24 Mar, 2022 15:11

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Washington prepares for potential anti-Russia strategy failure – media

The assumption that attacking Ukraine was a strategic error on Moscow’s part may “prove premature,” senior officials told the NYT

Senior US officials looking into how to improve the US’ geopolitical position in the wake of Russia’s attack against Ukraine have doubts about the current strategy, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the discussions.

The admission was buried in an article detailing the work of the Tiger Team, a group created in late February by the White House for Ukraine planning. The report focused on how the US was preparing contingency plans for the unlikely scenario that Russia would use weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine.

In addition to establishing the group, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan formed a second body for long-term planning, the newspaper said, explaining its skepticism of the established Western narrative regarding the Ukraine conflict.

“Inside the White House, it has become an article of faith that [Russian President Vladimir Putin] made a huge strategic error – one that will diminish Russia’s standing, cripple its economy, and alienate potential allies for years. But it is early in the conflict, other officials caution, and that conclusion may prove premature,” the NYT said.

Moscow launched its attack on Ukraine in late February, citing as reasons NATO’s creeping expansion into the neighboring state, the bloc’s refusal to provide security guarantees to Russia, and Kiev’s failure to resolve the eight-year conflict with the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.

The US and Western powers called the move an act of unprovoked aggression. They imposed unprecedentedly harsh economic sanctions against Russia and pledged to ramp up arms supplies to Ukraine. Despite pleas from Kiev, the West refused to act militarily, citing concerns that it could result in a world war.

Russia has said it considers the sanctions a form of warfare. This week, President Vladimir Putin announced that the country will demand payment in rubles rather than dollars or euros for the natural gas it sells to “unfriendly nations,” adding that Russia no longer trusts currencies controlled by the Western financial system.

READ MORE: Putin wants rubles for Russian gas

The list of unfriendly nations – the ones that have imposed sanctions against Russia – includes most European countries. The EU received around 40% of its gas supplies from Russia before the conflict broke out.

Washington’s belief that Russia may use nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons in Ukraine is based on the presumption that Moscow expected the Ukraine offensive to be short and is now at an impasse due to the resistance of the Ukrainian forces. A WMD strike would up the ante for Kiev and send a signal to NATO not to interfere, the reasoning goes.

Russia has said it is not using the full scale of its military might against Ukraine to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties. It denies possessing stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons that could be deployed on the battlefield. Its nuclear arsenal, according to the Russian nuclear posture, is reserved for extreme situations in which the existence of the country comes under threat.

https://www.rt.com/news/552622-white-house-russia-sanctions/

24 Mar, 2022 18:28

US does not rule out Ukraine’s territorial concessions

Bidan is a constant liar about everything. This resident is incompetent and shouldnt be starting fights with superpowers

President Joe Biden says ceding any land would be Kiev’s decision to make LIE

If Ukraine wishes to give up any territory in order to negotiate an end to the conflict with Russia, that’s its own choice that Washington is going to respect, President Joe Biden told reporters at the NATO headquarters on Thursday. LIE

Asked if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needs to cede any territory to get a ceasefire with Russia, or if that is off the table, Biden said that’s “a total judgment based on Ukraine.” LIE

“I don’t believe they’re going to have to do that,” he said, but noted that “discussions have taken place that I have not been a part of,” presumably between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators. LIE

“Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Biden told reporters, referring to the slogan the US has adopted during the crisis. “It’s their judgment to make.” LIE

The US president also said NATO would “respond” if Russia used chemical weapons in Ukraine, but would not say how. Washington and its allies have made allegations in recent days that Moscow might be preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine. LIE Russia has rejected the insinuations and countered that Kiev might be planning a “false flag” to pin the blame on Moscow and trigger a NATO intervention.

Biden conceded that the US-led sanctions against Russia – joined by NATO, Japan, Australia, and South Korea so far –will result in food shortages, TRUE but pointed out that the US and Canada are major sources of wheat and are exploring ways to ramp up production and exports. LIE

He said NATO and the EU are working to set up an organization that would keep track of other countries violating their sanctions, and that he warned China against helping Russia because that would put its economic interests in the West in “significant jeopardy.” LIE THREAT

“China understands its economic future is much more closely tied to the West than it is to Russia,” Biden told reporters. LIE only under Trump was that true

The US president insisted that the sanctions were never meant as a deterrent, but to maintain NATO unity, which he called the most important thing at the moment. LIE, LIE

Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in late February, following a seven-year standoff over Kiev’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements and end the conflict with the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. Russia ended up recognizing the two as independent states, at which point they asked for military aid.

Russia demands that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two Donbass republics by force.

https://www.rt.com/news/552651-biden-ukraine-territory-russia-nato/

24 Mar, 2022 18:28

US does not rule out Ukraine’s territorial concessions

Bidan is a constant liar about everything. This resident is incompetent and shouldnt be starting fights with superpowers

President Joe Biden says ceding any land would be Kiev’s decision to make LIE

If Ukraine wishes to give up any territory in order to negotiate an end to the conflict with Russia, that’s its own choice that Washington is going to respect, President Joe Biden told reporters at the NATO headquarters on Thursday. LIE

Asked if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needs to cede any territory to get a ceasefire with Russia, or if that is off the table, Biden said that’s “a total judgment based on Ukraine.” LIE

“I don’t believe they’re going to have to do that,” he said, but noted that “discussions have taken place that I have not been a part of,” presumably between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators. LIE

“Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Biden told reporters, referring to the slogan the US has adopted during the crisis. “It’s their judgment to make.” LIE

The US president also said NATO would “respond” if Russia used chemical weapons in Ukraine, but would not say how. Washington and its allies have made allegations in recent days that Moscow might be preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine. LIE Russia has rejected the insinuations and countered that Kiev might be planning a “false flag” to pin the blame on Moscow and trigger a NATO intervention.

Biden conceded that the US-led sanctions against Russia – joined by NATO, Japan, Australia, and South Korea so far –will result in food shortages, TRUE but pointed out that the US and Canada are major sources of wheat and are exploring ways to ramp up production and exports. LIE

He said NATO and the EU are working to set up an organization that would keep track of other countries violating their sanctions, and that he warned China against helping Russia because that would put its economic interests in the West in “significant jeopardy.” LIE THREAT

“China understands its economic future is much more closely tied to the West than it is to Russia,” Biden told reporters. LIE only under Trump was that true

The US president insisted that the sanctions were never meant as a deterrent, but to maintain NATO unity, which he called the most important thing at the moment. LIE, LIE

Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in late February, following a seven-year standoff over Kiev’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements and end the conflict with the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. Russia ended up recognizing the two as independent states, at which point they asked for military aid.

Russia demands that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two Donbass republics by force.

https://www.rt.com/news/552651-biden-ukraine-territory-russia-nato/