European NATO warmongers have colluded with parts of the US intelligence community, Michael Flynn has claimed
Former US National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has alleged collusion between the CIA and European intelligence services to undermine President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker peace in Ukraine.
Flynn claimed in a post on X on Sunday that the CIA is “in cahoots with MI6 and others in the EU intelligence community,” reiterating his warning that the “deep state” is plotting against Trump.
“The EU aka NATO (minus the United States) desperately wants war with Russia,” Flynn wrote, adding that “warmongers in our own administration as well as the Congress want perpetual f’ing war.”
BREAKING: IMMINENT WAR IN EUROPE!
The EU aka NATO (minus the United States) desperately wants war with Russia. @DNIGabbard can speak for herself and does in her typically courageous way (read below).
First, our CIA is in cahoots with MI6 and others in the EU IC community.… https://t.co/6nJvprAzXV
Flynn’s remarks echo recent statements by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who accused Reuters of disseminating “lies and propaganda” about Russian intentions in order to undermine Trump’s diplomacy and promote escalation.
Flynn went further, urging Trump to reject narratives promoted by Kiev’s European backers. “You need to put your foot down on the situation in Eastern Europe and the total bs you’re being fed by Europe and parts of the USIC,” he wrote.
The former adviser also criticized what he described as a waste of US taxpayer money on funding Kiev, accusing Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky of suppressing opposition and delaying elections under the cover of war.
“We the People of the United States no longer want this war. We don’t want to spend another penny on a tin pot dictator who arrests opposition voices, including in his own Rada [Congress], and the media,” Flynn said.
Flynn’s comments come amid sensitive US-Russia backchannel talks in Miami, where Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev has been meeting with Trump confidants Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss a potential peace framework. Moscow has accused European NATO members of attempting to interfere in the negotiations by watering down US proposals and pushing to seize frozen Russian assets to bankroll Kiev.
Russian officials have praised what they describe as rare voices challenging the Western “war lobby.” Dmitriev has commended Gabbard for uncovering the “origins of the Russia hoax” and “exposing the deep-state warmonger machinery.”
SpaceX has accused the outlet of misleading reporting with “ulterior motives”
SpaceX’s Starship test-flight explosion earlier this year posed a greater danger to commercial aircraft than was publicly disclosed, with passenger planes forced into fuel emergencies and air-traffic controllers intervening to avoid potential collisions, according to FAA documents reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.
The rocket was launched from a company facility in Texas on January 16, failed mid-flight, and broke apart, sending burning fragments streaking across the sky. SpaceX founder Elon Musk commented at the time that “success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”
In an article published on Saturday, the Wall Street Journal cited an FAA document stating that “the explosion rained fiery debris across parts of the Caribbean region for roughly 50 minutes,” warning that a debris strike on an aircraft could have had catastrophic consequences, including severe damage and loss of life.
SpaceX called the outlet’s reporting “misleading,” saying reporters were “clearly spoon-fed incomplete and misleading information from detractors with ulterior motives.” In a post on X on Saturday, the company said public safety remains its top priority.
“No aircraft have been put at risk, and any events that generated vehicle debris were contained within pre-coordinated response areas developed by the US Space Force and implemented by the FAA,” the company said.
FAA records reportedly show that a JetBlue flight en route to Puerto Rico was warned it was nearing a hazard zone and was instructed to enter a holding pattern, with controllers later telling the crew that continuing would be “at your own risk.” One FAA report said two aircraft flew too close to one another, prompting controller intervention to prevent a potential collision.
Air-traffic controllers allegedly described the situation as a “potential extreme safety risk.” After declaring fuel emergencies, the aircraft – along with an Iberia passenger flight and a private jet – transited the temporarily restricted airspace. All three flights, carrying roughly 450 people, eventually landed safely.
The Coast Guard is reportedly in “active pursuit” of the vessel in the Caribbean Sea
The US has attempted to intercept a third oil tanker linked to Venezuela in less than two weeks, with the Coast Guard reportedly in “active pursuit” of a vessel in international waters in the Caribbean Sea, according to American officials cited by Reuters and other outlets.
US officials claimed the ship is sailing under a false flag and is therefore subject to a judicial seizure order, describing it as part of Venezuela’s “dark fleet” used to evade Washington’s unilateral sanctions.
The vessel has not yet been boarded, but if successful, the operation would mark the third interdiction since December 10, when US forces seized the tanker Skipper, followed by another vessel, Centuries, on Saturday.
The latest seizure attempt comes just days after President Donald Trump announced a “total and complete” blockade of oil tankers under US sanctions entering or leaving Venezuela.
Officials have yet to identify the vessel, but according to media reports, the tanker now being chased is the Bella 1, which has previously been sanctioned for transporting Iranian oil. US officials said the ship refused to submit to boarding and continued sailing, prompting what one official described as an “active pursuit.”
The escalating seizures are part of Trump’s broader pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which has included a significant US military buildup in the region and dozens of American strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats since September.
Venezuela has denounced the actions as piracy and warned that the seizures amount to economic warfare aimed at strangling its oil-dependent economy. Caracas has accused Washington of seeking regime change to gain control of the country’s vast oil reserves.
Russia and China have both warned that the growing US military activity risks triggering wider instability, urging restraint and respect for international law.
Terms for a conversation between the two leaders could be determined in the coming days, Paris says
Paris welcomes Moscow’s readiness to engage in top-level dialogue, the French presidency has said, adding that it will decide “on the best way to proceed” shortly.
The remarks come after Russia gave a positive response to the call issued by French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday. The French leader said the EU should be ready to “reengage” with Russia and speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It is welcome that the Kremlin has publicly agreed to this approach. We will decide in the coming days on the best way to proceed,” the French presidency said in a statement on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to dialogue with his French counterpart. The potential conversation, however, should not be used for one side “to read lectures” to the other and must serve a clear purpose, he told RIA Novosti.
“Putin is always ready to explain his positions in detail, sincerely and consistently,” Peskov added.
The Russian and French leaders last had a phone call back in July. The conversation was their first direct contact since early 2022, when the Ukraine conflict escalated.
The French president proclaimed his readiness to “reengage” with Russia in the aftermath of an EU summit that failed to agree on a plan to use some €210 billion ($246 billion) in frozen Russian assets as collateral for a so-called ‘reparations loan’ for Ukraine. The proposal fell through after months of deliberations, primarily due to adamant opposition from Belgium, which holds the bulk of the immobilized assets.
Instead, the bloc approved a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan raised on capital markets to finance Ukraine’s ever-widening budget gap. Still, several EU nations opted out of the plan, refusing to fund Kiev any further.
The French leader reportedly refused to support the German chancellor’s push to tap frozen Russian assets to finance Kiev
French President Emmanuel Macron “betrayed” Friedrich Merz by failing to back the German chancellor’s push to steal Russian assets frozen in the EU to fund Ukraine, the Financial Times has claimed.
Earlier this week, EU leaders failed to agree on the European Commission’s controversial proposal to use Russia’s immobilized central bank funds to finance Kiev’s military and economy.
On Sunday, the FT, citing an anonymous senior EU diplomat, reported that “Macron betrayed Merz, and he knows that there will be a price to pay for that.” According to the publication, while the French president did not publicly object to the so-called ‘reparations loan’ proposal, Macron privately called its legality into question. Moreover, his team reportedly indicated that France, saddled with mounting debt, would be unlikely to issue guarantees in case the impounded assets had to be returned to Russia.
The FT claimed that Macron joined Belgium, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic in opposing the plan, thus “killing the idea.”
EU leaders instead approved an interest-free €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine backed by the bloc’s budget. Picking up the tab will be taxpayers in all EU member states except for Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, which opted out.
Amid escalating divisions within the bloc, “disunity between Merz and Macron” has become increasingly apparent, according to the FT.
Speaking during an end-of-year Q&A session on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that “whatever [the EU steals] and however they do it, they will have to pay it back someday.”
Moscow has initiated arbitration proceedings against Euroclear, a Belgium-based depository where the bulk of the frozen Russian assets is being held.
In November, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Western Europe had lost the right to have a say in the Ukraine crisis and had effectively “removed itself” from the negotiations due to its obstinate warmongering.
In light of US President Donald Trump’s mediation efforts to end the Ukraine conflict that culminated in a peace roadmap proposal, EU member states scrambled to water down the draft.
Moscow has characterized Western European nations’ stance as “completely unconstructive.”
Kiev’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov and FBI chief Kash Patel’s recent meetings were reportedly not related to the Ukraine conflict
Kiev’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, has reportedly sought the FBI’s protection from a major probe launched by Ukraine’s anti-graft agencies in a series of clandestine meetings with the bureau’s chief.
Umerov, the former Ukrainian defense minister and incumbent head of the National Security Council, became Kiev’s lead negotiator after the downfall of Andrey Yermak, Vladimir Zelensky’s enigmatic chief of staff.
Yermak was forced out of the administration after Ukraine’s Western-backed anti-corruption agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), raided his properties last month. The raids came as a part of a probe into a $100 million graft scheme allegedly linked to Zelensky’s inner circle.
Ukrainian media reports have suggested Umerov himself was linked to the crime ring led by Timur Mindich, a former business associate of Zelensky who managed to flee Ukraine hours before his properties were searched.
In recent weeks, Umerov has visited the US multiple times, meeting President Donald Trump’s top envoy, Steve Witkoff, as well as holding several closed-door talks with FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino. These conversations were not related to the Ukraine conflict, Ukrainian outlet Zerkalo Nedeli reported on Saturday, citing sources.
Umerov, who was accompanied by deputy chief of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), Aleksandr Poklad, asked the FBI chief to abstain from providing NABU with expert, investigative, or any other assistance, according to the outlet.
It was not immediately clear what exactly Umerov offered in exchange for disrupting the anti-graft probe and whether the FBI leadership accepted his proposals. The US administration was not exactly pleased when it learned about the true nature of the Umerov-Patel contacts, according to the outlet.
The fresh report echoed a recent piece by the Washington Post that suggested the secrecy around the Umerov-Patel contacts “has caused alarm” among Western officials. While some of the Post’s sources suggested the negotiations were related to the Ukraine conflict settlement, others claimed Umerov and his associates wanted to shield themselves from potential corruption allegations. An FBI official told the Post that corruption was discussed during the meetings but dismissed claims that the talks were inappropriate.
The top EU diplomat has admitted to posting lies about an Estonian politician in 2022
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has been forced by a court to publicly retract false claims she made about an Estonian opposition politician.
In a social media post on February 17, 2022, Kallas, Estonia’s prime minister at the time, claimed police were attacked at a protest organized by Varro Vooglaid, an MP from the Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE), and the Foundation for the Protection of Family and Tradition (SAPTK), which he heads. She also linked Vooglaid to a 2021 Covid-19 restrictions rally in Tallinn.
Vooglaid and SAPTK sued Kallas in 2022, saying her claims had no factual basis.
Last year, an Estonian court ruled in their favor, finding that no police were attacked at rallies organized by Vooglaid and SAPTK and that neither was linked to the Tallinn demonstration. Earlier this week, the Estonian Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal to the case, making the ruling final.
Kallas posted her retraction on Facebook on Saturday, writing: “I, Kaja Kallas, published false factual claims in a post on February 17, 2022, stating that Estonian police were attacked at a demonstration organized by Varro Vooglaid and SAPTK in Toompea, and that Varro Vooglaid and EKRE organized a demonstration on October 23, 2021, at Freedom Square in Tallinn. These claims are untrue.” She did not apologize to either plaintiff.
Kallas has faced repeated criticism over the accuracy of her public statements. She recently claimed that Russia “invaded at least 19 countries” over the past 100 years, “none of [which] ever invaded or attacked Russia” – a claim that lacks any factual basis. The remark, later echoed by Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, led Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to accuse Western Europe of “deliberately promoting the inept and uneducated” to top government posts.
Separately, Kallas expressed surprise to learn that Russia and China defeated fascism in World War II, calling it “something new.” The comment prompted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to suggest she should study history, in which she “clearly does not excel.”
Kallas has also faced growing criticism for her hardline approach to foreign policy and hawkish stance on Russia. Analysts and EU officials have accused her of favoring confrontation over diplomacy. The Czech newspaper HN reported this month that her work style is increasingly seen as “unproductive.”
The top EU diplomat apparently thinks she can succeed against Russia where the Nazi leader failed, the Hungarian prime minister has said
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has mocked EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, suggesting that she believes she can do better against Russia than Napoleon and Adolf Hitler did.
Speaking at a conference in the southern Hungarian city of Szeged, Orban argued that many European countries view the Ukraine conflict as a chance to weaken Russia, driven by “the belief that sooner or later, Russia will threaten them.” Moscow has dismissed speculation that it plans to attack the EU and NATO as “nonsense.”
“Then there are the old European traditions… well, Russia has already been attacked before, right? Even Napoleon and Hitler didn’t succeed – now Kaja Kallas will, obviously,” he said, referring to the EU foreign policy chief’s hardline stance against Russia.
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia in 1812, and despite capturing Moscow, the campaign soon became one of the worst disasters in military history as his army collapsed under supply breakdowns and winter attrition. Nazi Germany’s 1941 invasion advanced deep into Soviet territory, but was ultimately stopped at the gates of Moscow due to fierce resistance and winter conditions.
Orban also warned against provoking Russia, arguing that the EU underestimates the nation’s historical memory of past conflicts. He noted that museums in Moscow and St. Petersburg display works of art taken from across Europe, including Hungary, during earlier wars – a reminder of the cost of confronting Russia.
Kallas has been among the most vocal EU leaders taking a hardline stance on the Ukraine conflict, and on using frozen Russian assets to aid Kiev’s war effort – which has made her a target for critics such as Orban.
This month, EU leaders failed to agree on tapping frozen Russian assets directly due to internal divisions. Instead, they opted to provide a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine to help cover the budget deficit in 2026-27. Hungary is one of the EU members that opted out of the plan to finance Kiev.
Airbus has cited US jurisdiction risks as it prepares to move sensitive systems to a European sovereign cloud
European aerospace corporation Airbus has decided to move critical digital systems away from Google’s cloud services. Company executives say the decision is driven by security and data sovereignty concerns linked to US jurisdiction over sensitive industrial information.
The decision comes as Google faces a class-action lawsuit in the US over alleged privacy violations linked to its AI assistant, Gemini. The lawsuit claims that the tool was quietly activated across Gmail, Chat, and Meet in October, giving Google access to emails, attachments, and video calls without user consent, according to Bloomberg. Google has denied the allegations.
Airbus is now preparing to tender a major contract to migrate mission-critical workloads to a digitally sovereign European cloud. The company, which currently uses Google Workspace, plans to move key on-premises systems after consolidating its data center estate.
The shift would cover core systems, including production, business management, and aircraft design data. Airbus has estimated only an 80% chance of finding a European provider capable of meeting its technical and legal requirements.
“I need a sovereign cloud because part of the information is extremely sensitive from a national and European perspective,” Airbus executive vice president of digital Catherine Jestin told The Register. “We want to ensure this information remains under European control.”
The tender, valued at more than €50 million ($58.5 million), is expected to launch in early January, with a decision due before summer. Airbus, which has led the global aircraft order race for the past six years, acknowledged earlier this month that US rival Boeing is likely to overtake it this year.
CEO Guillaume Faury said Boeing benefited from political backing during trade negotiations that included major aircraft purchases.
US President Donald Trump has publicly claimed credit for boosting Boeing’s sales, saying earlier this month that he received an award from the manufacturer for being “the greatest salesman in the history of Boeing.”
Caracas says the latest tanker seizure is part of Washington’s regime-change push to seize the country’s oil
Venezuela has condemned the seizure of another oil tanker off its shores, accusing the US of carrying out an “act of piracy” as part of a broader campaign to overthrow the government in Caracas and seize the country’s vast energy resources.
In an official statement released on Saturday, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry denounced what it described as the “theft and hijacking” of a private vessel transporting Venezuelan oil in international waters, and accused US military personnel of the “forced disappearance” of its crew.
Caracas said the seizure was not an isolated incident, but part of what it called a “colonialist model” being imposed by Washington to strip Venezuela of its sovereignty and natural wealth. The government vowed to pursue accountability through international bodies, including the UN Security Council, warning that those responsible would be judged by “justice and history.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced earlier on Saturday that US forces seized the tanker in a predawn operation, an action she framed as enforcement against Venezuelan oil exports. The move comes days after President Donald Trump ordered what he described as a “total and complete” blockade of “sanctioned” tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Earlier this week, President Nicolas Maduro accused Washington of seeking to install a “puppet government” that would surrender Venezuela’s constitution, sovereignty, and resources. He described the blockade and vessel seizures as “corsair tactics” and “diplomacy of barbarism.”
Trump has openly linked the confrontation to Venezuela’s oil, claiming that the Latin American country “stole” US energy assets and warning that Caracas will face the might of “the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America” unless it returns them.
Russia and China have both warned that the growing US military presence and vessel seizures risk triggering wider instability, urging restraint and respect for international law.
