Some hits, some misses there. NATO expansion WAS AND IS a provocation to Russia. If you back up to maybe 1996 or so -- it SHOULD have been SERIOUSLY slowed or halted. Biden has always been on the wrong side of every important decision. The original goal of DETERRING Russian aggression had ALREADY been achieved. That's probably a better "irritant" to relations with Russia than anything clandestine that McCain/Grahm were contemplating.
Dont think that coincidence is anything important. On March 16th, there were no serious talks going on between combatants. Russia sent 3rd level people to negotiate and NOTHING was resolved other than leaving open the opportunity to "try again".
The Budapest Treaty that forced denuclearization of Ukraine had Russia on the hook to "defend Ukraine from outside aggression and you've seen how much that deal got scrapped. So Minsk "peace in Eastern Ukraine" got the same veto from Russia.
And those "right-wing" militias? Can't prevent that in the disputed territories. It was a "warm" Civil War and those damn "right wingers" (which they are not) were the PRO-western democracy folks whose homes were in disputed territory. And Putin certainly had elements in there that were stirring up shit as well.
We cant' withdraw forces from Eastern Europe NATO allies.. Not possible. Any time joint training or instruction is required we'd be violating that agreement.
THe boat SAILED for Putin when NATO expansion never slowed down. It would make US paranoid to see the Chinese and their "Belt and Road" initiative expand right up Central America and Mexico as well.
I'm not sure if you have made errors, if you have been a victim of restricted information, because of the media climate, or if I am just reading your post wrong . . but let me parse this out. . .
Dont think that coincidence is anything important. On March 16th, there were no serious talks going on between combatants. Russia sent 3rd level people to negotiate and NOTHING was resolved other than leaving open the opportunity to "try again".
The level of diplomatic authority I am not sure, is so much an issue. The problem, as I have been informed, is that the far right wing, Neo-nazi contingents, have been included on the Ukraine side. In some of the first talks, some progress had been made, and they actually either threatened, or killed one of the negotiators before they got back to Zelenskyy . the level of corruption and violence on the Ukraine side, is atrocious, so I am not sure why the Russians would ever even think they have partners they can deal with. If you go back over the history of how we even got the current Ukraine administration, it is as corrupt as Russia's administration, there isn't any trust for negotiation, on either side.
The Budapest Treaty that forced denuclearization of Ukraine had Russia on the hook to "defend Ukraine from outside aggression and you've seen how much that deal got scrapped. So Minsk "peace in Eastern Ukraine" got the same veto from Russia.
I had wondered, quite a bit about the contents of that Budapest Treaty, and the collection of agreements that the Americans, Brits, and Russia signed. The government, media, and thinks tanks have sure gas-lit the population an awful lot about the contents of them. . . so I went looking for what they actually say, as I do not trust governments, nor corporate media. There is a former military intelligence and diplomatic core member on this site; RoccoR, and we did get into a disagreement of this. I had previously gotten into a disagreement on this with Politiachic, because she just accepted, unquestionably, the Anglo-American propaganda on this issue.
If you would like to see how we came to accord on this, it is here;
I understood all the ins and outs of this conflict. Historically, in the northern Black Sea region, on the territory of Ukraine, there lived Poles, descendants of the Sarmatians and Turks (true ethnic Turks, Torks), the population of the Hetmanate. Bandera justify their claims to the whole of...
www.usmessageboard.com
The upshot? Not one of the great powers ever signed to be "on the hook," for the defense of Ukraine. They DID all, however, agree, not to violate Ukraine's sovereignty, and if it were violated, to abide by a 1972 accord on European security cooperation, called, “Helsinki Final Act.” I believe this is part of the Security outline that Russia had in mind, that it wanted to negotiate. . . which you are ignoring. . .
I found it interesting, that a full copy of the Budabpest agreement, can not be found on-line. You must actually go find a physical copy. I don't doubt that this is no accident. The best resource I found was in an archieval article from the Council on Foreign Relations, that we discussed at the above link.
And those "right-wing" militias? Can't prevent that in the disputed territories. It was a "warm" Civil War and those damn "right wingers" (which they are not) were the PRO-western democracy folks whose homes were in disputed territory. And Putin certainly had elements in there that were stirring up shit as well.
The homes of the "pro-democary folks" were NOT in the disputed territory. You are woefully misinformed on this issue. The "damn right wingers" are in the area of historical regions of Red Ruthenia and Galicia. This is the home of Stepan Bandera, their national hero, a man who the western allies, not only shielded from the Nuremberg Trials, but squirreled away to the US, and later used as a tool for stay behind operations against the Soviets. If you don't know who he is, or how he is in inspiration for those who have attacked and continued the civil war in Donbas, get up to speed. . . OTH? Yes, you are correct, Russia has funded the ethnic Russians defense against these folks.
en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org
Pictures of protesters wearing Nazi insignia, and later Ukrainian army soldiers with fascist beliefs, have raised alarm.
truthout.org
We cant' withdraw forces from Eastern Europe NATO allies.. Not possible. Any time joint training or instruction is required we'd be violating that agreement.
I don't think that is a non-negotiable point. The article that I read, about what was desired, before Ukraine lined 122,000 troops up on the border of Donbas, and Russia put out it's desires in January, seemed? To me to be quite reasonable. The US was one of only two nations to vote against a resolution at the UN,
“combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fueling contemporary forms of racism”. The other? Ukraine.
". . . Almost every Russian knows that it was across the plains of Ukraine’s “borderland” that Hitler’s divisions swept from the west in 1941, bolstered by Ukraine’s Nazi cultists and collaborators. The result was more than 20 million Russian dead.
Setting aside the manoeuvres and cynicism of geopolitics, whomever the players, this historical memory is the driving force behind Russia’s respect-seeking, self-protective security proposals, which were published in Moscow in the week the UN voted 130-2 to outlaw Nazism. They are:
+ NATO guarantees that it will not deploy missiles in nations bordering Russia. (They are already in place from Slovenia to Romania, with Poland to follow)
+ NATO to stop military and naval exercises in nations and seas bordering Russia.
+ Ukraine will not become a member of NATO.
+ the West and Russia to sign a binding East-West security pact.
+ the landmark treaty between the US and Russia covering intermediate-range nuclear weapons to be restored. (The US abandoned it in 2019)
These amount to a comprehensive draft of a peace plan for all of post-war Europe and ought to be welcomed in the West. But who understands their significance in Britain? What they are told is that Putin is a pariah and a threat to Christendom.
Russian-speaking Ukrainians, under economic blockade by Kyiv for seven years, are fighting for their survival. The “massing” army we seldom hear about are the thirteen Ukrainian army brigades laying siege to Donbas: an estimated 150,000 troops. If they attack, the provocation to Russia will almost certainly mean war.. . ."
Marshall McLuhan’s prophecy that “the successor to politics will be propaganda” has happened. Raw propaganda is now the rule in Western democracies, especially the US and Britain On matters of war and peace, ministerial deceit is reported as news. Inconvenient facts are censored, demons are...
www.counterpunch.org
THe boat SAILED for Putin when NATO expansion never slowed down. It would make US paranoid to see the Chinese and their "Belt and Road" initiative expand right up Central America and Mexico as well.
Agreed. I have been saying since this whole thing began, since Nuland and the corporations triggered these coups and Orange revolutions in Ukraine, it isn't about Ukraine, it is about getting new leadership in Russia, so that the West can have the energy and rare Earth resources in Russia.
Most of us in the west, actually believe that Russia is using all of its military power, and military might on Ukraine. We aren't be told that it is purposely fighting a limited engagement, with limited strategic goals at this point. Folks are being brainwashed to think this is as dangerous as Russia's military is. . .
. . . and frankly, I think it is dangerous.