Putin quietly maneuvered to secure a U.S. envoy he viewed as more pliable: Steve Witkoff, a billionaire real-estate developer and longtime friend of Trump.

Through Saudi intermediaries, the Kremlin signaled it was open to talks—and even a prisoner release—on one condition: Witkoff would come alone, without CIA officers, diplomats, or an interpreter.

Russian intelligence had assessed other Trump appointees, including retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, as potentially hostile to Moscow’s aims. Witkoff, by contrast, fit Trump’s preference for personal loyalty and dealmaking over institutional diplomacy. After his first trip to Moscow, Witkoff helped secure the release of American teacher Marc Fogel, a gesture that boosted his standing with Trump and cemented his role as the main U.S. channel to Putin.

Since then, Witkoff has met Putin repeatedly, often for hours at a time, while bypassing much of the traditional national-security bureaucracy. He has declined CIA briefings on Russia, relied on a small personal team, and kept allies and even parts of the U.S. government largely in the dark. Working closely with Kremlin dealmaker Kirill Dmitriev, Witkoff has discussed issues ranging from Ukraine’s borders and military future to sanctions relief and postwar investment.

Source: WSJ

Texas is an invaded territory. It was not sold; it was invaded. The same with California and the entire southern United States.

And yet, a Latin American President cannot say, “Give it back. They stole it from us.” On the other hand, Trump can say about Venezuelan oil, “Give it back because it was stolen from me.” How is that?

Let’s make a pact. Let’s put it all on the negotiating table, discussed as equals, not with missiles aimed at the poor.

“Macron betrayed Merz, and he knows that there will be a price to pay for that.”

Source: FT