The US torpedoed a UN resolution blaming Russia. A US counterproposal passed when France and the UK abstained. 
The US, China, Russia, UK, and France have UN veto power. Earlier today, a UN resolution condemning Russia for the war failed.
In its place, U.S. Wins Backing for U.N. Resolution on Ukraine War.
The U.S. sided with Russia and China to win the United Nations Security Council’s backing for a resolution crafted in Washington that didn’t blame Moscow for the Ukraine war and called for a swift end to the conflict, as President Trump said he was in talks with Russia about an economic-development deal.
Trump’s comments and the U.S.’s vote at the U.N. on Monday illustrated the extent to which the president has changed the U.S.’s posture toward the region, coming on the same day as European leaders gathered in Kyiv to mark the third anniversary of the invasion.
Earlier on Monday, the General Assembly, which represents the 193 U.N. member states, had approved a Ukrainian resolution pinning the blame on Russia for the war, despite U.S. efforts to kill it. The U.S. was joined by North Korea, Russia and Belarus in voting against it.
Unlike the General Assembly, the 15-member U.N. Security Council has decision-making powers. The U.S. secured 10 votes from the Security Council in favor of its resolution. Five European countries abstained, including the U.K. and France, underscoring the widening gulf between Europe and the U.S. over the Ukraine conflict.
France and Britain both have veto powers on the Security Council but were reluctant to use them against Washington, diplomats said. French President Emmanuel Macron met with Trump at the White House on Monday, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to meet with Trump in Washington later this week.
Following the meeting at the White House on Monday with Macron, Trump said that his administration is “making a decisive break” with Biden’s approach and is on the verge of inking an agreement with Ukraine that would provide the U.S. with access to that country’s natural resources. Key to the deal, Trump said, is that U.S. taxpayers can “recoup” some of the billions spent defending the Eastern European nation.
Trump Seeks an Economic Deal With Russia
Earlier today I commented Trump Seeks an Economic Deal With Russia, Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Russia
On the third anniversary of invasion, Trump says he’s talking to Moscow about an economic development deal.
On February 24, 2022, I discussed The Real Background Story Behind Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine.
What Happened in Ukraine?
The mess today in Ukraine has its roots in the 2014 when democratically elected Ukrainian President Yanukovych was toppled in a US-backed coup.
Q: Why did the US want to get rid of Yanukovych?
A: Because he was against Ukraine joining NATO.
McCain dined with Svoboda Party leader Oleg Tyagnibok. The Svoboda Party is a group of neo-Nazis.
The citizens of Ukraine were used as pawns in yet another US mission that backfired.
Well who cares about Neo-Nazis as long as they want Ukraine in NATO.
And that’s the rest of the story US media will not discuss.
This no way absolves Putin, but US meddling backfires again, and again, and again.
US Meddling
US meddling made a mess in Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria, Israel, and damn near every place we have meddled.
The way to stop meddling is to impose a severe penalty of those who support such actions. Guess what. Meddling would stop instantaneously.
We cannot afford these idiotic wars and history suggests we should not try even if we could afford them. We wasted trillions upon trillions of dollars and all we have done is make more enemies.
UK Meddling
Three weeks into the war, Turkey mediated an agreement that had (a) Russian withdrawal, (b) Ukraine remains neutral (c) the Eastern provinces becoming semiautonomous but Crimea remains in Russia.
The war would have been over.
The West pressured Ukraine not to accept those terms and to fight to the last Ukrainian. Boris Johnson delivered the big message in person to Zelensky.
Hundreds of billions of dollars damage later, and tens of thousands of lives lost, Ukraine will get a much worse deal.
Ukraine Already Lost the War But the EU Hasn’t Figured That Out
Earlier today I posted Ukraine Already Lost the War But the EU Hasn’t Figured That Out
A negotiated settlement, land for peace is what I said in 2022. Terms now include mineral rights.
The Goal and a Mission
Like it or not, we now have a goal and a mission. They are one and the same, end the war. The war will end as I repeatedly stated since 2022, a negotiated settlement.
You can agree or disagree with Trump’s approach or the appeasement of Putin. But you cannot change the facts.
The longer Zelensky holds out the more territory Ukraine will lose.
The EU said it is willing to commit troops, I said no. My no was in reference to before there was a deal.
Take away threats, and yeah, the EU will gladly do the minimum to take credit for helping.
Meanwhile, Zelensky is holding out for the impossible, NATO membership.
The EU has no say in a deal and the longer Zelensky holds out, the more territory Ukraine will lose.
Thank goodness we finally have some sanity against the crazy people that seem to have a hard-on to start a war between Russia and the West.
It’s ironic that Ukraine wanted membership in nato for protection against Russia and trying to get in has destroyed them. I blame Obama and Biden, as the Russians stated over 15 years ago they would not let it happen but they were ignored.
It’s just common sense for anyone who isn’t brainwashed. From 6 years ago : “The West is leading Ukraine down the primrose path & the end result is Ukraine is going to get wrecked.” -John J. Mearsheimer
Washington funded the overthrow of Yanakovich in 2014 Viktoriia Nudelman admitted in congressional testimony that the United States put $5 billion toward that effort. This is a proxy war using Ukraine to weaken Russia, the long-term goal is sees control of both governments and loot those countries again. After that comes to China.
While aggressive on the seas, China’s last major war was the Sino-Vietnamese War in 1979.
“The way to stop meddling is to impose a severe penalty of those who support such actions.”
Example please???
Just checking. Was kicking Saddam out of Kuwait meddling or just what happened for the next 20 years or so? Was finding & killing Bin Laden after 911 meddling or just what happened after the initial invasion?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the main reason the US, UK & France have not “meddled” (I’m assuming here that, in part, you’re defining meddling as boots on the ground) in Ukraine is because Russia is a nuclear superpower which is a game changer.
“Meanwhile, Zelensky is holding out for the impossible, NATO membership.”
Given Russia’s propensity to meddle just like the USA, why is Ukrainian NATO membership a no go? If you’re trying to apply severe penalties to Russia for its meddling, why would NATO not fling open arms to Ukraine?
Are we willing to poke the bear in ONLY certain ways? I can honestly say using your logic that immediately making Ukraine a NATO member would be the most severe thing NATO could do. Granted, it has the potential to set off WW3, but again where are we drawing the line with your calling for “severe penalties”?
I hope Boris Johnson rots in hell with John McCain. Lindsey Graham and Biden too. There is a whole cast of characters in the West that facilitated the destruction of Ukraine and other countries. Monsters.
You’re right Mish. We spent TRILLIONS on these wars and got nothing in return, but corpses and people damaged physically and mentally. Just a pathetic way to run a country.
So how does this settlement which I believe needs to be done, advance any rational policy towards Russia, So? why economically all of a sudden that we should help them rebuild Russia’s economy. Since that policy has worked so well with our Axis of evil countries in the past. All this to generate GDP pretending that rival’s still don’t see their interests first.
Well said Mish ty👍
Victoria Nuland is responsible. Stop blaming Russia for the State Departments messes.
Looks like Trump will get his shit box hotel in Moscow. Unless he dies first, which would be a better outcome.
Snif snif snif, your feelings are hurt.
Having people killed makes you feel better.
Oh I get it. What is going on in Ukraine Russia War is moral and Trump is bankrupt.
All those Bodies stacked up is highly moral.
Yep sure could have a really really Nice Barbecue of Human flesh.
Why heaven forbid a truly righteous and moral politician like the Guy from Germany who had a good cry session because, like, oh my God, Trump decided that the Killing should stop.
So lets all be real Moral and allow death to reign supreme. This is surely a greater good then a poor politician suffers such emotional pain that he cried.
Trump openly backing a vile dictator like Putin. Are the american people really so morally bankrupt, so they are willing to accept that ?
By all means…..let’s keep feeding Ukrainians into the meat grinder so Kasper can feel good about himself….!
Are you fine with teaming up with Putin ?
Well 70 million odd people that voted for tRump are morally bankrupt or simply stupid. 90 million eligible voters couldn’t bother to do their civic duty and vote, fuck them they deserve what ever these asshats do.
An interesting narrative.
Would you like a free one way plane ticket to Kiev? You can join the front. Do you get why its a one way ticket?
Are you fine with teaming up with Putin ?
If looking after your own best interest is to be seen as ‘morally bankrupt’ then so be it.
Is it moral to continue to agitate for a never ending war that the Ukraine cannot possibly win while thousands or more Ukrainians die?
Is it moral to start a war between the West and Russia over an irredeemably corrupt nation like the Ukraine? Should we send our children to die to save that regime? F.U. and your phony morals
The DNC: Trump is a Hitler. If Trump is a Hitler the mainstream media is Der Sturmer.
If Trump is Hitler then the DNC is literally worse than Hitler.
Makes sense.
The new FBI director might decap their heads, after Trump’s 2 assassination attempts. The Der Sturmer media preempted and sacked the DNC robotic mouth pcs and caricaturists.
Russia has not won although some want to construe it as so. Granted they do end up with more territory but not much more and certainly much less than they had originally wanted and the land they have acquired is so devastated as to be useless. Additionally the war has created a Ukraine united in their hate for Russia and that will not be going away soon nor is it doubtful that Ukraine will be disarmed let alone “denazified (read pro-Russian)”. Russia has lost at least a million casualties which considering their demographics is disastrous. Its economy is under severe strain with high inflation that is accelerating and a collapsing private sector. The growth is in armament production but guns are not butter and an economy without butter won’t be able to produce guns for long. Major areas of the Russian economy are now dominated by Chinese imports which the Russians find very worrying. They know they risk becoming a Chinese colony and they don’t like that one bit.
In all, Putin has some very good reasons to compromise for peace now and Trump is giving him an out. Russia desperately needs the war to stop. Something that is certainly on Putin’s mind is that a peace can make the odds of his personal survival that much better.
Nevertheless peace is not guaranteed but Trump’s stick and carrot strategy looks to be working.
Russian boots are on China silk road. If Putin stops exporting energy to China Beijing will be dark and like Tehran. There is more free trade between southern Siberia and China than between Mexico and the US. There are no drugs and criminal gangs. Xinjiang was once a part of the Russian Empire. The Qing Empire conquered “our new frontier” in 1759. Xinjiang is 1/4 of China. Most earth minerals and nuclear facilities are in Xinjiang. After Bin Laden killed 3,000 New Yorkers in WTC WB Bush sent two “expedition forces” to Iraq and Afghanistan to punish them. Bagram is a few min flight from Xinjiang. We are not an empire. We do not colonize other country. The US coast to coast + Canada and Greenland are big enough for us.
I will come back here (and in many other places) to enjoy the reactions of those like you, Mish and most others who have been swallowing whole the BS the Western MSM is feeding you once you see what I have been telling forever: there will NOT be any ceasefire: the combined West needs one, not Russia.
I will repeat here my long standing “prediction” (analisys actually, I have actual data to base my opinion on, not Western MSM BS):
The Anglo-Euro-NATO war to Russia in Ukraine is coming to its natural end: capitulation of the extremist and illegitimate regime put in power by the Americans in 2014.
My wife, who is from the Donbas where we also have an apartment in one of its major cities, has a bottle of spumante ready.
The US-Russia negotiations will be around the new security architecture (basically a new Yalta) asked for by Putin for the last time at the end of 2021, in the face of ever growing NATO expansion and Anglo-American “color revolutions” and destabilizing terrorist activities.
The US-Russia negotiations will not be about Ukraine, Trump is clearly positioning himself to be able to drop Ukraine like the used condom that it is and walk away nominally leaving this failed project to the deranged EUropeans and the even more deranged Brits, which is totally fine by Putin since today’s NATO, against a peer adversary, has proved to be a paper tiger, NATO without the US is a wet paper tiger and everybody of real consequence around the world now knows it…
All of Trump’s moves (Canada, Greenland, Ukraine, tariffs etc etc) show that he is aware of the realities of the new “multipolar” world and of the failing USA and he is seeking to carve up and consolidate the best zone of influence possible for a much scaled down US and he will reach some agreement with the other two (re)emerging super-powers: Russia and China.
WOW! Now that’s a well thought out post, Doug. It all ties together & makes a lot of sense. And yet somehow someone thinks you’re looney tunes & gives it a down vote. Are Rachael Maddow & Joy Reid trolling here on Mishtalk?
My gawd, the idiocracy of it all.
As someone who has lived with “Ukrainians” (albeit in Canada) my entire life, the “Nazi” stuff needs to stop. These ultra nationalist types existed in the 19th century. Their philosophy comes from Taras Shevchenko, and there are Taras Shevchenko societies throughout North America. Growing up, I had friends whose grandparents fled Ukraine post WWI with their families. They had fought with the White Russians, in the ongoing revolution that ended in 1922, after Ukraine was handed to the Soviets post WWI. Not all of those fighting were ultra nationalists. I first heard about the Holomodor, which was reported in Canadian newspapers over 90 years ago, from a friend’s parents over 60 years ago. Whether ordinary or ultra-nationalist, it has always puzzled me why anyone would be surprised that an invasion of Ukraine by Germany would be seen as a liberation. Ukrainians hate Russians. Yes, they collaborated, by collaboration requires that there is agreement common objective, nothing more. The RC Church collaborated with Muslims in opposing birth control. Does that make the Pope an Imam? When Stalin died, there were huge celebrations by Ukrainians across North America. By the way, they aren’t keen on Jews either. That is why the so-called “Nazis” in Ukraine are a creation of Putin’s narrative on the history of Ukraine, when, in reality, they are a creation of the people really in control of the world. No “Nazi” neo or otherwise would tolerate Jews in charge of their government – both Zelensky and Prime Minister Shmyhal are Jews. About the only thing Jews and Ukrainians would agree on is that they hate Russians.
This is a lot more complex than the official narrative represents.
The ultra-nationalists from Western Ukraine are a creation of the Austrians, the Polish and the Lithuanians when they controlled (for hundreds of years) the land which today is Western Ukraine to ensure that the “Ukrainians” would not ally with their Russian brothers (a distinction which at the time basically did not exist) against them.
The Anglo-Americans took control of them after the Communist revolution in Russia to contain and combat it.
Today, Western “Ukrainians” are a thoroughly braiwashed mixed ethnicity of Slavs, Polish, Hungarians, Romanians, Lithuanians etc and, very tellingly, they are also the only “Ukrainians” to be largely Catholic.
The funny thing is that they hate Stalin so much while it was him who took their land away from Poland (and they hate the Polish just as much as the Russians), made the Frankenstein cancer today known as Ukraine and even introduced mandatory learning of Ukrainian (an ugly Russian “dialect” spoken as a first language mostly by Western Ukrainians and previously promoted by their first rulers to create a distinct identity from the Russians) for all of the rest of mostly Russian speaking “Ukraine”…
“This is a lot more complex than the official narrative represents.”
The official narrative has absolutely, utterly, totally no relation whatsoever with reality and history.
Benjamin, hat in hand…
Simple question:
Who hates the Brits more than anyone?
American revolution, freedom from being ruled by inbred retards, (French word, look it up), funded by the French government 😀
That rad brilliant dude makes muskrat look retarded….
AMIRITE?
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
The creep also reported that you’d better beat on your chattel, which included the wife, a few times a day to keep them in line.
I digress.
Let’s discuss rare earth.
Is it true that California is one of the largest suppliers?
The ore, not rare at all.
Is it true?
California digs it up and ships it to China because they don’t have an EPA?
IS THIS TRUE?
Allegedly the Chinese pollute their folks and environment refining the stuff then sell it back to us?
FAKE NEWS RIGHT?!!!!!
IMMA GONNA SHOUT OUT
DIG, DIG DIG, DIGGGIDY-DIG!!!
DRILL, DRILL DRILL IS SO 2024….
The German Nazis support Putin. The Nazis in Ukraine hate him. The dems: Trump is a Nazi. Stop meddling in the Nazis party.
You can blame the US for the 2014 revolution in the same way you can blame Russia for Trump’s election. The US certainly supported some political groups in Ukraine back in 2014, but the amount of support was fairly minimal and it is a gross exaggeration to say that the revolution would not have happened without US backing.
The same with Russia’s influence operations in the US. We have proof Russia paid US influencers to create pro Russia content. It is also known that there are a lot of coordinated Russian bots on social media. Despite all this it is a gross exaggeration to say that Trump wouldn’t have been elected without Russian influence.
Also, don’t forget that the US wouldn’t exist as a country without French support. Virtually every revolution benefits from foreign support, but this in no way invalidates the revolution.
Should we blame the Russian revolution on the Germans who shipped Lenin back to Russia with bags of cash?
You really should watch the Oliver Stone documentary on Ukraine. Also read up about Nuland and Blinken’s persecuted ancestors from the region. Blinken even wrote a book about messing with pipelines in the 80’s. If you think he was not involved with the planning of the Nord stream sabotage I don’t know what else to tell you other than people will believe what they want to believe. Nuland and Blinken, along with others had a score to settle.
Yeah and Blinken smirked on camera when he said the Nordstream pipeline disaster was a great opportunity for Germany to buy more LNG from the United States.
Having to buy expensive LNG from the US has been an economic disaster for Germany and is a powerful incentive for Germany to reach an economic arrangement with Russia even if it means the breakup of NATO. The Russia-Ukraine war has not been good for the US (other than perhaps for producers of LNG). Although the US has not had “boots on the ground”, it has spent about $200 billion on aid to Ukraine since 2014.
Even with a lot of money you cannot fabricate support that overcomes underlying organic support. The best example is the last election where the Democrats spent much more than Trump and gave pitiful results. With Ukraine the Ukrainians wouldn’t have fought the Russians so well if there hadn’t been considerable organic support.
If money was everything then Afghanistan and Iraq would still be American colonies. Money can smooth things out but it can’t make up for a lack of genuine popular support.
I am NOT arguing that the US hasn’t been engaged in trying to influence the politics of other nations, I am merely stating that it is an exaggeration to blame all the events that occur in those countries on US manipulation. Keep in mind that Russia has been investing FAR more than the US in manipulating Ukraine politics and all those efforts weren’t sufficient to prevent the 2014 revolution or the feisty resistance to it’s 2022 invasion.
Trump sided with Russia, China and North Korea. That’s all you need to know.
Trump sided with ending the war.
“US meddling made a mess in Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria, Israel, and damn near every place we have meddled.”
Brown Univ. estimates that on the order of 900,000 innocent civilians were killed in the Middle East wars initiated by the US ruling class. No one responsible suffered any consequences. “Our democracy” in action.
Russia wants a payoff for its three years of manpower and treasure invested on its western front. The terms that were generous in the beginning will no longer be quite so kind. Ukraine has been played for a fool by the West, lured by American perfidy and European Union vapid-air promises into a war it cannot win.
Soon the Ukrainians will see what it means to be at the lash-hand of another. Their days as an entity with an independent foreign policy power are numbered.
—-
You can read more of my writings by visiting: dark . sport . blog — on the net!
Oliver Stone’s documentary laid all this out years ago. Ukraine never had a chance. NATO however did finally get their final boss fight. Unfortunately for them they suffered the same fate as everyone else that tried to defeat Russia. Russia always loses…right up until they win as the saying goes.
You forget it was Ukraine shelling of Donetsk and other Russiam enclaves that
prompted Putin to start the SMO
Or gave him the excuse he needed.
Much like the initiation of the SMO was what the west needed as their pretext for involvement.
And the fact the Ukrainians had cut off the fresh water supplied to Crimea, by blocking the canal from the Dnieper. Hence why they made the dash to Kherson to release the water. They were forced to ensure a land bridge. And that is why I still think it was the Ukrainians that blew up the Khakovka dam.
Putin may dislike NATO expansion, but he is not genuinely frightened by it. Russia has the largest army in Europe, engorged by two decades of lavish spending. NATO is a defensive alliance. It has never attacked the Soviet Union or Russia, and it never will. Putin knows that. But Putin is threatened by a flourishing democracy in Ukraine. He cannot tolerate a successful and democratic Ukraine on Russia’s border, especially if the Ukrainian people also begin to prosper economically. That would undermine the Kremlin’s own regime stability and proposed rationale for autocratic state leadership. Just as Putin cannot allow the will of the Russian people to guide Russia’s future, he cannot allow the people of Ukraine, who have a shared culture and history, to realize the prosperous, independent, and free future that they have voted and fought for.
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/what-putin-fears-most/
What a load of horse sheet.
Again, this hide feature in the comments section is worth its weight in gold.
Above all avoid reading comments that do not match your beliefs as they may insidiously challenge your views. Can’t have that, can we?
No, I am willing to read contrarian views. But when they are such a load of garbage that it becomes apparent that the commenter is a troll and wasting everyone’s time (like President Musk), then the hide feature precludes me wasting my time while also minimizing the risk that I might be shielding.myself from contrarian views that are healthy to digest.
Hey! I like President Musk. A bit of levity in a dark time. Methinks you don’t understand humour.
A comment from the twilight zone. You are aware that Zelenskyy suspended democratic elections in Ukraine some time ago?
The three letter agencies are active today.
Did you copy this from a USAID website?
“Just as Putin cannot allow the will of the Russian people to guide Russia’s future, he cannot allow the people of Ukraine, who have a shared culture and history, to realize the prosperous, independent, and free future that they have voted and fought for.”
Insert instead: ‘The US cannot allow the people of Ukraine to realize the blah, blah, blah..’ and you would’ve nailed it, DooDoo.
Macron called Trump openly a liar in a joint press conference. Trump couldn’t say anything in response because … he is a liar. Sad day for America. We may have the biggest military, but we have president who anybody can call a liar.
Macron isn’t anybody; he’s a nobody.
He’s a nobody married to a dude.
French people despise that little weasel..
Trump’s feeble attempt to cast dispersions on Macron actually
morphed into an admission that the facts don’t matter to him:
”If you believe that, it’s ok with me” —-Trump
“cast aspersions”
I saw the clip. Trump was calling attention to the fact that Europe confiscated Russian assets and that they expected to be keep them as compensation for aiding Ukraine.
That is true. Europe was expecting to use that money to rebuild Ukraine (using European companies of course) but that is in question now.
Macron.. isn’t he the guy that’s married to that guy who was Macron’s teacher guy back in the day?? Yeah, he is.
Two family members from France make jokes about Macron and his ‘wife’.
And about Macron’s incredibly treasonous leadership and vassal-like prostration to the Klaus Schwab/WEF Globalist Cabal.
The country is a hell-hole..
The Azov Battalion has been killing Russians for years. Obama, Sullivan, and Powers pulled a color revolution and installed a puppet that plays piano with his dick. Ukraine is just as corrupt as DC. Don’t be a neocon Mish, you won’t be on the right side of history. The US has broken every Treaty and agreement we’ve ever made with Russia. Trust but verify and STOP WW3!
Bingo. There was already a peace treaty: it was called the Minsk Accords. Ukraine violated it. Two of its signatories—Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel—are on record saying that they never intended to abide by it. Pernicious, bad-faith actors.
Perfidious
FDR->Truman gave the USSR eastern Europe, which created the cold war, eventually the fall of the USSR (because it did not work, not because of the cold war), the rise of the Russian Federation, along with Putin who was one or our guys, he was Yeltsin’s protoges, and the tom foolery of cold warriors eventually pushed Putin into what he is now, clamping down on western funded oligarchs, seizing power with his KGB offshoot siloviki, etc.
The war was hatched by one of the G7 meetings which should be properly called I7, I for imperial. They knew Russia was going respond to militarization of Ukraine, and were ready with a counter-plan. The fact they were caught naked-assed cause them great embarrassment to which they are unable to admit to. The maxim is: Better die than be called stupid.
The mess today in Ukraine has its roots in the 2014 when democratically elected Ukrainian President Yanukovych was toppled in a US-backed coup.
—
WRONG WRONG WRONG. I keep saying this here. This didn’t start in 2014. That wasn’t a democratically elected anything. Putin has been interfering in Ukraine as far back as 2001.
Putin played a very prominent personal role in the Orange Revolution. Russian television, which was at the time widely watched in Ukraine, relentlessly pushed the candidacy of Viktor Yanukovych during the buildup to Ukraine’s presidential election. On the eve of the vote, Putin made the fateful decision to intervene directly. He traveled to Kyiv in late October 2004, where he was greeted with an impromptu military parade before appearing on national TV to lecture the Ukrainian public at length on the importance of backing his preferred presidential pick.
It soon became clear that Putin had miscalculated disastrously. His open and unapologetic attempt to interfere in Ukraine’s internal affairs was widely interpreted as a grave insult and an indication of his contempt for Ukrainian statehood. This electrified public opinion and helped mobilize millions of previously apolitical Ukrainians.
Weeks later, after a deeply flawed second round of voting, Ukrainians would respond to the attempted theft of their election by flooding into central Kyiv in huge numbers. It is no exaggeration to say that Putin’s act of supreme imperial hubris was one of the key causes of the Orange Revolution.
This pattern has repeated itself throughout the past twenty years, with Putin’s efforts to impose his will on Ukraine consistently backfiring and pushing the two countries further apart. In 2013, he pressured his Ukrainian ally Yanukovych to abandon European integration and return the country to the Kremlin orbit, only for this to provoke a second revolution and the fall of the Yanukoych regime.
Putin then opted for a military solution. He began the invasion of Ukraine in February 2014 with the seizure of Crimea, before sending forces into eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region weeks later. When it became obvious that this limited military intervention had merely succeeded in strengthening Ukraine’s resolve to exit the Russian sphere of influence entirely, Putin began plotting what would become the full-scale invasion of February 2022.
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/putins-ukraine-obsession-began-20-years-ago-with-the-orange-revolution/
And believe it or not, Putin at one time wanted to join NATO.
In 2000 while visiting London, Putin, then serving as acting Russian president, even suggested that Russia could join NATO someday:
Why would Putin want to join an alliance allegedly threatening Russia?
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. president George W. Bush and Putin forged a close, cooperative relationship to fight a common enemy: terrorism. At the time, Putin was focused on cooperation with NATO, not confrontation. The only time the alliance has ever invoked Article 5 on collective defense was to support a NATO intervention in Afghanistan, an action that Putin supported at the UN Security Council. He then followed up this diplomatic support with concrete military assistance for the alliance, including helping the United States to establish military bases in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. If NATO was always a threat to Russia and its “sphere of influence,” why did Putin facilitate the opening of these bases in the former Soviet Union?
During his November 2001 visit to the United States, Putin struck a realistic but cooperative tone:
In an interview that month, Putin declared,
When NATO announced in 2002 its plan for a major (and last big) wave of expansion that would include three former Soviet republics—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—Putin barely reacted. He certainly did not threaten to invade any of the countries to keep them out of NATO. Asked specifically in late 2001 whether he opposed the Baltic states’ membership in NATO, he stated, “We of course are not in a position to tell people what to do. We cannot forbid people to make certain choices if they want to increase the security of their nations in a particular way.”7
Putin even maintained the same attitude when it was a question of Ukraine someday entering the Atlantic Alliance. In May 2002, when asked for his views on the future of Ukraine’s relations with NATO, Putin dispassionately replied,
A decade later, under President Medvedev, Russia and NATO were cooperating once again. At the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon, Medvedev declared,
At that summit, he even floated the possibility of Russia-NATO cooperation on missile defense. Complaints about NATO expansion never arose.
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/what-putin-fears-most/
Cold warriors at Agency and State would never allow that. The idea was to keep inflating CCP China as a wedge against Russia. Now its Russia’s biggest energy customer. The plans of mice and men often go awry. Cold Warriors were good at the cold war, not so good at looking at the future unfolding.
If Russia would’ve been allowed to join NATO, Europe’s economy would be in much better condition now.
Trillions of $$ saved due to decreased defense spending,
Vastly cheaper energy costs thereby allowing heavy industry to flourish and an additional trading partner.
AND, hundreds of thousands of young men would not have died during the last 3 years..
On either side.
Don’t expect Americans here to understand any of this. It was “CIA hack job” on this side of the pond, this is all they know 🙂
In my view Ukraine is in this mess by themselves. When Soviet Union collapse there was window of opportunity under Jelcyn when there was a chance Russia will turn into democracy. Smart countries, like Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and other like Poland, or Slovakia knew devil well and rushed to join EU and NATO. They did in 2004 what was last moment
Once Putin took full control of Russia it was over, he was on course to rebuild great Russia.
So at the end Ukraine can blame themselves for not prioritizing distancing themselves form Russia while they could.
I agree with Mish that this war might have been avoided. But if that was done in 2014 as author stated here, Ukraine would be today another Belarus, puppet president from Kremlin plus no democracy.
Ukrainian knew about it so they tried their best to avoid it.
I think Putin will allow some type of deal because he doesn’t want whole Ukraine now with potential millions of people that truly hate Russia. So he needs a small part to remain “independent” so all people who doesn’t like Russia can go there. This way he will reduce risk of future guerilla groups or internal terrorism plus small buffer between NATO and Russia.
But I don’t think we are there yet. He needs much more then what is currently under Russia control , like Odessa region to eventually be able to seize Moldova at some point in future.
Regarding Trump I don’t think Putin cares. For him this is another name, like Obama, Bush or Biden, gone in next 4 years.
Russia doesn’t want Moldova – although they should liberate Transnistria and Odessa, Kharkov and Sumy. The whole of historic Novorossiya.
I don’t agree with it.
Putin s on mission to rebuild Russia the way it was before 1990.
Now unfortunately for him Asian part is off limit. If he tried to start any conflict with Kazakhstan he would get stopped by big boss in China, so this area is off the table now.
Moldova was part of Soviet Union so is absolutely a goal to get. Also that is important strategically as it put Russia much closes to their allies in Serbia. But it might be more to Putin successor to finish.
Moldova is Romania
Russia does not want western Ukraine, expensive to hold, just the Russian speaking portions(which also happen to be great farmland and be loaded with valuable minerals and petrochemical resources)
Yanukovych was elected legitimately in 2010. He only had a year left in his term in 2014. At the time of the Maidan uprising, he even agreed to hold early elections. The US had other ideas. Whether the rooftop shooters in Maidan Square were CIA-trained Banderites or CIA themselves or MI6, the US/UK were involved.
Incite a war, lie about it. Lose the war, lie about it. Demand the money back. Perfidious Albion, Yankee style.
And make BILLION$$$$
Yanukovych’s mother was Russian. He was Moscow’s guy. His predecessor, Yushenko grew up speaking Ukrainian, became a banker, so in essence he was Wall Street’s guy. He defeated Yanukovych in 2004 whereupon the KGB poisoned him with dioxin. He survived and took office. This conflict has been going on for years. Hundreds of years. We like to simplify things by referring back to 2014 and the time of Victoria Nuland’s “fuck the EU” and the Maidan which booted Yanukovych who had remained in politics until he gained office. Bombing separatist Russian speaking oblasts was really the beginning of the hot war. A clusterfuck of epic proportions. But Putin did invade a sovereign country in the heart of Europe and his historical recitation to Tucker Carlson was of course slanted and heartily biased towards his view of recreating the Russian Empire.
A balanced recitation. How sovereign was the Ukraine, though, with 12 or more CIA bases on its territory? As I’m sure you know, the US had a goal of making the Black Sea a “NATO lake”. Ukraine and Georgia remained to be absorbed into the Borg (NATO).
Stalin was Georgian. He wanted to joined the priesthood but became a Georgian gangster instead. When he became Godfather, errr, General Secretary, being Georgian made it a lot easier to sacrifice Russians. So he has always held a soft spot in the cold hearts of Soviet, errrr, Russian leadership. So how can you give up Georgia? Nyet!
Yes! And don’t forget the 20-30 Ukraine BIOLABS that Gabbard mentioned…
I was not aware of this US goal until I listened to the Sachs speech referenced elsewhere in these comments.
Exactly. Russia wanted to cooperate with NATO as late as 2010.
A decade later, under President Medvedev, Russia and NATO were cooperating once again. At the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon, Medvedev declared,
At that summit, he even floated the possibility of Russia-NATO cooperation on missile defense. Complaints about NATO expansion never arose.
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/what-putin-fears-most/
It would be interesting to find out Agency and State positions around that time saying no, but Kagan and Nuland’s positions probably spelled out general consensus. Cold Warriors did not trust the Russians. Why? Because they had proven time and again that they were untrustworthy. The switch from communism to a market economy never worked because the oligarchs supplied with lines of cash from the West seized the means of production. I think this is what drove Putin and siloviki to seize power. I remember a press conference with Putin sitting behind a fold up desk, treating Khodorkovsky like a schoolboy in trouble, making him sign a paper declaring his sins. K of course wound up in prison. Control of energy became a NatSec issue. And there you have it.
Putin poisoned Yushenko before Yushenko got elected. Putin doesn’t wait; he tries to kill political opponents right away. And Trump is a big fan of Putin.
Putin should teach on-line AP Chemistry courses here.
That was funny.
Russia is surprisingly inept at poisoning. Most of the people who Russia supposedly poisons don’t die.
Polonium and an umbrella? Meanwhile, CIA had plans to kill Castro with an exploding clam.
“The U.S. was joined by North Korea, Russia and Belarus in voting against it.”
Politics makes strange bedfellows sometimes.
Indeed, and it’s another obvious sign that the UN is broken beyond repair. The corruption there exceeds Brussels and that is saying something.
I wonder when was the last time the US and North Korea voted in unison on something? Both war and peace make for strange bedfellows.
I posted this in the last thread and it bears repeating:
I’d expect Trump and Putin to work out a deal that ultimately frees up all the Russian assets that were frozen by the West. Putin agrees to use those asset to rebuild the Eastern part of Ukraine (the part Russia is now annexing) using US companies and technology in and along with the US getting first access (or rather first dibs) on buying those rare earth raw materials.
It’s a win-win for Russia (annexed territory, peace, their assets back, back in US good graces, rebuilt Eastern territory) and the US (US companies/technology to do the work, no more funding the war, US access to strategic raw materials).
Europe will be left holding the bag of rebuilding Western Ukraine, providing peace keeping forces and dealing with the long term affects of several million Ukrainian refugees who may or may not want to return home.
I think Trump carousling with Putin is crossing some Congressional red lines and may wind up losing his thin majority of support among Republicans in both houses, which ultimately may tank any such deals. Time will tell.
Don’t panic. Rachel Maddow is still on air. She’ll come up with answers.
We are still at the beginning stages and we do not have any details yet assuming there are any already agreed upon with Putin. One thing is certain and that is Trump dynamited the log jam and now we are in a new environment where much is possible.
Trump is making a big mistake aligning himself with putin.
Russia Russia Russia!
Sorry to hear about your type 1 TDS.
Is Putin in the room with you right now? Show me where on this doll he hurt you.
They should pass a resolution blaming Victoria Nuland.
They should drop Vicki and the whole Kagan clan out of a helicopter.
Vicky is the US, the only guilty party in this conflict.
F*** Victoria Nuland. Her husband, apart from resembling Jabba the Hutt, has been a long time architect of neocon world domination, endearingly known as the rules based order.
Agree. A lot of misinformed readers still believe Putin is a Hitler who wants to conquer Europe. So frustrating for those of us who have closely followed world events for decades. Jeffrey Sachs sums it up well. I encourage those who continue to spout Neocon garbage to listen to professor Sachs’ recent address to the EU:
Jeffrey Sachs Brings Real Politics to the EU Parliament
An excellent speech given by Jeffrey Sachs. Unfortunately, most Americans (say 99%?) do not know the back story that preceded Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.