Is Russia about to invade Ukraine? (16 Viewers)

[superchuck500]

Russia continues to mass assets within range of Ukraine - though the official explanations are that they are for various exercises. United States intelligence has noted that Russian operatives in Ukraine could launch 'false flag' operations as a predicate to invasion. The West has pressed for negotiations and on Friday in Geneva, the US Sec. State Blinken will meet with the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.

Certainly the Russian movements evidence some plan - but what is it? Some analysts believe that Putin's grand scheme involves securing Western commitments that NATO would never expand beyond its current composition. Whether that means action in Ukraine or merely the movement of pieces on the chess board remains to be seen.

VIENNA — No one expected much progress from this past week’s diplomatic marathon to defuse the security crisis Russia has ignited in Eastern Europe by surrounding Ukraine on three sides with 100,000 troops and then, by the White House’s accounting, sending in saboteurs to create a pretext for invasion.

But as the Biden administration and NATO conduct tabletop simulations about how the next few months could unfold, they are increasingly wary of another set of options for President Vladimir V. Putin, steps that are more far-reaching than simply rolling his troops and armor over Ukraine’s border.

Mr. Putin wants to extend Russia’s sphere of influence to Eastern Europe and secure written commitments that NATO will never again enlarge. If he is frustrated in reaching that goal, some of his aides suggested on the sidelines of the negotiations last week, then he would pursue Russia’s security interests with results that would be felt acutely in Europe and the United States.

There were hints, never quite spelled out, that nuclear weapons could be shifted to places — perhaps not far from the United States coastline — that would reduce warning times after a launch to as little as five minutes, potentially igniting a confrontation with echoes of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Russia Issues Subtle Threats More Far-Reaching Than a Ukraine Invasion

If the West fails to meet its security demands, Moscow could take measures like placing nuclear missiles close to the U.S. coastline, Russian officials have hinted.

www.nytimes.com

Blinken Will Meet With Russia as U.S. Pushes for More Diplomacy

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will meet with Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov of Russia in Geneva on Friday as the United States warns that Russia could soon attack Ukraine.

www.nytimes.com

How to think about war in Ukraine

Start with the Ukrainians

snyder.substack.com

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

Story is that they'd been working for months to get as many to sign onto this as possible.. Jayapal blamed her "staff" or some staff for releasing it without vetting, but you'd think someone in power made that decision, no?

The staffer excuse is lamer than the letter itself! She needs to own it because that letter is who she is.

 

[bdb13]

The staffer excuse is lamer than the letter itself! She needs to own it because that letter is who she is.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal withdrew a controversial letter to President Joe Biden on Ukraine, saying it was drafted months ago and "unfortunately was released by staff without vetting."

But a former Hill staffer who worked closely with her office called the idea "absurd" that a release left her office without her approval.

"I would be shocked if they hit send on that release without her knowing," the former staffer wrote, adding he doesn't know Jayapal's current communications team. "Everyone who has worked with her office knows that she keeps a tight grip on media relations. She has held up press releases over small edits and delayed letting staff hit send while she reworks language - though delaying a release by three months would be a new record."
...
"You can't blame the staff and then accept responsibility in the next line of your statement," the former staffer wrote in an email. "That's not how that works. And I doubt it was released by staff without vetting. That's just not how she runs her office."

An ex-Hill staffer who worked closely with a top progressive Democrat says there's no chance she didn't vet the controversial Ukraine letter. 'She keeps a tight grip on media relations'

Jayapal blamed a staffer for releasing a now-withdrawn letter, urging Biden to negotiate with Putin. A former Hill staffer said that's unlikely.

www.businessinsider.com

She's done a real quick one-two hit to her reputation here.

 

[DaveXA]

Are you surprised a former US general is supporting war? I would think it's difficult to find many that didn't always support every war. I'd rather hear from experts who don't have a history of being involved in wars.

Also, Anne Applebaum is a board member of the National Endowment for democracy which a regime change CIA affiliated organization. I wouldn't trust anything she says about Foreign Policy.

Your ignorance of Hertling's twitter posting history is painfully obvious here. Terrible.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

An ex-Hill staffer who worked closely with a top progressive Democrat says there's no chance she didn't vet the controversial Ukraine letter. 'She keeps a tight grip on media relations'

Jayapal blamed a staffer for releasing a now-withdrawn letter, urging Biden to negotiate with Putin. A former Hill staffer said that's unlikely.

www.businessinsider.com

She's done a real quick one-two hit to her reputation here.

Consistently shooting ourselves in the foot.

 

[bird]

By Pootie’s reasoning Russia should be part of Ukraine. Iirc, the beginning back in history was the Kievan Rus.

 

[bdb13]

A source familiar with the situation told POLITICO that Jayapal personally approved the letter’s release on Monday. Spokespeople for the Progressive Caucus and Jayapal’s personal office, asked for comment, referred back to the group’s statement without denying Jayapal’s direct involvement.

House progressives retract Russia-diplomacy letter amid Dem firestorm

Party lawmakers were blindsided by Monday's release of a letter calling for direct negotiations in Ukraine, according to several people familiar with the situation.

www.politico.com

 

[DaveXA]

House progressives retract Russia-diplomacy letter amid Dem firestorm

Party lawmakers were blindsided by Monday's release of a letter calling for direct negotiations in Ukraine, according to several people familiar with the situation.

www.politico.com

Just embarrassing.

 

[bdb13]

Just embarrassing.

You know we love when people in power treat us like we're stupid. That's always a great strategy.

 

[MT15]

Of the progressives, I always thought she was the most reasonable along with Raskins. Still disappointed in them.

 

[SamAndreas]

Now, Jayapal is trying to walk the letter back. Unfortunately the damage has been done. Dems can never just get out of their own way. Just keep giving Republicans ammo to use in campaigns.

Jayapal withdraws letter on Ukraine policy amid Democratic anger | CNN Politics

A House progressive leader abruptly withdrew a letter pushing the Biden administration to pursue diplomacy in Russia’s war with Ukraine, an about-face following furious internal backlash from Democrats who felt blindsided by the move just two weeks before the November midterms.

www.cnn.com

I'm a Democratic, the real deal. I don't consider Jaypal et. al. to be Democrats.

They're kind of related people, but from a different family. Shirttail relatives.

They're "progressives," that's a bit different kind of cat. So Democrats didn't didn't do this, it just didn't happen.

I'm pretty pleased to read today that they've since read the road map and they're backing off.

That means they're not entirely hopeless folks. Maybe things will get better.

 

[SamAndreas]

An ex-Hill staffer who worked closely with a top progressive Democrat says there's no chance she didn't vet the controversial Ukraine letter. 'She keeps a tight grip on media relations'

Jayapal blamed a staffer for releasing a now-withdrawn letter, urging Biden to negotiate with Putin. A former Hill staffer said that's unlikely.

www.businessinsider.com

She's done a real quick one-two hit to her reputation here.

I disagree with the idea that she actually had a reputation for it to have been harmed by what she did yesterday.

 

[efil4]

Are you surprised a former US general is supporting war? I would think it's difficult to find many that didn't always support every war. I'd rather hear from experts who don't have a history of being involved in wars.

Also, Anne Applebaum is a board member of the National Endowment for democracy which a regime change CIA affiliated organization. I wouldn't trust anything she says about Foreign Policy.

Lol

Dude you are blanketed in theories. It's a shame that a grown adult has the amount of "conspiritorial" angles for just about every thing the government does as you do.

When it's democrats.

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

Just a sample of some of the stuff coming out of official Russian channels (RT) that people like Elon and Tulsi (oh, and Glenn Greenwald and, by proxy, SFL) think we should appease.



It's hilarious as I remember when RT was still broadcast people would stand up for it as being less biased than Western media.

 

[MT15]

Raskin’s statement:

 

[MT15]

I found it very curious that this letter was released just as Russian state TV had a guy on saying that the Russian army was actually not advancing and that the “west” should push Ukraine to negotiate. Sometimes people get used, it seems. It’s just unacceptable when those people are US representatives.

 

[Taurus]

If it weren't for tribalism, Jayapal and Rand Paul would be allies in matters like this. Neither of them wants to see US military men or materiel used for anything but homeland defense.

 

[UriUT]

Raskin’s statement:

This, btw, is a great response by Raskin. He admits his mistake and elaborates on how he fell for the imperial/great power trap of enforcing our will on lesser powers. Notice that people like Greenwald often criticize the US for their "imperialism", while often ignoring putin's Russia for their aggression. Now when the time comes when 87% of Ukrainians prefer the campaign to regain their lands, these anti imperialists demands that the US force a peace deal. Their hypocrisy is sickening. Strangely again lock stepped with Putin's will.

 

[UriUT]

Biden and this administration deserves credit.