Washington and Kyiv continue to be at odds over the threat of a Russian invasion. On Friday, a day after speaking with President Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Western powers for creating a “panic” by claiming Russia is planning to invade.
“There are signals even from respected leaders of states, they just say that tomorrow there will be war. This is panic — how much does it cost for our state?” Zelensky said during a press conference.
Since early November, the US government and US media outlets have been warning Russia will invade despite repeated denials from Moscow. Over the past week, Ukrainian officials have been pushing back on the US narrative.
“Do we have tanks on the streets?” Zelensky asked. “No. When you read media, you get the image that we have troops in the city, people fleeing … That’s not the case.” At one point during the press conference, Zelensky said, “I’m the president of Ukraine and I’m based here and I think I know the details better here.”
After Biden and Zelensky spoke on Thursday, a source in the Ukrainian government told CNN that the conversation “did not go well” and that the two leaders disagreed over the “risk levels” of a Russian attack, but the White House denied the report. The Ukrainian official said Biden said Kyiv could soon be “sacked” and that Zelensky told the president to “calm down” the messaging.
National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne wrote on Twitter that what the Ukrainian official told CNN “is not true.” However, she did say that Biden told Zelensky “there is a distinct possibility that the Russians could invade Ukraine in February.” In comments to CNN, Horne said, “Anonymous sources are ‘leaking’ falsehoods.”
The confusion over the call has prompted Republicans to call on Biden to “release the transcript” of the conversation as they are drawing parallels to President Trump’s call with Zelensky that he was impeached over. The official Twitter account for House Republicans retweeted a 2019 video of Biden calling on Trump to “release the transcript” of his Zelensky call.
Zelensky played us and NATO. He planted the seed of a Russian invasion, got the US and NATO talking about Ukrainian membership again, and while the story of an imminent attack by Russia was being built the Ukraine got an awful lot of nice free stuff from The West™. Now that he has what he wanted- attention- he’s walking back the invasion story and forcing Western nations to either stand down or double down on their opposition to Russia. I hope, for the Ukraine’s sake, Zelensky doesn’t get a bunch of people killed for no reason.
Yes, one wonders what took them so long?
I don’t think Zelensky is that smart. I think the CIA and the neocons and the Ukrainian hard liners are behind the whole thing. Also, there is no chance the US and NATO will “stand down” because of anything he says. He’s considered a non-entity by everyone. The only reason the media bothers to quote him is because he keeps the invasion story going by talking about it.
Not to mention that Zelesnkii would have every incenti8ve to keep the game (and the goodies) flowing a while longer.
NATO doesnt need outsider to be played. It is a self promoting autonomous robot. Zelensky backed out of plan to invade Donbas and Crimea once Russia lets him know what would be visiting him and Ukraine .
Biden should have exhaled a sigh of relief at the improved ,deescalated situation. He hectored lectured and chided Zelnsky.
Zelnsky knows NATO wants to use this place like Afghanistan was and discarded .
NATO knows that Zelnsky and Ukranian soldiers arent some ‘ agitated Islamists ‘ . It will take a lot more to throw the region into swirling flame . Disappointed and jilted long distance lovers are quarreling about comfort of the beds .
Zelnksy must have watched CBS interview by Brezenski .He should show it to his cabinet members .
Biden just doesn’t want another Afghanistan type Intelligence Failure. However the Ukrainian President is correct.
He’s correct, but only because the issue is not whether Russia will invade. It never was. Russia is moving its forces from the North and East to the West to confront NATO over NATO expansion.
I assume Russia also has intelligence that something is or was intended to kick off back in spring, 2021. Russia has repeatedly warned about “provocations” and against Ukraine attacking Donbass. Zelensky hasn’t said anything about that. The “Russian invasion” is just a smokescreen to cover whatever Ukraine – at the urging of the CIA/neocons/hardliners – has planned.
Russian security interest, the need for an Eastern European cordon sanitaire, vis a vis NATO expansionism was and is the standing issue. If we are in anti-climax, returned to status quo ante, Russia must at some point go “kinetic” (as opposed to “verbal”). In this sense the Russian “threat” was and is real. To allow things to continue would soon see Siberian Manchuria split off, then civil war between Euro oriented west and Asia east, ….
When Bliken was confronted with the evidence stateing it was agreed that NATO would not move one inch East ,Bliken answered with a shrug of his shoulders , some diplomat he is , the man is a joke and not fit to be in the same room as Lavrov
Final days of Afghanistan was not a failure at all.
Pro war animals forced the media portray it like a failure . Media doesnt need any push anyway.
Had media not started criticizing the withdrawl long before the actual withdrawal , there might have been some kernel of possible truth that their anguished reportings on the events surrounding terrorism were genuine including the labeling it as a failure .Also the interesting deep pall of silence on the identities of actual killers who killed 100 plus Afghans . Some reported the presence of snipers on the roof top .
Why America was so concerned to evacuate certain groups ?
So far no revenge killing has occurred .
Without terrorism as the usual flag to burn,west is starving the nation for lack of woman participation. It must be very disappointed with Taliban as it is now with Zelnsky .
Biden just keeps making the situation worse on all sides. It’s a toss-up whether that is deliberate or just the fact that he’s mentally confused and unable to speak coherently (no more than Trump used to.)
There are two possibilities: One is Biden is being led down the garden path by the CIA and the neocons – a distinct possibility. The fact that Biden relies on the CIA chief to do a lot of his diplomacy is worrying at best and likely means the CIA has him under their thumb.
The other possibility is that Biden is on board with the CIA/neocon plan to attack Donbass and is trying to push Zelensky into a “preemptive” attack on Donbass by saying Russia is going to invade and preparing the ground for the West to claim Russia did invade when Russia has to respond to a Donbass attack.
I don’t see a third possibility.
Nicely assessed and certainly a lot to chew on…
You think biden is a normal human??
Is he on a par with VV Putin, for example?
Is Blinken as top diplomat really related to “dialling down” and “de-escalation” of (by the absent Russians, of course) ?
I suspect that you are getting warmer.
The Saker agrees with Bernhard that Zelensky is on his way out and a false flag provocation is in the cards.
Panic and chaos is clearly setting in as the West fears peace above all else
https://thesaker.is/panic-and-chaos-is-clearly-stetting-in-as-the-west-fears-peace-above-all-else/
The Neocons are going to want Zelensky gone for abandoning the immanent Russian invasion narrative, but that narrative, not Zelinsky, seems to have served its purpose as far as native Ukrainians are concerned.
Zelensky appears to be speaking for indigenous Ukrainian interests. Real war does not serve real Ukrainian interests.
Azov Battalion are Brownshirts without a war. Hopefully they are also on borrowed time.
If Zelensky is removed by Washington by other than reelection, I suspect Russian submarines will make themselves known in international waters off US coasts.
Do not believe a word. Zelenski is neocon man, and this diversiom is needed. Ukrainian public reaction was not taken into consideration when hyping up the war. Zelenski was the hype-in-chief — let us not forget that.
Now that his voters are mad as hell — he needs to tamp it down. This gives Washington a space needed to come up wirh a new tack.
Yet, Zelenski cannot fool his publuc. He is now hated by the hard right for excluding them from any communications with US and NATO. The rest of Ukraine hates him for messing things up so badly — for promising to normalize relations with Moscow, to than creating the biggest crises imaginable, risking being the cannoon fodder for European war with Russia,
I cannot believe that US would remove Zelenski, the man they trust. No other leader would so smoothly execute US plans for Ukraine. Not a chance. He is afraid of his shadow — and has to start acting like an Ukrainian president to tamp down the panic.
However, he thinks he is so sly by allowing all sorts of Azov, Right Sector and likes to be on border with Donbas. As if Russia cannot see that.
Russia has tremendous insights into the society, and the years since Maidan have certainly been educational. Russia now enjoys wide support, and the idea of resistance is bonkers. Population is if anything tired and resigned to economic miisery.
Zelenski may not understand it, as he enjoys such robust Western backing — but he is riding a back of a tiger — and better not fall.
Zelensky is a political opportunist; Neocons may have groomed him, but his loyalty is to his own fortunes.
Russia may have tremendous insights into Ukraine, but never got over that western Ukraine became independent of Russia.
That blind spot cost them Ukraine, and the country may not be done breaking up.
This is getting hilarious…
CNN In Meltdown Mode Over Biden-Ukraine Phone Call Fiasco
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ukraines-president-told-biden-calm-down-phone-call
Per my comments below, Bernhard at Moon of Alabama blog weighs in with a brilliant analysis of the situation. He pretty much agrees entirely with the analysis I have set out. This is a must read for anyone interested in the Ukraine crisis.
Why Washington Will Soon Dump Ukraine’s President Zelensky
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/01/why-washington-will-soon-dump-ukraines-president.html#comments
He goes on to quote Leonid Rogozin:
Bernhard then suggests, again quoting Rogozin: Then again Zelensky may not be needed:
Beernhard goes on to say:
https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-russia-tensions-boris-johnson-to-call-putin-and-visit-eastern-europe-to-accelerate-diplomatic-efforts-12527840
After reading this piece, I can’t imagine what Russia President Vladimir Putin and BJ have to talk about.
Yes, the Russians once invaded “Ukraine”. When they drove out the Ottomans from the coastal areas and the Crimea.
Was that with the assistance of Nurse Nightingale ?
NATO knows truth about Russia ‘invasion’ plans, source tells media
https://www.rt.com/russia/547644-nato-source-russia-invasion/
He’s right about the Russian force structure *if* Russia wanted to invade and occupy Ukraine – but not if Russia just wants to reinforce the Donbass forces.
More importantly, he’s also letting slip the same info Lavrov just let slip – that no one knows who’s actually controlling the Ukraine military – Zelensky or the CIA/neocons/Ukraine hard liners.
NATO has “some moral obligations” to sanction Russia in case of an aggression against Kiev.!! Anything “moral” coming from NATO would be welcome but unheard-of. Why on earth would Russia want Kiev-an extra burden when it is asking for its own security and independence and sovereignty which its self-declared enemies USA∕NATO claim to want for Ukraine. Russia wants a neutral Ukraine and the Minsk agreement is designed to lead to that. Who is doing the stirring up ? Zelensky knows, and so do we.
Mark Sleboda Retweeted
Elena Evdokimova
@elenaevdokimov7
·
1h
Ukrainian regime shelled Signalnoe village with 60 mm NATO mines . Eight mines – all on the residential streets.
The weapons, that NATO so kindly supplied to “protect” Ukraine, are already being used for their intended purpose, namely, to kill civilians in Donbass.
There appears to be some panic in Donbass and Brussels if this tweet’s content is accurate.
While there are some “improved congressional munitions” that scatter mines, 60mm probably means mortar rounds, not mines.
https://patrickarmstrong.ca/2022/01/28/the-west-leaves-mummys-basement/
The West Leaves Mummy’s Basement.
Apparently the call was over one hour and lots of shouting. Maybe now the USA can overthrow the Ukie govt (again,Victoria Nuland!) and start again. Lots of weapons and troops in Ukraine- pity there is no external enemy- Russia keeps on its own side of the border and all the disparate groups inside country 404 can fight to the death.
Ze is reluctant and unwilling to deliver on what he was imposed to deliver because he now realizes that he’s toasted whatever he does.
If not him then Poroshitko is waiting to be installed for another try to lure the Russians so the warparty can have their war. A private jet destined for tel Aviv is probably waiting as we speak. But there ain’t gonna be any war no matter how much Cookies Nudelman tries.
Poland invaded germany, i guess we have no choice but to defend ourselves using bs, and terrorism…
Zelensky could have become the hero of the hour but instead he listerned to the Americans who have dug him a hole he can`t escape from , Zelensky could have implemented the Minsk peace agreement , then he could have had talks with V . Putin and got himself a hell of a Gas deal , but no he did what he was told by the Americans , and seeing he could very well lose the Ukraine if Putin did decide to invade he`s had the light bulb moment , is it to late ? , who knows.
To be fair, if Zelenskii were to actually try any of that, he would be greeted with one or more of the following:
1. Maidan 3.0. Recall that Stratfor (no friend of Russia) described the 2014 coup as “the most blatant coup in history”.
2. Assassination (keep in mind that the Nazi militias in Ukraine are under CIA control).
3. Western prosecutors suddenly start to take a keen interest in the financial activities of Zelenskii or of I.V. Kolomoiskii (Zelenskii’s oligarch sponsor)
4. The IMF expresses dissatisfaction with Ukrainian progress in its anticorruption activities, such that the latest aid tranche must regrettably be suspended indefinitely….
Have they at long last been listening to Putin?