28 Jul, 2023 23:49

Neutral status for Ukraine ‘fundamental’ to Russia – Putin

Moscow can’t accept having a hostile military bloc on its doorstep, the Russian president said

Kiev becoming a member of NATO is an existential threat to Russian national security and will not be tolerated, Russian President Vladimir Putin told representatives of several African countries on Friday.

In the document that ushered in Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union, “it is written in black and white that Ukraine is a neutral state,” Putin reminded the visiting African leaders, during the public part of their meeting in St. Petersburg. The president was referring to the 1990 declaration proclaiming Soviet Ukraine a sovereign state that would strive to become “a permanently neutral country.”

“This is of fundamental importance. Why the West began to drag Ukraine into NATO is not very clear to us. But this created, in our opinion, a fundamental threat to our security,” Putin added.

We cannot accept the advance towards our borders of military infrastructure of a bloc that is de facto hostile to us.

Putin and several members of the African Union peace mission met to discuss the Ukraine conflict, after the two-day Russia-Africa summit attended by representatives of 49 states from the continent.

While Russia has always said it is ready to negotiate an end to hostilities, Kiev has passed a law prohibiting talks with Moscow and reneged on the agreement negotiated in March 2022 in Istanbul, Putin stated.

According to Putin, during last year’s meeting in Türkiye, the Ukrainian delegation initially agreed to sign a neutrality pact that would also cap Ukraine’s heavy weapons and hardware. However, the preliminary deal had been “thrown out” shortly afterward, the Russian leader said earlier this year.

Ukrainian officials walked away from negotiations after accusing the Russian military of atrocities in Bucha and other areas around the country’s capital. Moscow had denied that its troops were killing civilians.

Kiev later argued that meaningful negotiations cannot commence until Moscow surrenders Crimea and four other territories that voted to leave Ukraine and become parts of Russia. Moscow repeatedly stressed that it was impossible.

Speaking on Friday, the Russian president repeated his long-standing position that thecurrent crisis was caused by the 2014 “anti-constitutional, armed, bloody coup” in Kiev, carried out with “active support” of the US and other Western governments.

Following the coup, Crimea organized a referendum to join Russia. Kiev sent the military and nationalist militias to crush dissent in Odessa and Kharkov regions, but ran into resistance in Donetsk and Lugansk, which would declare independence later that year. The 2015 Minsk Agreements envisioned a process by which the two regions could return to Ukraine with guarantees of autonomy, but Kiev never implemented it.

Former German leader Angela Merkel claimed last December that the Minsk process was only a play for time by the West to arm Ukraine for a war against Russia. Former president of France, Francois Hollande, seconded Merkel’s interpretation.

As part of the African Peace Initiative, leaders of seven countries from the continent visited Ukraine and Russia in mid-June. Though Moscow expressed interest in exploring the African proposal further, Kiev has insisted that only its “peace formula” – a ten-point plan amounting to Russia’s unconditional surrender – would be acceptable to Ukraine.

https://www.rt.com/russia/580488-putin-ukraine-african-leaders/

28 Jul, 2023 22:13

‘Certain forces’ in the West spent years plotting against Russia – Putin

Foreign powers had used Ukraine to target Russian statehood, the president said

Western countries have spent years steering Ukraine towards a conflict with Russia, as they planned to use Kiev as a tool to undermine Russian national security, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. He argued that Russia’s retaliation, including its ongoing military operation in the neighboring state, was justified.

“This problem was not created yesterday. It was instigated by certain forces in the West, which for a long time were preparing a hybrid war against our country, and did everything to transform Ukraine into an instrument of undermining the foundations of the security of the Russian Federation,” Putin said during a meeting with the members of the African peace mission in St. Petersburg, following the two-day Russia-Africa Summit. (This is true!)

The president added that the West had planned to use Kiev to “damage Russia’s positions on the world stage, and to undermine our statehood.”

The US and its allies in the EU backed the 2014 coup in Kiev that ousted democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovich. Putin reiterated Russia’s longstanding position that it was the turning point of the crisis.

“It was indeed a bloody, armed anti-constitutional coup, actively supported by the Western countries, which discarded all norms of international law,” the Russian president said.

After Yanukovich fled the country, Washington immediately recognized the new authorities in Kiev. Crimea, which opposed the coup, voted to join Russia the same year, while the two Donbass regions declared independence from Kiev as the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR). Kiev responded by declaring an “anti-terrorism operation” against them.

Moscow launched its military operation in February 2022, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-2015 Minsk peace accords.Russia argued that its actions were in full accordance with international law, while Ukraine accused it of unprovoked aggression. NATO members, meanwhile, imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia and have supplied Ukraine with heavy weapons.

The two Donbass republics, together with two other former Ukrainian territories – the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions – became parts of Russia after holding a vote on the matter in September 2022.

https://www.rt.com/russia/580487-putin-explains-ukraine-crisis/

28 Jul, 2023 21:55

US and UK media spin Russia-Africa summit as failure

Coverage of the St. Petersburg meeting appeared to follow cherry-picked talking points

British and American outlets have embraced a set of similar talking points in their coverage of the Russia-Africa summit taking place this week in St. Petersburg, focusing on the number of presidents in attendance, blaming Moscow for the demise of the Black Sea “grain deal,” and bringing up the presence of Wagner on the continent.

A total of 49 African countries sent officials to the two-day summit, which ended with a 74-point joint declarationpledging cooperation in developing a multipolar world order. Western outlets, however, chose to focus on the number of presidents in attendance and a quote by Kenyan diplomat Korir Sing’Oei, who tweeted last week that calling off the grain deal was “a stab on the back at global food security prices.”

Russia decided not to extend the year-long arrangement that allowed Ukraine to export 33 million tons of grain – mainly to the EU, Türkiye, and China, with only a tiny amount reaching Africa – because the UN never enabled the export of Russian grain and fertilizer, which were blocked by Western shipping sanctions.

CBS News claimed that the “small crowd” at the summit reflected “Africa's changing mood on Moscow,”basing this on the remarks of one South African professor.

“Just 17 African heads of state, according to Russia's own tally, showed up for the summit. That’s less than half of the 43 leaders who participated in the first Russia-Africa summit in 2019,” noted the American broadcaster, without once mentioning that a total of 49 African countries were represented at the conference at some level.

“Kremlin seethes over poor summit turnout,”CNN declared in a headline, echoing the “just 17” talking point. There was nothing to corroborate the claim of “seething,” however – only another assertion, further down, that the Kremlin “fumed” over the “poor turnout” when referring to Western pressure on the continent’s leaders.

“Any idea that Africa as a whole leans toward Russia is clearly mistaken,” argued Washington Post columnist Adam Taylor, using votes in the UN General Assembly as his metric. Taylor also brought up “less than half of 43,” the grain deal, and Sing’Oei.

Newsweek also echoed the 17/43 difference, though it noted that 32 more countries were represented by officials or ambassadors. Their headline, however, focused on mockery of President Vladimir Putin’s handshake with the Ethiopian prime minister by the Polish-based Telegram channel Nexta, which promotes Ukrainian narratives and regime change in Belarus.

Time had a more ambitious headline, ‘Why African Leaders Are Staying Away From Putin's Russia-Africa Summit’, but never actually explained it. Instead, there were the talking points – grain deal, Sing’Oei, Wagner – and a lot of quotes from Western think-tanks.

‘Putin Left Red-Faced As Few African Leaders Turn Up To His Russia Summit’, claimed HuffPo, a surviving subsidiary of BuzzFeed. They too went with 17/43, the grain deal, the quote by Sing’Oei and Wagner, but also chose to highlight that 49 African leaders showed up at US President Joe Biden’s ‘summit’ last December.

HuffPo also attributed the phrase “it seems the novelty has worn off” to the Russian outlet Kommersant, though it was in fact a bit of editorializing from a tweet by BBC correspondent Steve Rosenberg.

The British press also checked off the talking points: only 17 leaders, grain deal, “stab in the back” quote, Wagner. ‘Kremlin blames west for small number of leaders due at Russia-Africa summit’, proclaimed the Guardian, also bringing up Biden’s December summit as a comparison.

‘Fresh humiliation for Putin as he faces poor turnout by African leaders’, was the Daily Mail’s headline of choice, even as they admitted 32 more countries were represented at some level.

(KEK Putin is getting the same treatment as Trump when something they do is a success!)

https://www.rt.com/africa/580486-russia-africa-summit-west-coverage/

28 Jul, 2023 16:50

Niger coup leader declares himself president

Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the presidential guard, has been designated president of the newly formed military council

Niger’s presidential guard chief, General Abdourahamane Tiani, who masterminded the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum this week, has declared himself the new national leader.

Abdourahamane, also known as Omar Tchiani, appeared on the state TV channel Tele Sahel on Friday, calling himself president of the newly formed military council, the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland, and claiming that Wednesday's coup was to protect national security.

President Bazoum was detained early on Wednesday by members of his security detail, with top military officials later announcing he had been removed from power and all state institutions suspended.

Niamey is considered an ally of the West in tackling jihadist insurgencies in the Sahel region, with troops from France and the US based there.

The unrest has sparked international condemnation, with French President Emmanuel Macron joining the West African regional bloc (ECOWAS) in demanding that the coup leaders release Bazoum.

Macron described Bazoum as a “courageous leader who is making the reforms and investments that his country needs,” adding that Paris will support regional powers in imposing sanctions on the coup plotters.

Tchiani, who had led the presidential guard since 2011, justified his actions on Thursday as a reaction to the “deteriorating security situation.” He argued that the government had failed to give the people of Niger “a glimpse of a real way out of the crisis.”

“The harsh reality of insecurity in Niger, experienced by our defense forces and hardworking populations, with its toll of deaths, displacement, humiliation, and frustration, reminds us on a daily basis of this stark reality,” Tchiani said.

He also criticized the lack of collaboration with the Mali and Burkina Faso juntas in fighting insurgencies in the region.

Bazoum was elected in Niger’s first democratic transition of power in 2021, after years of political turmoil. The former French colony has undergone five power grabs since gaining independence in 1960.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the coup on Thursday as an “anti-constitutional act,” joining US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in condemning the “unacceptable” change of power.

(note to self: Change out your military guard frequently)

https://www.rt.com/africa/580477-niger-coup-leader-names-himself-president/

>>19259924

I know, I thought the same thing

>>19259954

Well when Lavrov chimes in too, it kind of gives it credence

>>19259715

Honest to God if it were Trump the info would be spread WW before he died

Ron DeSantis Drops to Single Digits in Ohio, Trump Crushes Field with 64%, Ramaswamy Gains Second with 12%

July 28, 2023 | Sundance |

I have calloused hands and never hide my pride in my blue-collar, non-pretending, life. I can say with certainty, the rustbelt is forever lost to the professional Republican Party. The GOP club, like the DNC club, is dead in the wake of the great MAGA insurgency. Politicians representing the high-minded and pontificating professional Republican class will never again win an election in the rustbelt.

The collapse of the Republican Party in the rustbelt is entirely due to the professionally Republican politicians aligning with economic policies that destroyed the middle class within the region. This is MAGA country now; a place where pragmatic views and deliberate perspectives drive the outcomes of the voting electorate. The era of hope and polite requests is over, and the voters are no longer going to put up with bullsh*t. A recent Ohio poll is a strong indication of this:

The approved and professional Republican Party candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has dropped into single digits in Ohio with less than 9% support. Vivek Ramaswamy has jumped over DeSantis into first loser status with 12%, far behind the originator of the America First agenda, President Donald Trump with 64%.

♦ SEMI RELATED – Recently, after noting theCEO of Public Square bragging about the appointment of former Senator Kelly Loeffler (GA) to the Board of Directors, I asked the founder Michael Seifert if he knew what appointing the wife of NYSE owner Jeffrey Sprecher to the board indicates when contrast against the Wall Street corporate sellout of the working class PublicSq was promising to support. Public Square founder Michael Seifert said, he “was not familiar” with the rustbelt. Absorb that as you will.

With the elite financial class being increasingly exposed, and with the collusion between Big Tech and Wall Street in the public spotlight, and knowing the elite Washington DC establishment is a part of that entire corrupt system, and with millions of Americans more able to accept the scale of the issues, perhaps this is a moment to remind ourselveshow the BIG CLUB works to deceive under false pretense.

Washington DC is part of the corrupt Wall Street, K-Street, Big Bank, and BIG TECH system. Everything within that system is self-serving and done deliberately with the intent to maintain a particular status for the people within it. This is the moment of opportunity to expose just how the DeceptiCons trick us… this is information and dot-connecting that created The Last Refuge. This is the bitter pill that needs to be swallowed.

Everything from within the DC system is designed to lie to us. Accept that, and we begin to realize how events are NEVER what they appear on the surface.

The owner of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is Jeffrey Sprecher. Remember the position of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in regard to Senator Loeffler? Well, Mr. Sprecher is the husband of former Senator Kelly Loeffler.

Kelly Loeffler’s seat was purchased by their elite status and position. Loeffler was appointed by Brian Kemp.

Why would a billionaire run for an elected office paying a few hundred thousand?

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell positioned Loeffler with committee assignments based on that status of influence and affluence.

Jeffrey Sprecher and Kelly Loeffler entered politics for their elite interests.

The ruse of the DecptiCons is always that a motive to the benefit of the republic lies behind their candidacy. This is the same ruse that lay behind Mitt Romney, another DeceptiCon. There are no purely altruistic motives behind these politicians, particularly in the Senate.

Their motives are all about status, power and greed. They are not representatives of the people; they are representative of their own elite fellowship and interests, and this crosses both parties. Everything else is chaff and countermeasures to ensure their position.

That is the brutal and uncomfortable reality to accept. The entire system is corrupt.

The swamp is deep and filled with DeceptiCons who will strike at any given moment once they attain a useful position. You might remember, President Trump went to Georgia to campaign for Senator Kelly Loeffler.

Simultaneous to President Trump’s visible support, Loeffler’s husband Jeffrey Sprecher, owner of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), announced the NYSE will not blacklist Chinese telecommunications firms outlined in Trump’s executive order. Continued….

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/07/28/ron-desantis-drops-to-single-digits-in-ohio-trump-crushes-field-with-64-ramaswamy-gains-second-with-12/

Anons have any of you watched “13 Hours” the movie on Benghazi? Looks intense, what do you think?

Anheuser Busch Announces Hundreds of Layoffs in Effort to Recover from $16 Billion Loss, 25% Sales Drop and Systemic Corporate Cultural Infection

July 28, 2023 | Sundance |

It’s too late.

After losing 12% of stock value, $16 billion in company worth, more than 25% of sales and dropping out of the #1 position for beer in the USA, Anheuser Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth finally announced, “Today we took the very difficult but necessary decision to eliminate a number of positions across our corporate organization.”

The effort is described by Oxygen Financial CEO Ted Jenkin as corporate speak, where “simplify and reduce layers” can betranslated to “clean up the corporate mess,” make the shareholders happy and increase the stock price. However, Anheuser BuschCEO Brendan Whitworth, a former CIA operative and woke corporate leader, waited too long and still doesn’t recognize the issue.

Stick a fork in Anheuser Busch and Bud Light, they’re done.

None of this was accidental or unforeseeable= Factually, former Budweiser Light Vice President of Marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, told Anheuser Bush executives exactly what they were getting when they hired the Wharton business school graduate. Her intent was to bring a new cultural wokeism into the company, and the cultural wokeism is exactly what the company wanted==.

Anheuser Busch got exactly what they structurally set themselves up to require. VP of Marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, did not fail in her job –she delivered exactly what she was hired to generate. The infection will not be removed or cured by firing approximately 400 corporatewhite-collars who executed the Heinerscheid vision for the company, because it was not her vision alone.

The Anheuser Busch CEO and Board of Directors created the space for Heinerscheid to operate, approved of every move, gleefully celebrated the intent and purpose, and yet now stand back jaw-agape at the outcome? The time for pearl clutching, and reactionary perspectives is in the rear-view mirror. Do you really think the same CEO who approved the Heinerscheid agenda is really capable of removing the Heinerscheid culture?

Stop pretending. A generational collapse of a once heralded brand is complete. No one is going to touch Budweiser and the brand is permanently destroyed. How can I be so certain? Check out the video after the article.

[Side Note – The collapse is so complete and consequential, even General Mills is in damage control mode, scrubbing all connections after supporting and enlisting Alissa Heinerscheid in their college internship program.]

(Fox News) – […] According to a letter sent to employees, laid-off staff will receive severance pay, six months of continued company-paid health insurance benefits and resources to help find a new job.

The controversy embroiling Anheuser-Busch over Bud Light’s short-lived partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney has sent shockwaves through the company and the beer-making industry.

The Ardagh Group, a global glass producer who contracts with the Anheuser-Busch company, recently announced that it will be closing its plants in North Carolina and Louisiana in July, putting roughly 645 employees out of a job.

=Pretending has consequences….==

This is a video of Anheuser Busch CEO Brenden Whitworth on June 28th, explaining the issue as he sees it. Stop for a minute, just pull back to the 30,000-foot level, and look at the basics.

Does this guy with a scruffy beard, sneakers and a business suit with no tie, look like a corporate executive who understands stewardship? Not even close.

CEO Brenden Whitworth represents the culture of popular style in corporate management. Marketing VP Alissa Heinerscheid is what you get with this specific type of CEO.

Effective corporate leadership is boring, bland, steady, stable, consequential to the core mission and yet brutally focused on consumer value and long-term steady outcomes.

Yes, in a modern era some stuffiness needs to be removed from the cultural climate, Tim Cook is a great example of that. However, Brenden Whitworth is what you get when you take “popular image” or progressive creep too far.

Who Brenden Whitworth is, meaning the stuff inside this guy, reflects exactly why Donald Trump did not put Don Trump Jr. in charge of Trump Corporation. Donald Trump chose Eric Trump to run the company for this exact reason. [Oh snap, was that my outside voice?!]Bud Light is done. WATCH:

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/07/28/anheuser-busch-announces-hundreds-of-layoffs-in-effort-to-recover-from-16-billion-loss-25-sales-drop-and-systemic-corporate-cultural-infection/

>>19260286

I’m glad someone said it out loud:

CEO Brenden Whitworth represents the culture of popular style in corporate management. Marketing VP Alissa Heinerscheid is what you get with this specific type of CEO.

Effective corporate leadership is boring, bland, steady, stable, consequential to the core mission and yet brutally focused on consumer value and long-term steady outcomes.

Yes, in a modern era some stuffiness needs to be removed from the cultural climate, Tim Cook is a great example of that. However, Brenden Whitworth is what you get when you take “popular image” or progressive creep too far.

Who Brenden Whitworth is, meaning the stuff inside this guy, reflects exactly why Donald Trump did not put Don Trump Jr. in charge of Trump Corporation. Donald Trump chose Eric Trump to run the company for this exact reason. [Oh snap, was that my outside voice?!