Trump Pivot From 'Tantrum Diplomacy' to 'Pitbull Diplomacy'
Hardline approach raises fears in Kyiv as Trump team pushes aggressive deal terms favoring Moscow.
VIDEO: A transition is underway from the ‘tantrum diplomacy’ of Trump 1.0 to the ‘pitbull diplomacy’ of Trump 2.0. And it threatens to leave Ukraine in a very unpleasant dust cloud, I told CNN’s Erica Hill
Many developments on the Ukraine-Russia story. The easiest way is to summarize them for you here…
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin have reportedly discussed potential direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. But Kyiv has dismissed the idea as “not a very appealing prospect,” saying it’s still waiting for real signs that Moscow is serious about peace. President Zelensky continues to urge Washington to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin.
The US has privately offered to provide security guarantees for Sir Keir Starmer’s “coalition of the willing”, The Telegraph understands.
a senior Russian general has been killed in a car bomb attack in Moscow, Russian authorities confirm
Trump: “Crimea will stay with Russia. And Zelensky understands that, and everybody understands that it's been with them for a long time ...I don’t think they’ll ever be able to join NATO ... that's I think what caused the war to start was when they started talking about joining NATO."
The Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko says Ukraine may have to temporarily give up territory for peace to happen. He’s seen as a political challenger to Mr. Zelensky
A US document says Ukraine will have a "robust security guarantee" with European and other friendly states acting as guarantors. It says Kyiv will not seek to join NATO.
The Witkoff proposals reportedly include lifting sanctions imposed on Russia since the 2014 annexation of Crimea. They also suggest U.S. control of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, with power shared between Russia and Ukraine.
Writing on the Truth Social platform, Trump has lashed out again at Zelensky (speaking of ‘pitbull diplomacy’) by accusing him os slow walking the ‘Rare Earths Deal'.’ “ Trump wrote: “It is at least three weeks late. Hopefully, it will be signed IMMEDIATELY. Work on the overall Peace Deal between Russia and Ukraine is going smoothly. SUCCESS seems to be in the future.”
Though controversial, this may be the moment for President Zelensky to declare full mobilization to strengthen Ukraine’s front-line defenses in case U.S. support fades.
Trump—who today called it “an honor” to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, citing an unverified figure of 5,000 soldiers killed weekly on both sides—has no foreign policy wins to his name. Desperate for one, he appears eager to push through a deal heavily skewed in Russia’s favor. Let’s not forget: Trump has the Nobel Peace Prize in his sights—another reason to force Kyiv’s hand.
A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff began in Moscow on Friday
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside at the Rite of Sealing of the Coffin of the late Pope Francis, ahead of the papal funeral on Saturday morning. The liturgical rite will be attended by several Cardinals and Holy See officials. It will mark the end of public viewing in St. Peter’s Basilica, which has seen tens of thousands of people pay their respects to the late Pope. As his mortal remains lie in state, over 50,000 people have filed past the Altar of the Confession in the 24 hours since the Vatican Basilica opened to the faithful on Wednesday morning. St. Peter’s Basilica remained open until 5:30 AM on Thursday, closing for an hour and a half before reopening at 7:00 AM.
Being the “least” in society will become a privilege on the day of Pope Francis’ funeral and burial. Around forty people will gather on Saturday morning April 26, on the steps of Saint Mary Major Basilica in the Esquilino Roman neighbourhood. The group will include poor people, homeless, prisoners, migrants and transgender individuals, who will will pay their last tribute and express their gratitude to Pope Francis. For many of them, he was like a “father.” Holding a white rose, they will be the last to bid farewell in accordance with the Pope’s wishes - Vatican News
A string of political and religious leaders, royals and celebrities have confirmed they will be at the Vatican for Saturday’s service. A total of 130 delegations including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs will attend, according to an update Thursday from the Vatican’s Telegram channel. Among them is Javier Milei, president of Francis’ native Argentina who had previously clashed with the pontiff over economic policy. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of neighboring Brazil who had a close relationship with Francis, is also going. French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are among the major European leaders traveling to the Vatican - CNN
Apple plans to shift the assembly of all US-sold iPhones to India as soon as next year, according to people familiar with the matter, as President Donald Trump’s trade war forces the American tech group to pivot away from China. The push builds on Apple’s strategy to diversify its supply chain but goes further and faster that investors expected, with a goal to source from India more than 60-million iPhones sold annually in the US by the end of 2026. That would mean doubling output in India, after almost two decades in which Apple has spent heavily in China to create a world-beating production line that powered its rise into a $3tn tech giant - FT
Canadians head to the polls on Monday (watch for my live commentary from Ottawa) and the polls place the two frontrunners almost neck to neck. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s main competition is Pierre Poilievre, Canada’s Conservative party leader whose political capital has declined as US-Canada relations nosedive amid threats from US President Donald Trump. Wrote Earnscliffe Strategies: “As Carney said many times this week, “President Trump’s tariffs are the biggest crisis of our lifetime”. Pierre Poilievre continued to push the twin themes of “time for a change” and affordability: “After the lost Liberal decade, everything costs more. Canada can’t afford a fourth Liberal term.” On Thursday, the Globe and Mail wrote that Mr. Poilievre may be in trouble in his Ottawa-area riding of Carleton.
Trump administration officials have discussed allowing some Afghan refugees - a group of hundreds of at-risk Christian Afghan refugees - to remain in the United States, days after a group of potentially vulnerable migrants from the war-torn country received emails from Customs and Border Protection revoking their humanitarian parole status, according to two administration officials familiar with the conversations. The policy discussions come as prominent Christian leaders and nonprofit organizations have pressed the White House to protect what they say is a group of hundreds of at-risk Christian Afghan refugees — still a fraction of the thousands potentially facing deportation in the months ahead. The leaders argued they could face persecution if returned to Afghanistan, which has reverted to Taliban control after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021 — agreed to by President Donald Trump in his first term and executed by President Joe Biden. Allowing even a fraction of those refugees to stay would mark a rare turnabout for an administration that has focused its efforts on removing temporary legal status for refugees from around the world as part of its deportation agenda. The push is unlikely to help Muslim Afghans, including those who helped American troops and civilians, who could also face dire consequences if they return to the country - Politico
The FBI on Friday arrested a Milwaukee judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities, escalating a clash between the Trump administration and local authorities over the Republican president’s sweeping immigration crackdown. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of escorting the man and his lawyer out of her courtroom through the jury door last week after learning that immigration authorities were seeking his arrest. The man was taken into custody outside the courthouse after agents chased him on foot. President Donald Trump’s administration has accused state and local officials of interfering with his immigration enforcement priorities. The arrest also comes amid a growing battle between the administration and the federal judiciary over the president’s executive actions over deportations and other matters. Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, in a statement on the arrest, accused the Trump administration of repeatedly using “dangerous rhetoric to attack and attempt to undermine our judiciary at every level…I have deep respect for the rule of law, our nation’s judiciary, the importance of judges making decisions impartially without fear or favor, and the efforts of law enforcement to hold people accountable if they commit a crime,” Evers said. “I will continue to put my faith in our justice system as this situation plays out in the court of law.” - AP
The journals…
