Amph0ra

The U.S. has reportedly threatened to cut Ukraine’s access to Starlink unless Kyiv agrees to its demands on critical minerals, according to Reuters. After Zelensky refused to hand over 50% of these resources, Washington hinted at a potential shutdown. reuters.com/business/us-co…

@boriquagato On her desk *for editing*

next week gonna be lit...

@INArteCarloDoss @DOGE *most*

Some of the recently floated ideas by the new administration are not short of moronic. The concept of distributing the first batch of @DOGE savings as a handout is dumb as fuck. Given the massive and widening deficit and level of debt, this Biden like gimmick sends all the wrong signals, on top of being a stupid macroeconomic concept. Scott Bessent has a vision of re-balancing the US economy towards a better incentive for capital formation (needs to be done) and this goes straight against that goal. It also goes against this administration’s stated goal of reigning inflation and bringing down long rates. You just don’t put 25% tariffs, cut taxes and give handouts all at the same time. This is recipe for disaster. And don’t get me started on Lutnik’s let’s tax cruise ships…. Lutnik is Lutnik but even for him this is not serious.

@Tatarigami_UA "nobody will attack you while we're taking anything of value" [after that, you're on your own]

Except there were no security guarantees offered to Ukraine - zero, none. The deal document is available for anyone to check online. It’s worse than the Budapest Memorandum, and it’s clear that the Trump administration is trying to cheat and extort

@RaphaelKahan Clearly the 🇫🇷 CRE market consists only of people following your lead

Interesting coincidence: whenever I try to buy a property, there's allegedly many other competing buyers fighting for it. But right after I buy them, suddenly there's no one interested for months or years. What gives? 🤔

@pippopotamus Hopefully she infects them with lettuce sclerotinia

FFS, she rims the GOP more than Mr 'brown tongue' Farage... another one that's utterly lacking in morals

@jeuasommenulle It's also very interesting from a 🇬🇧 perspective

Someone once famously said the euro was a French ploy to steal the Deutsche Mark without giving nukes. Is this about to change ?

@jeuasommenulle Upgrade on improved security

Macron wants to increase defence spending from 2% to 5%. 6% +3% =9% Deficit; that's going to be an interesting discussion with the rating agencies.

@BigSlothOne Fair chance of 🇬🇧 as an "affiliate member". The reaction to the US (underneath all the carefully chosen words) is 🌋

@piersmorgan Do you think Musk actually cares about free & fair elections?

Elon, how can there be a free, fair election that represents the will of the people if 6m Ukrainians are out of the country as refugees, 3.5m more are under illegal Russian occupation, martial law is in operation (prohibiting elections) and Putin’s bombing the crap out of them?

As Trump appeases Putin, the US admin avoids calling Russia’s invasion a “war” or “aggression” and falsely claims Ukraine “started” it, now as much as ever, we must highlight the brutality of Russia’s actions and its responsibility. Watch our @FT film: youtube.com/watch?v=9MuwVM…

@BigSlothOne @vtchakarova none of those things preclude russia coming back for more

Russia has been aiming for a cease-fire during the 3-years of war against Ukraine. Between 2014-2022, 29 ceasefires were agreed on with Ukraine & violated. Trump's ceasefire will freeze the conflict only to be flared up after 2027-8. Russia will further try to subjugate Ukraine.

@RnaudBertrand @mahbubani_k 1 -ish. Ability, rather than willingness 2 The only "reasonable compromise" is russia stops threatening Europe, stops murdering people in Europe (by war, polonium, windows or otherwise) 3 Agreed

This is an absolute must-read by Singaporean diplomat @mahbubani_k who proposes a path forward for Europe: foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/18/eur… First of all, he argues that "Brussels has slavishly followed Washington for too long" and that European leaders have become so pathetic that "they are licking the boots that are kicking them in the face." He says that it is shocking, and even a display of "infantile strategic thinking", that "Europeans didn’t anticipate the quagmire they’re in". They based "all European strategic thinking on the best-case scenario of the United States being a totally reliable ally", despite the US's proven history of being anything but. To him, "the only way to restore Europe’s geopolitical standing is to consider three unthinkable options": 1) "Europe should announce its willingness to quit NATO" He argues that "a Europe that is forced to spend 5 percent on defense is a Europe that doesn’t need the United States", given that this "amounts to $1.1 trillion", which is more than the U.S.'s own defense spending. This is exactly right: why exactly would Europe remain under subservience to the U.S. if it increases its military budget, as Trump wishes it to? And also, why would it spend this budget on U.S. equipment when it can use it to prop up its own economy? It makes no sense. 2) "Work out a new grand strategic bargain with Russia" He dismisses the false notion that "Russia represents a real security threat to the EU countries" and effectively proposes to out-Trump Trump: why let him work out a grand strategic bargain at the expense of Europe, when Europe can negotiate "fair compromise with [Russia], respecting current borders between Russia and the EU and a realistic compromise on Ukraine that doesn’t threaten either side’s core interests"? If a grand bargain is on the cards, Europe has evidently much more to lose by letting Trump negotiate it. And much more to gain by negotiating it themselves too: after all Russia is their neighbor, not the U.S.'s... 3) "Work out a new strategic compact with China" Mahbubani writes that when push comes to shove the only reason for the downturn in EU-China relations is because "the Europeans foolishly believed that a slavish loyalty to American geopolitical priorities would lead to rich geopolitical dividends for them." But instead "they have been kicked in the face." He also points out that "China can help the EU deal with its real long-term geopolitical nightmare: the demographic explosion in Africa." And that "unless Africa develops its economies, there will be a surge of African migrants into Europe." As such "Europeans should welcome any foreign investment in Africa that creates jobs" and not, as they're currently doing "shooting themselves in the foot by criticizing and opposing China’s investment in Africa" (which he says "demonstrates how naive long-term European strategic thinking has become"). To conclude he reiterates that "Brussels is sacrificing its own strategic interests to serve American interests in the hope that geopolitical subservience would lead to rewards", but "clearly, it hasn’t." Europe should draw the right lessons and "carry out the currently unthinkable option: Declare that henceforth it will be a strategically autonomous actor on the world stage that will put its own interests first. Trump may finally show some respect for Europe if it does that." Nothing to add, he nails it!

@leijun inspirational

It feels like just yesterday we introduced Xiaomi SU7 Ultra in the domestic market. Now, it's gearing up for its global debut at #MWC25. Can't wait for the world to see what we've built.

@Tsahkna confiscate frozen assets "environmental and safety compliance inspections" of all vessels sailing into/out of russia via the baltic (these can take a very long time of course, not so many inspectors available..)

The time for hesitation is over. Decisive action is needed to ensure that Putin's aggression fails & he gives up on his goal of destroying Ukraine & fundamentally restructuring European security. For the security of Ukraine, Europe & beyond, here’s what needs to happen. 🧵1/8

@WarMonitor3 The only United States relevant here is Ben Franklin: We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani: “We cannot guarantee security in Europe and Ukraine without the United States.”

@vtchakarova how about Pax Sinica in Central Asia, Far East and Europe?

If Russia wins in Ukraine and destroys the European security order, China wins too. As a "junior partner" of China, Russia could become the most dangerous wild card in the systemic confrontation between the US and China in the future amid Cold War 2 between America and the DragonBear. Two-fronts scenario is the worst case for US. Worst case scenario for China is a rapprochement between US and Russia similar to the one with China since the 70s. Neither China nor US wants to see Russia participating in the systemic rival‘s bloc. Worst case scenario for Russia is Pax Sinica in Central Asia & Far East.

@BigSlothOne @RadioGenoa sorry

@StanphylCap yeah but when doge fires all the customs agents, there won't be anyone to collect the tariffs. 5d chess!

It's funny to see stocks hitting new all-time highs every day when this guy is going to destroy the cost-efficient supply chains of most of the S&P 500. We're net short and will stay that way.

@BigSlothOne Oh come on were there ukrainian airborne landings in Moscow in Feb 2022? Option a it is. Brutal, callous, soulless