European Union ambassadors agreed on Monday to examine bids by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova to join the EU, starting the lengthy process towards accession.

In a tweet Monday, the French Presidency of the EU said that the 27 Permanent Representatives of European Countries had, "agreed to invite the European Commission to present an opinion on each of the applications for EU membership submitted by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.”

About the process: This starts a process that could takes years to complete before the three former Soviet countries are considered candidate countries to join the EU.

Countries wishing to become part of the European Union must meet strict “accession criteria,” which involves complex social, legal and political reforms and are “essential conditions all candidate countries must satisfy to become a member state,” according to EU rules.

The EU’s “capacity to absorb new members,” is also part of the consideration for allowing new countries to join the bloc.

Meanwhile, European Council President Charles Michel said in a tweet earlier Monday that Ukraine's membership bid will be discussed in the “coming days."

https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-07-22/h_dc1526f075096e276baec8fa7632f300

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will give a virtual address to the US Congress on Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET, according to a letter sent to House and Senate members by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

"The Congress, our country and the world are in awe of the people of Ukraine, who have shown extraordinary courage, resilience and determination in the face of Russia’s unprovoked, vicious, and illegal war," the statement said.
The statement continued: "The Congress remains unwavering in our commitment to supporting Ukraine as they face Putin’s cruel and diabolical aggression, and to passing legislation to cripple and isolate the Russian economy as well as deliver humanitarian, security and economic assistance to Ukraine. We look forward to the privilege of welcoming President Zelenskyy’s address to the House and Senate and to convey our support to the people of Ukraine as they bravely defend democracy."

https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-14-22/index.html

" I apologise to Oshiomole who told us about Obaseki. You have been vindicated,"

Adams Oshiomole, had been vindicated.

At the same time, there were reports of government employees resigning in disgust over their country's invasion of Ukraine. The Russian leader finally unleashed his forces on his western neighbour last Thursday. Russian soldiers launched a massive attack from the north, east and south, as they sought quickly to take key objectives.

However, they were met by fierce and brave resistance from both the Ukrainian army and civilian militias, and appear to have suffered heavy casualties.

Reports have now started to emerge that claim thousands of Russian soldiers have either downed their weapons or are refusing to fight.

Taras Kuzio, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, tweeted today: "Ukrainian News Channel 24: 5,000 Russian soldiers in staging area in Russia, north of Kharkiv have revolted and refusing to attack Ukraine."


He added: "Earlier report from front lines around Crimea is 1/2 of Russian soldiers turned over equipment to the Ukrainians, again refusing to fight."

Channel 24 has broadcast news in Ukraine since 2006 and belongs to TRK Lux media, which is controlled by Kateryna Kit-Sadova - the wife of Lviv Mayor Andrew Sadovyi.

Numerous videos have been circulating on social media that show captured Russian soldiers being interrogated by their captors.

The young men appear totally demoralised and almost to a person say they were never told by their officers that they were being sent to invade.

The Russian soldiers claim that their superiors had merely told them that they were taking part in standard military exercises.

The fierce fighting appears to have inflicted a heavy toll on Russia's army in terms of lives and equipment.

On Sunday, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar claimed Russian forces had lost about 4,300 servicemen.

She also alleged that Mr Putin's army had lost around 146 tanks, 27 aircraft and 26 helicopters.

On Friday, the Economist also reported that the Russian army sustained more casualties in 24 hours then it suffered over eight years of military activity in Syria.

The Russian tyrant also seems to be facing an exodus of government employees, who no longer want to work for their administration.

Neil Hauer, a journalist, wrote on Twitter: "Russian friends sharing texts with me of their colleagues in Russia's public service resigning over this invasion.

"Widespread disgust among Russian government employees over Putin's decision."

He added: "One tells me: "if you have the ear of Western politicians, tell them to keep pushing.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1572769/vladimir-putin-ukraine-war-russian-soldiers-down-weapons-kharkiv

Ideas come upon us in various ways. Some ideas lead to greatness. Other ones are catastrophic in nature. These catastrophic ideas might start as a flicker, a deadly ember, and then they might perhaps transform themselves becoming massive in scope.

Nobody knows exactly how Putin came to his final catastrophic decision to wage war on Ukraine. But I don’t think anyone can deny the horror of this decision.

I like this quote from the Economist: “No plan of battle survives contact with the enemy, but he has fared worse than many.” And it is true. All over, the Russian armies are being met with fierce resistance.

Putin’s latest move has only strengthened the world, and countries have come together to denounce the crazed Dictator. His troops are getting tired. Everywhere they go, they encounter resistance, and every hour they grow more discontented.

Putin is paying a heavy price for his idea — an idea that he could have pushed from his maniacal brain easily. Only he didn’t do that. And now he faces the real threat that his very leadership is threatened in the upcoming days.



Everybody wants peace. There are many reports that even many in Putin’s forces don’t know why they’re there, are tired, hungry, and angry. President Biden has done an extraordinary job in pulling back the curtain of Putin’s soul and showing everyone the vast lunacy that floats within him.



And reportedly, there are many Russian casualties. Ukrainians are fighting back furiously. Men of all ages are signing up to fight. Putin is reportedly fuming. And I do not want in any way to minimize that fact. A furious dictator is a worrisome one.

Yet he is trapped by his own greed, and things will only worsen for him. Whatever happens in the upcoming days and weeks, Ukraine will not stop its resistance.


Yes, ideas are often catastrophic in nature. But sometimes, these ideas also do not work out as the person planned. Sometimes they have horrific consequences. And for Putin, what we’ve seen so far, is just the tip of the iceberg in the virulent punishment that awaits him.

https://www.palmerreport.com/politics/president-biden-is-getting-the-best-of-vladimir-putin/44209/

Ukrainian forces continue to fend off Russian troops as fighting persists Sunday, prompting apparent frustration from Russian President Vladimir Putin and questions regarding strategic miscalculations.

Russia’s military is roughly 4.5 times larger than Ukraine’s active-duty force, but Ukrainians continue to hold the capital city of Kyiv as Russian troops encircle it.

"The longer this goes on the worse it is for Vladimir Putin," former CIA Moscow station chief Dan Hoffman told Fox News Digital. "There's got to be some questions about miscalculations."

Despite concerns expressed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, senior defense officials have noted that the Russian troops have failed to carry out successful military operations under the cover of darkness.

Russian soldiers have appeared poorly equipped and reports have surfaced suggesting troops were forced to forage for food and supplies in Ukrainian towns – a move that has surprised Western onlookers.

"They've been out in the field for a very long time, in the wintertime, which takes its toll," former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO, Michael Ryan, said in reference to the 150,000 Russian troops that were stationed along Ukraine’s border in the lead up to the invasion.

"In the Russian army – just like in the Soviet Army and then Russian armies historically – junior soldiers are treated very badly," he said noting it is a consistent mentality at every level in the Russian ranks.

Ryan, who also served as the former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, argued that while this may be a successful tactic to maintaining order on a garrison the strategy fails in combative situations.

"They use a very strict discipline that's enforced by very severe punishments in order to maintain cohesion of a fighting force," he said.

"When you go out into combat, it requires initiative and understanding on the part of your soldiers to achieve the objectives against difficult odds – they just don't have that mindset," Ryan continued. "They don't have that training. They don't have that flexibility that Western forces tend to have because of the way our cultures operate."

The experts warned against comparing the U.S. image of a fighting force to Russia’s defenses.

"Humans tend to mirror image – we equate our understanding of our army with their understanding of their army. But history doesn’t bear out that they conduct their military affairs the same way we do," Ryan said.

Senior defense officials have confirmed that Russian forces have been unsuccessful in gaining air superiority or taking any city in Ukraine despite Russia’s advanced military capabilities.

"Russia has clearly underestimated Ukraine’s willingness to resist. Putin displayed his hubris in thinking that Ukrainian resistance would crumble like a stale pastry," former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, James Anderson, told Fox News Digital.

The former Pentagon official said it is down to Zelenskyy’s determination to stay in Ukraine despite "mortal danger to himself and his family" that has unified his forces.

"His courageous decision to remain in Kyiv has clearly strengthened the resolve of the Ukrainian military and inspired ordinary citizens to stand and fight against the invaders," Anderson said.

Officials agree that Moscow was not anticipating Ukraine’s resolve to counter Russian forces – an oversight Hoffman called an ironic "intelligence failure" given Putin’s history leading Russian intelligence forces under the KGB.

enior defense officials said that as of Saturday, Russia has deployed more than 50 percent of its amassed force into Ukraine.

But Ryan warned that this could indicate Moscow has launched an operational probe to check for Ukrainian weak points.

"Normally, in military operational activity it's a two-third forward and one-third in reserve," he explained. "You keep one-third of your force in reserve either to reinforce where you're weak – the enemies counter-attacks – or to exploit success."

Ryan said Russia is exemplifying "classic" Russian tactics in pursuing one objective while seemingly bypassing other cities to come back to later.

Putin has justified his invasion of Ukraine as a preemptive operation to counter what he has claimed is NATO aggression towards Russia.

In the lead-up to the invasion, Putin demanded that NATO bar Ukraine from being permitted admittance into the 30-nation alliance – a demand the West flatly rejected.



Hoffman argued that Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine and his inability to do it as quickly as security officials initially feared has played in Ukraine’s favor.

"Before Russia's attack on Ukraine, it was Ukraine seeking to join NATO," the former CIA Moscow station chief said noting the praise Zelenskyy has received from Western leaders. "Now it's NATO joining Ukraine and their fight for freedom and independence.


https://www.foxnews.com/politics/putins-strategic-failure-miscalculations-plays-out-world-stage-experts

Bank of China’s Singapore operation has stopped financing deals involving Russian oil and Russian companies, amid concerns of western sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said a source on Monday with knowledge of the matter.

Bank of China did not immediately comment.

Reuters reported last Thursday that major buyers of Russian oil were struggling to open letters of credit from Western banks to cover purchases or find ships willing to transport Russian oil.

European banks Societe Generale SA and Credit Suisse Group AG have halted the financing of commodities, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday.

https://www.reuters.com/article/ukraine-crisis-swift-commodities/bank-of-chinas-singapore-operation-stops-financing-russian-oil-trades-source-idINL4N2V30WC

Russian President Vladimir Putin, monitoring developments in Ukraine from his "lair in the Urals," is "furious" and "fuming" that his military’s invasion of the smaller country to the south hasn’t gone more smoothly, claims a European Union official who says he has reviewed a Ukrainian intelligence report.

Riho Terras, a former defense chief in Estonia and member of the European Parliament, detailed the contents of the documents in a Twitter thread Saturday.

Fox News has not independently confirmed the authenticity of the intel report, which Terras included in his Twitter post.

Putin is accompanied in the Urals location by Russian oligarchs "so no one will flee," Terras claimed

"He thought that the whole war would be easy and everything would be done in 1-4 days," Terras wrote.

Instead, Ukrainian military members – and civilians arming themselves with guns and Molotov cocktails – have been working to fend off Russian forces who have been entering Ukraine from several directions since Thursday.

As his thread continues, Terras claims the intel report says the Russian forces lacked an adequate tactical plan and were themselves strapped for supplies – bringing enough rockets for only three or four days, and thus "use them sparingly."

Hopes of the Russians getting more weapons and ammunition are limited, Terras claims.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/putin-furious-ukraine-invasion-easy-eu-riho-terras-intel

Russian soldiers wearing Ukrainian army uniform have been arrested by Ukrainian forces in the city of Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The Russian saboteur group arrived by a small boat.


https://twitter.com/Caucasuswar/status/1497618886107316226

Champions League final will be moved from St Petersburg to Paris

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1497142769621610512

An abandoned Russian BTR in the failed offensive on Kharkov city is being drained from its diesel fuel by locals.

Video here
https://twitter.com/Caucasuswar/status/1497108660052541469

Footage by Izvestia of Russian forces allegedly on the outskirts of Schastia. Reports by Ukrainian forces of recapturing the town could be true. But both sides claim the town at this point. Time will tell.

watch the video here

https://twitter.com/Caucasuswar/status/1496759029657391108

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