THE FIRST DRAFT
Zelenskyy Says Kyiv Ready for Peace Talks Anywhere Except Russia and Belarus
President Zelenskyy said Ukraine is prepared to enter peace talks to end the war but ruled out holding them in Russia or Belarus, signaling that any diplomatic effort must take place on neutral ground and without preconditions. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said Kyiv will not comply with Moscow’s insistence that Ukrainian forces withdraw…
Keep readingTrump Is the Rainmaker Now. The Ukraine Peace Deal Will Be His.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stood at Lafayette Park, framed by cameras and fatigue. His day had begun behind the colonnades of the White House with Donald Trump, stretched into meetings with Europeans. He was supposed to brief the press at the Hay-Adams hotel, but the Secret Service closed it off. “Not enough room,” they told us. Zelenskyy…
Keep readingAlaska Summit Underway as Trump Meets Putin
The 2025 Alaska Summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin opened Friday with a symbolic handshake and military flyover before the two leaders sat down for talks. At 11:08 a.m. local time, both leaders deplaned separately, walking down red carpets rolled to their respective planes. They met where the carpets formed a…
Keep readingTrump Says Putin Told Him ‘We Can Make a Deal’
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Alaska, President Donald Trump outlined his goals for today’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin — including a rapid ceasefire in Ukraine, potential business talks if progress is made, and “economically severe” consequences if Moscow fails to act. In a six-minute Q&A session, Trump discussed…
Keep readingTrump Arrives in Alaska for High-Stakes Meeting With Putin
Air Force One touched down in Anchorage at 10:20 a.m. local time Friday, ahead of President Donald Trump’s highly anticipated talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The one-on-one meeting between the two leaders, originally scheduled as a private discussion, will now be a three-on-three session, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Trump will be joined by…
Keep readingTrump–Putin Alaska Meeting: Trump Heads to Anchorage for High-Stakes Talks
President Donald Trump is en route to Anchorage, Alaska, where he is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later Friday. Trump, wearing a red tie, got into the Beast at 7:31 a.m. ET in Washington, D.C., before departing the White House for Joint Base Andrews. The motorcade was rolling at 7:32 a.m. He…
Keep readingSPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
Has Britain Avoided the Worst—but Failed to Secure the Best in the U.S.-U.K. Trade Deal?
President Donald Trump made the kind of announcement the British government had been hoping for. “I’m thrilled to announce that we have reached a breakthrough trade deal with the United Kingdom,” he declared on early Thursday morning—an end, at least in part, to a transatlantic tariff standoff that had left key British industries on edge.…
No Deal with Biden, Breakthrough with Trump: Starmer Seals the U.S.-U.K. Trade Deal
At long last, a “full and comprehensive” U.S.-U.K. trade agreement has been secured—and President Donald Trump is calling it just that. “A breakthrough trade deal,” Trump declared from behind the Resolute Desk on Thursday morning, as he dialed in British Prime Minister Keir Starmer from the White House. “This is now turning out to be…
Trump to Announce Historic U.S.-U.K. Trade Deal in Oval Office
President Donald Trump confirmed this morning that the United Kingdom will be the first nation to finalize a bilateral trade agreement with the United States under his administration, confirming an earlier report by The Pavlovic Today. “Big News Conference tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M., The Oval Office, concerning a MAJOR TRADE DEAL WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF A…
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Exclusive Interview: Milorad Dodik Says Biden Allies Want to Remove Him ‘Before I Can Speak to Trump’
While all eyes are on Trump trying to broker peace between Putin and Zelenskyy, an unelected bureaucracy is moving against a sitting president in Bosnia and Herzegovina. President Milorad Dodik of Republika Srpska — one of Donald Trump’s earliest staunch supporters and a fixture in…
Keep readingEXCLUSIVE: U.S. Calls for Restraint Following Removal of President Dodik in Bosnia and Herzegovina
“The United States remains committed to BiH’s stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and calls on all sides to avoid any action to further escalate the situation,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson told The Pavlovic Today in an exclusive statement on Thursday, amid growing political tensions surrounding…
Keep readingConfirmed: Serbian Oil Giant NIS Hit With Sanctions In Biden’s Latest Crackdown In Russia’s Energy Sector
With just ten days left until President-elect Trump takes office, President Biden has imposed today the most significant sanctions to date on Russia’s energy sector, targeting key players in the Kremlin’s oil revenues. The eleventh-hour move is expected to disrupt funding for Russia’s war…
Keep readingState Department Declines To Confirm Sanctions Against Serbian Oil Giant
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced Saturday that U.S. Under Secretary of State José W. Fernandez had informed him of imminent U.S. sanctions targeting the Serbian oil company NIS, which is majority-owned by Russian interests. The sanctions, according to Vučić, are expected to be unveiled…
Keep readingState Department On NIS Sanctions: “We Don’t Preview Actions” But Pledges To Disrupt Russia’s Financial Networks
The U.S. State Department has declined to confirm whether sanctions are being considered against Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), Serbia’s largest oil company, which is majority-owned by Russia’s Gazprom. In a response to The Pavlovic Today on Monday, a State Department spokesperson said, “The U.S. does not…
Keep readingBlinken’s Spokesperson: “Serbia’s Kosovo Legislation Violates Dialogue Obligations,” Aligns With EU Position
In a bold departure from diplomatic neutrality, Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s spokesperson, Matthew Miller, has thrown U.S. support behind the EU’s stance on Serbia’s new draft legislation that asserts legal jurisdiction over Kosovo as an “area of special protection,” where Serbian authorities would…
Keep readingEXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS
‘Kurti Hates The United Nations,’ Declares President Vucic In Exclusive Interview With The Pavlovic Today
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was sitting on the rooftop of the iconic New York hotel amidst the steel and glass expanse that delineates Manhattan’s skyline. Dressed in a navy blue suit complemented by a crisp white shirt and a blue tie, he sipped on mint tea, a fleeting interlude after his meeting with the UN…
Keep readingThe Pavlovic Today Interview: DAS Gabriel Escobar Condemns Albin Kurti’s ‘Unjustified’ Attacks On Lajcak And Borrell
Deputy Assistant State Secretary Gabriel Escobar, in the midst of the bustling United Nations General Assembly in the heart of New York City, sat down for an interview with The Pavlovic Today. The focal point of discussion inevitably centered on the United States’ stance toward the Western Balkans, a matter of paramount importance following the…
Keep readingEXCLUSIVE— Serbian President Vucic: Albin Kurti is not interested in peace or what the United States thinks of him
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has little faith that the politics of Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti are going to change. Only a few months ago, in March 2023, the stage was set for a momentous breakthrough during the high-level discussions between President Vucic and Prime Minister Kurti in Ohrid, led by the EU. “We have…
Keep readingExclusive: The organized crime “horror movie” will not stop “the wheel of democracy” Montenegro’s PM Dritan Abazovic tells Pavlovic Today
A foreign sojourn to the United States by the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazovic, has taken place yet again during a historic juncture. With the country bracing itself for the second round of the Presidential election, which according to the Prime Minister,”passed smoothly and without any hint of tensions,” Abazovic has taken upon himself…
Keep readingEXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: EU’s Miroslav Lajcak reveals insider details of French-German Agreement ahead of historic Brussels talks. Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti expected to endorse the European proposal
The fate of the entire Western Balkans hangs in the balance as the Serbia-Kosovo Talks prepare to reconvene in Brussels on February 27. Tension crackles in the air, and the stakes are high. The consequences for failure by the parties involved, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, to agree on the…
Keep readingGabriel Escobar Exclusive Interview: The view of the Western Balkans from inside the State Department
History must be careful not to miss out on the current affairs in the Western Balkans. Against the backdrop of Russia’s raging war in Ukraine, the EU and US are marching in lockstep to normalize Serbia-Kosovo relations. While the French-German proposal, designed under the auspices of the European Union, is being debated in the Serbian Assembly,…
Keep readingEXCLUSIVE: Montenegro’s PM Dritan Abazovic On How President Biden Can “Save” Western Balkans From Russian And Chinese Influence
I met Montenegro’s Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic at the Dupont Circle Hotel, a swanky establishment frequented by the Washington political elite. Our historic interview was to happen against a backdrop of political uncertainty in Montenegro where negotiations for the formation of the new government is taking place. The stakes are high as is the uncertainty,…
Keep readingRichard Grenell: Kosovo Situation Under Biden Entered Crisis Mode
Speaking exclusively to The Pavlovic Today, Richard Grenell, former Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations, slams President Biden for ignoring the Kosovo crisis.
Keep readingRichard Grenell Exclusive Interview: The Serbia-Kosovo Agreement Was Not Just For Christmas
Richard Grenell’s insight into moving the Western Balkans forward and closer to the US is indispensable. Former Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Talks, Grenell played a key part in enabling the 2020 Serbia-Kosovo Economic Normalization Agreement in Washington, DC. “By focusing on job creation and economic growth, the two countries were able…
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