Cécile van Berkel

.@JudithTielenVVD, staatssecretaris van Onderwijs, verbaast zich over de woordkeuze van FVD-lijsttrekker @lidewij_devos, die de anti-azc-protesten in Loosdrecht bijwoonde en 'vreedzaam' noemde. "Je moet heel voorzichtig zijn om het daar op te stoken." #WNL

On direct orders from Putin, following a 90-minute phone call, Trump has announced he is reviewing the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Germany. The tweet says the United States is “studying and reviewing” a possible reduction. But the effect is the same. You threaten to remove the forces that have kept Europe stable for eighty years, and the only person on the planet who benefits is the one sitting in the Kremlin. The stated reason is punishment. Trump wants to penalize NATO allies who did not support his Iran war. Germany is the primary target. Poland, Romania, Lithuania and Greece stand to gain whatever troops Berlin loses.  The problem is that Ramstein Air Base in Germany served as a logistics hub for those very Iran operations. Trump is threatening to dismantle the infrastructure that made his own war possible. U.S. forces are not stationed in Germany as a favor to the Germans. They are there to deter aggression, support rapid deployment to the Middle East and Africa, and use facilities provided free of charge by German taxpayers.  The tweet closes with “Thank you for your attention to this matter.” Signed, apparently, by a man who just handed Moscow a foreign policy victory without firing a single shot. Putin did not need to invade Germany. He just needed to wait for Trump to empty it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ If you like what you read, follow Gandalv on X: @Microinteracti1

Politiek verslaggever Sarah Bakker ziet hoe demonstraties tegen asielzoekerscentra worden gekaapt door groepen als Defend the Netherlands. "Het is een geoliede machine. Het begint in een groepsapp als een gewone demonstratie, vervolgens zie je via via deelnemers binnenkomen, mensen die nog nooit in de betreffende plaats zijn geweest. Dan escaleert het: complotten en zwaar racistische sentimenten." #IndeKantine #WNL

It’s a fair question — how did the Vice President of the United States fly to Budapest, days before the election, in a clear attempt to boost Orbán's popularity, but instead end up assisting in a historic defeat? A visit by a Vice President of the United States is, under any circumstances, a major event — especially in Central and Eastern Europe, where pro-American sentiment runs deep regardless of which party is in the White House. That a visit may have contributed to a loss is, depending on your sympathies, either grimly ironic or darkly comic. The veep’s logic was clear. Orbán was the closest leader in Europe to Trump, so surely his people would welcome Washington's blessing? …continue reading at the link below 🔗⬇️

US president Donald Trump told ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl ‌he was not concerned about Viktor Orbán’s loss in Hungary, and that he actually likes incoming prime minister Péter Magyar. Trump gooit Orban, Posterboy voor Maga, net zo makkelijk voor de bus.

Next winter is a test. Air defense is the priority. We urge partners to accelerate delivery of Patriot missiles and finance additional PAC-3 interceptors. Timely decisions now will save lives and protect infrastructure.

The victory of the opposition in Hungary yesterday, like the Polish election in 2023, is a victory for democracy, not just in Europe but around the world. Most of all, it’s a testament to the resilience and determination of the Hungarian people – and a reminder to all of us to keep striving for fairness, equality and the rule of law.

RETWEET if you stand with Pope Leo against Donald Trump!

Als Parijs-Roubaix aanstaande is, grijp ik als vanzelf altijd even naar de onderstaande foto, genomen bij ons achter het huis, vroeger, met mijn vader op de fiets en ik in voetbalkleren van ASV'33 ernaast, op onze stoep, die de kasseienstrook Carrefour de l'Arbre evenaarde.

Je viens de m’entretenir avec le Président libanais Joseph Aoun ainsi qu’avec le Premier ministre Nawaf Salam. Je leur ai exprimé la pleine solidarité de la France face aux frappes indiscriminées menées par Israël au Liban aujourd’hui, qui ont fait de très nombreuses victimes civiles. Nous les condamnons avec la plus grande fermeté. Ces frappes menacent directement la pérennité du cessez-le-feu qui vient d’être conclu. Le Liban doit impérativement en faire partie. J’ai redit la nécessité de préserver l’intégrité territoriale du Liban et la détermination de la France à soutenir les efforts des autorités libanaises en faveur de la souveraineté du pays et de la mise en œuvre du plan de désarmement du Hezbollah.

Timothy Snyder: ‘A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” These are not the words of Hitler, or Stalin, or Mao, or Pol Pot, or Assad, or Putin. These are the words of the president of the United States, today.’

This is the limit!

Vance's speech in Budapest is truly outrageous: 1. The US vice president campaigns for an enemy of the EU & NATO, but a friend of Putin & China. 2. Vance attacks the EU for pressuring Hungary, but Hungary has received net about 3% of GDP a year from the EU, but it has squandered much on corruption. 3. In effect, Vance argues that the EU should promote corruption just as the Trump administration does. Trump and Vance fight freedom and the rule of law in favor of autocracy, kleptocracy and Russia. US foreign policy has hit the bottom.

Ukrainian forces are now confirmed to have hit the Admiral Grigorovich class frigate hard.

Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin: "Trump is taking revenge for his impotence. He looks like a child who smashes all his toys, derails his miniature trains and reduces them to pieces" The French have always understood the Americans well.

Since 2022, Russia has relied heavily on Iranian-designed Shahed drones to terrorize Ukraine. Last night, Odesa was attacked. Homes, a kindergarten, and a power substation hit. 3 killed, including a 2-year-old child. 16 wounded. The threat is expanding beyond Ukraine. Air defense must be a shared priority. 📹: @United24media

Vandaag heeft CDA-Kamerlid @StraatmanJeltje , samen met PRO-Kamerlid Songül Mutluer, een initiatiefwet naar de Kamer gestuurd voor het strafbaar stellen van het openbaar maken én verspreiden van beelden van ongevallen. Ramptoerisme is geen onschuldige nieuwsgierigheid.

And! Article V says “an attack on one is an attack on all”. It does NOT say: “if one member unilaterally decides to attack another country, then the other members will follow the attack!”

Snubbing Kyiv’s offer of help, Trump said this month that the U.S. military has no use for Ukrainian expertise. “We don’t need their help in drone defense,” he told Fox News. “We know more about drones than anybody.” wsj.com/world/middle-e…

We’ve launched the first UNITE — BRAVE NATO competition, connecting Ukrainian and NATO companies to build joint battlefield solutions. Priority areas: FPV defense, anti-Shahed, SIGINT, autonomous guidance, high-altitude platforms. €10M total fund. Visit unite-brave-nato.brave1.tech/index.html