Things get HEATED as Tucker and Pence CLASH over Ukraine



Although Mike Pence pledges to be a Christian leader, he sure has a strange way of showing it when it comes to the treatment of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine.

Tucker Carlson pointed out that “the Zelenskyy government has raided convents, arrested priests, has effectively banned a denomination — a Christian denomination.”

Pence recently met with Zelenskyy, which begs the question — did he address this issue in their meeting?

“I’m wondering,” Tucker said, “if during that meeting, as a prominent Christian leader ... you broached the question of his treatment of Christians within Ukraine.”

“I did raise the issue when we were there ... with the leader of the Orthodox Church,” Pence responded. “He assured me that the Zelenskyy government in Ukraine was respecting religious liberty,” he continued.

While Pence certainly seemed satisfied with his answer, assuring the audience that “there’s no higher priority in [his] life than preserving the freedom of religion,” Tucker was far from content.

“I’m confused,” he said, continuing, “it’s very clear that the Zelenskyy government has arrested priests for having views they disagree with; that’s not consistent with religious liberty — it’s an attack on it.”

What’s more is that “we’re funding it,” Tucker pointed out. “I sincerely wonder how a Christian leader could support the arrest of Christians for having different views.”

Pence’s response to Tucker’s entirely fair question was disappointing in every way.

“I asked the Christian leader in Kiev if that was in fact happening, and [he] assured me it was not,’” he repeated. “People were not being persecuted for their religious beliefs.”

When Tucker naturally began to object to this unsatisfactory response, Pence tried a different tactic.

He attempted to steamroll Tucker, interrupting his questions and refusing to continue what was supposed to be a genuine dialogue.

“Let me take a break here,” he boomed over Tucker, who was still trying to get him to actually answer the original question.

“I respect your right to your opinion on Ukraine, and I trust you’ll respect mine,” was the only answer Pence had.

Then he launched into a self-aggrandizing, irrelevant speech about how he traveled through Ukraine with Samaritan's Purse, a Christian relief organization, as if that should be enough to convince the audience of his authenticity.

Tucker – one can admire his undying persistence — attempted yet again to get an answer out of Pence regarding the persecution of Christians in Ukraine.

And let’s just say a heated conversation got even hotter. Watch the full clip here.


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'Tell him I will thrash them,' Putin reportedly declares as he rejects a handwritten bid for peace from Zelenskyy



Roman Abramovich, the former owner of the Chelsea FC soccer team, in recent weeks has been serving as an impromptu diplomat as he works to convey messages between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Abramovich, a fabulously wealthy Russian businessman, is currently attempting to avoid Western sanctions on his wealth by residing in Istanbul, Turkey. Aside from his business endeavors, Abramovich is well known for his close relationship with Putin.

From his residence in Turkey, Abramovich has been acting as a “peacemaker,” according to the Daily Mail, as he flies back and forth between Moscow and Ukraine communicating with Putin and Zelenskyy.

Last Wednesday, Abramovich left his Istanbul residence aboard a private jet for Moscow.

The oligarch flew into the Russian capital to meet with Putin and give him a handwritten note from Zelenskyy that outlined Ukraine’s terms for peace.

In response to this, Putin is reported to have said, “Tell him I will thrash them.”

After meeting with Putin in Moscow, Abramovich returned to Istanbul, where he met with the Ukrainian politician turned negotiator Rustem Umerov.

In Turkey, Abramovich and Umerov were assisted in negotiations with Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Kalin suggested that Ukrainian officials make a deal with their Russian counterparts in which Crimea and Donbas be held under a long-term lease — similar to the situation between Britain and China regarding Hong Kong.

Putin is reportedly considering the agreement, but his intense frustration with his military’s lack of success and disdain for Zelenskyy are holding him back.

Abramovich is one of several Russian oligarchs seeking refuge from Western sanctions in Turkey. He currently has two of his superyachts moored in Bodrum, a city on the country’s southwest coast.

Abramovich, in particular, has been able to work around sanctions from the Turkish government, despite his close relationship with Putin, because of his utility and willingness to participate in and assist with peace talks.

Previous peace talks hosted by Turkey between Russian and Ukrainian coalitions reportedly failed.

This experience is not unique, however.

Efforts to secure peace are proving to be increasingly difficult as the conflict drags on.

Leadership in the Israeli government has also run into trouble trying to advocate for peace.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke with Zelenskyy over the phone in mid-March and urged him to accept Putin’s conditions for peace, including an immediate cease to military action, enshrining geopolitical neutrality in the Ukrainian constitution, officially recognizing Crimea as Russian territory, and recognizing Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states.

Zelenskyy was not agreeable to these terms.

Video: Veteran interpreter breaks into tears while translating Zelenskyy’s speech as Ukraine survives another night



A veteran video interpreter who was translating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Sunday speech broke into tears while detailing Ukraine's resolve against attacking Russian forces.

What are the details?

Video shared to social media showed the interpreter — a woman who remains unidentified at the time of this post and working for a German news outlet — pausing, choking up, and finally breaking into tears while translating Zeleskyy's speech while on the air.

Zelenskyy in the speech was describing how the war-torn country had sustained another day of Russian attacks.

"Russia is on the path of evil," Zelenskyy said in the speech. "The world must deprive Russia of the right to vote on the U.N. Security Council."

The interpreter then paused and began to choke up while delivering Zelenskyy's following lines.

"Ukrainians," the country's president continued, "we know exactly what we are defending. We will definitely win. Last night was brutal in Ukraine. Again, the shelling, again the bombing of residential areas and civilian infrastructure."

As she continued speaking, she broke once more and took a breath, reportedly saying "sorry" before going off the air.

Zelenskyy added that the country is set to fight for as long as it takes to "liberate the country" and that Russian forces would only come in heavier and in a more vicious way.

“The night was hard,” he added. “The people rose to defend their state, and they showed their true faces. This is terror. They are going to bomb our Ukrainian cities even more. They are going to kill our children even more insidiously. This is an evil that has come to our land and must be destroyed.”

He added, "If children are born in shelters, even when the shelling continues, then the enemy has no chance in this — undoubtedly — people's war. To victory! Glory to Ukraine!"

With English subtitlespic.twitter.com/5bqXvzfrhu
— Karin Sung \ud83d\uddfd (@Karin Sung \ud83d\uddfd) 1645999619

Russian airlines and private jets are banned from European airspace



Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that the European Union would close its airspace to Russian aircraft in response to the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, ABC News reported.

In a press conference, Von der Leyen said, “We are shutting down the EU airspace for Russians. We are proposing a prohibition on all Russian-owned, Russian-registered, or Russian-controlled aircraft. These aircraft will no more be able to land in, take off, or overfly the territory of the EU.”

“So let me be very clear,” she continued, “Our airspace will be closed to every Russian plane, and that includes the private jets of oligarchs too.”

Von der Leyen also announced that the European Union would be prohibiting media backed by the Russian government.

She said, “The state-owned Russia Today and Sputnik, and their subsidiaries, will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war. We are developing tools to ban their toxic and harmful disinformation in Europe.”

Second, we will ban the Kremlin\u2019s media machine in the EU.\n\u00a0\nThe state-owned Russia Today and Sputnik, and their subsidiaries,\nwill no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin\u2019s war.\n\u00a0\nWe are developing tools to ban their toxic and harmful disinformation in Europe.pic.twitter.com/7RcPEn6E14
— Ursula von der Leyen (@Ursula von der Leyen) 1645979737

Her press conference concluded with the von der Leyen issuing sanctions on the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.

Third, we will target the other aggressor in this war, Lukashenko\u2019s regime, with a new package of sanctions, hitting their most important sectors.\n\nAll these measures come on top of the strong package presented yesterday,\nagreed by our international partners.pic.twitter.com/ikN99V14zU
— Ursula von der Leyen (@Ursula von der Leyen) 1645979897

The European Union also plans to purchase and supply weapons to Ukrainian forces.

Von der Leyen said, “For the first time, the EU will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and equipment to a country under attack.”

These sanctions will further hurt the Russian economy, which has been in a freefall since Russian forces started their invasion of Ukraine. The Russian ruble is plummeting in value, and Western nations continue to barrage Russia with sanctions.

In response to the ruble’s freefall, the Russian central bank is intervening in the foreign exchange market and expanding the list of securities that it will accept as collateral. It is also offering banks 1 trillion rubles so that they have additional liquidity to keep them afloat.

On Saturday, Western leaders proceeded with excluding Russia from the SWIFT telecommunications network, which will prevent the Russian central bank from manipulating its monetary policy to avoid the economic impact of sanctions and make it virtually impossible for Russia to conduct business with its international trade partners.

In a joint statement, the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States committed to targeting Russian banks and oligarchs by blocking Russia’s access to the SWIFT network.

The Western leaders said, “We stand with the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people in their heroic efforts to resist Russia’s invasion.”

British Petroleum divests from Russian state-owned oil ventures



The British Petroleum Company (BP) plans to sell its nearly one-fifth stake in the state-owned Russian oil company Rosneft.

BP plans to liquidate its 19.75% stake in Rosneft “with immediate effect” following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sky News reported.

Bernard Looney, BP’s chief executive, will also resign from his role on Rosneft’s board along with another BP executive, Bub Dudley.

The chairman for BP, Helge Lund, said, “Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an act of aggression which is having tragic consequences across the region. BP has operated in Russia for over 30 years, working with brilliant Russian colleagues. However, this military action represents a fundamental change.”

“It has led the BP board to conclude, after a thorough process, that our involvement with Rosneft, a state-owned enterprise, simply cannot continue,” Lund continued, “We can no longer support BP representatives holding a role on the Rosneft board.”

He added, “The Rosneft holding is no longer aligned with BP’s business and strategy, and it is now the board’s decision to exit BP’s shareholding in Rosneft. The BP board believes these decisions are in the best long-term interests of all our shareholders.”

Russia’s economy has been in a freefall since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine.

In response to the Russian invasion, leaders of Western nations have proceeded to implement a wide array of sanctions on the Russian economy.

The Western sanctions specifically target Russia’s financial institutions. President Joe Biden issued sanctions that target Russia’s two largest banks, Sherbank and VTB, which will make it effectively impossible for Russians to conduct transactions through the American financial system.

Biden’s sanctions restrict nearly 80% of Russia’s banking assets.

On Saturday, the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States issued a joint statement that announced their intention to remove Russia from the SWIFT telecommunication network.

Kicking Russia out of SWIFT will significantly damage the Russian economy and make long-term recovery incredibly difficult. This move will economically isolate Russia and prevent Russian businesses and banks from engaging in international transactions.

Natural gas and fossil fuel exports make up more than 80% of Russia’s GDP. Restricting Russia’s ability to sell fuel to the rest of the world will effectively cripple its economy.

The Russian ruble also continues to lose value rapidly.

To try and stabilize the cratering Russian economy, the Russian central bank said that it would intervene in the foreign exchange market and expand the list of securities that it is willing to accept as collateral.

Russia’s removal from SWIFT will put the Russian central bank in a tight bind as it will not be able to freely manipulate Russian monetary policy to offset inflation and the economic impact of Western sanctions.

Xi Jinping sends a message to Kim Jong-Un seeking to promote friendly relations and build 'a new situation' that changes the global pecking order



Chinese President Xi Jinping has reached out to the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un, seeking to promote friendly relations.

Xi sent a message to Kim saying that the Chinese government was ready to come to a “common understanding” with North Korean leadership as the two nations work to build supportive and friendly relations under “a new situation,” Fox News reported.

Xi’s message to his North Korean counterpart was in response to Kim congratulating Chinese leadership at the close of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

The North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, “In the message, the respected Comrade Kim Jong-Un extended heartfelt warm congratulations to General Secretary Xi Jinping upon the splendid proceeding of the Beijing Winter Olympics as a novel and special grand sports festival.”

Despite enthusiastically applauding the Chinese Olympics, North Korea was prohibited from participating by the International Olympic Committee over the country refusal to participate in last Summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games over COVID-19 concerns.

Kim said that North Korea and China are “frustrating the undisguised hostile policy and military threat of the U.S. and its satellite forces by strengthening the bilateral strategic cooperation and unity.”

The North Korean leader said he was committed to “more firmly consolidate the [North Korea]-China relationship into the invincible one.”

The message of friendship between the two communist countries came just one day after Xi offered his “support” to Russian President Vladimir Putin as Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

#BREAKING: Chinese President Xi Jinping had a phone talk with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Xi said China supports the Russian side in solving the issue through negotiation with the Ukrainian side.pic.twitter.com/vH1EdT0sLN
— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1645795962

During the Beijing Winter Olympics, Xi and Putin had an in-person meeting where the two leaders agreed to cooperate and potentially advance each other’s goals.

They issued a joint statement that said, “Friendship between the two States has no limits, there are no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation.”

This agreement between China and Russia marks the most detailed and aggressive statement the two countries have made as they collaborate to unseat the United States as the global hegemon.

In recent days, North Korea has allegedly resumed development and testing ballistic missiles as it continues developing nuclear weapons.

Business Insider reported that Japan’s Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said, “frequent launches” have been coming from North Korea since the outset of 2022. The minister believes that North Korean leadership resumed testing its missiles this winter because the international community was more focused on the possibility of Russia invading Ukraine.

He said, “If North Korea deliberately carried out the missile launch while the international community is distracted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, such an act is absolutely unforgivable.”

Eric Swalwell calls for Russian students to be kicked out of American universities



On Thursday, Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) suggested that the United States deport Russian college students and shutter the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Post Millennial reported.

While on “CNN Newsroom,” Rep. Swalwell said, “Frankly, I think closing their embassy in the United States, kicking every Russian student out of the United States, those should be on the table.”

He continued, “Vladimir Putin needs to know every day that he is in Ukraine, there are more severe options that could come.”

“This is the largest invasion in Europe since World War II, and these are the harshest sanctions that any country has experienced since World War II,” the congressman added, “There will be more to come.”

On Saturday, Western allies agreed to ramp up the sanctions placed on Russia by blocking Russian banks from accessing the SWIFT network.

In a joint statement, leadership from the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States committed to amplifying financial sanctions by prohibiting Russian banks from using the telecommunications network to conduct international and domestic transactions.

By preventing Russia from utilizing the SWIFT network, Western leaders will effectively isolate them and make it incredibly difficult for the Russian economy from making either short- or long-term gains. These sanctions, notably, interfere with Russia’s ability to export natural gas and oil. Fuel exports compose more than half of Russia’s GDP.

Vodka — one of Russia’s most iconic exports — is also being affected by Western sanctions. The Canadian government is stopping the sale and importation of Russian-made products. And in the United States, several state governments have called for the removal of Russian vodka from liquor stores.

After invading Ukraine and even before Western nations issued sanctions, Russia’s economy began to crater. Currently, a Russian ruble is worth about 0.012 U.S. dollars. The Russian currency is less valuable than some in-game currencies for video games.

Rep. Swalwell currently serves on the House Intelligence Committee.

Previously, per federal investigators, Swalwell had a close personal relationship with a woman named Christine Fang. As it turns out, Ms. Fang was a spy for the Chinese government. Rep. Swalwell and Ms. Fang were involved while Swalwell served on the House Intelligence Committee.

Upon learning of Ms. Fang and Swalwell’s relationship, high-ranking members of the House Republican Caucus called for his removal from the House Intelligence Committee.

In mid-January, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that if the Republican Party wins a majority in the House of Representatives after the 2022 midterms, Rep. Swalwell will be stripped of his role on the House Intelligence Committee.

Polish national team refuses to play Russia in the World Cup playoffs, Swedish and Czech teams also boycott



Poland’s national soccer team is refusing to play Russia in a 2022 World Cup playoff match in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The president of the Polish football association, Cezary Kulesza, said that the Polish national team “does not intend” to participate in the playoff match, the BBC reported.

In a joint statement, members of the Polish team said, “We, the players of the Polish national team, together with the Polish Football Association, decided that as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, we do intend to play in the playoff match against Russia.”

“It is not an easy decision,” the statement continued, “But there are more important things in life than football. Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian nation.”

Polish footballer Robert Lewandowksi said, “It is the right decision! I can’t imagine playing a march with the Russian National Team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues. Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we can’t pretend that nothing is happening.”

It is the right decision! I can\u2019t imagine playing a match with the Russian National Team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues. Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we can\u2019t pretend that nothing is happening.https://twitter.com/Czarek_Kulesza/status/1497489152434061315\u00a0\u2026
— Robert Lewandowski (@Robert Lewandowski) 1645866878

Cezary Kulesza, the current president of the Polish Football Association, said, “Due to the escalation of the aggression of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine the Polish national team does not intend to play the play-off match against Russia.”

No more words, time to act! Due to the escalation of the aggression of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine the Polish national team does not intend to play the play-off match against Russia. We are in talks with and federations to bring forward a joint statement to FIFA.
— Cezary Kulesza (@Cezary Kulesza) 1645871093

Polish President Andrezj Duda replied to Kulesza’s statement saying, “Rightly so, Mr. President. You don’t play with bandits!”

Poland’s Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, also chimed in saying, “You cannot play a match against Russia under such circumstances … Thank you so much for this decision.”

National teams from Sweden and the Czech Republic joined Poland in a joint statement.

The Swedish and Czech teams are to play each other in a playoff match and whichever team wins would likely advance to play the Russian team in the World Cup tournament.

The Swedish team said on Twitter that they “will not play against Russia – regardless of where the match is played.” In a statement, the team said, “The Federal Board also urges FIDA to cancel the playoff matches in March in which Russia participates.”

SvFF\u00b4s besked: Herrlandslaget kommer inte att spela mot Ryssland \u2013 oavsett var matchen spelas.\n\nF\u00f6rbundsstyrelsen uppmanar samtidigt FIFA att st\u00e4lla in de play off-matcher i mars d\u00e4r Ryssland deltar.
— Svensk Fotboll (@Svensk Fotboll) 1645886279

On Saturday, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaire and owner of the Chelsea Football Club, handed over the “stewardship and care” of the Premier League club to the trustees of its charitable foundation. Abramovich, who has owned Chelsea since 2003, forfeited ownership of the team after the British parliament pressured him to do so in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.

Abramovich said, “I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea.”