The Ukraine war thread
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Unfortunately, more of the same. :(. Though there is the possibility of more talks on Feb 1.
Ukraine and Russia ended a second day of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Jan 24 without a deal but with more talks expected next weekend, even as overnight Russian airstrikes knocked out power for over a million Ukrainians amid subzero winter cold.
Statements after the conclusion of the talks did not indicate that any agreements had been reached, but Moscow and Kyiv both said they were open to further dialogue.
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Not sure what to think of this. Sounds very complicated.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-signs-off-on-ukraine-security-guarantee/ar-AA1UZKFy
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Not sure what to think of this. Sounds very complicated.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-signs-off-on-ukraine-security-guarantee/ar-AA1UZKFy
This
A less reported aspect to security deals is that Russia is also seeking a security deal for itself, according to bne IntelliNews sources in Moscow. Putin faces a similar problem. Russian President Vladimir Putin is keen to avoid that further down the line a new Ukrainian president ties up with a new US administration that jointly decides to retake the five regions occupied and annexed by Moscow in the current war by military force. As a result, the Kremlin has been demanding not just the de facto recognition of Russia’s sovereignty over the regions, but de jura recognition as well. No details on this point have been released to the public so far..
A short word. No.
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De jure recognition would tell the world that launching a war of aggression in order to seize your neighbour’s sovereign territory is legitimate and acceptable. No US President recognized the Soviet annexation of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia following WWII. Likewise, the civilized world of today should not recognize the Russian occupation and annexation of any sovereign territory of Ukraine as it was prior to 2014.
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Said the spider to the fly:
President Volodymyr Zelensky should travel to Moscow if he wants to hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Jan. 28.
Really? That ploy is right out of the Josef Stalin playbook.
The comment follows remarks by Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who said Zelensky is ready to meet Putin to resolve two core issues in the peace process: territorial questions and the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Kremlin is not serious about resolving anything of the sort.
"We have never refused and do not refuse this kind of contact," Ushakov said, adding that Moscow is prepared to ensure Zelensky's security and working conditions if he comes to Russia.
Yes, you can be certain there’s a room reserved for him in the basement of the Lubyanka with a view all the way to Siberia. But only after he has been paraded through the streets of Moscow caged and in chains.
https://kyivindependent.com/russia-says-its-ready-for-zelensky-putin-meeting/
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Witkoff and Kushner are out!
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will not participate in the next round of negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday.
“[Russia and Ukraine] are going to follow up talks again this week. In that regard, bilateral. There might be a US presence, but it won’t be Steve and Jared,” Rubio said.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/68977
And the there’s this…you guessed it, it’s all about Steve “Dim Philby” Witkoff:
Trump's top envoy negotiating Ukraine's fate displays 'shocking' lack of knowledge about war, politics…
A senior U.S. envoy involved in efforts to end Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has displayed a lack of basic understanding of Ukraine's political system and the war itself while speaking in a closed conversation with a small group of reporters, the Kyiv Independent has learned.
https://kyivindependent.com/trumps-top-envoy-displays-shocking-lack-of-knowledge-about-war-politics/
I hope Rubio eviscerates the fool; his playing diplomat has done nothing but give the Kremlin a green light to escalate the war and make the US look like Putin’s Muggins.
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Has the clock started on the "24 hours to end the war" guarantee?
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Has the clock started on the "24 hours to end the war" guarantee?
The spring on that clock was wound then immediately seized up last May when Trump’s Special Dummkopf arrived at the Kremlin without a US vetted interpreter to meet with Putin.
