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US, NATO rule out halt to expansion, reject Russian demands
https://apnews.com ^ | 1/7/2022 | By MATTHEW LEE and LORNE COOK an hour ago

Posted on 01/07/2022 12:49:43 PM PST by RomanSoldier19

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and NATO on Friday roundly rejected Russian demands that the alliance not admit new members amid growing concerns that Russia may invade Ukraine, which aspires to join the alliance.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia would have no say over who should be allowed to join the bloc. And, they warned Russia of a “forceful” response to any further military intervention in Ukraine.

Their comments amounted to a complete dismissal of a key part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands for easing tensions with Ukraine. Putin wants NATO to halt membership plans for all countries, including Ukraine. The former Soviet republic is unlikely to join the alliance in the foreseeable future, but NATO nations won’t rule it out.

Blinken and Stoltenberg spoke separately following an extraordinary virtual meeting of NATO foreign ministers. The meeting of the North Atlantic Council was the first in a series of high-level talks over the next week aimed at easing the tensions.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: nato; russia; ukraine; us
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To: MercyFlush

What if China signed a mutual defense pact with Mexico and immediately started placing advanced armaments near our border? Would you expect our leadership to stop this? Cuban middle crisis? How about mutual respect and non-escalation? The globalists have longed for a confrontation with Russia and hated Trump because he resisted in favor of sanity.


21 posted on 01/07/2022 1:29:23 PM PST by Kinzua (What have we allowed to happen?)
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To: Jacob Kell
NATO’s charter says an attack on one is an attack on all, basically. Are we willing to go to way with Russia over, say, Ukraine?

Well considering Turkey is a member of NATO, I sure as hell wouldn't want to go to war for Turkey.

22 posted on 01/07/2022 1:30:52 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: MercyFlush

Don’t need NATO membership to do that. Just make sure the Ukrainians are able to defend themselves. Some have said that maybe the Ukraine should be a neutral country-be a buffer between NATO Europe and Russia. Maybe, but it should be true neutral. Withdraw all Russian troops from its territory and have it stop supporting separatists.


23 posted on 01/07/2022 1:33:40 PM PST by Jacob Kell (So a pedophile, and wife beater, and a burglar all walk into a bar. And Kyle says: "Shots on me!")
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To: RomanSoldier19

I can’t wait till Russia forms a defense pact with Mexico and Canada.


24 posted on 01/07/2022 1:34:51 PM PST by soupbone1
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To: DoughtyOne

Not to mention Georgia( former Soviet) Chechnya, etc.

I knew/know an Estonian here in the U.S.
Not a big fan of Russia and the babushkas...


25 posted on 01/07/2022 1:36:15 PM PST by LeoWindhorse
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To: Repealthe17thAmendment

>>> Just how do we have “Russia stay the hell out?” <<<

How do you propose keeping Russia out of any other country then? Where do you draw the line? Or do you?

The Russians at one point or another in recent years have laid claim to numerous countries including the former Soviet slave states. They’ve even hinted at reclaiming Alaska and a couple crazies have even gone so far as to say that California justly belongs to Russia because the Russians used to have a settlement in California.

Where do you stop them? Myself, I think Ukraine is a better place to stop them than Berlin is. And they have made clear they think they have a right to reoccupy everything the USSR used to occupy.


26 posted on 01/07/2022 1:36:25 PM PST by MercyFlush (DANGER: You are being conditioned to view your freedom as selfish)
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To: soupbone1

Or puts their missiles back into Cuber.


27 posted on 01/07/2022 1:36:41 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: rbmillerjr

If all of the world’s predominantly white countries annihilate one another, will those left intact take pity on the remnant? Suicidal! We’ve already been goaded into two world wars. Will we learn?


28 posted on 01/07/2022 1:38:19 PM PST by Kinzua (What have we allowed to happen?)
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To: LeoWindhorse

I don’t blame him.

Russia just can’t figure out that becoming a decent nation
and developing a robust economy is the way to go.

Benefit from your neighbors. Don’t take them over and spread
the failure.


29 posted on 01/07/2022 1:40:23 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Democrats, fixing things that haven't been broken, so they don't work, for over 197 years.)
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To: Kinzua

Apparently never


30 posted on 01/07/2022 1:43:52 PM PST by mrmeyer (You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him. Robert Heinlein)
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To: Kinzua

> What if China signed a mutual defense pact with Mexico and immediately started placing advanced armaments near our border? <

Given that the Ukraine was once part of Russia, a better analogy might be if China signed a mutual defense pact with one of our Indian reservations.

It’s a real mess. We certainly need a steady hand at the till. And we had one with Trump. Unfortunately, what we’ve got today is a weak puppet instead.


31 posted on 01/07/2022 1:43:56 PM PST by Leaning Right (The steal is real.)
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To: RomanSoldier19

Great movie. I first saw it in — I think 1958 — at the local theater. I whistled “Colonel Bogey’s March” for weeks afterward.


32 posted on 01/07/2022 1:43:57 PM PST by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: Jacob Kell

Russia will not give up what they’ve seized from Ukraine any more than they’ll give up what they stole from Georgia. I have no pretensions about ousting them from Crimea and Donbas but at this point they’re angling to seize the rest of the country. Moldova will very likely be rolled up at the same time since it used to be part of Ukraine.


33 posted on 01/07/2022 1:44:41 PM PST by MercyFlush (DANGER: You are being conditioned to view your freedom as selfish)
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To: dfwgator

“Or puts their missiles back into Cuber.”

Ah, yes; I remember JFK’s accent when he spoke of Cuba.


34 posted on 01/07/2022 1:47:48 PM PST by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: DoughtyOne

“Russia just can’t figure out that becoming a decent nation
and developing a robust economy is the way to go.”

Russia has historically been paranoid, and insecure. Just sayin’.


35 posted on 01/07/2022 1:50:11 PM PST by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: MercyFlush
I think the line is currently drawn at NATO boundaries. We do have an agreement to defend those countries. And Russia will not even try it. That's why they are trying to make it clear that Ukraine cannot be admitted.

The problem with stopping Russia from going into Ukraine is that it would likely require US military action.

The problem with talking tough is that it's possible someone will call you on it some time. Then what?

36 posted on 01/07/2022 1:50:15 PM PST by Repealthe17thAmendment
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To: jagusafr

True.

It’s pretty nuanced, really.

Has the bear poked us, or is it just growling as we get too close? People who know far more than me have differing opinions.

You can’t blame the Russians for disliking the idea of a hostile coalition adding members that border it. On the other hand we have a lot of people with a lot of influence who would stand to make a lot of money if things heat up.

And the Russians have a leader who is one hell of a lot smarter than ours.


37 posted on 01/07/2022 1:50:28 PM PST by Republican in occupied CA (I will not give up on my native State! Here I was born, here I fight and die!!)
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To: MercyFlush

Maybe Chinese territorial ambitions should be of bigger concern right now. Maybe the residents of the Ukrainian territories would like to have a say instead of being pawns in the globalist game. I’m totally over these deep state, globalist destroyers.


38 posted on 01/07/2022 1:53:23 PM PST by Kinzua (What have we allowed to happen?)
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To: RomanSoldier19

A sane Russia would take everything East of the Dnipier by sundown tomorrow.


39 posted on 01/07/2022 2:01:10 PM PST by Mariner (War criminal #18)
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To: Repealthe17thAmendment

“That’s why they are trying to make it clear that Ukraine cannot be admitted.”

Hold on Sparky. Russia also demanded that NATO decline membership to Finland and Sweden and that any NATO application from any country anywhere be subject to Russian approval. The latter part being read in some media as a Russian prohibition against any growth of NATO.

https://www.globaldefensecorp.com/2022/01/07/finland-and-sweden-could-join-nato-despite-pressure-from-russia/

You want to know the kick in the pants here?

Newt Gingrich back in the 1990’s orchestrated the non-voting observer seat for Russia at NATO as a precursor to Russia joining NATO.

Had Putin not installed himself as Tsar thus strangling freedom in Russia it’s possible right now a free Russia would be a full member of NATO.

Damned shame it didn’t work out that way but Gingrich gets credit for trying.


40 posted on 01/07/2022 2:01:17 PM PST by MercyFlush (DANGER: You are being conditioned to view your freedom as selfish)
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