Catégorie oBox : OBOXMA
The recent meeting between the Russian president and Donald Trump has undoubtedly revealed the latter’s true intentions regarding the war in Ukraine.
"President Donald Trump is ratcheting up pressure on Ukraine to agree to terms to end the war with Russia, echoing some of Moscow's talking points two days after meeting President Vladimir Putin," writes Stephen Collinson | Analysis
Trump would like Zelensky and Ukraine to concede part of their territory to Russia, in particular Crimea, illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014 but never recognized by either Kiev or the international community.
In a post on his own social network, Donald Trump claimed that Ukraine could end the war « almost immediately » by ceding territory and renouncing NATO membership, an alliance that would offer lasting protection against future Russian invasions.
At the same time, he ruled out any idea of a ceasefire during the peace negotiations, as Russia stepped up its daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities, which has doubled since his return to the White House.
Trump remains evasive about the concessions demanded of Russia by his administration, with many believing there are simply none. In the past, he has even claimed that simply halting the invasion was, in his view, a sufficient concession on Moscow’s part.
Donald Trump has finally declared that he will not send US troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees aimed at securing a lasting peace agreement between Kiev and Moscow.
This about-face comes a day after an important White House meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders, at which Trump had shown himself open to the idea of a military deployment on the ground.
A few hours after this important meeting, Donald Trump responded in a telephone interview with Fox News to a question about what guarantees he could offer for the future, including that no American soldiers would be sent to defend Ukraine’s border after his administration.
He then simply stated that he gave the assurance and that he was the president, according to CNN.
A White House spokesman responded by pointing out that the United States has many other ways of ensuring Ukraine’s protection, without having to send ground troops.
Donald Trump has posted a long message on Truth Social, in which he attacks museums, which he describes as » WOKE ».
Trump Slams Smithsonian for Harping on How ‘How Bad Slavery Was’
— Rolling Stone (@rollingstone.com) 2025-08-19T21:41:41.174Z
In his message, Trump resorts to shocking statements about slavery to support what he sees as a landmark example.
With this in mind, Trump now assures us that his administration has made « tremendous progress » against universities, and he now seems to have found his next target.
Donald Trump now wants to take aim at museums, which he believes should embody American exceptionalism, but which he now describes as « out of control ».
In his post, Donald Trump claims to have instructed his lawyers to initiate the same process as that carried out against universities, hammering home that « this country cannot be WOKE ».
According to Trump, museums, in particular the Smithsonian network, have become places « where we only talk about (…) how bad slavery was ».
This shocking statement provoked an immediate outcry from politicians, academics and the media alike.
Several voices accused Trump of wanting to « whitewash » American history and instrumentalize museums for ideological ends, while media outlets such as CNN and the Daily Beast denounced a frontal forward against the memory of slavery and the Smithsonian’s educational mission.
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Apple and the golden gift for Trump
Apple CEO Tim Cook tried to woo Donald Trump during a visit to the White House with a gift of 24-carat gold and an announcement of $100 billion in investments.
President Trump and Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, announced Wednesday that Apple would invest an additional $100 billion in the U.S., after Cook presented Trump with a 24-karat gold gift and lavished him with praise. Read more: nyti.ms/3J2VVue
— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-08-07T10:10:45.564945Z
The scene was deemed embarrassing by many Americans who saw the images.
Cook’s critics accuse him of sacrificing some of his dignity to preserve Apple’s huge margins, in return for an exemption deemed valuable to the company.
This additional investment brings Apple’s commitment to the United States to 600 billion over four years.
The gift, a glass sculpture on a gold base engraved with Trump’s name, seemed to please the ex-president, who decorates the White House in gold.
Cook gains a major trump card for Apple, as Trump exempts it from a 100% tax on imported chips as part of his global tariff war.
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Trump gave China another break
President Donald Trump recently signed a new presidential executive order to once again postpone the tariffs that the United States wishes to impose on China.
According to CNBC, this decision postpones the application of US tariffs on Chinese products for a further 90 days.
Trump ordered the extension of the pause on tariffs targeting China, just hours before the expiration of the one instituted in May 2025.
In April, Trump had set tariffs on Chinese products of up to 145%, before reducing them to 30% in May, a rate maintained after the truce was extended in August.
This truce will end in mid-November… unless Trump decides to extend the deadline again.
Zelensky wore a suit on his second visit to the White House, at the explicit request of the Trump administration.
This comes after he was publicly humiliated by Trump, his allies and some journalists during his first visit on February 28.
One of the journalists who had publicly humiliated Zelensky during his first visit to the White House, Brian Glenn, reporter for the conservative media Real America’s Voice and companion of Marjorie Taylor Greene, this time highlighted the fact that the Ukrainian president wore a suit during his second presence in Washington.
Live from the Oval Office, Glenn addressed him directly, while Donald Trump reminded Zelensky that this was the same reporter who had previously chastised him for not wearing a suit.
Zelensky replied that he remembered him very well, and wryly pointed out that Glenn seemed to be wearing exactly the same suit as when they met earlier!
CSIS has revealed the existence of a secret North Korean intercontinental missile base near Sinpung-dong, some thirty kilometers from the Chinese border.
North Korea's 'undeclared' missile base poses potential nuclear threat, report says: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-22/north-korea-secret-missile-base/105684760
— ABC News (Unofficial) (@abc-news.bsky.social) 2025-08-22T07:11:03.828Z
This facility had never been officially declared by Pyongyang.
It is discreetly designed, with no visible launch pads or anti-aircraft defenses, making it difficult to target before a possible launch.
According to estimates, the base could store between six and nine solid-propellant missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads and traveling on mobile vehicles.
Experts estimate that it is part of a network of 15 to 20 similar sites in North Korea, raising serious concerns about the scale of the country’s arsenal.
Finally, analyses relayed by CNN indicate that this base places the continental United States directly within range of North Korean missiles.