China’s Expanding Maritime Military Presence Alarms Taiwan and Japan 
Trump’s New U.S. Strategy Seeks to Deter China and Protect Taiwan 
Escalating Conflict in Eastern Congo Despite U.S.-Brokered Peace Efforts 
Trump’s Name Appears on U.S. Institute of Peace Ahead of Rwanda–Congo Deal Signing 
Honduras Election Turmoil Deepens as Nasralla Alleges Fraud in Tight Presidential Race 
CFPB to Review Anti-Discrimination Policies and Fair Lending Rules Amid Policy Shift 
Putin and U.S. Envoy Witkoff Hold “Truly Friendly” Talks as Ukraine Peace Efforts Intensify 
IMF Deputy Dan Katz Visits China as Key Economic Review Nears 
Hong Kong Faces Low Turnout in “Patriots-Only” Election Amid Public Grief After Deadly Fire 
U.S. Expected to Expand Travel Ban to More Than 30 Countries 
Trump Meets Mexico and Canada Leaders After 2026 World Cup Draw Amid USMCA Tensions 
Pentagon Probe Finds Hegseth’s Use of Signal Risked Exposing Sensitive Yemen Strike Details 
Cuba Quietly Signals Openness to Post-Maduro Venezuela as U.S. Pressure Intensifies 
Australia and Japan Strengthen Defence Cooperation Amid Rising Regional Tensions 
New Orleans Immigration Crackdown Sparks Fear as Federal Arrests Intensify 
Drones Spotted Near Zelenskiy’s Flight Path in Ireland Trigger Security Alert 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
The relationship of Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Donald Trump has been a highly debated topic. Many critics believe the Russian government interfered with the election that Trump won in 2016. And Putin’s adviser, Vladislav Surkov, has an interesting take on the matter.
Surkov wrote an op-ed for the Russian publication Nezavisimaya Gazeta (“Independent Newspaper”) where he comprehensively discussed “Putin’s system.” In the process, he briefly tackled claims that Russia meddled in America’s political affairs and the presence of a “deep state” in the United States.
In the early parts of the write-up, Putin’s aide explained, “The illusion of choice is the most important of illusions, the main trick of the Western way of life in general and of Western democracy … Rejection of this illusion in favor of realism of predestination led our society first to reflect on its own, special, sovereign version of democratic development, and then to the complete loss of interest in discussions on what democracy should be and whether it should be in principle.”
Surkov proceeded by saying that “Putinism” is “the ideology of the future” and referred to their current political system as the fourth main model of the Russian state under Putin’s leadership. And in the allegations of interfering with elections in other countries, Putin’s adviser said something “more serious” is in play.
“Russia interferes in their brains, and they do not know what to do with their own altered consciousness,” Putin’s aide said. Surkov added that Russia has “predicted” before the current events in the international political landscape such as Brexit and immigration issues across Europe.
The recent popularization of the “deep state” theories in America was also discussed in the op-ed of Putin’s aide, which he described as a “non-public and non-publicized power.” Surkov’s does not seem to dispute that a deep state exists and, according to him, is where “the illusion of choice, the feeling of freedom, the feeling of superiority” emerged.
