Stuart McMartin

To all those urging Ukraine to enter peace talks with russia — please, take a close look at this photo. This is Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. In 1999, it was reduced to rubble by russian forces — just three years after russia signed a peace treaty with Chechnya. Russia couldn’t win the war, so it took a break — only to come back and destroy the country, killing hundreds of thousands of Chechens. The only language russia understands is the language of force. They must be decisively defeated. Otherwise, the world will remain at the mercy of an evil empire, ready to attack any country, at any time.

This is categorically false. Not merely a stretch, but a straight-up lie. Congress (not Biden alone) appropriated roughly $188 billion total for Ukraine-related support from 2022–2024. NOT $350 billion. Of that, the bulk (~$110–130B in security/military categories) stayed right here in the U.S., paying American defense contractors & replenishing our own stockpiles. Actual direct financial ("cash") support to Ukraine was roughly $31–38B. Those funds were tracked by the World Bank and were audited by firms like KPMG & Deloitte. We were not writing blank checks. It's extremely frustrating to watch this President demonize an ally while downplaying Putin as the aggressor. This administration has ended new U.S. financial/military support for Ukraine (they can buy via the EU if needed). Combined with eased sanctions on Russia and the President's moral ambiguity on the war, it is just a complete betrayal that I will never, ever understand. Polls show that the vast majority of Americans are very much clear eyed about this — we support Ukraine and we sympathize with Ukraine. Our President does not reflect that majority view.

This exchange between @SenBlumenthal and Trump’s judicial nominees is utterly astounding. If you can watch this and still think this country isn’t falling into authoritarianism and fascism under Donald Trump, then you are not being honest with yourself.

Starmer gets a free ticket to an Arsenal match and the entire right wing media throws an instant conniption fit Farage gets a £5 million quid undisclosed Crypto donation made directly to his company, Reform U.K. and it’s wall to wall crickets from those very same media outlets

The reason the bell was such a masterstroke was because it simultaneously: 1) recalled our shared WW2 struggle 2) underscored he is also King of Australia 3) highlighted the King’s role as Commander in Chief 4) had a contemporaneous link (ie AUKUS) 5) was something of genuine historical value and interest that demonstrably required thought and effort to procure 6) was made in Britain 7) played to Trump’s vanity and is something he will genuinely like. The best gift from a British monarch to a U.S. President since the Resolute Desk

We have a malignant narcissist with the most dangerous pathology known to mankind, who is without moral compass, who is old, who is ill, who is aggrieved, who feels entitled, who has no self-control, who sees enemies in all disagreements, who is bent on petty vengeances, who feels his time is running out, and who is so prone to panic that he almost never sleeps - although he occasionally passes out at meetings, and who is fixated - above all else - at projecting grandiosity and avoiding or rectifying humiliation. Can it be more dangerous? Yes. And here's why: He is also his entire universe. In his mind, he is ALL THERE IS. The universe ceases to exist without him. And THIS is why malignant narcissists with power never want to go down alone. Dems REALLY need to begin forcefully presenting a narrative that Trump is erratic AND unstable AND no longer able to carry out the duties of the presidency - as the entire world knows - and therefore he MUST be removed from office. It's NOT being said enough!!

Donald Trump has just provided the final proof that he is not only a dangerous clown, but an active collaborator with the greatest war criminal of our time. After a 90-minute intimate phone call with Putin - the man who is having tens of thousands of Ukrainians slaughtered, who uses poison gas, torture, and systematic rape as tactics of war, the worst mass murderer since Hitler - this self-proclaimed “strongman” posts on Truth Social that he is seriously considering withdrawing American troops from Germany. This is not a change in policy. This is treason. This is the moment when the US president stabs NATO in the back while Putin is setting Europe ablaze. Trump is deliberately leaving Europe defenseless. He is sacrificing the safety of 450 million Europeans for a brief, dirty tête-à-tête with a dictator whose troops are currently committing war crimes. And he does it publicly, without shame, without even an attempt at disguise. Anyone who still claims that this is "America First" is deliberately lying. This is Putin First. This is the broken soul of a man who admires dictators because he wants to be one himself. Trump despises the allies, despises democracy, despises anyone who doesn't grovel before him. He doesn't see Putin as an enemy of the free world—he sees a kindred spirit. This 90-minute call wasn't a conversation. It was a deal. The withdrawal of troops from Germany isn't "negotiating tactics." It's payment.

ONE OF UKRAINE'S MOST POWERFUL WEAPONS TODAY — CURIOUS? It's not a missile. It's not a tank. It's not even a conventional explosive. It's a pencil — or, more precisely, graphite.

What did Charles actually do? He praised NATO in front of its loudest critic. He championed climate action in front of a climate denier. He called for interfaith dialogue during an administration that has banned citizens from Muslim-majority countries. He praised checks and balances on executive power to a room full of lawmakers who have been unable to exercise them. He referenced the Middle East crisis that is currently straining the alliance he was there to celebrate. He defended the Royal Navy after Trump publicly insulted it. And he did all of this while receiving standing ovations, bipartisan laughter, and a dinner invitation.

Trump, after having a 90 min phone call with Putin, puts out a truth social that he is considering withdrawing all troops from Germany. Something sinister is going on between them. It’s time for “concerned” Republicans to speak out

One of the most cynical Russian war crimes is the systematic, calculated transfer of Ukrainian children, scattering them across Russia, concealing their fate, “reprogramming” their culture, and continuously, shamelessly subjecting them to militarization. It is vitally important to bring our children back home from there. Before the Russians break them. And every initiative, every activity, every effort that helps achieve this also helps Ukraine. I said this while addressing participants of the Civil Society and Expert Day. Thanks to our Bring Kids Back UA initiative, we have secured 2,126 returns, and we will continue this work. We have engaged strong international mediators to help bring the children home. I am grateful to every country that has joined our Coalition for the Return of Children. I want to thank every leader of the countries contributing to the effort, and every First Lady of countries that care and are concerned about the fate of abducted children. I thank our Bring Kids Back team. I am grateful to all diplomats, international organizations, and journalists who maintain focus on the rescue of children.

Ukraine cannot afford an Iron Dome. So it is building something more difficult. The man who broke russia's armour for $13.8 billion explains the challenges. He was a TV producer. Then he built the most lethal drone unit in Ukraine's war. Now he's been handed the hardest job in the country. Meet Pavlo Yelizarov — callsign "Lasar" — founder of Lasar's Group, now Deputy Commander of Ukraine's Air Forces for small air defence and counter-drone operations. In a rare, deeply candid interview with Ukrainska Pravda @ukrpravda_news on April 30, he gave the most honest public account of where Ukraine's war actually stands — the achievements, the gaps, and what is being done about them. 🧵👇

I know there is a lot of news around but can someone at the Beeb explain to me how a man they keep telling us might be the next PM getting an undisclosed donation of FIVE MILLION POUNDS from a Thai based crypto dealer (with a BS explanation about it being for lifelong security) is not even a news story when the man he wants to replace led the news for days over some glasses and Arsenal tickets?

Trump is so disrespectful. He literally cut in front of Queen Camilla while she was shaking hands. Every day is another embarrassment for our country.

I thank His Majesty King Charles III @RoyalFamily, the United Kingdom, and all valiant American hearts for this clarion call for unity in support of Ukraine across the Atlantic. This is exactly what is needed to bring dignified and lasting peace to Ukraine and all of Europe. The people of Ukraine deeply appreciate all the support provided by the United Kingdom and the United States. Thank you.

When America Folded, Ukraine started winning. Here is a thing Donald Trump would prefer you not think about too hard. While he was busy explaining to anyone within earshot that he alone could end the war in 72 hours, Ukraine quietly went and built one of the most effective asymmetric military machines in modern history. Without Washington’s weapons. And, increasingly, without Washington full stop. The Americans, you will recall, did eventually provide assistance. It arrived wrapped in so many restrictions it resembled a loan application from a particularly suspicious bank manager. Certain weapons could not be used against certain targets. Certain distances were off-limits. Certain conversations were not to be had. It was, in the generous assessment of military historians, a contribution. In the less generous assessment, it was a geopolitical participation trophy. Then Washington stopped showing up altogether. Ukrainian forces have quietly recaptured hundreds of square kilometers in the Zaporizhzhia sector, surpassing the territorial gains of the much-publicized 2023 counteroffensive  and deliberately said nothing about it, having learned that triumphant press conferences tend to end in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Ukraine regained the initiative in the world’s first full-scale drone war by launching a campaign of mid-range strikes designed to systematically dismantle the logistics of Putin’s invasion, targeting military warehouses, command posts, transport hubs, and air defense systems across the Russian rear. The numbers are extraordinary. By January to March 2026, the pace of Ukrainian drone attacks had effectively doubled, with 100 to 200 unmanned aircraft crossing into Russian airspace every single night. Russia’s own Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu admitted in March that not a single region in Russia could consider itself safe, and that the Ural region, once completely unreachable, was now firmly in the zone of constant threat.  Europe, for its part, did what Washington said it could never do without American leadership. EU military aid rose 67 percent in 2025, and the UK and Germany assumed co-leadership of weapons coordination after the US quietly stopped attending.  Last week, Brussels approved a 90-billion-euro loan package to fund Ukraine’s military and economic needs through 2027.  And Russia? CSIS documents nearly 415,000 Russian battlefield casualties in 2025 alone, with Russian advance rates of between 15 and 70 meters per day, slower, the analysts note with some satisfaction, than virtually any major offensive campaign recorded in the past century. Trump calls this a stalemate. Putin calls it progress. The Ukrainians call it Tuesday. Gandalv / @Microinteracti1

There is a region in southeastern Spain called Almería. If you pull it up on satellite imagery, you will assume the screen has glitched. A vast, blinding white scab where a landscape used to be. It's not a glitch. It's 64,000 acres of plastic greenhouses. So much plastic sheeting that it is, genuinely, visible from space. The entire region has been wrapped in industrial farming film to grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce for European supermarkets in January. The plastic has created its own microclimate. The reflective surface is so vast it has measurably lowered local temperatures by bouncing sunlight back into the atmosphere. Scientists have a name for it. The Albedo effect of Almería. The only place on earth where human activity has cooled the local climate, and they did it by accident, while building the world's largest open-air plastic factory. The plastic itself is single-use agricultural film. It sits in UV light for three to five years, degrades into microplastics, blows into the Mediterranean, and ends up in the ocean and the soil. Every year, 45,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated just from replacing degraded greenhouse covering. Every year. Just the covering. Inside, workers from Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa labour in 45°C heat for €30 a day. No contracts. No rights. Spraying crops with pesticides at concentrations that would be illegal on outdoor fields. Ventilation: minimal. Chemical exposure: constant. The aubergine looks lovely. The groundwater underneath Almería is so contaminated with agricultural runoff that it has been declared unusable. The region now imports water from elsewhere in Spain while sitting on top of a poisoned aquifer it created. The land that was meant to feed Europe more efficiently has become a place that needs water flown in to keep the show running. And this is what supplies your fresh vegetables in January. Grown in plastic factories. By exploited workers. Using groundwater they have already destroyed. Wrapped in more plastic. Shipped across Europe. Refrigerated the whole way. So a person in Manchester can have a tomato in February that tastes of nothing. But sure. Cattle grazing on Scottish hills are the environmental problem. Pull the satellite up. Have a look. Then tell me which system is the one that needs explaining.

From @JackWDart To the Green Party and the Lib Dems, what on earth are you are doing? You bring down Starmer, detonate the centre of government, and drag the country into another period of chaos, all while gambling on an early general election. And for what? Who gains from that? Farage does. He is the one waiting for exactly this kind of stupidity. It is reckless, vain, and politically idiotic. Stop it. To the Labour Party, get a grip, close ranks around Starmer, and get through this period. Take the local election battering that is coming and keep moving. Do not blow up your own government. You still have three years of a huge mandate. That is three more years to keep repairing the damage, to keep turning the country around, and to keep improving people’s lives. The media will keep hammering you, and the political class will keep sneering, but Britain is in a better place under Labour than it was under the Tories. Could things be better? Definitely. But, if Reform get their hands on power, you can say goodbye to the Britain we know. Look at the chaos Trump has unleashed in barely over a year back in office, the cruelty, the instability, the degradation of public life, and imagine that transplanted here. That is the road Farage wants to take this country down. These are not normal times. Politics has changed, the old two-party order is breaking apart, and instability is no longer some distant threat hovering on the horizon. It is coming, and it will define the years ahead unless people stop acting so idiotically.

Every civilized nation should state now that they will not attend if Putin’s invitation is not rescinded. Trump has made it clear whose side he’s on—always Russia's—but the free world must not go along with his attempts to rehabilitate a murderous dictator & enemy of the West.

“Only the total defeat of the russian federation and the Ukrainian flag in Sevastopol will knock the virus of empire out of the brains of russians. russians must see that the empire is dead." -G. Kasparov