Posted on 01/10/2023 12:30:56 PM PST by delta7
Russia and Ukraine have publicly agreed on a fundamental and important issue.
The question is who Russia is fighting in Ukraine.
During an interview with a Ukrainian TV station the Oleksii Reznikov, the defense minister of Ukraine, answered that the Ukraine has "already become a de facto member of the NATO alliance."
The interview, given four days ago, is available on Youtube. English language subtitles can be generated by autotranslate. The sentence pictured above comes at about 1:25 minutes in.
Sputnik, which seems to be the only international outlet that has picked up on this, has more (from ~11:05 min):
“At the NATO Summit in Madrid” in June 2022, “it was clearly delineated that over the coming decade, the main threat to the alliance would be the Russian Federation. Today Ukraine is eliminating this threat. We are carrying out NATO’s mission today. They aren’t shedding their blood. We’re shedding ours. That’s why they’re required to supply us with weapons,” Reznikov said ... The official said Kiev was being constantly reminded by its “Western partners” that it, “like a real shield, is defending the entire civilized world, the entire West,” from the Russians, and said that he personally has recently received holiday greeting cards and text messages from Western defense ministers to that effect.
Reznikov expressed “absolute” certainty in Ukraine’s eventual entry into NATO, saying he was “convinced that this is an absolutely realistic possibility... Of course they won’t accept this political decision via consensus before our victory. This is clear. But after the victory, after all this ends and some kind of peace arrives, NATO countries, first and foremost, will be interested in the construction of this security architecture. They have seen their own weak spots, they have seen who is strong and powerful. Today they are teaching us but tomorrow our officers, sergeants and even privates will be teaching them how to fight the Russians. Russia remains one of the threats to NATO, and for Europe as a whole.”
Reuters reports today that the Russian government agrees with the core of Reznikov's view:
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev is seen by diplomats as one of the major hardline influences on Putin, who has promised victory in Ukraine despite a series of battlefield setbacks. "The events in Ukraine are not a clash between Moscow and Kyiv - this is a military confrontation between Russia and NATO, and above all the United States and Britain," Patrushev told the Argumenti i Fakti newspaper in an interview.
"The Westerners' plans are to continue to pull Russia apart, and eventually just erase it from the political map of the world," Patrushev said. ... Asked about Patrushev's remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said NATO and the United States were part of the Ukraine conflict.
"De facto they have already become an indirect party to this conflict, pumping Ukraine with weapons, technologies, intelligence information and so on," Peskov told a regular news briefing.
As both sides now seem to agree on the real participants of the conflict we can assume that they will later also come to an agreement about its outcome. That however will still take a while.
The heavily fortified Ukrainian strongholds in Bahkmut (Artyomovsk) and Soledar are about to fall. The long fight over these cities has come at a high price particularly for their defenders. All the reserves the Ukrainian command has thrown into them have been ground up by massive Russian artillery applications.
Other reserves the Ukrainian army is still training up are waiting for new supplies of 'western' weapons. But what has been newly promised, mostly infantry fighting vehicles (aluminum cans), will only become available in late spring. The most likely plan the Ukrainian command will want to pursue is a move south towards Mariupol (bottom right) to severe the Russian land connection to Crimea.
There is however only a small chance that such a move during spring could be successful. Until then Russia has the time to make its own moves.
Guy needs to go back to ordinary marijauna like from the 50s and 60s and lay off the bomb-grade stuff....
What happens next is people like yourself having uncomfortable conversations with the FBI.
From a standpoint of russian vs western technology, Russia is fighting NATO, and losing badly. And NATO hasnt even jumped into the ring.
You have no idea what conversations we had while in uniform, but you were never a grunt.
My next preferred comments would result in the mods giving me a vacation, but you aren’t worth it.
But I keep reading on FR that Russia hasn’t sent in the “varsity” yet....
What the average Ukrainian wants is more weapons and help, not less, because they want victory against the Russian invaders to be quicker and more complete.
Whatever.
Just know that I see a distinction between voicing opposition to what our country is doing and cheerleading for another country’s foreign policy and repeating their nuclear threats against the USA.
No doubt if we were in a shooting war the FBI would be looking up the people who have sided with Russia to see if they’ve done anything aside from being tools of the Putin regime.
About what may I ask? As an American am I supposed to kowtow to holy Ukraine? I owe those nazi mutts zero loyalty.
Last I checked America is not in a war... no authorization of use of force, no War Power Act notice, no Declaration of War.
Every American has the right to be rootin’ for Putin.
FBI can stick it up their woke butts.
What a bizarre comment...is that you Liz Cheney?
Whatever. The Galician nazi assclowns get no allegiance from me. As an American I am free to oppose them hard. And it’s obvious. What would WE do if a missile left a Russian ship or area and was streaking towards DC? We would nuke the idiots in question, and so would they.
And anyway, with any luck the FBI HQ and DC would already be blasted with a shower of H-bombs. Red state people can always go in after a few months and power wash off the Marble monuments after the infestation is gone!
So all you can do is reply with insults rather than facts. Ukraine was no threat to Russia. Russia attacked and Russia can stop this by going home. Do really think that Ukraine would continue this if the Russians left? There is no justification for the Russian invasion.
“In actuality, the West tried to cultivate good relations with Russia and Russia declined.”
The West IS NOT CAPABLE of good relations with any country that wishes to have its own social and economic policies...something that Hungary has learned the hard way - you either do as demanded by the West, or get ready for ‘regime change’, courtesy of the West.
“The kid room is out your main door to the left. The adults are talking now.”
Agree, it’s annoying to have the 5 year olds join this discussion.
Do any research at all and get back to me.
You're talking aboiut the Russian rescue mission in hohostan?
"A rescue mission ?" you might ask... As in,
And put an end to the gargantuan deep-state child trafficking and money laundering ops and other forms of extreme transnational gangsterism.
The thing that is really new and different about this operation is that, historically at least, nine ways out of ten when Christians have had to face off against barbarian hordes, the Christians have gotten wiped.
“something that Hungary has learned the hard way”
Takes some nerve for a Russian apologist to raise the issue of Hungary, I’ll give you that.
“Takes some nerve for a Russian apologist to raise the issue of Hungary, I’ll give you that.”
Another 5 year old here apparently doesn’t understand what Hungary is having to deal with because they won’t allow Groomers and Drag Queens, nor allow their country to be repopulated with migrants from Africa.
And yet, I think if you ask any Hungarian on the street, you’ll find that they would still rather deal with all of the BS that the EU gives them than go back to dealing with the Russians as overlords. The EU still hasn’t sent any tank divisions into Hungary to massacre them yet.
“And yet, I think if you ask any Hungarian on the street, you’ll find that they would still rather deal with all of the BS that the EU gives them than go back to dealing with the Russians as overlords.”
I’ll wait to see how it ends as the EU has NO INTENTION in allowing Hungary to be an independent country - so eventually the EU will need to take steps to enforce that policy.
Sure, sure, ping me when the non-existent EU army invades Hungary.
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