Russia-Ukraine talks to begin ‘immediately,’ Trump says after call with Putin



President Donald Trump stated Monday that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” begin negotiation talks.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump revealed some details regarding a two-hour call he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that the conversation went “very well.”

'I think it’s a place that both sides would be comfortable going.'

He announced that Russia and Ukraine would immediately begin talks to reach a ceasefire deal and ultimately agree on an “END to the War.”

“The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of. The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent. If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later,” Trump wrote.

RELATED: Russia, Ukraine resume talks for first time in years — all thanks to Trump

— (@)

The president noted that Putin expressed interest in engaging in “largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over.”

“There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth,” Trump continued. “Its potential is UNLIMITED. Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on Trade, in the process of rebuilding its Country.”

Trump further noted that the Vatican had agreed to host the negotiation talks.

RELATED: Trump reveals Ukraine ceasefire challenges and who he blames most

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and Pope Leo XIV. Photo by Simone Risoluti Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images

On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also suggested that the Vatican could be the venue for the discussions.

“I think it’s a place that both sides would be comfortable going,” Rubio stated. “So we’ll talk about all of that and obviously always grateful to the Vatican for their willingness to play this constructive and positive role.”

The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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Dictator, thief, puppet: Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 3 strikes revealed



The mountain of lies about Ukraine is beginning to crumble under the weight of the truth. The media-crafted façade of Ukraine as a beacon of democracy — and Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the Winston Churchill of our time — is disintegrating. February’s disgraceful Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and the Ukrainian dictator revealed Zelenskyy’s true character.

After Trump made it clear that Ukraine would never join NATO, Zelenskyy responded with open defiance, vowing NATO membership would happen anyway. His message was clear: The war must go on — regardless of the cost to his people. From the beginning, NATO expansion into Ukraine has been the root provocation behind Russia’s so-called "special military operation."

The United States and NATO have waged a proxy war against Russia and for globalism.

This week, Zelenskyy removed any lingering doubt about his intent. He outright rejected President Trump’s peace proposal, effectively sabotaging any meaningful negotiation.

An illegitimate president

Retired Col. Douglas Macgregor recognized Zelenskyy’s role as a puppet early in the war — stunning mainstream media. He sees Zelenskyy as the “globalist enemy within” — undermining any chance for peace. To achieve the most direct path to peace, Macgregor has urged Trump to immediately stop all military and financial aid to Ukraine, dump Zelenskyy, and pull out all American personnel — in or out of uniform.

Zelenskyy’s term expired last May, but he canceled presidential elections to remain in power. Donald Trump has called out Zelenskyy as a “dictator without elections” — and that’s not even the half of it.

Zelenskyy has shut down all nongovernment-controlled media, banned opposition parties, jailed dissidents, and reportedly had critics kidnapped, tortured, or killed. He’s ordered thugs to snatch thousands of men off the streets and shove them into the trenches. He’s outlawed the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, jailing its priests. Meanwhile, his government and military remain riddled with neo-Nazis — a fact the media refuses to address.

Zelenskyy also uses Ukrainian lawfare to lock up members of his own party when they speak out against his corruption.

Dissent silenced

Oleksandr Dubinsky was elected to the Ukrainian Parliament as a member of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People Party. He is the only MP to speak out against the criminal regime. Dubinsky states, “I’m currently fighting a politically motivated case, filed by Zelensky's [sic] regime, to silence my criticism of his corruption, as well as the corruption of Soros-backed NGOs and the Bidens' connections to Burisma.” In November 2023, Dubinsky was arrested, charged with treason, and thrown into prison, where he remains awaiting trial. From his prison cell, Dubinsky has called for Zelenskyy’s impeachment and announced his intention to run for president — assuming elections are ever allowed again.

In a Kyiv courtroom in February, Dubinsky exposed the SBU, Zelenskyy’s secret police, for their brutal arrest, imprisonment, torture, and murder of American independent journalist Gonzalo Lira — whose only crime was criticizing both the Zelenskyy and Biden regimes.

In a remarkable prison interview, Norwegian scholar Glenn Diesen spoke with Dubinsky — who knows Zelenskyy well. In 2019, both men were allies when Zelenskyy ran as a peace candidate promising normalized relations with Russia. But Dubinsky broke ranks once Zelenskyy aligned with globalist interests, collaborated with the neo-Nazis, and embraced full-on corruption and criminality.

Dubinsky provides a deep insight into Zelenskyy’s motives and exactly who is pulling his strings. “Zelenskyy is the product of the efforts of globalist and liberal elites who saw the war in Ukraine as a tool to consolidate their own power,” Dubinsky said. “Ukraine has become the last stronghold of globalism and Zelenskyy is its figurehead.”

This war has never been about Ukraine. The United States and NATO have waged a proxy war against Russia and for globalism. The ultimate objective of the international globalists — and American neoconservatives — is to destroy and break up Russia. Dubinsky contends there is “no goal of securing Ukraine’s victory. The only objective is to prolong the war.” And their immediate goal? To “undermine President Trump’s peace initiatives.”

Thirty years ago, George Soros conjured up the sinister strategy of sacrificing European Slavs to fight a proxy war with Russia. “The combination of manpower from Eastern Europe with the technical capabilities of NATO,” he wrote, “reduce the risk of body bags for NATO countries.” In Ukraine, the globalists found Zelenskyy, who, for 30 pieces of silver, has obliged, filling NATO body bags with his countrymen.

Before entering politics, Zelenskyy’s day job was as a comedic television actor. Dubinsky, well-versed in Zelenskyy’s theatrics, noted that his Oval Office appearance in February — including his costume choice — was “a deliberate performance designed to sabotage negotiations.” Mission accomplished.

A neocon’s dream

The globalists and neocons set a trap. Trump walked into it — and now, he must walk back out.

I still believe Trump sincerely wants to disengage from Ukraine and bring peace. But if he allows American military and financial support of the Zelenskyy dictatorship to continue, any peace will be impossible. Since his inauguration, the president has talked about peace in Ukraine but has maintained the Biden status quo. That’s not going to cut it now.

Trump won because he was the peace candidate with a revolutionary anti-war, anti-globalist pledge: “There must ... be a complete commitment to dismantling the entire globalist neocon establishment that is perpetually dragging us into endless wars.” This was a bombshell. But as the initial shock of Trump’s victory has worn off and the commitment to dismantle the neocon establishment has not been acted upon, the “globalist neocon establishment” has regrouped and is back on the attack.

In Europe, Zelenskyy and his globalist masters in the European Union and NATO openly defy Trump, calling for a prolonged war and NATO membership for Ukraine. Here at home, neoconservatives at all levels of the military-industrial-congressional complex — and their mainstream media — openly undermine him.

In April, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee to report on the status of the war. In a profoundly dishonest presentation, Cavoli made a case for prolonging the war and avoiding a negotiated settlement.

Cavoli’s remarks were an inspiration to Zelenskyy and a slap in the face to Trump. The fact that he could defy and insult his commander in chief with total impunity reveals just how deeply entrenched the neocon power structure remains.

Dictator, thief, and globalist puppet

To save Ukraine — and his presidency — Trump must break free from the neocons and globalists once and for all and stop all aid to Ukraine.

People are beginning to understand who Zelenskyy really is. My previous essays made clear that he is a dictator and a thief. Now, we know that he is also a globalist puppet sabotaging peace in Ukraine. Three strikes, and you’re out.

U.S. Congressman Backtracks On Social Media Post Claiming He Fired Weapons At Nuclear-Armed Russia

The post leaves little room for interpretation. It sure looks like a sitting U.S. congressman fired shots into Russia, ratcheting up tensions.

How Zelenskyy’s corruption robbed US taxpayers blind



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a thief. Ukraine’s little dictator has overseen the misuse of billions in American taxpayer dollars — amassing a vast personal fortune while running arguably the most corrupt nation in Europe. Ukraine has become little more than an organized crime state.

Donald Trump and his America First team have long been aware of the depth of Zelenskyy’s venality, but his insulting, disrespectful, and churlish spectacle in the Oval Office revealed the truth of his intentions and behavior. Now, Trump “will lean into a Ukraine fraud probe,” shining the light on Zelenskyy’s serious crimes.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is an anti-American globalist puppet and thief who belongs in prison.

The DOGE is on the case, and Elon Musk has Zelenskyy’s number. Musk describes the dictator’s regime as a “massive graft machine feeding off the dead bodies of Ukrainian soldiers.”

The magnitude of the thievery is staggering. But the malfeasance by the warmongers in Congress and the mainstream media’s continual cover-ups have hidden the full extent of Ukraine’s corruption.

When the initial $60 billion for the globalist proxy war against Russia in Ukraine was being allocated, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) stood up for American taxpayers, proposing an inspector general and audit to track how military aid was being spent. But the warmongers shot them down. There would be no oversight, no accountability, and little reporting of the epic plunder that followed. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Cannon fodder and Reznikov eggs

Last month, Zelenskyy, while claiming that Ukraine had received just $75 billion of the $177 billion in U.S. aid, stated nonchalantly, "I don't know where all this money is." Here are a few places to look.

Early in the war, a now-censored CBS report revealed that due to theft and diversion to the black market, ”only 30%” of American equipment was reaching the front lines. Some of the weapons ended up in the hands of criminal gangs in Sweden and terrorists in Nigeria. Last year, the Pentagon admitted that it had failed to track $1 billion in weapons deliveries, mainly small arms — including Javelin and Stinger missiles — ideal for arms traffickers.

Ukrainian soldiers are cannon fodder. The Zelenskyy regime’s contempt for its troops is made apparent by how it spends — and steals — money.

In January 2024, executives from a Ukrainian arms company and officials from Zelenskyy’s defense ministry embezzled $40 million meant to buy 100,000 mortar shells. A retired Ukrainian general revealed that $207 million was grifted in purchasing hundreds of thousands of useless anti-tank mines produced during World War II — decades past their expiration date.

In January, American money bought hand grenades filled with cornmeal instead of explosives. In November, U.S. taxpayers paid for 100,000 Ukrainian-produced mortar shells that wouldn’t fire because they got stuck in the mortar barrels. In October, Kyiv’s defense minister acknowledged that 20% of all artillery ammunition fired by the Ukrainians failed to detonate.

Have you ever wondered why Ukrainian soldiers are freezing on the front lines? Zelenskyy’s cronies paid $86 million to the Ukrainian owner of a sham company in Turkey for 200,000 winter uniforms. The problem? They were actually summer uniforms, “unfit for their intended purpose as winter clothing” — and valued at only $29 million.

Ukraine’s corruption even touches the food distributed on the front lines. Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov supplied the military with eggs purchased at three times the market price. "Reznikov eggs" has become the Ukrainian soldiers’ euphemism for corruption within their military.

Ukrainians are fed up

The vast majority of Ukrainians — 89% according to one survey — say that corruption is the country’s most serious problem after the war with Russia, and 94% believe corruption is pervasive across Ukraine. As many as 42% of Ukrainian households pay bribes to access public services, and 78% believe Zelenskyy is “directly responsible” for the corruption.

Recruitment officials pocket millions of dollars in bribes, allowing those with money to dodge military conscription. Meanwhile, men who can’t afford to pay are snatched off the street, thrown into frontline trenches, and shoved into the meat grinder. To evade service, 860,000 men have fled to the European Union, and 800,000 more are hiding in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy officials have stolen entire trainloads of civilian aid. According to a senior Zelenskyy adviser, people at the top are “stealing like there is no tomorrow.” To add insult to injury, American taxpayers pay the salaries and pensions of these crooks.

Leading by example

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reports that Zelenskyy and his closest allies embezzled at least $400 million in a single year by skimming U.S. funds earmarked for procuring diesel fuel. An intelligence officer told Hersh, “Zelenskyy had been buying the [discount diesel] fuel from Russia … skimming untold millions from the American dollars earmarked for diesel fuel payments.”

The CIA grew concerned about the rampant corruption, so in January 2023, CIA Director William Burns met with Zelenskyy and his band of thieves in Kyiv to address the problem. Hersh described the meeting as a scene from “a 1950s mob movie.” He relates, “The senior generals and government officials in Kyiv were angry at what they saw as Zelenskyy’s greed … because he was taking a larger share of the skim money than was going to the generals.” Moreover, Hersh says the level of corruption in Ukraine is “approaching that of the Afghan war.”

Dead man walking

Even in the Ukrainian parliament — where Zelenskyy has banned 11 opposition parties — voices of dissent are finally being heard. Zelenskyy is finished.

Verkhovna Rada Deputy Alexander Dubinsky has called for Zelenskyy’s impeachment, blasting him for his authoritarian suppression of democracy, disastrous war policies, and public buffoonery.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is an anti-American globalist puppet and thief who belongs in prison. Trump should cut him loose, expose the fraud, and bring peace and democracy to Ukraine.

JD Vance rips protesters for 'chasing' him, 3-year-old daughter



Vice President JD Vance was confronted near his Ohio home by a group of protesters over the weekend who questioned him about the war between Russia and Ukraine.

In a Saturday post on X, Vance slammed the demonstrators for "chasing" him while he was with his 3-year-old daughter.

'Selling them out!'

"Today while walking my 3 year old daughter a group of 'Slava Ukraini' protesters followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared," Vance wrote. "I decided to speak with the protesters in the hopes that I could trade a few minutes of conversation for them leaving my toddler alone. (Nearly all of them agreed.)"

He added, "It was a mostly respectful conversation, but if you're chasing a 3-year-old as part of a political protest, you're a s*** person."

— (@)

WCPO reported that the group of pro-Ukraine protesters were on their way to a nearby rally. Demonstrators held multi-day protests over the weekend, according to WKRC.

A video obtained by WCPO of Vance's exchange with the protesters showed the vice president responding to numerous questions and accusations.

"People are dying!" one woman shouted at Vance.

"We think it's in the best interest of our [own people] and frankly in the best interest of the Ukrainians for the war to stop," he responded.

Multiple protesters accused the Trump administration of betraying the Ukrainians.

"Selling them out!" one woman yelled repeatedly.

"With respect, ma'am, I disagree," Vance said. "I think that what we're doing is we're actually forcing a diplomatic settlement."

Protesters interrupted the vice president with more comments and questions, including accusing the administration of lacking integrity.

"It must be nice to go through life assuming that everybody who disagrees with you has no integrity," Vance responded.

When Vance announced he was ending the conversation after speaking with the protesters for roughly five minutes, one demonstrator insisted that he had "signed up for this job."

"That's what you agreed to," she added.

"Ma'am, I did not agree to have my 3-year-old — to have people run around and yell at her. And I did talk to you, and I had said, 'If I talk to you for a few minutes, will you leave my 3-year-old daughter alone?' And you said, 'Yes.' So I'd like you guys to respect that. Thank you all," Vance stated.

Ann Henry, the protester who shared the video with WCPO, told the news outlet that Vance misrepresented the exchange in his post on X.

"No one was chasing him," Henry said, claiming that the group spontaneously ran into the vice president.

"We all wanted it to be respectful and calm. We just really wanted to know what was really bothering us," she stated.

Henry credited Vance for speaking with them but added, "I just wish he wouldn't have characterized it the way he did on [X]."

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Trump & Zelenskyy’s First Reactions to Disastrous Meeting
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Trump & Zelenskyy’s First Reactions to Disastrous Meeting

For peace in Ukraine, we must defeat the globalist propaganda machine



The world has changed dramatically since Donald Trump’s inauguration. In just five weeks, he has reversed U.S. policy in Ukraine, shifting from endless war to a MAGA/America First foreign policy. The United States and Russia are now negotiating peace face-to-face.

But peace in Ukraine threatens the interests of the globalists and neoconservatives who helped engineer this conflict. Determined to destroy Trump’s peace agenda — and his presidency — they are working to undermine these efforts.

Lies can’t withstand truth — and we must fight like never before to speak the truth about Ukraine.

In its final days, the Biden administration sought to escalate the war in Ukraine, desperate to derail Trump’s plan. Biden (or whoever was running the country at the time) authorized Ukraine to launch deep strikes inside Russia using U.S.-made Army Tactical Missiles Systems.

These missiles rely on American military satellites, American GPS targeting systems, and American personnel for coordination. That meant the United States was no longer just supporting Ukraine — it was directly involved in firing missiles into Russia and killing Russian soldiers.

The warmongers pushed the world to the brink of nuclear war. President Trump pulled us back.

A globalist war

This war was never about Ukraine. U.S. Army Col. Douglas Macgregor has pointed out that the United States and NATO have waged a proxy war in Ukraine to advance globalist interests. Their ultimate goal is to dismantle Russia as a nation.

The strategy, outlined by George Soros, called for using Eastern Europeans as cannon fodder in a war with Russia to “reduce the risk of body bags for NATO countries.” This plan has been brutally executed, and the cost has been staggering. More than 1 million Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives.

During the 2024 campaign, President Trump made his anti-war, anti-globalist stance clear. In his Agenda 47 video “Preventing World War III,” he warned, “Every day this proxy battle in Ukraine continues, we risk global war.” He vowed to end these conflicts, stating, “There must … be a complete commitment to dismantling the entire globalist neocon establishment that is perpetually dragging us into endless wars” (emphasis added).

President Trump is delivering on his promise.

Truth bombs away!

Trump and his team began dismantling the globalist-neocon war machine with three major truth bombs.

First, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Ukraine will never join NATO. This decision was monumental — NATO’s push to expand into Ukraine was the primary trigger for the war.

Next, Vice President JD Vance addressed European globalist elites in Munich, condemning their Soviet-style crackdowns on free speech and political dissent. His speech was so powerful that the conference chairman was reportedly brought to tears.

Finally, President Donald Trump exposed Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a fraud, calling him “a dictator without elections” who has driven Ukraine into ruin.

Boom.

The resulting freakout by the globalists, neocons, endless-war uniparty, and the mainstream propaganda media has been intense. They’ve regrouped and launched Russia collusion hoax 2.0, again rolling out the lie that “Trump is a Russian asset.”

Obedient to his puppet masters, even Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the chorus — claiming that Trump “lives in a disinformation space” created by the Kremlin.

The dictator checklist

NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine has relied on one of the largest propaganda campaigns in history. The truth has been buried under a mountain of lies — but a full-scale effort to expose reality can change that. President Trump’s statement on Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a strong start, but much more needs to be done.

Let’s begin.

In a Truth Social post, Trump described Zelenskyy as a “moderately successful comedian.” That assessment is far too generous. Zelenskyy is a clown, not a statesman. In Ukraine, he is best known for flamboyant and vulgar television performances — playing the guitar in his underwear, dancing in high heels while patting fellow male dancers on their backsides, and even performing a Jewish folk song on the piano using his penis.

So how many boxes does Zelenskyy check on the dictator checklist?

First, he’s an illegitimate president.

Zelenskyy canceled presidential elections and remains president even though his term expired last May. No wonder. A November poll showed that only 16% of Ukrainians would vote for him again. President Trump reports that now, support has dropped to 4%.

He’s running a corrupt, neo-Nazi police state.

Seriously, Zelenskyy is a neo-Nazi collaborator. His regime is a neo-Nazi police state that celebrates Nazis as heroes. The birthday of Stepan Bandera, the father of Ukrainian Nazism and leading German collaborator during World War II, is a national holiday.

Ukraine is the most corrupt nation in Europe. Elon Musk calls Zelenskyy’s government a “fraud machine feeding off the dead bodies of soldiers.”

He’s blocked political opposition.

Zelenskyy banned all 11 opposition political parties, imprisoned opposition party leaders, and has sanctioned his main rival in any future election.

He is crushing freedom of speech, press, and religion.

Zelenskyy shut down all non-government-controlled media. Websites not approved by the government are prohibited. Last year, American journalist Gonzalo Lira was imprisoned for criticizing the Zelenskyy and Biden governments. Lira was tortured and died from neglect.

Ukrainians are being imprisoned for criticizing the regime — even in their private conversations.

Zelenskyy has directed the assassination, kidnapping, and torture of his political opponents.

Press gangs snatch Ukrainian men off the streets and shove them into frontline trenches.

Zelenskyy outlawed the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and jailed dozens of priests. He’s a bad guy.

The truth will out — if we fight

The globalist-neocon establishment is pulling out all the stops to sabotage President Trump’s peace agenda and prolong the war in Ukraine. Its weapon is the propaganda that keeps the American people in the dark. But lies can’t withstand truth — and we must fight like never before to speak the truth about Ukraine.

President Trump pulled us back from the brink of another world war. We cannot allow the warmongers to pull us back from the brink of peace.

'Final insult': Biden admin signs off on $5.9 billion more for Ukraine



President Joe Biden approved $2.5 billion in "security assistance" while Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen simultaneously issued another $3.4 billion in "direct budget support" for Ukraine on Monday.

In total, the Biden administration greenlit nearly $6 billion in Ukraine aid in just one day. Since Russia invaded in February 2022, Ukraine has received over $175 billion in aid from the Biden administration, with the president vowing to continue to "work relentlessly" to "strengthen" Ukraine through the remainder of his term.

'Americans have suffered through four years of America-last policies. The country looks to January 20 with unabated hope.'

"The Department of Defense is in the process of delivering hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of rockets, and hundreds of armored vehicles which will strengthen Ukraine’s hand as it heads into the winter," Biden said in a Monday statement. "At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office."

"Economic assistance from the United States and our allies is crucial for Ukraine’s ability to defend its sovereignty and achieve a just peace by maintaining the critical government services that underpin its brave fight," Yellen said in a Monday statement.

Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, one of the most fiscally conservative House Republicans, pointed out that billions of dollars in foreign funding has become the norm, no matter the party in charge.

“More of the same," Roy told Blaze News. "Funded by a GOP House, by the way."

Other Republicans blame Biden, pointing to the exorbitant price tag that struggling Americans are funding.

"This administration's latest move to send billions more to Ukraine is a final insult to the American people," Republican Rep. Michael Cloud of Texas told Blaze News. "Our border is in crisis, families are crushed under inflation, and instead of addressing these pressing issues, he's funneling our tax dollars overseas. Thankfully, we'll soon have a president who fights for a secure border, protects our families, and defends the priorities of the American people."

"Joe Biden continues to push the limits of constitutionality with his latest unilateral Ukraine giveaway," Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona told Blaze News. "Americans have suffered through four years of America-last policies. The country looks to January 20 with unabated hope."

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Mitch McConnell's jaw-dropping insinuation about the MAGA movement



In the aftermath of President-elect Donald Trump's landslide victory, former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell compared the MAGA movement to American isolationists in the 1930s, insinuating that Trump would have been indifferent to the fascist uprising in Europe at the time.

Trump, whose foreign policy is far more hands-off than McConnell's hawkish approach, is fundamentally at odds with the former leader's geopolitical worldview. Consequently, McConnell spoke about the current state of foreign affairs and said it was "reminiscent" of the times leading up to World War II, criticizing American isolationists from both today and nearly a century ago.

It all comes down to McConnell and money. McConnell has greenlit over $170 billion to Ukraine, while Trump has repeatedly called for an end to the war altogether.

“We’re in a very, very dangerous world right now, reminiscent of before World War II,” McConnell said. “Even the slogan is the same. ‘America First.’ That was what they said in the ’30s.”

McConnell has famously been a thorn in Trump's side and has been a staunch critic of the president-elect, both on and off the record. He reiterated his opposition to Trump and said he intends to push back on him and the incoming administration.

“No matter who got elected president, I think it was going to require significant pushback, yeah, and I intend to be one of the pushers," McConnell said.

It all comes down to McConnell and money. McConnell has greenlit over $170 billion to Ukraine, while Trump has repeatedly called for an end to the war altogether.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) takes a question from a reporter during a news conference following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on November 19, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

“To most American voters, I think the simple answer is, ‘Let’s stay out of it,'" McConnell said. "That was the argument made in the ’30s, and that just won’t work. Thanks to Reagan, we know what does work — not just saying peace through strength, but demonstrating it.”

While McConnell may have stepped down from his leadership role, his grip on foreign funding is not loosening any time soon. McConnell notably stepped into the new role of chairing the Senate appropriations subcommittee on defense, which will allow him to continue influencing the cash flow to our "democratic allies."

“That’s where the real money is,” McConnell said.

While he didn't say how much more money he is willing to approve for foreign conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war, he said, "The goal here is for the Russians not to win."

"We've got two democratic allies fighting for their lives," McConnell said. "I don't think we ought to micromanage what they think is necessary to win."

McConnell has generously signed off on hundreds of billions of dollars of foreign funding. At the same time, Trump poses a threat to McConnell's preferred foreign policy. As a result, McConnell resorted to drawing perverse comparisons between Trump and American isolationists who were lukewarm about fascistic uprisings in Europe during the 1930s.

That being said, McConnell likely draws this comparison because Trump is a legitimate threat to the political infrastructure he has built since he was first elected Republican Senate leader in 2007.

McConnell can't dispute Trump's support, even admitting that the president-elect has become the most influential Republican in the party. One thing is for sure: The old-guard Senate Republicans, especially McConnell, won't go down without a fight.

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Biden admin's last-ditch pitch for more foreign funding



President Joe Biden's administration has reportedly made a last-minute push for Ukraine aid in the upcoming government spending bill Congress will need to pass by December 20.

The Office of Management and Budget sent a request in late November urging Congress to approve another $24 billion of emergency funding toward weapons and equipment for Ukraine in the upcoming funding package. Speaker Mike Johnson, however, has expressed disinterest in approving additional aid.

'It is not the place of Joe Biden to make that decision now.'

"I'm not planning to do that," Johnson said during a press conference Wednesday when asked about Biden's request.

"There are developments by the hour in Ukraine," Johnson continued. "I think, as we predicted and as I said to all of you weeks before the election, if Donald Trump is elected, it will change the dynamic of the Russian war on Ukraine. And we're seeing that happen."

Johnson noted that he would prioritize the suggestions of incoming President-elect Donald Trump over the current Biden administration.

"It is not the place of Joe Biden to make that decision now," Johnson said during the press conference. "We have a newly elected president, and we're going to wait and take the new commander in chief's direction on all of that."

Congress will have to pass another funding bill by December 20 in order to avoid a government shutdown before the holidays. Johnson noted earlier this week that he is expecting the funding to go into March while others within the conference have advocated for a funding bill that would go into January.

The reality is the longer the funding bill is extended, the less wiggle room for the incoming administration to set its legislative agenda.

Republicans are also expecting at least three vacancies in the upcoming Congress due to Trump's nominations, tightening the already slim House majority. As a result, Republicans will likely have to rely on Democrats to approve a spending bill, weakening their bargaining power.

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