Endgame in the Air? Trump Works the Phones with Putin and Zelensky as Vance Declares Russia Spent
A 90-minute Trump-Putin call, a Vance reversal, and a rattled Kremlin — the signals are aligning ahead of Ankara
Something is moving. Kind of. Sort of.
On July 4 - of all days - Donald Trump spent nearly 90 minutes on the phone with Vladimir Putin, offering to help find a solution to the war in Ukraine, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who framed the offer in the context of Trump’s appearance at next week’s NATO summit in Turkey. Ushakov called the conversation “business-like and quite constructive,” saying Moscow seeks a “political-diplomatic resolution” - with the telling caveat: “due account of Russia’s fundamental approach.” Translation: Putin’s maximalist demands haven’t gone anywhere. Volodymyr Zelensky, who also spoke with Trump, says the American president reaffirmed his readiness to work toward a rapid end to the fighting.
The call landed as JD Vance - the man who stridently opposed every Ukraine assistance package as a senator and played attack dog in that infamous Oval Office ambush of Zelensky - told The Sunday Times’ Katy Balls that the end may finally be in sight. Vance declared Russia’s capacity to achieve anything through sustained offensive operations is negligible and “approaching zero,” and pointed to a “mood shift” among European leaders. Chew on the irony: the politician who built his brand torching aid to Kyiv now takes credit for a strategy - Ukraine digs in, bleeds Russia dry, negotiates from strength - that only works because Ukraine kept fighting with the very Western weapons he fought to cut off.
Note the Kremlin’s tell. Ushakov accused Kyiv and its European backers of “counting on extending and even escalating the conflict” and of “terrorism against civilians” - Moscow-speak for Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, which have triggered fuel shortages across several Russian regions. When the Kremlin complains this loudly about the pressure, the pressure is working. The State Department assesses Ukraine holds the advantage; Zelensky sees a real prospect of peace; even Vance is talking endgame. All eyes now turn to Ankara and the NATO leaders summit - where the question is whether Washington’s optimism survives contact with Putin’s “fundamental approach.”
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remained absent as funeral prayers for his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were held early on July 5, more than four months after he was killed during US-Israeli strikes at the outset of the war in the Middle East. Prayers were led by Grand Ayatollah Ja’far Sobhani, one of Iran’s most senior Shi’ite clerics. State media said the funeral prayers would be held in three stages: first for Ali Khamenei, followed by prayers for family members also killed in the same US-Israeli strike, including his daughter, his daughter-in-law -- Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, Zahra Haddad Adel -- and his 14-month-old granddaughter. Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been widely described by Iranian media as an ayatollah and was named supreme leader shortly after his father’s death, was absent from the ceremony despite the tradition that each successor leads funeral prayers for his predecessor -- a role analysts see as reinforcing the legitimacy of the succession. He has not been seen in public since he was reportedly injured in the same attack that killed his father on February 28, and no known audio or video recordings of him have been released in the intervening months, raising questions about his health and his ability to carry out his duties as supreme leader. The Iranian authorities are likely to justify his absence from his father’s funeral on security grounds. However, the attendance of virtually all of the Islamic republic’s senior officials suggested the authorities were confident enough in the security arrangements despite the possibility of an Israeli or US attack - RFE/RL
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Tirana on Saturday, protesting for the 35th consecutive day against plans to build a tourist resort linked to the Trump family. It is thought to have been the largest demonstration since the protests began in late May against the construction of a luxury hotel connected to Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner, who advises and negotiates on behalf of the president, in the protected area of Zvërnec, in southwestern Albania. What started as an environmental protest has now turned into a major anti‑government revolution. Protesters accuse the government of corruption and are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who approved the Kushner-Trump project. “What began as the ‘pink flamingo revolution’ has turned into widespread public discontent,” protester Alketa Ademi told the French news agency AFP. “The lack of transparency, the arrogance – enough! The prime minister has to go,” she added. The movement has been dubbed the ‘Pink Flamingo Revolution’, a reference to the migratory birds that pass through the protected area where the tourist complex is planned. Protesters argue that the luxury hotel complex, whose cost is estimated at $4.6 billion (€4.02 billion) and which is to be built in a protected area on the Adriatic Sea, threatens the fragile ecosystem of the neighbouring lagoon - Euronews
President Donald Trump went on a late-morning posting spree after his Fourth of July celebration descended into chaos, leaving MAGA crowds less than thrilled. The 80-year-old president unleashed 67 posts on Truth Social within two hours Sunday in a rapid-fire online blitz, ranging from attacks on a federal judge to a photo of himself at a 1991 New York City tree-lighting ceremony alongside his Home Alone 2 co-stars. He posted almost every minute between 11:12 a.m. and 1:14 p.m., repeatedly returning to the same grievances. One of Trump’s main morning fixations appeared to be events from two weeks earlier, during the week beginning June 22, as he revisited a series of old developments rather than new ones. Other posts in the barrage veered across topics—from coverage of Trump’s speeches, dominated by warnings about communism, to a boast about a banner that placed him beside George Washington, which labeled the Founding Father as “America’s First” and Trump as “America First.” Trump also lingered on the “crystal clear” Reflecting Pool, which he claimed had fully overcome its algae problem, praised golden horse statues, and touted his TikTok numbers, declaring he was “Number 1 on TikTok!” The president’s posting rampage came the day after his America 250 celebration went off the rails, as severe weather evacuations left large numbers of MAGA supporters stranded around the National Mall. The event, described by the president as a “rally,” was abruptly halted by the National Park Service around 7:15 p.m. after attendees were told to shelter in place - The Daily Beast
The journals….
