KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A dozen leaders from Europe and Canada visited Ukraine’s capital Monday to mark the third anniversary of the country’s war with Russia in a conspicuous show of support for Kyiv amid deepening uncertainty about the Trump administration’s commitment to helping it fend off Russia’s invasion.
Some of Ukraine’s most important backers, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, were among the visitors greeted at the train station by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and the president’s chief of staff, Andrii Yermak.
In a post on X, von der Leyen wrote that Europe was in Kyiv “because Ukraine is in Europe.”
“In this fight for survival, it is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake. It’s Europe’s destiny,” she wrote.
Ukrainian and European officials have been rattled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s cordial approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his tough words for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a cascade of unwelcome developments for Kyiv, Trump has in recent days called Zelenskyy a dictator, suggested Ukraine is to blame for the war and ended Putin’s three-year diplomatic isolation by the United States. U.S. officials have also indicated to Ukraine that its hopes of joining NATO are unlikely to be realized and that it probably won’t get back the land that Russia’s army has occupied, amounting to nearly 20% of the country.
Meanwhile, Putin’s troops are making steady progress on the battlefield while Ukraine is grappling with shortages of troops and weapons.
The Trump administration began negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine — without Ukraine at the table. The move alarmed European leaders and Ukraine supporters in Congress Walt Handelsman leads this week’s editorial cartoon gallery with his view of President Donald Trump handing over “Youkraine” to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
The theme continues with Bill Bramhall’s depiction of Trump conducting “piece talks” over which piece of Ukraine Putin will get. Drew Sheneman’s Trump askis Putin if he wants to borrow his Sharpie to redraw Ukraine’s borders, referring to the president’s scribble on a map altering Hurricane Dorian’s path in 2019. Dana Summers sees Trump as herding cats named after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin and Europe.
Nick Anderson, Mike Luckovich, Michael Ramirez and Phil Hands all refer to Trump’s false claim that Zelenskyy started the war. Actually, Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Luckovich puts the betrayal in terms “Star Wars” fans can understand; Han Solo can’t believe his eyes when he sees Chewbacca with his arm around Darth Vader.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine set a somber tone on Monday for the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion, posting a short video praising Ukrainians for their sacrifices and honoring those who died.
No major events were planned. It was a day to remember what was lost: loved ones and previous lives.
On her way to work at a local supermarket, Olha Shtepan, a Ukrainian refugee in Hamburg, Germany, started crying. “It’s a wound that doesn’t heal,” she said of the invasion that began Feb. 24, 2022. “Sometimes, I manage to not think of all what has happened, but on a day like today it is terrible.”
Three years ago when Russia attacked, Ms. Shtepan was babysitting for her sister’s children in Kyiv. Her own children were with her husband in Irpin, a nearby suburb that was partly occupied by Russia in the first weeks of the war. She grabbed the children and rushed to Irpin to join her family — into greater danger. “At that time, I did not know that we are going to hell,” she said by voice message from Germany.
After more than a week of heavy bombing, they evacuated with four children in a flow of people fleeing over the remnants a blown-up bridge. “We were there,” she said of the bridge, which became a symbol of the suffering in the early part of the war.
The family left for Germany, but the pain remains. “The whole month of February for us, all Ukrainians who went through those horrors, it’s a terrible month,” Ms. Shtepan said.
Across Ukraine, there are memorials. Some, like destroyed cars of those who tried to flee that litter the countryside, remain as they did back then, a reminder of what was lost. Others are newly created, as the war continues.
Ukraine Wow, a public organization that promotes Ukrainian culture, earlier this month created an animated sculpture of 12-foot-high hearts at the central railway station in Kyiv. The hearts beat faster each time they receive a message from people with the name of someone who has died in a war.
The Trump administration’s big cuts to the federal government are hitting one group particularly hard — the country’s veterans. Veterans make up 28% of the federal workforce — a far bigger share than the 5% in the private sector. https://www.axios.com/2025/02/24/trump-doge-musk-veterans
Would love to hear the Democrats hit harder on the totally sloppy incompetence of Trump and Lump with DOGE. There has now even been some push back by the Trump named heads of agencies. It would be more effective than “Constitutional Crisis” which most of the public doesn’t even understand.
They are proving to be very bad at organization and cost cutting that actually damages the citizens and businesses of the US.
Nearly everyone with measles in the rapidly growing Texas outbreak is unvaccinated, infecting others.
Sturgeone
2 hours ago
I’ve seen some ugly American shit since 1960, but this is all by far the ugliest. A steady progression of progressively worse and worse ugliness. 60’s assignations , Vietnam, Nixon, Reagan, Bush 2, and now this. I wish I had gone to Canada in ‘68.
My Mom was a vaccine phobic before it was a thing. Back to the swine flu days under Gerald Ford. I think that’s when the current strain of vaccine conspiracies broke out and has only continued to spread.
What happened with the swine flu vaccine in 1976?
President Gerald Ford announced a plan to vaccinate everyone in the country. By the end of the year, 40 million out of some 200 million Americans were vaccinated for the new strain, but no pandemic appeared and public health credibility suffered.
Eugenics. It’s eugenics. They don’t want chronically ill or elderly folks to live.
Stupidity. It’s also stupidity. If there’s no herd immunity, folks will get sick and many will become chronically ill. Measles can destroy your immune system, making you susceptible to everything. Folks can lose their sight or hearing from measles.
Coup. It’s a coup. Now, the US Marshals have deputized MuskRat’s security detail. They should’ve arrested him for breaking and entering government buildings, data breaches, harassment of federal employees, etc.
Five things I did every day last week, including the weekend:
1) Called Senator A -I him to denaturalize & deport Elon, after dispossessing him of his taxpayer-funded businesses; told him the Senate & House budgets are crap, he’s not a real Republican nor the Christian he claims to be, and reminded him dictators don’t need legislators, especially Putin which is who he now works for.
2) Called Senator B – ditto
3) Called US Representative – ditto
4) Only shopped at the little grocery store in town for necessities aka boycotted WalMart
5) Fought fascism on the interwebs and got shadow banned for spreading too much truth
Kash is probably like Bobby Brainworms…except it looks like his brainworm is still in residence. Seriously, Patel should get his thyroid checked. Those eyes have the look of someone with a thyroid issue, which can lead to odd behavior if not addressed.
ps – How long before he’s replaced by someone with less melanin? Is he just going to be one of the few token MAGAts that give yt supremacists cover?
“Germany’s mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won the country’s national election, ensuring that Ukraine has an even stronger supporter in the European Union’s largest country and creating hopes for renewal in an economic powerhouse that has been badly battered in recent years.”
“The far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to become the second-largest political force, gaining from a backlash against the high numbers of migrants and refugees the nation has absorbed over the past decade and a string of extremist attacks that has shaken its sense of security.
Merz, who is promising to unite Europe in the face of challenges from both Russia and the United States, is expected to become the country’s next leader. He vowed to do everything in his power to continue a good transatlantic relationship with the U.S., even if the Trump administration appears to have waning interest in Europe.”
“If those who really do not just make ‘America First,’ but almost ‘America Alone’ their motto prevail, then it will be difficult,” he told reporters Monday in his first post-election news conference.”
Yeah, “Make America Alone” sounds like what (F)Elon has us on track for now.
Put my Ukrainian flag out this morning. Also marks the date we put our house on the market and the ensuing chilling effect on real estate. No one knew what was going to happen. The days of one-day-home-sales ground to a halt.
How long before DODO EO’s the Americans with Disabilities Act into oblivion? Who wants crippled people hobbling around getting preferential treatment and expensive “accommodations?”
“THE REAL KING’: TVs at HUD Headquarters Changed to Display AI Video of Trump Kissing Elon Musk’s Feet
“Reporters tweeted photos and videos of the strange video on Musk’s social media platform X. “Someone apparently hacked the televisions at HUD today,” wrote The Washington Post’s White House economics reporter Jeff Stein.”
“It is not yet known if this was done by hackers, a disgruntled HUD employee, or another critic of Trump and Musk.”
Ha! Heck, Elon could’ve had done it to poke a sharp stick at tRUMP or make trouble for federal employees. Yeah, let’s go with that; it was one of the Fart-full DOdGErs.
Foreign leaders visit Ukraine to show their support on war’s 3rd anniversary
Free link..
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/23/opinion/trump-ukraine-justice-zelensky.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zU4.7qIL._BflOIu7zFUT&smid=url-share
Trump’s Ukraine U-turn, Musk’s spending cuts: Editorial cartoons for Feb. 23, 2025 – syracuse.com
Ukraine Marks Third Anniversary of War With Little Fanfare – The New York Times
it’s been a long 3 years since this was aired Feb 25, 2022
Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York performs Prayer for Ukraine.
Slava Ukraine
Glory to the Heroes
The Trump administration’s big cuts to the federal government are hitting one group particularly hard — the country’s veterans. Veterans make up 28% of the federal workforce — a far bigger share than the 5% in the private sector.
https://www.axios.com/2025/02/24/trump-doge-musk-veterans
Would love to hear the Democrats hit harder on the totally sloppy incompetence of Trump and Lump with DOGE. There has now even been some push back by the Trump named heads of agencies. It would be more effective than “Constitutional Crisis” which most of the public doesn’t even understand.
They are proving to be very bad at organization and cost cutting that actually damages the citizens and businesses of the US.
on a different subject
John Oliver discusses Facebook’s controversial new plans for content moderation and which Animorphs he would and would not kill with his car.
Performative Idiocracy
Nearly everyone with measles in the rapidly growing Texas outbreak is unvaccinated, infecting others.
I’ve seen some ugly American shit since 1960, but this is all by far the ugliest. A steady progression of progressively worse and worse ugliness. 60’s assignations , Vietnam, Nixon, Reagan, Bush 2, and now this. I wish I had gone to Canada in ‘68.
Let’s see Kash’s vaccination record. I know nothing about him. Does he have kids and are they vaccinated?
I just got the latest old person Pneumococcal vaccine.
My Mom was a vaccine phobic before it was a thing. Back to the swine flu days under Gerald Ford. I think that’s when the current strain of vaccine conspiracies broke out and has only continued to spread.
Eugenics. It’s eugenics. They don’t want chronically ill or elderly folks to live.
Stupidity. It’s also stupidity. If there’s no herd immunity, folks will get sick and many will become chronically ill. Measles can destroy your immune system, making you susceptible to everything. Folks can lose their sight or hearing from measles.
Coup. It’s a coup. Now, the US Marshals have deputized MuskRat’s security detail. They should’ve arrested him for breaking and entering government buildings, data breaches, harassment of federal employees, etc.
Five things I did every day last week, including the weekend:
1) Called Senator A -I him to denaturalize & deport Elon, after dispossessing him of his taxpayer-funded businesses; told him the Senate & House budgets are crap, he’s not a real Republican nor the Christian he claims to be, and reminded him dictators don’t need legislators, especially Putin which is who he now works for.
2) Called Senator B – ditto
3) Called US Representative – ditto
4) Only shopped at the little grocery store in town for necessities aka boycotted WalMart
5) Fought fascism on the interwebs and got shadow banned for spreading too much truth
Kash is probably like Bobby Brainworms…except it looks like his brainworm is still in residence. Seriously, Patel should get his thyroid checked. Those eyes have the look of someone with a thyroid issue, which can lead to odd behavior if not addressed.
ps – How long before he’s replaced by someone with less melanin? Is he just going to be one of the few token MAGAts that give yt supremacists cover?
Semi-good news from Germany:
https://apnews.com/article/germany-politics-election-results-afd-merz-4b862dcd150423028cc1ac1e6663cb82
“Germany’s mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won the country’s national election, ensuring that Ukraine has an even stronger supporter in the European Union’s largest country and creating hopes for renewal in an economic powerhouse that has been badly battered in recent years.”
“The far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to become the second-largest political force, gaining from a backlash against the high numbers of migrants and refugees the nation has absorbed over the past decade and a string of extremist attacks that has shaken its sense of security.
Merz, who is promising to unite Europe in the face of challenges from both Russia and the United States, is expected to become the country’s next leader. He vowed to do everything in his power to continue a good transatlantic relationship with the U.S., even if the Trump administration appears to have waning interest in Europe.”
“If those who really do not just make ‘America First,’ but almost ‘America Alone’ their motto prevail, then it will be difficult,” he told reporters Monday in his first post-election news conference.”
Yeah, “Make America Alone” sounds like what (F)Elon has us on track for now.
Go Jane! “Woke just means you give a damn about other people”
“Eugenics. It’s eugenics. They don’t want chronically ill or elderly folks to live”
not just them
Jane’s full 9min Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech, Screen Actors Guild. RESIST!
Put my Ukrainian flag out this morning. Also marks the date we put our house on the market and the ensuing chilling effect on real estate. No one knew what was going to happen. The days of one-day-home-sales ground to a halt.
How long before DODO EO’s the Americans with Disabilities Act into oblivion? Who wants crippled people hobbling around getting preferential treatment and expensive “accommodations?”
good job car buyers!
I know Craig, Sturgeone, and Bronc are on Blue Sky. Who else has a bsky.social address?
https://www.mediaite.com/online/the-real-king-tvs-at-hud-headquarters-changed-to-display-ai-video-of-trump-kissing-elon-musks-feet/
“THE REAL KING’: TVs at HUD Headquarters Changed to Display AI Video of Trump Kissing Elon Musk’s Feet
“Reporters tweeted photos and videos of the strange video on Musk’s social media platform X. “Someone apparently hacked the televisions at HUD today,” wrote The Washington Post’s White House economics reporter Jeff Stein.”
“It is not yet known if this was done by hackers, a disgruntled HUD employee, or another critic of Trump and Musk.”
Ha! Heck, Elon could’ve had done it to poke a sharp stick at tRUMP or make trouble for federal employees. Yeah, let’s go with that; it was one of the Fart-full DOdGErs.
RIP Roberta Flack