February 26th, 2025: The Kremlin Pushes Back On President Trump & North Korea’s $1.5 Billion Crypto Heist
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What did the Kremlin say about President Trump's claims?
So there you have it. There's the latest. You've been briefed. Oh, wait. No, you haven't. Let's get briefed. We'll start things off today with the Kremlin contradicting President Trump. Moscow says it has not dropped its opposition to peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, despite Trump's claim to the contrary. Seems that there's still a ways to go before the White House and the Kremlin are on the same page. But to be fair, well, the White House and the Kremlin have never been on the same page. Later in the show, the U.S. is turning up the heat on Iran. The state and treasury departments have reinstated what are referred to as maximum pressure sanctions on Tehran's shadowy oil trade. We'll look at what this means for the regime. Plus, North Korean hackers have reportedly pulled off the biggest crypto heist in history, stealing 1.5 billion, that's with a B, from one of the world's largest exchanges. and experts warn that the stolen funds could fuel Pyongyang's weapons programs. We'll take a look at how Kim Jong-un's minions pulled off the caper.
And in today's back of the brief, not to be alarming, but a mysterious illness in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the DRC, has killed more than 50 people. Health officials are scrambling for answers, and reports say some of the victims fell ill after eating a bat. Okay, so there's one health advisory, quit eating bats. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. President Trump is facing some pushback from Moscow over his claims that Vladimir Putin is ready to accept the deployment of a European peacekeeping coalition to Ukraine, suggesting that a deal to secure an end to the war may still be far off. As a brief refresher, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have recently been championing a plan
to send a contingent of European peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event that a ceasefire deal is reached in order to enforce its terms and deter future Russian aggression. Just last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated flatly that the Kremlin would not support the deployment of any NATO troops, regardless of what flag they're operating under, calling the scenario, quote, unacceptable. Well, that seems fairly clear. But on Monday, during a press conference in the Oval Office alongside Macron, Trump confidently asserted that Putin was on board with the concept, telling reporters, Yeah, he'll accept that. I specifically asked him that question. He has no problem with it." Well, hmm, not so fast, said the Kremlin.
Their spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, firmly stated on Tuesday that Moscow had not dropped their opposition to the proposal and had no intention of shifting their position. He referred reporters back to Lavrov's comments that a peacekeeping force would be perceived as a direct threat to Russia and said the Kremlin had nothing further to add regarding the issue.
What are the implications of U.S. sanctions on Iran?
Now, it seems like someone needs to talk to Putin and explain that nobody is looking to take over Russia. Everything in the fellow's mind is a direct threat to Russia. That's what happens when you grow up in the Cold War and never evolve from that mentality. He's never, ever gotten over the collapse of the Soviet Union. The icy rebuke followed comments by Putin in an interview on Monday evening that appeared to pour cold water on Trump's hopes for a quick settlement to the war. During his meeting with Macron on Monday, Trump had suggested that the war could end within a matter of weeks. But Putin didn't appear to get the memo. While Putin praised Trump's approach to the Russian conflict, saying he was one of the few world leaders that was acting rationally, Putin said Russian and U.S. officials have yet to discuss specifics on how to bring the war to a resolution. The Russian strongman described last week's talks in Riyadh between U.S.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What did the Kremlin say about President Trump's claims?
0:39–3:40
2
What are the implications of U.S. sanctions on Iran?
3:40–4:55
3
How did North Korean hackers execute the crypto heist?
4:55–6:34
4
What is the mysterious illness outbreak in the DRC?
6:34–7:21
5
What are the latest developments in U.S.-Russia relations?
7:21–11:13
6
How are European leaders reacting to Trump's approach?
11:13–18:23
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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