Blinken says no Ukraine cease-fire without Russia’s withdrawal

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says there can be no cease-fire in the war in Ukraine unless it is part of a “just and lasting” peace deal that includes Russia’s military withdrawal. Blinken said Friday that “a ceasefire that simply freezes current lines in place” and enabled Russian President Vladimir Putin to “rest, rearm, and re-attack” would not be “a just and lasting peace.” In a speech during a visit to Finland, Blinken said that Russia must also pay for part of Ukraine’s reconstruction and be held accountable for its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February last year.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that a cease-fire in the war in Ukraine could not be declared unless it was part of a “just and lasting” peace deal that included Russia’s military withdrawal.

Blinken said that “a cease-fire that simply freezes current lines in place” and allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin “to consolidate control over the territory he has seized, and rest, rearm, and reattack — that is not a just and lasting peace.”

Russia must also pay a share of Ukraine’s reconstruction and be held accountable for launching its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, Blinken said in a speech during a visit to Finland, which recently joined NATO and shares a long border with Russia.

“Your pride in your ignorance and illogic is amazing.
A simpleton, ahem, sees this as one dimensional situation with Only a one size fits all cause and solution.”

Actually, a simpleton fails to see what’s most logical, which describes you to a T.

“This U.S. - Russia proxxy war was promulgated and is perpetuated by the deepstate you are supporting.”

You have just proved my point that you subscribe to the totalitarian mindset: If one agrees with only 1% of something, and rejects 99% of that something, one is forever associated with, and condemned for, the 1%. I said I favor Ukraine repelling its invader. From that you rush to judgment and jump to the conclusion that I am a supporter of the deep state, even after I pointed out to you previously that my position is in spite of Biden, and that would necessarily include his administration.

Your embrace of a totalitarian mindset does not surprise me, as your posting history supports that.

“Claiming Ukraine must repel its invader, (from Crimea, really?) as your holy grail and that is the only factor is single celled ‘thinking’.”

Again, you assume facts not in evidence.

For instance, my preference would be for Russia to call it quits right now and leave Ukraine — the Ukraine of its internationally recognized and accepted boundaries prior to Russia’s 2014 invasion and illegal annexation of Crimea — and go back to Russia. That would stop the killing and carnage. But, of course, Russia cares not a whit about such death and destruction, and its history shows it.

“Calling you out on it does not make me a pro-Russia cheerleader. I want a cease fire, not tens of thousands of new deaths satisfy your ‘as long as it takes’ hallucination.”

You are naiive. A cease fire now would be a huge victory for Russia, as any such cease fire would necessarily be predicated on keeping the boundaries claimed by Russia, in which case Ukraine would have to give up 20% of its territory, and 95% of its natural resources while “mediators” dithered and posed and pontificated, and Russia used the time to bulk up its war machine. Because right now that is the only cease fire Russia would agree to.

Ukraine, on the other hand, takes the position that a cease fire must be predicated on Russia WITHDRAWING from Ukraine entirely. In other words, return to the status quo of the pre-2014 invasion.

Do you realize that in 1994 Russia acknowledged Ukraine’s national boundaries as they existed at that time? And that included Crimea and all of eastern Ukraine? Do you realize that Russia even acted upon that acknowledgement when it leased from Ukraine the Crimean port? One does not lease something from someone if one does not believe that someone actually owns the subject of the lease.

“You still didn’t answer about how you liked that NordStream II caper.”

I neither liked nor disliked it: I am waiting for concrete evidence as to who damaged it; and conjecture and speculation and wishful thinking do not concrete evidence make.

“Too bad it was also an act of war against NATO ally Germany and severely hurt their energy sector.”

It was arguably an act of war against someone by someone. And if a charge of committing an act of war is to be brought, then there damn well better be the evidence to support the charge.

Get it, kid?

Thou dost protest too much, i.e.totally truth butt hurt.
Your totalitarian red herring is not in evidence and even if it were is an irrelevant distraction. But actually, my bad, you do not show support for the deepstate, just for this deepstate’s U.S. proxxy war against Russia. You favor repelling the invader fits right in with continuing the killing for as long as it takes. It would all end if Russia would just get out, sorry snowflake unicorn that train left the station a while back when Ukraine-Russ negotiations were torpedoed by Washington/London in April 22 and your preference doesn’t mean jack. You are the naive one, Crimea and Odessa have been Russia since 1700s, no way in hell they’re going back ‘cause of bloody vampiress Nuland’s war but you’re still all in, get with reality.
Only total dumb@$$es don’t know that Biden did Nordstream II.

“Thou dost protest too much, i.e.totally truth butt hurt.”

Nice try, kid. Citing facts is not protest. But, realizing that is beyond your ken.

“Your totalitarian red herring is not in evidence and even if it were is an irrelevant distraction.”

Au contraire. Pointing out that your comment was very much an authoritarian mindset is not only NOT a distraction, it is on point. Read some history, son; especially about totalitarian societies. You can start by reading up on Soviet Russia, and the millions the totalitarian Stalinists murdered, the vast majority of whom were their own countrymen, many of whom were fellow party members in high positions who dared voice a single — and inconsequential — dissension. They brooked NO dissent. Kind of what you do.

“But actually, my bad, you do not show support for the deepstate, just for this deepstate’s U.S. proxxy war against Russia.”

We had a proxy war against Nazi Germany for two years, a proxy war that saved the last surviving country of the German onslaught; a country that Germany HAD to defeat or subdue in order to finalize its tyrannical plans for Western Europe. We had proxy wars against the USSR, and the USSR had proxy wars against us. History shows that proxy wars are generally much cheaper, and less deadly for the principal. Nations throughout history have engaged in proxy wars. It is how things are done.

“You favor repelling the invader fits right in with continuing the killing for as long as it takes.”

I favor a country fighting for its very life against the unwarranted invasion by a larger and stronger neighbor. You, however, sound like you think that is a bad thing. I bet you would toss in the towel quickly if some gangbangers broke into your house, killed the family dog, threatened to rape your daughter and kill your son, and to take your wife for later fun and games. A man would fight with every fiber of his being to prevent that. But, you don’t sound like a man.

“It would all end if Russia would just get out, sorry snowflake unicorn that train left the station a while back when Ukraine-Russ negotiations were torpedoed by Washington/London in April 22 and your preference doesn’t mean jack.”

Russian propaganda. For your reading pleasure:

https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-bennett-walks-back-claim-west-blocked-ukraine-russia-peace-deal-2023-2

“You are the naive one, Crimea and Odessa have been Russia since 1700s...”

So, they were part of Russia for a little over 230 years.
Prior to that they were NOT part of Russia for more than a thousand years. Russia grabbed them by conquest. Sound familiar?

You guys crack me up. You cheer when a so-called “referendum” in eastern Ukraine “votes” to secede from Ukraine to become part of Russia. Yet, you wax because Ukraine voted to separate itself from the USSR and Russia only 30 years earlier. You are hypocrites or pro-Russia; or both.

“...no way in hell they’re going back ‘cause of bloody vampiress Nuland’s war...”

We’ll find out, won’t we?

“Only total dumb@$$es don’t know that Biden did Nordstream II.”

Only dumbasses would accuse their president of war crimes based on supposition, innuendo, and wishful thinking; anything BUT actionable evidence. I can’t stand Biden; but the fact remains he was sworn in as president of the US; and detest him as we may, the fact remains he is the SWORN president of the US, and thus the LEGAL president of the US...until it is legally determined otherwise. I don’t like it, but that doesn’t change the fact that we are — at present — stuck with him.

And THAT, son, is reality.

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