1 Mar, 2024 16:30

Pentagon chief’s ‘NATO will fight Russia’ remark reveals US plan – Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has saidLloyd Austin made a “Freudian slip”

The US clearly has plans for NATO to become directly involved in a conflict with Russia, as evidenced by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s testimony to Congress, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed on Friday.

During a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday,Austin said that “if Ukraine falls, I genuinely believe NATO will be fighting Russia.”

Lavrov was asked about Austin’s remarks during an interview at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye.

“He simply made a Freudian slip to reveal what they [the US] had in mind,” the Russian diplomat said. “They used to say they can’t allow Ukraine to lose, because Russia won’t be satisfied and would attack the Baltic states, Poland, [and] Finland next. It turns out, according to Mr. Austin’s frank words, that everything is exactly the opposite. We do not and cannot have such plans, but the Americans do.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has already commented on Austin’s remarks, wondering if they were a direct threat to Russia or an attempt to generate excuses for Ukraine.

“Either way, it’s madness,” she said. “But now everyone sees that Washington is the aggressor.”

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov,Austin’s testimony proved that “NATO regards Ukraine as its own territory,” which proves that Russia’s military operation is “absolutely justified and correct.”

Austin’s testimony was part of a push by the White House to get congressional approval for a $95 billion foreign aid bill, which includes more than $60 billion in funding for Kiev. TheUS and its allies have already sent Ukraine over $200 billionin military, economic, and financial aid for the conflict against Russia – disregarding Moscow’s warnings and objections, while insisting they are not directly involved.

The idea that Moscow will not stop with Kiev and move to attack the Baltic states or Poland next is the latest talking point of the US administration. Previously it has tried to sell the indefinite funding of Kiev by claiming Ukraine is defeating Russia on a fraction of the US military budget, and that most of the money would end up going to the American military industry anyway.

(Bidan needs another war before 2024 election, these people are insane. The only countries capable of nuclear war are US and Russia, and according to Russia they have more nuclear weapons than the US. Bidan is losing the election so he creates WWIII. He and Obama must be taken down asap. This US leadership are insane.)

https://www.rt.com/russia/593553-lavrov-austin-ukraine-nato-plans/

1 Mar, 2024 16:10

US pushing G7 members to devise ways to tap Russian frozen assets

Western allies are looking for “viable” options to expropriate the funds, US Treasury Secretary Yellen has said

The US and its allies will keep seeking a “firm”legal rationale to underpin plans to confiscate frozen Russian assets, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters on Thursday.

In an interview held shortly after a meeting of theGroup of Twenty finance ministers in Brazil, at which Western allies failed to seal a deal to aid Kiev using Russian funds, Yellen said that any such action would need an airtight legal basis.

She noted that despite skepticism from some EU countries about asset seizure, there were ways to tap some $300 billion belonging to the Russian central bank, such as using the funds as collateral for loans. Yellen also mentioned a new proposal to issue a syndicated loan, which she described as an “interesting option.”

“There are complicated legal issues here. We agree that whatever we do has to have a firm international legal rationale, as well as domestic rationale,” Yellen said.

While the US and UK have been pushing for actions to outright seize these funds in order to finance the government in Kiev, the EU has been warning about the legal and financial implications of such a move.

At the meeting in Sao Paulo on Wednesday French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire publicly questioned Yellen’s view that it would be legal to tap Russian funds,revealing a rift among G7 countries.

Arguing that the West doesn’t have the “legal basis to seize the Russian assets now,” Le Maire called for a more modest approach, centered on the EU’s moves to seize the interest earned from the assets held at the clearinghouse Euroclear.

Echoing his remarks, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said that the EU was looking into “a legally secure step” to use proceeds from frozen Russian assets.

France and Germany, along with the European Central Bank, have expressed most concernthat seizing the funds could negatively affect financial stability and erode trust in the euro’s status as a reserve currency.

It’s also argued that such a drastic move would set a precedent,pushing other countries to avoid holding their reserves in Western currenciesin case they may one day become subject to similar sanctions.(The end of the dollar is near, they are trying to push an invisible currency)

While admitting it was critical not to put at risk the work of Euroclear, which holds most of the Russian sovereign funds, Yellen said she challenged Le Maire to help develop the workarounds sought by G7 leaders in time for their June summit in Italy.

She added that G7 members had urged their staff “to come up with as many viable options as we can, and to analyze both the benefits and costs associated with them.”

Moscow warned it would respond in kind if the West went through with threats to confiscate Russian assets. In a recent interview Finance Minister Anton Siluanov noted thatWestern states themselves still have equivalent assets in Russiathat could be jeopardized if the frozen funds belonging to Russia are tapped.

(I think they are pushing this to scare Congress into giving Kiev the $60 billion. Congress should never cave. They are also trying every way they can to provoke an act of war on Russia so they can start WWIII. The third reason is Bidan and Obama are losing the 2024 election. If they are not stopped, then everything I’ve believed from late 2017, seems like it was panacea, and not a plan.)

https://www.rt.com/business/593558-us-g7-russia-frozen-assets-confiscation/

1 Mar, 2024 11:37

Transcript released of purported German discussion on attacking Crimean Bridge

The text in Russian has been published by RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, hours after she reported receiving the recording

The full text of what is claimed to be a discussion bysenior German military officers on how to attack the Crimean Bridgein Russia was published by RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan on Friday. She reported that Russian security officials had leaked the recording hours earlier and has pledged to release the original audio shortly.

Simonyan identified the=officers as General Ingo Gerhartz,the German Air Force commander, andsenior leaders responsible for mission planning. The alleged conversation took place on February 19, according to the source of the leak.

The transcript reveals the officials discussed the efficiency of the Franco-British cruise missile called Storm Shadow by the UK and SCALP by France. Both nations donated some of their stockpile to Ukraine.

Kiev has called on Germany to provide some of its Taurus missiles. The officers in the leaked recording debate whether the weapon system was adequate for hitting the Crimean Bridge in Russia, which connects eastern Crimea to Krasnodar Region across the Kerch Strait.

According to the transcript, the officers discussed how a successful attack on a key piece of Russian infrastructure would requireadditional satellite data, possible deployment of missiles from French Dassault Rafale fighter jets, and at least a month of preparation.

One participant observed that due to the size of the bridge, which is the longest in Europe,even 20 missiles may not be enough to cause significant damage. It is comparable to a runway in that regard, he noted.

”They want to destroy the bridge… because it has not only military strategic importance, but also political significance,” Gerhartz is quoted as saying, apparently referring to officials in Kiev. “It would be concerning if we have direct connection with the Ukrainian armed forces.”

The officers went on to discuss how close theGerman military should be workingon the proposedoperation so as not to cross the ‘red line’ of being involved directly.

Secretly training Ukrainians in the use of German weaponsand helping them plan the operation were deemed acceptable. Concerns about the press learning about such cooperation were also raised, the transcript reveals.

Senior officials in Berlin have repeatedly made public statements explaining their reservations about sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this week that theGermany’s military cannot do for Ukrainewhat “wasdone on the part of the British and French in terms of target-control and target-control assistance.” The remark was rebuked by London and Paris, for allegedly distracting public attention from German unwillingness to donate arms to Kiev.

According to the released text, a large segment of the conversation was about practical aspects of preparingKiev’s forces for deploying Taurus missiles, from training its military personnel, to adapting hardpoints of Ukrainian military jets forBerlin's weapons, to providing technical support remotely via a safe link. The officers were concerned that speeding up the proposed handover may result in civilians being killed “again” in a weapons mishap.

When assessing the intelligence necessary for targeting the missiles, Gerhartz allegedly mused that, to provide such information,there are plenty of “people in civilian clothes with American accents” in Kiev that would cover up for the Germans.

(Russia should release the Nord Stream 2 plans with US and Germany now)

https://www.rt.com/news/593511-transcript-german-attack-crimean-bridge/

1 Mar, 2024 15:54

No combat troops will be sent to Ukraine – French Foreign Minister

Paris will do “everything” to avoid a direct conflict with Moscow while continuing to aid Kiev, Stephane Sejourne has said

No French combat troops will be sent to Ukraine, the country's foreign minister Stephane Sejourne told state broadcaster Radio France Inter on Friday. The clarification comes after several NATO members had reacted adversely to remarks by president Emmanuel Macron that the US-led military bloc could entertain such a possibility in the future.

Paris would not risk a direct conflict, Sejourne said when asked to comment on Macron’s remarks. “Everything we do is to avoid war”between Russia and NATO, the minister said, adding that the French government did not want to increase the level of anxiety among its citizens.

A survey published on Thursday by the French newspaper Le Figaro showed that thevast majority of the French population disapproved of the president’s comments on a potential troop deployment to Ukraine.

“The French will not die for Ukraine,”Sejourne said. He also stated that a framework set by Macron envisaged “preventing Russia from winning without waging a war against Russia.”Earlier, the French president called on fellow NATO members to hurry up and increase their arms and ammunition deliveries to Kiev to presumably ensure Moscow’s “defeat.”

The foreign minister still maintained that Macron’s comments on a potential troop deployment was the right thing to dosince they contributed to “strategic ambiguity” and allowed France to be “on the right side of history.” The fact that Macron excluded “nothing” when it came to the aid for Kiev allowed Paris to “send a very clear message to Russia, that we will not give up the fight [for] the Ukrainians.”

On Monday,Macron insisted that the West should stop at nothing to prevent Russia from gaining the upper hand in the Ukraine conflict. “There’s no consensus today to send, in an official manner, troops on the ground,” he said. “In terms of dynamics, we cannot exclude anything. We will do everything necessary to prevent Russia from winning this war.”

Moscow reacted to Macron’s words by warning that such a move on the part of NATO would make a direct conflict between Russia and the US-led bloc inevitable. On Thursday, Macron said he still

https://www.rt.com/news/593559-no-combat-troops-ukraine-france/

1 Mar, 2024 17:30

Breaking News

France considers letting Special Forces ‘cross’ into Ukraine – Le Monde

Paris is contemplating sending a small force into Ukrainian territory to pose “strategic dilemma” for Moscow, the French outlet has claimed

The French government is mulling sending a small military force directly into Ukraine to serve as instructors for Kiev’s Armed Forces and as a “deterrent” to Moscow, newspaper Le Monde reported on Friday, citing its sources.

https://www.rt.com/russia/593564-france-troops-ukraine-media/

1 Mar, 2024 15:45

World War III possible – former French PM

Defeating Russia is essential and everything possible must be done to achieve that goal, Manuel Valls has said

The possibility of theUkraine conflict escalating into World War III cannot be ruled out, former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls claimed on Thursday in an interview with the Europe-1 news channel.

According to Valls, the fate of the French people and others across Europe is “closely tied” to the hostilities between Moscow and Kiev, meaning they should “act much more decisively” to support Ukraine, including militarily.

“We cannot accept the hypothesis of a victory for Vladimir Putinwhich would represent the end of Ukrainian democracy and the strategic, military, political, and moral defeat of Europe,”Valls stated.

“Defeating Russia is essential, and for that, we must act much more strongly and quickly, and not forbid anything,” he added, apparently referring to French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent comments that sending NATO troops to Ukraine should not be ruled out.

Following Macron’s remarks earlier this week, a range of countries – including Poland, Germany, the US, Italy, the UK, and other NATO members – rejected the idea that they could deploy forces to Ukraine. The chief of the US-led bloc, Jens Stoltenberg, has also dismissed such a scenario.

Meanwhile, a public survey conducted by the French newspaper Le Figaro on Thursday also revealed that=over two-thirds of French citizens disapproved of Macron’s commentson a possible NATO deployment to Ukraine.

Nevertheless,Macron has doubled downon his remarks, insisting that they were “weighed, thought-through, and measured.”

https://www.rt.com/news/593557-france-world-war-ukraine/

(Personally I think this is retaliation by France and Macron from being kicked out of 3 African countries. They believe Russia instigated it, which they probably did. But France deserved it)

1 Mar, 2024 12:33

Miss Ukraine rages at Russian beauty pageant winner (PHOTOS)

Milena Melnichuk accused the Russian and Belarusian finalists of the Miss Europe contest of paying off the judges

The Winner of the Miss Europe 2024 beauty pageant, Russian national Roza Gadieva, has been accused of “buying” her way to victory by anoutraged Ukrainian contestantwho claimed she herself was being bullied.

During the competition, which took place in Lebanon last month,Miss Ukraine, Melena Melnichuk, made a number of posts on her Instagram account, accusing Gadieva as well as the organizers of the event of intentionally provoking her.

Melnichuk claims she was forced to take pictures together with the Russian contestant,threatened, and even made to wear similar dresses.

After Gadieva took first place, Melnichuk accused the Russian national of paying off the judges for her victory whileshe herself did not receive any prizes and did not make the top three.

However, Miss Belarus, Irina Maksimovich, who took third place in the competition, decided to stand up for the Russian contestant. During a bus ride after the award ceremony, Maksimovich lashed out at Melnichuk for her Instagram posts and the accusations she had leveled against the other contestants.

“Don’t you have a war? Why are you shaking your t**s at a beauty contest?” Maksimovich could be heard telling the Ukrainian in a video of the incident.

After the altercation,Melnichuk posted again, claiming that the Russian and Belarusian contestants had bought their placingsfor €20,000 ($21,600) and €5,000 ($5,400), respectively.

In an interview after the award ceremony, Gadieva, who is from Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, admitted that some people “just didn’t like that I am from Russia. Some didn’t even want to stand next to me on stage. But I did not react to this in any way and didn’t enter into any altercations. Maybe that became a factor in my victory.”

Gadieva, who has two children, speaks Arabic and English and is a linguist by training, has also claimed to have entered the competition on a whim after hearing from a friend about a qualifying round in Moscow. “That very same day I boarded a plane and flew to the competition,” Gadieva said.

During the competition inLebanon, Gadieva went on stage wearing a historic Tatar costumeexperts estimate to have cost some $14,000, as it was embroidered with gold thread and studded with pearls, provided by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan.

https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/593519-ukraine-miss-europe-russia/

(The West released the beast of Ukraine, they have all gone insane, and feel they are all victims)

>>20500155

I’ve disliked him about 4 months into Trumps term. Maybe earlier since I found out the Ryan and Pence were trying to get rid if Pence.

Was Pence forced on Trump? I think so. They were hoping all the coups and impeachment would get rid if Trump. No wonder Pence us such a fucking loser. Karen is even worse than the faggot Mike

>>20500155

Where did you read or see that? I could tell Karen hated it every time she had to be around Melania. The pictures revealed her resentment

>>20500102

They will all be arrested for interfering in the US 2020 election, if there is any justice in this world.

Macron is a faggoty thug

>>20499800

Fourth tier reporters trying to get a break. They asked, “what kind of ice cream do you like?”

>>20499837

Sauce please

>>20499839

Schiff being targeted by bedbugs

>>20499897

You are stupid

>>20499982

notableits almost like this judge doesn’t know the law or how to his own homework. I’d be embarrassed as a judge to ask the opposing attys on how to interpret the law

>>20500010

NASA are satanists

>>20500026

Finally real doctors and scientists expose the truth. When is Collins, Fauci, Bright and 100s or 1,000s of others are going to jail for genocide? When will they be put to death with a collar around their heads with sandflies, fleas and snakes constantly attacking them?Bring in the Painfor all the families that lived through horrid deaths of their elderly family members, denied any visits. Being put to death in US hospitals, injections that killed or maimed their children and family members, friends, neighbors. When will our despicable doctors suffer the horrible punishments our country and world lived through? When will the WHO be destroyed for the evil they push on the globe.

Justice needs to come ASAP to the evil that is on our planet

>>20500047

I agree, but that may be just anons noticed it

>>20500056

Here’s Mace questioning him