M&M
12.2K posts
@MatthewMummel
As long as corporate dollars put their thumbs on the scales of justice none of us have a voice or a vote that have any consequence for being ignored.
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 13, 2026 The Kremlin is doubling down on its demand that Ukraine withdraw from all of Donbas as a precondition for the resumption of negotiations. Other Key Takeaways: Russia’s exaggerated territorial ambitions and aggressive territorial demands run completely counter to battlefield reality. US President Donald Trump said that he has not agreed with Putin that Russia should acquire all of Donetsk and Luhansk. Russian courts are increasingly leveraging corruption charges as a pretext to nationalize Russia’s largest corporations, likely setting conditions for the broader nationalization of private assets to support state revenues. Russian demands for cash reached an all-time high over Victory Day weekend, demonstrating rising societal fears over internet restrictions and tax policy. Ukrainian forces continue to increase the range and frequency of their long-range drones strikes against Russian oil infrastructure, exploiting overstretched Russian air defenses. Russian forces conducted large-scale drone strikes overnight on May 12 and throughout the day on May 13, killing at least six people. The Russian State Duma passed a bill granting the Russian president powers for extraterritorial military operations to protect Russian citizens abroad, previously introduced on March 10. Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Slovyansk, Oleksandrivka, and Hulyaipole directions and in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area.
President Xi Jinping held talks with U.S. President Donald J. Trump. President Xi noted that transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent. The world has come to another crossroads. Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides Trap and create a new paradigm of major-country relations? Can we meet global challenges together and provide greater stability for the world? Can we build a bright future together for our bilateral relations in the interest of the well-being of the two peoples and the future of humanity? These are the questions vital to history, to the world, and to the people. They are the questions of our times that the leaders of major countries need to answer together. President Xi stressed that the two countries have more common interests than differences, success in one is an opportunity for the other, and a stable bilateral relationship is good for the world. We should be partners, not rivals. We should help each other succeed and prosper together, and find the right way for major countries to get along well with each other in the new era. I look forward to our discussions on major issues important to our two countries and the world, and working together with you to set the course and steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relations, so as to make 2026 a historic, landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China-U.S. relations.
