Month: March 2025

On March the 19th 2025, the Trump Administration released a statement that read like a memorandum. It detailed a telephonic engagement between Trump and Zelensky, with a tone that continued to affirm and emphasise a cordial and respectful engagement between the two presidents. Given the catastrophe that was the previous Oval Office meeting, i.e., the ‘dressing down’ of President Zelensky for the world to see by President Trump and Vice President Vance, the statement, relatively positive, discussed the possibility of a ‘limited ceasefire’ as delegations prepare to meet in Saudi Arabia in the week for renewed talks on the way forward. The Trump administration promised a ceasefire within 24-hours of the president assuming office. Although far-fetched, said promises have not come to fruition, but the ongoing efforts to end all hostilities in a turbulent part of the globe is progress, even if in increments. Let us analyse some of the key highlights in the Administration’s statement and what they entail. The limited ceasefire would focus on the halting of air-strikes by either of the two parties on energy and critical non-military infrastructure, especially aerial bombardment on facilities highly depended upon by a civilian population, e.g., railways, energy depos, dams, medical buildings and so on, as per the Geneva convention’s Article 147 (the Law of Armed Conflict), that both Ukraine and Russia are parties. The partial ceasefire’s commencement was not explicitly discussed, but the Trump Administration expressed urgency in this regard.

Zelensky’s request, however, for Patriot Missile systems in the midst of ceasefire talks may be perceived as somewhat arbitrary, but according to numerous reports, Russia’s continued violation of International Law could be the catalyst behind Zelensky’s double-speak. The Ukrainian president has reiterated that he is open to negotiations that can bring about lasting peace in the region. Moreover, Trump’s engagement with Putin was noted as positive, and the ongoing battle-situation in Kursk is being closely monitored by the US. As all parties gear towards finding a lasting solution, the US’ continued interest in Ukraine’s energy fields and nuclear power plants however has raised a few eyebrows, not only in the US, but in parts of Europe, too. Melina Haring, an expert on Ukrainian matters, while in conversation with Bloomberg, expressed that Trump’s proposal to control Ukraine’s nuclear plants was simply “weird”. One former Ukrainian official added by saying that “anything is possible with the Americans,” but conceded that the proposal was “quite unusual”, and that “the Americans would own it – and on what grounds? It belongs to Ukraine” he said, and asked if the US “planned to purchase it or if it would be taken as a concession”. Pertinent questions, no doubt, as the world waits in anticipation for a swift resolution to the conflict.

In the most recent social media spat, a repost by President Donald Trump on America’s ‘eggflation’ crisis, resulted in the Left and Right going ‘elbows-up’ on X. Netizens on the Left shared their disillusionment for what they perceive to be broken promises by Trump after only fifty days in office. Moreover, there is growing frustration in some conservative circles as well about Trump repeatedly going back on his word on a number of key issues, specifically, his promise to lower the price of eggs in 2025. On the other side, MAGA loyalists came to Trump’s defence on X, offering explanations that pushback any criticism of mismanagement. One such individual, political commentator Charlie Kirk, cited the ‘bird-flu’ in an article as the core problem and advised Americans to, “shut up about egg prices”. Trump’s repost of said tweet was met with a barrage of fiery objections and absurd ‘memery’ to last us until the end of the year. But what is really behind the egg crisis in America?

According to a 2025 article published by The Guardian, corporations may be leveraging the avian-flu to inflate prices. The article goes on to say that “powerful corporations control every step of the supply chain – and are making windfall profits off this crisis, raising their prices above and beyond what is necessary to cover any rising costs.” In addition, “Cal-Maine, which produces one in every five eggs eaten in the US, issued shareholder dividends totaling $250m in fiscal year 2023 – 40 times more than the previous fiscal year.” A separate study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics also found that bird flu alone cannot explain present-day consumer prices, which rose by 61% over the past few months. Cal-Maine, one of the US’ largest egg producers, saw a sevenfold increase in profits. One politician vented by saying, “The Trump administration has the power to lower grocery bills, but instead they are imposing blanket tariffs on allies, firing federal workers, and putting billionaires over ordinary Americans.” Then there is the old adage, that no one wins in a tariff war except the really wealthy. As a result, cost of living issues are no longer an afterthought in the minds of the American people. It is manifesting in the form of a dark cloud hovering overhead, and ready to rain on the masses, regardless of political affiliation.