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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Russia Says It Will Take Nothing Less but NATO Expansion Ban |
| 2022-01-20 |
| [An Nahar] Russia maintained a tough posture amid the tensions over its troop buildup near Ukraine, with a top diplomat warning Wednesday that Moscow will accept nothing less but "watertight" U.S. guarantees precluding NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants... 's expansion to Ukraine. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who led the Russian delegation at the security talks with the U.S. in Geneva last week, reaffirmed that Moscow has no intentions of invading Ukraine as the West fears, but said that receiving Western security guarantees is the categoric imperative for Moscow. The talks in Geneva and a related NATO-Russia meeting in Brussels last week were held as Russia has amassed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine in what the West fears might herald an invasion. In a move that further beefs up forces near Ukraine, Russia has sent an unspecified number of troops from the country's far east to its ally Belarus, which shares a border with Ukraine, for major war games next month. Ukrainian officials have said that Moscow could use Belarusian territory to launch a potential multi-pronged invasion. The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that some of its troops already have arrived in Belarus for the Allied Resolve 2022 drills. It said the exercise will be held at five firing ranges and other areas in Belarus and also involve four Belarusian air bases. Amid the soaring tensions, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine on Wednesday to reassure it of Western support in the face of what he called "relentless" Russian aggression. Russia has denied that it intends to attack its neighbor but demanded guarantees from the West that NATO will not expand to Ukraine or other former Soviet nations or place its troops and weapons there. It also has urged NATO to roll back the deployments of its troops and weapons to Central and Eastern European nations that have joined the alliance after the end of the Cold War. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #18 LOL, yes |
| Posted by: Frank G 2022-01-20 19:45 |
| #17 ^^ I like the cut of his jib. |
| Posted by: Punky Elmigum9411 2022-01-20 19:10 |
| #16 ^ Now wouldn't that be a thing? I like it. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2022-01-20 17:17 |
| #15 How about this deal - Ukraine in and the US out of NATO? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2022-01-20 16:10 |
| #14 Ukraine is not part of NATO, or the EU, or even the West. It's the historic heart of ancient Rus. Today it's a shithole: the society is permanently divided and the Ukrainian state is overrun with bandits and thugs at every level. It has no strategic value to anyone in the West. We have nothing whatsoever to gain by meddling in Ukraine, and we could pay a heavy price if we do so. This is yet more evidence that those who rule us are morons determined to fvck up yet again. |
| Posted by: Merrick Ferret 2022-01-20 13:35 |
| #13 The only possible purpose to occupying the Ukraine is exposing Russia to invasion. "Our" interests are staying out of another war. Our generals are incompetent and cannot win. They lost against primitives in Afghanistan. A war on the other side of the planet is not in "our" interests, unless you define "us" as anyone inside the DC Beltway and defense contractors. If so, then a war is definitely in "your" interests and against that of every other single person in America. |
| Posted by: Sheter the Lesser9291 2022-01-20 12:53 |
| #12 There was a twitter thread over at Rantingly yesterday about how freaked out the Beltway Ukraine lobby and the neocons were over Tucker Carlson's comments about the issue. Next day, Joe comes out with his "just the tip" hint to Putin. They must be utterly out of their minds now. |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2022-01-20 11:45 |
| #11 #9 - The Warsaw pact self-destructed because those countries were captives of the Soviets. Russia is Russia. Are we "invading" Russia? I don't believe we should lose one American defending Ukraine, but letting Russia dictate terms to this buffoon is also not in our interests. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2022-01-20 11:03 |
| #10 Biden and the Deep State desperately need a political or wartime diversion. I am very concerned. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2022-01-20 09:45 |
| #9 I also seem to recall the US promising not to encroach on Russia's borders if they broke up the Warsaw Pact and withdrew troops. They did, we lied. |
| Posted by: Sheter the Lesser9291 2022-01-20 09:43 |
| #8 I seem to recall the US making defense promises if Ukraine gave up their nukes. They did. We aren't. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2022-01-20 08:47 |
| #7 Little noticed is how our elites of both parties have been raking in millions from corruptocrats and oligarchs in nearly every one of the ex-Warsaw Pact nations. They set up lobbies in DC, then darken the skies over Kyiv or Bucharest or Sofia or wherever, offering their services as "consultants" arranging a fast track to NATO membership in exchange for 7-figure payoffs. Manafort did this. Clinton's little people (cf. "Blue Star Strategies") did this. Obama's people, Kerry's stepson and various aides, State Dept officials, etc etc: Rurutania-to-NATO is the best hidden DC grift of the last 30 years. |
| Posted by: Merrick Ferret 2022-01-20 08:25 |
| #6 The Russians are paranoid over an invasion. During the cold war, they were more terrified of a NATO invasion than NATO was of a Soviet one. Putting it in a American view, it would be as if a powerful South America invaded the US through Mexico several times, killed millions of our people and now that same group of countries has an alliance and is trying to get Mexico to join. The only real value Ukraine has to the west is to keep the Russian bear farther away from Europe and to launder billions for our elite. I think it is more of the later reason why Biden is trying to provoke a fight. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2022-01-20 08:08 |
| #5 ^ bingo "Pay no attention to the |
| Posted by: Merrick Ferret 2022-01-20 08:02 |
| #4 Why is Putin so angry over a defensive alliance including his obvious targets for invasion? |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2022-01-20 07:53 |
| #3 Why are we kicking over a hornet's nest on Russia's front porch? So fewer look at our own front porch. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2022-01-20 07:47 |
| #2 ^ Exactly. Aside from the Bidens' grifting schemes, what exactly is our vital interest in that shithole? Why are we kicking over a hornet's nest on Russia's front porch? An obvious solution is to make Ukraine neutral and demilitarized -- as Austria was during the Cold War. Give the Transdniester regions some autonomy. But even this obvious solution is beyond the ability of Pres. Magoo and Secretary of State Spotify. |
| Posted by: Merrick Ferret 2022-01-20 07:04 |
| #1 Why are we trying to add Ukraine to NATO? What possible benefit does it bring to us? It doesn't bring any benefit. All it does is remove a buffer state between us and Russia. Everyone knows that Russia is wide open to invasion when the Ukraine is occupied by an aggressor. |
| Posted by: Sheter the Lesser9291 2022-01-20 05:38 |