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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) existed to fan America’s post-World War II brand as the guardian of democracy in the world. It was mostly an info-op euphemistically called soft power.

Analysis, Musings, Humor, Health. Covering the important w/historical context.

Embracing Our Unique Roles in God's Design

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Paladin Justice on Gab: 'https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-russia-set-begin-high-stakes-talks-ukraines/story?id=118900923 US and Russia agree to try to end war without Ukraine at the table Zelensky not invited. Excellent. Rubio got the ball rolling. Let's see where it ends up. Naturally, European leaders and the Z man are complaining. Haha. Great. "High-level delegations from the U.S. and Russia held talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday over the fate of Ukraine, the negotiations taking place without Kyiv's participation. The State Department said the talks were aimed to discuss ending the three-year-long war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 2022 and followed sustained cross-border aggression from Moscow since 2014. Tuesday's meeting in Riyadh concluded after around five hours, according to the press pool covering the meeting, with the State Department saying the discussions represented "an important step forward" toward "enduring peace." Russia and the U.S. agreed to start the Ukraine settlement process "shortly," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a press conference after the talks. The U.S. and Russia also agreed to appoint yet-to-be-named special representatives to continue the talks between the two countries, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Russia said it has been informed that retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, will negotiate with Kyiv and Europe on a settlement in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on state-controlled Channel One Russia following the talks. Kellogg is scheduled to arrive in Kyiv on Wednesday for meetings with the military, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ukrainian Armed Forces and others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's team confirmed to ABC News. MORE: Russia launches massive drone strike on Ukraine as it begins talks with US The U.S. suggested a "moratorium" on attacks on energy facilities in both Ukraine and Russia during the talks, according to Lavrov. Ushakov said a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump was also discussed, Russian state media reported. The talks between Moscow and Washington end a period of some three years -- since President Joe Biden and Putin met in Geneva before Russia invaded Ukraine -- without senior-level engagement between the two nations. Zelenskyy, who was not invited to the U.S.-Russia meeting, responded to the talks while visiting Turkey on Tuesday, suggesting Russia was reviving ultimatums it issued as part of the peace talks that took place in the early stages of Moscow's full-scale invasion. "I have the impression that there are now some negotiations happening and they have the same mood, but between Russia and the United States," Zelenskyy said at the Ukrainian Embassy in Ankara. "Again, about Ukraine without Ukraine," he added. "It's interesting, if Ukraine didn't yield to ultimatums in the most difficult moment, where does the feeling come from that Ukraine will agree to this now?" "I never intended to yield to Russia's ultimatums and I don’t intend to now," Zelenskyy added. Zelenskyy also accused the U.S. of not providing Ukraine with support to ensure security guarantees in a potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. "Who will provide security guarantees so there is no chance of a repeat of this terrible war?" Zelenskyy said after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday. "But from the USA, we do not have such support today. The U.S. and some European partners do not want our participation in NATO." The U.S. team in Saudi Arabia was led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. The Russian delegation included Lavrov, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the U.S. team agreed to establish "a consultation mechanism to address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalize the operation of our respective diplomatic missions." Rubio told The Associated Press the two sides agreed to restore respective embassy staffing as part of this normalization. The two sides also agreed to appoint "high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable and acceptable to all sides," Bruce said, plus to "lay the groundwork for future cooperation on matters of mutual geopolitical interest and historic economic and investment opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine."'