Russia says no deadline set for peace memorandum with Ukraine
www3.nhk.or.jp

... Russia's presidential spokesperson says no deadline has been set for preparing a peace memorandum with Ukraine.

Dmitry Peskov made the remarks on Tuesday, one day after US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held telephone talks.

Trump said Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire, while Putin said Moscow is ready to work with Kyiv on a memorandum on a peace treaty, including a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time.

Peskov told a Russian state-run media outlet that drafting a memorandum will require "complex contacts" between the two countries.

The spokesperson noted that everyone wants to complete the document as quickly as possible, but said, "There is no deadline and there can't be one."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters on Monday that he will decide on a plan after the Russian side presents a proposal for a ceasefire.

He referred to Moscow's demand for its control of the four Ukrainian regions, including unoccupied areas, for a ceasefire deal. Russia unilaterally declared the annexation of those regions. ...

Russia is only playing for time in Ukraine peace talks, Germany says
www.reuters.com

... German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Tuesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of not really being interested in peace in Ukraine, saying he was only playing for time in talks with the United States.
Europe needs to increase the pressure on Russia by imposing more sanctions, especially on Russia's energy sales, Pistorius added.

"We have seen massive (Russian) attacks again in recent days ... These speak louder than the lip service (to the peace process) we have heard for so long," Pistorius said before a meeting of EU defence and foreign affairs ministers in Brussels.

"Putin is clearly playing for time, unfortunately we have to say Putin is not really interested in peace."
Russia and Ukraine are set to start negotiations after Putin spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, but Putin said the process would take time.

After Trump briefed them on his call, European leaders agreed to increase pressure on Russia through fresh sanctions.

Ahead of Tuesday's meeting, French Foreign Minister Jean-Nol Barrot accused Putin of hypocrisy.
"I believe that when Vladimir Putin continues to uphold his hypocritical language, everyone has understood that he will carry on with his colonial war to the end if we do not put a stop to it."

"Let us push Vladimir Putin to put an end to his imperialist fantasy by adopting (EU) sanctions that are truly dissuasive."

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the United States needed to join the bloc in increasing pressure on Russia.

"We all agreed and said ... that if they don't agree to unconditional ceasefire, like Ukraine has agreed over 60 days ago, there will be strong action," Kallas said ahead of the meeting. ...

Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood Funding of Higher Education in the United States
isgap.org

... In July 2019 at the Department of Justice (DOJ), in Washington, D.C., Dr. Charles Asher Small, the ISGAP Director, presented the findings of an ISGAP research project started in 2012, entitled "Follow the Money". The ongoing research project examines illicit funding of United States universities by foreign governments, foundations and corporations that adhere to and promote anti-democratic and antisemitic ideologies, with connections to terrorism and terror financing.

The project revealed, for the first time, the existence of substantial Middle Eastern funding (primarily from Qatar) to US universities that had not been reported to the Department of Education (DoED), as required by law. In fact, ISGAP's research uncovered billions of dollars of unreported funds, which, in turn, led to the launch of a federal government investigation in 2019.

As part of its continued research, ISGAP has uncovered and established that the foreign donations from Qatar, especially, have had a substantial impact on fomenting growing levels of antisemitic discourse and campus politics at US universities, as well as growing support for anti-democratic values within these institutions of higher education. ...