Lavrov pointed out that the meeting in Riyadh was initiated by the Russian and US presidents, who had agreed that preparations for the next summit should be started. To achieve this, foreign ministers and national security advisers were tasked with meeting and determining what needed to be worked out before the two presidents “can negotiate specific dates and timelines for the summit.”
Archiv: United States of America (USA)
US, Russian officials propose peace plan, lay ‚groundwork for cooperation‘ in Riyadh
The groups, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, are seeking terms for a peace agreement in Ukraine as well as negotiating a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. They have proposed a framework that could involve a ceasefire, elections in Ukraine followed by the signing of a peace agreement.
As Trump looks to turn page on Gaza and Ukraine, all roads lead to Riyadh
Saudi Arabia is neutral ground for Trump to restore high-level ties to Russia, but the crown prince is opposing his Gaza plans
Russia, US officials to meet in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine talks
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to President Vladimir Putin, were due to travel to the Saudi capital, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
They will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, the State Department said.
USA conducting negotiations on ending war on two tracks for speed – Russian, Ukrainian-allied – Kellogg
Kellogg specified that he is working on the American-Ukrainian-allied track, while the US President‘s Special Representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is working on the Russian track.
Top Trump officials set to meet with senior Russian officials to begin Ukraine talks
As for the Europeans, Kellogg said that he comes from a “school of realism” and that looking back at the previous Minsk II agreement, “there was a lot of people at the table that really had no ability to execute some type of peace process, and it failed miserably.”
Libya, Syria, Somalia and Yemen: Calculating the Millions-High Death Toll of America’s Post-9/11 Wars
(26.4.2018)
As Barbara Lee presciently warned her colleagues before she cast her lone dissenting vote in 2001, we have “become the evil we deplore.” But these wars have not been accompanied by fearsome military parades (not yet) or speeches about conquering the world. Instead they have been politically justified by “information warfare” to demonize enemies and fabricate crises, and then waged in a “disguised, quiet, media free” way, to hide their cost in human blood from the American public and the world.
After 16 years of war, about 6 million violent deaths, 6 countries utterly destroyed and many more destabilized, it is urgent that the American public come to terms with the true human cost of our country’s wars and how we have been manipulated and misled into turning a blind eye to them – before they go on even longer, destroy more countries, further undermine the rule of international law and kill millions more of our fellow human beings.
Three Israeli hostages freed after dispute threatened Gaza ceasefire
American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, Russian-Israeli Alexandre Troufanov and Argentinian-Israeli Iair Horn were released in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, around 10 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET) in the sixth such exchange under the truce.
Hegseth rules out NATO membership for Ukraine and says Europe must be responsible for country’s security
(February 12, 2025)
Later on Wednesday afternoon, Trump said he agrees with Hegseth and does not “think it’s practical” to have Ukraine join NATO.
“I don’t think it’s practical to have it. Personally, I know that our new secretary of defense is excellent. Pete made a statement today saying that he thinks it’s unlikely or impractical. I think probably that’s true. I think long before President Putin, they said there’s no way they’d allow that. This has been going on for many, many years. They’ve been saying that for a long time that Ukraine did not go into NATO, and I’m okay with that,” Trump said from the Oval Office.
US defense chief: Return to Ukraine‘s 2014 borders ‚unrealistic‘
(February 12, 2025)
Speaking in Brussels at NATO headquarters, Hegseth told his fellow defense chiefs, „We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
No peace talks have been scheduled, but Hegseth said any durable conclusion to the war must include „robust security guarantees to ensure that the war will not begin again.“
Trump: Military Spending Could Be Cut in Half and There’s No Reason To Build New Nuclear Weapons
“At some point, when things settle down, I’m going to meet with China and I’m going to meet with Russia, in particular those two, and I’m going to say there’s no reason for us to be spending almost $1 trillion on the military … and I’m going to say we can spend this on other things,” Trump said.
“When we straighten it all out, then one of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China and President Putin of Russia, and I want to say let’s cut our military budget in half. And we can do that, and I think we’ll be able to do that,” he added.
Saudi Arabia welcomes hosting Trump-Putin summit in Kingdom, commends call between the two
Zelenskyy said on Friday that he planned to make trips to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey but did not say when.
Hundreds of rabbis protest „ethnic cleansing“ plan for Gaza
On Thursday, February 13, 350 rabbis and Jewish public figures took out a full-page ad in the New York Times and used it to condemn President Trump‘s new proposal.
The ad reads: “Trump has called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza. Jewish people say no to ethnic cleansing!” and is followed by a list of the signatories, which include Rabbis Sharon Brous, Roly Matalon, and Alissa Wise, as well as Jewish creatives and activists such as Tony Kushner, Ilana Glazer, Naomi Klein, and Joaquin Phoenix.
‘NO to ethnic cleansing’: Hundreds of US rabbis, Jewish celebs slam Trump in full-page NYT ad
The lead signatories are dozens of Jewish actors, artists and public figures, including Joaquin Phoenix and his siblings Summer and Rain, Ilana Glazer, Eric André, Morgan Spector, Tony Kushner, Jonathan Glazer, Larry Charles, Naomi Klein, Peter Beinart, Tavi Gevison and Wallace Shawn. Many on the list have previously spoken out in support of the Palestinians in public forums.
The public figures are followed by a list of hundreds of rabbis.
Joaquin Phoenix and Ilana Glazer among hundreds of Jews who ‘say no to ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza in full-page NYT ad
The ad’s website says donations from the project go to the In Our Name Campaign, an initiative founded by Jews in philanthropy who sought to raise $10 million for “organizations that support Palestinian-led efforts to build safety, dignity, and self-determination in Palestine” as well as pro-Palestinian organizing in the United States.
What’s in the Newly Unearthed FBI Files Tied to President Kennedy’s Assassination?
(February 11, 2025)
Now we discover that its vetting and releasing of documents under the 1992 Assassination Records Collection Act has been of a piece with the moment in 1963 when Dallas FBI agent James Hosty flushed a threatening note from Lee Harvey Oswald down the john. (…)
We’ve been fooled by what we thought was the sound of ice cracking on all of this too often to make me sanguine about anything coming of it. But the situation, at least to my mind, pits the FBI against the CIA, which traditionally has dragged its feet on releasing what it knows about Oswald—which is considerable. Joannides, for example, was a CIA psyop officer. If the FBI releases its files on him, the folks at Langley are going to have their mellows harshed considerably. About damn time.
FBI discovers over 2,000 secret records on Kennedy assassination
(February 11, 2025)
The existence of the new JFK documents was disclosed to the White House on Friday, and a further review of those records could reveal more information as to what happened in one of the most scrutinized tragedies in American history. The release of the new documents could also change the federal procedures for vetting and releasing information related to government events.
FBI says it has discovered new files on JFK assassination
(February 11, 2025)
The FBI has discovered about 2,400 new records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy from a new records search following an executive order from President Donald Trump.
Senate confirms Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services
WASHINGTON – The Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Health and Human Services secretary on Thursday, giving the longtime vaccine critic who has vowed to take on „big pharma“ and ultra-processed food the power to oversee the nation’s food and healthcare systems.
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as HHS secretary in 52-48 vote
Kennedy, 71, is a longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist whose family has mythic status in Democratic politics. The nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of Robert F. Kennedy launched his own White House bid in 2023. And although he initially sought the Democratic nomination, Kennedy changed his bid to independent, before dropping out to endorse President Trump in Augus
BND und Verfassungsschutz: Mit Asylversprechen Flüchtlinge abgeschöpft
(14. Januar 2016)
Die „Partnerbefrager“, wie sie im internen Jargon genannt werden, saßen nicht nur in der Zentrale der Hauptstelle in Berlin, sondern auch in den Außenstellen Zirndorf, Nürnberg, Wiesbaden und Friedland. So konnten amerikanische und britische Dienste ungehindert auch ohne die Aufsicht des BND Flüchtlinge befragen.
Zelenskyy on conversation with Trump: We defining joint steps to stop Russian aggression, guarantee reliable peace, agreed on further contacts
„President Trump briefed me on the details of his conversation with Putin,“ Zelenskyy said.
He said Ukraine wants peace more than anyone else.
„We are defining our joint steps with America to stop Russian aggression and guarantee a reliable, lasting peace. As President Trump said, let‘s get it done,“ the Ukrainian president said.
He also announced an agreement on further contacts and meetings.
Re: Urgent Request for Access to and Information Regarding Immigrants Transferred from the United States and Detained at Guantánamo Bay
(February 7, 2025)
Dear Secretary Noem, Secretary Hegseth, and Secretary Rubio:
We write on behalf of the undersigned immigrants‘ rights and civil rights organizations to request immediate access to the noncitizens transferred from immigration detention facilities in the United States and currently detained at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Since February 4, 2025, the government has transferred nearly two dozen noncitizens to Guantánamo, without providing any information about their circumstances or the government’s legal authority for these unprecedented actions. The government has also announced that it is planning to send tens of thousands of additional immigration detainees to Guantánamo in the near future.
The Constitution, and federal and international law prohibit the government from using Guantánamo as a legal black hole. We therefore request that the government provide our organizations access to the noncitizens detained at Guantánamo so that those individuals will have access to legal counsel, and so advocates and the public can understand the conditions
under which the government is detaining them. We also request basic information that the public has a right to know regarding the noncitizens being sent to Guantánamo and the government’s plans for them.
(…)
Sincerely,
American Civil Liberties Union
Americans for Immigrant Justice
Amica Center
American Gateways
Center for Constitutional Rights
Haitian Bridge Alliance
Human Rights First
International Refugee Assistance Project
Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the SF Bay Area
National Immigrant Justice Center
National Immigration Law Center
Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
Texas Civil Rights Project
‚He‘s Building a Concentration Camp‘: Fears Grow as Images Emerge of Offshore Prison at Gitmo
(February 9, 2025)
Fears are growing that the offshore U.S. detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, are an ominous sign of what President Donald Trump has in store as he further disregards the rule of law and normalizes actions that previously would have been unthinkable or faces immediate, bipartisan opposition in Congress.
After the first pictures emerged Saturday of still unidentified persons transferred to the island from the U.S. mainland by immigration officials, progressive journalist Nathan Robinson was among those raising the alarm, accusing Trump of „building a concentration camp and deliberately putting it where it is hardest to monitor or enforce the law.“
A Tent City Is Rising at Guantánamo Bay
(February 8, 2025)
On Friday a military cargo plane transported deportees from El Paso, Texas, to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. They are among the latest arrivals in the Trump administration’s week-old migrant relocation operation.
Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, is the first senior member of the Trump administration to visit the migrant mission on the base.
So far, none of the first arrivals have been taken to an emerging tent city that has been set up for migrants. Instead, they have been housed in the military prison.
Voters Strongly Oppose Trump’s Plan to “Take Over” and “Own” Gaza
The survey described how Trump called for the U.S. to “take over” and “own” Gaza, and transform it from a “demolition site” into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” After being informed that such a takeover would require forcibly resettling the roughly 1.8 million Palestinians who live in Gaza into neighboring countries, 64% of voters, including a majority of Democrats (85%) and Independents (63%), say they oppose this proposal. Republicans are more divided, with 46% in support and 43% opposed.
EXCLUSIVE: Nearly Two in Three American Voters Oppose Trump‘s Gaza ‚Takeover‘ Plan
Donald Trump has floated countless outlandish ideas during his time as president, but his latest — that the US should “take over” and “own” Gaza — stands out. On Feb. 4, he proposed turning Gaza from a “demolition site” into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” as if a geopolitical crisis could be solved with a real estate makeover and the ethnic cleansing of the enclave’s entire population. Our new Data for Progress survey, shared exclusively with Zeteo, shows that US voters strongly reject the idea.
Gabbard Says She Now Supports FISA Section 702
(January 12, 2025)
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of National Security, Tulsi Gabbard, told Senators that she now supports Section 702 of the FISA Act. 702 is viewed as giving the US government the power to surveil Americans warrantlessly. Gabbard previously authored a bill that would have ended the mass surveillance program.
Tulsi Gabbard sworn in as Trump’s director of national intelligence
Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman turned Trump supporter, on Wednesday was sworn in as the director of national intelligence, overseeing the full roster of U.S. intelligence agencies and serving as President Donald Trump’s top adviser on such matters.
White House says it’s the judges — not Trump — causing a ‘constitutional crisis’
In the weeks since Donald Trump returned to office, Democrats and legal scholars have warned that he’s provoking a constitutional crisis by trying to expand his power and ignore laws that stand in his way.
On Wednesday, the White House had a new response to that. It’s not the president who is causing the problem, said press secretary Karoline Leavitt, it’s the judges who are blocking some of his agenda by saying it’s illegal.
Trump pushes Gaza plan in meeting with Jordan‘s King Abdullah II
„I don‘t have to threaten that. I do believe we‘re above that,“ Mr. Trump said. That contradicted his previous suggestion that holding back aid was a possibility.
Gaza: Trump forces King Abdullah II of Jordan into diplomatic contortions
There was something painful about watching Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday, February 11, his eyes nervously twitching as he tried not to upset his host, Donald Trump. Journalists asked him, several times over: Was his country, Jordan, ready to receive a part of the Gazan population on its soil, as the American president wants to remove them from Palestinian territory?
The king refused to answer. In his impeccable English, he cautiously took refuge behind Egypt‘s broader international stature.
Jordan‘s King Abdullah avoids contradicting Trump‘s claim to authority over Gaza
“I think we have to keep in mind that there is a plan from Egypt and the Arab countries,” Abdullah said when prompted to speak by the president.
“We‘re being invited by [Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman to discussions in Riyadh..“
King, US president hold talks in White House
His Majesty King Abdullah reiterated during talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, that he will put Jordan’s interests above all else.
Speaking to journalists before bilateral talks with the US president, His Majesty stressed that achieving stability, peace and prosperity in the region is a collective responsibility.
The King said Egypt and Arab countries will present a plan on Gaza, noting that it is important to find a solution that takes everyone’s interests into consideration, including peoples in the region and especially the Jordanian people, according to a Royal Court statement.
From the American Bar Association: The ABA supports the rule of law
(February 10, 2025)
In the last 21 days, more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed alleging that the administration’s actions violate the rule of law and are contrary to the Constitution or laws of the United States. The list grows longer every day.
These actions have forced affected parties to seek relief in the courts, which stand as a bulwark against these violations. We support our courts who are treating these cases with the urgency they require. Americans know there is a right way and a wrong way to proceed. What is being done is not the right way to pursue the change that is sought in our system of government.
These actions do not make America stronger. They make us weaker.
Trump Administration Non-Adherence to Court Orders
(February 10, 2025)
Tracking the Trump administration’s failure to follow the judiciary’s orders.
Trump’s Actions Have Created a Constitutional Crisis, Scholars Say
(February 10, 2025)
There is no universally accepted definition of a constitutional crisis, but legal scholars agree about some of its characteristics. It is generally the product of presidential defiance of laws and judicial rulings. It is not binary: It is a slope, not a switch. It can be cumulative, and once one starts, it can get much worse.
UN says 40,000 displaced in West Bank as Israel accused of readying annexation
Jamal Juma‘a, head of the Stop the Wall campaign, an organisation that fights against apartheid, told Middle East Eye that the Israeli offensive is „clearly aiming to prepare the infrastructure for the annexation of land“ in the West Bank.
Annexation of occupied territory is illegal under international law. The Israeli government prefers to term it as „applying sovereignty“, though that makes little difference legally. Legality hasn‘t stopped Israel from annexation before, however.
Trump to Meet Jordan’s King as Gaza Truce Hangs in the Balance
The future of the cease-fire in Gaza, along with the territory’s long-term fate, hung in the balance on Tuesday as President Trump prepared to meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan …
UK verlangt Zugriff auf verschlüsselte Daten aller Apple-Nutzer weltweit
(today)
Hintertüren, wie die von den Briten geforderte, sind von Natur aus gefährlich. Beim Hack der US-Kommunikationssysteme im Jahr 2024, der angeblich von chinesischen Akteuren durchgeführt wurde, wurde eine Hintertür verwendet, die die USA und andere Regierungen gefordert hatten:
„Dies ist nicht das erste Mal, dass Hacker die von CALEA vorgeschriebenen Abhör-Backdoors ausnutzen. Wie der Computersicherheitsexperte Nicholas Weaver 2015 gegenüber Lawfare betonte, „muss jede in den USA verkaufte Telefonanlage die Möglichkeit bieten, eine große Anzahl von Anrufen effizient abzuhören. Und da die USA einen so großen Markt darstellen, bedeutet dies, dass praktisch jede weltweit verkaufte Telefonanlage die Funktion ‚Lawful Intercept‘ enthält.“
Vor zwei Jahrzehnten wurde diese obligatorische Abhörfunktion von Hackern, die es auf Vodafone Griechenland abgesehen hatten, unterwandert. Sie fingen Telefongespräche des Premierministers des Landes und hochrangiger politischer, polizeilicher und militärischer Beamter ab.“
Drohnenprogramm-Whistleblowerin: „Wie ein Internet der höllischen Dinge“
Die Entscheidung wurde wahrscheinlich mit Hilfe von Daten getroffen, von denen einige aus sozialen Netzwerken und dem Internet stammen oder die von Datenmaklern verkauft wurden. Offensichtlich spiegeln viele der gesammelten Daten Vorurteile wieder.
Max Freitag: OpenAI, das Unternehmen hinter ChatGPT, arbeitet jetzt mit dem Militärdienstleister Anduril zusammen, um „defensive“ Drohnentechnologie zu entwickeln. Könnte es sein, dass ich eines Tages einen Chat-Bot nutze und meine Daten dazu verwendet werden, Algorithmen zu trainieren, die dann zum Töten von Menschen eingesetzt werden?
Lisa Ling: Sicherlich ist es möglich, sogar wahrscheinlich, dass alles, was von einem vernetzten Gerät an die Cloud gesendet wird, sei es eine Kredittransaktion oder eine Uber-Fahrt, letztendlich als Waffe eingesetzt werden könnte.
State Department announces $7 billion arms sale to Israel, circumventing review process
The State Department on Friday announced a $7 billion arms sale to Israel, circumventing the congressional review process, according to Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The announcement, which includes thousands of Hellfire missiles and bombs, comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met President Donald Trump and other top administration officials in Washington, DC.
Egypt‘s Sisi scrambling to respond to Trump‘s Gaza seizure plan
Diplomatic and intelligence sources tell Middle East Eye that Cairo has no plans for preventing the US president‘s idea to take over Gaza and forcibly displace its population
ICC condemns the issuance of US Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on the Court
The ICC condemns the issuance by the US of an Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work. The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all Situations before it. We call on our 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights.
USA: Sanctions against International Criminal Court betray international justice system
“At an historic moment when we are witnessing a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and the global rule of law coming under threat from multiple fronts, institutions like the Court are needed more than ever to advance human rights protections, prevent future atrocities and secure justice for victims. (…)
“Governments around the world and regional organizations must do everything in their power to mitigate and block the effect of President Trump’s sanctions. Through collective and concerted actions, ICC member states can protect the Court and its staff. Urgent action is needed, like never before.”
Entlassung von Bundesbediensteten: Richter bremst Trump
Washington. US-Präsident Donald Trumps Plan, im großen Stil Bundesbedienstete zur Kündigung zu drängen, stößt auf juristischen Widerstand. Ein Bundesrichter hat am Donnerstag vorerst eine Frist ausgesetzt, nach der sich Bundesbedienstete bis Donnerstag entscheiden mussten, ob sie das Angebot der Regierung annehmen, wie mehrere US-Medien übereinstimmend berichteten. Der Richter setzte demnach eine neue Anhörung für Montag an.
Trump imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized economic and travel sanctions targeting people who work on International Criminal Court investigations of U.S. citizens or U.S. allies such as Israel, repeating action he took during his first term.
ADC Announces Its 24/7 Legal Hotline
(January 24, 2025)
With the signing of a new Executive Order that threatens to replicate the discriminatory 2017 “Muslim Ban,” and the swift advancement of IHRA bills at both federal and state levels, the ADC Legal Hotline comes at a pivotal time for Arab and Muslim communities.
For nearly 45 years, ADC has stood at the forefront of defending Arab Americans—particularly during moments of heightened profiling, speech suppression, and persecution. From the post-9/11 era to the original Muslim Ban in 2017, ADC’s legal team has repeatedly exposed and challenged policies designed to silence and intimidate our communities. Today’s increased momentum behind xenophobic Executive Orders and IHRA legislation further underscores the urgent need for robust legal support and community solidarity.
Emergency Fund to Protect Palestinian and Arab Students on College Campuses
ADC has answered the call of several students for legal support against repression and discrimination by their universities, and more support is needed.