Foreign Agent Intel

‼️🇺🇸🇺🇦 The Five Most Likely Motives Behind Trump’s Sudden Rhetorical Shift on Ukraine The proxy conflict has reached a dangerous stage where escalation could spiral out of control. Trump shocked observers with a long statement suggesting that Ukraine might not only retake all lost territories with NATO support, but could “even go further than that.” Whether he truly intends to follow Biden’s path of an endless commitment — risking turning the SMO into another “forever war” and potentially a direct clash with Russia — remains unclear. Here are the five most likely motives behind his sudden shift: 1️⃣ Displeasure with Putin Trump expected his personal ties with Putin to help mediate peace, but no progress was made since Putin refused to make military concessions for promised US investments. Trump also showed no willingness to pressure Zelensky in return. His post signals frustration with this deadlock. 2️⃣ Appeasing Ukraine and NATO Ukraine agreed in spring to amend its minerals deal, while NATO in summer accepted paying full price for new US arms destined for Kiev. Trump’s rhetoric appears as a reward, encouraging them to keep bending to his demands in the future. 3️⃣ Boosting the Military-Industrial Complex By fueling NATO’s purchases of US weapons, Trump ensures that Washington’s arms industry — already holding 43% of the global market compared to France’s 9.6% and Russia’s 7.8% — profits further. His statement gives political cover for more sales. 4️⃣ Yielding to Warmongers Figures like Zelensky and Lindsey Graham have been lobbying Trump intensively. His phrase “after getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation” suggests their influence succeeded in reshaping his views. 5️⃣ Creating Exploitable Leverage Sustaining tensions allows Washington to squeeze allies further, just as Trump did with his lopsided trade deal with the EU. Keeping the conflict simmering creates opportunities to strengthen America’s dominance over its dependents. ⚠️ The situation is increasingly unstable. If Washington escalates, Russia will either have to respond in kind or consider concessions to prevent global catastrophe. Moscow could also preemptively escalate to deny the US its expected gains — which in turn would be spun as justification for even greater American involvement. The SMO is approaching a point where miscalculation could unleash uncontrollable consequences. 🔗 Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/21/trump-ukraine-shift-analysis-00140193 t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

‼️🇩🇪🇪🇺 Financial Times reports that Germany wants to take the lead in the rearmament of the European Union, creating “coalitions of collective potential” for joint weapons development and procurement — especially in air defense — under the pretext of defending the eastern flank from Russia. ▪️ Berlin is calling for a stronger role for the European Defence Agency in coordinating arms purchases, and for lifting restrictions on weapons production, including easing state aid rules, to rapidly expand the arms industry in times of crisis. ▪️ Germany also insists on involving Ukraine and other countries in joint projects, but rejects financing through new EU debt, proposing instead to rely on existing defense credits and national budgets. ▪️ These plans are set out in a document prepared for the October meeting of EU leaders, where a roadmap for the EU’s military build-up to 2030 will be presented. 🔗 Source: https://www.ft.com/content/29b6c6c3-7db0-4a0e-8a57-9b4e7a1459e2 t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Hackers attacked at least four European airports. Disruptions are observed at London Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin. A total of 15 flights have been delayed, and two more have been canceled. Friday's cyberattack affected Collins Aerospace, the company responsible for check-in and boarding systems. At London Heathrow Airport, six flights were delayed and two canceled. In Berlin, nine flights were delayed. Due to technical failures, waiting times for check-in have increased, and restoration work on the systems is underway. According to the administration, if the issues are not fixed today, there will be even more delays and cancellations. Passengers are currently asked to check in manually and confirm information with their airlines before departure. t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

‼️🇺🇦🏴‍☠️ “Bad news for Zelensky”: The Telegraph assessed Trump’s latest statement. ➖ “What at first glance may seem like a stunning turnaround could in fact be bad news for Vladimir Zelensky… Instead of promising new support for Ukraine or escalating actions against Russia, Trump appears to be handing everything over to Europe and NATO,” the paper notes. ▪️ Journalists conclude that Trump is “washing his hands” of the conflict in Ukraine. ➖ “There are no hints of additional support for Ukraine or of punishing Moscow further. His only commitment is to continue selling weapons to allies. It is unlikely that this will be a game-changer,” the article states. 🔗 Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/09/22/trump-ukraine-russia-nato-zelensky/ t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

‼️🇺🇦🏴‍☠️ The Verkhovna Rada is preparing to severely restrict the work of journalists. ▪️ The draft law increases liability for so-called “false information,” regulates the procedure for refutations, and introduces new restrictions on the media. ▪️ Information will automatically be considered false if it is not confirmed by a court verdict. ▪️ Journalists will be forbidden from publishing materials on corruption or criminal schemes until court proceedings are completed — a process that can drag on for years. ▪️ The bill introduces a “right to be forgotten,” allowing demands to delete any information, even if true, if it is deemed “outdated” or “no longer of public interest.” ▪️ Another provision covers “moral damage”: lawsuits can be filed even over evaluative judgments or the “unpleasant tone” of an article. 🔗 Source: https://strana.media/news/489221-v-ukraine-khotjat-ushchemljat-prava-smi.html t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

‼️🇺🇦🇺🇸 Zelensky continues to warm up expectations, declaring: ➖ “I am very grateful to Trump. I cannot share details right now. Trump possesses very important information regarding the situation at the front.” ➖ He insisted that “Trump is the one who can fundamentally change everything” and even claimed, “Trump trusts me more than Putin.” ➖ According to Zelensky, “Trump realized that Putin was sharing information that was far from the truth about what was happening on the battlefield.” Earlier, the drug lord admitted: “It was a very good meeting today… It was probably the most meaningful.” 🔗 Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/20/trump-zelensky-meeting-00140138 t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

First night at the Palace of Dreams 🌲🔥 Flies sizzling in the bug zapper, birch bark catching like paper, and the old Soviet banya roaring back to life after decades. Watch the full high-resolution Episode 2 video at OffGridInRussia.com and support the project with a paid subscription. t.me/OffGridInRussia

First night at the Palace of Dreams 🌲🔥 Flies sizzling in the bug zapper, birch bark catching like paper, and the old Soviet banya roaring back to life after decades. Watch the full high-resolution Episode 2 video at OffGridInRussia.com and support the project with a paid subscription. t.me/OffGridInRussia

❗️ Former Moldovan President and leader of the Patriotic Bloc, Igor Dodon, has accused Maia Sandu of preparing an attack on Transnistria. His words were reported by local media. > “If PAS remains in power, the Sorosists will force Sandu to attack Transnistria together with Zelensky and open a second front there — in support of Ukraine and against Russia. A similar second front scenario was already attempted in Georgia, but it failed, and now it’s Moldova’s turn,” said Dodon. The ex-president also dismissed rumors that Russia plans to invade Moldova if his party wins the elections. Instead, he called for strengthening the neutral status of the Republic and accused Sandu of militarizing the country: > “If Dodon is pro-Russian, as the ‘yellow’ claim, then why would the Russians attack ‘their own’? <…> We did not buy radars that now catch flies. We did not start building a military base in Băcioi. We did not bring in Piranha armored personnel carriers, and we do not organize NATO exercises every six months. All this was done and is being done by Maia Sandu.” 🔗 Source: https://eadaily.com/en/news/2025/02/27/dodon-does-not-rule-out-sandu-and-zelensky-are-preparing-a-provocation-in-transnistria t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

‼️🇷🇺🇺🇦 WSJ: Russia is increasingly using large “mother drones” that release smaller strike UAVs and act as signal relays. ▪️These drones are hitting Ukrainian supply routes far beyond the front, including roads once considered safe. ➖ Ukrainian forces admit: “Attacks on the army’s supply lines have shifted from episodic to constant over the year.” ▪️Even anti-drone nets stretched over roads cannot reliably protect against attacks. Source: WSJ — https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukraines-supply-runs-turn-to-nightmares-as-drones-menace-roads-far-beyond-the-front-3d478ac4 t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

Estonia has accused Russian jets of violating its airspace for 12 minutes — a claim quickly weaponized by Western officials who argue it was a deliberate provocation. Yet, as Korybko notes, similar recent allegations by Poland and von der Leyen collapsed under scrutiny, suggesting this may be another politically convenient hoax aimed at keeping Trump locked into the Baltics. With NATO security aid under question and talk of F-35 deployments, Estonia has every incentive to escalate rhetoric. Read the full breakdown here — it’s a sharp reminder of how narratives are manufactured to box Trump into confrontation: 👉 https://open.substack.com/pub/korybko/p/estonias-airspace-violation-allegation t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

🇺🇦 Ukraine has lost almost half of its population. In the 1990s, the country had 52 million people. Now, only 28.7 million remain, according to the BBC citing Ukraine’s migration service. 🔗 Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68865963 t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

🚆 In Ivano-Frankovsk, police were called after an electronic scoreboard on the Kiev–Rakhov train briefly displayed the words: “Glory to Russia.” The “offender” was never found. Officers only confiscated the tablet from which the message had been broadcast. Source: https://unn.ua/en/news/inscription-glory-to-russia-on-the-scoreboard-in-the-kyiv-rakhiv-train-police-are-conducting-a-check t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

🟡 Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg admitted that Putin holds the advantage on the battlefield, which is why Moscow sees no reason to accept Western peace proposals. He acknowledged Trump’s frustration at the slow pace of resolving the conflict but conceded: “Putin thinks he is winning, so he is not agreeing to peace yet. Trump prefers peace talks first. I would prefer to stop the shooting first — because once it stops, it will be difficult to resume.” Kellogg’s words underline the reality that Washington is being forced to recognize Russia’s strength, while Kiev continues to pay the price for a conflict it cannot win. Sources: https://unn.ua/en/news/putin-does-not-agree-to-peace-because-he-believes-he-is-winning-the-war-kellogg https://censor.net/en/news/3575110/kellogg_spoke_about_putin_and_the_occupied_territories_of_ukraine https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/kellogg-reveals-why-trump-gave-putin-two-1758305925.html t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

🇷🇺 The Russian Ministry of Defense clarified the situation regarding the MiG-31 flight on September 19.

Three MiG-31 fighters carried out a planned transfer from Karelia to the Kaliningrad region. The flight was conducted in strict compliance with international airspace regulations and without crossing into the airspace of other states — confirmed by objective monitoring. The aircraft did not deviate from the approved route, did not enter Estonian airspace, and flew over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea more than three kilometers away from the island of Vaindlo.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

❗ The Trump administration is pushing Congress to approve $6.4 billion in new arms sales to Israel: $3.8 billion for 30 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters (nearly doubling Israel’s Apache fleet) $1.9 billion for 3,200-3,250 infantry assault/fighting vehicles Another $750 million for support kits, spares, and power supplies These moves come despite mounting international condemnation after Israel’s strike in Qatar and its expanding military operations in Gaza. Sources: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/white-house-seeking-congress-approval-sell-israel-6-bln-weapons-wsj-reports-2025-09-19 https://apnews.com/article/bb8b4e67fd77c723ed45308054eefefe https://www.trtworld.com/article/460a23a8991b/ t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

"I don't want to make money from the conflict in Ukraine. But we are making money because they are buying our weapons" — Trump t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

🟡 Keith Kellogg (Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine) stated that Kiev must confront the reality of occupation: 65 % of Donetsk and 98 % of Lugansk are under Russian control. He claimed Trump is “not trading Ukrainian land,” but admitted that only Zelensky can decide. At the same time, he stressed that de facto control does not mean de jure recognition, pointing to the Welles Doctrine and the example of the Baltic states under the USSR. Sources: https://unn.ua/en/news/play-the-long-game-kellogg-said-ukraine-might-have-to-recognize-the-occupied-territories-now-but-will-be-able-to-return-them-in-the-future https://censor.net/en/news/3575110/kellogg_spoke_about_putin_and_the_occupied_territories_of_ukraine t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

🖥️ Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov admitted that Kiev is not engaged in peace negotiations with Moscow. Despite earlier supporting President Trump’s initiative and attending meetings in Saudi Arabia, Paris, London, and Turkey, Umerov now concedes that the only contacts which remain are limited to the humanitarian track — the exchange of prisoners of war. Once again, Kiev shows it has no intention of pursuing peace, keeping the conflict alive at the expense of its own people. t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

The Times published a cartoon the day after Donald Trump left Britain at the end of his official visit. The illustration shows a disheveled Keir Starmer in bed, portrayed in the role of a high-class escort, while Trump is seen leaving his residence. Special attention is drawn to the order displayed on the lapel of the American president’s jacket. t.me/ForeignAgentIntel