'Ukraine's Zelenskiy says he can salvage relationship with US'

 Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he believed he could salvage his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump after their explosive meeting in the Oval Office, but that talks needed to continue behind closed doors.

Zelenskiy reiterated that Ukraine would not concede any territory to Russia as part of a peace deal. He said he was still willing to sign a minerals deal with the U.S. and described a discussion on Sunday with European leaders to send a draft peace plan to the U.S. as a key development.

In an extraordinary meeting that was broadcast live on Friday, Trump accused Zelenskiy of being ungrateful for U.S. aid, of showing disrespect to his country and of risking World War Three, casting into doubt Washington's ongoing support for Ukraine in its three-year-long war with Russia.

Zelenskiy spoke to reporters at a London airport after a summit with European leaders in London on Sunday. While he seemed in good spirits and thanked European countries for their support, the Ukrainian leader was careful to balance his dismay with the events of Friday's Oval Office meeting with a clear desire to keep talking with Washington.

Zelenskiy said he did not think the U.S. would stop its assistance to Ukraine, because as "leaders of the civilized world" they would not want to help Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But he said he remained prepared for any outcome.

"As regards salvaging the relationship, I think our relationship will continue," Zelenskiy told reporters via a translator after the London summit.

But he added: "I do not think it's right when such discussions are totally open. ... The format of what happened, I don't think it brought something positive or additional to us as partners."

A visibly shaken Zelenskiy arrived in London on Saturday where he was met with a warm embrace from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and by cheering supporters around Downing Street.

At the summit on Sunday Starmer said European leaders had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to take to the U.S., in the hope that Washington would offer the security guarantees Kyiv says are vital to deter Russia.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine relied on the U.S. as its top military backer and that stopping the supply of weapons would only help Putin. "The U.S. are ... leaders of the civilized world, and they will not help Putin," he said.

An influential Russian parliamentarian, Konstantin Kosachev, on Sunday derided the hopes for Europe's stepping up to forge a peace plan. "And if Ukraine should count on something, it can only be on progress (if there is any to come) in Russian-American relations," he wrote on Telegram.

READY TO SIGN MINERALS DEAL

The abrupt ending to Zelenskiy's Washington trip meant that the two countries failed to sign a much-vaunted minerals deal that Kyiv hoped would spur Trump to back Ukraine's war effort, but Zelenskiy said Ukraine was still willing to sign it.

"We agreed upon signing it; and we were ready to sign it. And honestly I believe the United States would be ready as well," he said.

Trump had sought to cast the minerals deal as a way for Ukraine, which is home to a trove of lithium deposits and rare earth minerals, to repay the U.S. for its billions of dollars in aid.

While Zelenskiy sought to avoid any further antagonism of the U.S., saying he did not want to go over what had happened, he was more forceful on any future ceasefire deal, saying Ukraine would not hand sovereignty of occupied Ukrainian land to Russia.

"Everyone needs to understand that Ukraine will never recognise whatever is occupied by Russia as Russian territories," he said.

"We hope that these security guarantees will make it 100% impossible to give Russia the opportunity to come with another aggression".

Zelenskiy said there had been contact between Kyiv and Washington since Friday's bust-up, although not at his level, and asked if he had considered resigning, he showed no sign of wavering.

"As regards resignation, if I'm to be changed ... to change me it will not be easy because it is not enough to simply hold elections. You would need to prevent me from participating in the elections and it will be a bit more difficult."

Some Republican leaders had suggested that Zelenskiy needed to resign after Friday's meeting with Trump.

Zelenskiy repeated again, however, that if Ukraine was granted NATO membership, he would have fulfilled his mission.

https://www.aol.com/news/ukraines-zelenskiy-says-salvage-relationship-210906536.html

Clearlake Acquires Majority Stake in Modernizing Medicine

 

Clearlake Capital is set to acquire a majority stake in Modernizing Medicine (ModMed), valuing the healthcare technology company at $5.3 billion. The deal is expected to fuel ModMed's growth and innovation in delivering specialized software solutions to healthcare professionals.

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/headlines/3283040-clearlake-acquires-majority-stake-in-modmed

Trump compares UK's demand for Apple user data to Chinese monitoring

 U.S. President Donald Trump likened the UK government's demand that Apple grant it access to some user data as "something that you hear about with China," in an interview with The Spectator political magazine published Friday.

Trump said that he had told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that he "can't do this", referring to the request for access to data. The two met at the White House on Thursday for the first time since the U.S. leader took office, discussing Ukraine and negotiating a bilateral trade agreement.

"We actually told him (Starmer) ... that's incredible. That's something, you know, that you hear about with China," Trump said in his first magazine interview of his second term with the magazine's editor-at-large Ben Domenech.

A spokesperson for the British government said "we have a close intelligence relationship with the U.S. and we take the partnership seriously" but did not comment on the specifics of the Apple case. The company did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Apple last week ended an advanced security encryption feature for cloud data for UK users in an unprecedented response to government demands for access to user data. A spokesperson for Britain's Home Office had then declined to comment on whether such an order had been issued.

In a letter dated February 25 to two U.S. lawmakers, Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. director of national intelligence, said the U.S. is examining whether the UK government had violated the CLOUD Act, which bars it from issuing demands for the data of U.S. citizens and vice versa.

The Spectator, which is influential in Conservative circles and was previously edited by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was bought last year by British hedge fund founder Paul Marshall.

https://www.aol.com/news/trump-compares-uks-demand-apple-213514844.html

Vietnam PM pledges quick licensing for Musk's Starlink, more imports

 Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on Saturday the government wanted to rapidly issue a licence for Elon Musk's Starlink to provide satellite internet in the country under a pilot scheme.

Chinh, speaking with nearly 40 U.S. businesses in Hanoi, also said that Vietnam was taking measures to rebalance its trade surplus with the U.S., citing potential imports of aircraft, arms, liquefied natural gas, agriculture goods and pharmaceutical products.

Hanoi is trying to avoid U.S. duties on its ballooning exports, which contributed to a record trade surplus last year, making the Southeast Asian nation vulnerable to reciprocal tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump.

"The PM has directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to quickly issue a license to Starlink internet (services) on a trial basis," the government said on its website, reporting on the discussions Chinh had with U.S. businesses.

In February the Vietnamese parliament approved a temporary scheme to allow satellite internet companies to provide services in Vietnam while retaining full control on their local subsidiary - a precondition set by Musk.

That represented a sudden shift in Vietnam's stance about ownership of satellite internet providers, as the Communist-run country maintains strict limits on foreign control for multiple economic sectors it considers sensitive.

A U.S. official who attended Saturday's meeting said the discussion "will hopefully solve some pending issues" for U.S. companies in Vietnam.

Chinh is planning separate meetings with other foreign businesses in the coming days, multiple investors told Reuters, as he tries to quell concerns caused by global trade tensions and the impact they could have on the export-reliant country.

Import deals

Among the possible measures that could reduce Vietnam's commercial surplus with the United States are massive purchases by Vietnamese airlines of Boeing planes, the government said.

It cited a deal flag carrier Vietnam Airlines struck with Boeing in 2023 during a visit to Hanoi of former U.S. president Joe Biden for the purchase of 50 737 Max jets.

Vietnam's government reported on Saturday the deal was worth $11 billion, without clarifying whether it included engines and other parts usually bought separately. The White House had said in 2023 the value was $7.8 billion.

Vietnam Airlines did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Saturday.

The government said Vietnam was discussing possible lower prices for the planes with Boeing and also mentioned the deal Vietnamese low-cost airline VietJet has to buy 200 Boeing 737 MAX jets.

The deal was first signed in 2016 and revised afterwards, but no plane has yet been delivered although the company had said it expected to receive the first jets last year.

The government and Vietnamese officials have cited for weeks multiple measures to address the trade surplus with the U.S. but no major deals have yet been announced.

The government has said it could import more U.S. farm products, and officials have repeatedly expressed interest in buying U.S. liquefied natural gas for the country's fledgling LNG industry.

Military deals have also been frequently discussed, including the purchase of Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules military transport planes.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/vietnam-pm-vows-quick-licensing-061924494.html

Canada PM Trudeau says protecting independence is his priority in talks with King Charles

 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his priority in talks with King Charles on Monday will be protecting his country's sovereignty after U.S. President Donald Trump recently suggested making Canada the 51st U.S. state.

Trudeau said nothing is more important to his citizens than "standing up for our sovereignty and our independence", ahead of the meeting with Charles, who is Canada's head of state.

Last week, Charles invited Trump to what would be a historic second state visit to Britain, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer handing over the invitation during a meeting before the world's media in the Oval Office.

"I look forward to sitting down with His Majesty tomorrow, as always we will discuss matters of importance to Canada and Canadians, and I can tell you that nothing seems more important to Canadians than standing up for our sovereignty and our independence as a nation," Trudeau told reporters.

Trudeau, the outgoing prime minister, said last month that Trump's talk about absorbing Canada "is a real thing" and is linked to the country's rich natural resources.

Trump has repeatedly suggested Canada would be better off if it agreed to become the 51st U.S. state.

Trudeau was also asked about Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "I stand with Zelenskiy," he said.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/canada-pm-trudeau-says-protecting-191137228.html

Russian lawmaker says Ukraine can only count on improved Moscow-Washington ties

 An influential Russian parliamentarian dismissed a summit of European leaders in London on Sunday for producing no plan to settle the war in Ukraine and said Kyiv's only hope for the future was an improvement in ties between Moscow and Washington.

Konstantin Kosachev, writing on the Telegram messaging app, derided the outcome of the London meeting as "a desperate attempt to pass off as success the failure of a 10-year policy of inciting Ukraine towards Russia by the same Great Britain and, until recently, the United States".

"Europe has no plan," wrote Kosachev, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Russia's upper house of parliament.

"And if Ukraine should count on something, it can only be on progress (if there is any to come) in Russian-American relations."

He said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who hosted the meeting, "cannot fail to understand this".

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, writing on X before the end of the London gathering, dismissed it as a "coven...to swear allegiance to the Nazi nobodies in Kiev" and a "shameful sight."

Starmer, speaking after the meeting, said participants had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to take to the United States -- two days after Zelenskiy's meeting in Washington with President Donald Trump broke down in acrimonious exchanges.

Starmer said Britain, Ukraine, France and some other nations would form a "coalition of the willing" to produce a plan.

Zelenskiy said he felt strong support from Europe. He said he could salvage his relationship with Trump but that talks needed to continue in a different format.

https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/russian-lawmaker-says-ukraine-can-only-count-on-improved-moscow-washington-ties/ar-AA1A6jDA

'UN Chief Warns Of Global Funding Crisis Due To US Cuts'

 The Trump Administration's agency audits and funding cuts have a wide spectrum of people in a panic, not just in the US but around the world.  For some this is not much of a revelation; it's been known for decades that the US taxpayer backstops numerous governments and NGOs.  Without US dollars many of these organizations (and some countries) would not exist.  However, seeing the beggars all come out of the woodwork at the same time to get their cut of the pie because the money is running dry is truly something to behold.  

Why has America become a cash cow for the entire world?  

Call it an extension of globalism or the incremental sabotage of the US economy, the bottom line is that the US is the wealth generator for hundreds if not thousands of political and financial entities that do not have the best interests of Americans in mind.  US taxpayers are investing in their own destruction.

Yet another example is the United Nations, which received around $18 billion total from the US annually (that's 20% of the UN's entire budget each year.   UN Secretary-General António Guterres has released a press statement calling for a reversal of funding cuts, warning that the organization cannot function without US dollars. 

“These cuts impact a wide range of critical programmes,” Guterres told reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York. “The consequences will be especially devastating for vulnerable people around the world...”

Last week the UN called the situation a "liquidity crisis":

"The President of the UN Field Staff Union said the Organizaton’s severe liquidity and funding shortfall has created a crisis that threatens the foundation of the staff’s work.  “UN staff — who are the backbone of this institution — are being forced to bear the brunt of these financial constraints.  Workloads are increasing beyond sustainable levels,” he said, urging Member States to meet their financial commitments fully and on time."

The US officially provides 20% of the UN's budget, but this is not the end of it.  As Guterres mentions, other governments are also, coincidentally, cutting funding at the same time as the US.  In other words, these governments get money from America then give it to the UN.  It is not clear exactly how much of the UN's operations are supported by American taxpayers, but the funding cuts promise to be quite revealing.  

Much worse is how the UN spends that money. 

The UN then exploits that cash to fund anti-sovereignty efforts such as mass immigration programs into the west.  They contribute to the humanitarian and national security crisis at the US southern border by distributing millions of dollars in financial assistance (including debit cards and cash vouchers) to fund migrants headed north.  The same migrants that have been crossing into the country illegally in record numbers. 

Keep in mind, the US taxpayer doesn't get to choose how their money is spent by globalist organizations.  They talk endlessly of humanitarian food aid and HIV prevention and refugee support, but they don't talk about bankrolling mass migrations from the third world, or promoting transgender propaganda internationally, or putting millions into the anti-gun rights lobbies, or Agenda 2030 and "Net Zero" carbon controls, sometimes referred to as "Sustainable Development Goals". These projects are where the money really goes.

The majority of the ideals and goals put forward by the UN run contrary to US values and freedoms.  It's an insult to American citizens to steal their money, use it to pay for project they would normally oppose, and then accuse them of causing a global panic when they decide to take their money back.  If the US government wants to support a specific humanitarian cause they can do so directly instead of using a middleman like the UN. 

America is not obligated to support globalism.  

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/united-nations-chief-warns-funding-crisis-due-us-cuts