Politics

Ukraine: Zelenskyy plans to meet Trump officials in Germany

Published

2 months ago

February 12, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

Trump and Zelenskyy met in person in New York ahead of the US election in November © Shannon Stapleton/REUTERS

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Key figures in US President Donald Trump’s team are expected to meet Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany. Trump has said Ukraine “may be Russian some day.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to meet US Vice President JD Vance on Friday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to talk about the path toward ending Russia’s nearly three-year war in Ukraine.

While Trump has urged a swift end to the conflict, Zelenskyy is demanding security guarantees from Washington as part of any deal with Russia.

In a video released by Ukrainian media outlet UNIAN, Zelenskyy said he planned to meet Vance in Munich after meeting “serious people” from the Trump administration in Kyiv this week.

The Ukrainian presidency told the AFP news agency that the meeting with Vance would take place on Friday.

Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also traveling to the conference, might both be involved in the talks in Munich.

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he is soon to send his special envoy Keith Kellogg, who has been tasked with drawing up a proposal to stop the fighting, to Ukraine. Kellogg is expected to arrive in Kyiv on February 20.

Meanwhile, Trump also said he would “probably” speak to Zelenskyy this week.

Trump seeks return on Ukraine aid

On Monday, Trump floated the idea that Ukraine “may be Russian someday,” as he discussed the conflict in an interview with broadcaster Fox News.

“They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday,” he said.

Trump emphasized making a return on investment with US aid to Ukraine, suggesting a trade for Kyiv’s natural resources, including rare minerals.

“We are going to have all this money in there, and I say I want it back. And I told them that I want the equivalent, like $500 billion worth of rare earth,” Trump said. “And they have essentially agreed to do that, so at least we don’t feel stupid.”

In response to Trump’s remarks, the Kremlin says a “significant part” of Ukraine “wants to be Russia.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that the situation in Ukraine “largely corresponds to President Trump’s words.”

Edited by: Natalie Muller

Author: Richard Connor (with AFP, Reuters)

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Politics

Your coalition has crumbled — Presidency mocks Atiku as more politicians join APC

Published

4 hours ago

April 25, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

Atiku Abubakar

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Presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, has claimed that the political ambitions of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s have crumbled.

Onanuga believes Atiku’s proposed coalition is falling apart due to the defection of key allies to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

In a post on X, Onanuga criticized the coalition efforts being led by Atiku, which includes a former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, ex-SGF Babachir Lawal, and Labour Party’s vice presidential candidate, Yusuf Baba-Ahmed.

“Atiku’s political future looks bleak. The coalition that he, El Rufai, Babachir, and new member Baba-Ahmed are cobbling together has disintegrated.

“Potential allies, including former running mate Ifeanyi Okowa and defunct CPC members, are giving his leprous group a wide berth. Atiku is a loser again,” Onanuga stated.

Onanuga’s comments followed a similar post by fellow presidential aide Tunde Rahman, who noted that PDP’s internal crisis had deepened with the defection of former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and incumbent Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to the APC.

Rahman described the development as “the biggest shocker ever” for Atiku, whose 2023 presidential bid fell short.

Politics

Kenneth Okonkwo Predicts Regret for PDP Defectors, Says 2027 Election Will Be People vs APC

Published

6 hours ago

April 25, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

Kenneth Okonkwo (Andy)

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Nollywood veteran and political commentator, Kenneth Okonkwo, has expressed strong disapproval of the recent wave of defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that those making the move will come to regret it within a year.

Okonkwo’s remarks come in the wake of the high-profile defection of Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy Monday Onyeme, and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, along with several commissioners and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders, who all officially joined the APC on Wednesday.

Reacting via a post on X, the actor-turned-politician did not hold back, accusing the defectors of abandoning their parties for selfish reasons—chiefly to evade anti-corruption scrutiny and secure personal benefits rather than serve the Nigerian people.

According to him, the ruling party’s alleged incompetence and corrupt practices will worsen economic conditions, increase hunger and suffering, and ultimately lead to widespread discontent among citizens.

“Mark my words,” Okonkwo wrote, “Before one year from now, these spineless, shameless, and corrupt members of the opposition parties who are running into the APC now to escape EFCC and for stomach infrastructure at the expense of the Nigerian economy and Nigerian people will regret their actions.”

He further asserted that the ruling APC’s misgovernance would be so glaring that the 2027 general election would no longer be a typical party contest but a showdown between the Nigerian people and the APC government.