Russian President Vladimir Putin warned President Biden during a call on Thursday that if the US implemented major sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, it would result in the “total severance” of US-Russia relations, an aide to Putin told reporters.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Putin made the comments in response to Biden threatening sanctions.
“Our president immediately responded to that by saying that if the West goes ahead to introduce above mentioned unprecedented sanctions, then all that could cause a total severance of relations between our countries, and most serious damage will be done to Russia’s relations with the West in general,” Ushakov said, according to Russia’s Tass news agency.
Since November, the US has been claiming Russia is plotting an invasion of Ukraine, an accusation Putin denies. Biden administration officials have warned that if Russia invades, the US could hit Moscow with major sanctions aimed at isolating Russia from the global financial system, similar to how countries like Iran and Cuba are sanctioned.
The phone call between Biden and Putin lasted 50 minutes and was the second time the two leaders spoke this month amid heightened tensions. In a readout of the call, the White House said Biden warned Putin the US and its allies would “respond decisively” if Russia invades Ukraine.
The call comes ahead of planned security talks between US and Russian officials in Geneva that are scheduled for January 10th. Russia will also hold talks with NATO on January 12th, and both the US and Russia will attend a meeting of the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on January 13th.
Russia is seeking guarantees from the US that NATO won’t expand further east and absorb Ukraine. Moscow submitted a list of security proposals to Washington and is eager to negotiate them. In recent years, the US and NATO have significantly stepped up their presence in the Black Sea and other areas near Russia, and the Russians are fed up with the Western provocations.
Forget sanctions. Make peace now. It’s the only sane way.
Well said John, well said. Peace has possibilities…
I’m sorry Donna and John. I can’t justify your exuberant optimism but truly and deeply hope I’m wrong.
Hi there,
I hear what you are saying, I get it but, I was really not being exuberant. I am desperately concerned. With everything else going on right now, war is not something
I can deal with. We need to come together, not fall apart.
My belief system is built on the foundation of peace. War is a moral effrontery, a crime against humanity.
blessings-donna
Well said and I feel exactly the same way. I was just kidding. You and John weren’t “exuberantly optimistic.” I can see you’re struggling to hold on to hope. The problem for me is logic gets in the way and kills my hope. I try to dumb down the logic so I can sleep. LOL
no worries my friend, clearly we all are processing a lot. It does help for all of us to come together and express our concerns and support each other. By the way, I like logic ALOT! cheers
If you do like logic? Then you will note that if a murdering county like the USA that has only 15 years of peace out of 244 years of her existance is not likely to appreciate the word peace. America’s economy is built on selling arms. That means the business of war….is america personified.
I post here because I am a peace activist. I know the crimes of my country, all too well.
Are you posting here because you support peace or because you simply want to bully Americans who support Peace. I say this because I am trying to understand where you are coming from…
Donna
A useless peace activist that secretly is brainwashed to love America right or wrong?… You betcha!
Che:
I am ashamed of my country. -donna
I agree with you. One sad but true article I read is that the only reason Russia is able to put forward (sensible and justified!!) demands now is that it is strong enough technically and militarily to counteract the threats of the USA. It is used to the illegal sanctions but also has advanced defences to stop US attacks. The USA thinks spending lots of money makes them better. Russia has intelligence (BRAINS) and has suffered attacks on its territory many times. The USA thinks “9∕11” rates with WW2 which it pretends it won!!!
You are correct Che, you are correct. peace-donna
Of course you are right, but evidence show us that the USA is against peace, security for others (especially designated “enemies”) and fair treatment of anyone but rich Americans and corporations. Has the American public been asked if it wants to sacrifice any chance of peace to protect a Nazi entity like Ukraine refusing to follow international agreements?
Reality on the ground is not compatible with your believe system,I guess based what you say,these should be told to your psychologist, with respect.
Ukraine’s history with Russians is there to read,and If Ukraine joining NATO would served as a tool for Americans to be near Russian Federation.
NATO should be dissolved since Soviet union no more,I guess, making a comment
It takes to know read a lot of historical facts then making comments is fine,
I concur. History point’s out the greatest threat to humankind, the US has only been at peace 15 years out of her 244 year existance. When Americans actually see war in their own destroyed cities only then will they regret not giving peace a chance.
Yeah, too bad sanity isn’t on the table.
Using sunction as a weapon and Stuxnet virus attacks equally damaging and needed to be addressed,
Americans should give up joining the Ukraine into NATO and Russians would stop harbouring all those keep attacking to American infrastructure,again,Americans are the culprits and Putin really will do something about this issue,I can see its coming.
Crimea is elephant 🐘 in the room.
Very interesting insights, also concerning…
The real elephant in the room is Europe. US wants to fight Russia with Europeans leading the charge.
It did not work with Saudis and Gulf against Iran. When push came to shove — they backed off and are making nice to Iran.
Things have changed in Europe. By whatever manipulation, dissatisfaction has been controlled well and center cannot hold in Europe.
Macron, Draghi, Greens in Germany and Austria — all American neocon clones. With UK in the clutches of an agressive oligarchy — both Conservatives and Labor, Europe is primed for is
its role in disabling Russia’s defences.
For Russia, Europe is the staging ground, and Europe will be the target. Russia cannot end the stranglehold by diplomatic means anymore.
The public diplomacy is an innovation. Selective leaking becomes impossible.
The objective of obtaining security guarantees is to deal with US and US-controlled NATO, not
Europeans. The reality has sunk in — there is no Ehrope, just US controlled territory. Biden knows exactly what he is doing – going for broke. I should say our political establishment has reached a conclusion that a crisis is preferable to status quo. COVID is out of control in US and Europe.
But a desirable “little” crisis may not be controllable. Ukraine cannot be defended nor saved, unless US backs off.
Russia will fight Ukraine — but only by securing Russian speaking regions that by now know exactly what they want. Unlike in 2014 when many Russian speaking regions believed that EU would curb Nazi elements, and that EU membership would be good for them. Today, they know that elections cannot function with opposition figures all in jail. Russia can secure the entire Black Sea coast, and several majority Russian speaking regions in the interior. Militarily, the rump Ukraine could remain independent, provided other Russian security concerns are addressed.
If not, wider war OVER Europe between US and Russia is inevitable.
Sanctions are really embargoes — war time embargoes. We have been witnessing this for a while.
Any action on behalf of Ukraine against Donbas would be a cause for war. Russia is no longer accepting a creeping strangulation. It will have to act.
Not good news for us. Our problems are fixable, there is no need for self-inflicting wounds. But our leaders think otherwise.
The threats to Russia are toothless. Total isolation is impossible as Russia has access to alternative international payment systems, and all imaginabble consumer or industrial goods available from China and Asia in general. Russia is open to business with or without
It is Europe and US that are likely suffer economically. Europe specifically should energy delivery suffer.
War in the winter months is more likely.
A very interesting breakdown, not to mention frightening…
LOL. The EU leading the charge?
Novorossiya is not Libya, handled cleanly from the air.
This is boots-on-ground heavy combat with air cover compromised by an opponent with real air defenses and more than willing to use them.
The U.S. finished Libya when EU NATO ran out of bombs.
They’re not entering a war because EU NATO ran out of bodies.
Hi Bianca:
Have you factored in the possibility of war going nuclear?…
I would like to know your thoughts on this with thanks…
They have given up on Ukraine joining the EU and NATO. It just that nobody dares tell that officially to the Ukrainian oligarchs.
EU NATO freeloaders certainly don’t want Ukraine freeloaders; they can’t afford the existing PIIGs as it is.
Germany already faces American drawdowns; if the front moves East as well as South (towards Africa), its completely impractical for the U.S. to stage from Germany.
Its all about that U.S. military base dole, and free access to the EU labour market.
Hyping the Russian (non) threat is just a sideshow. They like bugging Russia anyway.
Well the way things are going i hope everyone under 25 is ready to be CONSCRIPTED into the British army which is well under maned and short of CANNON FODDER , because the politicians won`t be doing any fighting tats for sure.
Women need fear the draft moreso than men; many specialist jobs cannot be filled by just men anymore.
US and UKs biggest fears are that Russia will normalize relations with Europe.
Oil, energy and money will flow back and forth outside the control of NYC and London banks.
Russian pipelines make much more sense than LNG tankers.
The present economic hegemons recognize how dire this will be.
Furthermore US stupidity will drive the Russians and Chinese together making the whole situation more polar.
I agree, but it’s not as much stupid as it is evil.
I agree that US biggest fear (who cares about UK fears) is link-up between Russia and Europe.
Due to their bizzare inability to understand the concept of economic suicide, Germany is putting itself in the position that in a relatively short period of time it will have to come crawling to Russia in order to survive.
Naturally, the US will attempt to “forbid” Germany from doing so. Then the entire world will get to witness Germany informing the US that it can f**k off. German move towards Russia WILL happen. And the rest of the EU goes where Germany goes.
Do our leaders not see this coming? Apparently not. I do not understand our policy of trying to keep EU away from Russia by doing things that instead literally forces it into Russia’s hands. That’s exactly what our policies are going to cause down the road. Stupidity.
Fear? Good riddance if the EU was gone to Russia and their imperial Great Game pretensions no longer a nuisance.
NATO should have ended a long time ago.
One would never guess that Germany lost WW2!!! Germany, like Japan, is now a puppet of the USA whose commitment to peace is NIL. Europe follows US sanctions on Russia to the detriment of EU, as we see with the refusal of Berlin to open the gas flow from nordstream 2.
That position does not square with Mackinderan geopolitics. The EU is a costly rump of Eurasia with little inherent significant geopolitical value.
The EU’s biggest fear is that the Anglosphere won’t fight their wars for them and won’t be the obediently senseless attack dogs we too often are.
The fear that Russia will normalize relations with Europe, emanates from European oligarchs alone and only parroted by the U.S. and U.K..
Normalized Russian-EU relations means normalized relations with the Anglosphere, which plays to the Anglosphere’s far greater than Europe commercial and trading strength.
The Anglosphere, has no real stake in the EU Eurasian Great Game. Our backyard is the ‘Outer Islands’ of the Americas, South Pacific and Atlantic where sea power matters.
Perhaps in 200 years if the Arctic thaws, one could add the Nordic states.
It all goes back to Obama’s violent bloody coup in Ukraine. RussiaGate was a con job to hide the events in Ukraine.
Washington had chosen to spearhead Neo-Nazi’s into positions of authority. Under a “regime of indirect rule”, however Ukraine take their orders on crucial military and foreign policy issues including the deployment of troops directed against the Russian federation, from the the US State Department, the Pentagon and NATO. From fabricating an “invasion,” to the claims of “threatened” lives, to the labeling of Russians as “subhuman,” Obama recited fully the script of Nazism used to justify its various historical crimes against humanity.
For example take the latest Russia aggression, biggest con job ever………Here is what is really going on………….Zelensky signs off on decree 117/2021 which is the De-occupation and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. This is a declaration of war.
Ukraine then moved weapons and troops to the front line and started shelling civilians in the Donbass. Russia as a response has moved 2 armies and 3 paratroop divisions to their border with Ukraine. The Putin administration has warned the US/NATO to back off and let Russia deal with Kiev.
There are over 500,000 Russian citizens, passport holders, in the Donbass hence the shelling of the Donbass is a threat to Russia and a provocation for war. Apart from the war crimes that Ukraine/US/NATO are committing these are just further crimes against humanity which is the standard MO of US/NATO.
Take Putin is a killer……….President Lukashenko has stated that Biden gave the order to kill him in a coup organized by the CIA. According to the Russians, a joint operation of the (Belorussian) KGB and the Russian FSB has uncovered the plot early on and the Russians monitored the full operation until they had enough evidence to arrest all the plotters. The Kremlin confirmed that Putin and Biden discussed this topic during their telephone conference. No wonder Putin wont meet Biden for a summit.
It was the Russians who saved Erdogan from a US-backed coup which was also supposed to include Erdogan’s murder. It was the Russians who saved Yanukovych from the neo Nazi mobs that the US administration set loose in the Maidan which was suppose to include Yanukovych’s murder.
Why do they call Ukrainian forces Banderites? In 1943 Stepan Bandera’s followers massacred 70,000 Poles the majority of whom were unarmed men, women, and children. This mass killing took place in Volyn, Western Ukraine. In the spring and summer of 1943 peasants of Volyn under the leadership of the Galician intelligentsia using bullets, axes and other improvised means assassinated tens of thousands of Poles living in the villages and towns of the region. The political leadership of the OUN had suddenly realised that the Germans might lose the war. So because of the presence of the Polish population the political leadership had simply decided to get rid of that population to prevent Poland’s claim to Volyn. By 1945 the OUN had, in Eastern Galicia, killed 130,000. Many people had their eyes gouged out and were then hacked to death. After WWII the OUN kept fighting against the forces of the USSR and People’s Poland until 1949.
“To initiate a war of aggression,” said the Nuremberg Tribunal judges in 1946, “is not only an international crime, it is the supreme international crime, differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.”
From the historical reference in Volyn we can clearly see that Obama / Biden in Ukraine were using the supreme international crime as a means of preventing Russia’s claims to the Donbass. And Poroshenko as one of Obama’s missives gives a speech where for the first time in history a Western leader boasts about targeting woman and children. Poroshenko stated….“We will have our jobs, they will not. We will have our pensions, they will not. We will have care for children, for people and retirees, they will not. Our children will go to schools and kindergartens… theirs will hole up in the basements. Because they are not able to do a thing. This is exactly how we will win this war!”
Keep in mind he is talking about Ukrainians, his fellow countrymen. He openly flouts international law, his militia’s use cluster and phospherous munitions against all conventions. He terrorises civilian populations. This was Obama’s/Biden’s strategy to win this civil war, ethnic cleansing and genocide.
What followed were fraudulent elections where ethnic cleansing and genocide predictably yielded a pro US and pro EU client regime. One can perhaps understand why many Russian speakers in the eastern Ukraine took up arms in 2014 when they saw the flags of the OUN (Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists) proudly displayed in Kiev after the violent overthrow of the elected government.
Amen, and that which is most to be named is these “days of the fascists”, their Davos lords.
Amazing how Davos transitioned National Socialism into Globalist Socialism.
Elite ‘socialism’ is so… -ism-y.
Doom Sternz,
Bravo – America has been living on ” fairy tales” since the mid 1970s (ironically our Bi-Centennial) – especially those involving free markets and noble leadership. It is time to wake up, drink a lot of black coffee and look in the mirror – and above all – tell the bloody truth about it all.
The more you look the worse it gets………..MH17 was shot down by a Ukrainian airforce SU25 fighter and covered up by Western criminal governments. UN/NATO/EU are all international criminal organisations.
I could never work out why MH17’s course was deviated over a war zone. Now i know it was so that NATO could occupy the Donbass. Cold blooded premeditated mass murder, NATO purposely shot down MH17 as a cover to place 9000 troops in the Donbass.
The leading independent investigator of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 disaster, has revealed breakthrough evidence of tampering and forging of prosecution materials; suppression of Ukrainian Air Force radar tapes; and lying by the Dutch, Ukrainian, US and Australian governments.
The Malaysian Government also revealed how it got in the way of attempts the US was organizing during the first week after the crash to launch a NATO military attack on eastern Ukraine. The cover story for that was to rescue the plane, passenger bodies, and evidence of what had caused the crash. In fact, the operation was aimed at defeating the separatist movements in the Donbass, and to move against Russian-held Crimea.
It was revealed that a secret Malaysian military operation took custody of the MH17 black boxes on July 22, preventing the US and Ukraine from seizing them. The Malaysian operation, revealed by the Malaysian Army colonel who led it, eliminated the evidence for the camouflage story, reinforcing the German Government’s opposition to the armed attack, and forcing the Dutch to call off the invasion on July 27.
Why was MH17 altitude reduced? For the record the SU25 manufacturers have indicated that a variant of the SU25 sold to Ukraine can operate at the height levels that MH17 was reduced to, that of course is the point in asking why the decrease in altitude, ie to make it within strike range of the variant SU25 sold to Ukraine.
For the damage to occur on the left side of MH17 (as it flies) it is impossible for the damage to occur as it has if it was BUK missile fired from the location indicated, ie the JIT report is complete fiction.
Also why was a large group of air defense systems deployed to the militia-held regions just before the tragedy? Especially considering that the self-defense forces have no planes. Also on the day of the crash Kiev intensified Kupol-M1 9S18 radar activity, key BUK targeting system components. They were providing targeting information to the SU-25’s.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, it really does help to consider it and process the whole montage.
I agree and shudder in disbelief. If I die from a nuclear apocalypse caused by this evil empire, I’ll first think of Obama. The winner of the Nobel peace prize reciting his motto, “yes we can.”
Not defending Obama but he did refuse to sell the lethal weapons to Ukraine that Trump did, and Biden will. It’s a team effort. The witch Nuland is who I immediately think of in regard to ANYTHING that happens in Ukraine.
https://nypost.com/2019/10/09/sorry-joe-team-obama-refused-to-arm-ukraine-at-all/
I know you’re not necessarily defending him. I’ll share my math.
Both Nuland and HRC worked for Obama. Obama rallied for HRC in 2016. So, if he was not 100 percent evil, then he was dim-witted. We know he’s not that. Therefore, Obama = evil.
I’m not defending him at all, he is evil. He did the same thing in Libya. But nothing changed in Ukraine when he left office. If anything, things got worse. Trump increased sanctions and sold lethal weapons to Ukraine that Obama refused to do. Biden has continued on the same path. When a new president is elected it’s on him. Ukraine was on Trump for four years and he did nothing positive. It’s now on Biden and, so far, he is trumping Trump on doing nothing positive.
Absolutely correct analysis!
I got a big smile on my face, upon reading your comment about the witch. I appreciate that!
Obama (BIDEN delegated of course) tried to arrange to take Sebastopol as a NATO base in 2013, ignoring the huge pushback inside Crimea when a poll was taken. Later of course, Crimea was “annexed” after the US∕CIA∕Nuland coup, when the population voted to return to Russia.
And did you notice that Victoria Nuland, one of those who assisted with the overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically-elected government in 2014, is now Biden’s Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs?
Of course.The USA always chooses those who hate an “adversary” to be the diplomats eg Michael McFaul in Russia. Diplomacy is for sissies. Violence is the only way for the USA.
We should’ve never supported the coup. But it’s more of a product of congressional hawks and the Blob than just “blame Obama”. There are far more Republicans hawks than Democratic ones. Although that Nobel “peace” prize for Obama is getting more ridiculous by the day.
The president and not Congress is primarily responsible for foreign policy.
“The president and not Congress is primarily responsible for foreign policy.”
Not constitutionally.
Foreign policies of all U.S. presidents since FDR have led to warfare.
Under the Constitution, Congress alone has the power to initiate war. It could direct the president to avoid actions involving or leading to war — if it wanted to.
Your constitution is worthless. All you have are servants who you think are the government. What you have is legal corruption called campaign contributions. They the rich buy your reps with a fistful of dollars …nothing more!
Contemplate the War Powers Act. For that matter, Congress has not declared a war since 1941. Still, the United States military has not sat idle since that time.
No actually it’s your oligarch that are responsible for both domestic and foreign policy. You should wake up. Your so called democracy is a fraud. What you have is a plutocracy…rule by the rich who buys every single one of your politician and if not they are deposed.
You are one of the most obnoxious people I have ever come into contact with. Everything you say is negative. The People who post here are people of peace, you arrive on the scene and create negativity and mayhem. We do not care for your company good sir. I do not think you are a person of peace, I think you want to fight. Also, find some valium. Take care and have a good life.
What is obnoxious to most, is some fake so-called peace activists that have the logical naivety of a lamb about to be slaughtered! No wonder we have no peace on earth with useless people like you!
Justin Raimondo woke me up from my stupor in 1999. Did I agree with everything he wrote since? No, but I appreciated him continuing to share his knowledge. When we say we are antiwar, then we are on the same side. Every antiwar activist brings different prospective and can help wake up others. What’s important is keeping the truth alive while the MSM/deep state is trying to kill it, like they are trying to kill Assange. This is a situation where both of you are correct. Let’s avoid insulting each other.
She started it ….not I.
LOL. I noticed. A perfect example of circle the wagons and shoot inward. I’ve been guilty of that myself more times than I can remember.
While I agree with much that you’ve posted, please don’t harsh on Donna. I admire her for advocating for peace against war, though I personally believe that we’ll all be incinerated.
She attacked me. I did not attack her. I guess I should not be hard on Karen’s with menapuse!
Nobody has claimed, or at least I never did, that the United States is not a de facto oligarchy, or a plutocracy, as you term it. That said, the buck stops with the president.
Actually the buck stops with the oligarchy and corporation’s that run your corrupt government.
OK, explain how you’re gonna do that, when the people who have the nominal authority are elsewhere.
It’s called delegation of authority.
You pay for corrupt politicians by campaign contributions mean you own them. Ask Obama all about control by remote…
Just one order away by phone!
Then it’s the authority’s fault for following orders.
Last I checked, the Nuremberg Defense (I was only following orders!) did not save anyone from the gallows.
“responsible “!!!!!
The Nobel prize is a million dollar bribe..given to the most heinous war criminals on earth. They gave it to Obama before he took the rein of President. In short they bought him with a million dollar bribe at get go!
Putin says he does not mean to attack, and that may be true. However, he is prepared to attack if he feels he must, and he is issuing dire warnings that he feels backed into a corner so he must act.
In today’s phone call, Biden said several times that nobody wins a nuclear war. They are talking about that, Biden said it, and more than once.
So what is Putin’s army prepared to do? It is positioned in ways that enable particular operational plans, and not others. It can sweep into Ukraine, and take as much of it as Putin sees fit. He could send a wave of anti-Russian refugees out into the EU, and if he does that it would be easier to hold more of Ukraine, and harder on the EU.
But what next? Would Putin leave the initiative in US hands, just stand down and say, “Do as you will?”
Taking all of Ukraine could be step one in a two or three step operational plan.
It would position Russia to move on Poland next. Poland is as indefensible now as it has been for the last hundred years, more so since there are few forces there on the scale of the Russian Army. Be real, he could not be stopped.
Then? Germany’s border would again be facing a Russian controlled Poland, and today Germany is disarmed and defenseless, and France is very near disarmed and defenseless on this scale. There is no serious US Army in Europe right now, just bases without troops. The US divisions went to fight Saddam, and from there went home decades ago.
These are the reasons that Biden more than once mentioned nuclear war as unwinnable.
I am reminded of the British Foreign Secretary in 1914, who said “the lights are going out across Europe, and will not come on again in our lifetimes.” Yet he stood there looking out the window, and just did it anyway.
Are they listening to themselves? To each other?
You’re right that Russia could take these areas. Problem is (1) she couldn’t keep them, and (2) doesn’t want them, not even the Donets Basin. She does need buffers, and a weak, but autonomous, Poland and Eastern Ukraine fit the bill. It’s only Crimea, She needs to posses. While, on the other hand, the Western, the big capitalist, states are expansionist by necessity.
Biden’s “nuke” motif signals the time-honored cold-war standby, the “psycho” threat/bluff, lent credence by such actual promoters/practitioners as Curtis LeMay, Edward Teller (Dr. Strangelove), and Nixon/Kissinger. Kennedy’s de-nuke initiative was thee principle motive for his murder. As well, Krushev’s loss of nerve over the showdown at Cuba, convinced the “wise men” that the “psycho” threat would always work (at least with Russia).
Robert:
Your breakdown on this is very interesting. Thank you for sharing your insights. A lot to consider and again very interesting as well.
I agree with you both!!
Putin has no interest in moving on Poland. What he wants is no US/NATO strategic weapons in Poland. If he has to move on Poland to get that, perhaps it would happen. But because Poland is in NATO, that would trigger Chapter 5, and WWIII is on. He doesn’t want that, and neither does the US (well, the less than crazy in the US, excepting the neocons.)
As for Ukraine, it’s likely Russia would only seize the eastern part of Ukraine, possibly up to and including Odessa. However, they wouldn’t try to hold it – that’s what the neocons want. What Russia would do is “pacify” the area by setting up pro-Russian local governments in each oblast, and setting up local militia and police to protect them, then Russia would go home. The rest of Ukraine in the west would be left an economically non-viable rump state, cut off from the port of Odessa.
And this would only happen if Ukraine attacks the Donbass again. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what I expect to happen within the next couple months or in the summer.
The primary goal of Kiev is entry into the EU and NATO. To this end, they are threatening war with Novorossiya.
Such an attack is unlikely s Kiev wold lose whatever remaining credibility it has with the remaining regions.
The existing buildup is also as much to unify Ukraine by intimidation as threaten Novorossiya. Those troops keep dissent in-line and combat-able men occupied.
Its been a lot of years, without any substantial political or economic progress against Ukraine’s real problems like runaway corruption under predatory oligarchs and widespread poverty.
Joining the EU and NATO dole doesn’t solve that, obviously, but keeps the power structure going for a bit longer.
The neocons are listening only to screaming temper tantrums for war from their exclusive echo chambers in impotent countries like Canada.
Russian forces are positioned primarily around Yelnya, which is closer to Belarus, not Ukraine.
Therefore the Russians expect NATO to make a move against one or both of Belarus and Novorossiya.
Belarus can be intervened into should something unfortunate happen to President Lukashenko, who has finally stopped playing games and sided firmly with Russia.
A massive Ukrainian assault against Novorossiya would meet with the same fate it did last time, smashed by Novorossiyans. Backed by Russian logistics and maybe a few Russian soldiers ‘vacationing’ in Ukraine.
Crimea is already well-defended; there’s no point even feinting there.
There’s no realistic possibility of war in Ukraine, unless Euro-NATO shadow aggression being defeated again is some kind of propaganda victory validating the Russians ‘threat’.
Putin and Russia want be part of the European economic union, the same way Canada is with the United States! Let the Europeans solve their problems, they are none of our business.
I don’t disagree with the military analysis but the days when invading other European countries with already consumed natural resources and occupying them are over. Russia cannot govern or feed all those countries
idiots. It’s what Napoleon would do–not Putin.Don’t suggest ways of action to Russia. It is well prepared but unlike the USA, knows what real war on its territory means. The USA∕Israel are the dangers,and if the EU does not wake up and realise that Russia is NOT an enemy and is part of their region far from the USA, it deserves the problems it is making by supporting NATO excesses. NATO is obsolete and needs to stop pretending.
Here’s the main takeaway from the phone call: Biden continues to threaten Putin over a fake “invasion” that Biden knows isn’t going to happen without a Ukraine attack on the Donbass. This means Biden is fully on board with the fake CIA/neocon “invasion” story (or is so befuddled he can’t tell he’s being played – I vote the former.)
Putin on the other hand probably heaved a sigh upon hearing this crap, and was forced to point out to his demented opposite number that any imposition of sanctions would result in a final break in relations. Putin knows he’s not going to “invade” Ukraine. But he also knows from his intelligence network in Ukraine that the West is pushing for Zelensky to attack Donbass. Therefore he knows he’s going to have to respond, and that will set off the sanctions. He’s merely “getting ahead of the blame” by putting forth his treaties and offering the US a way out, even though he knows the US is incapable of taking it.
Alexander Mercouris thinks it’s possible the US will at least step back and force Zelensky to implement the Minsk agreement. I seriously doubt that. This whole situation has been set up by the CIA and the neocons precisely to produce a war between Ukraine and Russia that the US can use to further demonize Russia. And I don’t see Biden reining in the neocons.
Biden has followed the exact same course with regard to China all this past year. He says one thing, then his administration does the exact opposite within 24 hours. He did it to Putin earlier – he asked for a summit, then imposed more sanctions. Anyone trusting Biden to do anything rational is delusional. Biden is on board with a war between Ukraine and Russia, so that’s what we’re going to get.
Also, do not forget Biden has a personal stake in this too.
We do not fully know how much money Biden makes from his Ukraine holdings, but we can assume he would own even more if the Ukraine government can regain the Donbass.
Naw, Biden is just making polite noises and sending in a few thousand U.S. troops as hostages.
Its Kiev and D.C. neocons that want war, not the White House. Biden has his hands full with COVID-1984 and the U.S. social civil war, which is going badly for the Democrats.
All politics is local, even for the U.S. empire.
I’m not convinced of that. Biden accepts the neocon “Russian invasion” bullcrap which he has to know is bullcrap no matter how befuddled he is. As I said, Biden has a history of double-dealing. So I can’t give him the benefit of the doubt until he tells Zelensky to stand down – and Zelensky actually stands down. Because if Biden can’t rein in the CIA and the neocons, what difference does it make whether he believes it or not?
Don’t matter what Biden says if he can do nothing. Novorossiyans are too-near-peer opponents.
If Ukraine attacks and gets U.S. soldiers killed, there will be zero U.S. support for war.
Russia is NOT invading without extreme provocation -that is, they would not be the aggressor.
Biden’s honest polling numbers would already be single-digit without losing another propaganda war fighting a hot war.
Then, where’s the U.S. logistics buildup? There’s nothing left. There wasn’t even enough gas to re-deploy Afghan equipment elsewhere; it was all abandoned.
U.S. Afghan forces, are going into Africa, not the Donbass. Light infantry opponents, easily dominated by drone forces.
The U.S. no longer has capacity for multiple fronts, and China and Russia are in Africa, not Novorossiya.
France and Germany are of course part of the deception, as they agreed to monitor the talks between Kiev and the Donbass, but have done nothing, just allow the festering to go on for 7 years when an easy solution, UN approved, is on the table. Give a special status to Donbass, remove the troops and threats, give Russia safety on its own border and stop pretending that NATO membership is possible or even a benefit. After all, the Ukraine “government” since the 2014 US coup is probably not representative of the population. Have they been asked?
This piece was heart stopping, deeply distressing… I can only hope that these scheduled talks will produce some positive results. Clearly, NATO/US needs to put some brakes on.
NATO was set up after World War II to stop the expansion of the USSR. I’m more concerned about the expansion of NATO than I am about the expansion of the USSR because it no longer even exists. NATO is now just a tool for American imperialism.
I thought U.S.-Russia ties were already severed.
The Europe First, die-for-us-you-fat-lazy-Americans faction must have missed a few.
Let the EU fight this one. Its their Grrreat Game.
Russia and Ukraine are a European issue and not any concern of the American people. Russia relates to Europe as Canada does to the United States, they complement each other. It’s the globalist neocons and the “American Marxists” who object to a strong and independent Europe.
Amerikkka ain’t a-goin’ to war with Russia. When’s the last time we declared war on a nuclear power? (Hint : NEVER.)
We like to save our bombs for defenseless third-world countries.
It’s a trap and the Russian’s know it and dont care. Russia has no plans on invading Ukraine only if Ukraine launches a full blown assault on Donbass. That would be the trigger. The US will then blame Russia as the “aggressor”. Simple as that.
Any time one calculates warlike actions, one must ask, “And then what?” Always remembering that the enemy gets a say in that.
A successful tactic must be part of, a step in a larger successful operational plan. A successful operation must be calculated to advance some strategy to attain the ultimate war aim in a peace. At the very least, one must have an idea of the next operation set up by success of the first, in the general direction of attaining peace on desired terms.
Supplying some antitank missiles is a tactic. Driving a few tanks into the border district is a tactic.
What is the operational plan each side imagines advanced by those rather small tactical moves?
What strategy leading to desired peace terms is furthered by that operation, or the next?
It seems likely Putin has actual operational plans, and follow on plans. It is a Russian Army specialty. They always do.
But the US? Its small wars have been aimless blundering about, killing to kill, ending in defeats.
If there is a US operational plan that uses the tactics now suggested, it has not been made public, and is not easily guessed. It seems more like hawks in flight, cawing out, “1938!”
“if Russia invades Ukraine.” this refrain has gone on for months. Russia does not want Ukraine-who would? It wants fair treatment of the minorities in the east, as agreed to (!) in the Minsk agreement 7 years ago, but Kiev refuses.
“Moscow submitted a list of security proposals to Washington and is eager to negotiate them.” False. Russia will not accept US mealy-mouthed pretences. It needs clarity that it will not be hemmed in by NATO∕USA and not allowed the “sovereignty” the US wants for Ukraine.
We allow the wrong people to decide such things. Chest thumping talking monkey’s tossing poo at each other from a game of King O the hill. A rigged game and until its fair, it’ll always be this conflict.