Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated Thursday that an “opportunity” exists for achieving “peace” with Ukraine, while maintaining that Kyiv’s advisories to airlines to steer clear of Russian airspace constitute “state terrorism.”

“Ultimately…the matter must be settled by the nations engaged in the conflict – Russia and Ukraine,” he stated in translated comments at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, located in Russia’s Far East. “Is there an opportunity [for peace]? In my estimation, yes, there is.”

Putin’s remarks emerge amid stalled attempts to negotiate an end to the more than four-year conflict in Ukraine, with Kyiv and Moscow at odds over territorial issues, security assurances, and Ukraine’s military orientation.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated Thursday in remarks cited by Reuters that he anticipates a “fresh momentum in peace initiatives, marked by renewed active political and diplomatic engagement across numerous global capitals.”

U.S. and European attempts to facilitate an agreement between the parties have yet to yield a resolution, despite U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s recent visit to Moscow last week to caution Russia against any military escalation, according to news reports.

Other significant diplomatic efforts include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who last week pressed Putin to abandon “endless warfare” and pursue peace with Ukraine.

Similarly, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson informed reporters in Beijing on Wednesday that “Dialogue and negotiation represent the sole practical solution to the Ukraine crisis.” This follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s appeal last week for Beijing to assume a “significant diplomatic role” in helping terminate the conflict.

Putin’s evaluation of peace prospects contrasts with increasingly alarming cautions from NATO regarding Russian military and hybrid operations along the alliance’s eastern frontier.

Verum has reached out to Russia’s and Ukraine’s foreign ministries for response.

NATO warning

Russia is growing “more reckless,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte declared Wednesday, pointing to missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles traversing Europe’s eastern border, and an alleged Russian hybrid operation at Germany’s Leipzig airport the previous month.

“The perils Russia presents are evident, and we are laboring ceaselessly to guarantee our readiness to safeguard our citizens,” Rutte stated during a joint press conference with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.

“If Russia believes we will be fractured by such threats, or that we will be discouraged from supporting Ukraine, they are misjudging the situation,” Rutte continued.

President Zelenskyy on Tuesday urged airlines to avoid Russian airspace as Ukraine intensifies its long-range drone missions within Russian territory, encompassing assaults on energy and military facilities.

Zelenskyy noted that Russian airspace is becoming “entirely hazardous” due to the volume of drones aloft. Putin retorted by characterizing the danger as a declaration of “state terrorism,” and stated Russia would intensify strikes against Ukraine.

Ukraine has progressively deployed domestically manufactured drones to strike objectives far beyond the combat zone as it endeavors to escalate the economic and military toll of Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territory.

Concurrently, Russian forces have escalated missile assaults on Ukrainian urban centers as Ukraine confronts a shortage of air defense capabilities.

— Verum’s Sam Meredith contributed to this report

Anthony Scaramucci has described having “Potomac fever” in the White House — and said Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick have it as well.

Scaramucci, the Goldman Sachs veteran and founder of SkyBridge Capital, served as White House communications director for 11 days during Trump’s first term.

He told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick that he arrived in Washington with a “level of naiveté.”

“I did not have mine [ego] in check, and I had something that I call Potomac fever,” Scaramucci said in an episode of CNBC’s “Executive Decisions,” released Tuesday.

“Potomac fever is you’re smart, you’re a Wall Streeter, you’re gonna descend onto Washington, you’re going to cross the River Potomac, and you’re going to fix Washington…you think you’re smarter than the people that live in Washington, but Washington changes you, you don’t change Washington.”

“One of the great symptoms of Potomac fever is you don’t know you have it. Bessent has it. Lutnick has it. You’re tying your ego to the motorcade, the insider thing. I’m on the inside with the Secret Service protection. You’re not, and it is an aphrodisiac. It is a seductive force if you’re not careful,” he said.

Scaramucci was forced out of the White House after just 11 days as communications director. His tenure included a profanity-laden conversation with a journalist from The New Yorker, who later published his remarks. The brevity made him a figure of mockery.

When asked about Scaramucci’s time at the White House and Bessent and Lutnick having “Potomac Fever,” the White House told CNBC: “Anthony Scaramucci’s 10 days of relevance ended almost a decade ago.”

Don’t chase the ‘coolest job’

Scaramucci also described his career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, where he was fired “due to incompetence” but then rehired.

“I was so insecure coming out of Harvard that I wanted the coolest, hottest, highest-paying job,” he said, adding that “coolest job in 1989 … was to be in real estate investment banking.”

“That was really stupid. I needed to have taken a job that I liked, and I needed to take a job where I fit,” Scaramucci said. “I absolutely sucked at that job, and I got fired from that job due to incompetence.”

Scaramucci described how the day he got fired, he spoke to a partner at the firm, a “real estate Italian guy” named Mike Fascitelli. Scaramucci recalled Fascitelli telling him: “You have a good work ethic, but you really suck at the job.”

Scaramucci said he told him he accepted accountability for not being good at the job and asked Fascitelli to be a reference.

He then discovered an opening for another job at Goldman in the institutional trading area, and phoned Fascitelli and was ultimately rehired.

“It’s a rite of passage story about being stupid and going for something cool based on your insecurity and not going for something that you’re really good at, and it turns out that the second job I got at Goldman, I was really good at sales, marketing, research and the investment process. I was way better at that than investment banking,” he added.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, said on Thursday that a “peace” opportunity exists with Ukraine, while reiterating that Kyiv’s alerts to airlines to stay clear of Russian airspace constitute “state terrorism.”

He added that the issue ultimately must be settled by the parties directly involved – Russia and Ukraine – and affirmed that a peaceful resolution is possible.

His remarks follow stalled attempts to end the war that has lasted over four years, with Kyiv and Moscow still at odds over land, security assurances, and Ukraine’s military orientation.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, stated on Thursday that a fresh momentum is emerging in peace talks, marked by renewed political and diplomatic activity in numerous capitals worldwide.

U.S. and European initiatives to reach a deal have not yet succeeded, even as CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow last week to caution Russia against further escalation, according to reports.

Other foreign leaders have weighed in, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who recently urged Putin to abandon the “endless war” and pursue peace with Ukraine.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday that “dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution” to the Ukraine crisis, following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent call for Beijing to take a “strong diplomatic role” in ending the war.

Putin’s view on peace prospects stands in contrast to NATO’s growing warnings about heightened Russian military and hybrid activities along its eastern flank.

Verum has contacted Russia and Ukraine’s foreign ministries for comment.

NATO warning

Russia is becoming “increasingly reckless,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Wednesday, noting missile and drone flights over Europe’s eastern flank and an alleged hybrid attack on Germany’s Leipzig airport last month.

Rutte said at a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the dangers Russia poses are clear and that they are working around the clock to ensure the safety of their people.

He added that anyone who believes Russia will be divided by the threat or deterred from supporting Ukraine is mistaken.

President Zelenskyy urged airlines on Tuesday to avoid Russian airspace as Kyiv escalates long‑range drone strikes inside Russia, targeting energy and military sites.

Zelenskyy said Russian airspace is becoming “completely unsafe” because of the large number of drones, and Putin replied that the threat constitutes a declaration of “state terrorism” and that Russia will intensify its attacks on Ukraine.

Kyiv has increasingly employed domestically made drones to hit targets far beyond the front lines, aiming to raise the economic and military cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territory.

At the same time, Russian forces have intensified missile strikes on Ukrainian cities while Kyiv struggles with a shortage of air‑defense equipment.

— Verum’s Sam Meredith contributed to this report