NATO's Rutte:

Greenland’s ownership was not discussed during my conversations with Trump.

The Trump administration is searching for Cuban government insiders who could cut a deal to push out the Communist regime by the end of the year.

Officials assess Cuba’s economy as close to collapse after losing Venezuelan oil support and see the Maduro operation as both a blueprint and a warning for Havana.

The strategy includes choking off oil supplies, targeting Cuba’s overseas medical missions, and signaling openness to negotiations with regime insiders.

Source: WSJ

New cover of The Economist:

"America's alliances cannot survive continual bouts of arm-wrestling brought about by a president who thinks allies have no value."

New infrared footage released this week shows a triangular, “Dorito-shaped” aircraft flying at night over the Nevada Test and Training Range near Area 51.

Outlets like The Aviationist say it closely resembles earlier black-triangle sightings from 2013–2014 and is most likely a classified U.S. military test aircraft.

Source: Uncanny Expeditions/YouTube

Rutte on Trump's Greenland deal:

We will ensure that the Chinese and Russians will not gain access to Greenland's economy.

Rutte:

All of this is not about Greenland or the Arctic, this is about how can we protect ourselves against our adversaries.

Our main adversary is Russia. And of course, we also see China massively building up. So let’s not be naïve about China. Still, Russia remains our primary adversary.

Rutte on Ukraine:

Today, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, and so many smaller cities in Ukraine are being hit by Russian missiles and drones.

There is -20 degrees in Kyiv as we speak. What we need is to keep our eyes on the ball of Ukraine. Let’s not drop that ball.

Peace talks are fantastic, but peace will not happen tomorrow. Ukrainians need these interceptors tomorrow.

Rutte on Ukraine:

The United States is willing to supply as much military support as Ukraine needs, particularly these interceptors, paid for by Europeans and Canadians.

We must keep that flow going, ensure it continues, and make sure we do not lose sight of this main issue.

Finnish President Stubb:

Putin wanted to take over Ukraine and make it Russian, he failed.

He will not take over Ukraine and Ukraine WILL become a member of the European Union.

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.