Trump threatens legal action against Grammy host over Epstein comment

THIN SKINNED TYRANT THREATENS COURT JESTER

By AFP
February 2, 2026


South African comedian Trevor Noah hosting the 68th Annual Grammy Awards - Copyright AFP VALERIE MACON

Donald Trump threatened legal action on Monday against the host of the 68th Grammy Awards over the comedian’s comment on the US president and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

After congratulating Billie Eilish for winning the Grammy for Song of the Year for her track “Wildflower,” host Trevor Noah brought up Trump and Epstein.

“Wow. That’s a Grammy that every artist wants — almost as much as Trump wants Greenland,” he quipped, referring to the president’s threats to seize the autonomous Arctic territory.

Noah then added: “Which makes sense because, since Epstein’s gone, he needs a new island to hang out with Bill Clinton.”

Noah, who announced that this will be his final year hosting the Grammys after six turns as emcee, has been light on political commentary in previous years.

His comments drew the ire of the president, who took to his Truth Social platform first saying that the “Grammy Awards are the WORST and virtually unwatchable,” before criticizing Noah.

“I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory, statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media,” Trump asserted.

The Republican then branded South African Noah a “total loser” who needs to “get his facts straight.”

“I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C. … Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you!” Trump added.

Trump, who moved in the same social circles as Epstein in Florida and New York, has fought for months to prevent the release of a vast trove of documents about the disgraced financier and has given varying accounts of why he eventually fell out with Epstein.

More than three million documents were released on Friday that included mention of numerous powerful figures, including the 79-year-old president, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton and former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Gavin Newsom's press office mocks Trump's Grammy tirade with 'participation prize' jab

Ewan Gleadow
February 2, 2026 

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California Governor Gavin Newsom, along with local congressional representatives, state officials and supporters, speaks as he announces the redrawing of California's congressional maps, calling on voters to approve a ballot measure, in response to a similar move in Texas being supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., August 14, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Gavin Newsom's Press Office has released a mocking statement over Donald Trump's comments on the Grammy Awards.

The president made his distaste for this year's music awards show known with a lengthy Truth Social post earlier today. Governor of California Newsom's press office

A statement written in capital letters, posted to Governor Newsom's Press Office X account, reads, "I can't believe very talented artists like Kid Rock and Nicki Minaj were snubbed again and will be walking home with zero (0) Grammys.


"The haters will say they are 'trash' artists who are just desperate for attention. Wrong!!! They are okay artists who are desperate for attention. Their recent PR 'performances' are strong enough to earn a participation prize at minimum.

"Because the Grammys failed, I will be awarding Kid and Nicki the California Music Participation Peace Prize (at the Newsom Kennedy Center), a very prestigious award decided by my 'peace' board, which I alone appoint. This restores fairness to music. Thank you for your attention to this matter. - Governor GCN."

The mocking statement from Newsom's Press Office comes shortly after Trump made his own post to Truth Social criticizing Trevor Noah and suggesting his legal team may get involved over a joke about Epstein's Island.

Trump wrote, "The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable! CBS is lucky not to have this garbage litter their airwaves any longer. The host, Trevor Noah, whoever he may be, is almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards. Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island.

"WRONG!!! I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media. Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast.

"It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$. Ask Little George Slopadopolus, and others, how that all worked out. Also ask CBS! Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you! President DJT."

Trump denies visiting Epstein Island in Truth Social post criticizing Grammy Awards

Ewan Gleadow
February 2, 2026 
RAW STORY


U.S. President Donald Trump listens to remarks during a swearing-in ceremony for Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 18, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

Donald Trump has denied he ever visited Epstein Island in a Truth Social post criticizing this year's Grammy Awards show.

The president posted a lengthy statement on February 2 regarding a joke made by Trevor Noah. Trump has since suggested he will contact his legal team over the comment made by show host Noah.

Trump wrote, "The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable! CBS is lucky not to have this garbage litter their airwaves any longer. The host, Trevor Noah, whoever he may be, is almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards. Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island

"WRONG!!! I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media. Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast.

"It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$. Ask Little George Slopadopolus, and others, how that all worked out. Also ask CBS! Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you! President DJT."

Trump was named more than 3,000 times in the Justice Department’s release Friday of around 3.5 million files on Jeffrey Epstein, and on Saturday, he vowed vengeance against author Michael Wolff and potentially Epstein’s estate for what the president alleged was a conspiratorial effort to damage him politically.

“Wolff, who’s a third-rate writer, was conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to hurt me politically or otherwise and that came through loud and clear,” Trump told reporters Saturday, The Independent reported Sunday. “So we’ll probably sue Wolf on that… maybe the Epstein estate, I guess. I don’t know. But we’ll certainly sue Wolff.”

Despite the newly unearthed allegations, Trump has and is not facing any criminal charges related to his past relationship with Epstein, and has denied any and all wrongdoing.

New Epstein docs reveal 'nauseating' details about Trump's next Fed pick: GOP analyst

Robert Davis
February 1, 2026 
RAW STORY



FILE PHOTO: Kevin Warsh, Fellow in Economics at the Hoover Institution and lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, speaks during the Sohn Investment Conference in New York City, U.S., May 8, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

The new Jeffrey Epstein files released on Friday include "nauseating" details about President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve, according to one GOP analyst.

Rick Wilson, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, wrote in a new Substack essay on Sunday that the January 30 Epstein files dump included details about Kevin Warsh, who Trump recently announced as his pick to replace Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell in May. Wilson argued that Warsh's name appeared in the files "like a bad penny."

"It is a bit of timing so on-the-nose it would be rejected by a mediocre political thriller," Wilson wrote. "Warsh, a man whose resume reads like a checklist for the Davos-and-Hamptons set, isn’t just a “Wall Street veteran” or an Estée Lauder heir by marriage; he is now a recurring character in the Epstein ledger."


Several high-profile figures in the Trump administration and people who have known the president personally for years were implicated in the latest Epstein files release. The files include allegations that the president forced teenage girls to perform oral sex on him, emails showing Trump ally Elon Musk visited the infamous Epstein island, and details about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's friendship with the disgraced financier, which Lutnick has denied.

Wilson argued that the release paints a "nauseating" pitcure of the people in controls of the levers of power.


"While the DOJ is quick to point out that proximity isn’t a crime, the visual is nauseating: the man who will soon hold the literal keys to the American economy was once just another name on a spreadsheet for a monster’s social calendar," he added. "It is the ultimate 'loyalty test' for the new regime: appointing a man who rubbed elbows with the abyss to oversee the Federal Reserve, proving once again that in this administration, the only disqualification is a conscience."


Read the entire essay by clicking here.

Epstein files force resignation of Slovak diplomat Lajčák as PM Fico’s security advisor

Miroslav Lajčák resigned as Prime Minister Robert Fico’s foreign and security advisor. / Miroslav Lajčák via X

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By Albin Sybera in Prague February 1, 2026

Slovak and EU diplomat Miroslav Lajčák resigned as Prime Minister Robert Fico’s foreign and security advisor after the publication of the latest round of the so-called Epstein files. 

The files appear to show Lajčák discussing arranging women for himself with the sentenced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died while in custody in 2019. In 2018, Lajčák was also reported to have offered to set up a meeting between Fico and Donald Trump’s then aide and far right ideologue Steve Bannon.

Lajčák wrote that he was offering his resignation to Fico “not because I would commit something criminal or unethical”, but so the PM “does not carry political costs for something, which is not connected to his decisions”.

“I realise I am used as a tool for a political attack on the prime minister today,” Lajčák wrote in a statement shared by Slovak press agency TASR and other Slovak media on January 31.

Fico accepted the resignation and used the opportunity to describe the public outrage over the extent of Lajčák’s involvement in the Epstein files as “an attack against me”. He also praised Lajčák as “a great diplomat” for offering his resignation.

Lajčák has been under increased pressure from the opposition in Bratislava since January 30, after the revelations that in October 2018, while serving as the Slovak minister of foreign affairs, he reportedly asked Epstein to participate in his “games”.

In a private conversation shared by the BBC, Lajčák added that “I would take the ‘MI’ girl” to which Epstein replied in a text message "who wouldn’t”, adding "you can have them both, I am not possessive. And their sisters".

The conversation later includes parts where Epstein asks Lajčák to ask Russian chief diplomat Sergei Lavrov to get him a t-shirt with Lavrov and Russian ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, who died in 2017.

"You get the tee shirt. Then you get the girls," Epstein wrote to Lajčák, who agreed, and the two then exchanged more comments about women.

The latest round of more than 3mn Epstein files, released by the US Justice Department on January 30, also includes an email by Lajčák in which he asks Epstein for help to get a female film producer shortlisted for 2017 Oscars.

Lajčák was also reported to have offered to set up a meeting between Fico and Bannon after Fico was forced to step down as PM amid mass demonstrations sparked by the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak in 2018, Slovak online news outlet 360ka highlighted.   

“Btw, I have a person for him in Slovakia – my ex-PM Fico. He is out of government and looking for a new agenda. He would be happy to play Steve’s game. And he is good,” Lajčák reportedly texted Bannon. Lajčák denied to 360ka that he was setting up a meeting between Bannon and Fico.

Lajčák, who also served as president of the United Nations General Assembly in 2017-2018 and EU’s special representative to the Western Balkan region in 2020-2025, said he did not recall the communication “after such a time span”.

He stressed that “sexual services had never been offered to me, I never took part in any, I did not witness any” while he also “condemned the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein”, adding that “there would have been no communication if I knew the full scale of his deeds at the time”.

Michal Šimečka, chairman of the largest opposition party, centrist Progressive Slovakia, called on Lajčák to step down shortly after the release of the latest batch of the Epstein files, recalling Lajčák’s previous appearances in the files.

“As though it has not been enough, he [Lajčák] also says there [in the Epstein files] he loves Lavrov, and offers Robert Fico as suitable figure for goals of the American far right,” Šimečka wrote on his Facebook social media profile.

After Lajčák resigned, Šimečka also called on Fico to tell the public whether he had ever met Epstein or Bannon, noting that the “prime minister must clearly disprove, or bear responsibility for suspicions of influencing our domestic as well as foreign politics from similarly toxic persons”.     

Fico steered his Smer party deep into national conservative waters after 2018, then managed to return to power in 2023 on a radical nationalist and anti-Ukrainian ticket.

Fico and Trump have curried favour with each other ever since Trump’s return to the White House, and the Slovak strongman even visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence last month. Both of them have attacked the EU for its green policies, and have been criticised for being pro-Russian.

Hedonism’s Dance: How the Governing Classes Fell for Jeffrey Epstein

by Binoy Kampmark / February 2nd, 2026

How did he generate so much paperwork, traffic and comment? New York financier, mountebank, all purposes conman and dedicated rake that he was, Jeffrey Epstein continues to nag living figures from beyond the grave and place them in a tight spot of bother. His correspondence with these individuals runs into the millions, a figure suggesting his only work in life was being a pimp for pleasure and valet to the rotten.

The press vultures have been feeding most excitedly on the latest carrion released by the US Department of Justice on January 30 in response to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, comprising some 3.5 million pages with more than 180,000 images and 2,000 videos. “Today’s release marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people and compliance,” stated Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Leaving aside Blanche’s perky claim to thoroughbred compliance, those found corresponding or engaging with Epstein have had to qualify any engagement with the late financier as utterly innocent and certainly unconnected to the sexual trafficking arm he operated with the incarcerated Ghislaine Maxwell, herself the daughter of that mighty confidence trickster, serial litigant and press mogul, Robert Maxwell. What did not seem to bother Epstein’s vast network of correspondents, foolish confidants and dissolute playmates was a conviction for soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl in 2008. The sinner always knows best.

The list of the dishonourable is long and impossible to enumerate without expectorating. A handful of rummy specimens will suffice. We have the morally stunted tech brat billionaire Elon Musk discussing travel to Epstein’s properties for reasons of entertainment. “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?”, he asks in one yearning inquiry. Musk continued to press the financier for information of any planned parties, claiming that he needed to “let loose”. “I’ve been working to the edge of sanity this year and so, once my kids head home after Christmas, I really want to hit the party scene in St Barts or elsewhere and let loose.”

In 2009, despite Epstein serving a prison sentence at the time, the emails reveal the financial provision of a loan to Lord Peter Mandelson’s husband Reinaldo Avila da Silva regarding an osteopathy course. Mandelson, the Mr Fixit of Britain’s New Labour, had his tenure as UK ambassador to Washington terminated once the cloacal gatherings of his association with Epstein proved too hard to ignore.

We find Britain’s founder of Virgin Group, Richard Branson, expressing his pleasure at meeting Epstein before adding “Any time you’re in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!” (The company hurriedly tried to dispel any needless assumptions of prurience: “harem” in this case was a reference to three adult members of the Epstein team.)

As is already known, royalty is not exempt from the turd lined trough. Recently deprived of his status as prince for scouring Epstein’s fleshpots with rutting glee, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, known as “The Duke” in the correspondence, is most accommodating to Epstein in emails sent in September 2010. “We could have dinner at Buckingham Palace and lots of privacy,” suggests Epstein. The reply: “Delighted for you to come here to BP [Buckingham Palace]. Come with whomever and I’ll be here free from 1600ish.”

The matter gets even more squalid with Mountbatten-Windsor’s former wife, Sarah Ferguson, calling Epstein the “brother” she “had always wished for”. (The provision of £15,000 to pay off her debts probably helped.) Showing how liberal his house arrest conditions were, Ferguson implies that the pair had lunch. An August 2009 exchange points to a meeting between Epstein and her daughters, Prince Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. “I have never been more touched by a friends [sic] kindness than your compliment to me in front of my girls.”

Showing that the royals of other countries also slid into the honeypot, Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit had extensive contact with Epstein between 2011 and 2014. From what can be gleaned from the correspondence, the financier had made quite an impression, being “soft hearted” and “such a sweetheart”. In one message dated November 1, 2012, the crown princess responds to a message of sheer gibberish discussing the protective facilities of nature and the problems of unnatural products. “You always make me smile,” she reflects. “Because you tickle my brain.”

The timing was most unfortunate for Mette-Marit, as her son, Marius Borg Høiby, is facing 38 criminal charges, including allegations of rape of four women including assault and drug offences. “I showed poor judgment and I deeply regret having had any contact with Epstein,” she said in a statement, conjuring up contrition. “It is simply embarrassing.”

Figures from the world of sports are not exempt. “We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition we discussed movies, philanthropy and investments,” claimed New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, mentioned over 400 times in the files. “I did not take him up on any of his invitations and never went to his island. As we all know, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with.”

To keep Tisch in sporting company is chairman of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, Casey Wasserman. In his case, it was an enduring infatuation with Epstein’s collaborator in vice, Ghislaine. “I think of you all the time,” he says in a charged exchange in 2003. “So what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” A statement from Wasserman on the matter expressed “regret” for correspondence “which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light.”

A generous assessment of these files would suggest the sense of sheer beguilement shown by Epstein’s correspondents, who seemed to be playing fools during much of their acquaintanceships. But the cosmic expansiveness of it all at the highest social and political level points to the ethically desiccated nature of the governing classes and their willingness to be depraved and blinded. Operating in the realm of power and influence, these figures have shown themselves to be dunces and cavorters before hedonism’s dance, utterly indifferent to the prospect that they would, eventually, be found out.

Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com. Read other articles by Binoy.

The Neocolonial Ambitions of NATO Countries

by Valeriy Krylko / January 26th, 2026

The term neocolonialism first appeared in the mid-twentieth century and was used to describe the continuing control of colonial powers (Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Italy) over other nominally independent states, especially their colonies in Africa. In the 21st century, the meaning of the term neocolonialism has expanded and is now used to refer to the power of developed countries (the so-called Global North) over developing countries (the so-called Global South). In fact, neocolonialism is an indirect form of imperialism, representing a new phase of Western capitalist expansionism. It manifests itself in the manipulation of the economic, political, and cultural independence of developing countries, perpetuating long-term inequality and contributing to the unjust exploitation of developing countries.

As is well known, most countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America were under the direct military administration and political control (hegemony) of European Union countries for a long time.

[Source: uwidata.com]

Many experts regretfully note that in the current reality, modern neocolonialism has not only not been eradicated, but has begun to actively expand and take on various new forms. In the 21st century, most NATO countries have intensified their efforts to strengthen control over developing countries, including through the establishment of dependence, subordination, or financial obligations to the neocolonialist country.

[Source: linkedin.com]

The main purpose of this control is to exert political influence on the leadership of developing countries for the sake of enriching the US and EU countries at the expense of underdeveloped countries, including through the extraction of minerals on preferential terms (oil, gas, rare earth metals, precious stones) on preferential terms, as well as creating barriers (economic, political, financial) that hinder the development of the economies of Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It is beneficial for the countries of the Global North that the countries of the Global South remain sources of cheap labor and raw materials, while having limited access to new technologies for the development of their own economies.

[Source: facebook.com], [Source: spsnavalforces.com]

This domination over dependent countries is exercised through military interventions, political pressure, trade policy, international sanctions, and financial leverage, among other means. For example, by imposing numerous sanctions, the US destabilizes world trade and effectively uses various tariffs to suppress the economic development of countries in the Global South. At the same time, in most cases, international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which are effectively controlled by the US and EU countries, are often accused of involvement in neocolonialism, as they provide loans to developing countries on the condition that the recipient countries take steps that are beneficial to these institutions but harmful to their own economies. The international legal system created by the US and the European Union does not allow other countries to develop their national sovereignty, profit from the extraction of their own minerals, or use their infrastructure, railways, airports, seaports, and other enterprises. All of this has been taken over by American and European companies under various pretexts and is being used for their own enrichment.

The Donald Trump administration is relentlessly pursuing protectionist policies that destabilize global trade. The term “tariff neocolonialism” accurately reflects the current situation, in which the US and EU countries are exerting pressure, including through military blockades, various sanctions, and trade restrictions, on one-third of all countries on Earth.

For example, in order to increase control over the international hydrocarbon market, the US imposed a naval blockade on Venezuela. With the involvement of naval forces and in violation of international law, tankers carrying Venezuelan oil are being seized in a pirate-like manner. At the same time, these tankers and oil are effectively being expropriated in favor of the US.

Speaking at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly on the International Day for the Elimination of Colonialism, Venezuelan Ambassador Samuel Moncada criticized recent statements by US President Donald Trump about his country’s resources, calling them “a monstrous violation of international law.” He demanded that the US comply with the UN Charter.

His comments followed Donald Trump’s statements that Venezuela’s land and oil resources actually belong to the US and should be transferred to it. The Venezuelan diplomat called the US administration’s statements an insult to civilized norms and a return to 19th-century imperialist policies. Samuel Moncada also expressed solidarity with other countries around the world, including Palestine and Puerto Rico, which are under “foreign domination,” which is incompatible with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In 2025, the US leadership also repeatedly spoke about its neocolonial ambitions in relation to other countries in Latin America and Africa. Although Donald Trump’s administration is currently taking active measures involving the armed forces against Venezuela, experts say this is only part of a larger political war against Latin America. Over the past year, dozens of fishermen from Venezuela, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago have died as a result of military strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean, without any charges or trials. To put pressure on Brazil and its president, Lula da Silva, the US has imposed 50% trade tariffs. Mexico has also been hit with 30% import tariffs. In addition, the US has tightened the terms of its 60-year blockade of Cuba and announced plans to seize the Panama Canal.

[Source: geopoliticaleconomy.com]

Against the backdrop of growing US military activity in the Caribbean and Pacific regions, Colombian President Gustavo Petro Petro noted in an exclusive interview with CNN at the end of November 2025 that the Trump administration’s campaign of pressure on Venezuela and Latin American countries is in fact aimed at gaining access to South American oil. He accused the US of trying to impose its will on its neighbors, comparing its actions to imperialism and neocolonialism.

The neo-colonial ambitions of the United States extend not only to Latin America, but also to Africa. According to CNN, in early November 2025, the US president ordered the Department of War to prepare for possible military action in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria (230 million inhabitants), as the US president continues to accuse the country of violence against Christians. On Donald Trump’s orders, the US armed forces also launched a second military strike on Nigeria on Christmas Day, December 25, 2025. Many experts agree that the real reason for the US’s close attention to this African country is the fact that Nigeria is one of the ten largest countries in terms of oil reserves and exports. In addition, it has the largest deposits of rare earth metals, which are so necessary for NATO’s aerospace and military industries.

[Source: edition.cnn.com]

Surprisingly, in addition to Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, the neo-colonial aspirations of the United States have spread to European countries, including Ukraine. With Donald Trump’s arrival in power, the US administration pushed through arms supplies to Ukraine at the expense of European Union taxpayers. Now it is EU citizens who are paying for the expansion of capacity and the superprofits of American arms and military equipment manufacturers. At the same time, in European countries themselves, starting in 2025, there have been significant negative trends in the reduction of spending on social services and support for the population, as well as an increase in household spending on electricity and heating.

Donald Trump’s decision to impose 30 percent tariffs on imports of any products from the EU was one of the measures of this neo-colonialist policy. With regard to Europe, the US administration is making tough demands that NATO defense spending be at least 5 percent of the gross domestic product of each EU country. At the same time, the European side has been explicitly told that these funds must be spent mainly on the purchase of American weapons, ranging from American F-35 fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons to armored vehicles and Patriot and THAAD missile systems, some of which are also planned to be transferred to Ukraine.

[Source: globaltimes.cn]

This policy is not just a tactical maneuver; it is a deliberate series of steps to escalate conflicts and international chaos that benefit the US. In 2025, we all witnessed numerous violations of international law, manifested in the explosions of pagers in a number of Middle Eastern countries, the bombing of Iran, Yemen, and Nigeria, and the bombing of fishermen from Venezuela, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean. At the same time, Israel’s illegal actions against the Palestinian people were unconditionally supported by the United States.

These actions bring tangible benefits to the American side. Over the past year, US arms sales abroad reached $318.7 billion, and the conflict in Ukraine contributed to a more than 2.5-fold increase in sales to Europe. According to experts, the US currently accounts for 43 percent of global arms exports.

On the one hand, the US administration positions itself as a peacemaker in resolving conflicts in Ukraine, Armenia, Iran, Palestine, and Taiwan, while on the other hand, it continues to actively supply various weapons to the warring parties, thereby pursuing its policy of neocolonialism. Although domestically, the US administration has launched a large-scale rearmament program, including nuclear weapons.

Neocolonial ambitions, manipulation of economic and cultural systems to maintain dominance over less developed countries, and the pursuit of excessive profits by American and European companies, as well as the political leadership of the US and the EU, cause significant economic, humanitarian, and environmental damage to the populations of developing countries, contribute to increased poverty and migration trends. As a result, all of this has long-term consequences for global relations between states, some of which have made a corresponding appeal to the UN.

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Valeriy Krylko is a freelance journalist, and translator of news articles in online media (English-Russian). These articles are published in European and Russian-language media. He is closely affiliated with independent outlets covering the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, and can be reached at:vkrylko098@gmail.com. Read other articles by Valeriy.

INTERVIEW

Former Archbishop of Canterbury: Putin is a heretic – he has no holy mission in Ukraine


For years, the Russian Orthodox Church has given its blessing to Moscow’s brutal invasion and attempted to frame it in religious terms. The former archbishop tells Maira Butt that Vladimir Putin’s violence directly contradicts the message preached by Christ

Putin calls Ukraine invasion his ‘holy mission’ in bizarre Christmas address

Sunday 18 January 2026 
The Independent



The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has accused Vladimir Putin of “heresy” after the Russian President claimed his invasion of Ukraine was a “holy mission”.

During a speech to mark Orthodox Christmas earlier this month, Putin called his soldiers “warriors” who were acting “as if at the Lord’s behest” and “defending the fatherland”.

Mr Williams, who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012, condemned the use of religion to justify the invasion as “disturbing” and said that Putin’s revanchism directly contradicts the message preached by Jesus Christ.

“I’d certainly say we’re talking about heresy,” he told The Independent. “We’re talking about something which undermines a really fundamental aspect of religious belief, of Christian belief, which assumes that we have to defend God by violence.”

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 1,600 theologians and clerics from the Eastern Orthodox Church issued the Volos Declaration, which condemned the “Russian World” ideology as a heretical belief and practice. The belief system grants Russia a special place in the cosmic order and claims the country has a divine right to build the “Holy Rus”: a land chosen by God for the Russian people.


Vladimir Putin lights a candle as he attends a Christmas service at a church in Moscow (AFP via Getty)

“The idea that death in battle for your country equates to Christian martyrdom seems to be the most bizarre and unjustifiable interpretation you could take,” Mr Williams said.

“There is something really, really disturbing about the systematic, comprehensive rebranding of Christianity as Russian national ideology.”

He referred to statements made by Christ that his kingdom is “not of this world” and “if it were of this world, my servants would fight”.

Mr Williams pointed to the fact that Putin often resists calls to scale back fighting and violence over Christian religious periods, including Christmas and Easter.


The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams (PA)

He also pointed to the arrest and detention of two young Orthodox seminary members, Denis Popovich and Nikita Ivankovich. They are facing up to 20 years in prison on what critics say are trumped-up charges, according to Public Orthodoxy, a publication that is part of the Orthodox Christian Studies Centre.


Mr Popovich was arrested as he was walking to Sretensky Monastery in Moscow for “petty hooliganism” and “allegedly shouting and using obscene language”. Public Orthodoxy wrote in a newsletter on the anniversary of his arrest: “Anyone who knew this devout young man understood immediately that such behaviour was inconceivable for him”. Six weeks later, the allegations had transformed into terrorism charges.

Asked what he would say to Putin, the theologian said: “The word Christianity contains the name Christ. Which Christ do you think you’re serving? The one of the Gospels or some nationalist goblin?”

In 2024, the Ukrainian parliament outlawed the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church because of its strong support for Russia's invasion.

The Russian Orthodox Church has been a powerful ally of Putin, giving its blessing to the war and supporting his campaign to uphold what he calls traditional values in Russian society, in contrast to perceived Western decadence.


Russia’s leader has referred to his invasion of Ukraine as a ‘holy mission’ (Ukrainian Armed Forces)

Mr Williams said that Russia’s use of faith as a justification for war should be an alarm bell for the West. Governments are in denial about the extent to which religion is being “weaponised” to drive human conflict across the world, and religious leaders should step up their condemnation of violence, he suggested.

“In the West, we might think that religion is draining away but it certainly isn’t in other parts of the world,” he said. “To imagine that faith can only be defended by violence is a bit of an insult to faith really. If you're saying faith can only be strong if I beat the living daylights out of unbelievers, you're not saying much about the strength of faith, are you?”

Orthodox priests told The Independent last week that Putin is more akin to the “Antichrist” than a messiah, and that he holds “demonic” beliefs antithetical to the faith.

“Seen from a Christian perspective, you don’t use unholy means to pursue a holy mission,” the former Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines, told The Independent. “When that unholy means involves slaughtering people, invading their country, and telling lies.”

 

Russian and Ukrainian Strikes Are Raising War Risk Insurance Costs

Ukrainian drone boats attack a shadow fleet tanker in the Black Sea, December 2025 (Courtesy Security Service of Ukraine)

Published Jan 15, 2026 11:43 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

War risk insurance is one of the biggest factors affecting whether shipowners will trade in a conflict zone, and high insurance rates are an effective means of deterring vessel traffic. When excessive, it adds hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost for every week spent in the coverage area. The recent intensification of conflict in the Black Sea has raised the stakes for insurers, and the costs are getting passed on to shipowners: costs are now as high as one percent of hull value for a port call in Ukrainian or Russian ports in the region, according to Bloomberg. For a newer Suezmax, war risk cover alone could cost $800,000 per voyage. 

The rates are changing rapidly based on events on the ground, industry outlet BeInsure reports, and insurers are reviewing their offered contracts on a daily cycle. Fresh attacks happen every week, both at Odesa on the Ukrainian side and Novorossiysk on the Russian side. 

On Tuesday, Ukrainian drones hit two Greek-owned tankers near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal, the Matilda and the Delta Harmony. The two ships were operating within compliance with Western sanctions, and were in the area to pick up crude piped across the border into Russia from fields in Kazakhstan. One of the vessels was reportedly chartered by American oil major Chevron. Both were in ballast at the time of the strike, and both sustained only minor damage on deck. No injuries were reported. 

The attack was unusual in the selection of targets, as Ukraine has previously held off from striking compliant tanker tonnage, even though it has previously attacked the CPC terminal itself. 

In the wake of the attack, Greece's shipping ministry advised owners to take extra precautions near Russian Black Sea ports. In guidance seen by Reuters, the ministry recommended that ships should "proceed with an updated threat assessment for commercial ships located in the Black Sea and the maritime areas close to it."

Previously, Ukraine focused its attacks on terminal infrastructure, pipelines, offshore production platforms and shadow-fleet tankers. The vessels in the shadow fleet generally use obscure or second-tier insurers, as the leading marine insurance companies are all based in the G7 nations, where sanctions on Russia prohibit the act of insuring certain market-rate Russian oil cargoes. The shadow fleet is already a high-risk, under-insured or uninsured category; strikes on compliant vessels are a departure from the pattern, and a new risk factor for Western insurance companies. 

The situation is just as risky on the western side of the Black Sea. Russia has repeatedly hit terminals in and around Odesa, damaging vessels and injuring multiple crewmembers. On Thursday, a seafarer was injured in a Russian strike on the port of Chornomorsk, Ukraine; several containers were damaged, and a nearby vessel sustained minor damage.

Seafarer Injured in Russian Strike on Port of Chornomorsk

Courtesy Oleksiy Kuleba

Published Jan 15, 2026 2:39 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

On Thursday, Russian forces attacked the port of Chornomorsk, Ukraine with a ballistic missile strike, destroying several containers. One crewmember from a nearby container ship was injured, according to development minister Oleksiy Kuleba. 

The crewmember was evacuated and is receiving medical care, Kuleba said. 

Three containers were damaged, and an oil spill occurred as a result, he added. The area has been boomed off to prevent pollution. 

"This is another act of Russian terror against civilian port infrastructure, international trade and navigation safety. Russia deliberately attacks facilities that ensure exports, logistics and food security," Kuleba said. "Ukraine continues to ensure the operation of ports and fulfill its international obligations, despite constant attacks by the aggressor."

Courtesy Oleksiy Kuleb

The strike is the latest in a series of tit-for-tat exchanges between Ukrainian and Russian forces. Ukraine has repeatedly attacked the tankers that call at Russia's Black Sea loading terminals, disrupting their operations, and it is widely suspected of a campaign to damage other Russia-linked vessels at far-flung locations abroad. It has also inflicted serious damage on Russia's Black Sea and Caspian Sea oil infrastructure. In retaliation, Russia has waged a campaign of missile strikes in and around Odesa, damaging merchant ships and impeding Ukraine's agricultural exports. 

On January 9, a Russian strike killed a seafarer and injured another in attacks on two cargo ships, one at Chornomorsk and another under way in the Black Sea.  Two more people were killed in a Russian attack on the Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi port complexes on January 7. Over the Christmas holidays, Russia conducted consecutive nightly attacks on Odesa's port, damaging administrative buildings, grain elevators and warehouses. Two vessels were reported damaged in the attacks, one of which was rendered unseaworthy.

Video: Shadow Tanker Attacked by Ukraine Refloated After 12 Days Aground

Qendil had been aground since January 4 (KEGM)

Published Jan 16, 2026 5:23 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Turkish officials reported they have finally been able after 12 days to refloat a grounded shadow fleet tanker.  The ship was pulled from the rocks near Bozcaada, south of the Canakkale Strait.

The ship named Qendil and reporting registry in Qatar has been operating for the past three years in the shadow fleet, making frequent trips between the Russian oil terminals near St. Petersburg and India. It was during the return from one of those trips that the tanker was attacked by Ukraine in the Mediterranean. The long-range drone attack struck the ship south of Crete, more than 2,000 km (1,250 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine claimed to have heavily damaged the vessel, but it continued operating under its own power after making a sharp turn heading toward Greece. The ship made it to Aliaga, Turkey, and then, around December 30, anchored in a position near the Canakkale Strait. It was reportedly bound for the repair facilities at Yalova, Turkey.

 

On January 4, it was spotted drifting reportedly in a strong storm, high waves, and wind. It came to rest aground about 100 meters offshore along the rocky coast. Turkey’s maritime safety agency, KEGM, responded and reported the ship was in ballast condition and there was no pollution.

There had been several attempts to reposition the vessel. Today, KEGM reports that three tugs, along with its emergency response vessel and two KEGM boats, undertook the effort. The 249-meter (817-foot) tanker was finally refloated. The video shows the ship being moved to a more secure location.

The ship, which was built in 2006, has been under sanctions from the UK since February 2025 and the EU in July 2025. It is an Aframax tanker (115,338 dwt) with the databases listing its owners in India. The ship is reported to have had three names in 2025 and been flag-hopping. It currently lists its flag as Oman, but earlier this year was listing Palau, Guinea-Bissau, and Djibouti.