Kiev Admits Pokrovsk Crisis Defence Collapses Troops Trapped; Putin Donbass Ultimatum EU Kiev Say NO
Topic 1708

Putin Budapest FLIGHT; Bulgaria YES, Poland NO. Trump, Ukraine will NOT win. EU will seize ASSETS
Topic 1852

Trump Zelensky Furious Row; US Tells Kiev Accept Moscow's Terms Or Be Destroyed; Pokrovsk Falls Fast
Topic 1707

The Duran: Episode 961
France's Marine Le Pen Acquitted in Case Over Violating Hate Speech Laws
https://sputniknews.com/europe/202105041082797685-frances-marine-le-pen-acquitted-in-case-over-violating-hate-speech-laws/

There is a big question of how we have got to the point where Putin and Trump have committed themselves to another summit in Budapest.

By Alexander Mercouris.

The first thing to say is that there is none of the excitement - or concern - we saw ahead of the summit in Alaska. The European media, which was in a frenzy before the Alaska summit, is playing this summit down.

The second is that the Russians seem to be much more skeptical. Not only have Putin and Lavrov been challenged by the Russian media in recent press conferences and interviews, but it seems to me that Ushakov in his briefing seemed more doubtful than before. He spoke of the call between Putin and Trump as merely being ‘quite useful’, and made no comment about warmth or ‘sincerity’ between the leaders.

It is clear that there is a tension we have not seen before.

This has caused me to read through all the various comments made since Alaska by Putin and Lavrov, going back all the way to the press conference that Putin and Trump held after...