Sunday Talks – Marco Rubio Outlines Trump-Putin Summit and Next Steps for Ukraine Conflict Resolution


Posted originally on CTH on August 17, 2025 | Sundance

Secretary of State/National Security Advisor Marco Rubio hit the Sunday news circuit to expand on President Trump’s peace initiative and meeting with Russian President Putin.

Appearing on NBC, Rubio outlines the results of the Alaska summit between President Trump and President Putin, as well as the next steps ahead of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy coming to the White House on Monday.  WATCH:

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Following along with much of the same conversation, Secretary Rubio also appeared on ABC this week to debate the ever-insufferable Martha Raddatz.  Below:

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Sunday Talks – President Trump Envoy Steve Witkoff Outlines Framework of Russian Terms for Ukraine Peace Agreement


Posted originally on CTH on August 17, 2025 | Sundance

President Trump special envoy, Steve Witkoff, outlines elements of the talks between President Trump and President Vladimir Putin in advance of a meeting tomorrow with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EU leaders.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ursula von der Leyen Hold a Press Conference to Outline Ukraine Terms for Peace


Posted originally on CTH on August 17, 2025 | Sundance 

EU President Ursula von der Leyen appears with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to outline terms for a peace negotiation with Russia.   Ursula gives Zelenskyy the specific rules and conditions; a new suit jacket wearing Zelenskyy fills in the color.  WATCH:

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Ursula von der Leyen will be accompanying Zelenskyy to the White House to ensure no mistakes are made.

Find someone who looks at you the way Zelenskyy looks at von der Leyen.

Zelenskyy Likely to Bring EU Leaders Monday for Moral Support as He Meets Trump to Discuss Terms of Russian Peace Agreement


Posted originally on CTH on August 17, 2025 | Sundance

Considering that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been called a “puppet” for various western interests, the reports of Zelenskyy bringing EU leaders along for his meeting with President Trump, strikes as a little ironic.

Apparently, the EU is worried that Zelenskyy could screw things up for their Ukraine interests, so handlers or minders are being dispatched along with him just in case. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte are among the names being discussed as chaperones for the Ukraine President.

Additionally, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer are planning a teleconference Sunday as the “coalition of the willing” brainstorms the best way to avoid a Zelenskyy capitulation to the terms and conditions outlined by President Vladimir Putin.

With Blackrock and JPMorgan prepositioned to control the Ukraine Recovery and Reinvestment Bank {LINK}, the coalition of the willing want U.S. troops to backstop the terms of a potential peace agreement.  The banks and financial beneficiaries need the insurance provided by the U.S military.

Ultimately banking interests are the stakeholders in the future, and the U.K, France and German political officials represent the strategists, in place to protect the interests of the banks.  Not coincidentally this is classic -albeit inverted- fascism.

If Zelenskyy is indeed the character playing a role complete with costume, then the Ukraine President would appear to be responsible for negotiating something considerably outside his skillset. Hence, the chaperone handlers are needed.

Credit should be given, because the front man Zelenskyy is very good at banging the tin-cup in various parliamentary houses, while the actual war fighting is subcontracted to the CIA and western intelligence.  However, in this phase a different skillset is required.

The new role may require a costume change for Zelenskyy.  The traditional Call of Duty cosplay outfit may not work well given the nature of the meeting in the Oval Office.  Perhaps the ‘coalition of the willing’ will decide Sunday whether to require a suit and tie for the White House performance.

There are also reports that President Trump wants to wrap things up quickly, perhaps as early as this week.

Once Zelenskyy agrees to the broad terms outlined during the Trump meeting with Putin, President Trump then wants to put both Putin and Zelenskyy into the peace deal process fast.

Again, with Trump pushing rapid urgency to stop the bloodshed, the EU needs to have their interests represented in DC on Monday.

Tariff Evasion Bust – U.S. Customs Finds Transnational Shell Companies in Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam


Posted originally on CTH on August 16, 2025 | Sundance

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has discovered a massive network of Chinese shell companies, set up in Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia, specifically to avoid U.S. tariffs.

…”Investigations into transshipping are ongoing, the CBP tells FOX Business with monetary recovery likely to grow beyond $400 million”…

Up to 250 shell companies have been identified in the Beijing network with boots on the ground going to look at manufacturing facilities in Southeast Asia that have no manufacturing activity, yet they generate products for shipment to the USA.

CBP is now on the trail of what CTH identified in January of this year with a visit to Vietnam {GO DEEP}.

ASEAN NATIONS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection has busted up a duty-evasion ring attempting to evade President Trump’s tariffs, FOX Business exclusively reports. 

The CBP uncovered over $400 million in unpaid trade duties through investigations permitted under the Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA), a tactic used to police and stop illegal transshipments and other methods aimed at defrauding the U.S. government. That figure is expected to rise as the investigation deepens. 

[…] A source tells FOX Business’ Edward Lawrence that one of the operations had boots on the ground in Taiwan and Indonesia to look at mattress factories and found that there was no production going on. 

Additionally, over half, or $250 million, came from a network of 23 Chinese shell companies which funneled repackaged goods as if they were made in Asian nations, including South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam, to avoid tariffs.  (read more)

BRICS and Ukraine


Posted originally on CTH on August 16, 2025 | Sundance 

The BRICS economic partnership was formed during the Obama administration.  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) watched U.S. President Obama subcontract U.S. trade policy to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Wall Street.

In the aftermath of the 2007 economic crisis, created by Congress and banking interests, the BRICS group identified two central points of ‘western’ financial influence that concerned them.

Following the financial crisis, the relationships around the World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), EU central banks and various multinational institutions and multinational corporations, merged even closer with the government.

The priorities of the Davos and World Economic Forum (WEF) crowd were now virtually indistinguishable from many national governments.  We are almost twenty years downstream from that inflection point, and we are seeing the outcomes.

The WEF essentially flipped the traditional record of ‘fascism’.  Instead of government telling corporations how to operate, the modern version was now corporate assemblies giving direct instructions to installed politicians for government policy.

Put another way, multinational corporations are telling government officials what to do. Think of “The Great Reset” or “Build Back Better” or climate change (Paris Treaty), as recent examples.  Worse yet, western governments are doing exactly what the WEF has told them to do.

This corporate control of government is exactly what the BRICS assembly foresaw when they assembled.  When multinational corporations run the policy of western government, there is going to be a problem.  In the bigger picture, the BRICS assembly are essentially leaders who do not want corporations and multinational banks running their government.

As a result, if you really boil it down, what you find is the BRICS group oppose the WEF business model.

BRICS are not against capitalism in its original form per se’.  Rather the BRICS assembly was/is against corporatism controlling the outcome of government policy.

The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa joined together in order to make sure their subset of economic power put government back at the top of the control/power dynamic, and multinational corporations under them.  This is their essential commonality.

President Obama, and the people around him from Hyde Park, were/are domestically focused ideologues.  Much has been written about them, and we will not repeat.  However, the lesser emphasized point of the Obama era is how issues that touched on foreign policy were subcontracted to others.

Foreign policy was not a central focus for the Chicago team.  Giving Hillary Clinton the Dept of State really was not considered a concession.  The Obama group were laser focused on fundamental change inside the United States.

The Obama network’s aspirations were to reduce the geopolitical status of the U.S on the world stage, through the same approach the anti-colonialists would seek to break up the British colonial power structures.   This is an important reference point often missed.

Hillary Clinton could essentially manage the State Dept as she wanted, as long as the overarching intent of the Obama policy was maintained.  Spreading the wealth, diminishing global U.S influence, and raising up the rest of the world was the only objective of Obama foreign policy Clinton was expected to maintain.

President Obama took that outlook toward U.S. strategic trade interests.  This is why President Obama subcontracted trade policy to the President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donohue (pictured above).

During President Obama’s terms in office, the U.S. CoC, the lobbying entity of Wall Street, literally was in charge of trade policy.  The U.S. CoC wrote the language, the actual terms and conditions of U.S. government trade policy.

At the time when the U.S. CoC was permitted to do this, the Transpacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal was being written.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce was literally writing the language in the TPP and negotiating with the other nations involved.  Put another way, the policy arm of multinational Wall Street corporations was writing trade agreements.

Can you see how the corporations were positioned to support globalism?

On the Atlantic side, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was also coming once TPP was finished.  It was not the U.S. government negotiating these terms, it was Wall Street and the Multinational Corporate and Financial establishment, via the Chamber of Commerce, writing these deals.   See the problem?

The leaders within BRICS could see the future of what this meant.  Everything is about the economics.  There are trillions at stake.

The Word Economic Forum, the assembly of the multinational corporations and banks in control of economics and trade, would now be dictating policy to NATO, the European Union, Central Banks, the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and eventually the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The BRICS nations could see that corporations would be in control of western government finance and trade, and as a consequence, when those same multinationals approached them for trade negotiations, the size of influence of the corporations could be too massive to fight.

BRICS assembled in 2009 to unite, defend and combat this problem.  This was their core mission, their commonality.

When President Trump was elected, for the first time since their assembly, BRICS saw a U.S. President with a completely different agenda.  Donald Trump was not in favor of multinational corporations running and influencing government.  Ideologically, as an economic nationalist, Trump was of the same mindset as the BRICS group.  WATCH (1 minute):

When President Trump took office, he literally tore up the TPP trade agreement that Tom Donohue had established; he kicked the U.S. Chamber of Commerce out of government, and he established his own trade negotiating teams to put government back in charge of trade policy.

President Trump took us out of TPP, withdrew from the Paris Climate Treaty, dropped TTIP, triggered NAFTA renegotiations, initiated tariffs against our economic adversaries (impacting multinationals), and told NATO to start preparing to take care of themselves.  President Trump was the first economic nationalist president in modern history.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Trade and Economic Advisor Peter Navarro took over from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Trump established the economic and trade goals, the team worked the granular details, and ultimately Trump made the decisions, yes or no.  After Trump took this approach, the BRICS group essentially stopped pushing against the dollarization of global commerce.

With the United States through President Trump now confronting the WEF, NATO, the EU and all the multinationals (often called globalists), the BRICS team could pause their mission for a dollar alternative.

Factually, BRICS didn’t even generate much momentum during President Trump’s first term, because the U.S. trade and economic policy known as ‘America First‘, was essentially in alignment with a more nationalistic BRICS mission.

Unfortunately, it was the scale of the WEF, EU, NATO and multinational opposition to President Trump that eventually won the political battle.

All the multinational corporations, including Big Tech and ideological globalists in media, aligned to remove President Trump.  That was the scale of his opposition, and COVID-19 represented the tool they could use.

In the aftermath of the 2020 election, literally just days after the election, the BRICS group was back on the phone planning to start meetings again in 2021 on the sidelines of the G20 summit.  The BRICS group came back together during Biden because the multinationals were back in control and dedollarization became a goal again.

For obvious reasons, part of the BRICS agenda is to create a trade currency that is not the dollar.  The western sanctions against Russia showed them the risk.

In many very direct ways, what we saw come out of the Russia -vs- Ukraine crisis is a geopolitical battle between the outlook of BRICS (economic nationalists) and the NATO, EU, World Economic Forum, multinational corporate assembly, i.e. economic globalists.  Despite the sanctions, China and India continued purchasing Russian energy products in support.

At stake in the Ukraine battle is the modern structure of the global economy and international politics.  This is why we saw the people behind Joe Biden, Samantha Power, USAID, along with NATO, the EU and all of the affiliates under the control of the World Economic Forum going so hard against Russia.

EXAMPLE: India would not denounce Russia during the United Nations Security Council vote.  Biden retaliated.

  • The Biden administration is looking whether to apply or waive sanctions on India for its purchase of the S-400 Triumf missile defense system from Russia, under Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)
  • Lu’s remarks came as India drew criticism from US lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, at a hearing on the “US relationship with India” for being among 35 nations that abstained Wednesday from a UN vote to rebuke Russia’s invasion. (LINK)

We already know which side of this geopolitical battle corporate media, Big Tech, Hollywood and the social media control officer’s support, unbridled globalism.

However, President Trump won reelection, and with that outcome the end of the Ukraine conflict, combined with an unraveling of the sanctions against Russia, becomes an objective.  Not so much to support Russia, but more to weaken the BRICS effort for a dollar alternative.

Keep in mind, these are the ‘trillions at stake’ elements.  President Trump restraining the World Economic Forum influence, diminishing the role of corporatism in global government, and simultaneously supporting economic nationalism.

All of those interests are not going to give up their position without a fight.  Ukraine represents a very significant frontline in this battle.  At the end of this high-stakes conflict, is the image we have been using to highlight the WEF’s preferred global outcome.

Trump Outwits EU Leaders on “Security Guarantee” Plan – No Ceasefire, Straight to Peace Agreement


Posted originally on CTH on August 16, 2025 | Sundance


For months, the so-called “coalition of the willing” led by Great Britain, France and Germany, have been proposing a multinational group of peacekeepers on the ground in Ukraine – supported by U.S. military.  However, after President Trump asserted he would not support a U.S. troop presence in Ukraine, things got sticky.

Without the U.S. military, the NATO members were not willing to put their troops into the meat grinder buffer zone between Russian and Ukrainian forces. The U.K, France and Germany continually demanded U.S. troops as protection, just in case things escalated.  This insurance approach was expanded by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy who coined the term, “security guarantee” to encapsulate the EU demand.

However, President Trump cuts the Gordian knot in the “ceasefire plan,” by eliminating the “ceasefire plan.”

Instead, President Trump goes directly to a peace agreement, and somehow the EU members agreed to it.  There will be no negotiation for a ceasefire; instead there will be immediate negotiations for a long-term peace agreement.

PRESIDENT TRUMP – “A great and very successful day in Alaska! The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late-night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO. It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up. President Zelenskyy will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” (link)

President Trump does not publicly point out that the shift in plan negates the need for a ceasefire security force, but the reality is inside the unspoken change.  A very smart and strategic approach that appears to have flown under the radar.

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump has won the support of Western partners for his bid to end the war in Ukraine, with European capitals voicing their approval following his high-stakes talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Trump spoke with top EU leaders on Saturday morning after the bilateral summit on Friday appeared to end without an agreement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also took part in the telephone conversation, alongside Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Finland’s Alexander Stubb, Poland’s Karol Nawrocki and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni were confirmed by Brussels to have joined. A second call was then held by the European leaders without Zelenskyy and the Americans to discuss the situation.

In a statement, Zelenskyy said that he had a “long and substantive” conversation with Trump, initially one-on-one, before other leaders were invited to take part. “We support President Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the U.S. and Russia,” he said, adding that he will travel to Washington on Monday to meet with Trump.

“As envisioned by President Trump, the next step must now be further talks including President Zelenskyy, whom he will meet soon,” the group of European countries represented on the call said in a statement. “We are also ready to work with President Trump and President Zelenskyy towards a trilateral summit with European support.” (read more)

Zelenskyy will be in Washington DC on Monday afternoon for a talk with President Trump.  In that meeting, we anticipate President Trump telling Zelenskyy that the general terms of the ‘peace agreement’ will be to include the permanent loss of territory in exchange for something we do not yet know.

‘Subtle’, Like a Brick Through a Window


Posted originally on CTH on August 16, 2025 | Sundance

Comrades, I am sure Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump had a good snicker over the optics presented.  “Subtle”, like a brick through a window. Good stuff.

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The EU/NATO folks most certainly smiled like the lady in the ‘fireworks’ picture.  However, the CIA/5-Eyes watched the remainder of the performance, not amused.

Following Debrief by President Trump, Zelenskyy Coming to Washington DC Monday


Posted originally on CTH on August 16, 2025 | Sundance 

After speaking with President Trump about the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy provides the following statement via Twitter:

[Volodymyr Zelensky via Twitter] – “We had a long and substantive conversation with POTUS. We started with one-on-one talks before inviting European leaders to join us. This call lasted for more than an hour and a half, including about an hour of our bilateral conversation with President Trump.

Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to work with maximum effort to achieve peace. President Trump informed about his meeting with the Russian leader and the main points of their discussion. It is important that America’s strength has an impact on the development of the situation.

We support President Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia. Ukraine emphasizes that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this.

On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war. I am grateful for the invitation.

It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America. We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security. We continue to coordinate our positions with all partners. I thank everyone who is helping. [link]

[ALSO] “A long, substantive conversation with President Trump, initially one-on-one, and then also with the participation of European leaders. In total, we spoke for more than an hour and a half, approximately one hour with President Trump.

Ukraine once again confirms its readiness to work as productively as possible for the sake of peace. President Trump informed me about his meeting with the Russian leader, about the main points of the conversation. It is important that America’s strength influences the development of the situation.

We support President Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, America, and Russia. Ukraine emphasizes: key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and the trilateral format is suitable for this.

All details regarding the cessation of killings, the end of the war, I plan to discuss with President Trump in Washington on Monday. I am grateful for the invitation.

It is important that Europeans are involved at all stages to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America. We discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security. We continue to coordinate our positions with all partners. Thank you to everyone who is helping!” [link]

President Trump Outlines a Remarkably Altruistic Intention


Posted originally on CTH on August 16, 2025 | Sundance 

Fox News host Bret Baier was given exclusive access to President Trump during the much-anticipated summit in Alaska.

Baier interviewed President Trump on Airforce One going to Anchorage and during the day’s events.  In this interview, Baier asked President Trump what his expectations were going in.  Trump noted it is not his place to negotiate the terms of a ceasefire on behalf of Ukraine; however, he is willing to be an intermediary in a focused effort to stop the conflict.

Stopping the killing is President Trump’s main priority and peace is the elusive prize.  In the background, as previously noted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the administration accepts the conflict in Ukraine is essentially a proxy war between the former Biden administration officials, NATO warmongers, international banking interests and Russia.

In a moment of genuine sunlight upon the backstory, President Trump notes he told President Putin, “There’s no way we are going to make a deal” … “impossible” … “because I have wise guys who created a phony deal,” the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, “and until those things are settled up” a reset in the relationship with Russia is impossible.  WATCH:

This framework essentially validates what a small group of deep weeds walkers, including myself, have suspected.  From the perspective of Trump and his big picture objectives, the recent Russiagate releases and declassifications are not so much to get accountability upon the perpetrators, but rather to make the backstory so well known that a strategic reset with Russia is no longer impeded by manufactured domestic issues inside the USA.

The value in Russiagate declassification and information releases, is more about laying the groundwork for a reset – and stopping the political opposition therein.  That’s the Big Picture value to President Trump.

That is quite a big and significantly magnanimous position to take by President Trump.

Hopefully, the MAGA base will eventually come around to this understanding, because right now they are intensely expecting criminal accountability.  That’s not President Trump’s goal, he’s thinking much bigger and more consequential that holding the irrelevant gnats accountable.

Apparently, Hillary Clinton can see that.  It’s such a big altruistic position her tribe appears genuinely stunned. Hopefully, the base of MAGA will also accept this strategic purpose.