Russian President Putin comments on Donadl Trump’s troubles…..
For years, the Russian leader has demonstrated an ability to exploit political divisions within Western nations, often by signaling to conservatives abroad that he is aligned with them in a global fight against liberal values.
Mr. Putin’s remarks on Tuesday, made at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, appeared aimed at lending firepower to the Republican outcry over the prosecutions of Mr. Trump, who has long expressed public admiration for the Russian leader and has helped encourage a sizable Moscow-friendly contingent within his party.
The cases against Mr. Trump — who faces 91 felony counts in four jurisdictions — represent the “persecution of one’s political rival for political motives,” Mr. Putin said. He predicted that the entire affair would help Russia by exposing American domestic problems for the world to see and revealing the hypocrisy of American democracy….
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Mr. Putin’s comments amounted to the latest chapter in a political drama that began when Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, spreading disinformation online and hacking and releasing emails from the Democratic National Committee and the campaign manager of Mr. Trump’s Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
The controversy over Mr. Trump’s seeming sympathies for the Kremlin continued well after he took office in early 2017. Throughout his term, Mr. Trump heaped praise on Mr. Putin, and at one point, during a 2018 summit in Helsinki, professed to trust the Russian leader more than his own intelligence services.
Even after he was defeated for re-election, Mr. Trump clung to that stance. In January, in a post on his Truth Social website, he again suggested that he had been right to trust the Russian president more than U.S. intelligence and F.B.I. “lowlifes.”
Mr. Trump’s assertions at the Helsinki meeting — where, in an unusual breach of protocol, he met with Mr. Putin without any aides present — were roundly criticized by his opponents as unseemly pandering to the Russian leader.
With the Wagner leader gone…What becomes of his troops?
Interviews with more than a dozen current and former officials in Washington, Europe, Africa and Russia — as well as four Russians who worked for Mr. Prigozhin — portray a tug of war over his assets among major players in Russia’s power structure, including two different intelligence agencies. Many of those interviewed spoke on condition of anonymity, to discuss sensitive diplomatic and intelligence issues.
The fight is complicated, these people said, by the lingering allegiance to Mr. Prigozhin in his private army, where some are bridling at being subsumed within Russia’s defense ministry and instead backing a transfer of power to Mr. Prigozhin’s son.
“Wagner is not just about the money — it’s a kind of religion,” said Maksim Shugalei, a political consultant for Mr. Prigozhin, adding that he was proud to be part of the mercenary force. “It’s unlikely that this structure will totally disappear. For me, this is impossible.”…
The Arrival of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un in Russia, and more….
Including….
Russia upgrading it’s defenses around Moscow against Ukraine drone attacks…
Denmark joining other countries giving aid to the Ukraine…..$833 Million for arms….
Putin says F-16’s for the Ukraine will not change things in the conflict….
Ukraine President Zelensky is likely to make the rounds with world leaders at next weeks annual UN General Assembly session in New York City….
Putin say’s his country is improving economic ties with China….
Who will will wind up getting the Wagner troop’s?
Bush II finds out the Wagner leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin was HIS server in 2006, just like the Wagner leaders was Putin’s also….
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a Russian reporter to expect a “full-blown” visit by Kim, including talks between delegations and a “formal dinner.” Putin and Kim last met in 2019 and have become increasingly aligned in efforts to curb U.S. influence in the region. Kim is expected to meet Putin, who is attending an economic forum in the Russian port city of Vladivostok this week. Peskov said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will also participate in the talks between Kim and Putin.
Kim departed for Russia late Sunday, joined by his foreign minister and senior military officials, North Korea’s official Korea Central News Agency said. The Russian Natural Resources Ministry said Kim disembarked for a stop in Khasan, a town on Russia’s border with North Korea, and was met by Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov. The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti posted a video Tuesday that appeared to show Kim stepping off his train. The Post could not independently verify the footage. Kim’s journey from Pyongyang is his first known trip outside North Korea in nearly four years and was estimated to take 20 hours.
