Chairman of Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People: Trump is testing Ukraine with messages about territorial concessions
Source: Chubarov in a comment to the Radio Liberty project Crimea.Realities
Quote: "Trump and his entourage ended up in a trap entirely of their own fault. Just recall the stream of friendly messages towards Putin and Russia that they voiced long before any negotiations began. So Moscow realised it… the full imperial essence of Russia came out into the open. Now, it seems to me – and here I move on to assumptions – the Trump administration is testing the Ukrainian leadership and political class by spreading various messages on the topic of territorial concessions by Ukraine, supposedly necessary to end the Russo-Ukrainian war and achieve lasting peace."
Details: Chubarov stressed that Ukraine must maintain a categorical rejection of any, even hypothetical, proposals of territorial concessions in exchange for peace.
Quote: "Because it is clear that in such a case there would be neither peace nor a future for the Ukrainian state. Meanwhile, since such provocations will continue, the Ukrainian authorities and politicians should respond firmly in every case when real political figures are behind them."
Details: Chubarov reiterated that the Mejlis rejects any form of recognition of Russian control over Crimea – both de facto and de jure.
Quote: "Our position, which is fully based on international law and entirely in line with Ukraine's national legislation, is as follows: Crimea is the homeland of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people and an integral part of Ukraine. Accordingly, no one and under no circumstances may decide the fate of Crimea except the Ukrainian state and the Crimean Tatar people."
Background:
On 17 April, negotiations took place in Paris involving Ukraine, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Germany on ending the Russo-Ukrainian war. The next round of talks is scheduled for this week in London.
US President Donald Trump expressed hope that Ukraine and Russia would reach an agreement soon, after which both countries would "start to do big business with the United States of America".
The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukraine is under pressure to respond this week to a range of proposals from the Trump administration on how to end the war in Ukraine. These include the potential US recognition of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and excluding Kyiv from joining NATO.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
2 minutes ago
- UPI
Ukraine's 2 anti-corruption agencies detain 4 in drone, weapons scheme
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Saturday that four Ukrainians have been detained in an investigation of "large-scale" corruption by the nation's two anti-corruption agencies. File Photo by Ole Berg/EPA Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Four Ukrainians have been detained in an investigation of "large-scale" governmental corruption, the nation's two anti-corruption agencies said Saturday. A member of parliament, two current and former officials, and a member of the National Guard military were involved, according to the nation's National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. They allegedly were involved in a plot to take funds appropriated for drones and electronic warfare in 2024 and 2025, NABU posted on Telegram. They also acquired and distributed "unlawful benefits on an especially large scale," the agency said. On Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law passed unanimously by the parliament that restores the independence of the two agencies. One week earlier, the parliament had passed the law and Zelensky signed it that essentially ends their independence. The former law sparked large protests and international rebuke, the Kyiv Independent reported. In his daily video address, he said the schemes were "absolutely immoral." Today I received a report from the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Maliuk. I am grateful for our special long-range operations on Russian territory. Each of them is tangible for the enemy, and our operations will continue - Russia is dragging out the war, so it... Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 2, 2025 "I am grateful to the anti-corruption agencies for their work," Zelensky posted on X. "There can only be zero tolerance for corruption, clear teamwork in uncovering it, and ultimately, a fair sentence. It is important that anti-corruption institutions operate independently, and the law passed on Thursday guarantees them all the tools necessary for a real fight against corruption." NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and Head of the SAPO Oleksandr Klymenko delivered a report. A Ukrainian MP, along with heads of district and city administrations and several National Guard servicemembers, were exposed for bribery. I am grateful to the anti-corruption agencies for... Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 2, 2025 Detained were Oleksii Kuznetsov, a member of Zelensky's Servant of the People party; Serhii Haidai, a former Luhansk governor; Andrii Yurchenko, head of Luhansk Oblast's Rubizhne district and the guard member. Kuznetsov will be dismissed from the Servant of the People in the parliament during the investigation, party leader David Arakhimia said. In one scheme, they are accused of inflating a state contract for the purchase of electronic warfare with officials receiving a kickback of 30% of the conteact in exchange for inflating the price. They were also involved in a similar way in state contracts for drones. A military unit signed a $239,000 contract with a producer with an overpaymernt of $80,000, the agencies said. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko announced the National Guard was implementing "systemic safeguards" to prevent power abuse. "We are building a system in which honest service is protected, and there will be inevitable responsibility for violations," Klymenko posted on Telegram. Ukraine has been purchasing drones and weapons from other nations since Russia invaded the nation in February 2022.
Hamilton Spectator
3 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Watchdog agency investigating ex-Trump prosecutor Jack Smith for alleged illegal political activity
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — An independent watchdog agency responsible for enforcing a law against partisan political activity by federal employees has opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the Justice Department special counsel who brought two criminal cases against then-candidate Donald Trump before his election to the White House last year. The Office of Special Counsel confirmed Saturday that it was investigating Smith on allegations he engaged in political activity through his inquiries into Trump. Smith was named special counsel by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022 and his special counsel title is entirely distinct from the agency now investigating him. The office has no criminal enforcement power but does have the authority to impose fines and other sanctions for violations. It was not clear what basis exists to contend that Smith's investigations were political in nature or that he violated the Hatch Act, a federal law that bans certain public officials from engaging in political activity. Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, had earlier this week encouraged the office to scrutinize Smith's activities and had alleged that his conduct was designed to help then-President Joe Biden and his vice president Kamala Harris, both Democrats. Smith brought two cases against Trump, one accusing him of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and the other of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Both were brought in 2023, well over a year before the 2024 presidential election, and indictments in the two cases cited what Smith and his team described as clear violations of well-established federal law. Garland has repeatedly said politics played no part in the handling of the cases. Both cases were abandoned by Smith after Trump's November win , with the prosecutor citing longstanding Justice Department policy prohibiting the indictment of a sitting president. There was no immediate indication that the same office investigating Smith had opened investigations into the Justice Department special counsels who were appointed by Garland to investigate Biden and his son Hunter. The White House had no immediate comment on the investigation into Smith, which was first reported by The New York Post. The office has been riven by leadership tumult over the last year. An earlier chief, Hampton Dellinger, was abruptly fired by the Trump administration and initially sued to get his job back before abandoning the court fight. Trump's trade representative, Jamieson Greer, is also serving as acting special counsel. Trump selected as his replacement Paul Ingrassia, a former right-wing podcast host who has praised criminally charged influencer Andrew Tate as a 'extraordinary human being' and promoted the false claim that the 2020 election was rigged. A Senate panel was set to consider his nomination at a hearing last month, but it was pulled from the agenda. ___ Tucker reported from Washington. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
4 minutes ago
GOP success with new Texas House map could hinge on Latino voters: ANALYSIS
With encouragement from President Donald Trump and the White House, Texas Republicans are redrawing their congressional map to create five new districts the GOP could flip next year, in a bid to insulate their House majority. But that outcome could hinge on Latino voters, and whether Trump's reshaping of the Hispanic electorate in 2024 carries into the next election cycle. Last November, Trump carried 48% of Hispanic voters, setting a high-water mark for a Republican presidential ticket that also won the popular vote. Trump's 2024 showing was 12 points better than 2020, when he lost Hispanic voters 61% to 36% to former President Joe Biden, according to polling by the Pew Research Center. Four of the new Texas seats would be majority-Hispanic districts, adding one more to the state's total. Two of those seats are in South Texas, and represented by Democratic Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar, who both narrowly won reelection in 2024. Both districts, which Trump carried in 2024, would become more Republican under the redrawn district lines. For conservatives, some experts say the 2024 election represented a paradigm shift, and a fundamental realignment of Latino voters towards the Republican Party, and its positions on the economy, immigration and culture."It's been both an embrace of the alignment of the Republican Party and a rejection of how different they are with what the Democratic Party has been trying to push on them," said Daniel Garza, the president of the Libre Initiative, a group in the Koch family's conservative political network that focuses on Hispanic outreach. Democrats concede that the new map does create challenges for them. But they point to historical trends that show midterm voters traditionally rejecting the party in power -- and an electorate showing frustration with Trump's tariff policies and the state of the economy. Matt Barreto, a Democratic pollster who worked for the Biden and Harris campaigns, has analyzed Texas voting data from every election cycle since 2016, testifying in the federal trial challenging Texas' existing map based on the 2020 census. "There was a Trump-only effect with Hispanics in 2020 and 2024, and it is the case that he improved his standing [in both cycles]," Barreto told ABC News. "It was not transferred to other Republican candidates on the ballot." Barreto said that Republicans did not see the same gains with Latino voters in 2018, when Trump was not on the ballot, and Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke lost to Sen. Ted Cruz by less than 3 percentage points – the tightest Senate margin in Texas in decades. In fact, one of the new districts proposed by Republicans in Texas this week would have voted for O'Rourke, according to an analysis from the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "We're already going into a midterm where Republicans will be facing brutal headwinds over inflation, tariffs, Medicaid cuts and ICE raids," Barreto said. "It is extremely risky for Texas Republicans to assume that in a midterm election when Trump is not on ballot and there is an anti-incumbent mood, that they are going to come anywhere close to Trump 2024 numbers." Garza, who lives in South Texas, suggested that Trump's immigration and deportation agenda would not hurt him next November. "Latinos, we feel you can do both. You can do border security and we can expand legal channels. Where's that person, where's that party? Nowhere to be found," he said. "So they're going to stick with Trump because they'd rather have this than what you offered under Biden." Mike Madrid, a Republican political operative who wrote a book on Latino voters and co-founded the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, told ABC News that Latino voters have made a "rightward shift" away from the Democratic Party because of concerns about the economy. "There has been a rightward shift. There's no question about that. But is it a racial realignment?" he said. "This is an emergence of an entirely different vote. Most of these Latinos that are showing these more pro-Republican propensities are under the age of 30. There isn't even a vote history long enough to suggest that something is realigning." "They're not going to vote through a traditional racial and ethnic lens," he added. "First and foremost, they're an economic, aspirational middle-class voter that is voting overwhelmingly on economic concerns." Both parties will still have their work cut out for them, more than a year out from the midterms. And with Texas, and potentially other states, changing their maps to maximize partisan gains, Republicans and Democrats are redoubling efforts to identify candidates that can run competitive localized races in their districts. Trump's approval rating has dropped to 37%, the lowest of his term, according to Gallup, and he's lost ground this month in approval of his handling of a range of domestic issues, but it's too early for operatives and lawmakers to say if the environment will break Democrats' way. "I think a lot of my fellow Democrats think this is going to be a wave year," one member of Congress said this week. "That, to me, has not borne out yet." Whichever way it breaks, if the maps in Texas are approved, Republicans will have a larger bulwark against a potential midterm tide -- as long as they can keep their 2024 coalition engaged.
