Finnish President Stubb:

Putin wanted to project power around the world and in the region.

Look what is going in Central Asia, in the Southern Caucasus, in Iran, in Syria, in Venezuela.

It is not exactly a success story in the perspective of the Kremlin.

Finnish President Stubb:

I don't agree with the narrative that claims Russia is winning militarily.

Over the past 1,000 days, Russia has advanced by a maximum of one percentage point of Ukrainian territory. The cost of that advance has been roughly 1,000 dead soldiers per day — about 30,000 per month. These figures refer to the dead, not the wounded.

By comparison, during the Soviet War in Afghanistan, around 20,000 Russian soldiers died over a period of ten years.

On top of that, the Russian economy is suffering. There is zero growth and reserves are depleted. If inflation continues at the pace seen this year, it could reach 30 percent. Interest rates are already around 16 percent.

I do not agree with the argument that Russia wants to continue the war because it believes it can keep advancing.

I believe Russia does not want to end the war because ending it would be too expensive. At some point, it will no longer be able to pay its soldiers.

Dick Schoof: In the end, Ukraine will become a member of the European Union.

Q: What’s the timeline?

Schoof: It will take a couple of years. We have to be honest about that. We do not want to destabilize the European Union by bringing in a country too quickly.

Witkoff of Ukraine-Russia negotiations:

I believe we’ve narrowed it down to a single issue. We’ve discussed multiple iterations of that issue, which tells me it is solvable.

If both sides genuinely want to solve it, then it will be solved — that’s my view.

Steve Witkoff:

Trump has talked about a tariff-free zone from Ukraine that I think would be game changing.

You would see industry move into that area in a huge way.

Steve Witkoff:

Ukrainian people are under some real difficult conditions today, and I am completely empathetic on behalf of Trump.

That is part of why we are going to Moscow to have that discussion about how we end this thing and how we make it better for your people.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever:

Russian Central Bank’s money — the immobilized assets, not frozen assets, are mostly located in Belgium.

You cannot simply take someone else’s money.

We are not at war with Russia. Europe is not at war with Russia.

You cannot simply confiscate money — that is an act of war, and it should not be underestimated. It has never happened in history. Even during the Second World War, immobilized assets were never confiscated.

Doing so now would be the first time in history, and it would have serious consequences.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever:

Europe is not a country. It is not a superstate with a single supreme leader. It is a confederation, and everyone has to agree.

We also have to face a difficult truth: not all European countries are equally pro-Ukrainian. At some point, some may say they no longer want to prolong sanctions. If that happens, the assets would have to be released immediately.

Now, if you confiscate assets, spend them, and then later reach a point in time when they must be returned, you are left with a serious problem — because you would have to repay them.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever:

The Russian assets will remain immobilized until the end of the war. That means that, as has always been the case in history, once there is a peace deal, those assets will be on the table.

Let me be very clear about this. If it were up to me, every single euro of that money would be used for reparations and for the reconstruction of Ukraine. I would be very sad to see even one euro returned to Moscow.

That said, we must respect international law. The decision will be taken at that moment. Between now and then, Europe will finance Ukraine’s war effort — as it should — because Ukrainians are fighting for all of us.

Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski:

People in Ukraine depend on area heating plants for heat and electricity. When heat and electricity don’t come through, you have to drain water from the radiators, and then their housing becomes unlivable.

You now have an exodus from the major population centers, including Kyiv. These people did nothing to deserve this.

Deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure is a war crime, and Putin is no man of peace.

Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski:

Last year, we financed not just the war but also the functioning of the Ukrainian state.

Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski:

If Ukraine doesn’t end up within defensible borders as a result of the deal that I hope comes, we will be planting the seeds of the next war.

UAV Commander of Ukraine's Third Army Corps:

Ukraine gave away the third-largest nuclear arsenal for international guarantees.

We gave up our missiles to Russia; they later flew on us again.

UAV Commander of Ukraine's Third Army Corps:

We must accept reality — the reality as it is. International law, unfortunately, does not function in this trench. The only thing this neo-empire truly listens to and understands is strength.

I do not really believe in deals in this context, because deals assume rational behavior — and that is not what we are dealing with. Please accept this. Once you do, you will no longer be surprised or disappointed when things happen.

And this applies first and foremost to Europe. No individual European army can simply withdraw. As things stand, we are holding the line. Right now, more than one million troops are positioned along the borders of the European Union. This is the reality we are facing.

In fact, I believe the Ukrainian Army is already part of European security — de facto.

Europe must recognize this reality. We must be united. A united Europe must stand together and be strong, because strength is the only language Putin’s new empire understands.

Senator Thom Tillis:

Over the course of 30 days, the President of Russia allowed the systematic kidnapping, torture, rape, and murder of people in a suburb just 30 minutes outside of Kyiv.

This is what that vicious dictator of Russia perpetrated on the poor innocent civilians of Bucha.

Senator Thom Tillis on Ukraine:

Anybody who says we have a big ocean that protects us, they don’t understand history.

U.S. frustration with SDF peaked when Envoy Tom Barrack “slammed his hand on the table”, demanding Abdi clearly state whether he actually wanted the deal to go forward, a moment that captured Washington’s loss of patience with the group.

Source: AP

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, top 2028 Democratic contender:

Donald Trump is very unpopular on immigration. He’s successful on the border. Separate issue, connected.

And yes, the Democratic Party failed in the last few years on the border. And yes, I was critical of that.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, top 2028 Democratic contender:

Look, I don’t begrudge other people’s success. I’ve never been that kind of Democrat. But I also recognize businesses can’t thrive in a world that’s failing.

Two-thirds of the wealth in the United States is concentrated in the hands of just 10%.

This imbalance—Plutarch said it to the Athenians 2,000 years ago: the imbalance between the rich and the poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.

Fast forward to today. This concentration is a very real issue, and we’re going to have to address that.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, top 2028 Democratic contender:

He’s an invasive species, Donald Trump. He took over the Republican Party.

There are a few of them—Lindsey Graham, I mean, speaking of the kneepads. I’m sorry, this is tough stuff. I don’t recognize these people any longer.

I used to respect Lindsey. You think what I’m saying about Trump’s tough? How about what Lindsey Graham said about Trump? How about the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio? These are the same people.

German Chancellor Merz:

China, with strategic foresight, has worked its way into the ranks of the great powers.

The United States’ global position is being challenged, and Washington reacts by radically reshaping its foreign and security policy.