Zelensky said U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner returned from their September meeting with Vladimir Putin optimistic that Moscow was ready for progress.

He recalled that the two told him:

“We think that Putin is ready.”

Zelensky responded:

“Look, I’m not sure.”

According to Zelensky, the U.S. envoys replied:

“No, we are close.”

Source: Axios

Trump:

A big day with President Xi of China. Super Intelligence (SI) will be a big topic of discussion, but I want to leave it exactly where it is. That is China’s position also. Our guardrail is the DOJ!

Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister Prévot:

This is not the time to treat humanitarian aid as an optional expense. It is neither a reward nor a bargaining chip.

A hungry child is not responsible for the position taken by his government. That child has the right to eat, the right to receive care and the right to be protected.

That is why I urge every one of us not to cut humanitarian funding.

Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister Prévot:

Power cannot be its own judge. That remains true even when we dislike their rulings or proceedings.

When judges or staff members of an international court face sanctions or pressure for carrying out their mandates, Belgium will always stand with them to protect them.

Trump:

The Ford’s Theatre Lie is just another example of how the Fake News Media and the Dumocrats conspire together to make up false stories about “President Donald J. Trump.” Shouldn’t be allowed to happen.

Our Country is desperately seeking a Free and Fair Press!

Trump:

I met President Xi at the plane (Airport!) yesterday and he looks strong, vibrant, and fit - Better than ever. Madam Xi, of course, BEAUTIFUL!

POLITICO says its reporter was denied White House access and had his press pass confiscated despite a judge’s order restoring access.

Paradox Gets Review-Bombed After Linking Atatürk to 1915 Events

Hearts of Iron IV’s recent Steam rating fell to Overwhelmingly Negative after Turkish players protested a Discord ban and moderator remarks linking Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to the 1915 events.

READ MORE

Daniel Levy | Former Israeli Peace Negotiator | US/Middle East Project (USMEP):
 

The new sanctions regime the UK has announced targeting Israeli settlement project crosses the rhetoric threshold.
 
The implications are significant. Not a single Israeli bank exists that doesn't invest on the settlement project.
 
The illegal occupation is a State of Israel project. The perpetrator is the IDF - not a ragtag band of armed settlers.

FULL INTERVIEW

MS NOW and CNN reporters also reported being denied access to the White House despite a judge’s order restoring access.

Q: How would you describe yesterday's meeting with President Trump and all the Arab leaders?

Ahmad al-Sharaa: Acceptable.

Q: And the meeting with Zelensky?

Ahmad al-Sharaa: Also good.

Daniel Levy | Former Israeli Peace Negotiator | US/Middle East Project (USMEP):
 

Ursula von der Leyen said Europe "should do more on Israel" - a duplicitous statement from someone who supported Israeli crimes.
 
Germany will do everything to block any shift (against Israel). But the UK could have a knock-on effect in Italy.
 
Despite UK sanctions, Spain's & Norway's arms embargo on Israel, Germany & Greece are buying Israeli weapons.

FULL INTERVIEW

OPINION: Beyond Armament: China’s New Security Doctrine and the Transformation of Its Defense Industry

Beijing is rewiring its defense model. By weaponizing industrial scale and civilian tech, China is building an integrated force where cheap autonomous swarms neutralize million-dollar jets.

🖋️ Kadir Temiz | Director of The Center for Middle Eastern Studies

READ MORE

Daniel Levy | Former Israeli Peace Negotiator | US/Middle East Project (USMEP):
 

UK has admitted that those who marched over Palestine were right & successful. But they now have to show they mean it.
 
They acknowledged Starmer's approach of being indifferent to Israeli crime is bad politics for a Labour government.
 
It is now up to those who mobilized the protests to keep raising the bar of what is required for more action.

FULL INTERVIEW

NATO's Rutte:

No one should ever doubt our resolve. That was true 25 years ago. It is true today.

NATO's Rutte:

I think the Russians have made a calculation that NATO is strong and cannot be defeated.

NATO's Rutte:

Putin planned a big celebration in Moscow for 4–5 days after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That celebration still hasn’t happened.

NATO's Rutte:

If NATO would be at war with Russia, we have other means to make our views known to the Russians, more than Ukraine can do at the moment. So there will be a difference.

NATO's Rutte on Putin:

Putin cannot be happy at the moment because things are not moving in the right direction for him.

So stay calm. Putin knows we are strong.

Netanyahu has arrived in the U.S. for the UN General Assembly.

He will deliver a speech later today in New York.