Posted on 05/27/2022 6:23:40 AM PDT by blam
The US general nominated to be the next commander of NATO suggested in a Senate hearing on Thursday that he may offer military options to facilitate grain exports from Ukraine and help break Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s southern coast.
When asked what NATO could do about Russia’s blockade, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, who currently serves as the commander of US Army Forces in Europe and Africa, said if he’s confirmed, he would “provide the military options required by our civilian leaders.”
“Clearly the way we would approach that would have to be a whole of government approach, which may or may not include a military component,” he added.
It’s not clear from Cavoli’s answer if he means the options would include the US confronting Russian warships or if the military would just be involved in assisting with alternate ways to ship grain. He went on to mention efforts being made to ship more Ukrainian grain by rail to ports in western Europe.
While Washington is blaming the global grain shortages on Russia’s blockade, there are factors, including US sanctions and the fact that Ukraine has mined its ports. Russia announced Thursday that it cleared mines around Mariupol and that the Azov Sea port is now open to civil vessels.
Earlier in the hearing, Cavoli recognized that US sanctions are exacerbating the global grain shortages. “The grain shortages that we’re experiencing from both Russia and Ukrainian production being unable to come out of the countries in large volumes or being sanctioned and not being sold are being felt on the African continent,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to an updated Thursday summary in Newsquawk:
White House said there are no talks about relaxing sanctions on Russia for grain exports, according to Reuters. Most recently, Russian Defense Ministry announces the opening of safe passages to the Black Sea from today, according to Sky News Arabia.
Romania is trying to alleviate food insecurity in the Global South by allowing grain exports
Constanta, Romania’s main port, can only process 90,000 tons of grain a day and there are 22 million tons of grain trapped in Ukraine
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) May 26, 2022
President Biden has admitted that the sanctions campaign he is leading will cause food shortages. “With regard to food shortage, yes … it’s going to be real,” Biden said in March. “The price of these sanctions is not just imposed upon Russia, it’s imposed upon an awful lot of countries as well, including European countries and our country as well.”
By rail?
You mean the same rail the Russians are using to get their hardware and supplies into Ukraine in the first place? The ones the Ukrainians are blowing up every day?
We’re f*cked.
Gewt rid of the damn sanctions. They are no good to anyone.
The Genius Generals who planned and led our glorious victories in Afghanistan and Iraq are now planning even greater victories against Russia!
Right out of the ol’ war playbook. Cause food shortages then say you have to go to war to prevent them.
The Biden administration seems to be determined to find a way to provoke Russia into attacking our forces.
The Ukraine and Elensky are mining the ports and preventing ships from leaving. The Russians are removing the mines and establishing humanitarian corridors. These are indisputable facts. Why doesn’t Biden just demand that Elensky just allow shipping to continue out if the ports that he controls and see how that works? But no, Elensky would rather use weapons of war to inflict the most damage to civilians and civilian assets, just like parking firing tanks next to a hospital ( an repetitive and indisputable fact) so he can point out damage done by the Russians to en US corporate press eager to report misinformation.
Leave the gun.Take the Cavoli.
The Europeans have navies. Let them do it.
“To paraphrase Oddball “ we (US) like to think of ourselves as a strategic reserve in case the Russians attack and take Ireland or even Iceland. “
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