#Zelenskyy NATO plan

[latestnews-now]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a bold NATO-backed strategy to end the 'hot phase' of the war. In an interview with Sky News, he called for parts of Ukraine under Kyiv’s control to be placed under NATO’s protection, sparking global debate. Can this move bring peace or escalate tensions further? Watch now for a full breakdown of the story, including leadership changes in Ukraine’s military and updates on the conflict.

[medicinemane]

Never think that I've stopped talking about Ukraine or that I've forgotten

I follow things every day, every day hoping for some kind of miracle that means the fighting is over, russia will leave every inch of Ukrainian soil, no more bombings... but... I know it's probably some time off... I'm not stupid, I just hope people can stop dying

I follow it every day, hear all the horrible news, keep up to date with things like the Kursk counteroffensive where Ukraine has taken a great deal of russian territory (which shows russia has no red lines)

I just don't share most of what I see on here because I don't want people to get fatigued... there's so many horrible things going on in the world, I don't want to burn people out

I'd rather someone be active and able to do a little than having to just turn off and disengage with everything to avoid losing it

All I ask is that you support Ukraine, they're just trying to exist. Just trying to live normal lives. I just hope you can support the "no civilians deserve to be bombed" platform, and say they don't deserve to be bombed by russia

If you've ever got any questions, it's not like I'm an expert, it's not like I'm living it, but I do follow things every day and it often seems like I know stuff other westerners haven't hear about... so ask away

Anyway, just never think that just cause it's been a bit since I mentioned Ukraine that they're not still on my mind

You hear less for your sake, but I keep coming back every day, and even I don't remotely see the true scale and horror of it, only snippets of... photos, videos, stories people share online

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

I posted recently about Vladimir Putin's claims to be studying a peace plan. In this post, I noted that the Ukrainian side had laid out its own four-point plan.

As I said last month, it is now likely that the war in Ukraine will end in stalemate or negotiation. According to the short summary above, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is likely to propose a ten-point peace plan at the United Nations General Assembly in New York next month.

In the plan, Zelenskyy is reported to demand Russian withdrawal from Ukraine and a release of all prisoners of war and deportees.

Ukrainian officials will also discuss the status of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

I have already explained why Putin needs to be seen to be examining peace plan options; he needs to save face, as it is abundantly clear that Russia cannot win.

As far as Ukraine is concerned, it is possible that Ukrainian officials are once again discussing peace plans because:

The Ukrainian counteroffensive is visibly struggling

Because Russia pulled out of the Turkey-backed grain deal, Ukraine faces income shortages and neighbouring European countries such as Poland have placed bans on importing Ukrainian grain to avoid undercutting their own farmers

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant would be seriously endangered by fighting between Ukrainian and Russian soldiers

Some Western allies may struggle to continue providing weapons as their stockpiles are depleted, and at least one (Britain) has not committed itself to providing F16 planes

Ukraine cannot join NATO (or the EU) while in the middle of a war and facing severe economic damage

It is also worth noting that until the war ends, international prosecutors cannot initiate any war crimes investigations.

A negotiated settlement may therefore be unavoidable for Ukraine, especially if this war does not finish by the end of 2023.

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #22

June 7-14 2024

Vice-President Harris announced that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is moving to remove medical debt for people's credit score. This move will improve the credit rating of 15 million Americans. Millions of Americans struggling with debt from medical expenses can't get approved for a loan for a car, to start a small business or buy a home. The new rule will improve credit scores by an average of 20 points and lead to 22,000 additional mortgages being approved every year. This comes on top of efforts by the Biden Administration to buy up and forgive medical debt. Through money in the American Rescue Plan $7 billion dollars of medical debt will be forgiven by the end of 2026. To date state and local governments have used ARP funds to buy up and forgive the debt of 3 million Americans and counting.

The EPA, Department of Agriculture, and FDA announced a joint "National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics". The Strategy aimed to cut food waste by 50% by 2030. Currently 24% of municipal solid waste in landfills is food waste, and food waste accounts for 58% of methane emissions from landfills roughly the green house gas emissions of 60 coal-fired power plants every year. This connects to $200 million the EPA already has invested in recycling, the largest investment in recycling by the federal government in 30 years. The average American family loses $1,500 ever year in spoiled food, and the strategy through better labeling, packaging, and education hopes to save people money and reduce hunger as well as the environmental impact.

President Biden signed with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy a ten-year US-Ukraine Security Agreement. The Agreement is aimed at helping Ukraine win the war against Russia, as well as help Ukraine meet the standards it will have to be ready for EU and NATO memberships. President Biden also spearheaded efforts at the G7 meeting to secure $50 billion for Ukraine from the 7 top economic nations.

HHS announced $500 million for the development of new non-injection vaccines against Covid. The money is part of Project NextGen a $5 billion program to accelerate and streamline new Covid vaccines and treatments. The investment announced this week will support a clinical trial of 10,000 people testing a vaccine in pill form. It's also supporting two vaccines administered as nasal sprays that are in earlier stages of development. The government hopes that break throughs in non-needle based vaccines for Covid might be applied to other vaccinations thus making vaccines more widely available and more easily administered.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $404 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and the region. This brings the total invested by the Biden administration in the Palestinians to $1.8 billion since taking office, over $600 million since the war started in October 2023. The money will focus on safe drinking water, health care, protection, education, shelter, and psychosocial support.

The Department of the Interior announced $142 million for drought resilience and boosting water supplies. The funding will provide about 40,000 acre-feet of annual recycled water, enough to support more than 160,000 people a year. It's funding water recycling programs in California, Hawaii, Kansas, Nevada and Texas. It's also supporting 4 water desalination projects in Southern California. Desalination is proving to be an important tool used by countries with limited freshwater.

President Biden took the lead at the G7 on the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. The PGI is a global program to connect the developing world to investment in its infrastructure from the G7 nations. So far the US has invested $40 billion into the program with a goal of $200 billion by 2027. The G7 overall plans on $600 billion by 2027. There has been heavy investment in the Lobito Corridor, an economic zone that runs from Angola, through the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Zambia, the PGI has helped connect the 3 nations by rail allowing land locked Zambia and largely landlocked DRC access Angolan ports. The PGI also is investing in a $900 million solar farm in Angola. The PGI got a $5 billion dollar investment from Microsoft aimed at expanding digital access in Kenya, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The PGI's bold vision is to connect Africa and the Indian Ocean region economically through rail and transportation link as well as boost greener economic growth in the developing world and bring developing nations on-line.

[mariacallous]

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy presented his Victory Plan at the Verkhovna Rada on October 16, stressing the end of the war depends on Ukraine’s partners and not on Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin.

The Victory Plan consists of 5 points and 3 secret subpoints.

"If the plan is supported, we can end the war no later than next year," Zelenskyy said. "If we and our partners don't strengthen now, Putin will significantly strengthen next year.”

The President emphasized that Moscow is not interested in peace.

"Russia isn’t seeking an honest peace. Putin only wants war. We must change the circumstances so the war ends regardless of what Putin wants," Zelenskyy said.

The key points from President Zelenskyy’s address are as follows:

Invitation of Ukraine to NATO: Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine's invitation to NATO would serve as a "proof of determination" and signal how NATO partners envision Ukraine’s role in the future "security architecture."

Strengthening Defense: This point includes operations in strategic locations to prevent the creation of buffer zones within Ukraine, enhanced anti-aircraft defenses, joint efforts with partners to shoot down Russian aircraft, expanding the use of Ukrainian drones and missiles, removing restrictions on the use of weapons, and providing access to partner intelligence.

Deterrence: Zelenskyy called for the deployment of a comprehensive non-nuclear deterrence package aimed at protecting Ukraine from Russian aggression and limiting Russia's capabilities.

Development of Strategic and Economic Potential: Zelenskyy also highlighted the need to strengthen Ukraine’s strategic and economic potential, as well as intensify sanctions against Russia.

Post-War Contribution to NATO: After the war, the Ukrainian military could apply its experience to bolster NATO and European defense efforts. The President also suggested that Ukrainian forces could eventually replace the U.S. contingent in certain areas.

According to Zelenskyy, the second, third, and fourth points have secret sub-points that are revealed to the US and certain EU countries, including Britain and Italy.

Zelenskyy had planned to unveil his Victory Plan to Ukraine's Western allies during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Germany's Ramstein airbase on October 12. However, the gathering was canceled after US President Joe Biden postponed his overseas travel due to Hurricane Milton.

[dostoyevsky-official]

Once buoyed by hopes of liberating their lands, even soldiers at the front now voice a desire for negotiations with Russia to end the war. Yuriy, another commander on the eastern front who gave only his first name, says he fears the prospect of a “forever war”.

“I am for negotiations now,” he adds, expressing his concern that his son — also a soldier — could spend much of his life fighting and that his grandson might one day inherit an endless conflict.

[...] Ukraine is heading into what may be its darkest moment of the war so far. It is losing on the battlefield in the east of the country, with Russian forces advancing relentlessly — albeit at immense cost in men and equipment.

It is struggling to restore its depleted ranks with motivated and well-trained soldiers while an arbitrary military mobilisation system is causing real social tension. It is also facing a bleak winter of severe power and potentially heating outages.

[...] At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is under growing pressure from western partners to find a path towards a negotiated settlement, even if there is scepticism about Russia’s willingness to enter talks any time soon and concern that Ukraine’s position is too weak to secure a fair deal right now.

US officials were unimpressed by Zelenskyy’s “victory plan”, which includes requests for massive amounts of western weaponry.

An adviser who helped prepare the document says Zelenskyy had no choice but to restate his insistence on Nato membership because anything else would have been perceived as a retreat on the question of western security guarantees, which Ukrainians see as indispensable.

[...] Although Zelenskyy’s victory plan restated old objectives, its real significance is that it shifts Ukraine’s war aims from total liberation to bending the war in Kyiv’s favour, says the senior Ukrainian official.

Multiple European diplomats who attended last week’s UN General Assembly in New York say there was a tangible shift in the tone and content of discussions around a potential settlement.

They note more openness from Ukrainian officials to discuss the potential for agreeing a ceasefire even while Russian troops remain on their territory, and more frank discussions among western officials about the urgency for a deal.

Ukraine’s new foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, used private meetings with western counterparts on his first trip to the US in the post to discuss potential compromise solutions, the diplomats said, and struck a more pragmatic tone on the possibility of land-for-security negotiations than his predecessor.

“We’re talking more and more openly about how this ends and what Ukraine would have to give up in order to get a permanent peace deal,” says one of the diplomats, who was present in New York. “And that’s a major change from even six months ago, when this kind of talk was taboo.”

[...] The biggest domestic problem for Zelenskyy might come from a nationalist minority opposed to any compromise, some of whom are now armed and trained to fight.

“If you get into any negotiation, it could be a trigger for social instability,” says a Ukrainian official. “Zelenskyy knows this very well.”

“There will always be a radical segment of Ukrainian society that will call any negotiation capitulation. The far right in Ukraine is growing. The right wing is a danger to democracy,” says Merezhko, who is an MP for Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party.

[tomorrowusa]

^^^ I created that during Kamala's acceptance speech.

Republicans want to hold the whip and dictate how Americans should live their lives. Republicans hate freedom and love dictators. Their nominee, Weird Donald, is perfect for creating misery and despair.

ICYMI, here is her Thursday night speech.

In the speech she reminded listeners of the role the Biden-Harris administration played in providing intelligence to Ukraine ahead of Putin's invasion.

Five days before Russia attacked Ukraine, I met with President Zelensky to warn him about Russia’s plan to invade. I helped mobilize a global response – over 50 countries – to defend against Putin’s aggression. And as President, I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies.

That is a contrast to Trump who would wreck NATO and undermine US national security.

Trump, on the other hand, threatened to abandon NATO. He encouraged Putin to invade our allies. Said Russia could – quote – “do whatever the hell they want.”

As the VP mentioned, she met with President Zelenskyy as Russia was preparing to attack. Here's a contemporary news story about that event.

Harris on Ukraine: World at ‘a decisive moment in history’

We have it easier than Ukrainians when it comes to defending freedom. All we need to do is to get out the vote and to vote ourselves.

A HŪGE defeat for Weird Donald and his MAGA accomplices would put an end to this dangerous autocracy-curious phase in US history,

Be a voter | Vote Save America

[alcestas-sloboda]

As I said, here are some of the quotes of Dzhokhar Dudayev, the first president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, taken from his various interviews and compiled with the help of his wife into a book "Лицар Свободи" ("The Knight of Freedom").

About the UN:

"The multi-volume UN resolutions lie on the shelves and are not implemented in relation to the nations. And since the day this organization was founded, we have not heard a single thing in defense of the Chechen people during the worst repressions. And in general, about all repressed peoples of the old regime"

About Budapest memorandum:

"Therefore, we need to turn to the UN to protect Ukraine, help it, protect it from sabotage. It’s better to let these nuclear weapons be in Ukraine than in Russia. They have absolutely no control over it there. If we come together with a common position and program, we can stop the nuclear disaster and the killing of peoples. The only thing we lack is unity"

About ruscism:

"To peoples of the former USSR I wish nothing. What they deserve, they themselves do. The peoples of the former, present, or future Union and, in particular, Russia, are sick of ruscism. And this is a very dangerous and serious chronic disease. Ruscism is scarier than all other misanthropic ideologies. And this terrible disease can probably be cured only by the most difficult tests. Russians are probably the only people on earth who do not believe in anything at all. Spiritless, immoral and hopelessly behind the level of human development. Not inclined to spirituality, and, accordingly, to morality. And this, unfortunately, on a massive scale. What is happening now... Chechnya is just an excuse. And at the root of it all lies the misanthropic ideology. And for this, you have to pay."

About peace between Ichkeria and Russia (compare it to Zelenskyy’s peace plan):

"But there can be peace between Chechnya and Russia only if these criminals are handed over to us. Either the world community will condemn them and bring them to justice, or they will hand them over to us. This is the first condition. The withdrawal of troops from the territory of the Republic, so that we can at least bury people, tally up the casualties and accounts - is also an indispensable condition. Another condition is the restoration of material and moral damages, once again inflicted on our people. And guarantees of the international community of security to the citizens of the Chechen Republic and its state integrity. Under these conditions, peace will come. Without them, we will fight to the last. Both Russia and Chechnya. Russia as a state will not be on our land. And it has no chance here. But we have"

The importance of NATO for the European security:

"In vain, the Russians think that now they will intimidate the world with their army, criminals, and nuclear weapons. Humanity can no longer be intimidated. Everyone has already been through that, everyone has gone through this hell of ruscism. Either Russia will disappear as a state, or it will have to turn to the world community. And for this, humanity must make efforts so that there are no blocs, no military confrontations in the world. Especially the Russian bloc. Only one bloc is needed - NATO, and it must be expanded. Let countries join a single military bloc to protect the interests of all peoples of the globe. And the weaker the people, the greater the protection should be. Then there will be calm and peace on Earth. It's time to kick Russia out of the UN. Humanity must protect itself from ruscism by putting itself in the shoes of the Chechens. In this way, they will protect themselves from future destruction"

One of the interviews given to Ukrainian journalists:

"How long will this war last?"

"This war will last fifty years. Perhaps there will be a temporary pause, but the war will continue. Its scale will expand, it will smolder for a long time, and the foci of smoldering will spread more widely. Probably, until Russia as a state does not disappear"

[generallemarc]

I just heard about this but what do you think about this situation about Joe Rogan and Ukraine where he seems to blame Zelenskyy and Biden for launching missiles in Russia and potentially escalating a possible world war III?

Trump voice wrong. Biden didn't launch shit-he gave Ukraine permission to do what it had already been doing with American weapons(attack into Russian territory) only at a longer range than just the Kursk border. And if Russia had been planning on taking this nuclear, they'd have done it when we started giving them these missiles in the first place because they'd have been idiots not to expect this. Nothing short of a direct combat between NATO and Russian forces could escalate this to WW3 at this point, and anyone saying otherwise is either an idiot or deliberately lying in order to fearmonger.

[darkmaga-returns]

ZIO-ANGLO-AMERICAN AXIS HEGEMONIC SCHEME EXPLODES WORLDWIDE

Posted on December 5, 2024 by State of the Nation

https://stateofthenation.info/?p=7069

SOTN Editor’s Note: Every once in a while we come across a comment posted at one of our go-to Alt Media websites that really nails it like the one posted below.

It ought to be clear to every global geopolitical and geomilitary analyst that the entire planetary chessboard is blowing up in real-time.  Actually, out of sheer desperation, it’s being blown up by the Western hegemons in their fierce determination to maintain their domination over the Global Economic & Financial System.

You name the continent or country, major city or power province, and there are “major moves and maneuvers” being made by the US-UK-IL-UA-EU-NATO Terror Group and Warmongering Gang of Bullies.

For example, the French Government just collapsed as the South Korean president declared illicitly declared martial law.  The CIA is coordinating yet another color revolution in Georgia as the new and improved ISIS (aka Israeli Secret Intelligence Service) is attacking Syria again with direct military assistance from Turkey, as well as from British-American Military Industrial Complex (Where else does their endless supply of the latest and greatest weapons come from?!).

Of course, there is always the highly organized genocide of Christian Slavic men in Ukraine by Neo-Nazi Zelenskyy as there is the very sly proxy war against Russia being waged by the Zio-Anglo-American Axis that wants to conquer that largest nation on Earth.  How else can the London banksters and their Yankee bully accomplices stave off their impending bankruptcies?

Let’s face it: no one does coups and color revolutions like the Bloody Brits and their American henchmen.  That’s right, all of the planning of these violent takeovers takes place in London in very the same offices of the now defunct but very much alive British East India Company that began cobbling together their tyrannical British Empire at their founding in 1600.

[theculturedmarxist]

It has been clear for some time that US corporate news media have explicitly taken a side on the Ukraine War. This role includes suppressing relevant history of the lead-up to the war (FAIR.org, 3/4/22), attacking people who bring up that history as “conspiracy theorists” (FAIR.org, 5/18/22), accepting official government pronouncements at face value (FAIR.org, 12/2/22) and promoting an overly rosy picture of the conflict in order to boost morale.

For most of the war, most of the US coverage has been as pro-Ukrainian as Ukraine’s own media, now consolidated under the Zelenskyy government (FAIR.org, 5/9/23). Dire predictions sporadically appeared, but were drowned out by drumbeat coverage portraying a Ukrainian army on the cusp of victory, and the Russian army as incompetent and on the verge of collapse.

Triumphalist rhetoric soared in early 2023, as optimistic talk of a game-changing “spring offensive” dominated Ukraine coverage. Apparently delayed, the Ukrainian counteroffensive launched in June. While even US officials did not believe that it would amount to much, US media papered over these doubts in the runup to the campaign.

Over the last three months, it has become clear that the Ukrainian military operation will not be the game-changer it was sold as; namely, it will not significantly roll back the Russian occupation and obviate the need for a negotiated settlement. Only after this became undeniable did media report on the true costs of war to the Ukrainian people.

Overwhelming optimism

In the runup to the counteroffensive, US media were full of excited conversation about how it would reshape the nature of the conflict. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Radio Free Europe (4/21/23) he was “confident Ukraine will be successful.” Sen. Lindsey Graham assured Politico (5/30/23), “In the coming days, you’re going to see a pretty impressive display of power by the Ukrainians.” Asked for his predictions about Ukraine’s plans, retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges told NPR (5/12/23), “I actually expect…they will be quite successful.”

Former CIA Director David Patraeus, author of the overhyped “surge” strategy in Iraq, told CNN (5/23/23):

I personally think that this is going to be really quite successful…. And [the Russians] are going to have to withdraw under pressure of this Ukrainian offensive, the most difficult possible tactical maneuver, and I don’t think they’re going to do well at that.

The Washington Post’s David Ignatius (4/15/23) acknowledged that “hope is not a strategy,” but still insisted that “Ukraine’s will to win—its determination to expel Russian invaders from its territory at whatever cost—might be the X-factor in the decisive season of conflict ahead.”

The New York Times (6/2/23) ran a story praising recruits who signed up for the Ukrainian pushback, even though it “promises to be deadly.” Times columnist Paul Krugman (6/5/23) declared we were witnessing “the moral equivalent of D-Day.” CNN (5/30/23) reported that Ukrainians were “unfazed” as they “gear up for a counteroffensive.”

Cable news was replete with buzz about how the counteroffensive, couched with modifiers like “long-awaited” or “highly anticipated,” could turn the tide in the war. Nightly news shows (e.g., NBC, 6/15/23, 6/16/23) presented audiences with optimistic statements from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other figures talking about the imminent success.

Downplaying reality

Despite the soaring rhetoric presented to audiences, Western officials understood that the counteroffensive was all but doomed to fail. This had been known long before the above comments were reported, but media failed to include that fact as prominently as the predictions for success.

On April 10, as part of the Discord leaks story, the Washington Post (4/10/23) reported that top secret documents showed that Ukraine’s drive would fall “well short” of its objectives, due to equipment, ammunition and conscription problems. The document predicted “sustainment shortfalls” and only “modest territorial gains.”

The Post additionally cited anonymous officials who claimed that the documents’ conclusions were corroborated by a classified National Intelligence Council assessment, shown only to a select few in Congress. The Post spoke to a Ukrainian official who “did not dispute the revelations,” and acknowledged that it was “partially true.”

While the Post has yet to publish the documents in full, the leaks and the other sources clearly painted a picture of a potentially disastrous counteroffensive. Fear was so palpable that the Biden administration privately worried about how he could keep up support for the war when the widely hyped offensive sputtered. In the midst of this, Blinken continued to dismiss the idea of a ceasefire, opting instead to pursue further escalating the conflict.

Despite the importance of these facts, they were hardly reported on by the rest of corporate media, and dropped from subsequent war coverage. When the Post (6/14/23) published a long article citing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s cautious optimism about the campaign, it neglected to mention its earlier reporting about the government’s privately gloomier assessments. The documents only started appearing again in the press after thousands were dead, and the campaign’s failure undeniable.

In an honest press, excited comments from politicians and commentators would be published alongside reports about how even our highest-level officials did not believe that the counteroffensive would amount to much. Instead, anticipation was allowed to build while doubts were set to the side.

Too ‘casualty-averse’?

By July, Ukrainian casualties were mounting, and it became clearer and clearer that the counteroffensive would fail to recapture significant amounts of Ukrainian territory. Reporting grew more realistic, and we were given insights into conditions on the ground in Ukraine, as well as what was in the minds of US officials.

According to the Washington Post (8/17/23), US and Ukrainian militaries had conducted war games and had anticipated that an advance would be accompanied by heavy losses. But when the real-world fatalities mounted, the Post reported, “Ukraine chose to stem the losses on the battlefield.”

This caused a rift between the Ukrainians and their Western backers, who were frustrated at Ukrainians’ desire to keep their people alive. A mid-July New York Times article (7/14/23) reported that US officials were privately frustrated that Ukraine had become too afraid of dying to fight effectively. The officials worried that Ukrainian commanders “fear[ed] casualties among their ranks,” and had “reverted to old habits” rather than “pressing harder.” A later Times article (8/18/23) repeated Washington’s worries that Ukrainians were too “casualty-averse.”

Acknowledging failure

After it became undeniable that Ukraine’s military action was going nowhere, a Wall Street Journal report (7/23/23) raised some of the doubts that had been invisible in the press on the offensive’s eve. The report’s opening lines say it all:

When Ukraine launched its big counteroffensive this spring, Western military officials knew Kyiv didn’t have all the training or weapons—from shells to warplanes—that it needed to dislodge Russian forces.

The Journal acknowledged that Western officials simply “hoped Ukrainian courage and resourcefulness would carry the day.”

One Post column (7/26/23) asked, “Was Gen. Mark Milley Right Last Year About the War in Ukraine?” Columnist Jason Willick acknowledged that “Milley’s skepticism about Ukraine’s ability to achieve total victory appears to have been widespread within the Biden administration before the counteroffensive began.”

And when one official told Politico (8/18/23), “Milley had a point,” acknowledging the former military head’s November suggestion for negotiations.  The quote was so telling that Politico made it the headline of the article.

Even Rep. Andy Harris (D-Md.), co-chair of the congressional Ukraine Caucus, publicly questioned whether or not the war was “winnable” (Politico, 8/17/23). Speaking on the counteroffensive’s status, he said, “I’ll be blunt, it’s failed.”

Newsweek (8/16/23) reported on a Ukrainian leadership divided over how to handle the “underwhelming” counteroffensive. The Washington Post (8/17/23) reported that the US intelligence community assessed that the offensive would fail to fulfill its key objective of severing the land bridge between Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

As the triumphalism ebbed, outlets began reporting on scenes that were almost certainly common before the spring push but had gone unpublished. One piece from the Post (8/10/23) outlined a “darken[ed] mood in Ukraine,” in which the nation was “worn out.” The piece acknowledged that “Ukrainian officials and their Western partners hyped up a coming counteroffensive,” but there was “little visible progress.”

The Wall Street Journal (8/1/23) published a devastating piece about the massive number of amputees returning home from the mine-laden battlefield. They reported that between 20,000 and 50,000 Ukrainians had lost one or more limbs as a result of the war—numbers that are comparable to those seen during World War I.

Rather than dwelling on the stalled campaign, the New York Times and other outlets focused on the drone war against Russia, even while acknowledging that the remote strikes were largely an exercise in public relations. The Times (8/25/23) declared that the strikes had “little significant damage to Russia’s overall military might” and were primarily “a message for [Ukraine’s] own people,” citing US officials who noted that they “intended to demonstrate to the Ukrainian public that Kyiv can still strike back.” Looking at the quantity of Times coverage (8/30/23, 8/30/23,  8/23/23, 8/22/23, 8/22/23, 8/21/23, 8/18/23), the drone strikes were apparently aimed at an increasingly war-weary US public as well.

War as desirable outcome

The fact that US officials pushed for a Ukrainian counteroffensive that all but expected would fail raises an important question: Why would they do this? Sending thousands of young people to be maimed and killed does nothing to advance Ukrainian territorial integrity, and actively hinders the war effort.

The answer has been clear since before the war. Despite the high-minded rhetoric about support for democracy, this has never been the goal of pushing for war in Ukraine. Though it often goes unacknowledged in the US press, policymakers saw a war in Ukraine as a desirable outcome. One 2019 study from the RAND Corporation—a think tank with close ties to the Pentagon—suggested that an effective way to overextend and unbalance Russia would be to increase military support for Ukraine, arguing that this could lead to a Russian invasion.

In December 2021, as Russian President Vladimir Putin began to mass troops at Ukraine’s border while demanding negotiations, John Deni of the Atlantic Council published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal (12/22/21) headlined “The Strategic Case for Risking War in Ukraine,” which laid out the US logic explicitly: Provoking a war would allow the US to impose sanctions and fight a proxy war that would grind Russia down. Additionally, the anti-Russian sentiment that resulted from a war would strengthen NATO’s resolve.

All of this came to pass as Washington’s stance of non-negotiation successfully provoked a Russian invasion. Even as Ukraine and Russia sat at the negotiation table early in the war, the US made it clear that it wanted the war to continue and escalate. The US’s objective was, in the words of Raytheon boardmember–turned–Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, “to see Russia weakened.” Despite stated commitments to Ukrainian democracy, US policies have instead severely damaged it.

NATO’s ��strategic windfall’ 

In the wake of the stalled counteroffensive, the US interest in sacrificing Ukraine to bleed Russia was put on display again. In July, the Post‘s Ignatius declared that the West shouldn’t be so “gloomy” about Ukraine, since the war had been a “strategic windfall” for NATO and its allies. Echoing two of Deni’s objectives, Ignatius asserted that “the West’s most reckless antagonist has been rocked,” and “NATO has grown much stronger with the additions of Sweden and Finland.”

In the starkest demonstration of the lack of concern for Ukraine or its people, he also wrote that these strategic successes came “at relatively low cost,” adding, in a parenthetical aside, “(other than for the Ukrainians).”

Ignatius is far from alone. Hawkish Sen. Mitt Romney (R–Utah) explained why US funding for the proxy war was “about the best national defense spending I think we’ve ever done”: “We’re losing no lives in Ukraine, and the Ukrainians, they’re fighting heroically against Russia.” The consensus among policymakers in Washington is to push for endless conflict, no matter how many Ukrainians die in the process. As long as Russia loses men and material, the effect on Ukraine is irrelevant. Ukrainian victory was never the goal.

‘Fears of peace talks’

Polls show that support for increased US involvement in Ukraine is rapidly declining. The recent Republican presidential debate demonstrated clear fractures within the right wing of the US power structure. Politico (8/18/23) reported that some US officials are regretting potential lost opportunities for negotiations. Unfortunately, this minority dissent has yet to affect the dominant consensus.

The failure of the counteroffensive has not caused Washington to rethink its strategy of attempting to bleed Russia. The flow of US military hardware to Ukraine is likely to continue so long as this remains the goal. The Hill (9/5/23) gave the game away about NATO’s commitment to escalation with a piece titled “Fears of Peace Talks With Putin Rise Amid US Squabbling.”

But even within the Biden administration, the Pentagon appears to be at odds with the State Department and National Security Council over the Ukraine conflict.  Contrary to what may be expected, the civilian officials like Jake Sullivan, Victoria Nuland and Antony Blinken are taking a harder line on perpetuating this conflict than the professional soldiers in the Pentagon. The media’s sharp change of tone may both signify and fuel the doubts gaining traction within the US political class.

[follow-up-news]

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told lawmakers Wednesday that Ukraine’s Western partners are increasing pressure to negotiate with Russia, but he hinted such talks would be unfavorable to Kyiv as he unveiled what he called his “victory plan” for the war. Major points of the plan include an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and permission to use Western-supplied longer-range missiles to strike military targets deep inside Russian territory — steps that have been met with reluctance by Kyiv’s allies so far. “If we start moving according to this victory plan now, it may be possible to end the war no later than next year,” Zelenskyy told the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament. He will present the five-point plan to the European Council on Thursday. Zelenskyy also said that in private communications with Ukraine, its partners are increasingly mentioning “negotiations” and much less frequently using the word “justice.” But he reiterated that Ukraine is not prepared for a “frozen conflict” or any “trade-offs involving territory or sovereignty,” which drew sustained applause from the lawmakers. As the war grinds through its third year, the mood in Ukraine is grim as its troops face difficulty holding back Russian advances, especially in the east. Although Moscow’s gains are incremental, the steady forward movement is making Kyiv feel it needs more large-scale Western help.

[dzthenerd490]

News Post

Palestine

‘Missing in action’: Where has Palestinian Authority been since October 7? | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera

From exodus to exodus: Palestinian refugees in Lebanon flee Israeli attacks | International | EL PAÍS English (elpais.com)

Tributes pour in for Palestinian student burned to death in Israeli attack on al-Aqsa Hospital | Middle East Eye

The Israeli ‘General’s Plan’ for northern Gaza is unlikely to succeed | Israel-Palestine conflict | Al Jazeera

US imposes sanctions on 'sham charity' fundraising for Palestinian terror group | The Times of Israel (Israel-US Propaganda Bullshit)

Sudan

Sudan war: Afcon 2025 qualifying wins bring 'pride and joy' to country - BBC Sport

Sudanese army claims gains in Khartoum, retakes key water station - Sudan Tribune

Spiraling Sudan bloodshed sparks refugee surge into Chad (voanews.com)

Sudan war: 'They ransacked my home and left my town in ruins' (bbc.com)

Ukraine

Zelenskyy says ‘victory plan’ to end Russia war includes NATO membership | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera

Ukraine says North Korea is sending soldiers to help Russia in the war : NPR

Ukraine war: Meet Bucha's female unit who gun down Russian drones (bbc.com)

Exclusive: Inside a secretive Ukraine drone unit targeting Russian territory | CNN

Record high deaths in the Russia-Ukraine war: What you should know | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera

Lebanon

Lebanon official says Nabatiyeh province's mayor killed in Israeli strike | AP News

Israel row with Unifil peacekeepers driven by long distrust (bbc.com)

Netanyahu wants UNIFIL out of Lebanon. Why? | Israel attacks Lebanon News | Al Jazeera

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ICC prosecutor announces renewed probe into alleged crimes in eastern Congo | Africanews

Congo's war is creating a mental health crisis for those in displacement camps near Goma | AP News

Saudi Arabia, Egypt strengthen investment ties, urge Gaza and Lebanon Ceasefires | Africanews

Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia Counter Ethiopia in New Alliance (foreignpolicy.com)

A rare rain in the Sahara Desert | Weather News | Al Jazeera

Flooding kills more than 20 people in Morocco and Algeria | AP News

Myanmar and China have world’s ‘worst environment’ for internet freedom | Internet News | Al Jazeera

Israeli-Palestinian conflict – Rafah – Mother Jones

[beardedmrbean]

Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas told Euronews' The Europe Conversation that Ukraine's path to NATO membership should not be in doubt.

Lithuania's top defence official warned that Europe and the West could not afford to under-supply Ukraine in its effort to defeat Russia — and insisted again that there could be no equivocation over allowing the country to join the NATO alliance.

In an interview with Euronews, Laurynas Kasčiūnas said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "victory plan" for Ukraine includes NATO membership as a top objective.

"Lithuania has always supported Ukraine's invitation into NATO, because in our understanding, you cannot send the message to Russia that they have at least informal veto power on NATO's enlargement," he said.

"It's the biggest mistake. A Ukrainian nation which fights for their independence but also fights for our security deserves the right to self-determination — which organisation, which community to choose for the future, for their children, for future generations."

"An invitation is not membership, but it's a point of no return. It's irreversibility. So I think we can do this move. At least an invitation," Kasčiūnas explained.

While Ukraine was promised a "bridge to membership" at NATO's 75th anniversary summit this summer, the US emphasised that this was a long-term goal rather than a guarantee.

But Kasčiūnas argued that those in the West who argue supporting Ukraine may provoke Russia have already been proven wrong.

"We Baltics always said to give more weapons to Ukraine for deterrence," Kasčiūnas told Euronews. "If Ukraine will be strong, Russia will be deterred. And we heard a lot of voices from our friends: 'Look, if you give the weapons to Ukraine, it will escalate, it will provoke.' And we gave not enough, and you see what's happened."

"Doing nothing is escalatory. Thinking that your support to Ukraine can escalate the situation is a mistake. And I hope we will understand our mistakes."

[aurevoirmonty]

En même temps : Macron lâche 3 milliards à Zelensky le jour où le gouvernement Barnier demande aux Français 60 milliards d’économies.

«Ce sera un budget difficile, sérieux et responsable», a promis le pion de Bruxelles Michel Barnier lors de la présentation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DknxkvSoS8) du Projet de loi finances 2025.

Au menu donc, hausses d'impôts et économies faramineuses… sauf pour le régime de Kiev, dont le président - hasard malicieux du calendrier - était ce jour à Paris pour toucher ses prébendes (https://www.info.gouv.fr/actualite/france-ukraine-jusqua-3-milliards-deuros-daide-militaire#:~:text=La%20France%20et%20l'Ukraine,la%20Russie%20contre%20l'Ukraine.).

Le Président de la République réaffirme la détermination de la France à continuer d’apporter, dans la durée et avec l’ensemble de ses partenaires, un soutien sans faille à l’Ukraine et au peuple ukrainien

Qu'à cela ne tienne, pour faire passer la (grosse) pilule, le chef d'Etat à un plan:

Convaincre ses alliés d'autoriser Kiev à frapper en profondeur du territoire russe avec leurs armes. Ce qu'il est en passe de réussir (https://www.yahoo.com/news/nato-secretary-general-speaks-zelenskyy-131055657.html?guccounter=1) avec l'aide gracieuse (https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2024/10/09/il-faut-autoriser-l-ukraine-a-frapper-les-sites-de-lancement-russes-avec-les-armes-que-nous-lui-livrons_6347358_3232.html) de la presse subventionnée.

Au moins, avec la guerre les Français ne penseront plus à la grécisation du pays.

[mariacallous]

Following talks in Washington with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vice-President Harris said there were some in the U.S. who would give up Ukrainian territory, but that these were proposals for surrender.

Harris said if Russian President Vladimir Putin was allowed to take land with impunity, he could next set his sights on Poland and the Baltics.

Harris reaffirmed the U.S.’s unwavering support for Kyiv as she said it is in Washington’s interests.

She also said Putin could end the war at any time by withdrawing his troops and that there could be no decisions about the conflict’s conclusion without Ukraine.

Zelenskyy met Harris following talks with President Joe Biden.

The meetings with Biden and Harris represent the apex of a high-profile trip to the U.S. during which the Ukrainian leader gave a defiant address to the UN General Assembly.

Original plans had involved the Ukrainian president detailing a much-touted “victory plan” to his U.S. counterpart before presenting it to Harris and former President Donald Trump, who will face off at the polls in November.

Tensions with Trump

The meeting with Trump was called off, however, as the pair traded barbs.

Trump accused Zelenskyy of refusing to negotiate a deal with Putin, and also claimed Ukraine had been “obliterated” by Russia and was beyond reconstruction.

At a campaign rally on Wednesday, Trump described Zelenskyy as “probably the greatest salesman on Earth," due to the amount of aid he has secured for Ukraine’s war effort.

Kyiv has received $175 billion in military and economic assistance from the U.S. since the start of the war and on Thursday Biden announced a further $8 billion.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian leader questioned the Republican candidate’s ability to broker a peace deal, saying: “My feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war, even if he might think he knows how.”

Zelenskyy has said "peace is closer than we think" and that his country’s attacks within Russia are designed to force Putin to the negotiating table. In this context, he has repeatedly pushed for permission to use western weaponry for long-range strikes inside Russia.

Firmest nuclear threat to date

The Kremlin has warned that such a move would constitute an act of war by NATO and on Wednesday Putin made his firmest nuclear threat to date, announcing the Kremlin was considering new rules for nuclear engagement.

He said that a non-nuclear power attacking Russian territory with the support of a nuclear power should henceforth be considered a joint attack. His comments have been interpreted as a threat to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.

Biden and Zelenskyy will meet on October 12 in Germany to discuss the Ukrainian leader’s peace plan, the White House said on Thursday.