European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas stated at the Munich Security Conference 2025 on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not truly seek peace in Ukraine. When asked why she believes the leader will not adhere to the ceasefire deal if such was reached, Kallas pointed to the drone attack on Chernobyl’s Nuclear Station 4 reactor confinement allegedly committed by Moscow forces today. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that the Chernobyl shield suffered “significant” damage, accusing Russia of being “the only state in the world” capable of attacking nuclear power plants. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed these claims, stating that such assertions were likely a “provocation and fabrication” by the Kiev government.
Trump Cracks Down on Iran Oil
- The Trump administration has announced plans to significantly reduce Iran’s oil exports to just 100,000 barrels per day through a renewed “maximum pressure” campaign.
- This aggressive move aims to cripple Iran’s economy by severely limiting its oil revenues.
- However, Iran has a history of successfully circumventing sanctions, raising questions about the effectiveness of this latest effort.
The Trump administration is back on the “maximum pressure” train, and this time, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says they’re gunning to slash Iran’s oil exports to a mere 100,000 barrels per day—down from its current 1.5-1.6 million bpd. That would equate to a 90% drop. The announcement sent oil prices slightly higher today as traders mull the likelihood of potential supply disruptions. It sounds bold, except history suggests that Iran’s oil trade is a lot slipperier than Washington would like. The Islamic Republic has spent years perfecting the art of dodging sanctions—deploying a “dark fleet” of shadowy tankers, engaging in ship-to-ship transfers in the middle of the ocean, and running crude through willing intermediaries, particularly China and India. In short, Iran’s been here and done that. If the U.S. were to succeed in hammering Iran’s exports down to 100,000 bpd, Iran’s economy would take a serious beating. But that’s a big “if.” Even Trump himself seemed hesitant, reportedly reluctant to sign the latest order. Meanwhile, OPEC—led by heavyweights like Saudi Arabia—is keeping a close eye on the situation, and Iran is already calling for action against the U.S. measures. The cartel has been trying to keep the oil market balanced, and a massive drop in Iranian exports would shake things up—particularly as it comes on the heels of a stricter crackdown on Russian crude oil exports as well.
A successful curb of both Iranian and Russian oil flows would have a profound effect on global crude markets.
For now, the market is reacting with slightly higher prices. The real question, however, is whether this crackdown will amount to much more than noise. Iran has proven time and again that it can keep its oil moving, no matter how many sanctions the U.S. throws at it.
Israeli FM: Preventing Iran’s nuclear bomb is key
Israel Foreign Minister Gideon Saar emphasized on Friday at the Munich Security Conference that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains Israel’s top priority. During his presentation, he warned that an Iranian nuclear capability would endanger not only Israel but also Europe and the broader Middle East. While he acknowledged that diplomacy could be a viable path, he cautioned against returning to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) without significant changes. “If there is a way to achieve it by political means, it is good,” he said but insisted that any new deal must be fundamentally different.
Kiev: Chernobyl shield took significant damage….. The worlds largest deadliest active Tomb and its just been OPENED
KYIV, Feb 14 (Reuters) – A Russian drone attack caused significant damage to the NEW radiation shelter of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday. Chornobyl was the site of the world’s worst civil nuclear catastrophe when one of its four reactors exploded in 1986. That reactor is now enveloped by a protective shelter, known as a sarcophagus, to contain the lingering radiation. The Russian drone struck the shelter of the destroyed power unit at the plant, causing a fire that has since been extinguished, he said. “As of now, radiation levels have not increased and are being constantly monitored,” Zelenskiy said, adding that:
an initial assessment had found significant damage.
“The only country in the world that attacks such sites, occupies nuclear power plants, and wages war without any regard for the consequences is today’s Russia,” he said.
NN: Call this a shot across the bow…. Negotiations at nuclear disaster gun point. This place is a tomb hiding a boiling nuclear cauldron. And it has just been torn open by the Russians.
Vance threatens sanctions, military action over Ukraine deal….. Trump: Maybe Russia will give up a lot, maybe they won’t
United States Vice President JD Vance warned in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the US could hit Russia with sanctions and “potentially” military action should Russian President Vladimir Putin fail to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine that guarantees the country’s long-term independence. Vance said that the possibility of sending US troops to Ukraine remains “on the table” if Russia doesn’t negotiate in good faith. “There are economic tools of leverage, there are of course military tools of leverage” that the US could utilize against Moscow, Vance stressed.
Speaking about how the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine could turn out, Vance said that he thinks that “there is a deal that is going to come out of this that’s going to shock a lot of people.”
“The president is not going to go in this with blinders on,” he stressed. “He’s going to say, ‘Everything is on the table, let’s make a deal.”
Trump: Maybe Russia will give up a lot, maybe they won’t
United States President Donald Trump said that “as for the negotiations [between Russia and Ukraine] it’s too early to say what’s going to happen.” “Maybe Russia will give up a lot, maybe they won’t and it’s all dependent on what’s going to happen. The negotiation really hasn’t started,” Trump added. He noted that Russia has “gotten themselves into something that I think they wish they didn’t.” Trump also stressed that Russia “said from day one, long before President Putin, that Ukraine cannot be in NATO.” “I actually think that was the thing that caused the start of the war,” he added. “Now, if a better deal can be negotiated, if they’re able to make a deal where they can do that, that’s fine with me, I really don’t care,” he stressed, adding that all he wants is for the “bloodshed to stop.”
Nick Note: That was the shortest honeymoon in history. Trump had his bromance with Putin and it was a Love Fest…. Good cop! Now we hear from the bad cop Vance trump’s bulldog kick ass Real man man with balls. Something new in that job. Especially after he replaced the Sanfagcisco Fag Hag Mssss WOK dope congenital idiot Harris. Vance let Putin know that military options are on the table. The message here is the Ukraine war has got to end. The oil market celebrated what they thought was peace in the Ukraine. Brent Oil dropped to $73.90 a barrel. Pretty much a strait drop from the recent $77.00 high. And of course we took profits in our Play it Again Sam trade. And harvested the Low hanging Fruit. Just in time. Because the market got a shot in the ass and woke up to the fact their is no peace and no lifting of the sanctions on Russian Oil. Brent crude reversed on a dime and is now trading around $74.90 . This reality check is opening up our Triple Decker Trade. Trumps call was only the first step in arranging of the terms of Ukraine’s surrender. And the dividing up the spoils of war Ukraine’s assets which are formable. 10% of the world’s minerals are located Ukraine. It’s an incredible country the breadbasket of Europe. When we talk about the minerals they have some of the highest grade uranium deposits in the world. It has vast amounts of coal , oil and natural gas along the Baltic Coast. It has almost every known mineral in the world including one of worlds largest known deposit of vital lithium. It’s all up for grabs and peace is going to be tough to negotiate because everybody wants a piece of the pie
Trump signs order on reciprocal tariffs
United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing reciprocal tariffs on Thursday, pledging to impose levies on foreign goods equal to the tariffs other countries charge on American products. “No more, no less. In other words, they charge us on tax or tariff and we charge them the exact same tax or tariff. Very simple,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office upon signing the order. The president asserted that other nations impose significantly higher tariffs on the United States than Washington does on them. “Those days are over,” Trump emphasized. Since assuming office, the 47th president has introduced a series of trade measures, including a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, which has since been postponed until the first week of March. Additionally, a 10% tariff on Chinese imports on top of existing duties, alongside a 25% levy on steel and aluminum imports.
Zelensky says won’t accept any deal made without Kiev
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ensured on Thursday that his country is not ready to accept any peace agreements made between Russia and the United States without Kiev.Speaking to reporters, Zelensky said the European Union should be included in Ukraine peace talks. “Today it’s important that everything does not go according to Putin’s plan, in which he wants to do everything to make his negotiations bilateral [with the US],” Zelensky stated. He further noted that he did not discuss Ukraine’s NATO membership in yesterday’s call with US President Donald Trump, emphasizing that he knows Washington does not want Kiev to join the alliance.
NN Feel sorry for him. He has not figured out just yet how screwed he is. I guess he needs some more time to process.
Oil Drops On A Maybe Ukraine Peace Deal
Crude oil prices moved lower on Thursday on the prospect of a peace deal for Ukraine, following a statement by President Donald Trump who said the presidents of both Russia and Ukraine had separately expressed a willingness to reach a peace deal. At the time of writing, Brent crude was trading at $74.55 a barrel, with West Texas Intermediate at $70.79 a barrel, after booking another daily drop Wednesday after the Energy Information Administration reported a weekly inventory build of 4.1 million barrels for the week to February 7. Meanwhile, President Trump said, after talking with Russia’s Vladimir Putin for over an hour that “He wants it to end. He doesn’t want to end it and then go back to fighting six months later.” The U.S. president added “I think we’re on the way to getting peace. I think President Putin wants peace, President Zelenskiy wants peace and I want peace. I just want to see people stop getting killed,” as quoted by Reuters. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that Ukraine should not be hoping for a return to its pre-2014 borders, which was “unrealistic” and added that NATO membership is also out of the question. “We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective,” Hegseth said, adding “Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
A peace deal could lead to the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Russia’s energy industry, which would potentially boost the international supply of Russian crude, dampening prices.
However, global supplies have tightened, with energy market analyst John Kemp reporting that OECD inventories have fallen to the lowest since 2022. This has put a floor on oil prices, Kemp wrote in a recent report. The prospect of a peace deal for Ukraine could move that floor lower.
nn: making sausages….. filling a plastic tube full of shit
IEA: Oil demand seen growing by 1.1M bpd in 2025
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its monthly report on Thursday that global oil demand growth is expected to average 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2025, rising from 870,000 bpd in 2024. The forecast was revised slightly upward from the agency’s previous expectations.
China is set to contribute most to the 2025 demand growth despite its share of global increase falling to 19%, while India and Other Asia are expected to contribute a combined 500,000 bpd to global demand growth.
Meanwhile, global oil supply, which stood at 102.7 million bpod in 2024, is forecast to grow by 1.6 million bpd to 104.5 this year. “Fresh US sanctions on Russia and Iran roiled markets at the start of the year but they have yet to materially impact global oil supply. Iranian crude oil exports are only marginally lower while Russian flows, so far, continue largely unaffected,” the IEA stated.
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Trump: We’re on the way to peace with Russia, Ukraine
“I think we’re on the way to peace with Russia and Ukraine,” United States President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday in the Oval Office, adding, however, that it is unlikely that Ukraine will get all its land back. He further detailed that he will likely meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia for the first time, with the involvement of the Saudi Crown Prince. He shared that Putin told him he wanted to see the war end and not go back to it “six months later.” On the question of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the US head of state commented that he doesn’t think “it’s practical” for Kiev to have a NATO membership. When asked whether he sees Ukraine as an equal member in the peace process, Trump didn’t give a straight answer and only stated that “they have to make peace.”
Nick Note: As expected trump has forced a peace deal in the Ukraine. And our oil trade obviously envisioned such an event and traded accordingly. You should have another smile on your face. My comment on the deal is it’s not a good one for the Ukraine or Europe. Its one of these slamma Bamma Jamma. Make a deal, get a headline and run. Look Ukraine lost the war. We’re now arranging their terms of their surrender and they’re not surrendering under very good terms. They really lost years ago when they foolishly gave up their nukes. They will pay the price today because they are going to lose a lot of territory and wealth. They are not going to get NATO membership. Not now not ever. The best Ukraine can hope for is some backhanded agreement of some loosely defined protection from another Russian incursion. And it gets worse. Because of war debt Ukraine assets will be divided up between Russia, Europe and he US. Ukraine’s resource will be sliced and diced. You’re talking about the oil and offshore natural gas. Agricultural resources for Europe from the great planes, You have a lot of a rare Earth minerals. Oil is automatically taken by the capture of key territories that Russia’s so cleverly grabbed. The breadbasket of the great plains of the Ukraine will be taken by the Europeans. And America has taken the rights to the rare earth minerals especially lithium. It’s basically a surrender under the worst possible terms. And I’m not even sure that Ukraine will exist for another 10 years as a free from Russia country. I think it’s going continue to be sliced and diced…… anyway it’s what they call peace