dalla conquista del Belgio, ma tutti sanno che il vero obiettivo è Berlino. Tanto la Francia sarà già impegnata a respingere l’attacco combinato di baltici e monegaschi. E infine, ovviamente, Andorra — armata fino ai denti — lancerà l’offensiva finale contro la Spagna. Pare che i duty free ai Pirenei siano solo una copertura per il complesso militare-industriale andorrano. Più o meno così appare il nuovo “mondo multipolare” se si dà ascolto a certi “esperti” italiani. Manca solo l’annuncio che il Lussemburgo costruirà una flotta oceanica e che il principato di Monaco svilupperà armi nucleari nascoste nei casinò di Monte Carlo. In questa realtà parallela, i Paesi baltici — che da decenni vivono accanto a una Russia infinitamente più grande e militarmente più potente — non sarebbero preoccupati per la propria sicurezza, ma starebbero segretamente progettando la conquista di Mosca. Dovrebbero concludere con l’analisi geopolitica definitiva: “L’Estonia vuole arrivare fino a Vladivostok entro Natale”.

🚨Breaking news: Leaked docs from a Kremlin-controlled propaganda machine reveal a campaign backing far-right parties in EU elections and spreading disinformation to undermine Ukraine. Read further: vsquare.org/leaked-files-put… Let’s dive into the #FactoryofFakes🕵️‍♂️🧵 1/15

‼️🇳🇴🇷🇺🇪🇺 Norway is preparing for war with Russia, and unlike much of Europe, Oslo is no longer pretending the threat isn’t real. The Nordic nation is rapidly shifting into a full “total defense” strategy: Building air raid shelters Preparing civilians for survival during invasion Conducting large scale evacuation drills near the Russian border Training Arctic communities to live autonomously in wartime Norway understands a brutal reality many Western European nations ignored for decades: Peace is not permanent. For 30 years, much of Europe sacrificed military readiness and strategic resilience under the illusion that war on the continent was impossible. Now the wake up call is here. Russian military activity in the Arctic keeps intensifying, NATO radar stations are increasingly targeted during Russian exercises, and intelligence fears Russian espionage has already deeply infiltrated border regions. Norway has realized that in a modern conflict, survival will depend on the entire nation holding together, government, businesses, food supply chains, emergency services, and ordinary citizens. While others still debate the danger, Norway is preparing for the worst case scenario before it’s too late.

The PL government should seize the moment, work to organize the Nordic/Baltic Northeast Corridor, and come to Washington with specific proposals re: mil-mil regional cooperation within @NATO. This should be top priority, outlining what the region can deliver to strengthen the alliance, specifying what US enablers it will need to achieve that, and proposing an exercises regimen to strengthen deterrence. And most of all, #Poland needs all hands on deck above partisanship to strengthen transatlantic relations.

Do naszych nacjonalistów nadal nie dociera, że w stosunkach międzynarodowych, jak w międzyludzkich, miłość nie zawsze jest odwzajemniona.

"Sacrifices" Finland has made. Laughable. Everything all these countries have done is in self-interest because they know that if Ukraine falls they will be next to be invaded, and unlike the Ukrainians, they will quickly wave white flags - what they ALL expected Ukraine to do.

A charming witty & bold masterclass that was a celebration of democracy law history and alliance from our chief diplomat & veteran statesman in these perilous times, King Charles III. Noone does it better. @RoyalFamily

The ending of Burn After Reading came into my head this morning. Sums things up well. (profanity warning, though nothing you haven't heard from Trump)

Dom'jot par vēlēšanās,: youtube.com/watch?v=Ym-k5viJ…

Gandrīz palaidu garām šo albumu: War Child. Tik aktuāls k;a nekad. Tajā ir viena Depeche Mode interpretācija par 60-to dziesmu. Ļoti laba, jāsaka: youtube.com/watch?v=J4f2dwpJ…

Par angļu un francū attiecībām: youtube.com/watch?v=QSo0duY7…

Š|Ībrīža notikumu kontekstā atcerējos, ka US raidīja šo dziesmu uz karakuģiem pirmā Irākas kara laikā.youtube.com/watch?v=m1cRGVaJ…

Atliek tikai cerēt, ka LHF arī bija starp tām "certain countries".

Labi, bũs Tev tas viens pīrādziņš šovakar. Bet tikai viens.

Here and there I hear opinions that now is the time for transactional politics and the Concert of Great Powers. Those who think that everything can be bought should also remember that in this philosophy everyone can be sold.