24 Feb, 2025 23:13

UN Security Council approves US resolution on Ukraine

Russia and China backed the measure, while France and the UK abstained after reportedly attempting to delay the vote

The United Nations Security Council has approved aUS-drafted resolution calling for a “swift end” to the conflict in Ukraine, with both Washington and Moscow describing the move as a significant step toward peace.

The 15-member council adopted the resolution on Monday in a 10-0 vote, with five countries abstaining. Thefinal text excluded strong language against Moscow, despite efforts by France, the UK, Denmark, and Slovenia to include it.

Russia’s representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, welcomed the resolution, emphasizing that Moscow views it as a foundation for further peace efforts. He acknowledgedconstructive shifts in the US positionon the Ukraine conflict and describedthe resolution as the first attempt to introduce a forward-looking, pragmatic UN Security Council document.

However, Nebenzia expressed disappointment that Russia’s proposed amendments – modest yet crucial for an “accurate“ assessment of the crisis – were not accepted.

He criticized European delegations for what he described as an attempt to sabotage emerging positive developments. While neither France nor the UK vetoed the measure, both nations abstained from the vote after unsuccessful attempts to delay the final decision.

“They attempted to flood the text with unbalanced, politicized statements that do nothing to bring peace closer but instead aim to derail any prospects for resolution,” he said. Nebenzia accused European countries of being the only international actors actively pushing for the continuation of hostilities and resisting realistic peace initiatives.

Despite its imperfections, Nebenzia stated that the resolution offers a glimpse of constructive cooperation between key global players on European and international security,providing cautious optimism. However, he warned against overconfidence, asserting that the “party of war,” represented by Kiev and itsEuropean backers, remains determined to distort and obstruct diplomatic efforts.

“We call on all those who truly seek sustainable peace in Ukrainenot to allow the expired Kiev prince and his puppeteers to derail the effortsbeing undertaken by Russia and the United States,” Nebenzia urged.

US representative Dorothy Shea hailed the resolution’s passage as a crucial step toward peace.“This resolution puts us on the path to peace. It is a first step, but a crucial one, one of which we should all be proud,” she said. “Now we must use it to build a peaceful future for Ukraine, Russia, and the international community.”

https://www.rt.com/news/613256-un-security-council-resolution-ukraine/

(This is the first time in 3 years that Russia has received acknowledgment and are included in the talks in the UN. It’s clear they want resolution and peace. The Atlanticists are pissed today, and Macron's lies are obvious.)

24 Feb, 2025 19:38

West knew NATO push for Ukraine was risky – Wikileaks

American diplomats warned of Moscow’s strong opposition in the mid-2000s, according to a report

US and European officials were long aware of the high risk of conflict stemming from Kiev’s NATO ambition,Wikileaks revealed on Monday. Citing a trove of documents it obtained, the publisher detailed how Washington looked for ways to overcome some countries’ opposition to the idea despite warnings from Western envoys.

Moscow repeatedly warned the diplomats that Ukraine’s accession to the US-led bloc could trigger a civil war or destabilize the whole region, forcing Russia to make a decision it “does not want to have to face,” according to a 24-minute-long video published by Wikileaks on X.

The organization also cited aFebruary 2008 cablefrom then US ambassador to Moscow William Burns, who warned that Russia saw NATO expansion as a security threat.

“Not only does Russia perceive encirclement, and efforts to undermine Russia’s influence in the region,but it also fears unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences which would seriously affect Russian security interests,” he wrote.

That sentiment was shared by some NATO allies in Europe at the time, another document suggests. A 2005 cable documenting a meeting between the then US assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, Daniel Fried, and several high-ranking French officials said thatParis was concerned about Ukraine’s NATO trajectory sparking an armed conflict on the continent.

“If there remained one potential cause for war in Europe, it was Ukraine,”the document said, citing French presidential diplomatic adviser Maurice Gourdault-Montagne. He cautioned that theUS and its allies were intruding upon Russia’s “core zone of interest,” which could provoke a strong response.

Fried acknowledged at the time that Ukraine lacked a national consensus on NATO membership, but dismissed concerns over a violent internal split or Moscow’s reaction.

Despite the repeated warnings,Washington still pushed for Ukraine’s entry, and intended to “pursue western integration and NATO enlargement deliberately, but quietly,” while “firmly” disagreeing with Russia, according to a September 2009 cable by the then US ambassador to Moscow, John Beyrle.

Russia has consistently cited Ukraine’s aspiration to join NATO and the prospect of the bloc’s military infrastructure appearing in the neighboring state as one of the main reasons for the conflict.Moscow has also repeatedly described it as a “proxy war” against Russia, being waged by the West via Ukraine.

https://www.rt.com/news/613250-nato-push-ukraine-risky-wikileaks/

(I wonder why Wikileaks didn't release this earlier? Everyone in govs knew it, but not the public.)

24 Feb, 2025 21:21

Russia ready to cooperate with the US – Moscow’s economic envoy

International collaboration between the superpowers is key for the stability of the global economy, Kirill Dmitriev has said

Moscow is open to economic partnership with Washington, Russia’s newly appointed international investment and economic cooperation envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, announced on Monday.

Dmitriev, who is also the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF),participated in the high-level Russia-US talksin Saudi Arabia last week. On Sunday, the Kremlin announced that Dmitriev was appointed Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries.

Moscow “is open for US-Russia economic cooperation and believes such cooperation is key for more resilient global economy,” Dmitriev posted on X on Monday.

The envoy was responding to a statement by US President Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform, touting upcoming deals between Moscow and Washington, as well as peace talks in the Ukraine conflict.

”I am in serious discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia concerning the ending of the War, and also major Economic Development transactions which will take place between the United States and Russia,” Trump wrote. “Talks are proceeding very well!” he added.

Trump’sspecial envoy Steve Witkoff, who was part of Washington’s delegation during talks in Riyadh,has suggested that US companies could soon return to Russia.

In the event of a ceasefire deal, “you would be able to have American companies come back and do business there,” Witkoff said.

Many US and European businesses divested from their businesses in Russia, following the unprecedented sanctions imposed by the West following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

A number of the market niches vacated by Western companies during the exodus are already filled by Russian firms, Dmitriev stated in an interview to Reuters last week.

According to the RDIF, US firms lost more than $300 billion as a result of leaving the Russian market.

https://www.rt.com/russia/613254-russia-us-economic-ties-dmitriev/

24 Feb, 2025 20:41

Russia ready to work with US on ‘rare earths’ – Putin

Moscow could explore joint development of mineral deposits in the new Russian regions, the Russian president has said

Moscow is ready to work with Washington in developing rare earth mineral deposits, including in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. (this is hilarious, I love this show)

The ‘rare earths’ deal US President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing for with Ukraine “doesn’t concern” Moscow, Putin said in an interview with Russia 1 TV journalist Pavel Zarubin on Monday.

The actual value of Ukraine’s rare earth mineral deposits remains to be seen, the Russian leader noted.

Moscow will be concentrating on its own development of rare earth minerals, given their importance in multiple sectors of the economy, he said.

“We would be ready to offer this to our American partners… if they showed interest in working together,”Putin said, stressing that he meant both private and government companies.

As one of the global leaders in terms of its rare earth mineral wealth, Russia is willing to workwith international investors in developing its deposits, he said.

“This includes the new territories,” Putin added.“Our new historical territories, which were returned to the Russian Federation, also hold significant reserves.”

The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and Kherson and Zaporozhye regions joined the Russian Federation following referendums in 2022.

While Forbes estimated the total value of mineral deposits of Ukraine at nearly $15 trillion in 2023, nearly half of the total mineral wealth lies in the Russia’s Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

https://www.rt.com/russia/613253-putin-russia-us-rare-earths/

(The US being a partner with Ukraine is a dead end, they don’t even know how to mine they rare earth minerals)

>>22649732

That sounds cool. Really cool.

24 Feb, 2025 19:16

Spain proposes first move towards ‘European army’

(Europe can’t even decide what to have for breakfast together)

The EU needs to achieve full strategic autonomy with its own military, the country’s foreign minister has said

The EU should develop its rapid deployment forces into the nucleus of the bloc’s own army, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told journalists on Monday prior toattending a meeting of top EU diplomats in Brussels.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noted at the gatheringthat ministers were left “worried” by the recent changes in US foreign policy. Since his inauguration last month, US President Donald Trump has begun reestablishing diplomatic ties with Moscow, while demanding that European nations contribute more to NATO and take responsibility for their own security. (This is not new, Trump has demanded more contribution since 2016)

“The threat is European and therefore the response has to be European,” Albares said.

The diplomat said he would urge the EU Foreign Affairs Council to reflect on how to boost the continent’s defense capacity.

“Capabilities that must include the ability to have rapid deployment forces that could even be the embryo of a European army,” Albares said. The bloc also needs to achieve “strategic autonomy” and further develop its domestic defense industry and logistics, he added.

EU states agreed to develop a Rapid Deployment Capacity (RDC) in 2022, after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. The measure was envisioned as a coordinated framework of rapid response forces to allow the bloc to quickly react to crisis situations, and was projected to be able to deploy up to 5,000 troops by this year, according to the European Commission. (And it never happened)

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron, who has floated the idea of a unified European army in the past, saidthat dissent regarding defense strategy among EU states makes a common force impossible.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky suggested last month thatKiev’s forces could form the basis of “an army of Europe,” as “decades of the old relationship between Europe and America are ending” and “Europe needs to adjust.” He stated that Ukraine is currently “holding back Russia” from attacking other European countries. (LIAR of course.)

Moscow has repeatedly denied claims that it ever intended to attack the EU or NATO. The idea that Russia wants to attack NATO is “complete nonsense, total rubbish,” Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed last year.

https://www.rt.com/news/613246-spain-proposes-european-army/

(Trump should just invite Russia into NATO, I’m sure Trump can convince the non-warmongers to side with the US, Europe, would then have the fiercest defender on the whole continent if Russia was part of the defense and not the enemy. Plus Russia could teach their soldiers to fight.)

https://www.rt.com/news/613246-spain-proposes-european-army/

24 Feb, 2025 20:12

Putin weighs in on Europe’s participation in Ukraine peace talks

The Russian president has affirmed the value of the region’s role in future negotiations

Europe’s participation in the negotiation process on Ukraine is essential, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. However, European representatives cannot demand anything from Russia, he added in an interview published on Monday.

Putin commented on last week's talks in Saudi Arabia, which were focused on restoring trust between Moscow and Washington, and excluded Ukrainian and EU leaders.

Putin explained that “to resolve complex and even acute issues”, including the Ukrainian crisis,Russia and the US had to “take the first step”, which is “building trust”.

“That is precisely what we were doing in Riyadh. That will also be the focus of our future contacts. Without this, it's impossible to resolve any issue, especially one as complex and urgent as the Ukrainian crisis. But what do the Europeans have to do with this? This is a matter of bilateral Russia-US relations,” the president said.

Putin also claimed that the Ukrainian crisis itself “was not substantively discussed”, and Moscow and Washington agreed “that we would approach this matter in due time”. In this regard, Russia doesn't oppose the participation of European representatives, Putin stressed.

”But I want to emphasize that we respect the position of our friends, particularly those within BRICS, who have established a group of peace advocates”, the President said, adding that he hasjust spoken with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, discussing the matter. “He informed me that this [BRICS] group will convene soon in New York to discuss the issue”, Putin said.(So Putin and Xi are coming to NY, soon?So that might mean Trump, Xi and Putin would meet together and/or each one separately. Interesting.)

He emphasized thatMoscow is grateful to all its partners “who strive to achieve peace”. “Not only Europeans but other countries as well have the right to participate, and we respect that,” Putin concluded.

The US State Department praised the high-level discussions, calling it a significant step toward resolving the Ukraine conflict. This was the first such meeting since the conflict began in 2022.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was part of the delegation, noted that the meeting in Riyadh was initiated by the Russian and US presidents, who also agreed to begin preparations for a summit.

Putin has previously said he would be glad to meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump, though he called it too early to name a specific date for a summit. He added that a simple “coffee hour” would not be enough to remedy relations between the two nations, and both sides need to thoroughly prepare.

Moscow and Washington nevertheless “do not need any mediators” to sort out their differences, he added.

https://www.rt.com/russia/613252-putin-weighs-in-on-europe-participation-in-ukraine-talks/

He's being so polite to countries that wanted to and still want to kill Russia, good move.