Latest news with #Coale
Malaysian Reserve
24-07-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals' Ignite: Inspiring This Generation to Lift Up the Next Through Impactful Leadership
Annual Peer-to-Peer Leadership Conference Unites Student Leaders and Hospital Advisors to Strengthen Dance Marathon Programs Nationwide ST. LOUIS, July 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) is proud to host its annual Ignite: Peer-to-Peer Leadership Conference, bringing together hundreds of passionate student leaders and hospital advisors from July 17-20 in St. Louis, Missouri. The conference, held at the Marriott St. Louis Grand, is designed to power knowledge, launch fundraising efforts, and deepen the collective commitment to lift this generation up to the next with the future of our Campus Programs in mind. Campus Programs at Children's Miracle Network Hospitals are nationwide fundraising initiatives led by college and high school students, including major programs like Dance Marathon, Greek Life, and other campus organizations. These programs empower students to rally their communities and raise vital funds for their local children's hospitals. Ignite 2025 offered four days of powerful learning and meaningful connections, including educational sessions, networking opportunities, and celebrations of fundraising excellence. Attendees gained valuable insights into peer-to-peer fundraising best practices, learned how to build community, and discovered innovative ways to raise critical funds for local member hospitals. 'Ignite is where the magic of our Campus Programs truly comes alive,' said Aimee J. Daily, Ph.D., President & CEO of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. 'These student leaders are the driving force behind our mission, and it's inspiring to see their passion for making a tangible difference in children's healthcare. Their dedication ensures that our local member hospitals can continue to provide essential care for millions of kids each year.' Key Highlights of Ignite 2025 Include: Powerful Cause Connection: Attendees experienced firsthand how their fundraising makes a positive impact on children's healthcare. This includes engaging with 2025 National Champions Coale, Ava Clarke, Jaxon, and 2024 Champion, Ella, who courageously shared their personal journeys, and the impact of the care received at their local member children's hospital and CMN Hospitals' support. Celebrating Success: The conference recognized outstanding achievements in fundraising and leadership. See the full list of award winners here New Brand Vision Unveiled: CMN Hospitals shared an exclusive preview of its evolving brand, designed to expand its impact and clearly communicate its mission: to bring people together to raise money for children's healthcare in local communities. This strategic evolution, set to launch publicly in 2026, reinforces CMN Hospitals as the only charity that champions the health of all kids. Inspiring Student Voices: Alyssa, the Executive Director of HuskyTHON 2026 at the University of Connecticut, shared her powerful personal story of receiving care at Connecticut Children's and how that experience fuels her dedication to Dance Marathon. Her story exemplifies the profound connection between student leaders and the cause they champion. 'Attending this conference has ignited motivation in me and the rest of my team, and I am extremely excited about what we can bring back to our campus,' said Alyssa. 'Meeting other student leaders from across the country who share my passion and getting the chance to brainstorm and exchange ideas was incredibly impactful. It was also a true honor to stand on stage and share my story—one that began at Connecticut Children's and now continues through my leadership at HuskyTHON. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to represent my journey and hopefully inspire others to realize the difference they can make.' Ignite 2025 was made possible thanks to the support of our generous sponsors. Silent Events returned to host an energizing Silent Disco Showcase, offering a fun and interactive experience, along with a special discount code for Campus Programs to bring the excitement back to their own campuses. The Coca-Cola Company—celebrating a partnership 30 years strong—proudly sponsored the Leadership & Management Summit. Student leaders were treated to an exclusive opportunity to hear from Mariangelix Cordero-Bonilla, Director of Colleges & Universities Marketing at The Coca-Cola Company, in a dynamic conversation led by Kristen Schavemaker, Chief Programs & Foundation Partnerships Officer at Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. New sponsor, Hyundai Hope on Wheels, a longtime leader in the fight against pediatric cancer, brought its mission to Ignite this weekend—inviting attendees to leave handprints on a signature vehicle as a symbol of hope and support for kids facing tough battles. Kevin Reilly, Vice Chair of Hyundai Hope on Wheels and President of Alexandria Hyundai, joined on the mainstage to share more about this impactful work. In a powerful moment, the team presented a $125,000 donation to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, helping fund lifesaving care for children nationwide. The conference highlighted its new Campus Programs tagline, 'This Generation Lifting Up the Next,' which showcases the program's powerful mission and the dedication of its student leaders. Through fundraising, member hospitals are empowered to offer the best possible care. About Children's Miracle Network Hospitals:Children's Miracle Network Hospitals was founded more than 40 years ago with the vision to Change Kids' Health, Change the Future. We've raised over $9 billion for 170 children's hospitals by empowering and engaging with local communities and businesses – and we're not done yet. All donations benefit local member hospitals to fund what's needed most, like critical life-saving treatments and healthcare services, innovative research, vital pediatric medical equipment, child life services that put kids' and families' minds at ease during difficult hospital stays, and financial assistance for families who could not otherwise afford these health services. Together, we can change kids' health. Together, we can change the future. To learn about Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and your local member children's hospital, visit Media Contact:Christina VitaleCommunications ManagerChildren's Miracle Network HospitalsO: 801-214-7400C: 908-839-2152cvitale@
Politico
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Vodka Toasts With the Dictator of Belarus: How Diplomacy Gets Done in Trump 2.0
A bus carrying 14 political prisoners with bags over their heads hurtled through the lush Belarusian countryside one morning last month, its destination unknown. Five years after President Alexander Lukashenko launched an unsparing crackdown on dissent in the former Soviet nation, some of the captives feared they were about to be executed. Among the group was the prominent dissident Siarhei Tsikhanouski whose wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, became the face of the Belarusian opposition movement after his arrest in 2020. As the bus approached its destination, their minders from the Belarusian security services — which still goes by its Soviet name the KGB — removed the bags from their heads but told them to keep their eyes fixed on the floor. 'We kept looking ahead all the same,' said Ihar Karnei, a Belarusian journalist who was among the group and had been imprisoned for two years. 'We were interested: Where were they taking us?' The bus pulled up to a field not far from Belarus' border with Lithuania. The door of the van flew open, and they received a surprising greeting: 'President Trump sent me to take you home.' The man speaking to the bewildered prisoners was John Coale, one of President Donald Trump's lawyers and now a deputy special envoy to Ukraine. It took a moment for the reality of what was happening to sink in. 'They were terrified,' Coale recalled in an interview with POLITICO Magazine. 'Opening that door and getting them to realize that 'You are free' was quite a moment.' The prisoner release, a goodwill gesture by the Belarusian leader, marked the continuation of a cautious diplomatic opening between the United States and Belarus. The fraught relationship between the two countries came to a standstill in 2020 when protests against rigged elections were met with mass arrests and thousands of people were swept into the country's vast prison system. But the release also wouldn't have happened without Coale's efforts to forge a relationship with Lukashenko, including over a long lunch with vodka toasts. 'I did two shots, didn't throw up, but did not do a third one,' said Coale. The episode offers a window into the highly personalistic way in which foreign policy gets done during Trump's second term in office, as the president has tapped a slew of close friends and allies to serve as his envoys and implement his agenda abroad. Critics have balked at their lack of experience; after all, they smirk, can real estate magnate Steve Witkoff really lead negotiations to conclude Russia's war on Ukraine, tackle Iran's nuclear program and end Israel's war in Gaza? But the envoys bring the prospect of a direct line to the president and the chance to bypass State Department bureaucracy. They are also free to say and do things that traditional U.S. diplomats might not be able to. 'It's sort of easier to have an eye-to-eye conversation with the president's right hand,' said Artyom Shraibman, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Dispatching the national security advisor or secretary of State (currently Marco Rubio in both cases), could be seen as a full legitimization of Belarus' isolated president, said Franak Viacorka, chief of staff to Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition leader. 'But if we speak about envoys — an envoy's task is to make deals, to solve crises,' he said. Coale's adventures in Belarus began with a call from the State Department in late April with a special request. Was he willing to go to Minsk to meet with Lukashenko, a man often described as Europe's last dictator? 'Fine,' said Coale. Could he fly out the next day? 'Not fine,' he replied. 'But I did it anyway.' The 78-year-old Coale is a plainspoken, veteran litigator perhaps best known for helping to broker a $386 billion settlement from Big Tobacco in the late 1990s. He's also had a winding political life; a longtime Democrat, Coale endorsed John McCain in 2008 and befriended Sarah Palin, before backing Democrat Martin O'Malley's 2016 presidential bid. In 2021, he led Trump's longshot lawsuit against social media companies, accusing them of censorship. 'The woke stuff has moved me to the right,' he said in one interview. He first met Trump some 20 years ago through his wife Greta Van Susteren, the former Fox News host who has interviewed the president on numerous occasions. Days after the call, Coale and a handful of U.S. diplomats crossed the border from Lithuania into Belarus, stopping on a country road to swap out the diplomatic license plates on their vehicles so as not to attract attention. They arrived at Independence Palace, Lukashenko's residence in central Minsk which, with its glass facade and swooping metal roof, is the size of a small airport terminal. 'It's so big that Tom Brady couldn't throw a pass from one end of the lobby to the other,' Coale said. The imposing complex on the capital's Victory Avenue was built as a symbol of the country's independence, according to the website of the Belarusian president. That sovereignty was always tenuous. One of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies, Lukashenko has long relied on subsidies from Moscow to prop up his ailing economy. In 2022, Belarus was used as a staging ground for Russian troops in their full-scale assault on Ukraine which further cemented his alienation from the West. Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994, preserving many of the institutions and habits of the country's Soviet past. He has proven skilled at playing Russia and the West off against each other, flirting with Washington and Brussels to get Putin's attention or secure relief from economic sanctions imposed on the country. Political prisoners have often been used as a bargaining chip. In 2015, Lukashenko released all those deemed wrongfully detained, prompting Europe and America to lift some sanctions. The reprieve was to be short-lived. Over 5,000 people have been convicted of politically motivated charges over the past five years, according to the Belarusian human rights organization Vyasna, and some 1,150 remain in prison. Trump has made freeing wrongfully detained Americans a priority of his foreign policy, creating an opening for authoritarian leaders like Lukashenko to get his attention. Within a week of Trump's inauguration in January, Belarus unilaterally released U.S. citizen Anastasia Nuhfer from prison. 'Lukashenko is afraid of Trump,' said Viacorka. '[He] knows very well how to deal with ordinary politicians, but he doesn't have a clue how to deal with these strong and unpredictable leaders like Trump.' Three more political prisoners were released in February, after Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Chris Smith quietly travelled to Belarus, becoming the most senior U.S. official to visit the country in over five years. By April, they were on the cusp of getting another American citizen released and dispatched Coale in a bid to seal the deal. Over a long lunch in the palace, Coale was tasked with getting to know the garrulous Belarusian leader. 'They told me to charm him. To yuck it up with him, so I did that,' he said. '[Lukashenko] brought up stuff about the State Department and I said, 'Yeah all they want to do is blah blah blah,' so he loved that.' Lukashenko struck Coale as smart, savvy. 'He does want better relations with the United States,' Coale said, adding that the Belarusian leader seemed keen to play a role in negotiations regarding the war in Ukraine. At some point vodka — Lukashenko's own personal brand — was brought out and the toasts commenced. The Belarusian president offered a toast to Trump. Smith, the State Department official, nudged Coale to reciprocate, as is customary in the region. Coale followed suit with his own toast to Lukashenko, and soon, he began to worry about his stomach. As the afternoon wore on there were more toasts, and while there was little talk of politics, the two men got to know each other. A relationship was developing. 'It was all fun,' Coale said. Lukashenko seems to have agreed. Hours later, the American delegation got what they had come for as the Belarusian authorities handed over Youras Ziankovich, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was arrested in Moscow in 2021 and accused of plotting a coup against Lukashenko. The U.S. government deemed him wrongfully detained earlier this year. Discussions continued behind the scenes into the summer and by June, another prisoner release was set in motion. When she awoke on the morning of Saturday June 21, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had little idea that she was about to be reunited with her husband, Siarhei. A popular YouTube blogger, he was swiftly arrested after attempting to run against Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential elections. Tsikhanouskaya, a soft-spoken former teacher, took up her husband's mantle after his arrest and was herself quickly forced into exile in Lithuania, becoming the most recognizable face of the Belarusian opposition. For five years she has shuttled between global capitals to raise awareness about her country's political prisoners, often carrying a folder bearing a photograph of her husband. On the morning her husband was released, Tsikhanouskaya was flying back from Poland to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. She knew that Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, had been in Belarus the night before with Coale and that negotiations about a prisoner release were underway. She speculated with her chief of staff, Viacorka, who might be released but didn't dare expect her husband would be included. Having been held without access to anyone on the outside for over two years, Siarhei was on a shortlist of some 200 prisoners deemed a priority for release by Belarusian human rights defenders on humanitarian grounds. The majority of the 14 people who were about to be released were citizens of other countries who had been swept up in the crackdown, or, had some kind of affiliation with the West. It wasn't until the morning of the release that Coale learned the final details of the prisoners to be freed. As Tsikhanouskaya made her way back to Vilnius, the bus carrying her husband and 13 other political prisoners made its way to the Belarusian border with Lithuania, after the KGB handed them over to Coale and representatives from the State Department. By the time the now-former prisoners made it to the border, it was hours since they had been fed. Many were gaunt after years of meager prison rations. Siarhei, once a bear of man, emerged from prison unrecognizable with hollow cheeks. 'For some reason, in one of our cars was a whole basket of little Tootsie Rolls,' said Coale, which they passed around the group. As they waited to be processed into the country, Coale and the other diplomats passed their cellphones around so people could call their loved ones and let them know that they had been released. 'Nobody had any idea this was happening,' he said. In the Vilnius airport, Tsikhanouskaya received a call from her husband, with whom she hadn't had any contact in over two years. 'When I heard the voice of my husband on the phone, it was a huge surprise,' she said. He told her: 'My dear, I am free.' While Trump's efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine have run headlong into Putin's intransigence, Tsikhanouskaya hopes that her country could offer the diplomatic victory that Trump craves so dearly. 'Belarus can be a success story for President Trump,' she said. '[A] free, independent Belarus is in the interest of the USA as well.' Lukashenko also senses an opportunity to return to relevance as the U.S. president seeks to strike a deal between Russia and Ukraine, said Shraibman of the Carnegie Endowment. 'He wants to be relevant to the peace process. He wants to speak to the big guys. This is a prize in itself.' But Belarus isn't Switzerland. 'Lukashenko is so, so deeply dependent on Putin and Russia these days that it is simply beyond the power of the United States, no matter how hard it tries, to decouple these two countries,' Shraibman said. Coale isn't too preoccupied with Lukashenko's diplomatic dance. 'That's for Rubio to worry about.' 'I look at the thing of, can I free some more people,' he told me. 'And if it plays into my purpose and what I'm trying to do, I don't care.'
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas' swift surrender to DOJ on undocumented student tuition raises questions about state-federal collusion
It happened fast. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Texas over its long-standing state law allowing undocumented students to get in-state tuition. The lawsuit was barely on the books before Texas surrendered without a fight, asking a judge to strike down the law — which he did. The whole lawsuit was closed out within hours, with both the U.S. attorney general and the Texas attorney general taking credit for the ruling. It's unusual to see a state work so closely with the federal government to use the courts to overturn a state law the Legislature had allowed to stand, legal experts say. It's particularly surprising in Texas, a state with a proud history of battling the federal government and staking out aggressive positions on the limited role the feds should have within its borders. The nature of the court system is intended to settle legitimate disagreements. The U.S. Supreme Court has long held that courts cannot rule on collusive, or friendly, suits where there is no controversy because both parties are working together on a desired outcome. Some experts are questioning whether the DOJ's original lawsuit against Texas could be thrown out on these grounds. 'You have to have a real dispute,' said Dallas appellate attorney David Coale. 'If everybody agrees on it, well, why are you in court? It's not a lawsuit.' At least one immigrant rights group, Immigrant Families and Students in the Fight, said in an interview that it is considering bringing legal action to try and restore the program. Coale said they might be able to be added to the suit as the affected parties, even though the judge has already granted a final judgement, and appeal the whole ruling to a higher court. 'There may be some very conservative judges that look at this and say, 'this doesn't smell like a case or controversy. It smells like a deal,'' Coale said. Texas' law offering undocumented immigrants in-state tuition has been on the books since 2001. Despite rising conservative opposition, the Texas Legislature has never amended the law. This session, a bill to repeal the law stalled after passing out of a Senate committee. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the influential leader of the Senate and a longtime opponent of the law, told The Texas Tribune he didn't bring the bill up for a vote because it didn't have the votes to pass in the upper chamber. When the Texas Legislature gaveled out on Monday, immigration organizers breathed a sigh of relief — believing the tuition policy was safe at least until the Legislature returns in two years. 'Less than 48 hours later, we find out Texas has been in cahoots with the federal government to undo this through a backdoor,' said Cesar Espinoza, executive director of Immigrant Families and Students in the Fight, which goes by its Spanish acronym FIEL. It's unclear exactly how this litigation came to be, but in a press release, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi credited Paxton for 'swiftly working with us' to undo the state law. The six-hour time frame from the lawsuit being filed to the case being resolved makes it likely this was pre-orchestrated to some degree, said Ilya Somin, a law professor at George Mason University and scholar at the libertarian Cato Institute. 'It seems — and I emphasize the word seems, because, obviously, I don't know for sure — but it seems like that kind of collusion happened,' Somin said. 'Texas and the feds may have agreed beforehand that this suit would be filed and Texas would essentially agree to not contest it, and thereby, they get around the existing law.' Paxton did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story. It's a 'little ironic,' Somin said, that Trump and Texas are being accused of using this strategy. Conservatives frequently accuse Democratic presidential administrations of courting lawsuits from liberal groups that allow them to agree to consent decrees that reflect policies they likely couldn't get through Congress. U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon, a Texas Republican, joined others in probing the Biden administration's use of 'sue-to-settle' lawsuits around environmental policies, like water pollution rules for meat processors, in 2023. 'Traditionally, conservatives have argued that that's not okay,' Somin said. 'And now, with this, [Texas] has adopted tactics, ironically, from the left-wing playbook.' What Texas and the DOJ have done here goes far beyond 'sue-and-settle,' according to Georgetown law professor Steve Vladeck. Those cases usually have an interest group of directly impacted people trying to push the federal government for an outcome, not the federal government trying to change a state law. They also typically take far longer than six hours to resolve, he said. 'None of the sue-and-settle examples that have been the source of public outcry involve effectively nullifying a state law,' he said. 'It's one thing for the federal government to agree to a settlement that impacts a federal regulation, but here you have a state settling with the federal government to, basically erase a state law from the books.' He noted that this case was filed in Wichita Falls, where U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor, long a favored judge for the Texas attorney general and conservative litigants, hears all cases. 'There's a reason that, out of all the courthouses in all the land, they walked into this one,' Vladeck said. Texas spent most of the last four years aggressively battling the Biden administration, building on a reputation it developed during the Obama years as the bulwark against Democratic policies. Paxton, and Abbott before him, fought in the courts to try to ensure the state was governed by the narrowest interpretation of federal authority. The state took a particularly hard line on immigration. The Biden administration sued Texas repeatedly for violating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says that federal law supersedes state law when they are in conflict. Texas fought back, hard, on initiatives like Operation Lone; a state law that allows local officials to arrest migrants; and a plan to put buoys and razor wire in the Rio Grande Valley. It's unsurprising that Texas is more cooperative with the Trump administration on these issues, politically and personally. Several former employees from the Texas Office of the Attorney General have landed in high places in the administration, among them Paxton's former top deputy Aaron Reitz, who now leads the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice. Paxton is also courting Trump's endorsement for his Senate race. Vladeck said this suit is an outgrowth of the increasing politicization of attorneys general offices nationwide. 'This highlights one of the real problems with that development, which is, you can have a scenario where a sufficiently politically motivated state attorney general, working with the right Justice Department can basically make an end-run around the democratic process in their state,' he said. Texas' willingness to let any federal administration come in and tell it what to do about its state laws has raised some eyebrows among legal experts and political scientists. 'It gets you a policy result you like today, but it's at the price of giving up some sovereignty,' Coale said. 'The next time the federal government comes calling, it may not be quite so friendly and you may regret having given them that ground.' Robert Henneke, executive director and general counsel at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, rejected the idea that the action was political, saying the lawsuit was in line with the Department of Justice's long-standing commitment to enforcing federal law. Henneke led an ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit in 2022 challenging Texas' law. 'States like Texas have been in clear violation of federal law on this issue,' he said Thursday. 'If anything, it's surprising that this wasn't brought earlier. Much like Texas' original law was a model for other states, this legal non-battle may give other red states political cover to do away with their tuition benefits for undocumented students, said Gary Reich, a political scientist at the University of Kansas, who studies these laws. 'I could envision states led by Republicans using this to short-circuit the difficult work of repealing these laws through the legislature, while still allowing them to claim some credit,' he said. 'And if they don't, the DOJ can go to them now and say, Texas folded. How about you?' Disclosure: Texas Public Policy Foundation has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Al Arabiya
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
NATO membership for Ukraine not off the table, US official says
A senior US official on Thursday said the United States had not ruled out potential NATO membership for Ukraine or a negotiated return to its pre-2014 borders, contradicting comments made this week by the US defense secretary ahead of possible peace talks to end the Ukraine war. 'Right now, that is still on the table,' said John Coale, President Donald Trump's deputy Ukraine envoy, when asked whether the US had ruled out possible NATO membership for Ukraine. Speaking in an interview with Reuters in Munich, he added that a possible return to Ukraine's pre-2014 lines was also still on the table. On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a different message, telling Ukraine's military allies in Brussels that a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders was unrealistic and that the US does not see NATO membership for Kyiv as part of a solution to the nearly three-year-old Ukraine war. His comments sparked concern that the US had made concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin even before the start of talks. Speaking after Coale's comments, Trump told reporters in the White House that he did not believe Russia would 'allow' Ukraine NATO membership, blaming President Joe Biden's administration for broaching the subject in the first place. 'I believe that is the reason the war started,' Trump said. 'Biden shouldn't have said that.' Earlier on Thursday, Hegseth appeared to backtrack on his own remarks, telling a press conference that 'everything is on the table' for Ukraine war negotiations and that it was up to Trump to decide what concessions will be made. Trump on Wednesday ordered his top officials to begin talks on ending the war. The opposing messages on Ukraine come as Coale is in Munich this week with General Keith Kellogg, Trump's lead Ukraine envoy, for the annual Security Conference. Kellogg's name did not appear on a Wednesday announcement from the president that listed which cabinet officials would lead the formal peace talks. Steve Witkoff, the US Middle East envoy, will now be helping on negotiations, taking the lead on talks with Russia, Coale said. Kellogg and Coale are both involved in talks with the Europeans and Ukrainians, he said. Asked about Kellogg's role in peace talks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that Kellogg 'remains a critical part of this team and this effort.' European involvement Coale said that formal negotiations on Ukraine had not yet begun and that the US was still working through discussions with the Europeans and Ukrainians about how best to end the conflict. 'Where do the Ukrainians and Europeans fit into all of this? At this point we don't know,' Coale said, adding that you 'have to have the Europeans involved.' 'The Europeans want this war stopped,' he said. 'They are more than willing to participate (in supporting Kyiv militarily). There are doubts ... as to whether they are going to give 100 percent. But everything I am hearing indicates they are willing to really get in there.' It is unclear what exactly Washington has communicated to the Kremlin about negotiations. But Coale said Putin appears to be willing to enter negotiations with Ukraine, without preconditions. 'There's been a lot of talk about the trip Steve Witkoff took to Moscow and how he met with Putin,' Coale said. 'Putin seems to be willing to play ball, but we're not sure what that means. I think he's ready to talk.' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Western officials on social media on Thursday not to trust Putin, who launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Officials in Europe have expressed deep concerns about Hegseth's Wednesday comments. 'We shouldn't take anything off the table before the negotiations have even started. Because it plays to Russia's court,' Kaja Kallas, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, told reporters on Thursday. 'It is appeasement. It has never worked.' Asked if the US was conceding too much to Putin upfront, Coale said: 'Some people talked out of turn, but I don't think we're conceding anything.' 'You don't know with Putin and the Russians,' Coale said. 'Are they trying to play us? Or are they sincere? And then you get to a table and you find out fast.'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NATO membership for Ukraine not off the table, US official says
By Erin Banco MUNICH (Reuters) - A senior U.S. official on Thursday said the United States had not ruled out potential NATO membership for Ukraine or a negotiated return to its pre-2014 borders, contradicting comments made this week by the U.S. defense secretary ahead of possible peace talks to end the Ukraine war. "Right now, that is still on the table," said John Coale, President Donald Trump's deputy Ukraine envoy, when asked whether the U.S. had ruled out possible NATO membership for Ukraine. Speaking in an interview with Reuters in Munich, he added that a possible return to Ukraine's pre-2014 lines was also still on the table. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a different message, telling Ukraine's military allies in Brussels that a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders was unrealistic and that the U.S. does not see NATO membership for Kyiv as part of a solution to the nearly three-year-old Ukraine war. His comments sparked concern that the U.S. had made concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin even before the start of talks. Speaking after Coale's comments, Trump told reporters in the White House that he did not believe Russia would "allow" Ukraine NATO membership, blaming President Joe Biden's administration for broaching the subject in the first place. "I believe that is the reason the war started," Trump said. "Biden shouldn't have said that." Earlier on Thursday, Hegseth appeared to backtrack on his own remarks, telling a press conference that "everything is on the table" for Ukraine war negotiations and that it was up to Trump to decide what concessions will be made. Trump on Wednesday ordered his top officials to begin talks on ending the war. The opposing messages on Ukraine come as Coale is in Munich this week with General Keith Kellogg, Trump's lead Ukraine envoy, for the annual Security Conference. Kellogg's name did not appear on a Wednesday announcement from the president that listed which cabinet officials would lead the formal peace talks. Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Middle East envoy, will now be helping on negotiations, taking the lead on talks with Russia, Coale said. Kellogg and Coale are both involved in talks with the Europeans and Ukrainians, he said. Asked about Kellogg's role in peace talks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that Kellogg "remains a critical part of this team and this effort." EUROPEAN INVOLVEMENT Coale said that formal negotiations on Ukraine had not yet begun and that the U.S. was still working through discussions with the Europeans and Ukrainians about how best to end the conflict. "Where do the Ukrainians and Europeans fit into all of this? At this point we don't know," Coale said, adding that you "have to have the Europeans involved." "The Europeans want this war stopped," he said. "They are more than willing to participate (in supporting Kyiv militarily). There are doubts ... as to whether they are going to give 100 percent. But everything I am hearing indicates they are willing to really get in there." It is unclear what exactly Washington has communicated to the Kremlin about negotiations. But Coale said Putin appears to be willing to enter negotiations with Ukraine, without preconditions. "There's been a lot of talk about the trip Steve Witkoff took to Moscow and how he met with Putin," Coale said. "Putin seems to be willing to play ball, but we're not sure what that means. I think he's ready to talk." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned Western officials on social media on Thursday not to trust Putin, who launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Officials in Europe have expressed deep concerns about Hegseth's Wednesday comments. "We shouldn't take anything off the table before the negotiations have even started. Because it plays to Russia's court," Kaja Kallas, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, told reporters on Thursday. "It is appeasement. It has never worked." Asked if the U.S. was conceding too much to Putin upfront, Coale said: "Some people talked out of turn, but I don't think we're conceding anything." "You don't know with Putin and the Russians," Coale said. "Are they trying to play us? Or are they sincere? And then you get to a table and you find out fast."
