Posted on 02/20/2022 4:06:17 PM PST by Mariner
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Sunday to hold three-way talks with Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe amid repeated US warnings Russia plans to invade its eastern neighbor, according to reports.
The meeting, to be held Monday, was scheduled during a phone call between Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron’s office called the talks “the last possible and necessary efforts to avoid a major conflict in Ukraine” and said both leaders agreed on “the need to favor a diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis and to do everything to achieve one,” according to AFP.
But the French and Russian presidents reportedly clashed over who’s to blame for the rising tensions in eastern Ukraine.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Not because Biden and the neocons said so, but because I believed it was in Russia's strategic interest to do so.
Now it appears they have more to gain by NOT invading, so I don't think they will.
The damage done to NATO and US standing in Europe is profound and lasting, while Russia's stock in Europe is soaring.
Europe will continue to buy Russian energy. Everybody thinks the US is crazy.
“Everybody thinks the US is crazy.”
Because it is.
Putin is playing Biden like a fiddle...
Good points. But I’m not convinced Putin is giving up on some type of limited incursion into Ukraine.
It is not lost on both Putin and Xi that U.S. leadership is badly faltering and is very weak. Smart, aggressive leaders see such an opportunity as a rare gift horse — and something to be fully exploited. This serendipitous window could close down the road and neither one wants to pass up the potential gains and/or fulfilment of their visions.
Weakness invites aggression and bold leaders take advantage of opportunities when they sense it. I think we’ll see more aggressive moves in the coming days and weeks both in Ukraine and in southeast Asia.
As you said “everybody thinks the US is crazy”. Its not good to be seen as vulnerable in this world.
IMHO, Biden/Blinken/deep state "ukraine" isn't about Ukraine, its about massive diplomatic and media pressure to keep Germany and EU from deeper ties, particularly energy, with Russia. Its a last-gasp attempt to turn off Nordstream 2. Its also about turning Ukraine into a long-term festering sore on Russia's border.
How has it succeeded? Well, Zelensky has told the world several times Biden should be quiet about the "impending invasion" hype, because its destroying his economy. He's charting his own course.
And now Germany, France and Ukraine are all meeting Russia together, WITHOUT the United States.
Also - the Bank of Russia said today that due to higher energy prices (partially due to war hype) Russia has earned an extra $32 Billion in the last 3 months of 2021. The EU's trade deficit with Russia has ballooned from $15 billion in 2020, to $67 billion in 2021.
We can give the deep-state sock-puppet Biden an "F" for this exercise.
That he is. And the world is now beating a path to Putin’s door. He’s winning without firing a shot.
Quite frankly it doesn’t appear that Europe even wants to work with the feckless Biden. Can’t say that I blame them.
Brandon, frozen out and ignored.
“The damage done to NATO and US standing in Europe is profound and lasting, while Russia’s stock in Europe is soaring. Europe will continue to buy Russian energy. Everybody thinks the US is crazy.”
Absolutely. The highlight was when the president of Unkraine called for national holiday on Biden’s ‘Invasion Day’, which was last Wednesday.
Also note that they don’t want the US anywhere around when they are trying to have serious discussions on ending the standoff.
The only ones who don't play Biden like a fiddle are Congressional Republicans.
But....but...Muh Invasion!
Don’t call it the US. It is a deep state occupation government.
Actual European news media including conservative Sky News, Euronews, France24, Deutsche Welle, etc. do not agree with you. Much to the contrary they’re very concerned about increased Russian military activity in the Baltic, the North Sea, the English Channel, off the coast of Norway, the Black Sea, and in the Mediterranean.
They do not think the Russian threat to Ukraine and Moldova are a joke. And they’re most certainly not amused by Russian threats to use nuclear weapons against European nations if Russia doesn’t have their way.
The result of all of this are calls across Europe for increased military spending and decreased dependence on Russian oil and gas.
Boris Johnson just yesterday spoke to ending European dependence on Russia and he hinted about a trade embargo on Russia to include food if Russia proceeds against Ukraine. You can see the interview on Euronews.
No, this idiotic adventure by Putin to try to weaken or eliminate NATO has served to remind Europe and the US why NATO is still needed.
” The EU’s trade deficit with Russia has ballooned from $15 billion in 2020, to $67 billion in 2021.”
Yep, Biden is doing FAR MORE to help Russia’s economy than Trump ever did by spiking energy prices.
As to ‘US Sanctions’ - big deal...Russia can literally get ANYTHING they need from China, assuming they’re not already producing it themselves. Our ‘US Sanctions” are meaningless to Russia.
Good post.
It looks very much like Biden, Blinken and Harris were disinvited to the meeting. Not surprising at all.
US sanctions will only drive Russia and China closer together.
How can that be “smart”?
You can bet the White House is in a total panic. Biden is a non-entity, this is hugh, series and more.
The Ruskies will want to eliminate nuclear weapons and Braindead will be happy to oblige. Then they will claim peace but there will be none.
“Weakness invites aggression and bold leaders take advantage of opportunities when they sense it”
Biden hasn’t been particularly weak. Especially since no POTUS, past present or future would militarily intervene in this situation.
But he has sure been stupid and hysterical. Off putting. Bellicose.
And has shown he is willing to make Europe suffer energy shortages over a place that’s not even really a country.
Declassified documents show security assurances against NATO expansion to Soviet leaders from Baker, Bush, Genscher, Kohl, Gates, Mitterrand, Thatcher, Hurd, Major, and Woerner
Slavic Studies Panel Addresses “Who Promised What to Whom on NATO Expansion?”
I think Russia starting a war is still more likely than not.
Probably the way it will go is the “separatists” in Donbass will falsely claim Ukraine is attacking DPR/LPR and the separatists with the help of Russian special forces will “counter-attack” and break through the Ukraine line.
The Russian regular military on the border will then directly attack the Ukrainian positions with artillery and missiles in order to “save” Donbass from being taken by Ukraine.
Russia will decree a “no fly” zone over Ukraine and when Ukrainian aircraft take off they will be taken out by superior Russian anti-aircraft systems.
Russia will capture Kiev, declare that Ukrainian leaders are wanted for war crimes and when captured will be tried by Russia for aggression against Donbass.
The problem for Putin is he has everything in place now. He may not have this same situation next year or the year after.
He clearly has some kind of understanding with China, and the Chinese have no doubt driven a hard bargain, probably having to do with gaining Siberian resources at low-ball prices.
I think Putin has an understanding with German politicians to protect Russia from the worst of the sanctions and has greased many palms in Berlin. Germany was never keen on letting Ukraine in the EU or NATO. They have seen how letting the Eastern Europeans like Poland and Hungary into the EU has diluted the control of the German-French axis over Europe. These Eastern European countries are not necessarily supportive of the globo-homo agenda or flooding Europe with muslim and third wold migrants, as the globalists want.
The Ukraine military has made remarkable progress since 2014. Absent help from Russia, they could retake Donbass if they tried to. If Russia waits longer, it will be more costly in terms of resistance and casualties to take Ukraine.
Russia is less popular in Ukraine, even among Russian-speaking peoples, with every year. This whole thing started when Ukraine was moving toward entry to the EU with widespread approval by the people and parliament until Yanukyvich refused to sign the agreement, clearly on orders from Moscow. That triggered the revolt. Yes, the Neocon globalists in control of our foreign policy came in and used the situation for their own advantage followed by grifters in the form of the Biden, Pelosi, Romney, Kerry, etc. families to profit themselves from the famous Ukrainian corruption. And the Dems/Neocons recruited Ukrainians to help them try to take down President Trump.
But the Ukrainians themselves have seen how corrupt Putin is, the rigging of elections in Russia, assassinations of journalists and political opponents, surveillance and control of the population by the security apparatus and also how when Belarus moved toward EU accession Putin was able to frustrate that and basically take control of Belarus, with their puppet Lukashenko having to rig elections and rely on Russian security forces to stay in power.
Putin has control over Belarus right now, he can take easily take Kiev from the north now, but who knows what the circumstances will be one year from now or five years from now. Maybe there will be a successful uprising against Lukashenko, who knows.
On the other hand, if the Minsk agreements go through that means Donbass gets BOTH effective self-rule and the right to participate in the Ukrainian national government to block Ukraine from joining the EU (which is the real issue in all this) or collaborating with NATO. And Ukraine would have to pay for reconstruction in Donbass and the welfare cost of the people there. Not a bad outcome for Putin. So maybe he uses his military power to force the outcome of the Minks agreements.
But regardless of the logic of the different strategies, it looks from events on the ground that Putin has already started the ball rolling and there will be an attack against Ukraine.
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