Neuroscientist studying the dopamine system, yogi, MtG player, lapsed homebrewer. 🧠🔬🚴🏼🍻🇺🇸🇭🇺
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Rudi Faust retweeted
No, @elonmusk, the U.S. stopped funding Ukraine last year. In fact, U.S. companies make money on American weapons for which we Europeans pay.
The more you meddle in our politics and the more you play politics with your products, the more you damage your brand.
Rudi Faust retweeted
This is the kind of deal the Democrats need to investigate immediately if they take Congress. An oil deal in Alaska which actually might be a gift to the Russians with Trump involvement. ft.com/content/e9cfbfbb-e65a…
Rudi Faust retweeted
In 1956, Moscow agreed to withdraw its troops from Budapest. One week later, it launched a 60,000-soldier operation to crush Hungary’s revolution. buff.ly/zWcE3vb
Rudi Faust retweeted
Was bei der Kushner-Story, Nord Stream oder Hacks russischer Einheiten auffällt, ist, wie gut die niederländischen Geheimdienste MVID & AVID bei Russland-Ukraine sind.
Nach MH17 (298 Tote, 196 Niederländer, durch russische Rakete) ist man dort früher aufgewacht, was Putin angeht
Rudi Faust retweeted
I've been in those trenches every month or two for the last four years.
People are tired, they miss their families, they have their frustrations.
But they are there, still holding the line, with full clarity that if they let go, Russia and its tyranny will come to their homes.
Rudi Faust retweeted
"The Russians must be laughing their heads off,"
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade regarding US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff calling Vladimir Putin a "humanitarian".
Rudi Faust retweeted
"'It’s not complicated,' the Kushner acquaintance told me. 'All the Middle Eastern countries invest in Jared’s fund, and they suck his dick, so they can get political favors from the Trump Administration.'" newyorker.com/magazine/2026/…
Rudi Faust retweeted
I have read dozens of outraged posts because the US special envoy Witkoff called Putin a "humanist." But no one is writing about the fact that the American negotiators are simply not doing their job. Let me explain.
Peace negotiations are important in their own right. Even if they do not lead to a lasting peace, the process itself is an opportunity to resolve urgent humanitarian issues. If, of course, the human dimension is a priority for the negotiators. But it is entirely obvious that neither Witkoff nor Kushner cares about people's fates in this war.
The Pope calls on Putin to save thousands of people from starvation in occupied Oleshky and the surrounding villages. The UN speaks about a humanitarian catastrophe and asks Russia to allow the evacuation of the civilian population. European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno goes on a hunger strike to draw attention to this tragedy unfolding before the eyes of the whole world.
And what are Witkoff and Kushner doing?
That's right, almost nothing.
Except for passing along greetings from Putin’s aide to the First Lady.
Thousands of people are already eating grass to survive and begging to save their lives. The Ukrainian side raises the issue of Oleshky at every meeting. And I can name dozens of such urgent humanitarian issues off the top of my head where American negotiators must be proactive.
Trump’s peace negotiations have already gone down in history as the deadliest years for Ukraine’s civilian population since the start of the full-scale invasion.
I don’t know if anyone will remember the names of Witkoff and Kushner.
But history will certainly record how American negotiators, who had the opportunity to save a huge number of people, refused to raise uncomfortable questions before "humanist Putin."
Rudi Faust retweeted
It's obvious that the US administration has zero understanding of what's going on.
They honestly think that Russia has a legitimate claim to Ukrainian land. But at the same time, they don't understand that Russians give zero fucks about the remaining 11% of Donbas. They want full control over Ukraine's political life. So it's either occupation or the installation of a Russian proxy government.
So the Americans come to Ukraine and say, "You have to give up Donbas, and Russia will stop. That's what they want."
Russia tells them, "Yes, that's exactly what we want."
But the Russians don't give a fuck about Donbas alone. They want to take it without giving anything in return, continue the war, and make the Americans look stupid.
The Americans don't understand this, so they pressure the Ukrainians: "Take the deal."
Ukraine says, "We aren't stupid. If we're going to give something up, we need something in return. A security guarantee."
The Americans go back to the Russians and say, "Well, they've agreed. We just have to give them security guarantees."
The Russians say, "No way in the world."
The Americans go back to Ukraine and say, "Well, they don't agree. Let's just try giving them Donbas. If it doesn't work, we'll continue with what we have."
Ukraine says, "Well, no. Let's work with what we have. If you want to cut off intelligence sharing and Starlink, do it. But we will publicly state that you cut off services we're paying for."
The Russians come up with an idea to cut Starlink and blame Ukraine for it.
The Americans restrict Starlink speeds and intelligence sharing. They halt sales of air-defense missiles.
More Ukrainians start dying because of this. The front line becomes much harder to hold.
The US comes back and says, "See? Just give up Donbas. Russia won't attack."
Ukraine says, "If they won't attack, give us a security guarantee."
Trump says, "No."
Ukrainians keep dying. Trump keeps the pressure up.
Rudi Faust retweeted
We’re back to our annual “who won the war” narrative-spinning competition, which somehow returns every time feasible negotiations are on the table. War is merely a means to achieve political goals, so the question should always be what those goals were and whether they were achieved.
Let’s start with Russia:
- Demilitarization: Failed. Considering that Ukraine’s army is now far larger, more experienced, and more capable than before the war, with a much more diversified domestic defense industry, it’s difficult to call it “demilitarized”
- Preventing NATO expansion: Mostly failed. While Ukraine isn’t joining NATO at the moment (nor was it about to before the invasion), which Russia can claim as a result of this war, NATO has actually expanded. More importantly, that includes Finland, a country sharing a long border with Russia, not far from its second-largest city.
- Regime change and installation of a Russia-aligned government: Failed. Clearly unsuccessful, and doesn’t look like an achievable goal in the foreseeable future.
- “Liberation”/occupation of Donbas: Partial success. Russia has made significant gains, occupying most of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. While the full occupation of Donbas wasn’t explicitly proclaimed by Putin as an initial goal of the invasion, it has been implied by him, as well as openly claimed by the Kremlin-controlled media narratives for the past four years.
- Securing a land bridge to Crimea: Success. Another goal never officially stated, but from a strategic standpoint, it can be considered a significant military achievement.
Now, let’s move to Ukraine:
- Preserving independence and statehood: Success. Ukraine retained its independence, control over most of its territory, and functioning state institutions. Not a single oblast center, apart from Donetsk and Luhansk captured in 2014, remains under Russian control. So far, this is Ukraine’s largest strategic success.
- Regaining territories lost since 2014 and fully restoring territorial integrity: Failed.
- Emerging from the war with a stronger security configuration: Unclear. This includes security guarantees or alliances that would prevent post-war degradation, economic collapse, and the constant threat of another invasion. The outcome remains uncertain, with negotiations still ongoing.
Now, what do both countries have in common?
Economic decline, massive demographic losses, a significant share of the working-age male population traumatized or disabled, growing poverty, and younger generations leaving the country.
For Ukraine, there’s also a significant increase in the debt-to-GDP ratio. For Russia, it’s a serious contraction of its National Wealth fund, an economic safety net accumulated over decades.
Ukraine has gained considerable influence on the world stage, built new strategic partnerships, and deepened military cooperation with the West. However, whether it can retain these gains after the war remains an open question.
Russia, meanwhile, has lost numerous Western markets, projects, and partnerships, while gaining new partners such as Iran and North Korea, alongside increasingly unbalanced dependencies on countries like China.
Was the war worth it for Russia?
If you ask whether more than 4 years of grueling war were worth gaining some territory beyond what Russia already controlled before 2022, the answer is a resounding no. The cost-to-reward ratio simply isn’t there, no matter how you spin it.
That being said, there’s one important caveat: the war isn’t over, and the final chapter hasn’t been written.
But it’s already clear that, no matter how you spin the narrative, there are no winners. And it’s not because of the cheesy “there are no winners in war” cliche, but because neither country has managed to achieve its major strategic goals or secure a positive post-war trajectory as a result of this war.
Which brings us to “both countries lost”, or, in more academic terms, something closer to a strategic stalemate.
Rudi Faust retweeted
"Some U.S. officials say that Musk acted unilaterally and that Trump didn’t specifically order any retribution against Ukraine. But a person familiar with the situation said Musk talked to multiple senior administration officials, including with Trump, before imposing the new speed cap, which Ukrainian officials said had allowed Russian missiles to evade their defenses."
Once again, for emphasis: this is Elon Musk unilaterally violating a contract between his company and a paying customer in a mission-critical situation, where lives were at risk and were almost certainly lost as a direct result of his actions, for purely personal reasons that had nothing to do with SpaceX's commercial interests.
It's as serious a breach of trust as can possibly be imagined. Who could possibly trust a contract with a Musk-controlled company now?
Full Congressional investigation is in order. ASAP. Ukrainians died and US diplomatic personnel plus US citizens were at grave risk. wsj.com/world/ukraine-starli…
Rudi Faust retweeted
russia has run into serious problems with its offensive in Donbas, where its forces have become bogged down.
One of the main reasons was that russian logistics had been crippled by Ukrainian drone strikes. This campaign depended heavily on Starlink terminals operating on high-speed Ukrainian drones.
russian military command identified this as a critical problem and approached the American side, asking it to restrict the speeds at which Starlink terminals could operate.
The argument was simple: there would be little public backlash because the US could still claim that Starlink was operational and that the service was still being provided.
The Trump administration agreed to the restrictions, effectively solving a critical battlefield problem for Russia.
As a result, russian logistics in Donbas are now safer, and Ukraine has lost an important advantage on the battlefield.
Rudi Faust retweeted
У WSJ Opinion вийшла редакційна стаття «Zelensky Is Open to a Starlink Deal». І я абсолютно не згоден із головним посилом цього матеріалу.
WSJ пропонує Україні угоду: ми на 100 днів припиняємо удари по російській енергетичній інфраструктурі, а США натомість розширюють покриття Starlink приблизно на 300 кілометрів углиб Росії, щоб українська армія могла бити по пускових установках ракет і дронів.
За даними WSJ, цю пропозицію Зеленському передали сенатори-республіканці Роджер Вікер і Кевін Крамер.
Редакція пише:
«Україна взяла б паузу в ударах по російських енергетичних об'єктах. Натомість США розширили б покриття Starlink приблизно на 300 кілометрів углиб Росії».
І далі:
«На наш погляд, така угода того варта».
На мою думку, ні. Так не повинні виглядати відносини між союзниками.
Така угода могла б хоча б нагадувати справедливу, якби Україні дали повноцінну можливість працювати на глибину до 470 кілометрів усередині Росії, а не лише на 300.
Харків розташований приблизно за 30 кілометрів від російського кордону, Суми - приблизно за 25-30 кілометрів, Київ - трохи більше ніж за 200 кілометрів. Росія при цьому може запускати ракети з території, розташованої значно далі запропонованої 300-кілометрової зони.
Тому 300 кілометрів - це не паритет. Це чергове штучне обмеження можливостей України. Дальність до 470 кілометрів хоча б дозволила суттєво розширити зону, в якій російські пускові установки не могли б почуватися безкарно.
Спочатку критично важливі для української армії Starlink і Starshield обмежують без попередження. Такі рішення коштують життів українців. Потім Україні пропонують повернути або розширити ці можливості в обмін на відмову від ударів по одному з найболючіших місць російської воєнної економіки.
Це не угода. Це шантаж.
При цьому сама WSJ визнає очевидне:
«Україна має повне право посилювати тиск на Путіна, щоб зупинити його завоювання».
Тоді виникає просте питання: якщо Україна має це право, чому вона повинна платити відмовою від ефективних ударів за можливість захищатися від російських ракет?
«Можливість бити по російському лучнику замість того, щоб дозволяти стрілам падати, ще краща».
Тільки можливість бити по «лучнику» не повинна купуватися ціною гарантії безпеки для російських НПЗ.
Україні потрібна і можливість знищувати російські пускові установки, і можливість бити по інфраструктурі, яка забезпечує російську воєнну машину.
Росія чомусь не обирає. Чому обирати повинна Україна?
Особливо після того, як Трамп уже оголосив якесь «енергетичне перемир'я», якого Україна та Росія фактично між собою не погоджували, а Росія продовжила удари.
«Роздратований Зеленський заявив, що Україна відновить удари по російських енергетичних об'єктах після того, як Путін проігнорував оголошене Трампом минулими вихідними "припинення вогню" і продовжив бомбити українські енергетичні об'єкти».
Росія порушує «перемир'я». Росія продовжує бити. Але поступитися знову пропонують Україні.
Ні.
Америка була і залишається нашим союзником. Американський народ, Конгрес, військові, мільйони американців протягом усієї війни допомагали Україні. Саме тому я принципово не хочу ставити знак рівності між Сполученими Штатами та нинішньою адміністрацією.
Нинішня адміністрація США своїми останніми діями поводиться не як союзник України, а як союзник Росії.
Ми сподіваємося, що американська політична система зможе повернути відносини США та України до нормальної союзницької моделі.
Бо нормальна модель дуже проста.
Росія є агресором.
Україна захищається.
Союзник допомагає Україні перемогти агресора, а не торгується з нею за право захищатися.
Rudi Faust retweeted
J’ai vu plusieurs personnes être tentées par des comparaisons entre les événements en France depuis hier et la révolution du Maïdan en Ukraine, en 2013-2014.
J’étais sur place dans les deux cas, en 2013 et hier.
Cette comparaison n’a absolument pas lieu d’être et je la rejette catégoriquement.
L’EuroMaïdan avait commencé après que des policiers ont tabassé extrêmement violemment une centaine d’étudiants qui demandaient au président de l’époque, Ianoukovitch, de tenir sa promesse de signer l’accord d’association avec l’Union européenne, alors qu’il venait de la trahir.
Dans les jours qui ont suivi, des centaines de milliers de manifestants sont descendus sur la place Maïdan, à Kyiv, pour exiger des réponses de la part du gouvernement et dénoncer les violences subies par ces jeunes.
Cette contestation s’est transformée en une révolution trois mois plus tard, lorsque l’État a empêché toute forme d’expression publique de l’opposition à la politique du gouvernement, lorsque des policiers ont commencé à tuer des manifestants, à les matraquer jusqu’à leur dernier souffle, à les frapper avec une violence sans précédent.
108 manifestants ont été tués.
À quelques très, très rares exceptions près, en trois mois de manifestations QUOTIDIENNES, AUCUN commerce n’avait été vandalisé. Seule la boutique Bosco, associée à la Russie, avait été occupée sans que son pillage soit établi.
Alors même qu’il y avait des barricades sur l’entièreté de Khrechtchatyk (les Champs-Élysées de Kyiv, en quelque sorte), les commerces continuaient à fonctionner et à rester ouverts.
Non seulement les causes et les réactions de la part de l’État sont radicalement différentes, mais les conséquences pour les commerces, les biens publics et autres n’ont strictement RIEN À VOIR.
Les revendications des centaines de milliers de Français qui ont manifesté hier partout dans le pays, pacifiquement dans la quasi-totalité des cas, sont légitimes et entendables.
Il ne faut pas stigmatiser ces manifestants, ni les associer aux violences commises par la suite.
Le faire contribue uniquement à une colère sociale grandissante, et nous, médias, devons faire très attention à cela, afin de ne pas répéter les erreurs de 2018 lors des Gilets jaunes. C’est aussi cela qui a laissé le terrain à des médias « alternatifs », parfois prorusses, comme c’était le cas avec RT France.
Cependant, nous devons désormais nous interroger sérieusement sur les violences commises par des casseurs venus profiter du contexte social pour voler, piller, détruire.
Ces gens n’ont aucune revendication. Ils pourrissent le débat, ternissent l’image des vrais manifestants et sont des voyous qui doivent payer pour leurs actes.
Ce qui est désolant, à regarder les images d’aujourd’hui place de la République, c’est qu’il s’agit clairement, dans l’immense majorité des cas, de mineurs, d’enfants, d’adolescents, de jeunes. Des jeunes qui se sont dit, après avoir vu les images d’hier sur les réseaux sociaux, qu’il y avait peut-être moyen de piller encore ce qui restait.
J’ai mal pour nos commerçants qui ont tout perdu et qui ne savent plus comment gagner leur vie, mal pour nos agents publics.
Mal pour notre image, pour nos biens publics dégradés. Mal pour nos monuments historiques saccagés, anéantis, comme la mairie de Limoges.
Mal pour nos pompiers qui, parfois, ont été attaqués. Des pompiers, bon sang !
Rien ne justifie cela. Et aucune comparaison avec une population ayant lutté contre une VRAIE dictature n’est légitime.
Comparer l'autodéfense des Ukrainiens lors de Maïdan, face à une police et un gouvernement qui assassinait à balles réelles, et des voyous qui brulent et qui pillent pour le plaisir est indécent !
Rudi Faust retweeted
To put this in laymen's terms, Musk and Trump are now hobbling Ukraine's ability to protect its civilian population from a type of Russian drone that functions more like a cruise missile. This is not the United States adopting a neutral position vis-a-vis the war. This is the United States facilitating Russian terror.
Ukraine's Starshield terminals still don't work properly, President Zelensky confirms, disabling Ukrainian interceptors used to shoot down Russian jet-powered drones that have been hitting civilian targets in recent weeks.
kyivindependent.com/planned-…
Rudi Faust retweeted
Today, the Ukrainian Parliament passed, and President @ZelenskyyUa signed, an amendment to Ukraine’s education law that will make it significantly easier for Hungarian children in Transcarpathia to use their mother tongue.
Rudi Faust retweeted
With all the Ukraine related news, this one might slip under the radar, but after passing a new bill on Monday for linguistic education rights for minority languages in Ukraine, Hungary is likely to approve the start of Kyiv's next EU accession cluster.
xitter.cf/TVPWorld_com/status/21…
Ukraine’s parliament has passed a law strengthening the linguistic rights of ethnic Hungarians, in a move that could help advance the country’s EU accession talks.
The legislation expands the rights of Hungarian speakers to receive education in their own language, addressing a long-running dispute between Kyiv and Budapest.
TVP World correspondent Oz Katerji (@OzKaterji) reports from Kyiv on the law and what it means for Ukraine’s path toward EU membership.
Rudi Faust retweeted
PURL is fully foreign funded, and goes directly to US businesses. This isn't aid, its literally a free $6.7bn subsidy to the US defence industry.
This isn't a threat to aid. They're treating to cut off their own industry to protect a tiny diesel deal with Russia.
SCOOP @FT: The Trump administration is threatening to stop the PURL procurement system that provides Ukraine with weapons in order to press Kyiv to halt its deep strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, according to officials in Europe.
The officials, who received calls from American officials on Saturday and Sunday or were briefed on them, said the US was lobbying European capitals and Kyiv in an attempt to end the attacks on Russian oil refineries. The White House declined to confirm or comment on the calls.
w/ @HenryJFoy @ahauslohner
ft.com/content/68fd8c4f-6f34…
Rudi Faust retweeted
Starlink is not used in Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries because it doesn’t work above Russia.
If Elon Musk decides to signal his dislike of Zelensky by turning off Starlink, it will lead to many thousands more Ukrainian deaths on the frontline, will severely damage the SpaceX brand internationally (countries will know they can’t rely on it in times of real crisis), but will have zero effect on Ukrainian strikes against the Russian oil and gas industry.
It will also not end the war.
Rudi Faust retweeted
This explains why Texas separatists, with their totally coincidentally identical “Veteran, Christian, Father, MAGA” bios, have suddenly gone awfully quiet today, right alongside their Quebec counterparts, conspiracy whackos, and Polish anti-EU eurosceptics
