For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and the Cradle; to an interview from Democracy Now! via ScheerPost; and to commentary from Z Network via Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names below or as highlighted. (GAZA 5-23-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israeli use of human shields in Gaza was systematic, soldiers and former detainees say, by Sam Mednick and Samy Magdy | AP  TEL AVIV — Several Palestinians and soldiers told the AP that Israeli troops are systematically forcing Palestinians to act as human shields in Gaza, sending them into buildings and tunnels to check for explosives or militants, saying the practice has become ubiquitous. Israel’s military,, however, says . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel may change tack to allow aid groups in Gaza to stay in charge of non-food aid, by Sam Mednick | AP   TEL AVIV — As pressure mounts to get more aid into Gaza, Israel appears to be changing tack and may let aid groups operating in the battered enclave remain in charge of non-food assistance while leaving food distribution to a newly established U.S.-backed group, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. READ MORE . . .

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Gaza doctor, pediatrician Alaa al-Najjer, receives charred bodies of her nine children while on duty at hospital, by Maha Hussaini | Middle East Eye  GAZA CITY, occupied Palestine  The nine are dead, a tenth was wounded but survived, and her husband sustained serious injuries and is in intensive care. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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FROM MAY 23  UN says more food needed in Gaza as looting hampers deliveries, by Nidal al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Getting the supplies to people sheltering in tents and other makeshift accommodation has been fitful and UN officials say at least 500 to 600 trucks of aid are needed every day. So far, an umbrella network of Palestinian aid groups said, 119 aid trucks . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for related May 24 report from Reuters.

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FROM MAY 22  U.S.-Israeli aid scheme for Gaza hits roadblock as bidders say ‘nobody able to fill demand.’ From the Cradle. Israeli suppliers say “nobody” is able to fulfill the “huge” requirements of a U.S.-Israeli aid mechanismset to begin operations before the end of the month in the south of Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 23  UK MP Jeremy Corbyn & EU MP Lynn Boylan on Europe pressuring Israel to halt atrocities in Gaza. Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh of Democracy Now!  talk with Corbin and Boylan, independent members, respectively, of the British Parliament and of the European Parliament, about some recent changes in British government and European Union policies toward Israel, what caused them, and what they recommend. Click HERE for an intro, video of interview, and transcript.

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FROM MAY 21  Israel’s final solution for Gaza, by Vijay Prashad | Z Network / Consortium News  In early May, the security cabinet of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met and agreed that Israel would “capture” Gaza and remove its Palestinian population “to protect it.” To achieve this . . . READ MORE . . .

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First, a report from Anadolu Agency; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (WEST BANK 5-23-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Israeli army conducts raids as settlers ramp up attacks across occupied West Bank, by Aysar Al-Ayas and Ahmed Asmar | Anadolu Agency  RAMALLAH, Palestine / ANKARA  Israeli forces detained multiple Palestinians during military raids today, while settlers escalated attacks on Palestinian properties in separate incidents across the occupied West Bank. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse (in English and French), Reuters, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, National Public Radio, the Moscow Times, and Tass; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 5-23-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA and WEST BANK entries for this date, so far, are HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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NEWER  Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds more prisoners hours after a massive attack on Kyiv, by Illia Novikov and Alex Babenko | AP  KYIV — Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds more prisoners today as part of a major swap. The exchange came hours after Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack that left at least 15 people injured. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for reports in English from AFP, Reuters, Kyiv Post and the Kyiv Independent, and in French from AFP.

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After Istanbul talks, Russia-Ukraine conduct largest prisoner exchange since war began. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Scott Simon | NPR  Ukraine and Russia have traded the largest number of prisoners since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM MAY 23  Russian army downs over 100 Ukrainian drones in third night of air attacks. From the Moscow Times. Russia’s Defense Ministry said early Friday that it had downed more than 100 Ukrainian drones in a third consecutive night of air attacks across the country and annexed Crimea, as regional officials reported several injuries in the strikes. READ MORE . . .

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Upgraded Russian Iskander ballistic missiles outfox Patriots, Ukraine warns, by Julia Struck | Kyiv Post  Russia has modernized its ballistic missiles used to strike Ukraine, making it more difficult for the Patriot missile defense systems to intercept them, said the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ihnat, who revealed that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia to send draft memorandum on Ukraine to Kiev in coming days — senator. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia will transfer to Kiev its draft memorandum on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine in the next few days, work on the document being close to an end, according to Russian Federation Council Vice Speaker Konstantin Kosachev. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to seven reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and Anadolu Agency, and to an analysis from MintPress News via Consortium News; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-22-25 is HERE, or scroll down. WEST BANK, YEMEN, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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At least 60 people killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza as Israel lets minimal aid in, by Wafaa Shurafa | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — At least 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza in a 24-hour period, Gaza’s health ministry said today, as Israel pressed ahead with its military offensive and let in minimal aid to the strip. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 22  Gaza’s main hospital is overwhelmed with children in pain from malnutrition, by Mohammed Jahjouh, Wafaa Shurafa, Sarah el Deeb, and Sam Mednick | AP  KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — More than 9,000 children have been treated for malnutrition this year, according to the U.N. children’s agency. Food security experts say tens of thousands of cases are expected in the coming year. The World Health Organization said last week that people are already starving. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli strikes kill Palestinians protecting Gaza aid trucks, Hamas says, by Nidal al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israeli airstrikes killed at least six Palestinians guarding aid trucks against looters, Hamas officials said today, underlining the problems hindering supplies from reaching hungry people in Gaza following Israel’s 11-week-long blockade. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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Lack of equipment in Gaza prevents rescuing 50 Palestinians after Israeli deadly strike in northern Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. Lack of heavy equipment in Gaza has halted rescue efforts to save over 50 Palestinians trapped under the rubble of a house destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Jabalia, northern Gaza, Gaza’s Civil Defence said Thursday. READ MORE . . .

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Israel allows only ‘teaspoon of aid’ into Gaza amid ‘atrocious levels of death and destruction’: UN chief, by Merve Aydogan | Anadolu Agency  HAMILTON, Canada — “For nearly 80 days, Israel blocked the entry of life-saving international aid,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said today at the UN headquarters in New York. “Finally, a trickle of aid has crossed over.” READ MORE . . .

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Germany reiterates opposition to Trump’s Gaza relocation plan, by Oliver Towfigh Nia | Anadolu Agency  Germany today reaffirmed its opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to other countries. And a survey said 80% of respondents believe Israel’s military operation, with its significant casualties among Palestinian civilians, is unjustified. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 20  The hostile takeover of Gaza relief, by Robert Inlakesh | MintPress News / Consortium News  A new, U.S.-backed private aid scheme staffed by former C.I.A. operatives, ex-Marines, and mercenaries tied to Israeli intelligence and Wall Street elites has been deployed in Gaza under the guise of relief. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (WEST BANK 5-17-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down. down.  GAZA, YEMEN, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Illegal Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian homes in newest West Bank attack. From the Cradle. Illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank carried out violent attacks on Palestinians and their properties late on Thursday and into early today, injuring several people and setting homes and vehicles ablaze. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (YEMEN 5-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, WEST BANK, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Yemeni attacks cause chaos at Ben Gurion Airport. From the Cradle. The Yemeni Armed Forces said in a statement today it targeted Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv with a hypersonic ballistic missile, marking its third operation against the facility in 24 hours. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to six reports: from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, the Associated Press, and Reuters; others or at least headline are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 5-21-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, WEST BANK, YEMEN, and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and  HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Ukrainian drones cripple key Russian plant powering missiles, drones, and war tech, by Alisa Orlova | Kyiv Post  Ukrainian drones struck a major Russian weapons plant overnight in the city of Yelets, setting off a large fire and halting operations at a facility critical to Moscow’s military supply chain, local officials and Ukrainian sources confirmed today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Ukrainian official says major prisoner swap with Russia is underway, by  Samya Kullab and Hanna Arhirova | AP  CHERNIHIV REGION, Ukraine — An exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine from their 3-year-old war was underway Friday, a senior Ukrainian official said, in one of the few signs of progress in international efforts to halt the fighting. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM MAY 22  Ex-army chief says Ukraine cannot hope for ‘miracle’ to restore 1991 borders, by Anastasiia Malenko | Reuters  KYIV — The former head of Ukraine’s armed forces, Valery Zaluzhnyi, said in a speech that Ukraine should not dream of restoring either its borders established with the 1991 collapse of Soviet rule or the frontiers just before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 22  No new direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks are scheduled, Kremlin says. From AP. Russia and Ukraine have no direct peace talks scheduled, the Kremlin said Thursday, nearly a week after their first face-to-face session since shortly after Moscow’s invasion in 2022 and days after U.S. President Donald Trump said they would start ceasefire negotiations “immediately.” READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to a review from the Hollywood Reporter, to commentary from an Australian observer, and to reports from Protos, the Tico Times, El Faro, and MintPress News; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (MEDIA 5-20-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, WEST BANK, YEMEN, and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) –MCM

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FROM MAY 21  Film review: Eugene Jarecki’s Julian Assange doc is a jam-packed chronicle of legal persecution, by Jordan Mintzer | The Hollywood Reporter  Much of Jarecki’s informative two-hour feature, “The Six Billion Dollar Man,” focuses on the decade-plus legal roller coaster ride that Assange and his team of committed lawyers were obliged to take. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 22  The western media brought Gaza to this point, by Caitlin Johnstone | caitlinjohnstone.com.au  For the last year and a half the western media have been brazenly lying to the public by framing this as a “war with Hamas” instead of the naked ethnic cleansing operation it clearly is. They’ve been manufacturing consent . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 5  El Salvador prepares to arrest El Faro journalists: report. From Protos. Carlos Dada, the director of El Faro, a newspaper in El Salvador that has published investigations into the Nayib Bukele administration, has claimed that it has “received reliable information that the Salvadoran Attorney General’s Office is preparing arrest warrants for El Faro journalists.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for April 17, 2023, report from the Tico Times; HERE and HERE for El Faro statement on April 13, 2023, and HERE for report from MintPress News on May 14 of this year.

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For now, links to seven reports: from Reuters, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and the Cradle; and to three pieces of commentary: from ScheerPost via Consortium News, and from MintPress News via ScheerPost. Other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-21-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE entry for today, so far, is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Palestinian minister reports 29 starvation-related deaths among Gazan children, elderly. From Reuters. GENEVA — The Palestinian health minister, Majed Abu Ramadan, said today that 29 children and elderly people had died from starvation-related causes in Gaza in recent days and that many thousands more were at risk. READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu says Israeli military will take full control of Gaza. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Michel Martin | NPR  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military will take full control of the Gaza territory. The announcement came as a the new military offensive draws international rebukes.  Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Israeli politician critiques the Gaza war’s toll on Palestinians and sparks an outcry, by Tia Goldenberg | AP  TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Killing babies “as a hobby.” “Expelling a population.” “Fighting against civilians.” It is some of the harshest language . . . READ MORE . . .

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France rejects Israeli comments accusing European officials of antisemitic incitement. From Reuters. France rejects Israeli comments accusing some European officials of antisemitic incitement, foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said today, calling the comments “unjustified and outrageous.” READ MORE . . .

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Some bread and baby food reach Gazans as blockade eases, Palestinians call for more, by Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Flour and other food aid will start reaching some of Gaza’s most vulnerable people today after Israel let some trucks through, but nowhere near enough to make up for shortages caused by an 11-week blockade, Palestinian officials said. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle including UN video.

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FROM MAY 21  Israeli attacks shut down hospitals in north Gaza, leaving the wounded without care. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Anas Baba | NPR  Israeli airstrikes are pounding northern Gaza but people have no access to hospitals as they’ve been hit and shut down as part of a military offensive aimed at pushing the entire population south. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MAY 21  U.S. Ambassador Huckabee is ‘outraged’ at European leaders for condemning Israel. Reported by Daniel Estrin, Carrie Kahn and James Hider | NPR  TEL AVIV — “ The prolonged suffering for everybody is on Hamas,” Ambassador Mike Huckabee said Wednesday, “and I’m outraged that the U.K., Canada, France, they’re blaming the wrong perpetrator.” Click HERE to listen and HERE to read.

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FROM MAY 18  The new dark age, by Chris Hedges | ScheerPost / Consortium News  CAIRO — Parked in the arid sands in the northern Sinai of Egypt are 2,000 trucks filled with sacks of flour, water tanks, canned food, medical supplies, tarps and fuel. The trucks idle under the scorching sun with temperatures climbing into the high 90s. A few miles away in Gaza . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 17  Waves upon the sea of silence, by Patrick Lawrence | ScheerPost / Consortium News  There is a great, often untraversed distance between words and action, what is said and what is done, in our post-democracies. Turns in sentiment, however, nearly always precede turns in policy and conduct. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 20  Trump’s break with Israel: Genuine shift or political theater? by Kit Klarenberg | MintPress News / ScheerPost Successive U.S. administrations have considered normalization of relations between all Arab and Muslim states — particularly Saudi Arabia — and Israel a paramount objective to the extent of making continued U.S. defense guarantees to Riyadh contingent upon its recognition of Tel Aviv. READ MORE . . .

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For now, links to seven reports: from Reuters, the Moscow Times, Tass, the Kyiv Independent, and Agence France-Press, and to an editorial from Kyiv Post; others or headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 5-21-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA entry for this date, so far, is HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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Russia says it downs 105 Ukrainian drones, fires Iskander missile. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia said today it had shot down 105 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, including dozens heading towards Moscow, as the war in Ukraine . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Moscow Times.

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FROM MAY 21  Putin boasts of massive attack on Ukrainian troops, by Iona Cleave | Reuters  Vladimir Putin has boasted of a massive missile strike on a military base in Ukraine’s Sumy region that the Kremlin claims killed as many 70 soldiers. Ukraine said six soldiers were killed and 10 injured. READ MORE . . .

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Russia hits Patriot position in Dnepropetrovsk Region with Iskander-M missile — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian Armed Forces destroyed the position of a Patriot SAM system near Ordzhonikidze in the Dnepropetrovsk Region with an Iskander-M missile, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. READ MORE . . .

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Lavrov confirms Russia has no interest in Ukraine ceasefire, by Volodymyr Ivanyshyn | The Kyiv Independent  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has confirmed that Moscow has no interest in negotiations and agreeing to a ceasefire in Ukraine, saying on Wednesday “we don’t want this anymore,” insisting that the “root causes” of the war need to be resolved first. READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin denies report of upcoming peace talks with Ukraine at Vatican. From AFP. The Kremlin said today it had not agreed to hold peace talks with Ukraine at the Vatican, denying U.S. media reports that the city-state could soon host negotiations. READ MORE . . .

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Trump: Putin doesn’t want peace because he’s winning. But is he? Editorial from Kyiv Post. Following his two-hour phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which he described as “excellent,” Donald Trump seems to have finally admitted, according to the Wall Street Journal, that the Kremlin doesn’t want peace in Ukraine because it believes Russia is winning . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Tass.

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MAY BE CONTINUED