@TheAtlantic and @SNFAgoraJHU Author of Gulag, Iron Curtain, Red Famine, Twilight of Democracy and now AUTOCRACY INC find me more often on https://xitter.cf/t.co/NzY0PRNaYd

Warsaw, London, Washington
Joined May 2011
American foreign policy under Trump is not isolationist. On the contrary, MAGA ideologues want to build an international empire run by far-right political movements who serve the interests of American crypto, mineral and tech companies, especially if they have links to the president. They think of themselves as "the vanguard of a movement that will alter not just America, but the world." Read more here: theatlantic.com/magazine/202…
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Anne Applebaum retweeted
Every day we are fighting to prevent French stats from looking like this.
Every day we are fighting to prevent American streets from looking like this.
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Anne Applebaum retweeted
I have read dozens of outraged posts because the US special envoy Witkoff called Putin a "humanist." But no one is writing about the fact that the American negotiators are simply not doing their job. Let me explain. Peace negotiations are important in their own right. Even if they do not lead to a lasting peace, the process itself is an opportunity to resolve urgent humanitarian issues. If, of course, the human dimension is a priority for the negotiators. But it is entirely obvious that neither Witkoff nor Kushner cares about people's fates in this war. The Pope calls on Putin to save thousands of people from starvation in occupied Oleshky and the surrounding villages. The UN speaks about a humanitarian catastrophe and asks Russia to allow the evacuation of the civilian population. European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno goes on a hunger strike to draw attention to this tragedy unfolding before the eyes of the whole world. And what are Witkoff and Kushner doing? That's right, almost nothing. Except for passing along greetings from Putin’s aide to the First Lady. Thousands of people are already eating grass to survive and begging to save their lives. The Ukrainian side raises the issue of Oleshky at every meeting. And I can name dozens of such urgent humanitarian issues off the top of my head where American negotiators must be proactive. Trump’s peace negotiations have already gone down in history as the deadliest years for Ukraine’s civilian population since the start of the full-scale invasion. I don’t know if anyone will remember the names of Witkoff and Kushner. But history will certainly record how American negotiators, who had the opportunity to save a huge number of people, refused to raise uncomfortable questions before "humanist Putin."
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Read about how @JDVance and others fell for a lie about Volodymyr Zelensky concocted by agents of Russia's Presidential Administration. And how the Vice President's falling for it was collected in a file sent directly to the Kremlin. Inside Putin's "Doppelgänger" operation, based on leaked correspondence between the PA and Russia's Agency for Social Design: theins.press/en/inv/298359
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Anne Applebaum retweeted
NEW: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells @kilmeade he would accept a peace deal that freezes the war along the current frontlines, calling it a realistic way to stop the fighting. He says Ukraine would then seek security guarantees from President Trump and European allies to ensure peace and security. "We call it ceasefire or stop killing like President Trump called it. Freeze and stop. And of course this is minimum what we need from Russia today." | @foxandfriends
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Zelenskyy has made similar public statements supporting a freeze along current frontlines in prior interviews, e.g. Sky News June 2026 and Axios September 2025. euromaidanpress.com/2026/06/08/fre… pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/… euronews.com/2025/10/23/fre…
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from the Ukrainian winner of the Nobel peace prize
I have read dozens of outraged posts because the US special envoy Witkoff called Putin a "humanist." But no one is writing about the fact that the American negotiators are simply not doing their job. Let me explain. Peace negotiations are important in their own right. Even if they do not lead to a lasting peace, the process itself is an opportunity to resolve urgent humanitarian issues. If, of course, the human dimension is a priority for the negotiators. But it is entirely obvious that neither Witkoff nor Kushner cares about people's fates in this war. The Pope calls on Putin to save thousands of people from starvation in occupied Oleshky and the surrounding villages. The UN speaks about a humanitarian catastrophe and asks Russia to allow the evacuation of the civilian population. European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno goes on a hunger strike to draw attention to this tragedy unfolding before the eyes of the whole world. And what are Witkoff and Kushner doing? That's right, almost nothing. Except for passing along greetings from Putin’s aide to the First Lady. Thousands of people are already eating grass to survive and begging to save their lives. The Ukrainian side raises the issue of Oleshky at every meeting. And I can name dozens of such urgent humanitarian issues off the top of my head where American negotiators must be proactive. Trump’s peace negotiations have already gone down in history as the deadliest years for Ukraine’s civilian population since the start of the full-scale invasion. I don’t know if anyone will remember the names of Witkoff and Kushner. But history will certainly record how American negotiators, who had the opportunity to save a huge number of people, refused to raise uncomfortable questions before "humanist Putin."
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Anne Applebaum retweeted
The lesson to be learned from this is that if the US imposes sanctions on you, you should detain as many US nationals as possible on bogus charges, then gradually release them in exchange for sanctions relief or other concessions. Rinse and repeat.
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Anne Applebaum retweeted
Churchill could have shortened WW2 by years if he had just “done a deal” with Hitler. George Washington could have done a deal to end the American Revolution. Zelenskyy is in good company.
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Anne Applebaum retweeted
WTF, Steve? Look up the definition of “humanitarian.” What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say. You should go back to Ukraine and ask the families of the children Putin has kidnapped and murdered whether they agree your friend Putin is a “humanitarian.”
Steve Witkoff to Putin: You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again.
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Of course, we are not losing this war. But we are losing people. Because of the Russian attacks, we're losing people and time. It's such a pity, because our children don't have a real life and childhood. Not only children, but all people. That's why we need to end this war as quickly as possible. I hope that our partners, Americans and Europeans, will help us. God bless, our strong soldiers stay strong on the battlefield. It helps me stay strong during any kind of negotiations.
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A man who kills civilians, every day, is a "humanitarian" ? Who kidnaps children? Who authorizes soldiers to use torture and rape?
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff just told Putin he is a humanitarian. This is completely fucking insane.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
The ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin for crimes against children in 2023. icc-cpi.int/news/situation…
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Anne Applebaum retweeted
‘Humanitarian’
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff just told Putin he is a humanitarian. This is completely fucking insane.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
The ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin for crimes against children in 2023. icc-cpi.int/news/situation…
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Anne Applebaum retweeted
Mr. Vice President, if you’re going to insult me at least have the guts to tag my account.
President Donald J. Trump eviscerates imbecile “journalist” Andrew Feinberg for misbehaving in the Oval Office: "What's wrong with you? Are you a sick person? I actually think there's something wrong with you."
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SpaceX got almost $6 BILLION in taxpayer-funded defense contracts last fiscal year. Meanwhile, SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, has spent over $360 MILLION in our elections this cycle. This should be illegal — but it isn't. I'll be introducing a bill to close the loophole that allows it.
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Trump: "Russia is not helping Iran" Iran:
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Anne Applebaum retweeted
Ukraine was winning the war, so Trump kneecapped Ukraine to help Russia. I wish it weren’t that simple, but it is. Our president is in bed with our enemies.
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Anne Applebaum retweeted
Yesterday, Russia launched 217 guided aerial bombs, 8,784 attack drones and carried out 2,607 shelling attacks across Ukraine. All. In. One. day.
Trump: "Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much."
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Trump's remarks were made the same day Russia conducted a drone strike killing six civilians including children in a Kharkiv region park, plus missile and energy infrastructure attacks leaving hundreds of thousands without power. kyivindependent.com/what-russias-d… kyivindependent.com/russian-drone-… kyivindependent.com/russia-strikes…
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Either the President was lying or Musk was lying, but the decision to slow down satellite speed and access has life or death consequences for Ukraine. This deserves a full investigation by the Senate. Elon Musk should be compelled to testify before Congress and under oath. National security decisions should be made in our national security interests, and not based on the personal whim of an unstable executive.
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this isn't news
According to security officials, pro-Russian and far-right social media accounts linked to previous disinformation campaigns have spread violent videos in an attempt to sow more chaos ft.trib.al/t4nxjpO
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