NATO announced on Tuesday that the military alliance’s foreign ministers will hold a virtual meeting Friday to discuss Ukraine ahead of a week of intense diplomacy between Western powers and Russia.
NATO also confirmed that it will hold talks with Russia on January 12th at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels. On January 10th, US and Russian officials will meet in Geneva for security talks on Ukraine and are expected to discuss security proposals put forward by Moscow in a bid to halt NATO’s expansion in the region.
On January 13th, a meeting of the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will convene, which will include the US and its NATO allies, Russia, and Ukraine.
Since early November, the US has been claiming that Russia is plotting to invade Ukraine, an accusation Moscow denies. On Sunday, President Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and vowed that the US would “respond decisively” if Russia invades.
Often missing from the conversation about military activity near Ukraine is the significant uptick in US and NATO activity in the region near Russia. Since the US supported a coup in Kyiv in 2014, the US and NATO have increased their presence in the Black Sea, and the US has provided Ukraine with over $2 billion in military aid. These are the issues Russia is hoping to address in the upcoming talks.
“vowed that the US would “respond decisively” if Russia invades.”
Yeah, Biden will “decisively” do absolutely nothing except proceed to further demonize Russia and dump another ton of utterly toothless sanctions. This was the game plan from the get-go.
Freudian slip there … “the military alliance’s foreign ministers”.
Really describes the power relations well, no? The military alliance has foreign ministers … diplomacy is in service to the military, rather than the other way around.
This is what empires do. This may be the last one in the history of planet earth, it is not a necessity.
From the outset it was clear that Russia has identiied a long term security concern, and it intends to roll back the most critical threats to its security.
It must be clear to NATO and Biden — no matter how tone deaf, that Russia has made its calculations. And has mapped out a plan of action. Many factors are in play here, not just Ukraine. Russia and China have suported independent actors in Balkans. Supported independence leaning Hungary, insured continouus check on US ambitions in Syria. The entire so called “arc of instability” has been secured, Pakistan, Acghanistan, Iran and Turkey are secured. Central Asia is secured — not that some sabotage will not be attempted such as in Kazakhstan. Armenian-Azerbaijani Gordian knot untangled. Gulf in talks with Iran. Qatar-Turkish partnership in running Kabul airport. Large and open support for Mianmar military from Asian governments. All running counter to US wishes.
The qyuestikn is — how will the tangled mess start unwinding.
Biden’s false alternative — escallation or diplomacy, will unravel at Russia’s time line. There won’t be any delaying tactics by diplomacy going nowhere, while NATO infrastructure keeps on coming to Russia’s borders.
The question is — what will be future steps, Very likely military-technical, i.e. repossitioning of assets to challenge European and US security.
The question of Ukraine in the end will be dolved by Ukrainians — not to US liking. A state that consists of multiple nations can sucees only under Russian patronage, otherwise will fall apart.
No wonder NATO “diplomats” are meeting. Trying to fighre outl how to keep on spinning without doing anything.
Much has bern made of Putin asking for this meeting. He sure did — keeping everyone on time table.
The reason so many Russian civilians have been killed by invasions is that Russian leaders wait until after enemies have amassed at the borders and invaded to defend themselves.
Putin has made it absolutely clear many times through the years that will not happen on his watch. The next war with Russia WILL NOT be fought on Russian soil.
That means fighting the enemy while they are still massing at the border before the invasion.
That is the stage Putin believes we are currently in. To Russians studying history, there is only one reason countries have ever placed so many troops, bases and ships at the border as NATO has done: to invade. Either the enemy pulls back from Russia’s border, or Russia takes the fight to them.
That is extremely ominous and Putin has been warning NATO for years all out war was coming if they did not listen.
Excellent point. And as Alexander Mercouris has pointed out recently, it’s happening now because for the first time Russia has the military upper hand vs NATO – and that will only get stronger over the next 5 years or so. “Strike while the iron is hot” would be appropriate.
I suspect Russia trying to make NATO listen to logic would be as successful as monkeys f*#@ing a football.
I got a visual on that…;-)
see my post above… Never mind, it disappeared…
I gotta remember that one… LOL
I know there is a lot going on but, it seems good to me that NATO/US will engage with Russia. Maybe through simple discussions some of these building tensions might be reduced… Maybe…
They need to announce that NATO has no intention of accepting Ukraine as a member .