Blinken saddled up and is now visiting Zelensky. Once again no doubt telling Zelensky how to run his war. Meanwhile, reports are that Russia has picked up steam and has started a new front. Now the the munitions are flowing, expect things to pick up. I would say in time for the election. Although the U.S. has repeatedly told Zelensky – so they say – not to bomb inside Russia, Zelensky has done just that. Refineries have been the target. Now with the new weapons, expect more attacks deep inside Russia.
This is just a “starter package” to protect the Globalist interests in Ukraine. From a couple of Bunks previous posts a brief refresher for starters:
The details are slowly being revealed and neither side is happy apparently. More like a loan now. Just what is the collateral going to be used? The globalists have pretty much taken control over the “Bread Basket.”
The Ukrainian leader has come down heavily on the biggest ally, the U.S., amid the Russian blitz. Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Dubinsky labelled U.S. aid as “crumbs from the master’s table.” He said that the majority of the funds will go to the U.S. military-industrial complex.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met some of the biggest names in global finance on Tuesday morning on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The Ukrainian leader spoke with JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon, Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman and Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio among others.
What is left for the Ukrainian people, after the “kinetic action” ends, will merely be a carcass of a country. This after the feasting off of the country by the usual players. Poland has raised issues surrounding the Ukraine farmland and points out that a “significant share of it” has been taken over by foreign firms.
Surly we must not leave out Hillary – she did such a great job in Haiti for her family.
The Clinton Global Initiative will launch a new network to provide ‘humanitarian aid’ to war-torn Ukraine.
According to the Associated Press, the Clinton Global Initiative will be launching a new network dubbed CGI Ukraine Action Network:
CGI plans to announce the launch of the CGI Ukraine Action Network, as well as numerous financial pledges, to support nonprofits working in the country.
The CGI Ukraine Action Network is the result of a collaboration between Hillary Clinton and Olena Zelenska, first lady of Ukraine, that began last year. The new organization, which will be formally announced Tuesday, is designed to mobilize existing CGI partners, as well as new leaders from around the world, to create and finance new commitments for Ukrainians, according to CGI. Numerous monetary commitments for Ukraine are also set to be announced Tuesday,
Now the latest war news which may or may not be true, but appears to be the latest consensus.
For the first time since Russia launched its major cross-border offensive into Ukraine’s Kharkiv region (it began last Friday), Ukraine’s government has acknowledged that Moscow forces have made rapid gains.
Oleg Sinegubov, the head of the military administration of the Kharkov Region, has said Russia is pushing past the frontline. “Essentially, the frontline is expanding as the enemy is advancing from multiple positions,” he admitted during an interview with Sky News.
This assessment of Ukrainian lines collapsing in Kharkiv region is consistent with the latest Kremlin statements:
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that its forces had captured four more villages in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region as thousands of residents were evacuated amid Moscow’s surprise ground offensive.
The ministry said its forces had “advanced deeply into the enemy defenses” and taken villages including Gatishche, Krasnoye, Morokhovets, and Oleinikovo.
In a spectacular act of political self-immolation, far-left censorship czar Humza Yousaf announced his resignation as Scottish First Minister on Monday morning before facing the prospect of being forcibly removed by a vote of no-confidence.
Infamously censorious, race-baiting Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has announced he is stepping down, a victim of his own political machinations after he summarily dismissed his coalition partners in an apparent bid to avoid them doing the same to him, first.
Back to the post:
Wind the clock back. Say a year. Scotland has a new Muslim Prime Minister. His name Humza Yousaf. It is said:
“Scotland’s New Prime Minster, Muslim Humza Yousaf (Pakistani origin), spends his first night at the Bute House performing the tarâwîh prayer for Ramadan. Yousaf and his family have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and terror-tied organizations. Yousaf has fought to usher in sharia blasphemy in Scotland. Furthermore, he is racist that is known to hunt down whites in Scottish Institutions so it’s claimed
Scotland’s governing party elected radical Humza Yousaf as its new leader on Monday, making him the first “person of color and the first Muslim” to lead the country of 5.5 million people, celebrated the left-wing media.” (Source)
Is what they claimed true? I have no proof at this point.
Yousaf narrowly defeated rival Kate Forbes after a bruising five-week contest that exposed deep fractures within the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) as it faces an impasse in its quest to take Scotland out of the United Kingdom.
Who is Humza Yousaf, the Scottish National Party’s first POC leader? | Al Jazeera Newsfeed
Yousaf, just 37 years old, became the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) on Monday after receiving 52% of the vote in a second ballot.
One thing is for sure, the Scots seem determined to destroy their culture.
1.4% of people said they were Muslim. That’s an increase of 0.6 percentage points since 2001. Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs made up 0.7% (2021) Source
Logically his expectations that follow in the argument below is a bit unrealistic. His first screed out of the box.
Allahu Akbar!
Scotland's Incoming Anti-White Terror-Tied Muslim Prime Minister Humza Yousaf is a Major Threat
He sure started out on a fast footing. Hugely anti-Israel, he bemoans in a video that his wife’s parents are now trapped in Palestine. Which only raises more questions.
Why is it that this generation of “immigrant” or whatever insists that the host country is expected to bend to their requirements of culture? That they must be represented as major influencers? Scotland is not exactly on the main trade route for immigrants finding their way to a new “homeland.” Yet Yousef promises that he will be more than happy to accommodate.
The Scots are in a quandary today. The headline
Scotland’s under-pressure leader insists he won’t resign before crunch confidence vote next week
Scotland’s leader has insisted that he won’t be resigning amid the fallout of his decision to pull the plug on a three-year power-sharing agreement that has made his Scottish National Party a minority government
The pressure on First Minister Humza Yousaf has ratcheted up sharply since he abandoned the power-sharing deal with the much smaller Greens on Thursday following a clash over climate change policies. He is set to face a no-confidence vote in the Scottish Parliament next week.
“I intend absolutely to fight that vote of no confidence, I’ve got every intention of winning that vote of no confidence,” he said in a hastily arranged trip to Dundee.
Following his decision to ditch the deal with the Greens, the Scottish Conservatives put forward a motion of no confidence in Yousaf as first minister.
There was a time when, amid a global crisis, the world looked toward the United States for leadership. Those days are long gone, and they aren’t likely to return soon. American leaders have left the building.
Although Hamas is a Sunni organization, U.S. intelligence claims that Iran provides Hamas with material support — as it is also financially supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Of course, despite what U.S. intelligence told everyone, President Joe Biden claimed there was no evidence that Iran was providing material support to Hamas. Of course, he was simultaneously releasing Iranian funds, so one might understand his dilemma.
As one might expect after Hamas attacked Israel, Israel responded by declaring war on Hamas and followed that up by launching aerial bombardment and ground operations in Gaza. Noting that casualty figures are never accurate, more than 31,000 Arabs in Gaza have been killed — which is a likely consequence of sending 12,000 missiles into Israel.
The situation in Gaza, with an estimated 1.7 million displaced Arabs (out of a population of approximately 2.1 million people), constitutes a humanitarian crisis of enormous proportions. Additionally, more than 60% of the housing units in Gaza have reportedly been destroyed or damaged.
Some food and other essential supplies have entered Gaza via Egypt and Israel during the conflict, but delays and other obstacles to transporting aid through crossings and Israeli checkpoints and then safely delivering it — particularly in northern Gaza — contributed to a late February U.N. assessment that a quarter of Gaza’s residents were close to famine.
The international community began screaming bloody murder — directing their attentions almost exclusively at Israel, whose reaction was defensive (if not heavy-handed). In early March, the United States and other countries began taking steps to provide additional humanitarian aid to Gaza via airdrops and a planned maritime corridor, while Israel opened a new land crossing directly into northern Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has gained control over key areas of northern Gaza, withdrawn some of its forces, and shifted somewhat toward lower-intensity warfare, but also continuing operations farther south to target Hamas and its top leaders.
Negotiations involving the United States, Egypt, and Qatar have sought to resolve sticking points between Israel and Hamas on a potential multi-week ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange.
The Biden Administration acknowledged that Israel has the right to defend itself and has resisted calls from other international actors for an indefinite cease-fire. However, U.S. leaders have urged Israel to minimize casualties and increase their efforts to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
The Administration has also expressed its concerns about Israel’s plans to eventually move its forces into Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah and urging Israel not to advance on the city without a credible plan to protect the over 1 million civilians living there (most of whom earlier fled other conflict areas).
Differences between officials from the United States, Israel, and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) on post-conflict security and governance for Gaza may intensify the challenges involved. U.S. officials have expressed support for resuming the Palestine Authority (PA) administration in Gaza — after the PA undertakes “certain reforms” as part of efforts to move toward a two-state solution.[1]
PA and other Arab leaders insist on progress toward a Palestinian state so that they can cooperate with this transition. Prime Minister Netanyahu has made statements opposing a PA return to power in Gaza — with good reason and has insisted that Israel should have complete security control of “all territory west of the Jordan River.”
In an October 2023 supplemental budget request, President Biden asked Congress to appropriate more than $14 billion in Israel-related funding and more than $9 billion in global humanitarian assistance that could partly be allocated to Gaza, Israel, and the surrounding region.
Members of Congress have expressed differing views on the request and its various elements, with some debate focused on what level of oversight or conditionality to place on security assistance to Israel and humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The debate continues in the House and Senate.
In response to the Arab’s assault on Israel, Biden seemed to double down on its diplomatic engagement in the Middle East. The process of ramping up its focus and attention to the region was a significant challenge because Biden had spent much of his first two and a half years in office walking on eggshells — seemingly not knowing which country to prioritize: China, Russia, Ukraine, or which topic to embrace: climate change, gender assignment, or draining the United States of its strategic oil reserve.
However, the primary operators in the Middle East — the people who have so quickly gained everyone else’s attention — are the Israelis and the Hamas terrorist organization. And a few more: Iran, the Houthis, Hezbollah, and various local militias.
As someone recently pointed out, the Biden administration seemed to stumble over the realization that diplomacy first didn’t necessarily mean diplomacy only. Then, the next shoe to drop was Biden running around making threats his military could not possibly carry out. It was enough to prompt those considering Biden as Brandon to high-five one another. The experts claim that America’s presence in the Middle East, inserting itself between the Israelis and their enemy du jour, would only undermine Israeli security. It would make matters worse.
Team Brandon also intensified its direct diplomatic engagement on several fronts, but this effort has centered chiefly on crisis response and management. The administration appointed a special envoy on humanitarian issues and sent several top national security officials on successive trips to engage Hamas and the Israelis directly in cease-fire talks and hostage negotiations. It’s been going on for several months now. For all of Anthony Blinken’s efforts, there’s been no joy.
Here’s our problem: First, in America’s current debate about how to end the war in Gaza, too much of the conversation evolves around ways to use leverage to shape Israel’s military options. Second, too much of the conversation is in the public arena. Back in World War II, there was a saying: loose lips sink ships. For example, the center of gravity in this “public” debate has shifted in recent weeks toward the idea of cutting military aid to Israel. How does this open-mic debate help anyone except possibly the enemy?
Among those who can think — and do, the main problem with this focus is that it fails to explain how the U.S. can cut Israeli aid while achieving its original (publicly stated) goals of eliminating the Hamas threat and repatriating American hostages. Two-state solution? Forget it.
How is Brandon’s policy being implemented? That’s easy enough to explain: it’s stuck in the weeds. To build a bridge between another possible temporary cease-fire and wider regional diplomacy, the Biden administration needs to engage in strategic, proactive diplomacy that has been absent from the day of Hamas’s missile barrage. We have seen no evidence that Biden or his team can achieve this — and the situation is getting worse by the day. If humanitarian assistance is as important as the administration claims, beyond its public relations value, then why isn’t the administration acting like it? Why is there no special envoy to coordinate this unmitigated disaster?
Would a special envoy only involve the U.S. further? Yes, that is true — but now one should ask, would Hamas have even assaulted Israel were it not for Brandon’s jaw-dropping incompetence? As I say, elections have consequences. Voting for Biden may well have resulted in the untimely death of 31,000 Arabs in the Gaza Strip.
[1] If Hamas (or anyone living in Gaza) thinks that a two-state solution in Palestine is worthwhile, the Arabs did themselves no favor by launching missiles into Israel. Such a prospect is much further away now than it ever was. In any case, the imbalance of power between the Arabs and Israelis makes such a prospect nearly impossible. On the other hand, there is no viable alternative to a two-state solution in Palestine.
In what appears as petty to some, poking the bear seems to be the hallmark of this administration. In this case the bear is Israel. On the other side, why is Israel declaring 2000 acres State land and planning new settlements? Why aggravate the situation by Israel?
The Biden administration is drawing up plans to require goods produced in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank to be clearly labelled as coming from there, according to US officials, another sign of White House unhappiness with the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
The final go-ahead for the move, and its timing, have not been decided but it is intended to increase pressure on Israel over rising settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, and comes amid US frustration with the Jewish state’s conduct of the war in Gaza.
While it is undecided as to when the move will take place, it comes amid increasing tensions between Jerusalem and Washington over the prosecution of the six-month war in Gaza and disputes over the extent of Israeli violence directed at Palestinians in Judea and Samaria, including U.S. sanctions on Jews living in the area.
According to the Financial Times report, the Biden administration was close to announcing the step last month after Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on March 22 announced that the Civil Administration declared 2,000 acres in the Jordan Valley as state land. The announcement took place during a visit to Israel by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
What’s more, what exactly do Jewish-produced strawberries, avocados, and other produce brought to market based on Israelis making the desert bloom have to do with Biden’s political vendettas with Netanyahu that they should require a special label, as if they had cooties?
And why is the government doing this at all? Normally, labels are placed on produce and the like to give information. What kind of information do they feel the urgent need to convey, and to whom?
The European Union approved regulations in 2019 labeling Judea and Samaria products as originating in “occupied territories,” a designation that Jerusalem disputes.
For its part, Israel continues to develop Judea and Samaria, with the Civil Administration on Friday announcing approval of the “deposit” planning stage of a plan to build 234 housing units in Kiryat Arba, changing the zoning for the neighborhood in question from industrial to residential.
Biden Told To Warn Israel Against Gaza War, Settlements In West Bank In Open Letter | Details
“Nobody after two years of large-scale war can dictate conditions for waging this war in Ukraine.” So says Zelensky’s aid, Mykhailo Podolyak.
The United States has urged Ukraine to stop attacking Russia’s oil refineries, fearing a surge in global oil prices and Russian retaliation. Washington issued warnings to senior officials at Ukraine’s state security service, the SBU, and its military intelligence directorate, known as the GUR, as per the Financial Times. Oil has risen 12 percent since March 12, 2024.
Mar 25, 2024
Ukraine has knocked another Russian oil refinery out of commission along with one of the country’s largest power plants in another long-range drone attack. Video from the Kuybyshevsky oil refinery in Samara, 560 miles from Ukraine, shows drones circling overhead and slamming down into the refinery, causing large fires to break out.
The drones, which have a distinctive V-shaped tail fin are the same ones used to target the Ryazan oil refinery a fortnight ago, blowing up the distillation towers and putting the facility out of action long-term.
More footage shows Ukrainian drones hitting the Novocherkassk power plant, located in the city of the same name just a short distance from the border. Again, flames could be seen lighting up the night sky as the plant – one of the largest in Russian – was repeatedly struck, though the extent of the damage was not immediately clear. Ukraine is in the midst of a campaign of long-range drone strikes against Russia, designed to rob the state of lucrative oil exports it uses to fuel its war machine and cause as much disruption to the lives of ordinary Russians as possible.
However, senior Ukrainian officials defended Kyiv’s attacks on oil infrastructure deep within Russian territory. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, Olha Stefanishyna, said refineries in Russia are legitimate targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s aid, Mykhailo Podolyak, said, “Nobody after two years of large-scale war can dictate conditions for waging this war in Ukraine.”
Russia returns the favor
Three days ago-
Europe has been egging on Zelensky to expand his horizon in land to bomb. They have gotten more than they expected.
Feeling pert with his new weapons as I reported last week Zelensky’s new BFF
The British seem to think Crimea and the British long range missiles are the way to go. No doubt because Ukraine is running out of humans to put into the meat grinder. More on what we are not being told regarding Ukraine.
…British military officials advised that Ukraine should focus on defense in its ground fight against Russia in the east while focusing on targeted strikes against Crimea and Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, The Sunday Timesreported.
…
“This will allow the Ukrainians to focus their efforts on the Black Sea and Crimea, where their forces, with the help of Western long-range missiles, have landed significant blows over the past six months,” the report said.
A recording of a conversation between German military officers that was recently published by Russian media revealed that the UK has soldiers “on the ground” in Ukraine helping Ukrainian forces use Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of 155 miles, making them capable of hitting targets throughout Crimea.
Attacks on Crimea have always been considered a red line for Russian President Vladimir Putin. But the risk of escalation hasn’t stopped Ukraine’s Western backers from assisting with such strikes, as Storm Shadows have been reported to be used in multiple Ukrainian attacks on Crimea.
OK so the new toys are being employed. There is no sound in the beginning clip. Later at about 4:50 Ukraine gives the spin. Describes the full range of the attack Two days ago.
Another BFF is Macron. He too sees no problem with Ukraine going rogue and what after all is the problem with another world war.
Then we have DW News- German Public Broadcasting Service
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė was in Berlin Thursday for defense and security talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Support for Ukraine’s war with Russia and German plans to station troops in Lithuania were on the agenda. After the meeting DW News spoke to Prime Minister Lithuanian Šimonytė.
News from the “Front” wherever that may be….. Europe will start another war, and it will be expected that the U.S. will clean up the mess.
India’s Citizen Amendment Act provides a faster pathway for citizenship for religious groups other than Muslims. Biden and his crew express outrage and India responds in kind to our meddling in India’s business. Why tick off India? We need them in our camp.
Prime Minister Modi was just here in July I would hope courting him.
Recall
India and UAE agree to trade in rupees instead of dollars
“We are closely monitoring them.” Then what? Talking to them like children?
Of all countries in the East, India is the one we should be courting favor. Stuck with China and Russia as close neighbors, the last thing we want to do is force, out of anger, India concluding arrangements detrimental to the U.S.
Enter the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA)
The move has reignited the debate about the objective of the Act itself. Passed in 2019, the CAA was criticised by jurists and others for being discriminatory against certain communities, mainly Muslims. The Act claims to provide a faster pathway to Indian citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists and other minorities who have come to India illegally from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The absence of Muslims in this list has been causing outrage and communal tensions since the conception of the Act. (Source)
So here we go-
Biden’s Aide Warns India On CAA, Hours After Amit Shah’s Attack On Foreign Media Narrative | LS Poll
After about one minute the translation stops….no further english.
Jaishankar ‘Confronts’ Biden With CAA-Like Examples In U.S; ‘Lautenberg Amendment…’ a terrific take down.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has hit back at U.S. Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, for criticising the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Garcetti had said one can’t give up on principles “no matter how close you are as friends”.
In response, Jaishankar said, “I have principles too, and one of them is obligation to people who were let down at the time of Partition,” Jaishankar said at the India Today Conclave. The Foreign Minister also highlighted how U.S. & Europe too implemented religion-based citizenship laws in the past.
CAA Storm: India Tears Into U.S. For Expressing Concern; ‘Lectures By Those Who…’
India has strongly rejected the U.S.’ remarks on the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Ministry of External Affairs labelled the comments “misplaced, misinformed and unwarranted”. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal asserted that the act is the country’s internal matter. India’s response comes after the U.S. linked the implementation of CAA in India to “religious freedom”.
Of course, this was all about courting our Muslim voters don’t you think?
March 18, 2024. Senator Ben Cardin – Time for these old fools to retire.
US Senator expresses concern over notification of CAA rules
Last week, the US State Department had expressed concern over the notifying of the CAA and said that respect for religious freedom and equal treatment under the law for all communities are fundamental democratic principles.
WASHINGTON: An American senator has expressed concern over the Indian government notifying rules for the implementation of the CAA, saying that as the US-India relationship deepens, it is important that the cooperation is based on shared values of protecting human rights of all, regardless of religion.
The Indian government implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 last week, paving the way for the grant of citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.
The government also came out with a press statement to say that Indian Muslims need not worry as the CAA will not impact their citizenship and has nothing to do with the community which enjoys equal rights as Hindus.
“I am deeply concerned by the Indian government’s decision to notify its controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, particularly the law’s potential ramifications on India’s Muslim community. Making matters worse is the fact that it is being pushed during the holy month of Ramadan,” Senator Ben Cardin, chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement.
Bonus: The MEA declined to comment on the remarks by the U.S. Senator, who most recently was in the news for placing a temporary hold on a US Congress notification for the sale of 31 MQ-9B armed drones to India, over the issue of the alleged plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Mr. Cardin removed his hold only after he said he received assurances that the US government would ensure a thorough investigation and full cooperation from New Delhi into allegations that a senior Indian official had overseen a plan to hire a hitman to kill Mr. Pannun.
Next time India will buy them from somewhere else. Keep your nose out of all of it.
I see after I put this post together, Congress members are chiming in as well.
FLASHBACK: Anyone still thinking Obama isn’t running the show?
All of a sudden Europe is concerned about Russia and especially Ukraine. The nervous nellies are thinking that their nemesis Trump might just win the election this fall thus the U.S. might not be as willing to step up and bail them out like last century. Just in case Putin decides to go big or go home… Putin threatened Nukes. It doesn’t hurt also, that Congress is making it clear that the U.S. is not the endless piggy bank and we are getting cranky about the whole thing.
It doesn’t hurt that Europe’s farmers are not a bit happy in having their farm confiscated or at the least restrictions that insure their bankruptcy. Attention elsewhere never hurts.
They sure laughed last time around with Trump and his advancing theory that Europe might just be on their own… because as he says, they should be.
At the least, the U.S. not contribute the lion share of their defense.
The U.S. is by far the largest contributor to NATO’s budget. In 2023, the country accounted for $860 billion spent by the organization, representing 68% of the total expenditure. This amount is over 10 times more than that of the second-placed country, Germany.
Country
2023 Defense Spending (USD, Millions)*
🇺🇸 United States
$860,000
🇩🇪 Germany
$68,080
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$65,763
🇫🇷 France
$56,649
🇮🇹 Italy
$31,585
🇵🇱 Poland
$29,105
🇨🇦 Canada
$28,950
🇪🇸 Spain
$19,179
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$16,741
🇹🇷 Türkiye
$15,842
🇳🇴 Norway
$8,814
🇷🇴 Romania
$8,481
🇫🇮 Finland
$7,325
🇬🇷 Greece
$7,125
🇧🇪 Belgium
$7,076
🇩🇰 Denmark
$6,775
🇭🇺 Hungary
$5,036
🇨🇿 Czechia
$5,033
🇵🇹 Portugal
$4,167
🌐 Other
$12,400
*Expected spending in 2023, based on July 2023 data from NATO.
Who knew? None of the press here in the States are reporting what’s going on. Only the foreign press.
Here are a couple of clips…
Hindustan Times: March 14, 2024
Then we have DW News- German Public Broadcasting Service
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė was in Berlin Thursday for defense and security talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Support for Ukraine’s war with Russia and German plans to station troops in Lithuania were on the agenda. After the meeting DW News spoke to Prime Minister Lithuanian Šimonytė.
Three weeks ago, The Guardian news out of Great Britain:
Western leaders visit Kyiv in solidarity with Ukraine on war anniversary.
Four western leaders – the European Commission president and the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Belgium, arrived in Kyiv on Saturday to show solidarity with Ukraine on the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
Ursula von der Leyen, Giorgia Meloni, Justin Trudeau and Alexander De Croo travelled to the Ukrainian capital together overnight by train from neighbouring Poland, the Italian government said in a statement.
Two weeks ago, – that should do it… Opec watch out . All those Euros can be confiscated anytime politics deem fit. Wreck the Euro..just like Biden wants to do to the dollar here in the States.
EU could use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s military, says Von der Leyen
Just like Biden wants to do here with confiscating Russia’s stuff too.
Let me cut to the chase: “There has also been concern among some top American officials that nations around the world would hesitate to keep their funds at the New York Federal Reserve, or in dollars, if the United States established a precedent for seizing the money.”
We are not talking freezing assets, but rather confiscating them. Something third world countries have done. The U.S. has never done this before.
The De-dollarization of the dollar could likely be the result if countries lose faith in the security of their funds. One step closer losing the dollar as the world’s currency.
Well, if all else fails, we have Canada with some good ideas too….this should lower the temperature.
Trudeau tells Ukraine parliament that Canada supports NATO membership ‘as soon as conditions allow’
Global News:
By now you have the drift. More countries are considering sending troops, if not to Ukraine, into the surrounding countries.
A $10 billion sanctions waiver (the waiver program to release funds is conditioned on Iran only being able to access humanitarian supplies)…. Thats a **** ton of humanitarian supplies! Feed a couple mid-sized cities for a year or so????
10 billion tax payer funded bribe to try buy some temporary Iranian aggression pause to score foreign policy points for the election
Brandon and his Admin apparently really want an all out shooting war in the Middle East. They also seem to want Iran to finally get a functional Nuke. Madness. Absolute Madness. Iran is a full-blown enemy of the US. WTF are we doing.
And it’s been reported before that these funds do not obviously adhere to the rules given on how to spend the money.
Good lord Democrats are traitors. It’s just unreal at this point.
So is Biden
(The above were comments from the “Tex Ags Board” Nice to know a few kids got the drift of it.)
Republican lawmakers are outraged by President Joe Biden’s decision to renew a US sanctions waiver that benefits Iran, despite the regime’s continued attacks on US interests. (Outrage? Maybe, but it has not made the news as of last night. I found this story off the board.)
The waiver, signed and transmitted to the US Congress late Wednesday, allows Iraq to purchase electricity from Iran for billions of dollars and pay for it by transferring hard currencies to accounts in third countries such as Oman and Qatar.”
The fact that the administration will not even tell the American people how much money Iran has accessed over the last four months—money that subsidized three American soldier deaths and nonstop attacks on the American Navy—should prompt the U.S. Senate to immediately pass the No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act and send to the president’s desk,” he said, referring to legislation that would cut off Iran’s access to previously frozen funds.
…
Iran International has information confirming that the waiver will allow Iraq once again to pay for its energy imports with hard currencies via accounts in third countries. The Biden administration claims that money going into these accounts can only be used to purchase non-sanctionable good, but so far there has been no accounting for the $10 billion that Iraq transferred to Oman last year.
Critics say the waiver should not have been renewed, not least because Iran continues to fund armed groups that are hellbent on harming Americans and forcing the United States to pull out from the region.
“Why is Biden granting sanctions relief to Iran while its proxies aim to kill US personnel,” asked Rep. Pat Fallon on his X account. “Does Biden want to fund terrorism or does it want to protect our troops abroad? Another chapter in the Biden foreign policy legacy of disgrace!”
I say again: Why is Biden granting sanctions relief to Iran while its proxies aim to kill US personnel?
Does Biden want to fund terrorism or does it it want to protect our troops abroad?
While we watch if Biden can get his next sentence together.
This was this past September 2023:
It was not just Biden and his admin, @SenatorCardin and many on @SFRCdems are responsible for the released funds to the regime. A bill that passed the House and stalled like many other Iran bills by the Senate Democrats would have prevented this. pic.twitter.com/jR8iEww6id
The cynic in me suggests that Biden wants to try and keep the lid on until after the November election. It seems that WWIII will be hard to avoid with these savants running our foreign policy.
The US has held secret talks with Iran this year in a bid to convince Tehran to use its influence over Yemen’s Houthi movement to end attacks on ships in the Red Sea, according to US and Iranian officials. The indirect negotiations, during which Washington also raised concerns about Iran’s expanding nuclear programme, took place in Oman in January and were the first between the foes in 10 months, the officials said.
The US delegation was led by the White House’s Middle East adviser Brett McGurk and its Iran envoy Abram Paley. Iranian deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani, who is also Tehran’s top nuclear negotiator, represented the Islamic republic. Omani officials shuttled between the Iranian and American representatives so they did not speak directly, the officials said. The talks underline how the Biden administration is using diplomatic channels with its foe, alongside military deterrents, in a bid to de-escalate a wave of regional hostilities involving Iranian-backed militant groups that was triggered by the Israel-Hamas war.
The Washington Free Beacon has vetted the story. Worth going over with an excellent analysis.
Tucker Carlson for some reason, found it noteworthy to interview Chris Cuomo. The interview took a turn of merit when Tucker got into his visit with Russia and Chris wanting to turn the tables by getting into the old “Russia, Russia, Russia” thing and seemingly wanting Tucker to take a loyalty oath to America.
Sundance over at Conservative Tree House caught the best minutes of the interview and I got hooked on the interview. One of the best segments was when Tucker digresses into the significance of architecture of all things Russia.
His post:
An Important 4 Minutes Within Tucker Carlson Interview
Quoting Sundance:
Chris Cuomo is either intellectually incapable of understanding the Russia dynamic and how the U.S Intelligence Community (USIC) conducts propaganda efforts against American citizens, or Chris Cuomo is a paid actor within the system he describes as “the game.” From my perspective the former is more likely than the latter.
That said, please pay attention to the prompted segment about Russia, as outlined by Tucker Carlson, that begins at 34:18 and runs through 37:55. If you stay with it until 46:00 it’s worth it; however, the important part is the key four minutes outlined above. Carlson frames the “western” or U.S-led sanction regime against Russia very accurately, and the consequences he describes for the rest of the world is accurate. WATCH FIRST:
Sundance continues:
After watching this specific segment, I am left with a few takeaways.
First, Tucker is the only person -beside myself- who I have seen accurately outline the cause and consequence of the Russia sanction regime. Why hasn’t Tucker expanded on this in granular detail? The issue is much, much larger, than just simple sanctions. There is a global agenda afoot, an intentional global cleaving, which was predicated by that specific sanction regime.
Second, he knows. You can tell by the way Tucker frames the “I don’t know what’s really going on” aspect, that he really does know…. but he’s scared. Tucker is scared of the consequences if he outlines in detail how the USIC and by extension the entire USA governmental system, is using Russia as a tool toward a larger corporate/globalist agenda.
He continues with his post, and adds this thread reader- an excellent refresher:
“There has also been concern among some top American officials that nations around the world would hesitate to keep their funds at the New York Federal Reserve, or in dollars, if the United States established a precedent for seizing the money.”
We are not talking freezing assets, but rather confiscating them. Something third world countries have done. The U.S. has never done this before.
The De-dollarization of the dollar could likely be the result if countries lose faith in the security of their funds. One step closer losing the dollar as the world’s currency.
The “Proposed Plan for Victory in Ukraine” was drafted by the Republican Chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (Michael McCaul), the House Armed Services Committee (Mike Rogers), and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (Mike Turner), three men with numerous combined years in foreign policy and intelligence matters. It outlines three very reasonable steps to defeating Russia: “(1) providing critical weapons to Ukraine at the speed of relevance, (2) tightening sanctions on the Putin regime, and (3) transferring frozen Russian sovereign assets to Ukraine.”
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An FT editorial warns of the disintegration of the international rules-based order if the West proceeds to seize €260bn of Russian central bank assets and give them to Ukraine.
And Yale academic Robert Shiller warns “If America does this to Russia today… tomorrow it can do this to anyone…This will destroy the halo of security that surrounds the dollar and will be the first step towards de-dollarisation.”
It seems the end justifies the means to get the desired result with this Department of Justice.
….
$90M Yacht of Sanctioned Russian Oligarch Viktor Vekselberg Seized by Spain at Request of U.S.
…As if to run even further away from constitutional norms, a group of legal academics began arguing last week that the property seized from Russians is not really owned by human beings, but by the Russian government. And, this crazy argument goes, since the Russian government is not a person, there is no warrant or due process requirement; therefore, the feds can convert the assets they have seized and frozen to their own use.
To these academics — who reject property ownership as a moral right and exalt government aggression as a moral good — the argument devolves around the meaning of the word “person.” The Fourth and Fifth Amendments protect every “person” and all “people,” not just Americans…
In late 2023, China signaled that it had no interest in participating in the peace talks proposed by Ukraine and the West, arguing that it has only limited influence on the two antagonists. But in late February 2024, we suddenly find a Chinese envoy engaging Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Poland, France, and Brussels in shuttle diplomacy. China’s involvement with the European Union is at least curious, particularly because several of these nations are members of the E.U. and NATO.
The experts tell us that China’s renewed interest in brokering peace between Ukraine and Russia has more to do with China’s worsening economy than any other factor. President Xi needs the E.U. to open its profitable markets to Chinese goods. Consequently, the E.U. is very high on President Xi’s wish list. None of this will come as a surprise to Russia’s president. There is little doubt that Putin and Xi have crafted this diplomatic plan. Still, whether China will succeed in its efforts will likely hinge on the competence of U.S. diplomats (or lack of it).
We do not know the future of Russo-Chinese relations, and we can only guess how the international situation will develop, but I believe that the U.S. presidential elections will be a factor. Some are playing the “what if” game, but I won’t engage in it because there are too many variables and unknowns. But that doesn’t inhibit some people from forming conclusions about U.S. presidential candidates — and one in particular.
Of interest to me is that E.U. officials appear quite nervous about the upcoming U.S. elections and the possibility that Donald J. Trump could be re-elected to the presidency. Why should E.U. officials be anxious? The answer is that Mr. Trump previously called into question the necessity of NATO and its cost. In 2024, the NATO budget in each area of the charter is €438.1 million for civil matters and €2.03 billion for military readiness. These numbers represent increases of 18.2% and 12%, respectively, over NATO’s 2023 budget — the largest obligation to implement this budget belongs to the United States at 22%.
As we know, China is not alone in experiencing a worsening economy; the E.U. also faces serious problems, not the least of which is deepening economic difficulties and political instability. How does one stabilize political discontent within the E.U.? One way to achieve that would be through the use of NATO’s military. It would not be the first time a Western military alliance marched into Italy, Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria.
Suppose E.U. officials are concerned about a second Trump presidency. In that case, it may be because Trump is likely to move forward with disentangling the United States from NATO and its grossly disproportionate share of the NATO budget.
I pause now to ask: Has there ever been a greater conspiracy against one man?
America’s talking heads tell us that while American politics has left our society badly divided, the government’s machinery continues to drone on. The talking heads tell us that America’s isolationist temptations are tamed through its mechanism rather than political policy. The U.S. continues to fund Ukraine, but the amount has been significantly reduced. This is not a win-win situation for those of us who see no role for the United States in Eastern European affairs.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the E.U. manages to address energy problems, tackle inflation, and destroy its agricultural output by significant levels. And they also continue to manufacture ammunition in astounding quantities — no doubt for use in Ukraine paid for through coercive taxation.
In China, two factions continue to vie for influence. Xi’s majority supports Vladimir Putin, but there is a minority (pro-Western European) group of the Chinese Communist Party. This is why President Xi directed his foreign ministry to see what could be done to de-escalate the Russo-Ukraine conflict. Putin stands a better chance of winning the conflict through a negotiated settlement than through brute force — which is why Putin has offered peace negotiations on six occasions.
Nevertheless, China will be the real winner in a negotiated peace between Russia and Ukraine. China will benefit from a closer relationship with Russia (several joint projects are on the table at this very moment), and the E.U. will come to view China as a more stabilizing influence than the United States. In any case, Europeans much prefer Chinese noodles to America’s Donald Trump.
BUNKERVILLE | God, Guns and Guts Comrades! 