International
Trump, Zelensky clash represents seismic shift in world politics

From LifeSiteNews
By Frank Wright
A meeting which began over a mineral deal and peace in Ukraine has developed into a historic shift in world politics.
“You don’t hold the cards,” President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on February 28.
When Zelensky retorted that he was “not playing,” Trump rebuked him. “Yes. Yes you are. You are gambling with the lives of millions of people.”
In an exchange which reframed the Ukraine war as a reckless gambit towards nuclear Armageddon, both Trump and Vice President JD Vance signaled an epochal shift away from the global consensus of the last forty years – and towards the interests of peace and of the American people.
“You’re gambling with World War III,” Trump continued, explaining to Zelensky that “…what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”
Friday’s White House meeting between the unelected leader of Ukraine is one of several recent visits and follows that of the U.K.’s Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron.
Zelensky had nominally arrived to finalize a deal for U.S. rights over Ukrainian minerals, brokered by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The deal was seen as a means of the U.S. recovering some of the claimed 350 billion dollars Trump has said that America has supplied to Ukraine in financial and military aid since February 2022.
Instead, Zelensky left immediately after being “kicked out” of the White House, the deal unsigned, and with his planned lunch reportedly “given to the interns” by Trump. Fox News reported White House insiders saying Zelensky was “begging to stay,” as a planned joint press conference was canceled.
Zelensky was congratulated on his “dignity” following the meeting, by the unelected European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Immediate UK summit, ‘boots on the ground?’
Having refused to apologize, Zelensky flew to London for a pre-planned March 1 “summit” of pro-war leaders attended by NATO chief Mark Rutte, EU Chief Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the leaders of France, Italy and Poland.
The summit followed a “bizarre” flurry of identical social media posts sent by pro-war European leaders in support of Zelensky.
Statements were made following the meeting which suggested U.K. and EU support for Ukraine could continue in the absence of U.S. involvement – with the U.K. prime minister announcing afterwards that he is “ready to put boots on the ground” in Ukraine.
Starmer went on to announce a further $2.2 billion in “loans” to Ukraine to purchase missiles.
EU plan falls apart
The London Summit claimed to be making progress towards an EU-led ceasefire but concluded with no agreements in place.
Following the claim by France’s Macron that a truce in Ukraine had been proposed, the U.K. Armed Forces minister told Times Radio Monday morning that “No agreement has been made on what a truce looks like.”
Zelensky told U.K. reporters he was now “ready to sign” the minerals deal agreed with Donald Trump.
A further meeting has been scheduled. Following the remarks of the U.K’s Starmer, the leaders of France and Poland announced that neither nation would be sending troops to Ukraine – despite the assurances given by Starmer that a EU and U.K. “coalition of the willing” would do so.
The U.K.’s Ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, appeared to undermine Starmer’s position, calling for all leaders to give “unequivocal backing” of Trump’s initiative.
As the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph reported that Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Putin is being “fast tracked,” news also emerged that Trump is “discussing cutting all military aid to Ukraine,” with the Russians and Hungarians saying “Zelensky does not want peace.”
So severe is the crisis for Zelensky that a former staunch supporter of the proxy war, Senator Lindsey Graham, called for his resignation.
NATO without the US
The U.S. government is pursuing negotiations with the Russians independently of the European and British leadership, whose own summit quietly concluded that any future settlement in Ukraine ultimately relies on the U.S. to guarantee it.
News now emerges that the U.S. is seeking to reopen the NordStream pipelines in direct talks with the Russians.
Missiles fired from Ukraine into Russia rely on U.S.-led satellite intelligence and guidance. There is no realistic chance of unilateral military action in Ukraine by Europe’s depleted and scaled back militaries – a position underlined by EU statements calling for comprehensive rebuilding both of European defence and the industry required to restore it to realistic levels.
The picture emerging is one of a stark reality. There is no NATO absent U.S. commitment, and neither the U.K. nor the EU can act independently of the U.S. to confront a major power.
This too was foreshadowed on February 28, when Donald Trump asked Keir Starmer, “Could you take on Russia by yourselves?”
It is a serious question with an obvious answer, and it was followed by laughter.
Reality has bitten hard this weekend, showing how the U.S. leadership has not merely changed the color of the neckties worn in government, but is pursuing an historic break with decades of U.S. grand strategy.
British commentator Matt Goodwin said that the meeting signified a far wider geopolitical realignment, suggesting the U.K. and European leadership at the London summit had failed to recognize this historic shift.
UKRAINE: One lone European voice explaining how Trump is right. pic.twitter.com/QqcBbCrQGZ
— @amuse (@amuse) March 2, 2025
U.K. and European leaders may continue to generate dramatic headlines with bold talk and unrealistic initiatives, but this too is beginning to resemble an attempt to win a media war whilst the battle in reality is lost to them.
The Trump White House sees the war in Ukraine is seen as a needless waste of human life and money which “should never have happened.” Hungarian President Viktor Orbán also spoke out strongly in favor of peace, adding Ukraine was now in a “dire situation.”
U.S. negotiators now “talk normally” with those of the Russians, after a Biden administration which refused to speak to them at all for several years.
With Trump set to address Congress Tuesday night, an era-defining announcement may be on the cards.
Those cards are clearly held by the United States and no other nation in its sphere of influence. How will those cards be played? An earlier post by Trump on his Truth Social strongly suggests the U.S. will seek to establish and normalize trade with Russia regardless of the liberal-globalist regimes in Europe – all of whose leadership have invested their political fortunes in the war in Ukraine.
“We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about migrant rape gangs, drug lords, murderers, and people from mental institutions entering our Country – So that we don’t end up like Europe!” wrote Trump.
This is a direct hit on the British and European governments whose pursuit of the global consensus has led their nations into chaos. Trump is reshaping the world around the recognition of this reality, and of the ruin it has caused. With Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson and Elon Musk already suggesting an audit of all funding to Ukraine, the card of the severe corruption funded by this war may be played soon.
This moment comes alongside U.S. warnings that the enemy is not outside but within Europe, as its governments suppress free speech and refuse to respect the results of elections. A further scandal looms over how Ukrainian aid was spent, and where the weapons themselves went – with Tucker Carlson and even CBS news reporting that between one and “half” of all military equipment supplied has vanished on to the black market in Ukraine. How far were these pro-war, pro-Zelensky leaders invested in a nation described in the 2021 Pandora Papers as one of the most corrupt in the world?
There are now two visions of the future of the West, and only one has a winning hand. Tomorrow night, perhaps we shall see another Trump card thrown down.
You can watch all 46 minutes of the February 28 meeting between Trump, Vance and Zelensky here.
Crime
Europol takes out one of the largest pedophile networks in the world with almost 2 million users

From LifeSiteNews
An international group of police agencies has taken down one of the largest pedophile networks in the world with almost two million users.
Investigators from Bavaria, Germany, announced yesterday that they dismantled an online pedophile platform called “Kidflix” used to distribute child pornography that had around 1.8 million users worldwide. Police carried out raids in 31 countries and arrested 79 people in total.
The European police unit Europol coordinated the operation led by the Bavarian criminal police. Europol announced that around 1,400 suspects have been identified worldwide in “one of the biggest blows against child pornography in recent years, if not ever.”
According to Europol, the platform “Kidflix” was one of the largest pedophile networks in the world. Guido Limmer, deputy head of the Bavarian criminal police, said it was the “largest operation ever” organized by Europol. The platform’s server, with over 70,000 videos at the time, was reportedly shut down by German and Dutch authorities in early March.
The 79 people arrested were not only suspected of having watched or downloaded videos of child sexual abuse but some were also suspected of personally harming children. The police units carried out the raids from March 10 to 23 and reportedly confiscated thousands of electronic devices. In Germany alone, 96 locations were raided. Among the suspects was a 36-year-old man who not only viewed illegal material but also reportedly offered up his young son for sexual abuse. The child was given to child protection services after the man was arrested, the Bavarian police spokesman said.
Limmer also noted that one of the arrested suspects was a “serial” abuser from the United States.
According to Europol, “Kidflix” was set up by cybercriminals in 2021 and became one of the most popular platforms for pedophiles. The international police agency said that the investigation into the network began in 2022.
In October 2024, German police dismantled another large online pedophile network with hundreds of thousands of users, arresting six men associated with the platform.
Last year, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office revealed that the cases of sexual abuse against children and adolescents had more than tripled in the past five years.
Courageous Discourse
Europe Had 127,350 Cases of Measles in 2024

By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH
US Mainstream Media Maintains Myopic Focus on Less than 1000 Cases
As the measles story in the US continues to unfold with reporting of a few cases here and there come in through mainstream media, I wondered about measles in Europe.
The WHO casually reported that the Europe Region had 127,350 cases in 2024.
According to an analysis by WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 127 350 measles cases were reported in the European Region for 2024, double the number of cases reported for 2023 and the highest number since 1997.
Children under 5 accounted for more than 40% of reported cases in the Region – comprising 53 countries in Europe and central Asia. More than half of the reported cases required hospitalization. A total of 38 deaths have been reported, based on preliminary data received as of 6 March 2025.
Measles cases in the Region have generally been declining since 1997, when some 216 000 were reported, reaching a low of 4440 cases in 2016. However, a resurgence was seen in 2018 and 2019 – with 89 000 and 106 000 cases reported for the 2 years respectively. Following a backsliding in immunization coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases rose significantly again in 2023 and 2024. Vaccination rates in many countries are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, increasing the risk of outbreaks.
Many regions in Europe have lower rates of measles vaccination than the goal of 95%.
Less than 80% of eligible children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Romania were vaccinated with MCV1 in 2023 – far below the 95% coverage rate required to retain herd immunity. In both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro the coverage rate for MCV1 has remained below 70% and 50% respectively for the past 5 or more years. Romania reported the highest number of cases in the Region for 2024, with 30 692 cases, followed by Kazakhstan with 28 147 cases.
The WHO Report does not mention adjudication of hospitalizations or deaths. Presumably hospitalization of healthy kids is routine for contagion control. So if measles is so common and presumably well-handled by Europe, why is it such a big deal in the United States? Don’t look for Sanjay Gupta or Anderson Cooper to tell you that a similar size region and population handles >100K cases per year without much fanfare.
Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH
President, McCullough Foundation
FOCAL POINTS (Courageous Discourse) is a reader-supported publication.
To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Please subscribe to FOCAL POINTS as a paying ($5 monthly) or founder member so we can continue to bring you the truth.
Subscribe to FOCAL POINTS (Courageous Discourse).
For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
-
2025 Federal Election23 hours ago
MORE OF THE SAME: Mark Carney Admits He Will Not Repeal the Liberal’s Bill C-69 – The ‘No Pipelines’ Bill
-
2025 Federal Election21 hours ago
‘Coordinated and Alarming’: Allegations of Chinese Voter Suppression in 2021 Race That Flipped Toronto Riding to Liberals and Paul Chiang
-
2025 Federal Election16 hours ago
‘I’m Cautiously Optimistic’: Doug Ford Strongly Recommends Canada ‘Not To Retaliate’ Against Trump’s Tariffs
-
International2 days ago
Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ defense shield must be built now, Lt. Gen. warns
-
Business2 days ago
Saskatchewan becomes first Canadian province to fully eliminate carbon tax
-
2025 Federal Election2 days ago
Mark Carney refuses to clarify 2022 remarks accusing the Freedom Convoy of ‘sedition’
-
Business16 hours ago
Canada may escape the worst as Trump declares America’s economic independence with Liberation Day tariffs
-
Alberta16 hours ago
Big win for Alberta and Canada: Statement from Premier Smith