On Friday, President Biden said he is working with allies to make it “very, very difficult” for Russian President Vladimir Putin to order an invasion of Ukraine. The US has been claiming Russia is preparing to move into Ukraine, but Moscow strongly denies the accusation.
“What I am doing is putting together what I believe to be … the most comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives to make it very, very difficult for Mr. Putin to go ahead and do what people are worried he may do,” Biden said.
Biden said he’s been in “constant contact” with European allies and Ukrainian officials over the issue. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken threatened sanctions against Russia if it invaded Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also suggested alliance members could hit Russia with sanctions.
The Biden administration is also reportedly considering sending military advisors and more weapons to Ukraine, a move that would inflame tensions in the region even more. The potential weapons package could include new Javelin anti-tank missiles, mortars, and stinger missiles.
Since the 2014 US-backed coup in Kyiv, Washington has sent over $2 billion in military aid to Ukraine, and US and NATO military activity in the region has significantly increased. Moscow points to the NATO military presence near Russia’s borders as the source of tensions in the region.
On Thursday, Blinken met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The two diplomats made little progress but did agree for Biden and Putin to hold future talks. The Kremlin said Friday that it has a date for the talks and is awaiting confirmation from Washington.
At the moment about half of all Ukrainian military forces are located in Donbass. Obviously Ukraine is preparing for a new offensive against DNR and LNR republics. In some places distance between Ukrainian army and town Donetsk (population about one million) is no more than 1 km. Last months Ukrainian army have been specially training for the fight in the urban area. If the full scale offensive starts, the civilian casualties would be very high. Of course Russia will interfere, but what happen next, no one knows.
The same thing that happened in Georgia the country. They lost big time and Amerika didn’t lift a finger to help.
Americans would support military efforts of Georgia, but the war was very short. 5 days only. Some valuable American equipment was lost. Americans didn’t expected Georgian army run away so quick.
How would the Americans propose to deliver logistics?
Such forward positioning has repeatedly led to serious defeats. It invites encirclement in an offensive aimed to its rear.
Stalin did that before Hitler’s attack, losing the worst encirclement defeats in all history. France did that before losing the Battle of France when Germany attacked its rear through the Ardennes Forest. France had done it before, losing the Franco-Prussian War that way. It has happened over and over.
And yes, that is what Georgia fell into when it lost so quickly a few years ago to an attack no American hawks believed Putin would dare.
Hi Mark:
A Curious question for you, if you don’t mind…
Do you by any chance write, especially for alternative media?
Please let us know…
Also, if you are not writing for alt. media, you should. (!)
You have a good gift for detail/facts and a nice delivery.
best-donna
Thank you.
I have been considering doing more writing, but have not yet.
I (and I believe others) will look forward to that!
If the Ukies attack Donbass they will be crushed. Don’t be so naive as to think the Ukrainian army is prepared!!!
What do you mean by “don’t be so naive”? It looks, you have no clue what is going on over there. Last several years, American and other NATO countries instructors have been busy with preparing Ukrainian army for the war. Ukrainian army is receiving a lot of military equipment from NATO, including modern Turkish drones Bayraktar.
You really think that is going to help? Read the latest-NATO will not act. Already there are only threats-“sanctions” because it is obvious the Russians will easily overcome the “well-supplied, well-trained Ukies” if they are stupid enough to invade the Donbass. Ukraine is NOT in NATO (the obsolete mob) and other members would not support an unprovoked attack by Ukraine (which it would be- the Russians are waiting but will NOT act first, as Putin has said so often, and unlike Biden, he does not lie). All of this also evades the fact that Ukraine is “ruled” by an actor whose government followed that overthrown by the USA in 2014 with violence and no legality. Why do you encourage this needless fighting? All Kiev has to do is hold talks with the “breakaway republics” and give them some autonomy. Not exactly worth a world war.
It doesn’t matter who starts. US and NATO politicians will blame Russia anyway.
If American equipment, instructors, mercenaries, etc. were the key to victory, the Kabul puppet regime would still be in power.
Only crazy people can believe that Ukrainian army can defeat Russia. The problem is how to avoid the bloodbath. A new bloodbath in Donbass that is what American hawks are trying to organize. The outcome for them is not much important. Anyway they will use it for the escalation of the economic war against Russia and for damaging EU-Russia economic cooperation.
Your words:
“What do you mean by “don’t be so naive”? It looks, you have no clue what is going on over there. Last several years, American and other NATO countries instructors have been busy with preparing Ukrainian army for the war. Ukrainian army is receiving a lot of military equipment from NATO, including modern Turkish drones Bayraktar.”
The goal is not for Ukraine to win. The US goal is to put Germany in a situation where it has no choice but to cancel NS2. This also plays into the timing of all this.
The pipeline is to solve the energy needs of much of Europe. Russia can easily sell the gas elsewhere if the Germans do not want it- Europe is the buyer which needs it. The US as usual tells everyone else what to do. All the sanctions of food to Russia a few years ago hit the European producers hard-the USA lost nothing.
I am cure that Russia would prefer to diversify its customer base, but yes, the United States is the problem here, and if Germany is formed to import US LNG, it will in fact benefit the United States.
Massive import of LNG would require years in which to build the infrastructure of plants and ships and unloading terminals. They don’t exist, and can’t appear by magic when wanted.
Also, the US does not have the quantities of gas that Europe gets from Russia. Fracking just is not that much bigger than US demand already consumes.
Which basically means that Europe would have to use existing gas delivery infrastructure.
Or perhaps Ukraine is positioning for an expected Russian move.
they expect it but it is in their imagination. Listen to Stoltenberg or Biden or Blinken. NO coherence at all.
So you are saying that by putting their forces in a place where they can be trapped between the Russian military and the Sea of Azov, Ukraine and its NATO enablers have the dumbest generals on the planet, folks who make Fredenhall look like Napoleon, Alexander and Sun Tsu all rolled into one?
Seriously, tell us that you are just trolling.
The only troll is you.
Yet I make substantive, on-topic posts. You just say whatever stupid crap comes into your head.
“Expected”???? always claiming to be the victim. Russia does not want Ukraine’s problems, just fair treatment of the DONBASS as part of a peaceful Ukraine.
Donbass is the worst possible place to park Ukrainian forces if they were in fact planning to go on the defensive.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ec226175a925e8bb03d3805a65878d4d644ef2d953d8030e48f481d64e7fa40f.jpg
Easiest thing in the world for Russian forces to pour through the 600 miles of open country, pivot south, and trap the junta forces between Donbass and the Sea of Azov, aka “a Russian lake”.
Ukrainian artillery is positioned as close to Donetsk as possible because they can bombard the whole city from where they are. DNR and LNR are not big republics. What actually Ukrainian and American strategists want to achieve – is to get as quick as possible to the Ukraine-Russia border and cut the ties between Russia and DNR-LNR.
And what would prevent Russia from responding?
Of course Russia will respond and crush Ukrainian army. For Americans it is not a defeat.
For example, Ukrainian artillery starts massive bombardment of Donetsk. In a couple of hours before Ukrainian artillery is silenced, it can inflict a huge damage to the city with many thousand deaths. Then CNN show the picture of the ruined city (1 million population) and blame Russia. That is enough. Because Russia will attack Ukrainian forces on Ukrainian territory anyway. It could be demonstrated to all NATO countries as the prove of Russian aggression. Then they can eventually stop the delivery of Russian gas to EU and replace it by American one.
That is basically what I was saying, including the ultimate goal of stopping gas deliveries.
That said, no amount of American weapons, Turkish drones, etc. will change that outcome.
As I said before – the outcome is not so much important for American strategists. The purpose is to provoke Russia for the counter attack. On the other hand, they also want be sure that Ukrainian army is strong enough to defeat DNR-LNR armies in case Russia doesn’t interfere. DNR-LNR are also preparing for the war. Last time they defeated Ukrainian army even without any help from outside.
LOL
You mean in the 160 km distance which the USA∕NATO say is jammed with thousands of Russian forces ready to attack???? Not much chance for these mighty fighters for democracy and sovereignty!!!
Ukraine’s forces appear to be positioned in a myopic expectation of very small scale fighting directly to their front.
If 175,000 Russian troops move, it would be more like the Germans turning the Maginot Line, not like a frontal assault on it.
Take a look at the map I attached above. If the junta forces and their NATO enablers are really ignorant of some 600 miles of open country, well, then they are make General Fredenhall look like Napoleon, Hannibal, Sun Tsu and Alexander of Macedon, all rolled into one.
Biden Says To Putin – We Will Fight You To The Last Ukrainian
More blustering from a seriously domestically weakened president.
Putin has moved forces sufficient to resolve this by force. That does not mean he wants to do it that way, or intends yet to do so. It does mean that he can.
So pushing him, ignoring his expressed concerns, threatening him, is all a method to ensure war.
Does the US want war there? Yes, it seems so.
However, the US also seems to imagine it will get only as much war as it wants, and no more. This is a classic mistake, repeated down through history. It is both hard to believe, and something that happens constantly anyway perhaps because we don’t believe it could really happen.
The defender does not control the scope of the attack. The US ought not assume Putin is foolish and self defeating. If he attacks, it will be his way, to his maximum advantage, not in the way that best suits US desires for just enough war.
What you have written here, makes me want to read more…
It is great to read such a sensible, well balanced comment. I agree with Donna!
If we had to fight wars on our own soil, Washington wouldn’t be so gung-ho to get us into them.
Well said!
Unwittingly egging on Russia to invade Ukraine. That is what I see.
Unwittingly? Foolishly and we shall see the result.
Biden and NATO are setting a trap for Russia to reinvigorate decades of cold and hot wars. Russia does not want this war. Victoria Nuland wants to drag Russia into war kicking and screaming. Please don’t give evil what it wants.
The fact that the Ukrainians don’t see that they are being set up for sacrifice just like Kuwait and Georgia is appalling to me. The fact that the world does not seem to want to see it is worse.
The “West” is not the world and will soon find that out.
The United States is trying to concoct a pretext to give Germany no choice but to cancel NS2 permanently.
That “democrat/diplomat” Nuland is one of the lowest members of humanity, and is one of the main causes of this whole disaster- remember the cookies and the $5million bribe, Yats and F…the EU in 2014 when the USA overthrew with violence the elected government of Ukraine???
“…one of the lowest members of humanity…” Liked. The Devil’s Advocate movie comes to mind.
Biden said he’s been in “constant contact” with European allies and Ukrainian officials over the issue. WHAT????? They are the idiots you should avoid, as well as madman Stoltenberg. Ukraine is NOT in NATO, NATO has NO rights in Ukraine, Russia is NOT the one attacking!!!!
https://www.indianpunchline.com/biden-putin-meeting-is-a-cliffhanger/
Putin-Biden meeting is a cliffhanger.
America and Communist Russia in the 1930’s and 40’s were very close. Roosevelt and Stalin were close friends. Together they help form the UN in 1943 and Roosevelt defended Stalin against the Axis forces during the war. They both supported Communist forces against Franco during the Spanish Civil war of the 30’s. The cold war only began in the 50’s
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8b5dda928d992df2df79f10313c05a958011fe6b68ffe829d651c60103ff437b.jpg
Roosevelt and Stalin
Yet today America is hostile to Putin’s Russia. Under Putin Christianity is seeing a renaissance. The Russian East Orthodox Church has never seen so much support from Moscow. Putin oversaw the construction of the grand Cathedral of The Armed Forces, a majestic edifice 40 miles outside of Moscow built for Russia’ miltary which speaks of a greater connection of Russia’s armed forces to Christ and Christianity than in the US. What a stark difference in the US relationship between Stalinist Russia and Putin’s Russia
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a850343ebadbc08e212badc26ae6194bbf73e2e926d4ff5e98a5d06a83b8289f.jpg
Watched Michelle Flournoy this morn with Chris Wallace. After 20 years of “WMD & co.” lies, her assertion re Russians massing for an attack was never challenged. It all has that familiar stink to it. The Lady Hawks are on the war path and the MSM has got the word to do the “Judy Miller” bit.
I guess they’ve primed Velensky & co. to give it a go and attack Don Bas, Crimea, or both. Russia won’t tolerate a loss here and will respond per need. NATO will “assist”, but, not engage directly. Rather it will use the occasion to close the Russian window at the SWIFT bank, and order Germany to dismantle the termini of Nord Stream 1 & 2, … and with that will consider the venture a “huge success” complete with big kudos for the West Exec fellows. While they move on to Iran.
Russia has already replaced SWIFT and does not borrow from banks. As for Nordstream 2, that is a commercial venture benefiting Europe and paying Russia. The EU has little other choice, and Russia has plenty of other customers. No match.
https://soundcloud.com/libertyandfinance/nasa-scientist-be-prepared-for-an-emp-dr-arthur-t-bradley-encore
Preparing for an EMP.
Putin, “Joe Biden says? I wonder what the President of the United States has to say about it.”
I doubt Putin pays much attention to President Poopy Pants Biden.
‘Biden said he’s been in “constant contact” with European allies and Ukrainian officials over the issue.’ Well, that is rather a foolish waste of time! They tell him what he expects. NATO will not support Ukraine and adding extra weapons is provoking Russia and is dangerous for all.
I like how the press (what little coverage there is) spins this as Russia massing to invade Europe. In fact, Russia west of the Urals is considered Europe.
https://www.indianpunchline.com/macrons-revenge-for-aukus-betrayal/
Macron’s Revenge For AUKUS Betrayal.
Perhaps a bit off topic, but while Russia and the US are deporting each other’s diplomats, how has Whitehall escaped Moscow’s wrath with Vauxhall’s array of spies, diplomats, and regime change specialists?