In weeks months and years to come, people all over the globe will look back at the Russian imperialist invasion of Ukraine and wonder why more people of the left failed to agree with Denys Pilash. Denys is a Ukrainian political scientist, historian, a member of the Ukrainian democratic socialist organization Sotsialnyi Rukh, and an editor at Commons: Journal of Social Criticism. Mearsheimer is a right-wing Professor who works in Chicago.
Professor Mearsheimer (Chicago); Trump-Putin, fascist-fascist twins; Denys Pilash, Sotsialnyi Rukh Social Movement) Ukraine
President Trump says he is working on a “deal” to end the Russia-Ukraine war by hosting a series of meetings between the U.S., European Union, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. Putin is insisting Russia keep areas of Ukraine that it has seized, including the long-contested Donbas region, while Zelensky is asking the U.S. for security guarantees to prevent future invasion by its powerful neighbor. We host a conversation with two political scientists, University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer and Ukrainian democratic socialist Denys Pilash, about the likely outcome of the talks and the roots of the conflict. Mearsheimer says “the sides remain so far apart” when it comes to the possibility of a ceasefire during peace negotiations that “the best outcome would be to settle this war now.” Pilash, on the other hand, says there are still measures that can be taken to pressure Russia to agree to a ceasefire and to secure more favorable postwar terms for Ukraine.
The headline-writers of the Irish Times did a great job summing up a Keith Duffy account of the 2025 Trump-Putin Anchorage Alaska summit.
“Nauseating charade as Putin comes out of international purgatory on Trump’s red carpet” – Eleven words sum up an Alaskan summit
Irish Times Story headline, August 16 2025
Popular opposition to a fascist-inspired attack on Ukraine is spreading, but will it be enough to prevent a disaster on the European continent? At the time of writing a Washington DC meeting pits Donald Trump against the Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will be accompanied by several powerful European leaders such as Macron of France and Merz of Germany.
While the big European powers back Ukraine in words, there are major doubts over their ability or willingness to back Ukraine in practice. It is clear to all observers that the Trump-Putin policy is anti-Ukraine – yet the European leaders, and President Zelensky, refuse to resist Trump.
A Financial Times editorial (August 17 2025) sums up the position well :
European leaders will be tempted to celebrate Trump’s support for European security guarantees for Ukraine as a diplomatic advance and proof of enduring transatlantic co-operation. But it will count for little if the proposed deal is tantamount to Ukraine’s capitulation.
The picture may be more clear after the Trump-Putin appeasement plan is unveiled in the White House to Zelensky and the leaders of the main European states today (August 18 2025).
An Irish Times Editorial (August 17 2025) does a service to its readers :
EMERGENCY SOCIAL MEDIA STORM August 14, 2000-2100 Central European Time
2100-2200 Ukraine * 1900-2000 UK * 1500 Brazil * 1400 US/Canada East Coast * 1100 US/Canada West Coast * 2330 India * 0300 (Friday) Japan 0400 (Friday) Eastern Australia*
TRUMP AND PUTIN: HANDS OFF UKRAINE! NO PEACE WITHOUT UKRAINE! NO PEACE AGAINST UKRAINE!
August 10, 2025
Putin and Trump want to reach an agreement at a summit meeting without the main party concerned, Ukraine, in defiance of international law and the right of peoples to self-determination.
Trump announced on Friday that he would meet his Russian counterpart in Alaska on August 15, without the Ukrainian president. The latter responded strongly and rightly: “Any decision that is made against us, any decision that is made without Ukraine, is a decision against peace.”
According to the US president, a settlement of the war will include territorial concessions.
“The Ukrainians will not give up their land to the occupiers,” Zelensky added, while Trump spoke of “exchanges of territory”.
Crimea and territories in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts that Putin has declared annexed are occupied by Russian troops in violation of international law.
Occupation is a crime, those who occupy are criminals, and those who support it are accomplices!
Trump is preparing to hand victory to the aggressor after claiming that he would issue an ultimatum to Putin.
No, the era of placing one country under the tutelage of another against its will by decision of the “great powers” is over.
Mobilisation against this imperialist banditry between Putin and Trump and in solidarity with Ukraine must be organised quickly.
French Committee of the European Network for Solidarity With Ukraine (ENSU)
European Network for Solidarity With UkraineGreta Thunberg – Occupation Is a Crime – Ukraine and PalestineIrish Left With Ukraine Demonstration, Dublin Des Derwin, ILWU Activist, DublinUrkainians Demonstrate in Dublin, June 1 2025Practical Solidarity – Aid Goes from Meath in Ireland to Ukraine
Not only in Anchorage, Alaska, but also in Munich, Bavaria, there will be protests tomorrow against the gangster conclave between Trump and Putin. Not by chance at the place where the infamous agreements between Chamberlain and Hitler were signed in 1938, while Czechoslovak Prime Minister Benes was allowed to wait in the hallway…
Thomas Weyts, Ghent, Belgium :
Protest at the American Embassy in Prague, 13th of August. The Czechs know what they are talking about
Ukraine must determine its own future. Surrender to Trump-Putin will create a carnival of reaction in the heart of Europe. Been there, done that: Collins-Griffith 1922 Irish surrender to British Empire.
A useful article on the Trump-Putin Partition of Ukraine Plan is below.
Financial Times Saturday August 9 2025
Christopher Miller in New York and Fabrice Deprez in Kyiv
Zelenskyy looks to European allies to stop handover of territory to Russia
Donald Trump said a peace deal with Russia could involve ‘some swapping’ of Ukrainian land
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainians ‘will not gift their land to the occupier’
Zelenskyy looks to European allies to stop handover of territory
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trying to shore up European opposition to any loss of Ukrainian land to Russia after Donald Trump said that a peace deal might involve “some swapping of territory”.
People close to the Ukrainian president told the Financial Times that he was alarmed by Trump’s decision to hold a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska next week without inviting Ukraine to participate.
This is a conversation between John Meehan and Paul LeBlanc in Dublin on Friday, the 20th of June, 2025.
Paul Le Blanc has for many years been a teacher and activist in Pittsburgh. His writings include “Lenin and the Revolutionary Party” [1990; new ed. 2015]
Last weekend (Saturday June 14 2025) a large number of “No Kings” protests occurred in many parts of the United States. One participant was Paul LeBlanc. Would you like to give us an overview of the No Kings protests, describe the one you attended?
Paul Le Blanc: Sure I can speak especially about my own experience in Pittsburgh and in other cities and towns across the country.
The “No Kings” demonstrations were part of a wave of demonstrations that have developed over the past few months. The first big one was the April 5 demonstration, under the slogan of “Hands Off.” Hands Off the health care system, education system, various other things that are being dismantled or attacked by the Trump regime. In Pittsburgh, there was a massive demonstration. It was the largest that I had seen in the city up to that time, 8000 people minimum.
This was followed by May Day demonstrations. And Pittsburgh is not and hasn’t for decades been a centre of May Day demonstrations. But this was massive, the biggest May Day demonstration that I’ve seen. It wasn’t quite as big as April 5, but there were several thousand people participating. Again, it was focused especially on social issues and economic issues in the United States. There was also some reference to foreign policy stuff — Palestine, Ukraine, so forth.
The biggest demonstration of all was the most recent, the “No Kings” demonstration. There were over 10,000 people protesting in Pittsburgh, and millions of people throughout the country: a massive outpouring of anger and rage and ridicule of Trump’s pretensions of being popular and powerful and so forth. People said “No Kings,” with many accusing him of being a fascist, a totalitarian, a dictator. Certainly, he’s authoritarian. There was general agreement on a defence of the principles of the Declaration of Independence and even of the US Constitution, which he’s walking all over.
So, this was massive, and pro Trump elements have not come close to mobilising anything on this scale. There’s a lot of anti-Trump sentiment. Trump claims that he has an overwhelming mandate from the American people, and that’s a lie. He tells all kinds of lies, makes all kinds of distorted claims. He did not get a majority, certainly not a landslide majority. He was able to rack up more votes than his competitors. But his mandate is razor thin, and I think the number of people who support him is dropping. I believe that he is eroding his own base of support with policies that are hurting all of us. It’s an interesting development, for sure.
The singer Rod Stewart has racist far-right form. 50 years ago he publicly supported the vile right-wing racist ideas of Conservative Westminster MP Enoch Powell. Everyone makes mistakes : this rocker has had plenty of time to reverse course. He has not changed. Stewart is a prominent supporter of the Glasgow soccer club Celtic, which has strong anti-racist, anti-imperialist, and inclusive values.
Celtic fan Andy Muirhead declares :
his recent endorsement of Nigel Farage and Reform UK isn’t just a wrong turn; it’s a direct slap in the face to everything Celtic stands for
Rod Stewart has sailed away from our values – Farage support betrays Celtic
Every time Rod Stewart opens his mouth about politics, it makes me sick that this ageing rocker has anything to do with our club. For years, he’s cultivated this image as a true Celtic fan, draped in the green and white, belting out club anthems, soaking up the adulation. Certain fans in our support love it, the club’s hierarchy definitely love it, and the media just can’t help themselves when they catch him on camera.
But his recent endorsement of Nigel Farage and Reform UK isn’t just a wrong turn; it’s a direct slap in the face to everything Celtic stands for. It’s proof that this ageing rocker doesn’t get our club, and that his supposed love for Celtic is nothing more than a convenient, money-making facade.
Let’s be clear: Celtic Football Club was founded by Brother Walfrid to alleviate poverty among Glasgow’s Irish immigrant community. Its very soul is rooted in charity, social justice, and an unwavering commitment to inclusivity. We are a club open to all, regardless of race, religion, or background. Our history is one of solidarity with the oppressed, a beacon of hope in challenging times. This ethos, this fundamental decency, is what makes Celtic “A Club Like No Other.”
Voters in the 6 County bit of Ireland rejected Brexit in the 2016 British State referendum by a large margin : 55 to 45 per cent. This was a unique political event – opposition to Brexit broke down the normal sectarian divide on an important constitutional development in the north of Ireland : Almost all nationalists voted against Brexit, and they were joined by a significant number of Unionist (perhaps ex-Unionist) voters.
Afterwards a decision was needed : would a new European Union (EU) – Britain border divide the 6 and 26 county bits of Ireland – or would a new border emerge, dividing the island of Great Britain from all of Ireland?
Everybody knew a new Brexit border could not be imposed on Ireland. The British government needed window-dressing for its Unionist allies : the “Windsor Framework” was unveiled with a walk-on part for the reluctant British monarch King Charles.
This rickety constitutional construction kicked a sleeping dog. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement. copperfastened an imperialist crime – the 1922 partition of Ireland. A promise that partition could be ended through an internal 6 county referendum is part of the GFA – but this was never meant to happen. The architects of the GFA reasoned, correctly in 1998, that an anti-partition majority in the north of Ireland was extremely unlikely. The Unionist Veto was safe. After Brexit, not any more.
The former Fine Gael leader and taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, is saying out loud what many people know is true but do not want to hear :
A Nigel Farage-led UK goverment could herald a united Ireland – Varadkar
The writer Fearghal Mac Bhloscaidh offers very valuable insights into the June 2025 pogroms spreading from Ballymena in North Antrim to other towns in the 6 County bit of Ireland, notably Larne and Portadown. These vile events are related to similar sewer eruptions in the 26 county bit of Ireland and fit into a global rise of genocidal-racist powers such as Putin’s Russia, Netanyahu’s Israel, and their protectors such as Donald Trump’s USA. The latter is still a capitalist bourgeois democracy – but credible analysts now ask – for how long?
Below Fearghal’ s timely article – which contains very useful warnings from history : relevant references are made to the Marxist scholars and activists August Bebel, Victor Serge and Ernest Mandel :
We add :
A chilling report of an interview with the DUP Westminster MP for the Upper Bann constituency, Carla Lockhart.
A stark report from the 6 County bit of Ireland headlined “Week of Violence in North “Akin to 1930s Germany”
Racist Cancer Spreading From Ballymena in Ireland, Irish Times, June 14 2025
I recently discussed three interconnected issues on Raidió na Gaeltachta: reform to the South’s rent caps benefiting landlords and international funds, Trump’s authoritarian militarization of US protests, and the racist attacks in Ballymena/Larne.
Statement, Ivana Bacik TD, Dublin Bay South. Labour Party Leader
“‘Since 2014, it is known that Russia has abducted nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children. Protests against this barbaric war crime are occurring all over the world, and Russia’s criminal actions have been condemned in the European Parliament and across EU Member States. I commend all activists who are taking part in protests against Russia’s abduction and deportation of Ukrainan children. I have raised this issue in Dáil Éireann (the Irish parliament) and have demanded that the Irish government takes appropriate action to express the strongest possible condemnation of Russian war crimes.’”
Statement, John Boyle, General Secretary, Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO)
“ The INTO endorses the campaign to end the forceful transfer & deportation of Ukrainian children & return them all, ending the enforced Russification process & militarisation”
Statement. Cian O’Callaghan TD Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats (Spokesperson Foreign Affairs)
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine is unprecedented, unprovoked and perverse. Putin’s despotic behaviour and war crimes have irrevocably changed the geopolitical landscape and made us realise that we can no longer take peace in Europe for granted. One of the most sinister aspects of this invasion has been the thousands of Ukrainian children who have been taken from their homes and brought to Russia. I fully support the protest taking place on International Children’s Day calling for their safe return to their families and their homes.”
Statement, John Lyons, Independent Left, Dublin City Councillor In the three years of death, destruction, hardship and misery endured by the people of Ukraine as a result of the Russian Federation’s illegal invasion of their country, one particularly reprehensible and disturbing aspect of Putin’s war of aggression and annexation is the forcible transfer of at least 20,000 children and young people from Ukraine into Russia or Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine.
The Yale School of Medicine has summarised the scale of the crime against humanity involved: “Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine includes a systematic campaign of forcibly moving children from Ukraine into Russia, fracturing their connection to Ukrainian language and heritage through ‘re-education’, and even disconnecting children from their Ukrainian identities through adoption. Children documented by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) range in age from four months to 17 years, and many have families looking for them in Ukraine.”
As an elected representative of Dublin City Council I endorse the overwhelmingly supported May 8 resolution of the European Parliament, demanding the return from the Russian Federation of Abducted Ukrainian children and give my full support to the June 1 International Day of Action in support of this urgent cause.
June 1st is International Children’s Day, a day when people across the world raise awareness of the importance of children’s well-being and the need to protect them from all forms of violence and discrimination. Sadly, millions of children in Gaza, South Sudan, Ukraine and elsewhere are having their lives taken, their futures destroyed.
For the children of Ukraine abducted by Russian forces, we must demand their immediate safe return to their families, to their homes and homeland.
Supporters Include : The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) The Labour Party The Social Democrats Party Dublin North City Branch (INTO)
Ivana Bacik TD Dublin Bay South (Leader, Labour party) Duncan Smith TD Dublin Fingal East (Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Labour party) Marie Sherlock TD Dublin Central (Health Spokesperson Labour party) Cian O’Callaghan TD Dublin Bay North (Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, the Social Democrats)
John Lyons Dublin City Councillor (Independent Left) Lesley Byrne Dublin City Councillor (Social Democrats)
Tanya Vyhovsky State Senator, Vermont, USA
European Network for Solidarity with Ukraine (ENSU) Irish Left With Ukraine (ILWU)
Individual Personal Supporters Include :
Nóirín Greene (Senior Irish Trade Unionist) Des Derwin, Vice Chair, SIPTU Dublin District Council Tadhg Mac Pháidín, Teachers’ Club (Cumann na Múinteoirí) and INTO Gregor Kerr Dublin North City INTO Joanne Doyle, District 14 CEC Rep INTO Máire English, District 4 CEC Rep INTO Máire Lineen, District 15 CEC Rep INTO Peter O’Toole, District 7 CEC Rep INTO Seán Mullin, Chair INTO Lisburn Branch Sinéad Dowling, Craobh Dhún Laoghaire INTO Feargal Brougham, Dublin North East INTO Joe Duffy, Blanchardstown Branch INTO Caroline Farrell, Dublin Tolka INTO Noelle Moran, ASTI Global Solidarity Committee Kevin Doyle, Irish Writers Union Conor Kostick, Executive member Irish Writers Union James Kearney, Dún Laoghaire Labour Party Spark Deeley, illustrator Paddy Cole, Chairperson, Labour Party Trade Union Group Tracie Tobin District 13 CEC Rep INTO Kate Relihan, Blanchardstown Branch, INTO
Justice for Ukraine – Bring the Stolen Children Home June 1, 12.30pm, The Spire, O’Connell Street Dublin 1
Part of a Day of Action on June 1 2025, International Day for Children
Assemble Sunday June 1, 12.30pm The Spire, O’Connell Street
Statement, Ivana Bacik TD, Labour Party Leader
“‘Since 2014, it is known that Russia has abducted nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children. Protests against this barbaric war crime are occurring all over the world, and Russia’s criminal actions have been condemned in the European Parliament and across EU Member States. I commend all activists who are taking part in protests against Russia’s abduction and deportation of Ukrainan children. I have raised this issue in Dáil Éireann (the Irish parliament) and have demanded that the Irish government takes appropriate action to express the strongest possible condemnation of Russian war crimes.’”
Statement, John Boyle, General Secretary, Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO)
“ The INTO endorses the campaign to end the forceful transfer & deportation of Ukrainian children & return them all, ending the enforced Russification process & militarisation”
Supporters Include :
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) The Labour Party
The Social Democrats Party
Ivana Bacik TD Dublin Bay South (Leader, Labour party)
Duncan Smith TD Dublin Fingal East (Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Labour party)
Marie Sherlock TD Dublin Central (Health Spokesperson Labour party)
John Lyons Dublin City Councillor (Independent Left) Lesley Byrne Dublin City Councillor (Social Democrats)
Tanya Vyhovsky State Senator, Vermont, USA
European Network for Solidarity with Ukraine (ENSU) Irish Left With Ukraine (ILWU)
Individual Personal Supporters Include :
Nóirín Greene (Senior Irish Trade Unionist) Des Derwin, Vice Chair, SIPTU Dublin District Council Tadhg Mac Pháidín, Teachers’ Club (Cumann na Múinteoirí) and INTO Gregor Kerr Dublin North City INTO Joanne Doyle, District 14 CEC Rep INTO Máire English, District 4 CEC Rep INTO Máire Lineen, District 15 CEC Rep INTO Peter O’Toole, District 7 CEC Rep INTO Seán Mullin, Chair INTO Lisburn Branch Sinéad Dowling, Craobh Dhún Laoghaire INTO Feargal Brougham, Dublin North East INTO Joe Duffy, Blanchardstown Branch INTO Caroline Farrell, Dublin Tolka INTO Noelle Moran, ASTI Global Solidarity Committee Kevin Doyle, Irish Writers Union Conor Kostick, Executive member Irish Writers Union James Kearney, Dún Laoghaire Labour Party Spark Deeley, illustrator Paddy Cole, Chairperson, Labour Party Trade Union Group
Tomás Ó Flatharta 