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Dirk Smits

@dirksmits.bsky.social
206 followers 285 following 65 posts

🇳🇱 living in Utrecht | Interested in Politics | Science | Sports (Football, F1) | Urban Planning

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Reposted by Dirk Smits
Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
No country *needs* to dominate its neighbours. No country should get to demand respect it hasn’t earned. No country should be allowed to attack to satisfy its desires. For far too long, the West has been coddling Ru. That's why we're here.
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Hidde Bouwmeester @hiddebouwmeester.nl · 02/10/2026
Nogmaals, zodat het voor iedereen helder is. - Rusland doet geen compromissen. - Ruslands eisen komen neer op een de facto capitulatie van Oekraïne. - Er zijn geen eisen aan Rusland gesteld. Ik zou ook zulke eisen stellen als ik nogmaals wilde aanvallen.
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Reinier Van Lanschot @reiniervanlanschot.volteuropa.org · 02/10/2026
“Op het moment dat een sterke Amerikaanse reactie bij een aanval op Europees grondgebied twijfelachtig is, wordt de kans groter dat Poetin toeslaat. Als Trump besluit ons niet te hulp te schieten en Europa zich op dat moment niet zelfstandig kan verdedigen, dan zijn we weerloos.
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Oekraïne Vandaag @oekrainevandaag.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Russische agressie in Oekraïne is niet een "antwoord" op Oekraïense tegenaanvallen, @nieuwsuur.nl. Dit geweld is onderdeel van een grootschalige veroveringsoorlog die Rusland in 2022 begon. 🔗 nos.nl/nieuwsuur/ar...
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Jac Vries #SlavaUkraini @jacvriesb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Ik ben tegen een hernieuwde wapenwedloop, maar de insteek van de aankomende manifestatie negeert de geopolitieke realiteit en is een dolksteek in de rug voor Oekraïne. www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opin...
volkskrant.nl
Opinie: Het Nationaal Vredesprotest negeert de geopolitieke realiteit en drijft Oekraïners in het nauw
De ‘vrede’ waar demonstranten over spreken, komt voor Oekraïne neer op onderwerping. Want minder westerse militaire steun aan Kyiv brengt Rusland in een uitstekende positie om de oorlog voort te zette...
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Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Russia says the quiet part out loud at the UN-- they reject a ceasefire because they don't want Ukraine to rearm. Why? Clearly, because they don't want Ukraine to defend itself from their aggression. Their goal remains Ukrainian capitulation. Never forget that…
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Yana 🇺🇦 @yanadear.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Europe is like the cowardly geek who keeps getting beat up by the bully yet still tries to placate the bully Ukraine is the brave kid trying to save himself and the geek by fighting the bully but the geek thinks he can win-win by not having to fight and still keep his lunch money it won't work
pravda.com.ua
Zelenskyy calls lifting of sanctions on some Russian oligarchs "self-defeating"
Zelenskyy has criticised signals about lifting sanctions on Russian oligarchs as “self-defeating and counterproductive” after meeting Ursula von der Leyen in New York.
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Baltic Takes (formerly badbaltictakes) @baltictakes.com · 02/09/2026
Ukraine closed its civilian airspace at 2:45 am on 24 February 2022. It had to be done to protect civilian lives in response to Russian activity and threats, roughly an hour before Russia began its full scale war of aggression against Ukraine.
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Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
“Let’s de-escalate/do better diplomacy/talk more” w Russia are euphemisms for “let’s surrender to Russia’s utterly unreasonable demands”. There is nothing reasonable or short of that which hasn’t been tried already. Don’t give such manipulations any credence.
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Bart Aafjes @bartaafjes68.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
After 12 years of war. And probably millions killed. The #IOC decided #Russia can join the #Olympics of 2028. They are as corrupt as the #FIFA who are also considering this. A smack in the face for all who support peace, not aggression . Time to #Boycott
apnews.com
IOC eases path toward Russia returning with full team at 2028 LA Olympics
Russia has moved closer toward having a full team with its national flag and anthem at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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Meanwhile in Ukraine @meanwhileua.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Russian fuel lines ask “why us?” ㅤ The answer is not complicated. Russia invaded Ukraine, destroyed millions of lives, and still fires on Ukrainian homes. ㅤ Ukraine is striking the systems that keep Russia’s war machine moving. ㅤ The way out is simple: leave Ukraine.
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Ariana Gic @arianagic.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
100%. There can be absolutely no freezing of the line of conflict - this will strategically benefit Russia and harm Ukraine. The ONLY way Russia's war against Ukraine should end is in Moscow's humiliating military defeat. THIS is the only path to a just and enduring peace.
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Nowi @gierineke.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Kaja Kallas understands Putin better than most Western leaders. She knows the Kremlin’s war is not about security, but about empire, domination and denying nations their freedom. Europe must stop hoping for moderation from Moscow and start showing more resolve. 1/2
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Kate from Kharkiv @kateinkharkiv.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
KALLAS: Russia doesn't want to end this war. Regarding Ukraine's decision about their future, Russia shouldn't have a say about any other country's future but their own. Looking at state of economy or social affairs in Russia, I'd recommend them dealing with their own problems.
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Maria Drutska @mariadrutska.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
A Russian in Novorossiysk: “We learned to live without water. Without electricity. Without internet. But how the f*ck are we supposed to live without petrol? Any life hacks? What app should I download?” Google Maps. It can show Russian occupiers the fastest route to get the f*ck out of Ukraine.
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Vatnik Soup @vatniksoup.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
There is a simple solution to the problem of Irish alumina ending up fueling Russia's war machine, and it could be implemented within months: Ban alumina exports to Russia.
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Ariana Gic @arianagic.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
This is for every loser who has ever spoken about "pro-Russian Ukrainian separatists". THIS is one of those "separatists" - a RUSSIAN ARMY GENERAL admitting that RUSSIAN FORCES deliberately killed civilians ON HIS ORDERS in Ukraine in 2014. And he is still inciting genocide today.
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Bart Aafjes @bartaafjes68.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Vanaf de invasie van De Krim op 20 februari 2014 tot vandaag, 10 juni 2026, zijn er overigens 4.493 dagen verstreken. Deze periode beslaat meer dan 12 jaar, met drie schrikkeljaren. We hadden veel meer moeten doen om deze invasie te beëindigen. Steun Oekraïne.
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Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
My latest for @policymag.bsky.social “we should not be looking for a change of heart in the Kremlin, but for signs of a systemic failure [..] Until then, hopes for a “negotiated settlement” serve only to prolong the bloodshed. Russia will not take an off-ramp; it needs to be defeated.”
policymagazine.ca
Putin's Delusion and the Myth of a Negotiated Peace - Policy Magazine
On one hand, we have President Volodymyr Zelensky’s open letter to Vladimir Putin, a document that invites the Russian president to a face-to-face meeting to
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Kate from Kharkiv @kateinkharkiv.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Zelenskyy wrote an open letter to Putin‼️ ​"Whatever you say about NATO, geopolitics, and the russian language, this war is your personal choice—a war with no real reason. That is exactly how history will remember it."
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Ariana Gic @arianagic.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
People say Russia "invaded Crimea" as though it is separate from Ukraine. Russia invaded UKRAINE when it militarily occupied Crimea and then part of eastern Ukraine in 2014. Russia's military aggression was limited to these regions because Ukrainians halted the larger plan. 1/9
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Kate from Kharkiv @kateinkharkiv.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Sanna Marin, Former PM of Finland: "Ukrainians seek long-lasting, just peace, which cannot be made by Putin's terms. We fool ourselves if we believe Putin wants to negotiate peace. The only way to stop this war is to support Ukraine.
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 27/01/2026
Ian Austin, an Army veteran, was arrested for protesting ICE in Minneapolis. But he’s continued protesting. Senior reporter @julialurie.bsky.social spoke to him. “When they say, ‘Why would you be out here?’ How the fuck could I not be out here?” he says. “My nation is under attack."
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
The president should be impeached and convicted, as should everyone responsible for these outrages. ICE should be disbanded. So should the Department of Homeland Security. And the people who have killed should be investigated and brought before judges and juries.
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Dr. Michael MacKay @michaelmackay.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Cancel the World Cup in the United States. If FIFA wants to salvage the tournament, host all the matches in Canada and Mexico. The world will not support the Trump regime's reign of terror.
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Anonymous @youranoncentral.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Statement from the family of Alex Pretti, Michael and Susan Pretti: #3E #GoodvsEvil
Statement from the family of Alex Pretti, Michael and Susan Pretti: 

We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact. 

I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman. 

The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. 


He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed. 

Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.
Alex Pretti in nurse scrubs, smiling
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boomdrummer.bsky.social @boomdrummer.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
They shot him 10 times while he was face down. It was a 3rd world style public execution youtube.com/shorts/LDETj...
youtube.com
He was EXECUTED
YouTube video by PoliticsGirl
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Jacob Öberg @profjacob.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
🚨🚨"Our American Dream is dead": European governments have reached a difficult conclusion: The Americans are the baddies now. 🧵 www.politico.eu/article/eu-l...
politico.eu
‘Our American Dream is dead’: EU concedes Trump is not on its side
The crisis summit in Brussels goes ahead despite U.S. president’s about-face on Greenland tariff threats.
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Fietser @americanfietser.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Life is short and for average people, it's not easy. What fuels my anger the most is that a handful of men in the world, who have all of their needs met and beyond, are toying with the lives of millions all for the amusement of their boredom and their narcissistic need for power.
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Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
President Zelenskyy: Russian oil is being transported right along Europe’s shores.That oil funds the war against #Ukraine. It helps destabilize Europe. So Russian oil must be stopped, confiscated,sold for Europe’s benefit. Why not? If Putin has no money, there is no war against Europe.
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Meanwhile in Ukraine @meanwhileua.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
President Zelensky tells Europe it’s still weaker than it should be. He says Europe wants the U.S. as a “backstop” for post-ceasefire forces in Ukraine, and notes the gap in enforcement: the U.S. can seize tankers, while Europe struggles to stop Russian oil flows.
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WarTranslated (Dmitri) @wartranslated.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
"This is the fourth year of the largest war in Europe since World War II, and the person who started it is not only free, but is still fighting for his frozen money in Europe." - Zelenskyy during his speech in Davos.
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Hidde Bouwmeester @hiddebouwmeester.nl · 19/01/2026
Nieuw artikel. Rusland is geen economische grootmacht. Toch kan het miljoenen Europeanen ernstig bedreigen. Omdat een economische vergelijking weinig zegt over de bereidheid om voor vrijheid te vechten. 👇 hiddebouwmeester.nl/waarom-rusla...
hiddebouwmeester.nl
Waarom Rusland geen economische grootmacht hoeft te zijn om Europeanen te bedreigen - Hidde Bouwmeester
Wie Rusland reduceert tot een middelgrote economie, vergelijkbaar qua BBP met Italië, komt al snel tot geruststellende conclusies: de Europese Unie is duidelijk een maatje te groot voor Rusland. Preci...
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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Want peace in Ukraine? Help Ukraine scale up the production of drones and missiles. When Ukraine can properly destroy Russian oil refineries every single day, the war ends. Force Putin to stop. Don't ask him
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Max Bergmann @maxbergmann.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Feels like something cracked today in the transatlantic alliance. Europeans have been swallowing their pride, bitting their tongues, and bending the knee. That strategy may have bought them time but it has now clearly failed. It also had a major cost - it has made the WH think Europe will cave. 1/
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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Europe has nothing in common with Donald Trump. His values do not align with ours. They align with Russia and China. He is transforming the US into an imperialist, authoritarian surveillance state. We need to stop pretending he is on our team
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
What Europe could do is threaten to boycott the World Cup. It won't. But that might actually work. Trump wants his big show.
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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Trump doesn’t know anything about Greenland, other than that he wants it. He couldn’t care less about what Greenlanders want
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Charly Salonius-Pasternak @charlyjsp.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
An antidote to all who have breathlessly repeated Germany’s ForMin statements (post mtg w SecState Rubio) trying to downplay risk of US action against Greenland 👇🏼 Trump has it in his head that “he” needs to own 🇬🇱, expand US geographically. He might not do it, but intent is clear, as is capability.
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Max Bergmann @maxbergmann.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Agree, the threat of retaliation has to be both more personal to Trump - he's done in Europe - and also economic (trade deal dead, massive retaliation vs. US tech/stock market).
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Maybe the greatest example of the bizarro world in which we now live is that European states are maintaining the dangerous fiction that the US would fight for them, when the more likely use of US military force would be to kick Europe out of Greenland.
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Mujtaba Rahman @mijrahman.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
European weakness on full display by these horribly contorted responses from Merz, Macron and Starmer - neither condoning nor condemning US actions in Venezuela Such weakness only risks making the Europeans more vulnerable (ie Greenland)
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Ivo Daalder @ivodaalder.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Trump: “Russia wants Ukraine to succeed.” Anybody who says with a straight face can’t be a mediator for peace. The only way Russia wants Ukraine to succeed is by making Ukraine part of Russia. That’s what this war is about. youtu.be/yBU91X-CQ9s?...
youtu.be
'Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed': watch Zelenskyy react to Trump's claim
YouTube video by Guardian News
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Kate from Kharkiv @kateinkharkiv.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
Why, what happened? Spend all your money on murdering your neighbors, didn’t you, bastards?
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Rob Schoof @robschoof.eurosky.social · 23/12/2025
Voor de oorlog had Oleksandr Jakovenko een transportbedrijf in Oekraïne. Na de Russische invasie stortte hij zich op de dronemarkt. Zijn bedrijf maakt er nu 80.000 per maand. Hij verwacht dat binnenkort AI-gestuurde drones zónder autorisatie op het slagveld worden ingezet. www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...
nrc.nl
‘Zoals elke soldaat met een geweer leert omgaan, moet hij leren hoe je een drone bestuurt’
Oleksandr Jakovenko | dronefabrikant: Voor de oorlog in Oekraïne runde Jakovenko een transportbedrijf in Odesa, na de Russissche invasie vormde hij dat om in een wapenconcern. Nu rollen er 80.000 dron...
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