17 Jul, 2023 22:57

Ukrainian defense minister wants law on foreign military bases changed

The move is needed to become ‘de facto’ member of US-led bloc, Alexey Reznikov has said

Ukraine needs to amend its constitution to allow theplacement of NATO bases on its territory, Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov argued on Monday.

The Article 17 ban on placing foreign military bases on Ukrainian soil is “outdated,”Reznikov claimed in an op-ed published by the outlet Liga.

“It is clear that, if necessary, a legal formula can be found so as not to call the base a base, but a kind of ‘center for interaction and exchange of experience.’ But why?” Reznikov wrote. “We need to remove this restriction, which has lost its relevance, in order to destroy the ground for speculation.”

Moreover, the same article needs to be “supplemented” with a declaration that Ukraine “independently chooses mechanisms to ensure its security, including by joining international treaties or organizations,” which would “more clearly reveal and normalize the idea of ​​a European and Euro-Atlantic course”as stated in the preamble, according to Reznikov.

Article 17 also explicitly prohibits the use of the Ukrainian military “to restrict the rights and freedoms of citizens” and prohibits the “creation and operation of any armed units not envisaged by law.” Reznikov did not address those provisions, which Kiev has violated since 2014.

Reminding his readers that he was a lawyer before he became defense minister in November 2021, Reznikov wrote that on that occasion,he publicly declared “joining NATO de facto” as his policy objective – and claimed that last week’s NATO summit in Lithuania achieved that.

Getting rid of the “Membership Action Plan”and setting up a NATO-Ukraine Council has “transition period for Ukraine’s entry” into the bloc, Reznikov argued. Formal membership “is a matter of the political will of our partners based on consensus, which may not depend on what Ukraine does or does not do,” he added.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky initially attacked NATO for not giving Kiev a timeline for joining or a formal invitation. The move backfired when UK and US officials criticized him for not showing gratitude for the billions in military aid the West has provided.

Reznikov sought to manage the Ukrainians expectations on Monday, noting that Zelensky was seated at the first Council meeting an equal participant at the table with NATO leaders.He also noted that Kiev will “have to master the ‘art of the possible’ in international issues at a qualitatively different level” going forward, and stop interpreting the absence of unambiguous moves as a “betrayal.”

The US-led bloc has supplied Ukraine with over $100 billion worth of weapons, ammunition and equipment just last year, going so far as to bankroll the salaries of government employees. Meanwhile, they have insisted that this does not make them a party to the conflict with Russia.

(These people are insane, they don’t think they need to earn NATO membership and they can change the laws to bend NATO to their will)

https://www.rt.com/news/579870-ukraine-foreign-bases-constitution/

18 Jul, 2023 00:34

US ‘no longer our closest ally’ – former Israeli PM

Opposition leader Yair Lapid has commented on deteriorating relations with Washington

Former Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid has reportedly warned that his country’s relations with the US have deteriorated so much under the leadership of his successor, Benjamin Netanyahu, that Washington is “no longer our closest ally.”

Lapid made his comments on Monday at a faction meeting of his Yesh Atid opposition party, according to the Times of Israel. He has argued that Netanyahu’s government is destroying the alliance with the US by trying to pass controversial judicial reforms.

“The Israeli government is leading us into this crisis, making the biggest and most dramatic changes to the regime in our history, without holding a single discussion — not even one — about the economic, security, social and political consequences of the move,” Lapid said. In a Channel 12 news interview, he argued that the nation was being “torn in two.”

“The Americans say they have no shared values with this government. It affects every aspect of US-Israel relations –their attention and their willingness to leave their comfort zone for Israeli interests. They will not do it for the most extreme government in the country’s history,” Lapid said, describing relations with the US as being at a historic low.

US President Joe Biden said in March that he was “very concerned” about Israel’s democracy amid months of protests over the proposed judicial overhaul. “I’m concerned they get this straight,” he said at the time. “They cannot continue down this road.”

Netanyahu responded by saying Israel was a sovereign country and made decisions by the will of its people, “not based on pressures from abroad.” His national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said Biden “needs to understand thatIsrael is no longer a star on the US flag. We are a democracy, and I expect the US president to understand that.”

More recently, the Biden administration criticized West Jerusalem’s approval for a Jewish-only settlement in the occupied West Bank. Earlier this month, Biden blasted the Israeli government’s cabinet as “extreme” and “part of the problem” in the Palestinian conflict.

On Monday, however, Biden issued a long-delayed invitation for Netanyahu to visit the White House later this year. Netanyahu spent 12 years as Israeli prime minister before a coalition led by Lapid ousted him from power in June 2021. He returned to office after winning the December 2022 election, the fifth parliamentary vote in four years.

(He blames it on Netanyahu but perhaps is that Bidan is not the rightful President.)

https://www.rt.com/news/579873-israel-us-closest-ally-lapid/