Monday 25th of November 2024
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the day before tomorrow....

Last week’s statements by David Arakhamia – who took part in the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations to end the armed conflict a year and a half ago – have caused a stir. The leader of Ukraine’s parliament only said what had been uttered by others before, but his input, for the first time, delivered official confirmation from Kiev.

 

Fyodor Lukyanov: Here’s the grave diplomatic mistake Ukraine will eventually regret Kiev rejected ‘Finlandisation’, but it was almost certainly a better deal than the one it will get now

 

Fyodor Lukyanov

 

Firstly, he admitted that the main issue at that time was military and political security – the guaranteed neutral status of Ukraine. As we know from the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin (during a meeting with an African delegation in June), those present also talked about specific parameters for limiting Ukraine's military potential. Secondly, Arakhamia reported on the position of then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who, either on his own initiative or on behalf of the collective West, was in favor of continuing the war to a victorious conclusion.

We will refrain from making a political assessment of the decisions taken by the Ukrainian leadership. What is more interesting is the substantive side of the negotiations, which we can now assess more fully.

A month and a half or two months after the start of hostilities, Ukraine was offered what the more moderate Western commenters suggested in 2014, after the beginning of the acute crisis around Donbass – ‘Finlandisation’. In other words, a guarantee of the country’s security and independence in exchange for written down restrictions on its military and political status. An example of this was the agreements between the USSR and Finland after the Second World War, when Helsinki retained its sovereignty and almost complete independence (and also gained trade and economic preferences), and voluntarily agreed to stay away from Western alliances. In the second half of the 1940s, this arrangement was seen as a great achievement for Finland, since the alternative was to incorporate the country into the Soviet sphere of influence, with all the consequences that would entail. Such as the establishment of a ‘people's democracy’ and strict adherence to the USSR’s foreign policy.

In the last decade, very few people were ready to discuss such a model in relation to Ukraine. They were pretty much followers of the school of realism in international relations (the late Henry Kissinger was considered its personification), but believers by no means included all of them. Some of those who believe in the balance of power, in principle, did not consider it necessary to apply the approach in this case. After all, Russia was considered too inferior to the West’s total potential to seriously take its military-strategic interests into account.

Most Western politicians and strategists now adhere to a completely different ideology: Balance of power and geopolitical compromises are a legacy of the past and only ideological categories are relevant today. In their thinking, ‘the free world’ prevails over the ‘unfree’, and that’s it. So, the West’s general post-Cold War line has not changed – to expand its own military-political institutions regardless of anyone’s objections.

It should be noted that these discussions on security systems were conducted mainly in the West, especially in the United States. In fact, in the Ukrainian political and public sphere, where stakeholders should have been the most interested in a good outcome, there was almost no debate. There was a clear and unchanging policy from the very beginning of independence for maximum separation from Russia, and it received direct approval and support from the West. The alternative was a much more flexible and amorphous concept (which for some reason was considered pro-Russian), the essence of which (real, not declared) was reduced to constant maneuvering and the evasion of any obligations – whether proposed or even already agreed upon.

For those in the first camp, ‘Finlandisation’ remained unacceptable, as it would have acted as a brake on distancing from Russia and rapprochement with the West. And the adherents of the second viewpoint were not really suitable as interlocutors, since this model still envisages rigid compliance with the agreed parameters. The task of the ‘flexible’ forces was to prevent any rigidity of commitments or to get out of them at the first opportunity. In general, the peculiarity of Ukrainian political culture, which regards all agreements as intermediate rather than final, has left a noticeable mark on the entire history of country since the end of the USSR. And, at the very least, it has contributed to the sad state of affairs that we have to face today.

It seems that under the conditions of the ongoing hostilities, in which both sides (but the Ukrainian side to a greater extent) have suffered major casualties, the ‘Finnish’ variant should have attracted more and practical attention. However, the two phenomena described above interacted here. On the Western side – the inadmissibility of revising the results of the Cold War, i.e. taking into account Moscow’s dissenting point-of-view. On the Ukrainian side – the rejection of any binding agreements. So, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

Now that the specter of some kind of ceasefire talks is beginning to hang over the West, it is impossible to go back a year and a half. In a way, the situation has been simplified – the issue will be resolved on the battlefield and the outcome will be determined in the traditional way. Nevertheless, sooner or later, the question of a political solution will arise again. And its resolution will depend on the ability to draw lessons from what has happened. Or, the inability, as may be the case. 

https://www.rt.com/russia/588572-grave-diplomatic-mistake-of-ukraine/

 

SEE ALSO: 

zelensky is a crook according to the pandora papers. thank you luke harding for your contribution......

 

 

 

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paying caesar.....

The US Congress is continuing to vote in favor of sending billions of dollars to Ukraine because a lot of that money ends up being laundered back into the US military-industrial complex, Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie has said.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson on X (formerly Twitter) published on Wednesday, the politician was asked to explain why Washington continued to push for more funding for Ukraine despite it becoming obvious that Kiev’s forces “cannot win.”

Massie, who has repeatedly voted against funding Kiev’s military operations, alleged that a lot of the funds that are sent to Ukraine ultimately end up “enriching” people within specific US districts and “stockholders, some of whom are congressmen.”

“You know, people are getting rich, so let’s do it. It’s an immoral argument, but it is one. But that’s not the argument they’re making in public,” he said, noting that those supporting the funding of Ukraine with US tax dollars are instead arguing that it is a “moral obligation” to do so.

“You’re a bad person if you’re against this,” he complained, referring to a statement recently made by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who suggested that failing to support “the fight for freedom in Ukraine” meant letting Russian President Vladimir Putin “prevail.”

“But no one mentions that we have abetted the killing of an entire generation of Ukrainian men that will not be replaced. To fight a war that they cannot win,” Massie noted.

In order to support the US government’s proposals on Ukraine aid, the congressman claimed, a person has to be “economically illiterate and morally deficient.”

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has hit out against Republicans like Massie, who have opposed aid packages for Ukraine, calling the failure to support Kiev “absolutely crazy” and “against US interests.” The US leader has repeatedly pledged that Washington would support Kiev for “as long as it takes” in its conflict with Russia.

Congress is currently in the midst of a debate around accepting a $111 billion ‘national security supplemental request,’ which includes funding for Ukraine, as well as Israel. Republicans have said they would not let the bill pass unless Washington first boosts spending on the US-Mexico border, tightens immigration controls, revises asylum and parole laws in immigration proceedings.

Last week, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also stated that Washington’s continued support for Ukraine had nothing to do with defending “democracy” or battling Russia, but instead boiled down to making a profit and modernizing the US military-industrial complex.

https://www.rt.com/news/588617-us-ukraine-aid-congress/

 

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barrel bottom...

Things are getting worse for Kiev not only on the battlefield, but also in the political arena.

Russian forces have carried out another massive attack on Ukrainian military facilities throughout the country for the fifth night in a row.

Several targets were struck in the Zhytomyr region. One of them was a large ammo depot with NATO ammunition near Berdichev.

Russian strikes continue pounding the military airfield in Starokonstantinov in the Khmelnitsky region on a daily basis. Due to the lack of alternative options, Ukrainians do not lose hope of deploying the cherished F-16 aircraft there, despite the ongoing Russian shelling, which destroys the infrastructure at the facility.

Since yesterday evening, several explosions have sounded in Odessa. One of the targets was reportedly the Shkolny airfield.

 

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Meanwhile, Russian forces do not stop their advance at the front. On the northern flank of Bakhmut, they cut an important road and began encircling Bogdanovka.

Over the past 24 hours, the Russians have also improved their positions on the southern flank. On the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut, they repelled Ukrainian forces from the dachas district and took control over the road to Ivanovskoe. Their further advance will allow them to reach the rear of the Ukrainian grouping, which is now repelling Russian attacks near Kleshcheyevka.

Russian forces maintain their initiative on other directions in the Donbass, although the front lines have not undergone significant changes over the past 24 hours.

Another defeat awaited Kiev in its strategic rear, in Washington.

On December 5, Zelensky suddenly canceled his video call to U.S. senators who were supposed to vote on President Joe Biden’s request to allocate an additional $106 billion to Ukraine and Israel.

It turned out that the senators themselves did not want to listen to the Kiev president.

Republicans left the briefing before Zelensky’s speech, as they did not receive a response from the Democrats to their proposals. Republicans insist that U.S. support for Ukraine should be combined with measures to strengthen the US border.

 

Regarding Ukraine, representatives of both parties in the US Congress are concerned about the future of this country as a sovereign and independent state. The senator from the Democrats told the media that some of the US congressmen are not sure that Ukraine will still exist as an independent state in a year, and will not become part of Russia. While the Americans are deciding whether Kiev is a Russian city or a Ukrainian one, Washington has reached the “bottom of the barrel” in the ability to provide military assistance to the war-torn country. According to the US State Department, about 97% of the resources have been exhausted.

 

https://www.theinteldrop.org/2023/12/06/retreating-at-front-kiev-got-a-nasty-blow-in-the-butt-from-washington/

 

SEE ALSO: https://covertactionmagazine.com/2023/12/05/it-army-of-ukraine-how-u-s-intelligence-agencies-have-elevated-cybercrime-in-ukraine-into-a-freedom-fighting-cult/

 

 

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moving forward.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugGEvsCJly0

Ukraine : l'armée russe avance dans "toutes les directions" selon le ministre russe de la défense

Ukraine: the Russian army is advancing in “all directions” according to the Russian defense minister

 

THIS INFORMATION IS CONFIRMED BY THE REPORTAGE FROM FRANCE24... THE UKRAINIAN ARMY IS RETREATING OR BEING DECIMATED, OR SURRENDERING..... NO MONEY FROM THE US TREASURY CAN SAVE KIEV FROM DEFEAT... 

 

https://www.rt.com/news/588636-senate-blocks-ukraine-funding/

 

https://www.rt.com/news/588620-yellen-us-responsible-ukraine-defeat/

 

 

 

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MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT HITS THE FAN:

 

 

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

 

EASY.

 

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

 

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