Wat betreft de toekomst van Oekraïne is een gok op een Russische inval nog steeds de meest safe stap. De houding van de Amerikaanse president dwingt president Putin er bijna toe.

President Biden Heeft geen idee wat Rusland zal doen, en het lijkt hem nog minder te kunnen schelen. Woensdagmiddag verklaarde de Amerikaanse president

“My Guess” Is Russia Will Invade Ukraine: “I Don’t Know If Putin Decided What He Wants To Do”

President Joe Biden’s Wednesday afternoon “solo” press conference spent a lot of time on the Russia-Ukraine crisis. While he consistently echoed prior assessments given via White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki (that an invasion could come “at any point”), the most interesting new statements from the president gave a bit more detail as to what he’s willing to do or not willing to do regarding “consequences”.
The big question that remains is: given any “incursion” or “offensive” by Russia into Eastern Ukraine, will Biden order a military response in support of Kiev, or will the US stop short by merely ramping up sanctions? Biden began early in the Q&A with journalists by underscoring his belief that Putin is planning to invade Ukraine: “my guess is he will move in,” he stated.

Wat de USA daar aan gaat doen, of tegenover stellen?:Dat de EU wel goed gek moet zijn om zich er mee te bemoeien legde ik gisteren al uit. Hoewel er in Brussel zeker voorstanders zijn van een dergelijke onzalige confrontatie, zou de irritatie aan Amerikaanse zijde over Europeanen die zich met zaken in Europa bemoeien huizenhoog zijn.

Only full unity of the West can hold back Putin from invading Ukraine:

common defence, support to Ukraine, threat of massive sanctions & total isolation of Russia if it goes too far !https://t.co/kvdniY2XyV

— Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) January 15, 2022

De positie van de USA is nogal schizofreen. Na het Russische ultimatum vorige week, dat vandaag afliep, is de enige reactie geweest – gisteren pas!!! – om nog eens te gaan praten. Veel beledigender kan het nauwelijks. Onmiskenbaar werd in Washington noch Brussel het Russische ultimatum serieus genomen. Wat gebeurt er, en hoe kijken betrokkenen er naar?

“Defining Ukraine’s sovereignty and integrity as a core security interest of the United States, akin to possession of Massachusetts, is a form of insanity.” As a case in point, Clint Ehrlich has spent a significant amount of time in Russia and the broader region as a geopolitical researcher, making him somewhat a serious expert on the crisis. But his appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight is now causing a collective meltdown among establishment pundits not seen since the height of the Russiagate hysteria in recent years.
Days ago Ehrlich wrote that “The world is perched on the edge of an abyss. We may soon see the worst combat in Europe since WW2 – killing thousands of people, and raising the likelihood of nuclear war. It didn’t have to be this way.” And on Wednesday he had this to say: “My segment last night on Tucker Carlson is having a bigger impact than I ever imagined. It’s causing pro-war pundits and politicians to lose their minds! Let’s catalog their meltdowns…

Het eerste filmpje in de tweet hieronder doet vaagjes denken aan de redes voor het ganze Volk die de heer AH vroeger wel ten beste gaf. Geen mensen aan wiens kant je zou willen staan.

America is moving towards war with Russia, and the media is encouraging it. pic.twitter.com/hE9Hv8Xu63

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) January 19, 2022

De Biden-regering doet dus maar wat. Nog onderstreept door:

As Axios underscores, Biden then followed it with statements suggesting the White House really is still at the stage of ‘guess work’: “But as Biden himself acknowledged, it’s unclear whether Putin himself has decided what comes next.” He also made a distinction between a “minor incursion” and full-on “invasion” – reportedly to the anger of Ukrainian officials

Niet bepaald in lijn met de berichtgeving uit Washington van afgelopen weken:

“I believe he’s calculating what the immediate short-term and the near-term and the long-term consequences of Russia will be. And I don’t think he’s made up his mind yet,” Biden stressed. He admitted that “I don’t know if Putin decided what he wants to do” – in a bit of a glaring contradiction to all the breathless admin official statements of the last two weeks asserting an “invasion” is coming. Hilariously, there was also this contradiction during the presser:

Biden: Decision to invade Ukraine “will depend on what side of bed Putin get’s up on…”
Biden later: “he’s calculating Russia’s interests”

NOW – Biden on Russia invading Ukraine: "It depends on what it does. It's one thing if it's a minor incursion…"pic.twitter.com/vnkySSSX9f

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 19, 2022

Bovenstaande uitspraak viel begrijpelijkerwijs niet goed in Kiev:

Re: Biden in press conference suggesting a "minor incursion" by Russia into Ukraine would be met with a lesser response, CNN's Matthew Chance (who's in Kyiv) just reported that Ukrainian officials "watched those remarks with horror"

— Steve Lookner (@lookner) January 19, 2022

Een minor invasie is niet echt een probleem, aldus Biden? Wat is minor???

Het is hoog tijd dat de NATO zich terugtrekt uit een wespennest als Oekraïne. We hebben er niets te zoeken, en evenmin iets te winnen. Mensen die denken dat er iets anders te halen valt, zijn wat mij betreft niet goed bij hun hoofd.

Dare I say a dangerous truth, but there are politicians and analysts and journalists who want Russia to invade Ukraine.
Not because these folks are “Putin apologists,” to quote a popular insult they use against the anti-war crowd. But because they see Russian actions as a pretext for U.S. intervention and perpetual U.S. presence in Ukraine, if not elsewhere. (Poke the bear and you’re the antagonist. Get attacked by the bear and you’re the victim.)

Zo zijn daar de doelen van NATO, maar dat men daar in Brussel niet goed beseft dat China een belangrijker front is voor de USA onder de huidige omstandigheden is een probleem van iedereen – een ongeluk is zo gebeurd.

How can Russian aggression best be used? For some, it is the justification for more troops and more weapons in Eastern Europe. NATO sees theopportunity to “reinforce its troop presence in the Black Sea and the Baltics.”

En ook:

Here in the States, former Obama Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Evelyn Farkas advocates “U.S. leaders should be marshalling an international coalition of the willing, readying military forces to deter Putin and, if necessary, prepare for war.” Others argue for an aggressive military response or suggest the option of “U.S. boots on the ground.” Max Boot, a delusional journalist with a large platform, a silly fedora, and an appetite for war, promotes an urgent airlift of U.S. weapons systems to Ukraine. Boot goes so far as to issue a silly warning that Putin is attempting to resurrect the “evil empire.” If Boot believes these words, then he will eventually advocate the most extreme measures to counter Russia.

Dangerous rhetoric indeed.

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Meer over Oekraïne en de gebeurtenissen in dat land leest u hier.