Eastern Europe Is Privately Not Quite as Pro-Ukraine as Western Media Claim

December 3, 2023 | Sundance1/2

If you were a curious and nationalist minded European person who wanted to better understand the dynamic of American politics, such an intentioned person would likely visit Washington DC to meet, understand and absorb the reality of USA politics. However, that approach, while familiar, would be a mistake.

A visit to the DC beltway would generate opinions and insights from the perspective of the federal government apparatus. Additionally, the U.S. politicians are going to repeat the policy agenda points that are debated and discussed. But does that approach really inform the curious visitor about how Americans feel, engage and interact with the government? The answer is no; the visitor would get the official skewed perspective, but leave without any understanding of how the policies described are actually considered by the American people.

To really understand the nature of how Americans view the political dynamic inside the U.S, as well as discover how the people would be reacting to policy or possible workarounds therein,the curious visitor would need to go to where the boots on the ground are– to the actual people who are engaging in American life.

The reverse of this scenario is also true. Traveling from the USA to visit Spain, Holland, Hungary or Belarus, and spending time with their political leadership, will only gain you a top-level policy outline of what those officials and politicians are trying to achieve. If there is a conflict between the official position and the actual reality on the ground, the curious visitor would never see it.

This dichotomy is the fatal flaw within the process of gathering information. Tucker Carlson or (fill_in_blank) cannot understand how/if the political policy transfers to the citizens by talking to the known leadership. What is happening on the ground could be entirely different, and that begins the conversation to a larger awakening.

My curiosity revolved around Western global sanctions against Russia. It has been almost two years since massive sanctions against Russia were implemented. The goal of the sanctions was to hurt Russia economically, weaken Putin domestically, and ultimately change the outcome in Ukraine. However, the Russian economy is larger than before the sanctions; the Ruble is stronger against the US Dollar than before; Vladimir Putin is more supported inside Russia than before, and most of the financial and economic systems under sanction have failed to yield a substantive difference on the ground in Russia.

How is this possible, when we are told the sanctions delivered hardship to Russia? The answer is simple;the sanctions didn’t work. Why not?What is happening? These were the questions I had in mind as I went to where the economic systems are actually being engaged by the people.I can say with certainty what I found is nowhere in any Western media presentation.

I will describe tomorrow the granular details of why the claims of the west do not match the reality of what is taking place. On the ground, the sanctions are invisible because ordinary people in Europe, (a) are not in alignment with the expressed government intent, and (b) therefore have no issue constructing ways around them.

The US, UK, France and bureaucrats in Brussels are the tip of the spear against Russia, but behind that face there are EU mechanisms that do not align. Things are not what they seem.

Before getting to those details, some of which have to be shared carefully due to the sensitivity of the information and process (sand in the machine), let’s start by looking at the subtle indications which will validate what we discuss next.

WASHINGTON DC – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán regularly pushes the EU to the cliff edge,but diplomats are panicking that his hostility to Ukraine is now about to finally kick the bloc over the precipice.

A brewing political crisis is set to boil over at a summit in mid-December when EU leaders are due to make a historic decision on bringing Ukraine into the 27-nation club and seal a key budget deal to throw a €50 billion lifeline to Kyiv’s flailing war economy. The meeting is supposed to signal to the U.S. that, despite the political distraction over the war in the Middle East, the EU is fully committed to Ukraine…

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/12/03/eastern-europe-is-privately-not-quite-as-pro-ukraine-as-western-media-claim/

>>20019679

2/2

Those hopes look likely to be knocked off course by Orbán, a strongman who cultivates close ties with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and who is widely seen as having undermined democracy and rule of law at home. He is demanding the whole political andfinancial process should be put on iceuntil leaders agree to a wholesale review of EU support for Kyiv.

[…] Previous peacemakers such as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel or other Orbán-whisperers from the so-called Visegrád Four — Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic — are no longer there. The expected comeback of Donald Tusk for Poland, a pro-EU and anti-Russian leader, will only heighten Orbán’s status as the lonely, defiant hold-out.

“There is no one left to talk sense into Orbán,” a third EU official said. “He is now undermining the EU from within.”

[…] In theory, Brussels could come out with the big guns and use the EU’s so-calledArticle 7 procedure against Hungary, used when a country is considered at risk of breaching the bloc’s core values. The procedure is sometimes called the EU’s “nuclear option” as it provides for the most serious political sanction the bloc can impose on a member country — the suspension of the right to vote on EU decisions.

Because of those far-reaching consequences, there is reticence to roll out this option against Hungary. When EU leaders brought in “diplomatic sanctions” against Austria in 2000, the day after the party of Austrian far-right leader Jörg Haider entered the coalition, it backfired. Many Austrians were angry at EU interference and anti-EU sentiment soared. Sanctions were lifted later that year.

There is now a widespread feeling inBrussels that Article 7 could create a similar backlash in Budapest, fueling populism and in the longer term potentially even trigger a snowball effect leading to an unintended Hungarian exit of the bloc.

Given those fears, diplomats are doubling down on ways to work around a Hungarian veto. (read more)

Now you know why I went to Budapest.

What I can tell you is the nationalist outlook, asentiment against the interests of Brussels, is not only an Orban perspective. The Hungarian people, and the institutions therein, have no issue with Russia. This extends to the reality within the Russian consulate in Budapest; you’ll specifically see how this all manifests tomorrow.

(Washington DC) – […] Instead of targeting flagship exports like oil and gas, Ukraine’s European allies will focus on restricting trade in diamonds, iron and copper, which are of relatively little value to the Russian state. When it comes to energy, “we’ve reached the capacity of what we can do without shooting [ourselves] in the foot and harming our competitiveness,” one EU diplomat claimed.

The biggest omission is liquefied natural gas, the all-important fossil fuel that netted President Vladimir Putin’s regime an estimated $6.6 billion in sales in the EU this year alone. Countries like Spain and Belgium have actually even boosted their LNG imports by a massive 50 percent in 2023, compared to 2022.

Meanwhile, hopes that Europe could agree toshut the door on Russia’s atomic energysector given its dangerous occupation of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — the continent’s largest —have failed to materialize. Hungary is expanding one of its own atomic power stations with Moscow’s help and populist Prime Minister ViktorOrbán has vowed to veto any sanctions that would hurt the industry, despite criticism from EU and Ukrainian officials alike. Unanimous support from all 27 member states is needed to impose new restrictions,meaning talks on the subject are now deadlocked. (read more)

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/12/03/eastern-europe-is-privately-not-quite-as-pro-ukraine-as-western-media-claim/

>>20019686

Popularism is on the rise in EU due to the Israel war and the mass migration in the EU. People are waking up everywhere. Old powers are being either kicked out ot replaced by “My Country First” sentiment. The awakening in the EU is exploding now!

3 Dec, 2023 12:19

Russian Su-25 jets strike Ukrainian targets(VIDEO)

The Defense Ministry has shown off its attack aircraft operating above the Donetsk People’s Republic

The Russian Defense Ministry has published footage of what it described as Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jets striking Ukrainian forces.

The clip captured the attack aircraftoperating in undisclosed airspacein Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, the ministry said in a post on Telegram on Saturday.

The footage from several cameras placed on board the planes shows the Su-25 firing missiles and making evasive maneuvers while flying at extremely low altitudes.

On Sunday, a Telegram channel reporting on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine posted another video depicting Su-25s.

According to the channel, the Russian attack aircraft were filmed from a drone while performing a combat mission above the strategic town of Avdeevka, north of Donetsk.

Su-25s were introduced into the Soviet military in the mid-1970s and are still actively used by the Russian Aerospace Forces. Over the years, the plane, nicknamed ‘grach’ (rook), has earned itself a reputation as one of the country’s most reliable attack aircraft.

It has two engines and an armored underside, which protects it from surface-to-air missiles. During the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, there have been several reports of Su-25s making it back to base despite suffering heavy damage, including losing an engine

(Cool video, too large to post)

https://www.rt.com/russia/588424-donetsk-s25-jets-ukraine/

3 Dec, 2023 08:55

Sergey Poletaev: Here's the reason why next year's Ukrainian elections have been cancelled

Washington doesn’t know what to do with Kiev, so Zelensky will remain in power.1/2

Back in October, it seemed that Vladimir Zelensky’s days as president were numbered. Time magazine and other publications accused Ukraine’s leader of being responsible for failures at the front. He was described as having lost touch with reality, being unwilling to negotiate, with increasingly dictatorial and narcissistic tendencies, and so on. Prior to that, some prominent figures in the West had stressed the need to hold presidential elections in Ukraine exactly on time – in March 2024. This was mentioned by US Senator Lindsey Graham, who visited Kiev in the early fall.

Now, despite the fact that the media keeps publishing stories about the deplorable state of affairs in Ukraine, it looks like Zelensky will remain in power. In early November, the spokesperson for the US Department of State said that the Ukrainian constitution allows the country to cancel elections, and, on November, 30, all factions and groups of the Ukrainian parliament agreed that elections should be put off for as long as martial law remains in effect, plus for an additional six months after it is lifted.

What does all this mean? Is this the result of Zelensky’s skilled politics or a trap into which he voluntarily fell? Or else, is itan indicator of Washington’s political paralysis on the Ukrainian front?

Post-Azov stupor

A year ago, trusting in their omnipotence, Ukraine and the West anticipated Russia’s inevitable defeat on the battlefield. Vladimir Zelensky personified this confidence, which culminated in the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ (AFU’s) counteroffensive in the direction of the Azov Sea. However, theAFU’s failure in the summer and fall of this yearwas not just a military defeat – it demonstrated the failure of Ukraine’s entire post-Soviet policy, which has been actively supported by the West.

After such a fiasco, one would think Ukraine might fancy a change of leadership. So, why does Zelensky remain in office?

It looks like themost obvious answerto this question is also the most probable one – theWest does not know what to do. In order for a new person to replace Zelensky, Ukraine needs a new strategy, which it doesn’t have.Western eliteswho went all in on the illusory idea of Russia's military defeat are now at a loss and face a bunch of new problems:

• the conflict in the Middle East,

• far-right parties gaining support in Europe,

• and the political paralysis ahead of the US elections.

After all, no one is quite certain that Joe Biden, whose health is deteriorating with each day, will be able to run for another term.

It is important to remember thatWashingtonhas no need for Ukrainian elections as such,it just needs to keep a tight grip on Kiev. It’s true that Zelensky started to get out of control – he imagined himself to be a great military commander, lost his head, and started throwing tantrums in public, like at the NATO summit in July. The US understands that something has to be done, since a mentally unbalanced head of state is dangerous and unpredictable.

However, as of now, the US Department of Statecannot orchestratea change of power in Ukraine, particularly since Ukraine’s ‘prima donna’ refuses to leave the stage.

In the absence of a clear strategy,keeping Zelenskyin office seems like thelesser of two evils– if political chaos were to break out in Ukraine, it would inevitably impact the Democrats’ ratings during the upcoming elections, but if everything stays as is, the issue could be swept under the rug for the time being. Moreover, if the current administration manages to convince Congress to approve a minimum aid package for Ukraine, it would consider the job done.

The lame duck

There is another important aspect, however. An increasing number of people both in Ukraine and in the West realize that the coming year will be a lotmore difficult for Kiev. The consequences of the fatal decisions made by Zelenskyin the past two years will become fully evident – from the refusal to conclude a peace agreement in Istanbul, to the meaningless fight for Bakhmut, the failed counteroffensive, and other battles that resulted in heavy losses.

https://www.rt.com/russia/588361-ukranian-elections-cancelled-us/

>>20019898

2/2

Zelensky was the one who ‘embodied’ these decisions, andmany people want him to suffer the consequences, so that all the negativity will be buried alongside the president when he descends into the political grave. But, for now, while Ukraine can still fight, the West wants it to fight with Zelensky in charge.

In this respect, the country’s current president is following the path of his predecessors – it has becometraditional in Ukraine to heap all the guilt on the leaderand then push him into oblivion. This means that soon, everyone in Ukraine may unite against Zelensky. Even his own party is involved in the game. In a recent interview, head of the Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia admitted that, in March 2022, Kiev had the chance to conclude a peace agreement on very favorable terms and without spilling so much blood – in other words, he was accusing Zelensky of failing to ensure peace.

The conflict between the president and the country’s military leadership is also growing – in a number of interviews and articles, AFU Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny has basically admitted that Ukraine’s army is in a hopeless situation and made it clear thatZelensky’s interference in military matters is to blame. This accusation is quite serious, since the AFU has the full support of Ukrainian society, and Zaluzhny, who is not afraid to speak the truth, may use the army’s popularity to boost his own rating.

Other Ukrainian political figures have also come out of the shadows and reached out towards the West. Zelensky, however, is trying to thwart such attempts. For example, on Friday morning, it became known that former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko, who was reportedly on his way to Washington to meet with the new speaker of the US House of Representatives, was not allowed out of the country. Either way, it looks like Ukraine’s entire beau monde is ready for the new political season, which may last anywhere from six months to two years, andwill probably end in Zelensky’s quiet (or maybe not so quiet) resignation, and a successor who will promise to fix everything and clean up Ukraine’s ‘Augean stables’.

Maybe the new president will even agree to a truce, and Ukrainian society, tired of the war, will accept this fact – perhaps without enthusiasm, but with a sigh of relief. And then, everything will go back to normal, and Ukraine will prosper and will surely join NATO and the European Union.

An elephant in the room

All these daydreams, however, are unrealistic since they completely ignore Russia’s position. For some reason,Ukraine thinks of Russia as a passive entity that will silently accept any proposal– such as agreeing to a truce without any commitments on the part of Ukraine, freezing the conflict, or allowing Ukraine to join NATO.

Russia, however, will agree to such conditions only if its military potential is exhausted and it is unable to continue fighting. In the nearest one or two years, such ascenario is highly improbable. On the contrary, most likely Russia’s army will be in its best shape for the 2024 campaign, while Ukraine’s forces will continue to grow weaker.

No one knows whether this will suffice to completely defeat Ukraine in the coming year, but somesmart Ukrainian expertshave already said ___that the country has no chance of winning even the current war of attrition__.

This means thatZelensky’s successorwill not merely inherit some ‘negativity’, which could be swept aside with the help of political manipulation – hewill take over a country in catastrophic condition. And this national catastrophe will also bring down Ukraine’s current political elites, who hope to profit from Zelensky’s mistakes.

Perhaps then, Ukraine will finally be governed by leaders who are concerned about their country – who want to save what is left of it, defend national interests, not Western ones, and who will stop turning Ukraine into an ‘anti-Russia’.

https://www.rt.com/russia/588361-ukranian-elections-cancelled-us/

(I disagree with the author that Zelensky will be kept, regardless of what the West wants, for these reasons: It’s already apparent multiple “insiders” in Kiev are daily criticizing him in international news outlet. Many groups in Kiev are planning a significant Coup, hopefully someone that can really clean up the corruption of Ukraine. Western news mouthpieces of the President, US Government, agencies and Intelligence Communities are no longer slight leaks, but they are still releasing extremely critical articles; along with Kirby of Joint Chief of Staff, edging closer to criticism of Zelensky & Ukraine. The mood of European and American citizens are fucking fed up with Zelensky and Ukraine shaming us by the powerless dwarf of propaganda. Another aspect is Israel war can create a real WWIII, and Ukraine is no longer a shiny toy)

3 Dec, 2023

US warship attacked – Pentagon

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels took responsibility for the attack – but didn’t acknowledge targeting a US vessel

AnAmerican warship and multiple commercial vessels came under attack in the Red Sea on Sunday, the Pentagon said, in what is being seen as the latest in a series of maritime attacks on regional shipping routes linked to the Israel-Hamas war.

In a statement released by the Department of Defense, US officials did not immediately identify the source of Sunday’s attack. Soon after, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said that two ships linked to Israel had been attacked by its forces with a drone and a missile but did not acknowledge targeting a US Navy vessel.

“We’re aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available,” the Pentagon said in a statement to the Associated Press. It did not state what damage – if any – the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, sustained in the attack.

Earlier on Sunday, the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations agency said that it had been made aware of reports of a drone attack in the Bab el-Mandeb strait of the Red Sea. It also stated that drones originating from Yemen were active in the area and that there had been a possible explosion.

A series of maritime attacks have been reported in the Middle Eastern waters as the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas threatens to spiral into a wider regional conflict. Last month, Houthi rebels seized a vehicle transport ship linked to Israel in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen.

Houthi militants have previously fired ballistic missiles and armed drones at Israeli targets and have promised to continue targeting Israeli vessels in the region.

“The Yemeni armed forces continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Red Sea (and Gulf of Aden)until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops,” Houthi spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a statement claiming responsibility for Sunday’s attacks.

Saree also issued a warning: “All Israeli ships or those associated with Israelis will become a legitimate target if they violate what is stated in this statement.” He made no mention of a US warship in the statement.

According to the Navy Times, the USS Carney shot down an Iranian-made drone that was heading toward its position from Yemen-controlled territory. It added that the incident occurred a day afteranother Iranian drone came within 1,500 yards of the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhoweras it was in international waters in the Arabian Gulf.

https://www.rt.com/news/588443-us-warship-attack-red-sea/

3 Dec, 2023 18:02

US defense secretary revealed ‘military secret’ – ex-Russian president

Lloyd Austin has admitted the true goal of Ukraine support is the modernization of the US’ military industry, Dmitry Medvedev says

The Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin has apparently revealed the true goal of his country’s enduring support for Ukraine and it has nothing to do with defending “democracy”or even battling Russia, but boils down to the modernization of the US’ own military-industrial complex, ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said.

Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy chairman of the country’s National Security Council, took to social media platform X on Sunday, commenting on a speech made by Austin at the Reagan National Defense Forum in the US.

“We’ve launched what the Army calls ‘the most ambitious modernization effort in nearly 40 years’ for our defense industrial base,” the Pentagon boss said during the event.

Some $50 billion of our supplemental budget request would flow through our defense industrial base. And that will create or support tens of thousands of good American jobs in more than 30 states. That includes making missiles in Arizona; vehicles in Wisconsin and Indiana; and artillery shells in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas.

The remarks by the secretary of defense, himself a retired general, =•effectively amount to an admission of the true goals of Washington==, Medvedev said, suggesting that a “sincere”Austin might have inadvertently revealed a genuine “military secret” of the US.

A straightforward and simple-minded person, the general unhesitatingly stated the reason for the US involvement in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The US is not driven by a desire to help stop Ukraine from “disappearing from the world map” or by an intent to fight “for democracy against tyranny,” he said. Moreover, the US is apparently not even motivated by its repeatedly proclaimed goal of “even confronting Russia to diminish its defense capacity,” the ex-president suggested.

“It turns out, it’s all about defense goods commissioning to increase military production output and create jobs. And,possibly, about the enormous profit that the companies close to the Biden administration get from it,Medvedev wrote.

(This might be a stretch without more info from the speech, but I don’t doubt it. Based on his choice of outfits does explain the “simple minded” comment. They always reveal their plans.Anons try looking for memes on Austin online, you can’t find many!Release your Austin memes for collection please.)

>>20019976

Stoltenberg is an idiot, and none of his speeches have an effect because the citizens of these countries are replacing the failed leaders in the EU

>>20019959

Its coming anon pretty quickly

>>20019957

notablethe propaganda veil has been pierced and being destroyed

>>20019944

3 Dec, 2023

‘No science’ behind calls to phase out fossil fuels – COP28 President

The UAE’s Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber reportedly says gradual cuts in oil, gas and coal use would 'take the world back into caves'

The president of the COP28 climate conference, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, hascast great doubt over zero-emissions policies being pushed by the United Nations, claiming there is “no science” to showthat stage-by-stage cuts in fossil fuel use would decrease global heating, the Guardian reported on Sunday.

The chair of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, now underway in Dubai, claimed that a gradual reduction in fossil fuel consumption would hold back sustainable development and drag humanity back to the Paleolithic period.

His comments, made in response to questions from former UN special envoy for climate change Mary Robinson during a live online event in late November, are fundamentally at odds with the position of the UN and its secretary general Antonio Guterres.

“We’re in an absolute crisis that is hurting women and children more than anyone… and it’s because we have not yet committed to phasing out fossil fuel,”Robinson, who chairs The Elders, a London-based human rights and environmental NGO, was quoted by the Guardian as saying.

“That is the one decision that Cop28 can take and in many ways, because you’re head of Adnoc, you could actually take it with more credibility,” she added.

Al Jaber serves as chief executive of the United Arab Emirates state oil company Adnoc, while also chairing Cop28 in Dubai. Many critics have described the two roles as a serious conflict of interest.

Responding to Robinson’s remarks, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber saidhe expected the conversation to be “sober and mature,” but not “alarmist.”

“There is no science out there, or no scenario out there, that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5°C,” he said, adding that the move would not “allow for sustainable socioeconomic development, unless you want to take the world back into caves.”

When Robinson argued that Adnoc is investing heavily in future fossil fuel production, Al Jaber responded by saying thatshe and her supporters were reading their own media, which is biased and wrong.

He also predicted that a phase-out of fossil fuels is “essentially inevitable,” but argued that countries need to be “real serious and pragmatic about it.”

(Anons did on “The Elders”,seems like a NWO group to eliminate mankind. “UN special envoy for climate change Mary Robinson”. Weird picture, look at the background.)

https://www.rt.com/business/588426-no-science-fossil-fuels-reduction/