Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Washington would send over $1 billion in additional aid to Ukraine. The funds include $275 million for the military, $300 million for the police, and over $200 million in humanitarian assistance. The arms package includes depleted uranium, known to have grave health and environmental consequences.
The top American diplomat explained that $175 million worth of weapons will be transferred from the US to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority. Blinken made the announcement while meeting with top Ukrainian officials and attending photo ops in Kyiv.
According to the Department of Defense, the package includes equipment to support air defense systems, ammunition for HIMARS, 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds. The Pentagon is also providing 81mm mortars systems and rounds, 120mm depleted uranium tank ammunition, TOW missiles, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems, small arms ammunition, tactical air navigation systems, tactical secure communications systems and support equipment, as well as demolitions munitions.
The package is the forty-sixth the White House has approved during the Joe Biden administration. It is the first time Washington approved the transfer of depleted uranium to Ukraine. The ammunition is toxic and is linked to cancer and birth defects in places it has been used, including Iraq.
The Pentagon says total military aid to Ukraine tops $43 billion. Blinken said Kyiv will additionally receive $100 million in grants to buy weapons in the future.
Blinken remarked that the aid announcement was a requirement to make the trip to Ukraine, “Never go to someone’s home without bringing a housewarming gift,” he said in Kyiv. “We come bearing some further assistance for Ukraine across multiple areas, but that assistance doesn’t actually mean anything unless it is used effectively.” While in Kyiv, the diplomat engaged in photo ops, including holding a puppy in a children’s hospital.
During a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Blinken said he had visited a war cemetery earlier in the day and remarked he had an emotional response to seeing the faces of so many dead, young Ukrainians.
While Blinken blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin as solely to blame for their deaths, Washington has pushed Kyiv into an unwinnable military situation. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the White House declined to negotiate an agreement with the Kremlin that could have averted the war. Just after the invasion, Washington squashed talks between Kyiv and Moscow.
In recent months, the US has pushed Ukraine to engage into launching an offensive that the Pentagon knew would create high casualties for Kyiv. Washington coerced Kyiv into deploying tactics that would cause such high losses despite the US intelligence community assessing the offensive had little chance of success.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
Did Nazi this coming… https://media2.giphy.com/media/2pHCxQtUttmHm/giphy-downsized-small.mp4
LOL
It sounds like a one billion dollar main course dinner tab with depleted uranium for dessert…!
Don’t worry, Billions more will be spent here when Zelensky moves to Miami. (Sarcasm)
Actually, he would flee to Miami…!
Blinken is not even keeping up with combat losses in equipment and ammunition. At this rate they won’t make it to Christmas.
I think that means they intend to declare victory and cut and run in the next 3 months.
Not a bad bet for those who gamble with other peoples lives.
Knocking over governments is our most important product. No wait… There’s also driving people into poverty via sanctions. No wait… There’s also invading countries, squatting in countries uninvited and stealing their resources, starting proxy wars using someone else’s kids as cannon fodder…
That’s one helluva CV, right?
And when you think what $100+ billion could have done for the homelessness crisis!
We live near Chico Ca, which is considered a haven for homeless from all over the US. We don’t have to go far to see what needs to be addressed by a White House obsessed with war and punishment by sanction.
You and I see where the money is totally wasted and where it could be much better spent. Not the average American.
And to be honest, I’m exhausted, I’ve long given up. The average American is so brainwashed with propaganda that it is simply impossible to talk sense into them. It’s gonna take a cataclysmic event to open their eyes… maybe when the psychopaths in Washington finally start WW3. But it’ll be too late then.
Eventually there will be no more Ukrainians willing to rush off to their pointless deaths, and the crazy narratives will fall apart, smashed by unexplainable reality.
It would become a hot war.
They have little choice but to fight.
Once again not a bad bet. Too bad we won’t be alive to enjoy winning the bet.
Maybe democracy isn’t the best system, then.
It is difficult to talk about democracy when the mass media is owned by oligarchs.
You think that the U.S. has a democracy? Managed democracy (after Wolin) at best full blown fascism at worst.
It’s everywhere. I don’t feel comfortable driving with my windows open.
Jesus said ” They know not what they do”. One can not ever say that about the US and its power structure.
Old Guy,IMHO one of your best efforts stating and listing the past and future history of the US.
That’s how Satanism works. People are corralled by system of lies in a situation where there are no good exit and all roads are leading to Hell.
Blinken comes halfway around the world to Kiev with a gift of a billion dollars and Kuleba buys Blinken lunch at McDonalds in return. Class act.
Yeah, I watched the revolting video clip. Did Blinken look like he was stealing them fries? But seriously, I never thought I could see a demon, let alone a demon eating fries. (Sarcasm)
“Blinken Announces $1 Billion More for Ukraine, Including Depleted Uranium”
Russia should deliver any spent rounds and radioactive metal from destroyed targets to Joey Biden in the White House.
Joey Biden is now a war criminal worse than any other tyrant on planet earth.
Toxic aerosol
UK military safety studies from 1986-88, found by Declassified, show that an accident in which DU rounds caught fire was regarded as “the most serious hazard”.
A DU round could combust “if it is in a fire whose temperature exceeds 500 degrees celsius”, forming a “toxic aerosol”.
Another document states that “ignition arising from petrol or propellant will produce an aerosol smoke containing radioactive particles. There is danger from breathing this smoke.”A warning sheet for accidents involving Challenger 2 ammunition.
Contingency plans specified that “breathing apparatus” would be needed to tackle the fire, and “an area of 300m radius must be cleared of civilians”.
It further warned people to “evacuate down wind areas to which smoke might travel…[and] if a casualty has been affected by smoke, remove [them] to hospital and inform staff that depleted uranium smoke has been breathed.”
Internal military advice stressed that “radiological monitoring equipment must be readily available” and disposing of the
wreckage could “include large quantities of contaminated earth”.
This advice does not seem to have been followed in Ukraine. The destroyed tank was seen billowing with black smoke as Ukrainians filmed from a car with a cracked windscreen while driving downwind.
Toxic ammo
Britain sent Ukraine “thousands of rounds of Challenger 2 ammunition including depleted uranium armour-piercing rounds”, armed forces minister James Heappey has told parliament.
They are being operated by Ukraine’s 82nd Air Assault Brigade, which was trying to keep them in reserve until the counter-offensive gathered pace.
Doug Weir, from the Conflict and Environment Observatory, told Declassified:
“It is believed that Challenger 2’s can carry up to 52 rounds of
ammunition, in this case a proportion of this is likely to have been
CHARM3 DU munitions.
“Past cases of fires affecting vehicles suggest that should the fire be sufficiently intense, pyrophoric DU can ignite and burn.
“Vehicles suspected to be contaminated by DU oxide need to be marked and managed so as to avoid further dispersal to
the environment, or the exposure of people coming into contact with
them. Contamination may also be present in the vicinity of the vehicle.”
While the UK was the first to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium, the US has since announced the ammunition will be available with Abrams tanks it is sending to Kyiv.
Weapons containing DU have previously been fired by UK and US forces in conflicts such as Iraq, Syria and the former Yugoslavia.
An investigation by Declassified this summer in Kosovo found that civilians living near areas where DU was fired reported high levels of rare cancers.
The UK Ministry of Defence was asked to comment.
“Joey Biden is now a war criminal worse than any other tyrant on planet earth.”
Cannot argue with that statement but I believe overall credit must be given to obama who conducts staff meetings in his wash dc residence of major biden admin members. It has become more clear if ever there was any doubt that he runs the white house and the govt.
It was his “genius” which turned nuland loose in Maiden as well as his guidance on the syrian, libyan, et al atrocities.
Plus we will never know the extent of the damage he (and soros, et al) have done to this country, We continue to endure as does the world the carnage from his “activities.”
Tucker Carlson interview about Sex, Drugs, and Murder under obama.
Obama was a fraud. He sold out his supporters for the biggies and got rich doing it. So much for a man of the people and a community organizer.If Biden is the Senator from Mastercard Obama is the President from Goldman Sachs.
if they keep sending US weapons to Ukraine there won’t be enough left to attack Mexico
LOL. Kissinger never said, “To be an enemy to America can be dangerous, but to be a friend can be lethal.” He said, “To be an enemy to America can be dangerous, but to be a neighbor can be lethal.” (Sarcasm)
Yes, the invasion and annexation of Mexico is imminent.
Stay tuned and continue typing crap.
If Mexico were annexed, you could fund more wars. Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that.
If Mexico was annexed he would troll anyone who would oppose the annexation.
It could happen. The way you join two societies is with intermarriage. We’ve had huge numbers cross.
China might be “small” by comparison in a few decades.
Why?
Hence Putin’s invasion and annexation of Ukraine. How brilliant.
Who cares? I don’t live in East Europe. The US is in debt, cannot afford to fund the massacre of Russian and Ukrainian young men.
Why didn’t Ukraine keep to the Minsk Protocol? Why is the US involved? We are broke, no money.
Not surprising you don’t get sarcasm.
But you do, even when there’s none.
How special.
if they keep sending US weapons to Ukraine there won’t be enough left to attack Mexico
That wasn’t sarcasm?
You too Putz
Tell that to Lindsay Graham
Or China, Spy 😳
Blinken announced Washington would send over $1 billion in additional aid to Ukraine.
Flush twice, Tony.. It’s a long way to Kiev.
Flush Tony, twice…
Biden,Nuland Sullivan as well as Graham,Cruz etc all need to be flushed.
The list is long. The drains would be clogged. Then we could plunger them the rest of the way.
I know where I would like the long end of the plunger to go.
Just toss in my compost pile, Wars, and let the coyotes take care of ‘em.
Probably make the coyotes ill.
😂
“In recent months, the US has pushed Ukraine to engage into launching an offensive that the Pentagon knew would create high casualties for Kyiv.” Does that sound exactly like “the Ukrainians are cannon fodders ’till the last Ukrainian?” …No? …I’m just confused?
…Yeah. You’re probably right. (Sarcasm)
And…
The Wall Street Journal cited a US Army War College professor named John Nagle admitting that the US itself would never attempt the kind of counteroffensive it’s been pushing Ukrainians into attempting.
“America would never attempt to defeat a prepared defense without air superiority, but they [Ukrainians] don’t have air superiority,” Nagl said, adding, “It’s impossible to overstate how important air superiority is for fighting a ground fight at a reasonable cost in casualties.”
A cockroach was sneaking in under the front door. He saw me with a can of Raid. …No. It wasn’t Russian. Stop interrupting . …He disappeared? …Did it realize the importance of air superiority? …I’m insulting Ukrainians? Okay, maybe I did. I apologize. So sorry. You’re the best “Cannon Fodders” ever! We couldn’t have had any better. (Shameful Sarcasm)
Nothing shameful about the truth, NA!
The sad truth is, Ukrainians got in an awful trap.
Depleted uranium as humanitarian assistance.
After such humanitarian assistance to Iraq, the cancer is killing 6 times more people every year than it did before the humanitarian assistance.
The only humanitarians the US cares about are those who are filthy rich or countries who spend there money on weapons of death and destruction.
That’s horrible to hear. I hope your facts are wrong.
Radicals were also released which just obliterated Iraq’s, and thus humanity’s, heritage. But football is on…
I dunno if you’re in the US, but I hear people complain about Ramaswamy not supporting the foreign policy, in the US. I find it shocking. I don’t even trust Ramaswamy, but he has really tried to target me as a voter. I don’t trust Trump nor any of them.
You may check the facts yourself. Maybe you will find more reliable investigations. Do you know how many Italian soldiers died of cancer after they worked with depleted uranium shells in Iraq? They say somewhat between 40 and 50. Of course, not all of those who were exposed to this kind of radiation, died, but it looks, all of them suffered some negative consequences one way or other.
Contaminating Ukraine in order to “save it”.
You can’t make this sh*t up.
We’re turning it into a virtual paradise on earth, are we not ?
First US installed a “democracy” in Ukraine. Then they started to promote a “green agenda” with the help of cluster munitions and radioactive shells. What is remarkable, EU countries and the rest of “international community” are supporting this policy. When Russia eventually retaliates, all of them will be extremely outraged.
And the beat goes on and on and on.
Just dropping turds into a septic tank….
Congress needs to get control of how our money is spent on boondoggle attempts at expanding the Empire. It’s comical how Haley and some of the other fake Conservatives talk about wasteful government spending but exempt our militaristic aid to installed Regimes, like Zelensky. According to them we can all thank the Lord that it’s only Ukrainians getting killed and having their lives/livelihoods ruined.
Anyone who’s not serious about cutting military spending isn’t serious about cutting spending.
If the US does not change course and stop invading arming other countries sooner or later the US will be on the receiving end.The chickens of violence are already here but it can and will get worse with more mass shooting and Police killings.
Actually, I disagree. There’s no justice in this life.
The violence in the US has little to do with the warring. Two parent homes, an end to poverty via UBI, and less harmful mass culture: These would be a start.
A 100 year immigration moratorium would also reduce poverty.
I disagree. When a culture goes around the world devaluing human life abroad there is a spiritual and moral decay that sets in. No wonder that we devalue life on the “homefront” as well.
There’s nothing less conservative than war. Haley just wants more allocated to wars, which she can take a cut from.
It’s not much different from a person getting a cut from Obamacare, except that no one monitors war spending.
While in Kyiv, the diplomat engaged in photo ops, including holding a puppy in a children’s hospital.
Meanwhile:
“Six nights ago we got a mission to get the dead and wounded out of a Bradley that had been hit there by some kind of new Russian shell,” Taras said in an account of tumbling words and trauma. “I got as close as I could on foot and got the Bradley commander out. He had lost his leg but the flame had cauterised it so he wasn’t bleeding much.
“We couldn’t get the gunner out as his body was tangled up in the destroyed turret. The driver had his head blown off and we thought we could get his body back but then the shelling started and we had to abandon him there. Amid all this the engine of the Bradley was still running. Scenes like this are so regular in our lives I think we have lost the ability to feel afraid.
https://archive.ph/ApQ3Q
Thanks! Remarkably candid article for a uk pub.
True colors. Pro Russia.
You Cannot come back from that. You are not stupid. You know what you’ve been doing.
I’ve gotten 18 months of your pro Russia stand posts.
Prove me fuking wrong for once.
You wont, you forever Putin lover mofo.
Enjoy it.
Just repeating a report on a horrible event is “pro- Russian” now.
Trump gave Ukraine weapons just to placate people like you.
I consistently want defense spending set at $50b a year, just enough to maintain the nuclear triad. If someone wants to invade, he should set up a GoFundMe account.
Trump sold weapons to Ukraine because Trump would sell weapons to ANYBODY. Remember the F-35 yard sale called the Abraham Accords? Please no more of Trump doing things because he was forced.
What do you think of Ramaswamy?
Not much. Once he started kissing Trump’s ass, I lost any interest. To me, he’s looking for the VP job.
I think he doesn’t want VP, but his positioning is very anti war at times. However, he backtracks significantly. He wants to pardon Assange etc.
He’s clearly dishonest, but he talks right wing. I can’t decide whether he means some of it or whether he’s a fake neocon like Meloni in Italy. I don’t mind if he’s dishonest if he’ll actually do some of what he proposes.
I agree that he is anti-war at times, but I would only say that in comparison to the others. If I had to choose a republican candidate, it would probably be him. But he looked like a fool in that interview with Hasan.
I didn’t see it. I see clips sometimes. He’s rusty, new. I guess, now that I think about it, Ramaswamy is a bit unstable. But that could be a good thing, suggesting authenticity or at least a lack of strings.
His praising Trump is the right approach to win votes, really.
He might be in with Pharma. I couldn’t know.
I didn’t see it either. I think Hasan is a tool by the way and I don’t read The Guardian. But he kept asking this:
Hasan asked: “Is Donald Trump, as you say now, the best president of the 21st century … Or is Trump, as you’ve said in the past, in your books, on Twitter, a ‘sore loser’, who is a ‘danger to democracy’, and who did ‘downright abhorrent’ and egregious things on January 6’? Which one is he, Vivek?”
Vivek obviously has evading answering questions down pat. So, he already has that part of being president checked off.
It would be nice to see what these candidates really have to say without worrying about pleasing King Donald.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/07/ramaswamy-trump-criticism-viral-interview-mehdi-hasan-msnbc
Oh, I don’t mind that. I’m more concerned with how he’s accused of wanting to defund Israel and then declares otherwise. It doesn’t help him to take both sides there. He similarly takes both sides on some other issues I’m pretty sure, but the Israel topic is what the media speaks on.
He’s been accused of wanting more Indian immigrants, but the President doesn’t decide that. Congress does.
Luch, Murkins will never elect anyone named “Ramaswamy”. It just won’t happen.
I’d say he’s a horse’s ass, but my Angelina would object. Horses’ asses are cute.
50 Billion is more then enough. However even if this happened they still would not use the savings of 800 Billion to fix the country and help the people. There is no profit in it for the Capitalists who only make money from financial transactions.
Capitalism isn’t all bad. If you’re interested in political science, you should try looking at things from all sides. You’ll appreciate both the socialists and libertarians, and then see the other areas that both of them exclude. I’m not claiming to know all; I’ve just been around long enough to see them each correct at times.
Cutting spending would help the US. It matters. It’d also reduce harm in the world, which would help Americans indirectly.
I’m roughly a distributist. So, I want small businesses and a large middle class, among other things. If you identify as more Democratic, you might dislike my goals. Democrats tend to want everyone living in cities, working for large corporations, governments, government enterprises.
Um, the problem with “left wing” ideas is they empower a small elite who can then abuse their power. You do have class divisions in every socialist polity that I’m aware of. They do have their positives. But large numbers of people become at the mercy of those managing them. I’m aware that the people are supposed to own all in theory, but the reality is you get a small elite.
Ironically, even the neocons have an argument for their ideas. They want global conquest with them at the top. They’d end all war.
But I’d rather be nuked.
“True colors. Pro Russia.”
How in the fuck is that pro Russia? Please tell me. My comment was about Blinken’s photo op and his not giving a shit about actual Ukrainians dying in a counteroffensive that the US encouraged based on HOPE and COURAGE. Just like you.
” You are not stupid.”
I can’t say the same about you.
“You wont, you forever Putin lover mofo.”
I’ve gotten into several arguments with people here who praise Putin. Including you!
You: “I used to respect Putin and side with him a while ago, that stopped in 2014”
Now you prove me fucking wrong, motherfucker.
Strange how photos / video of the actual carnage and the destruction/ mangling of the human body in war is rarely accessible to the general public. Suppression of this is evident to hide the true horror of war. WWI is a prime example. Military leaders callously declare dying “ gloriously “ on the battlefield is a sacrifice for the motherland. What BS ! Soldiers die alone in pain and agony , their bodies pulverized.; unable to be identified. Nothing glorious about that.
The last time the public saw photos like that was during the Vietnam war. And it made a big impact.
Since then, the US military has carefully kept journalists and photographers away from reporting that stuff.
😢
Ok now share with us another sad story like that from the Russian side. Many of those.
Man, you are dense. Now maybe if Blinken were in Russia doing photo ops while the US was backing a Russian counteroffensive based on Hope and Courage and Russians were getting slaughtered, I would.
Another day for NATO in Ukraine 7th September……In 3 months NATO has lost 66 thousand servicemen (casualties) and 7,600 pieces of equipment.
In the Zaporozhye direction, at least 14 NATO attacks were repelled by Russian forces close to Verbovoye and Rabotino. NATO forces lost 110 troops, two tanks, four infantry fighting vehicles, two armored fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, one American-made M109 self-propelled howitzer, one American-made M777 towed howitzer, one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, British-made FH-70 towed howitzer, two Msta-B and D-30 towed howitzers as well as one Ukrainian-made Bukovel-AD anti-drone electronic warfare system.
In the Donetsk direction, the Russian Yug Group of Forces repelled nine attacks by NATO forces close to Kleshcheevka, Andreevka and Khimki. NATO forces lost 320 troops, one tank, two infantry fighting vehicles, 12 motor vehicles, one Polish-made Krab self-propelled howitzer, one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, two D-30 towed howitzers and one D-20 towed howitzer were destroyed.
In the Kupyansk direction, the Russian Zapad Group of Forces repelled four NATO attacks. NATO forces lost 55 troops, two motor vehicles, three American-made M777 towed howitzers and one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer.
In the Krasny Liman direction, the Russian Tsentr Group of Forces repelled an attack by Ukraine’s 67nd Mechanised Brigade close to Chervonaya Dibrova. NATO forces lost 60 personnel, two armored fighting vehicles and three pickup trucks.
In the South Donetsk direction, the Russian Vostok Group of Forces targeted NATO units near Staromayorskoye. NATO forces lost 180 Ukrainian troops, two armored fighting vehicles, five motor vehicles, one Polish-made Krab self-propelled howitzer, two D-30 towed howitzers and one Giatsint-B towed howitzer.
In the Kherson direction, NATO forces lost up to 25 troops, two motor vehicles and two American-made M777 towed howitzers.
I believe you. But where do you get the numbers of blown up Nato equipment or the numbers of dead and wounded?
I believe those are Russian MOD numbers.
Hawaiian’s are waiting for their “house warming gift” Joe. Did you leave them some paper towels?
I there is one reason to justify a country being ostracized -/ it is provoiding depleted uranium to poison soil forever. Oncw upon a time Romans destroyed Chartage and spread salt on their fellds making them unuseable. West was and always will be West. Anything to “win” even if thos means destroying soul making it inhabitable.
Russia may have to reevaluate its plans. Grinder style defense, in fact an equivalent of passive agressive style, may not be useful witg agressive-agressive mentality. As an descendant of traders, Zelenski does not have the feel for the soil. Ukrainians sre sheep taken tovslaughterhoue.
Poisoning the soil…A great thing to do to the “breadbasket” of Europe.
Every effort must be made to secure Ukraine’s borders …. not so much our own.
How bout Napalm? Small Pox infused in blanket’s? Mustard gas?
The profit margin!!!