NP: On the Ukraine thread

[Joseph Tracy]

More shrill warnings  from White House, UK and press of invasion tomorrow that continues not to happen. Party leaders really seem to want a war and want to say the only thing keeping Russia from invading is sanctions which is clearly lame crap.  I think this is leading toward a democratic defeat in Nov. Biden can’t be much more of a duck but he can be even more lamed as a leader.   

I don’t see or hear credible claims that the Russian Army is occupying any part of Ukraine.You keep saying that but that is not being reported.



The Red Cross reports firing and dangers from mines and unexploded ordinace on both sides of east west lines which has picked up again as  Biden war talk escalates. The ones being killed in this article were on the east side of the line. You make it sound that all aggression is from Russia. I think you know this is false.  To be honest you seem to want Russia to attack. I still think this highly unlkely but the US by saying they have intel of flase flag attack can have a real attack, call it false flag and who will stop the the killing.  I continue to find Russia’s stated demands are resonable and the basis for starting to make peace and allow Ukraine to unite with recognition of the rights of all regional interesests and ethnicities.   
   
  

> On Feb 14, 2022, at 12:10 PM, Martin Dietze <mdietze at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> On 14. February 2022 at 17:57:41, Joseph Tracy (brook7 at sover.net <mailto:brook7 at sover.net>) wrote:
> 
>>  In fact the deal is not that broken, the lines are the same, there is little to no fighting being reported and the remaining  issue is Nato.
> 
> Nope, it isn’t. According to the Minsk II elections in the occupied territories have to be held according to Ukrainian law. There is no way that elections deserving that very name can be held there unless Russia gives up its claim to keep 100% control over there. The previous “elections” were like this: a separatist ran against another separatist (which, unlike the first, was not allowed to campaign). Pro-Ukrainian parties were completely forbidden. The election was rigged. 
> 
> Ukraine is right not to let this happen. And it is not the dealbreaker here, in particular because all this blaming Ukraine is ridiculous given the past as I have pointed out. 
> 
>> The only one who cares about Ukrainians is Ukrainians.
> 
> Sure. That’s nothing new.
> 
>> If there is stagnation, debt and corruption after the revolution they can no longer blame Russia. 
> 
> Wrong. Russia leads war in Ukraine. Every week young Ukrainian soldiers are killed by snipers or grenades. Ukraine needs to spend quite a big portion of its state budget on its army. Russia blocks free trade through the Kerch strait at will causing a big problem for Eastern Ukrainian economy. The current situation has lead to foreign companies withdrawing from Ukraine and flights being cancelled. These are quite significant factors solely caused by Russia. 
> 
> There are of course internal problems, like corruption. However the country had been doing relatively well compared to other post soviet countries depite of this. 
> 
>>  I said this because politicians rally voters around who to blame, not because Ukraine is uniquely problematic. But this tactic can only continue through the premise that Russia has or wants dominance. And that looks hard to sustain. I don’t think they want your country. What would it add to them but endless headaches?
> 
> Russia does want dominance. The Ukrainians know this very well, because they have been the target of Russian “hard power” for quite a number of years already (like Russia drastically increasing gas prices in January 2005 after Ukraine had “dared” to elect the “wrong” president).
> 
> When sitting thousands of miles away where it’s cosy and warm, and with no foreign army in your country, making such statements about a foreign country subjected to war and aggression is a bit … peculiar. 
>