With all eyes on Ukraine and Russia, officials in Washington and Kyiv don’t seem to be on the same page. Ukrainian officials are urging calm and say a Russian incursion isn’t imminent. But over in Washington, the scaremongering continues.
When faced with Ukraine’s assessment of the situation, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki insisted that Russia could invade at any moment. Asked if the US still believes the threat is “imminent,” Psaki replied, “correct.”
Later in the day, President Biden appeared to admit that he doesn’t actually know if Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to invade. “This is all Putin. I don’t think even his people know for certain what he’s going to do,” he said.
In Kyiv, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told parliament that “as of today, there are no grounds to believe” Russia will invade imminently, The Associated Press reported. “Don’t worry, sleep well,” Reznikov said. “No need to have your bags packed.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also called for calm on Tuesday. “We are strong enough to keep everything under control and derail any attempts at destabilization,” he said. Addressing Washington’s decision to order the families of US diplomats in Ukraine to leave the country, Zelensky said the move “doesn’t necessarily signal an inevitable escalation and is part of a complex diplomatic game.”
The State Department ordered the embassy drawdown on Sunday and also released a travel advisory for Ukraine citing “the increased threats of Russian military action.” But Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry rejected the US assessment.
“In fact, there have been no radical changes in the security situation recently: the threat of new waves of Russian aggression has remained constant since 2014, and the accumulation of Russian troops near the state border began in April last year,” the ministry said.
For their part, Russia had been denying that it is planning an invasion of Ukraine since the US started making the accusation in November. Putin is seeking guarantees from the US on NATO’s eastward expansion and the presence of NATO troops near Russia’s borders. The US is expected to give Russia a written response on the security proposals sometime this week.
The Ukraine oligarchs who actually live in Ukraine seem to be finally noticing, their nests and power bases may be turned into charnel houses for someone else’s Greater Good.
Payoffs are arriving but the threats of war were continuing from the US.
That should be a hint to indig bigwigs, they’re kind of expendable pawns.
They’d have to have Zelinsky on their own leash, to make sure his new anti-oligarch laws aren’t wielded by an outside rival.
I have no wish to sound hypothetical but… Scaremongers/warmongers (USA) seem to be creating their own war-time atmosphere. If they start to buy into it seriously, we could be, rather quickly, in an entirely new dimension of conflict and war. It is all about the timing of it and also the psychological aspect. Sometimes it almost ‘feels like’ the USA either needs or wants war. I hope that I am wrong …-Donna
I am reminded of Pres. Johnson and the Gulf of Tonkin “attacks” in 1964 helping him to get Congress to approve bombing of Vietnam.
That is a perfect example. !
Now that they don’t have a war in Afghanistan to use as an excuse to keep the profits rolling in to the military-industrial complex they have to get another one started.
The wartime fervor seems primarily driven from Neocon Soros-dominated factions, especially based in the Anglosphere.
Assuming his ambitions are an important force driving events may seem a stretch for some, but this is the economic geostrategist who famously shorted the Pound Stirling.
Political geostrategy, is a bit different though. Political natural laws can cheat natural economic laws for a long time. Shorting the West for Ukraine is more of a gamble than the Pound ever was.
The EU oligarchs placed themselves in a vulnerable position pursuing COVID-1984 and their EU-First Globalist Socialist Reset, while also pursuing Russphobia.
The Western EU leaders seem to be trying to maintain the status quo. Germany has come out as strongly they dare against Ukraine ascension to NATO, France seeks ‘diplomacy’, both basically asking Russia to drop Russian security demands.
The US is not basing more troops in Ukraine itself and will probably sprinkle whatever they can spare in Eastern Europe.
Canada and the UK, have token forces in Ukraine, with steady MSM pot-stirring and drum beating alongside US Soros neocons.
Whether or not NATO upholds any agreement to limit expansion eastwards, formally signing such an agreement to limit further expansion is symbolically important.
Hadrian’s Wall formally acknowledged limits to Roman military expansion, even though losing the Germanic wars was their first real setback.
Signing an agreement to limit NATO expansion is that kind of unacceptable symbolism to NATO hawks, so soon following Afghan retreat.
US/Western EU NATO and Russia don’t need a war and can’t fight one now, but with existential stakes exposed and put on the line, they’ve been maneuvered into denying that.
Russia can’t blink, the threat is material and they have the moral and material advantage. NATO can blink, except for their pride.
Meh, it’s all going to come to ahead… Iraq may be forgotten by America, but this verse will prove itself in time (God has remembered her crimes for they are piled up to heaven).
As Alexander Mercouris noted Tuesday, this appears to be the start of the breakdown of the “Russian invasion” narrative. Almost no one believes it in the EU. I dismiss Ukraine statements since 1) it says nothing about their intentions, and 2) they’re obviously trying to avoid panic.
So now the West has to either put up or shut up. Either the CIA and the neocons get their offensive at some point, or the whole thing collapses in another “debacle” (as Mercouris likes to say) much like spring, 2021.
Note that still leaves the requirement for the US to give an explicit article-by-article response to the Russian treaty proposals, due in the next three days.
Of course, as The Saker mentioned, Georgia issued a peace offer hours before Georgian forces attacked. So anything remains possible.
“So now the West has to either put up or shut up.”
Come to stomach for it, Nuland and her Lady Hawk cohort are no shrinking violets.
She helped with the overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically-elected government in 2014 and now she’s Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. Her fingerprints are all over this.
She needs to get Crimea back 2 save her tattered reputation and will do anything she can to humble Putin who stole the show she so carefully made. Getting Crimea, and left loser Yatz for her.
Of course nobody believes the ZOMG Russia is about to invade ZOMG.
That doesn’t matter. What matter is what the leaders of those countries do, and so far, too many of them have followed orders, even if they privately grumble and shrug their shoulders.
What we have is NATO looking for another mission bareing in mind the last mission Afghanistan decended into CHAOS , if V.P had wanted to invaded Ukraine he would have given the order weeks ago , the onething you don`t do if you intend to invade is give your enemy a heads up weeks in advance .
They’ve got to keep the profits rolling in to the military-industrial complex somehow, so they’re always trying to create new “enemies”.
“”they will invade you if we say they will invade you!””
…… uncle sam
Seems perhaps some Ukrainians may be developing cold feet at being used to the tune of utter destruction as excuses for beggaring Russia. The great idea was for Ukraine to attack the breakaways, Russia to naturally defend them vigorously and destroy the Ukrainian military, and the West to cut Russia off and destroy its economy.
What was in it all for Ukrainians was always puzzling … have they woken up?
The lever to pry the EU free of Russia.
They can’t. Were Zelenskii to get up on his hind legs, expect 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….
Keep in mind that Zelenskii was elected, over vociferous American objections, on an explicit platform of reconciliation with Russia. The American Ambassador even openly campaigned for his opponent, Poroshenko. Suffice it to say, that platform lasted only as long as Zelenskii’s first meeting with the US Ambassador.
For that matter, Poroshenko was also elected in 2014 as a relative moderate, then morphed into “Bloody Petya” immediately upon taking office. You may recall how Biden treated him, even sitting in Poroshenko’s chair during state meetings and dismissing Ukrainian government officials at will.
In fact, I have the suspicion that Poroshenko was brought back precisely to replace Zelensky at some point. Since when does a guy accused of treason not be jailed? Obviously because someone is supporting him. Either oligarchs, right-wingers or the CIA – or all 3.
Or Zelenskii was told that this is America’s Special Friend and therefore is immune to prosecution.
My opinion on this matter was heavily affected by opinion of Anatoli Sharii: basically, you shouldn’t underestimate incompetence or sabotage – by people who were ordered by Zelenskii to prosecute Poroshenko. Poroshenko is millionaire with some interesting connection in Ukraine. For many officials, it’s genuinely scary to get on his bad side.
Zelenskii? They say he’d stay a head of a state forno longer then year and or year and a half – then getting into jail is a likely what fate has in store for him. Rats flee a sinking ship.
Yes, many good points.
As push is quickly getting to shove, though … perhaps both little Z and especially his military chiefs are having a moment of clarity, seeing Russian artillery destroying all they have in their nightmares.
I am sure that Zelenskii is looking at the way the United States treated Saakashvili like a used tampon and cannot be too jazzed.
The problem with the last step, is there is no way for Western nations, especially Europe, to cut off the Russian economy without destroying their own, never mind destroy the Russian economy.
Nor is China particularly pleased with the West right now; their stock market is crashing too. China won’t prioritize saving the West over saving Russia; saving themselves isn’t possible without saving Russia.
Nor can China patriots be blind to having been made the patsy and pawn for the European WEF”s COVID-1984.
We have been through this many times before in the recent past.
Ukraine is a puppet state with a puppet leader. They will be brought around. Again.
US wants a war to profit its MIC by pushing Ukraine to start a conflict which could be a false flag…! Ukraine knows they are not a match to confront Russia even with US help…!
The US is in no position to fight such a war, or fund an Afghan-style Ukraine insurgency for very long.
Nor will Russia allow to Ukraine to become another Afghanistan or Syrian experience for them. Even in Cold War I, the US never expected to win a conventional war against Russia, nor was war really the point so much as war profiteering.
Now, they can’t win a war nor is there likely to be profiteering as the civilian economies they would fleece are COVID-1984’d.
US/EU NATO can lose face and plot to fight another day, or lose the Ukraine to Russia and oligarchical dominance.
CIA is already funding the Ukrainian Mercenaries…!
… Who aren’t doing very much.
Costs go up when you have to start supplying large volumes of intel, fuel, munitions, spare parts, new weapons, new recruits, etc..
It not like the Azov Battalion is backed by rich GCC sheiks and a billion-strong religious minority whose 1% of psychopaths, can form a massive dirt-cheap recruiting pool.
“Later in the day, President Biden appeared to admit that he doesn’t
actually know if Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to invade” What arrogance. I notice so many Western pundits claim to know what pres.Putin thinks, and what he wants, whereas if they bothered to listen they could easily find out, as he actually does explain many things clearly and often. I just read an article from”Le Figaro” that I kept from November 18, with exactly the same info still going out as news now, with a commentary from Kiev making no attempt to ask anyone in the Donbass.
More evidence of the timing of the conflict: Wendy Sherman says “Russia will use the Olympics”; Translation: The US will use the Olympics. The US did exactly that in 2008 and 2014, while claiming Russia did it.
US suggests Winter Olympics could influence Russia’s military planning in Ukraine
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/26/politics/russia-china-olympics-ukraine/index.html
This is what Ukraine faces when the conflict starts. This thing can destroy an area the size of 100 football fields. As Martyanov says, “If we can see you, we can kill you.”
Tornado-C MLRS. Most powerful weapon on Earth after the atomic bomb
Neither the EU, Ukraine, or Russia want a war in Ukraine. Germany especially doesn’t support a war. And though NATO barks and growls like the trained poodle it is, it does so for “snacks”, not for any war-dog illusion to take on the bear only to get its ass severely chewed upon.
The Neocons and the MIC want a war for the usual reasons — Zionist blood lust and Russia-hate for the former, and $$$$ for the latter — and Biden’s Dem handlers want a war to rescue them from the political black hole they are rapidly plunging into.
None of those close to the action want anything to do with the fading Imperium’s desire to set Europe ablaze.
Or, as my wife says, “The Democrats are pushing for it because they have nothing else.”
Not gonna happen.
What exactly do “Zionists” have to do with this conflict?
Neocons are Zionists. They are one and the same. They hate Russia. Among others. It’s an ancient hatred. Their only true allegiance is to Israel.
Congress is bought by Neocons.
The State Department is run by Neocons.
Victoria Nuland worked at the top level of the State Department coup against the Russia-aligned Ukrainian government, and then, on its replacement with a US-aligned government. That’s “overthrow” as in an armed coup.
This will probably get mod’ed out, but as Bob Dylan writes: “I used to care, but things have changed.”
What say, Thomas? Did I cross the line?
You know where the line is, and you know when you’ve crossed it. The only time you engage in your “did I cross the line” theatrics is when you know you didn’t and hope to mislead others as to where the line actually is.
Happy New Year, Thomas. The best to you and yours.
Likewise!
Ukraine says: Nothing to see here. Move along.. But Washington ain’t buying…???I’m gonna flip a coin.
What a script. What a choice of words. Notice ‘Massing’ used over and over and over and over in virtually every news media…Hannibal is at the gates kiddies of history.
The Saker has just published a really good article assessing the military balance between the LDNR forces and Ukraine’s forces.
Reassessing LDNR military capabilities
https://thesaker.is/reassessing-ldnr-military-capabilities/
Pepe Escobar weighs in:
Russia and the West: Piercing the Fog of Hysteria
https://thesaker.is/russia-and-the-west-piercing-the-fog-of-hysteria/