Posted on 11/26/2022 8:20:32 AM PST by Timber Rattler
Nato is feeling pretty pleased with itself right now.
Of course when you chat to officials in the soulless, concrete monolith that is Nato HQ here in Brussels, no-one expresses pleasure at the current situation in Europe after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But they are quick to tell you how surprised, amazed or encouraged they are, and that the alliance is so "very" united.
And that both transatlantic and EU-Nato co-operation on sanctions against Russia, for example, have been so smooth. This is far from always the case.
"If you'd asked me back in February, or even six months ago, there's no way I'd have predicted the unity we have in our ranks now," a US official in Brussels told me.
So what's the glue keeping Western allies together?
Just think of the countless headlines we've all read predicting the splintering of Western support.
"Ukraine fatigue" was heralded this summer, five months into the war.
Then the cost of living crisis and painfully high energy prices linked to Russia's invasion were tipped to reduce Western leaders' support for Kyiv.
With Russia having the largest stockpile of nuclear warheads in the world, it was assumed some countries would prefer to step away from Ukraine for fear of drastic action by Moscow.
But that was not the case.
"The strong resolve to stand with Ukraine that we see now has been helped by atrocities by Russia - targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure," a leading Nato official told me on condition of anonymity. Like many of the officials I spoke to, they would prefer to be able to speak more freely.
"A daily diet of war crimes, those images hitting our screens day after day. That makes it hard to turn away."
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Because most of us disagree with you in re Nato.
That horrendous picture that Timber Rattler posted in actually a picture of teachers in Kharkov that were murdered by the Ukrainians and dumped in that ditch. They like hundreds of other civilians were rounded up right after Russia pulled out. The Ukrainians call it “filtration.” Anyone they believe cooperated with Russia is murdered. The offense these teachers committed was teaching during the Russian occupancy.
Fortunately the Ukrainians have changed tactics due to the overwhelming lack of balance of Ukrainian POWs vs. Russian POWs (400 Russian POWs vs. 5,000 Ukrainian POWs.) They are now trying to exchange these civilians for their POWs.
https://t.me/s/rezident_ua/ UKRAINIAN TELEGRAM CHANNEL
Resident
⚡️⚡️⚡️#InsideOur
source in the OP said that the Office of the President instructed the SBU to strengthen filtration measures in Kharkiv and Kherson regions in order to form an exchange fund.
Resident
⚡️⚡️⚡️#Inside
Our source in the OP said that in two months 900 people were arrested in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions under the article collaborationism. On Bankova, they want to form an exchange fund in this way in order to implement the “all for all” formula, now there are only 400 prisoners of war in Ukraine, and about 5 thousand soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are in Russia.
Resident
The SBU continues to detain local residents in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions, and they have already gone around the 3rd circle and are arresting accountants/minor officials/entrepreneurs. The main reason for such arrests is the formation of exchange lists to implement the “all for all” formula.
And, only an idiot would believe Russia would be shelling a nuclear power plant it controls in a region that is now part of the Russian Federation.
You're like your father, the devil, Timber -- a liar.
The propaganda is getting chest high.
Russian Duma member admits they have units that take no prisoners.
Russian State Duma member Kazakov: "We have active combat units that take no prisoners"
Wait, so you mean it is an atrocity to deliberately target civilians with missles?
Well, Comrade Mariner, you need to take that up with the U.S. Senate which ratified the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949, giving it the force of law.
You're like your father, the devil, Timber -- a liar.
But not when russia does it, amirite? ‘Cause Ukrainians ‘deserve it’, are nazis, or gay, or jewish, or all three at the same time, and not really human beings in the eyes of russians, and their FR apologists...
“Except that the U.S. is a founding and current member of NATO."
You neglected to mention that the U.S. is the patsy who funds most of NATO's shenanigans.
U.S.:"Oh please allow us to carry the load for the rest of you fine Europeans. You shouldn't have to lift a finger. It's alright if Americans haven't enough to eat."
>>My contention is that NATO is contrary to US interests.<<
. US serves at the pleasure of NATO
. NATO exists at the expense of the US
. The main beneficiary of the alliance has always been Europe
with the US being the main financier.
. Yet European NATO members do not necessarily support US views at the UN.
Russia has not bombed Poland and blamed Ukraine for it.
Ukraine has bombed Poland and blamed Russia for it.
>In 2022-23 Russia can’t take on Poland, but it can probably take Latvia, Lithuania >Estonia, assuming nobody helps them. And, most likely, Moldavia.
Unless Moldavia reunites with Romania. For all we know, reunification might have more support among Moldavians than previously.
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