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 Politics › Why Should I Vote For Peter Obi? by cule7(op): 3:07am On Jun 12, 2022 |
Can you enumerate the extraordinary achievements of Peter Obi while he was the governor of Anambra that should make me vote for him? |
| Foreign Affairs › EU Not Prepared For War – Top Diplomat by cule7(op): 4:41pm On May 26, 2022 |
Josep Borrell claims the bloc’s armies would “run out of ammo in two weeks” if confronted with a conflict such as in Ukraine The European Union is not prepared for a war such as the one in Ukraine, the bloc’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell warned on Wednesday. He made the claim at a debate panel hosted by the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) think tank. The top diplomat stated that he doesn’t believe it “realistic” that European nations could substantially improve their military capabilities in a timely manner, since the process is “voluntaristic” and there is no “law of gravity to make things happen.” He explained that even though it is well known where the EU defense shortcomings are, there has to be a “wake-up call” for members to act in a coordinated manner and not end up wasting money. However, he expressed his dismay that the war in Ukraine was apparently not “the right wake up call.” “We should learn from this war. Look, the European armies couldn't maintain a war like the one in Ukraine for more than two weeks. They’ll run out of ammunition,” Borrel said. He also pointed to the fact that Europeans had grown too accustomed to peace and refused to acknowledge the threat looming from abroad. He stated that the EU was built with the banner of peace and that war had “disappeared from our collective imagination,” after the founders of the bloc set out to make war “mentally impossible.” However, the diplomat noted that peace was “no longer an engine, no longer something that moves. Yes, peace, okay, what else?” Don't believe that peace is the natural state of things. The natural state of things is war and we in Europe, we have been accustomed to believe that peace is the normal state and I hope that we are not going to learn that this is not the case,” he said. Borrell went on to compare Europeans to “big birds that put their head inside the sand” and don’t want to understand how dangerous the world is, insisting that it is important to make them understand “how the world is.” Borrell previously called for an enhancement of European defense capabilities and for shortfalls revealed by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to be overcome. He wrote in his blog on Sunday that the most obvious examples of such gaps were the “depleted stockpiles resulting from the military support we provided to Ukraine,” as well as issues “inherited from past budget cuts and underinvestments.” “The EU needs to take on more responsibility for its own security,” which would require creating “modern and interoperable European armed forces, looking at the higher-end of the spectrum and also striving to scale up capabilities and forces,” he pointed out. The diplomat underscored three main lines of action that should eventually allow the bloc to eradicate the current deficiencies in its defense: working on combat readiness, stockpile replenishment and modernization of its capabilities. “The time to push forward European defense is now. We need to strengthen the European defense industrial base and to be operational with the needed military capacities. To be able to increase our military capacity to defend ourselves, to make NATO stronger and to support better our partners whenever needed,” he insisted. Meanwhile, Moscow has decried the EU’s increasing militarization and has argued that the bloc is becoming an “aggressive militant player that has ambitions stretching far beyond the European continent” and is “following in the footsteps of NATO.” https://www.rt.com/news/556147-josep-borrell-war-eu-unprepared/ 1 Like |
| Foreign Affairs › Germany ‘perplexed’ By Poland’s Accusations by cule7(op): 7:21pm On May 25, 2022 |
Germany ‘perplexed’ by Poland’s accusations The German government has rejected criticism by Polish President Andrzej Duda, who accused Berlin of failing to substitute tanks Warsaw had delivered to Ukraine. It might take Germany a long time to produce the heavy equipment Poland seeks to receive from Berlin, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told journalists on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Duda told the German news outlet Die Welt that Berlin had failed to replenish the Polish stocks in a timely fashion after Warsaw “weakened” its own military potential by sending “a large number” of tanks to Ukraine. Most Polish tanks are German-made ones and Warsaw expected Berlin to step in, the Polish leader added. “The federal government is perplexed,” Hebestreit said, responding to the Polish president’s comments. Berlin has “taken note” of Duda’s criticism “but that does not make it right,” he added. Warsaw reportedly specifically requested the most modern Leopard 2A7 tanks. But Germany itself possesses a relatively small quantity of these heavy equipment pieces, Hebestreit explained, adding that producing additional ones would take time. The official has also pointed to other similar swap deals with Eastern European nations. The agreements involved Germany sending some modernized Leopard 2 tanks to its partners to substitute the equipment that was headed to Ukraine, he said, adding that Germany never promised to deliver the most modern Leopard 2A7 models. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock discussed the issue with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau on Tuesday. The two ministers had spoken about the ways to clarify all the “uncertainties” together, she said following the meeting. Berlin cannot simply deliver heavy military equipment to Ukraine or elsewhere “at the push of a button or with a snap of the fingers,” Baerbock argued, adding that the equipment must first be “made available, repaired or ordered.” Rau said at the time that he “took note” of the German statement, adding that Baerbock gave him several reasons Berlin cannot fulfill its end of the bargain right away. The minister still admitted that Germany had the power “to solve the issue.” Berlin previously struck several swap deals with Eastern European nations aimed at supplying weapons to Ukraine. In late April, Germany and Slovenia agreed on a deal that saw Berlin substituting Soviet-made battle tanks Slovenia sent to Kiev. Last week, Germany announced another such swap, this time with Czechia. Prague is now expecting to receive 15 Leopard 2 tanks from German stocks in exchange for tank deliveries to Ukraine. https://www.rt.com/news/556083-germany-poland-accusations-tanks-ukraine/ |
| Foreign Affairs › ‘Situation In Donbass Extremely Bad’ – Ukraine by cule7(op): 3:45pm On May 25, 2022 |
Kiev asks West to send multiple rocket launchers “as soon as possible” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has told Kiev’s foreign backers at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos that they should curb optimism about the situation on the ground in the east of the country. “I don't want anyone to get the feeling that the war is more or less OK. The situation in Donbass is extremely bad,” Kuleba insisted. And things are going to get even worse if “we don't get MLRS ASAP,” he added, referring to the US-made M270 MLRS system that can be used as both a multiple rocket launcher and a tactical missile launcher. Without the MLRS systems, the Kiev government won’t be able to retake Kherson, and control of the strategic city would allow Russia to threaten both central Ukraine and the south-western regions, where the port of Odessa is situated, he pointed out. However, Kuleba said that “the situation with the deliveries of weapons [to Ukraine] is much better now, compared to a month ago.” He added that Washington “deserves respect” because of this. Ukrainian officials have been getting increasingly frustrated with the Biden administration’s failure to supply Kiev with MLRS systems, Politico reported last week. Unnamed US officials told the outlet that the White House was dragging its feet over the potential shipment of the rocket launchers due to concerns it could be viewed as a further escalation by Russia. One of the sources told the outlet that Washington had to “make decisions about what weapons systems provide the biggest bang for the buck.” Therefore, the US ruled that “it was more effective and efficient to send the 90 M777 [howitzers] because you can send more of them” for the same amount of money, compared to the MLRS. https://www.rt.com/russia/556072-situation-donbass-extremely-bad-ukraine/ |
| Foreign Affairs › Moscow Explains Ukraine Operation Slowdown by cule7(op): 8:14pm On May 24, 2022 |
The move is intentional and allows civilians the chance to evacuate, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu says The slowdown of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine is intentional with a view to evacuating the population and avoiding casualties among civilians, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday. Russia’s Armed Forces are creating humanitarian corridors and announcing ceasefires to ensure the safe evacuation of residents from encircled settlements, he said, despite this approach stalling the progress of the country’s forces. “Of course, this slows down the pace of the offensive, but it is being done deliberately to avoid civilian casualties,” he explained at a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Council of Defense Ministers. Unlike the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Shoigu said, Russian troops are not carrying out strikes on civilian infrastructure where there may be people nearby. Instead, identified firing positions and Ukrainian military facilities are being hit with “high-precision weapons,” he added. The defense minister also noted that Western countries, fearing the defeat of Kiev’s forces, are expediting shipments of lethal aid to Ukraine and are sending military advisers and personnel from private military companies, adding that the number of foreign mercenaries in the country has already exceeded 6,000. However, despite punitive sanctions on Moscow and the extensive help provided to Kiev by the West, Shoigu maintained that Russia will continue its special operation until all its objectives are achieved. He again insisted that the current situation in Ukraine was the result of the West refusing to take into account Russia’s proposals to resolve key issues regarding its national security concerns, which included the cessation of NATO’s expansion to the east and the non-deployment of strike weapons near Russia’s borders. “Everything was done exactly the other way around. The United States set a course for the complete dismantling of the existing international security architecture, accompanying it with the global deployment of an anti-missile defense system and the development of medium-range and shorter-range missile systems,” he said, adding that NATO was right on Russia’s doorstep and had significantly increased its combat potential. Shoigu also noted that the US-led bloc had intensified its efforts to get Ukraine to join the alliance and deployed coalition military infrastructure on its territory and turned the country hostile against Moscow. “Everything was done exactly the other way around. The United States set a course for the complete dismantling of the existing international security architecture, accompanying it with the global deployment of an anti-missile defense system and the development of medium-range and shorter-range missile systems,” he said, adding that NATO was right on Russia’s doorstep and had significantly increased its combat potential. Shoigu also noted that the US-led bloc had intensified its efforts to get Ukraine to join the alliance and deployed coalition military infrastructure on its territory and turned the country hostile against Moscow. https://www.rt.com/russia/556015-russia-operation-slowdown-explanation/ |
| Foreign Affairs › US Recruits ISIS Terrorists To Fight In Ukraine, Russian Intel Says by cule7(op): 4:55am On May 18, 2022 |
The SVR claims that Washington is “ready to use any means,” including hiring ISIS fighters as mercenaries The US has been “actively recruiting” terrorists to fight in Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed on Tuesday, saying that it illustrates Washington’s readiness “to use any means to achieve its geopolitical goals.” The SVR revealed in a statement that, according to the intelligence it is receiving, “the United States is actively recruiting even members of international terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State (ISIS) group banned in the Russian Federation, as mercenaries to participate in hostilities in Ukraine.” The Russian intelligence service points to the American military base in Syria called al-Tanf, which is located close to the borders with Jordan and Iraq. According to its sources, this base and the surrounding area have turned into a kind of terrorist “hub,” where up to 500 ISIS and other jihadists can be “retrained” simultaneously. SVR claimed that last month 60 ISIS militants, who had been released from prisons controlled by the Syrian Kurds, were transferred to al-Tanf “with a view to subsequent transfer to Ukrainian territory.” The SVR specified that during a training course at al-Tanf the militants are instructed on how to use anti-tank missile systems, reconnaissance and strike drones, advanced communications and surveillance equipment. In the SVR’s opinion, this data confirms that “the United States is ready to use any means to achieve its geopolitical goals, not excluding sponsoring international terrorist groups.” The intelligence service concluded by saying that the American administration does not consider the consequences of such actions, “even when it comes to threats to the security of European allies and even to the lives of the Americans.” Washington has insisted that “there are no US soldiers in Ukraine.” Meanwhile, the presence of American troops on Syrian territory at al-Tanf base, which the SVR mentions in its statement, has long been considered by both Moscow and Damascus as illegal. The previous US administration pledged that American forces would leave northeastern Syria but only after ISIS militants are defeated and the Kurds protected. Then-National Security Advisor John Bolton made it clear that another task of the US forces at al-Tanf was to counter Iranian influence in the region. In October 2021, there were reports that, according to Israeli defense sources, about 350 military members and civilians were still using al-Tanf, including some British and French forces that were described as “intelligence experts.” https://www.rt.com/russia/555653-us-recruits-isis-terrorists/ 1 Like 1 Share |
| Foreign Affairs › Pentagon Conducts Hypersonic Weapon Test by cule7(op): 9:37am On May 17, 2022 |
The US Air Force called the trial a ‘major accomplishment’ after a series of failed launch tests The US military said it carried out a test for a hypersonic missile system, claiming the new weapon reached speeds greater than five times the speed of sound. It marked the first successful launch for the prototype following three fizzled tests. The Air Force announced the test on Monday, saying it was conducted over the weekend near Edwards Air Force Base in California. The trial saw a B-52 Stratofortress bomber release an AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) off California’s southern coast. “Following separation from the aircraft, the ARRW’s booster ignited and burned for expected duration, achieving hypersonic speeds five times greater than the speed of sound,” the military said, while Brigadier General Heath Collins, the Air Force program executive officer for weapons, called the test a “major accomplishment.” Though the Pentagon has claimed the weapon’s boost-glide system could theoretically reach speeds of Mach 20, or 20 times the speed of sound, it achieved much lower numbers during Saturday’s test. Officials did not specify how far the missile flew during the latest launch, but the military has previously placed its operational range at around 1,000 miles (1,609km). Under development by arms contractor Lockheed Martin since 2018, the ARRW has undergone only a handful of flight tests to date, including three failed booster tests between April and December of 2021. While previous trials for its sensors and communications systems were successful, other technical issues prompted officials to delay the program by up to a year in April. Weeks earlier, lawmakers moved to cut funding for the flagship weapon by half, citing “recent failures and delays in testing.” The decision killed the Air Force’s plans to purchase the first 12 ARRW missiles from Lockheed Martin this year, leaving a number of unanswered questions about the procurement process. Though the US has yet to field a hypersonic platform, the ARRW is not the only one in the works, with the Pentagon reportedly carrying out a test for a new ‘Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept’ in mid-March under secrecy, according to a US official cited by CNN. The unnamed official said the test was kept under wraps to avoid inflaming tensions with Russia, as it came just weeks after Moscow launched its ongoing offensive in Ukraine. Russia has also developed – and deployed – hypersonic weapons of its own, including the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (Dagger), which entered service in late 2017. In March, the Russian Ministry of Defense said a Kinzhal was used to destroy an ammunition depot in western Ukraine. https://www.rt.com/news/555593-us-hypersonic-missile-test/ |
| Foreign Affairs › Re: Captured Ukrainian Officer Labels American Javelins ‘useless’ by cule7(op): 12:32pm On May 10, 2022 |
Igbofam:How do you feel after typing this? |
| Foreign Affairs › Re: Captured Ukrainian Officer Labels American Javelins ‘useless’ by cule7(op): 11:38am On May 10, 2022 |
Igbofam:But you certainly believe what CNN, Daily Mail, and others publish? 1 Like 1 Share |
| Foreign Affairs › Captured Ukrainian Officer Labels American Javelins ‘useless’ by cule7(op): 4:55am On May 10, 2022 |
The Kiev troops defending Mariupol couldn’t fire a single US-made missile, the captured officer claims The US-made Javelin anti-tank systems have been praised for their effectiveness by Washington officials and have been turned by Western Media into a symbol of Ukraine’s resistance in the conflict with Russia. But a commander of the Ukrainian marines, who ended up being captured during the fighting for Mariupol, has revealed to RT that the hardware doesn't really live up to the claims The Javelins didn’t prove useful, especially in urban warfare,” Colonel Vladimir Baranyuk, the commander of Ukraine’s 36th Naval Infantry Brigade, said. “We couldn't even launch one. I think it's completely useless in an urban environment, as something always gets in the way,” he explained. Baranyuk's unit was also armed with Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapons (NLAWs), supplied by Britain, but these also had their flaws, according to the officer. “As for the NLAW missile launchers, well, we used them more often than the Javelins, but it has its own issue with the battery draining in cold conditions, making it impossible to launch,” he said. Shoulder-fired Javelin missiles are equipped with infrared guidance and are said to be adopt a “top attack” trajectory to strike the roof of a tank, which is its most vulnerable part. Just like NLAWs, they're a “fire-and-forget” weapon, meaning that the missile guides itself to its target. More than 5,000 Javelins have been supplied to Kiev by Washington. Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri said last week that it accounted for a third of the US stockpile of those systems. London, for its part, has already armed the Ukrainian military with over 4,000 NLAWs and other anti-tank missiles. “The Javelin… have proven to be very, very effective in this fight,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in April, referring to the conflict in Ukraine. An image of Christianity’s Virgin Mother Mary with a Javelin has become an internet meme during the conflict, with US President Joe Biden boasting earlier this week of Ukrainian parents calling their newborn kids “Javelin or Javelina” in honor of the American system. Baranyuk and his marines had been tasked with guarding the northern outskirts of Mariupol, a strategic port city in the southeast of Ukraine, from the advancing Russian forces. The commander was captured during a failed attempt to flee the city, which he claims he attempted together with several loyal men after realizing that Kiev's promises to send help to his encircled troops were lies. Mariupol has seen the heaviest fighting during the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and suffered immense destruction. The city is now almost entirely controlled by Russian forces, with the Azovstal steel plant - where Kiev servicemen and nationalist fighters of the notorious Azov Battalion are holed up, now being the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance. Russia attacked its neighboring state following Ukraine's failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, signed in 2014, and Moscow's eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered Minsk Protocol was designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state. The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join NATO. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force. https://www.rt.com/news/555144-ukraine-javelin-nlaw-mariupol/ |
| Foreign Affairs › NATO May Have Provoked Russia Over Ukraine – Pope by cule7(op): 2:44pm On May 03, 2022 |
The pontiff also said he requested a meeting with Putin to discuss the Ukrainian conflict but has not received a reply Pope Francis has said that NATO’s eastward expansion may have provoked Russian President Vladimir Putin into launching an attack against Ukraine. In an interview published on Tuesday by Italian daily Corriere Della Sera, the pontiff speculated that “the barking of NATO at Russia’s door” could have driven Putin into launching the military campaign on February 24. “I can’t say if it was provoked, but perhaps, yes,” he said. Francis also said he requested a meeting with Putin during the early weeks of the conflict, but has still not received a reply. He said he had asked the Vatican’s top diplomat to contact the Russian president about setting up a meeting about three weeks into the hostilities. "We have not yet received a response and we are still insisting," he told the paper. "I fear that Putin cannot, and does not, want to have this meeting at this time. But how can you not stop so much brutality?" he added. The pontiff said he had earlier spoken with the head of the Russian Orthodox church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, for 40 minutes via Zoom. The Patriarch, who has made comments justifying Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, "cannot become Putin’s altar boy,” he insisted. Francis also told the paper that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had assured him that Putin had a plan to end the war on May 9, the day when Russia celebrates the 1945 Victory Day over Nazi Germany. The pope had previously been criticized for not directly censuring Russia in the earliest days of the attack. In March, he called for a “a different way of governing the world” and urged civilization to overcome the reflexive need for “more weapons, more sanctions, more political-military alliances.” https://www.rt.com/news/554907-pope-nato-provoke-russia/ |
| Foreign Affairs › Putin Tells UN Chief Kosovo Set Donbass Precedent by cule7(op): 5:36am On Apr 27, 2022 |
Russia’s president and the UN boss met in Moscow to discuss the Ukraine crisis Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the Kremlin on Tuesday for talks revolving around the Ukrainian crisis. The two discussed the situation on the ground, with Putin explaining to the UN chief Russia’s reasons for launching its military operation against the neighboring country in late February. Moscow’s move to recognize the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk was based on the Kosovo precedent, set up by a UN-backed court, Putin told Guterres. The republics emerged after people living in Ukraine’s east rejected the Western-backed 2014 Maidan, he explained. Putin added that the post-coup Kiev government opted for a military solution that led to the eight-year standoff in the Donbass. “I remember very well the decision of the International Court of Justice, which states that in exercising the right to self-determination, a territory of any state is not obliged to apply for permission to declare its sovereignty to the central authorities of the country,” Putin said. Guterres pointed out that the UN itself still does not recognize Kosovo as an independent entity, viewing it as a part of Serbia. Putin, however, parried that the legal precedent still exists, as Kosovo received wide recognition in the West. “So many states in the world, including our opponents in the West, have done this with respect to Kosovo. Kosovo is recognized by a lot of states – it is a fact – by a lot of Western states it is recognized as an independent state. We did the same with respect to the republics of the Donbass,” Putin said, adding that the republics subsequently asked Moscow for military assistance – which Russia provided in full compliance with the UN Charter. Apart from discussing the international law and legal basis for Russia’s military operation, Putin and Guterres talked about the humanitarian situation on the ground in Ukraine. The UN chief said the organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were ready to provide assistance in evacuating civilians said to be trapped together with the Ukrainian fighters at the besieged Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol. “This will be an operation to evacuate civilians from the plant. Russia has been repeatedly blamed for that evacuation not being carried out. On the other hand, Russia has announced the creation of [humanitarian] corridors, which, however, are not being used,” Guterres stated. Russia’s president said the civilians purportedly trapped at the Azovstal plant remain there only because the Ukrainian fighters, including the neo-Nazi groups, that are holed up at the facility would not let them go. “We keep hearing from the Ukrainian authorities that there are civilians there. But then the servicemen of the Ukrainian army are obliged to release them, or they then act as terrorists in many countries of the world, like ISIS in Syria, hiding behind the civilian population. The easiest thing to do is to let these people out,” he stated. Putin also noted that the UN chief had been apparently “misinformed” about the humanitarian corridors set up by Russia, pointing out that more than 100,000 civilians have left Mariupol through them. “And they can go anywhere: some want to go to Russia, some want to go to Ukraine. Anywhere – we do not hold them, we provide any kind of help and support,” he added. https://www.rt.com/russia/554574-putin-kosovo-un-chief/ |
| Foreign Affairs › Ukraine Threatens To Quit Peace Talks With Russia by cule7(op): 5:06am On Apr 24, 2022 |
The country’s president has named Kiev’s ‘red lines’ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed on Saturday what kind of events might force his country to withdraw from peace negotiations with Moscow. During a press conference held at one of Kiev's metro stations amid the ongoing Russian offensive in Ukraine, Zelensky was asked how Kiev would respond to potential independence referendums in the territories controlled by Russian forces. The president admitted that it would force him to stop any talks with Moscow. “If our people are destroyed in Mariupol, if a referendum, a pseudo-referendum, is announced in any new pseudo-republics of Ukraine, Ukraine will withdraw from any negotiations process,” Zelensky said. Two days ago, Moscow announced the capture of Mariupol. However, President Vladimir Putin called off the assault on the Azovstal factory, which remains the last holdout of Ukrainian forces, including the fighters of the neo-Nazi Azov regiment, in the strategic port city. Russian troops should “seal the area so that a fly cannot get through,” Putin instead ordered. Zelensky, meanwhile, admitted that at the moment Ukraine is not able to recapture Mariupol militarily and that the holed-up fighters there are aware of that. Zelensky reiterated his wish to conduct direct talks with Vladimir Putin, as “the war can be stopped by the person who started it.” He explained that, as he thinks, direct negotiations could be a more effective way to reach peace than speaking via mediators. “I want to stop the war and end it. There is a diplomatic path and a military one. Any healthy person chooses the diplomatic path because he knows that even if it is difficult, it can prevent the loss of millions of people,” Zelensky said. Putin, meanwhile, has not ruled out a personal meeting with Zelensky, but stressed that it would depend on the progress of talks between the negotiating teams Commenting on the upcoming visit by UN Security General Antonio Guterres to Moscow, Zelensky claimed that it is not logical that he would travel to Russia before speaking to Kiev, but the Ukrainian leader expressed his readiness to conduct talks with Guterres as well. Ukraine’s conditions for a peace settlement, according to Zelensky, remain the same: security guarantees for Kiev and “the fate of Donbass and Crimea,” the independence of which Kiev has categorically refused to recognize. “I think there are no more issues,” he said. Meanwhile, Zelensky said, the Ukrainian forces would keep fighting and, depending on weapons supplies from the West, will be recapturing territories which had been captured by the Russian forces. “My position as president is: whatever they [Russian forces] occupy, we will return. It will not be a matter of 8 years, like from 2014, it will be immediate. This is a matter of weapons. If we have enough of them, we will immediately begin to recapture the occupied territory,” he said. Russia has repeatedly warned NATO against sending arms to Ukraine and stated that it would consider arms convoys to be legitimate military targets. It also says that “pumping up” Ukraine with weapons will only lead to more casualties. Since the launch of Russia’s military offensive on Ukraine, Moscow and Kiev have accused each other of hampering civilian evacuations, as well as committing war crimes and violating international law. Several rounds of peace negotiations have not yielded any significant progress. Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state. The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force. https://www.rt.com/russia/554412-zelensky-negotiations-mariupol-referendum/ 1 Like 1 Share |
| Foreign Affairs › Austria Explains Stance On Russian Gas Ban by cule7(op): 10:29am On Apr 23, 2022 |
Vienna says it has “no choice” but to continue imports from Moscow Austria cannot afford to ban imports of Russian gas as part of sanctions on Moscow, Finance Minister Magnus Brunner has said. Many Western states, including the EU, imposed sweeping economic restrictions on Russia in response to its military campaign in Ukraine. Brunner told CNN on Friday that his country supports “all sanctions” on Moscow, but “not the gas embargo.” “Once a sanction hits yourself more than the one targeted by the sanction, I think there’s not much use,” he said. He added that Austrian industries are so dependent on Russian gas that they have “no choice.” Last month, the EU unveiled a plan to phase out its reliance on Russian gas by 2030, but stopped short of an immediate ban on imports. The bloc’s economic powerhouse, Germany, as well as other Central and Eastern European members, remain dependent on Russian energy. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck warned in March that cutting off imports of Russian gas and oil immediately could cause “mass unemployment, poverty, people who can’t heat their homes.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, urged EU members to adopt “a clear timetable” for banning or reducing the use of Russian oil and gas. Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state. The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force. https://www.rt.com/news/554373-austria-russian-gas-embargo/ |
| Foreign Affairs › Zelensky Reveals Ukraine’s Financial Losses by cule7(op): 9:32am On Apr 22, 2022 |
Ukraine claims the conflict with Russia has caused $550 billion in damages, demands $7 billion a month from the West Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the World Bank and the IMF on Thursday that his country has already suffered more than half a trillion dollars’ worth of damage and needs billions in aid every month just to stay afloat. Kiev authorities estimate the country’s GDP is down anywhere between 30-50%. “According to very preliminary estimates, Ukraine has lost 550 billion dollars as a result of destruction,” Zelensky said in a teleconference roundtable with Western financial institutions. Ukraine needed at least $7 billion per month to rebuild its economy, he added. This is the same figure Zelensky cited to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week, though at the time he claimed it was just to enable his government to pay out salaries and pensions. “With your support, we will quickly rebuild our nation, which means new business opportunities from various countries,” he told the roundtable on Thursday. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal, who is visiting Washington, chimed in to say that Ukraine’s GDP could see a 30-50% drop from the conflict. He also cited preliminary analyses of “direct and indirect losses” caused by the hostilities, but put them at $560 billion – and said that reconstruction would cost $600 billion or more. Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden pledged another $500 million in direct financial aid to Kiev – bringing the total up to $1 billion since February – in addition to $800 million more in weapons, ammunition, and equipment. US military aid to Ukraine has exceeded $3 billion since the start of the hostilities on February 24. Russia attacked the neighboring state in February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state. The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force. https://www.rt.com/russia/554302-zelensky-ukraine-losses-donations/ |
| Foreign Affairs › Turkey Explains Position On Ukraine by cule7(op): 7:05am On Apr 21, 2022 |
Some NATO members want to use Ukraine conflict to weaken Russia, says Ankara’s foreign minister Turkey wants to negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine, while some other NATO members would like to see it drag on as a way to harm Russia, Ankara’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday in a TV interview. In a lengthy appearance on CNN Turk, Cavusoglu addressed Turkey’s decision not to sanction Moscow and why the Istanbul talks between Russia and Ukraine failed, among other things.https://www.rt.com/russia/554248-turkey-ukraine-talks-sanctions/ 24 Likes 2 Shares
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| Foreign Affairs › Moscow Responds To Nuclear Weapons Claim by cule7(op): 2:44pm On Apr 19, 2022 |
FM Sergey Lavrov has rejected claims that Moscow could resort to the use of tactical nuclear weapons Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has rejected claims that Moscow could resort to the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine.Lavrov was questioned on the issue during an extensive interview with India Today in Moscow on Tuesday. When the journalist mentioned that “President Zelensky said that Russia plans to use tactical weapons,” the foreign minister didn’t even let her finish the question. “He says many things,” Lavrov said. He reminded that Russia had never mentioned the use of nuclear weapons as an option during its military operation in the neighboring country, and the Ukrainian leader was the only one to speak about this. “I cannot comment [on] something, which a not very adequate person pronounces,” the FM added. Lavrov reiterated the notion that “there could be no winners in a nuclear war,” and assured that Russia would only rely on conventional weapons in Ukraine. Zelensky claimed that Moscow could use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine during his interview with CNN on Friday. “Not only me - all of the world, all of the countries have to be worried because it can be not real information, but it can be truth,” he warned without providing any proof to back his words. Russia attacked Ukraine in late February, following Kiev’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state. The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force. https://www.rt.com/russia/554155-zelensky-lavrov-nuclear-ukraine/ |
| Foreign Affairs › Serbia Explains Refusal To Join Russia Sanctions by cule7(op): 10:32am On Apr 18, 2022 |
President Aleksandar Vucic says he would be praised as “the biggest democrat” if he turned against Moscow It has cost Serbia a lot to defy the West’s push to impose sanctions on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday.https://www.rt.com/news/554052-serbia-cost-russia-sanctions/ 65 Likes 6 Shares
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| Foreign Affairs › Ukraine Asks G7 For $50 Billion by cule7(op): 6:15am On Apr 18, 2022 |
President Zelensky’s economic adviser also suggests issuing 0% war bonds Ukrainian economic adviser Oleg Ustenko has requested $50 billion in financial support from the G7 countries to cover the budget deficit created by the military conflict with Russia in a television address on Sunday. Kiev is also considering issuing 0% coupon bonds to bridge the fiscal gap, as Ukraine is currently facing an estimated $7 billion deficit a month. While there are no agreements on new financial aid, Ustenko claimed the issue will be “actively discussed” with Western partners over the next week. In the meantime, the World Bank is preparing a $1.5 billion support package for Ukraine. The loan will include a $1-billion payment from the development lender’s fund for the poorest countries. The funding comes on top of about $923 million in fast-disbursing financing approved by the World Bank last month. The US and NATO have also been sending billions of dollars Ukraine’s way, although in the form of military aid rather than cash. The Biden administration just last week approved yet another $800 million in weapons, ammunition, and other military assistance including artillery systems, rounds, armored personnel carriers, and helicopters. It comes less than a month after Washington sent an $800 million bundle of anti-aircraft systems, firearms, ammo, and body armor Kiev’s way on March 16. Washington’s contribution has been matched by that of the European Union and several individual member states, including Germany and Sweden, some of which have violated their own long-standing policies of not supplying lethal aid to countries at war by flooding Ukraine with anti-tank weapons, Stinger missiles, and armored vehicles, among other military equipment. However, even amid a constant stream of military aid by the US and NATO allies, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted a video calling for the rest of the world to #ArmUkraineNow – complete with a very specific grocery list of desired equipment. Should countries fail to deliver, the Ukrainian leader claimed, Poland, Moldova, Romania, and the Baltic states would quickly fall under the tank treads of the Russian army. Moscow has repeatedly stated it has no plans to even occupy Ukraine, let alone invade neighboring nations, but the talking point has become a favorite for Zelensky. Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state. The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force. https://www.rt.com/russia/554046-ukraine-requests-50-billion-funding/ |
| Foreign Affairs › No Alternative To Russian Oil, OPEC Tells EU by cule7(op): 5:31am On Apr 12, 2022 |
Sanctioning Russian oil could trigger record catastrophe, oil export cartel warns Current and future sanctions on Russia could spawn one of the worst oil supply shocks in history, OPEC secretary general Mohammed Barkindo warned EU officials on Monday, adding that it would be impossible to replace the volume of oil lost in such an event. Some 7 million barrels of Russian oil per day are leaving the world market as a result of sanctions and other restrictions on Russian trading, Barkindo claimed. The OPEC official also told the EU that the current volatility in the market is due to “non-fundamental factors” beyond OPEC’s control and that it is the responsibility of the EU to promote a “realistic” approach to energy transition. The EU has announced it plans to join the US and UK in instituting an embargo on Russian energy products. However, unlike the US and UK, Europe imports a majority of its energy supplies from Russia, and experts have warned that attempting to cut off the supply could have catastrophic results. In particular, Germany is anticipating the collapse of entire industries, while the head of Austrian energy giant OMV has declared it would be “impossible” for his country to quit buying Russian gas. While the US has promised to step up and fill the gaps with its more expensive liquefied natural gas exports, most of Europe’s LNG terminals are already operating at capacity, meaning there would be no place to store the fuel. Other countries are eager to use the crisis as an opening to push into renewable fuels. Nevertheless, the European Parliament demanded last week an immediate and total embargo on Russian imports of oil, coal, natural gas, and nuclear fuel, and it is expected to have a significant negative impact on European standards of living if followed through. Some countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, have made clear they plan to ignore the ban out of self-preservation, though others have warned their citizens to tighten their belts and get ready for lean times ahead. Oil and gas aren’t the only commodities whose supply is drying up amid the war in Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine together produce about a third of the world’s wheat exports, and both countries are also major exporters of sunflower oil and fertilizer. As a result, food prices have hit historic highs, and many countries and NGOs are warning of food shortages looming in the near future. https://www.rt.com/news/553712-eu-cant-replace-fuels-opec/ |
| Politics › Re: Uwazurike: Nigeria Needs Yahaya Bello (Video) by cule7(m): 6:14pm On Apr 09, 2022 |
I don't know whatever this man is taking but I know that sh!t is working 1 Like |
| Foreign Affairs › No More German Army Weapons For Ukraine – Berlin by cule7(op): 5:59pm On Apr 09, 2022 |
Further supplies from Bundeswehr stockpiles would undermine Germany’s own defense capabilities, Christine Lambrecht has said The German military can no longer supply Ukraine with weapons from its stockpiles, Germany’s Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has said. In an interview with Die Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung published on Saturday, Lambrecht said that while “we all have an obligation to support Ukraine in its courageous fight,” in terms of “supplies from the Bundeswehr’s stockpiles” Germany has “in the meantime reached a limit.” She explained that the German military had to “be able to ensure” the country’s own defense. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t do more for Ukraine,” Lambrecht stressed, suggesting that Kiev could buy equipment it needed from German manufacturers directly. The minister pointed out that the German government “was constantly coordinating” with the authorities in Kiev to facilitate such purchases. When asked exactly what kind of weaponry was being considered for delivery to Ukraine, Lambrecht refused to go into detail, adding that “there are good reasons why we have classified precisely this information as secret.” She noted that it was Ukraine that “emphatically” asked Germany not to divulge specifics. “One must always bear in mind: The moment the deliveries are published in detail, Russia would also have this information. And that alone would have military strategic implications,” she said. Lambrecht admitted that Germany’s own military was not “as equipped as is necessary.” The minister stressed that she was determined to change this, however, citing Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine as a wake-up call for Berlin. Speaking on the topic of European defense, the German official pointed out the significance of NATO’s battle groups, adding that the German military was contributing a lot to the alliance’s initiative. Lambrecht admitted there’s a concern in Germany that weapons supplies could trigger a reaction by Moscow and “war may expand to other areas.” That’s why, she said, it is important “that we act very prudently and with a cool head in these difficult and horrific times.” Unlike countries such as the US and UK, Germany had initially stopped short of providing Ukraine with lethal weapons after Russia launched its military offensive against its neighbor on February 24. However, amid growing pressure both from Ukraine itself and Germany’s NATO allies, Berlin changed tack, and has supplied at least 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 portable anti-aircraft missiles from its stockpiles. Plans for more deliveries of the same type of weaponry were announced in late March. Since the launch of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine, NATO countries and their allies have refrained from direct military involvement in the conflict but have been supplying Ukraine with arms, ammunition, and fuel. Moscow has repeatedly said Western arms supplies only serve to prolong the conflict and even warned that Russian forces could potentially target such deliveries. Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements signed in 2014, and Russia’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French brokered Minsk Protocol was designed to regularize the status of the regions within the Ukrainian state. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two regions by force. https://www.rt.com/news/553592-germany-weapons-deliveries-ukraine/ |
| Foreign Affairs › US Spies Reveal Leaking Dodgy Intelligence On Russia – Media by cule7(op): 6:27am On Apr 07, 2022 |
Releases to the press were intended to “deter” Russia, even if the intel was flimsy, NBC has revealed US intelligence officials leaked information about the Ukraine conflict that wasn’t “rock solid” and outright made up some claims, all to win an “info war” against the Kremlin, according to an NBC News report on Wednesday. The officials admitted to, and boasted about, releasing this misinformation. When the American media cited US “intelligence” to warn that Russia was preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine, and when President Joe Biden repeated these warnings, they were participating in a disinformation campaign, the NBC report reveals. According to the intelligence officials who came up with the warning, the intention was to discourage Russia from actually using these weapons, even though they themselves rated the intelligence used “low confidence.” NBC quotes the officials involved in releasing such “low confidence” intelligence, who described their mission to misinform as part of an effort to “undermine Moscow’s propaganda and prevent Russia from defining how the war is perceived in the world.” Some releases were accurate. For instance, the Biden administration insisted for weeks that Russian President Vladimir Putin intended to launch an assault on Ukraine. More were fabricated: A report that Putin was “being misled by his own advisers,” as NBC put it, was made up. So was an assertion by US officials that Putin had turned to China for military aid. Despite being fabricated, the latter was released to discourage China from actually doing what the officials said it was doing – sending arms to Russia, they said. One European official cited by NBC said that the report was “a public game to prevent any military support from China.” “There’s no way you can prove or disprove that stuff,” a retired intelligence operative told NBC regarding the claims that Putin was being misled by his own team. Prior to the outbreak of war, US media warned for weeks that Russia was laying the groundwork to attack Russian-speakers in the Donbass region and blame the attack on Ukrainian nationalists, thus generating a pretext for war. These reports cited Pentagon and State Department officials and unnamed “intelligence sources,” none of whom provided evidence to back up their claims. When pressed, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that those who doubted the claims were finding “solace in the information the Russians are putting out.” Now the NBC story reveals that the assertion was indeed cooked up by US spies. “It doesn’t have to be solid intelligence,” one US official said. “It’s more important to get out ahead of [the Russians], Putin specifically, before they do something.” While the officials cited in the report admitted to at the very least exaggerating their claims, another unnamed US official quickly responded to the network, insisting that the National Security Council and “intelligence community” made sure to “validate the quality” of everything they released to the public. One of the authors of the NBC story is Ken Dilanian, a national security reporter shown in 2014 to have had a “collaborative” relationship with the CIA. He was disavowed by his then-employer, the Los Angeles Times, as the result. https://www.rt.com/russia/553428-spies-fake-news-ukraine-nbc/ |
| Sports › Re: PSG: Your Role In World Cup Not Clear – Piechniczek Slams Messi by cule7(m): 4:36pm On Apr 04, 2022 |
I don't know this man before now. 2 Likes |
| Foreign Affairs › Zelensky Rejected Peace Offer Days Before Russian Offensive – WSJ by cule7(op): 3:04am On Apr 04, 2022 |
German Chancellor had reportedly attempted to convince the Ukrainian leader to drop NATO membership plan Zelensky rejected peace offer days before Russian offensive – WSJ. https://www.rt.com/news/553213-zelensky-scholz-ukraine-peace/ 6 Likes
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| Foreign Affairs › Re: Vladimir Putin’s 20-Year March To War In Ukraine And How The West Mishandled It by cule7(m): 2:45am On Apr 04, 2022 |
Terrier99:You still haven't answered my question. Which country captured Berlin that ended the war in Europe? 1 Like |
| Foreign Affairs › Re: Vladimir Putin’s 20-Year March To War In Ukraine And How The West Mishandled It by cule7(m): 2:45pm On Apr 03, 2022 |
Terrier99:The way some of you just come here to talk will make one wonder if the only people here are kids. Which country captured Berlin?� |
| Foreign Affairs › EU Has ‘sanctioned Itself’ Into Fuel Poverty Or Worse – UK Ex-diplomat by cule7(op): 4:21am On Apr 03, 2022 |
Europe can’t replace Russian oil and gas supplies, no matter how much the US and Qatar pony up By sanctioning Russia without a plan for replacement fuel, the European Union may have hurt itself more than Moscow in its drive to punish Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, former European diplomat Alastair Crooke told RT. NATO’s economic attack on Russia has split world powers into “two separate spheres,” Crooke explained on RT’s ‘Going Underground’ on Saturday. He argued that by completely decoupling the price of commodities from the US dollar, sanctions on Russia have essentially dynamited the credibility of the fiat currency system, and Europe has made the wrong move by rushing forward to bludgeon Russia with sanctions without lining up a backup source of fuel. “In many ways, Europe has not sanctioned Russia, it has sanctioned itself,” Crooke said, pointing out that the conflict in Ukraine is essentially being paid for by $100 billion in European funds previously sent to Moscow to pay for fuel, and the the Europeans “cannot get gas from anywhere else that will substitute for Russian gas.” By cutting itself off without lining up a backup, the continent has signed its own death warrant, as Europeans will have a difficult time surviving under double-digit inflation without critical (now-sanctioned) commodities like fertilizer and certain types of food, he continued. READ MORE: Anti-Russian sanctions don’t work – Poland “I don’t see any sign that Europeans gave any thought to the strategic consequences of what they were doing,” Crooke observed, suggesting the “fervor” to take down Russia had eclipsed its common sense. The EU gets 40% of its gas from Russia, while the US’ offer of liquefied natural gas will only cover 4% of its needs and Qatar cannot supply the remainder. “They go into these things without any thinking and they suddenly say ‘we’re going to divest ourselves from any reliance on Russian oil or gas within the year’ - How?” Crooke asked incredulously, marveling at how the continent could not have predicted that Russia would demand payment for its gas in rubles. “People are going to feel a huge amount of pain … gas and electricity have gone up 50%, they’ll probably go up another 100% before the end of this year. How are people going to survive with this? https://www.rt.com/news/553191-europe-russian-gas-sanctions-crooke/ 1 Like 1 Share |
| Career › Greatness by cule7(op): 1:59am On Jan 23, 2020*. Modified: 8:34am On Apr 07, 2022 |
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| Politics › Re: President Buhari Visits Prince Charles In Scotland (Photos) by cule7(m): 12:41pm On Jan 20, 2020 |
what's in that gift box self |
| Celebrities › Re: Rosaline Meurer In Bikini With Falz And AY Comedian (Photos) by cule7(m): 6:54pm On Feb 08, 2018 |
So? |
