Quotes
It is difficult to put into words what an about-face this is for US support for Ukraine, which for years was built on helping the country defend itself, though not win the war,
The Guardian's Andrew Roth wrote
Mr. Trump is in the middle of executing one of the most jaw-dropping pivots in American foreign policy in generations, a 180-degree turn that will force friends and foes to recalibrate in fundamental ways."
The consensus opinion is best summed up by Peter Baker of The New York TimesReports of 4,000 North Korean casualties in the past three months have not hampered Pyongyang's determination to fight. North Korean troops pulled back from the front lines in January, but they are now back after additional training. Combat units are becoming smaller to minimize exposure to Ukrainian drones. North Korean missiles used in the war are also becoming more accurate. North Korea is learning, and it is learning fast."
Khang Vu, visiting scholar in the Political Science Department at Boston College, wrote in an article for the Lowy Institute think tank WednesdayI think people are going to be surprised at how many people, not only soldiers, have been killed in Ukraine."
He furtherI am not a politician, but I understand that this Trump does not bode well for us,
she told Reuters in Riga
The foreign policy of the United States scares me a lot,
she told Reuters in WarsawIt is disturbing to me that Putin and Trump, or vice versa, have really got along,
he saidI had this feeling of stability, and after Poland joined NATO, after it joined the European Union, I thought we had this moment of peace, but it turned out that it really was just a moment,
she said
The good news is that I don’t think a majority of Republicans in the House and the Senate want to see Russia come out of this with advantages. The bad news is they’re afraid to say it publicly.”
Bolton added
The Republicans have basically taken a walk. This is not the party that used to be strong on national defence and national security. They’ve basically made the decision to keep their mouth shut and to go along and that’s unfortunate because, frankly, that’s not what they were elected to do.”
Panetta added
Reagan would have said, Nato and the US commitment to Europe has kept the European peace for 80 years. It’s foolish and reckless to put that at risk. And for what? To get along with Putin?”
Bill Kristol, director of the advocacy group Defending Democracy Together and a former official in the Reagan and George HW Bush administrations, commented via email
I don’t know who wrote the speech – it is the kind of thing Tucker Carlson could have written, and Carlson is a fool.”
Roger Wicker, chair of the Senate armed services committee, called it a “rookie mistake”, telling the Politico website
It makes me sick what’s going on right now,
said Ken Adelman, a former US ambassador to the United NationsI’m here today to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.
Last week Donald Trump’s newly appointed defence secretary Pete Hegseth landed in Europe to deliver a message from his boss
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We are first in line to do a great free trade deal with the United States,
Boris announced after meeting Donald Trump in advance of his inauguration way back in 2017.
Never has a greater truth been spoken
Suella Braverman announcedThank you JD Vance for telling it like it is about free speech in Europe and this country.
Lord (David) Frost, Boris Johnson’s chief Brexit negotiator, cooedThe threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other
he said
Though many will find it unthinkable, we must be prepared to call up our reservists – and make plans for conscription. Trump has left us no other choice."
Penning his worrying warning in the Daily Mail recently, Sir Shirreff wrote
In effect, Hegseth has taken Nato’s essential principle of mutual defence, known as Article 5, and shredded it. Europe’s reaction has been near panic. The first signs of fracturing emerged on Monday, as Germany, Italy and Poland all baulked at the idea of collective action"
He continued