NATO foreign ministers met in Riga, Latvia, on Tuesday where they weighed potential responses to Russia’s alleged troop build-up near its border with Ukraine.
Over the past month, the US has been claiming that Russia is plotting an invasion of Ukraine, an accusation Moscow denies. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that any Russian “aggression” towards Ukraine “can trigger serious consequences.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia that an invasion of Ukraine would carry a “high price,” although he admitted that the alliance does not provide a security guarantee to Ukraine since the country is not a NATO Member.
When pressed by reporters on how NATO might respond to Russia, Stoltenberg said economic sanctions were being discussed. “Economic sanctions and political reactions is part of what we have discussed today, also with the United States,” he said. “We represent 50 percent of the world’s GDP and of course it matters when NATO allies discuss also the use of economic sanctions against the behavior of Russia.”
The US is also reportedly considering sending military advisors and more weapons to Ukraine. The potential weapons package could include new Javelin anti-tank missiles, mortars, and stinger missiles. Russia is concerned by the Western push to arm Ukraine, and any new military aid would only inflame tensions in the region even more.
Victoria Nuland’s US/NATO meddling in Ukraine goes on unabated and out of the MSM spotlight. “When pressed by reporters on how NATO might respond to Russia, Stoltenberg said economic sanctions were being discussed.” What a clown. Your “military’s” only remaining sanction option is cutting your own throat by sanctioning oil and gas from Russia. Again, where are the European intellectuals? …What’s that? They’re busy using all their fingers to plug holes in the global warming theory?
All this fuss is about keeping American control over EU countries. The same is going on in Asia – US elite became uncomfortable about growing commercial ties between China and Australia. So they forced Australia to stop the economic cooperation with China.
US elite would like to have a local war in Europe, but neither Ukraine, nor anyone else wishes to start it despite the massive American pressure.
US elite invested a lot of money in the militarism, obviously, hoping to achieve a first disarming strike capacity against Russia. Unfortunately for US elite, all their efforts to achieve the military superiority over Russia were counterproductive. Russian army at the moment is stronger than American one, no chance for the first disarming strike. Actually, it looks, in a couple of years, Russia can achieve such a capacity. Russian new hypersonic missiles are making American navy and American defence obsolete. American presence in the space can be wiped out in one hour. It is a very bad news for American military, they don’t use compass and map any more. It is very easy for Russia to make all US military really blind and disorientated.
The USA is a Warfare State, has never tolerated opposition (internal as well as external) to its Manifest Destiny; and it’s now declared the Monroe Doctrine applies globally. Agreed, the EU has to be brought to heel (Nordstrom 1 & 2 destroyed); but with the primary purpose of destroying Russia’s insubordination.
The US satellite guidance offense probably has been obsolesced; but fixed targets from fixed platforms with the trigonometry preprogrammed, blunt force bombing remains; and, it was always going to end this way, apocalyptic nuclear exchange. The US will not hesitate.
The Russians will.
We will know who can do what only when it happens, not before. Anyway those systems are working automatically already. In future the time for the decision making will be even shorter. Putin talked recently about 5 minutes between the launch and the hit.
The Russians will go first strike.
No, Russians will do it not, even if they are 100% sure they can. Because, after such an event, the whole world would go paranoiac and China is still there. Then what? Wait till China do the same? It is much better and safer for Russia to carry on with 3 major centres of the military power.
This discussion scares the daylights out of me, though, I can full well understand the need of having it…
I have been a peace activist for a long time and the level of these movements (and even this discussion itself) concerns me tremendously.
Well, if there is only five minutes between “launch and hit”, I’ll hardly have time to kiss my ass goodbye… (The ass is Italian…)
in peace-donna
My Mother said that me after watching the movie The Day After in 1983. That you’d have no time to bend over and kiss your bum goodbye. I pray for you , myself and everyone else lunatics do not prevail.
Thanks Darren, well said and I remember that movie well… Scared me pea green!
I watched that movie many times and to this day, it still scares the hell out of me!