Elizaveta Under Fire in Sudzha… US and Iranian Negotiators Complete a New Round of Talks

My interview, posted yesterday, with Elizaveta Igorevna, prompted another self-funded war correspondent to reach out and direct me to some recent footage he took during a tour of Sudzha with Elizaveta. The journalist is Johnee H, and I will try to interview him this week for Counter Currents. If you choose to watch the video below, you will see that Elizaveta is not squirreled away in some safehouse. She is out on the frontlines and is exposed to the threat of a drone attack. Johnee H ain’t a spring chicken and he is definitely getting a grueling physical workout. Look on the bright side… he doesn’t have to pay a monthly gym fee.

However, on a more serious note, towards the end of the video, Elizaveta and Johnee H discuss the number of Russian and foreign journalists covering the war from the Russian perspective who have been killed while doing their job. Both believe that the Ukrainians are deliberately targeting journalists… sounds like the Ukrainians are following the Zionist method being executed in Gaza.

Shifting gears, President Trump posted the following today on Truth Social:

Notice that Trump says nothing about Israel. The tensions appear genuine, especially in light of what Bibi Netanyahu reportedly said today in a closed meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee:

Hamas says Edan’s release is aimed at achieving a ceasefire, stopping Zionist attacks on Gaza and allowing aid into Gaza. Netanyahu, however, insists that the war on Gaza will continue despite the hostage release. Looks like Netanyahu is forcing Trump to make a choice. I am hoping that Trump’s desire to score a victory by securing a hostage release on the eve of his visit to Saudi Arabia will compel him to truly distance himself from Bibi. Hebrew media reports that Israel was not aware of contacts to release Israeli-American prisoner Edan Alexander and was not involved in the negotiations. This may be another sign that the rift between Trump and Netanyahu is genuine. There are a number of mainstream Israelis, including former generals and intelligence officers, who are becoming more vocal in condemning Netanyahu. Securing Edan’s release is going to put more pressure on Netanyahu. Whether that leads to an end of the genocide in Gaza is another matter.

Meanwhile, in Oman, Steve Witkoff and Iran’s Foreign Minister (Mr. Araghchi) completed their fourth round of direct and indirect talks, with the Sultan of Oman mediating. Araghchi says continuing nuclear enrichment is ‘non-negotiable’, but Iran is open to dialing it down. Witkoff, representing Donald Trump, reportedly is insisting on a complete elimination of any enrichment program. While the two sides appear firm in their respective positions, which suggests no deal can be reached, both sides agreed to meet again. It appears that Trump is backing away from his threat to go to war with Iran.

In a related development, the B-2 bombers deployed to Diego Garcia have returned to their base in the United States. However, this does not mean the B-2s could not be ordered to carry out a bombing in Iran… they are quite capable of flying from the US to Iran if given the orders. Putting them on Diego Garcia was intended to intimidate Iran… apparently that failed.

I believe that the talks this week with the Saudis, the Qataris and the United Arab Emirates, could persuade Trump to seek a deal with Iran and pressure Netanyahu to end the genocide. I would not wage a large sum of money on that outcome… I am just looking for a silver lining.

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