Russia and the US

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US says Russian warplane hits American drone over Black Sea

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian fighter jet struck the propeller of a U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday in a “brazen violation of international law,” causing American forces to bring down the unmanned aerial vehicle, the U.S. said.

https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-kramatorsk-peace-plan-fde09a8ea4d9b692637ad8f76cd05f3a?

US, Russia ratchet up their rhetoric over downing of drone

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and the United States ratcheted up confrontational rhetoric Wednesday over a U.S. surveillance drone that encountered Russian warplanes and crashed near the Crimean Peninsula, while both countries pledged to try to avoid escalation.

https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-drone-pentagon-9f4b3e8fdd719c0fa91a0683228b9e51

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What’s known and not about US drone-Russian jet encounter

WASHINGTON (AP) — When a Russian fighter jet collided with a large U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea, it was a rare but serious incident that triggered a U.S. diplomatic protest and raised concerns about the possibility Russia could recover sensitive technology.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-us-reaper-drone-collision-501614b07b504fa5c609e64146e6ab4f?

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Pentagon video shows Russian jet dumping fuel on US drone

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Biden administration released video Thursday of a Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone as the U.S. sought to hold Russia responsible for the collision that led to the drone’s crash into the Black Sea without escalating already fraught tensions with the Kremlin.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-drone-us-intercept-b28e38a7cd046f8685b89a3038973e49?

US, Russian military chiefs resume contact to discuss drone

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to his Russian counterpart on Wednesday about the destruction of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea after an encounter with Russian fighter jets, which brought the two countries closest to direct conflict since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-us-defense-ukraine-war-7fe21f60da101312f7c174d63c311a01?

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US accuses Russia of dangerous ‘behavior’ harming drone - analysis

US Central Command said that Russia had conducted “unsafe and unprofessional behavior in the air.”

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-752417?

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Russia threat: next war frontier

U.S. officials are warning of Russia's rising ability to station nuclear weapons in space, illuminating the next, scarier frontier of warfare.

• Why it matters: The future of war is autonomous weapons, robots, sophisticated artificial intelligence and a race to dominate space. The new intelligence suggests Russia might be gaining a tactical edge in the space race.

A space-based nuclear weapon could threaten America's extensive civilian and military satellite network, which transmits billions of bytes of data each hour, the N.Y. Times reports.

• Russia wouldn't drop the nuclear weapon on Earth, but rather use it against satellites, ABC News explains.

The U.S. "does not have the ability to counter such a weapon and defend its satellites," The Times writes. But the threat doesn't appear imminent.

• Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the House Intelligence Committee's top Democrat, said: "No need to buy gold."

? Between the lines: House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) sparked a frenzy yesterday with a vague statement warning of a "serious national security threat."

• Turner urged President Biden to declassify the information but didn't provide any details about the threat.

The intrigue: It's unclear why Turner took the extraordinary step of sounding a public alarm before getting a full White House briefing.

• One theory: Turner wants to jolt fellow Republicans into taking the Russia threat more seriously — and funding Ukraine to wage war against Putin.

? What's next: White House officials are scheduled to brief congressional leaders today.

• Keep reading (NYT gift link — no paywall).

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Russia has obtained a ‘troubling’ emerging anti-satellite weapon, the White House says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House publicly confirmed on Thursday that Russia has obtained a “troubling” emerging anti-satellite weapon but said it cannot directly cause “physical destruction” on Earth.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-anti-satellite-weapon-threat-technology-2880f9c55122dcafe87188bc92dd6cde?

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RUSSIA has issued a chilling warning to the West with threats of unleashing "entire arsenal" if it loses the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin today threatened to fire nuclear missiles on London, Washington, Berlin and Kyiv if it is forced to give up the swathes of Ukraine it has invaded.

https://local.newsbreak.com/washington-state/3338174349523-russia-issues-chilling-warning-to-the-west-threatening-to-unleash-its-entire-arsenal-if-it-loses-the-war-in-ukraine?

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?? Epic U.S.-Russia meeting

A meeting between senior U.S. and Russian officials will take place tomorrow in Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible agreement on ending the war in Ukraine and prepare for a Trump-Putin summit, two sources told Axios' Barak Ravid.

• Why it matters: The meeting will be another significant step in improving U.S.-Russia relations after last week's phone call between President Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The call created anxiety and frustration in the Ukrainian government, which is concerned about a U.S.-Russia deal behind Kyiv's back. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told Axios on Saturday in Munich that Ukraine hasn't received an invitation to the meeting

• ⚡ Breaking: Zelensky said today that Ukraine won't take part in U.S.-Russia talks on the war — and won't accept the outcome without participation.

The U.S. delegation will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov are to fly to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, later today.

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US-Russia talks

US and Russian officials are meeting in Saudi Arabia today for initial talks to end the war in Ukraine as President Donald Trump pushes for a deal. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said his government "knew nothing about (the talks)" and would not participate. Officials say if the preliminary discussions between senior Trump administration officials and their Russian counterparts are successful, work toward arranging a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could progress quickly — potentially culminating in a summit in Saudi Arabia within the coming month.

 

Top Russian and US officials meet for talks on Ukraine war without Kyiv The top diplomats from Russia and the U.S. met Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss improving ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine — talks that represented a rapid and major change in American foreign policy under President Donald Trump. Read more.

Why this matters: No Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting, which comes as the beleaguered country is slowly but steadily losing ground against more numerous Russian troops in the grinding war. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country won’t accept any outcome from this week’s talks if Kyiv doesn’t take part.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ European leaders want a say in talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The US is brushing them off   American arrested in Moscow on drug smuggling charges is freed ahead of Russia-US talks   Trump’s tariffs expose Ukraine’s steel industry to another war

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Commentary: In a stunning comeback, Russia wins the Cold War

Vladimir Putin, Russia’s long-standing dictator, never got over the Soviet Union’s collapse at the end of the Cold War. He has called it the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th century and said he’d reverse it if he could. It’s starting to look as though Putin’s decades-old grudge might just pay off, as he sits on the sidelines and watches the United States do the work for him.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/02/27/column-russia-wins-cold-war-ukraine-nato-shackelford/?

ps:Exactly!! We're playing right into his hands!!!!!