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The West isn't buying Zelensky's 'Victory Plan'. So what happens next?

Vitaly Ryumshin
RT
Mon, 07 Oct 2024 21:39 UTC
zelensky
© Getty ImagesVladimir Zelensky at the UN • New York • September 25, 2024
The Ukrainian leader has tough choices to make, and if he gets them wrong the situation may spiral out of control.

From Ukraine's perspective, the military confrontation with Russia appears to have finally reached a stalemate. Vladimir Zelensky's latest diplomatic tour, aimed at shaking up support for Kiev in the West, has brought no breakthroughs. And the future of the conflict is now very much up in the air.

The hopes of the Ukrainian leadership have revolved around a so-called 'victory plan'. The title of the document should speak for itself - it's apparently Kiev's strategy for defeating Russia, and it consists of four or five not entirely comprehensible points. In any case, Zelensky went to the United States last week to present it.

During the negotiations, however, it became clear that Ukraine and the West had very different ideas of what the strategy should be. The Americans and Western Europeans expected Kiev to present them with a clear vision of victory and a roadmap for achieving it. Instead, the Ukrainians brought a list of "demands" that the US and EU should fulfill so that Kiev can eventually negotiate from a stronger position.

Comment: Never fear: The West has its fat finger on this pulse.

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No Entry

Slovakian PM Fico opposes Ukrainian membership in NATO, warns against 'Russophobia'


RT
Sun, 06 Oct 2024 23:02 UTC
Fico
© Tomas TkacikSlovakian President Robert Fico
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has said that his country would not allow Ukraine to join NATO as long as he stays in power. Admitting Kiev into the US-led military alliance would trigger a new world war, he warned in an interview with the broadcaster STVR on Sunday.
"As long as I am the prime minister of the Slovak Republic, I will lead the legislators, whom I have control over as a party chairman, to never agree to Ukraine's membership in NATO. Ukraine's entry into NATO would serve as a good basis for a third world war."
Fico, a longtime critic of Western military and financial aid to Ukraine, has insisted that the conflict must be resolved through diplomatic means. He repeatedly warned against further escalation with Moscow.

Comment: "As long as he stays in power..." That will be the the test. Breaking solidarity has consequences.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Saturday announced his intention to visit Moscow to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. Speaking to the host of the Saturday Dialogues show on Slovakia's RTVS radio, Fico said the event should have nothing to do with today's conflicts.
"Who will stop me next year, when it will be the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, from going to a peaceful demonstration in Moscow? I think I will go. And why wouldn't I go. What does it have to do with the present time?"
Fico said he would not let anyone forget that "freedom came from the East," apparently referring to the liberation of Slovakia from Nazi occupation by the Soviet Army in spring 1945. With regard to present-day Ukraine, he said he recently reiterated to authorities in Kiev that he does not understand why they continue to fight the Russians.

Since returning to power in 2023, Fico has stopped Slovak weapons deliveries to Ukraine. He has also repeatedly called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. At a press conference earlier this week, the premier vowed to do everything in his power to restore relations with Moscow once the fighting ends.

Earlier this month, Fico lambasted the West for condemning the atrocities committed by the Third Reich during WWII while turning a blind eye to Ukrainian troops wearing Nazi symbols. In a speech at the former site of Sered concentration camp in western Slovakia, he called on the global community to stop silently tolerating Kiev's forces using Nazi insignia.

Moscow has long tried to draw the attention of the global community to the growing influence of Nazi ideology among the Ukrainian public, and has made the "denazification" of Ukraine one of the goals of the military operation it launched in February 2022.

Russian Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev accused the West earlier this year of nurturing and supporting modern Nazis by backing Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin also recently slammed the West for "forgetting the lessons of World War II" and "mocking history" by justifying the actions of current followers of the Nazis.
Shamefully, Washington utilizes any 'advantage' - the more despicable, the better.

See also: This EU leader is a rare voice of sanity when it comes to Russia

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Gavel

Trial date set in Von der Leyen Covid-19 vaccine scandal


RT
Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:39 UTC
VDLeyen
© Thierry Monasse/Getty ImagesPresident of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen
The European Commission president is suspected of withholding private text messages that she supposedly exchanged with the CEO of Pfizer.

The European Court of Justice will hear a case on November 15 concerning European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen's handling of Covid-19 vaccine procurement, the Financial Times has said, citing anonymous sources. A panel of 15 judges will reportedly consider whether she illegally withheld private text messages she supposedly exchanged with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.

At the height of the pandemic, the commission advocated collectively purchasing billions of shots and distributing them among EU member states struggling to contain Covid-19. In 2020 and 2021, Brussels struck deals with vaccine manufacturers to the tune of approximately €2.7 billion ($2.95 billion).

It is believed that Von der Leyen played a key role in organizing the procurement, with critics claiming the negotiations were not transparent enough.
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Russian Flag

Russia and China oppose West's attempts to maintain dominance - Lavrov


RT
Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:46 UTC
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
© Alexey Maishev; RIA Novosti
The world is going through a "multipolar moment" and the West's attempts to maintain its dominance are undermining peace, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Newsweek published on Monday.

Asked to comment on Moscow's strengthening relations with Beijing and other powers, and the effects these partnerships could have on the world, the diplomat argued that the shift towards a "multipolar world order is a natural part of power rebalancing." Russia and China have a mutual understanding on this issue, he added.

Lavrov explained that these developments reflect "objective changes in the world economy, finance, and geopolitics." Even the West has belatedly begun to realize that this process is "irreversible," he argued.

"We are talking about strengthening new centers of power and decision-making in the Global South and East. Instead of seeking hegemony, these centers acknowledge the importance of sovereign equality and civilizational diversity and support mutually beneficial cooperation and respect for each other's interests," the minister said.

Lavrov added that the growing role of regional associations such as the African Union, Eurasian Economic Union, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are contributing to the manifestation of multipolarity.
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Red Pill

NordStream attacked to divide Europe - Russian intel


RT
Mon, 07 Oct 2024 18:35 UTC
Sergey Naryshkin
© Sputnik / Grigory SysoyevThe head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin
The US and the UK were directly involved in the 2022 attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has said.

Sergey Naryshkin made the remarks during a meeting of intelligence officials of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) states in Astana, Kazakhstan last week. The transcript of the speech was published on the SVR website on Monday.

The West's ongoing investigation into the attack is unlikely to identify its true masterminds and perpetrators, while the public has been fed scarcely believable theories about the sabotage through the media, the SVR boss stated.

"Russia has repeatedly requested data on the explosions from the Europeans, but has never received it. Western media are trying to blame a group of Ukrainian amateur divers who allegedly acted independently. However, this is a version designed for a naive layman," he said.

Comment: Previously:

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Star of David

Israeli cabinet members suggest Blinken approved policy to bomb aid trucks

Yaniv Cogan
Drop Site News
Sun, 06 Oct 2024 17:57 UTC
blinken israel cabinet
© Israeli Government Press Office handout via GettyBenjamin Netanyahu and Antony Blinken on their way to a meeting of the Israeli War Cabinet, October 16, 2023.
From the very beginning of Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had his hands on the steering wheel. After October 7, Blinken was the first senior U.S. official to arrive in Israel, on October 11. "I'm going with a very simple and clear message... that the United States has Israel's back," Blinken reportedly said before boarding the plane.

He returned again days later. This time, Blinken was there to demand that Israel rethink its decision to bomb any humanitarian aid entering Gaza and impose a "total siege" on the Strip. In exchange, U.S. President Joe Biden offered to visit Israel himself. Reportedly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained to Blinken upon his arrival on October 16, 2023: "I have got people in the cabinet who don't want an aspirin to get into Gaza because of what's happened."

From within the Kirya, the Israeli military's main headquarters in Tel Aviv, Blinken participated in the frantic discussions of the Israeli War Cabinet — the decision-making forum guiding the genocidal campaign — that were occuring in parallel to conversations in the broader Security Cabinet.

Comment: In other news:



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Radar

UK and US helped Ukraine plan 'new Chernobyl' - Russian intel chief


RT
Mon, 07 Oct 2024 18:33 UTC
Kursk nuclear power plant
© Sputnik / Ilya PitalevKursk nuclear power plant
British and American spies helped Ukraine develop plans for blowing up the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, which would have plunged Europe into another radiation nightmare, the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, has said.

Ukrainian troops crossed into Russia's Kursk Region in August, but were stopped short of the nuclear plant in Kurchatov. Speaking at a meeting of intelligence and security principals of post-Soviet states in Astana last week, Naryshkin revealed the West's disturbing plan for the facility.

"According to intelligence obtained by the SVR, the planned terrorist attack included taking and mining the Kursk NPP," he said, according to remarks made public on Monday.

"Had they been able to carry it out, Europe would have faced an environmental and humanitarian disaster comparable to Chernobyl," Naryshkin added.
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Bullseye

Ukraine and West have no intention of peace - Lavrov


RT
Mon, 07 Oct 2024 18:31 UTC
lavrov
© RIA Novosti
Russia would agree to a diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine conflict that would resolve its root causes, but neither Kiev nor its Western backers appear open to such a resolution, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Newsweek magazine published on Monday.

According to the diplomat, Moscow would prefer to end the conflict once and for all rather than merely achieve a ceasefire. For this, Lavrov stressed that the West must stop supplying weapons to Ukraine and Kiev should end its hostilities and return to a "neutral, non-bloc and non-nuclear status, protect the Russian language, and respect the rights and freedoms of its citizens."

Lavrov suggested that the Istanbul agreements, which were nearly approved by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in March 2022, could serve as the basis for such a settlement, as they provide for Kiev's formal abstention from joining NATO, as well as security guarantees for Ukraine while recognizing "the realities on the ground at the moment."
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Russian Flag

Trump would understand better how to engage with Russia than Harris

Ian Proud
Strategic Culture Foundation
Sun, 06 Oct 2024 00:00 UTC
Trumputin
© AFP PhotoFormer US President Donald Trump • Russian President Vladimir Putin
The U.S. has the most diplomatic clout in the world and should deploy it by restarting long-overdue negotiations with Russia should Trump come to power.

It is hard to imagine a handling of the Russia-Ukraine war more catastrophic than under the Presidency of Joe Biden. With every passing day, Ukraine becomes increasingly indebted, broken and depopulated.

Would Trump be able to end the war in 24 hours as he suggests? We can garner some clues from his first Presidency. How does then compare to now in terms of what Trump might achieve?

Then - the deep state ensured U.S.-Russia relations tanked under Trump 1

From the moment he took office in January 2017, President Trump was swimming against a fast moving tide of bipartisan resistance to engagement with Russia. Mainstream western press coverage of his efforts was consistently stained with the unattractive tint of Russian collusion.

Fears that Trump would get too close to Putin undoubtedly contributed to the agreement by Congress and the Senate of the sweeping Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) which Trump was forced to sign into U.S. Law in August 2017. CAATSA was largely a codification of existing sanctions under a single umbrella. But in terms of the economics, CAATSA led inter alia to massive disruption to global aluminium markets after the U.S. sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska and Rusal in April 2018.

The Kremlin responded with a massive expulsion of U.S. diplomats and locally employed embassy staff in Russia, amounting to 755 staff in total. Add another 60 U.S. diplomats expelled in April 2018. Bilateral U.S.-Russia diplomatic relations had never been so bad. CAATSA also caused fractures in U.S. relations with key EU Member States, because it restricted European companies' scope to trade with Russia, if those companies had U.S. holdings.

Now - there's less gas in the tank for the deep state to block Trump entirely

Comment: Interesting analysis, given that time, circumstance and sabotage will impact and contour both efforts and results.

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Star of David

Will Israel pull off an "October Surprise"?

Philip Giraldi
The Unz Review
Fri, 04 Oct 2024 00:00 UTC
BlinkNet
© UnknownUS Secretary of State Anthony Blinken • Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
There is some speculation in Washington about a so-called October Surprise being engineered by either party or their supporters to change the outcome of the upcoming election. The original October Surprise took place in 1980, when Ronald Reagan's campaign manager William Casey conspired with several senior CIA officers in Europe to convince the Iranian government to delay the release of the American Embassy hostages until after the November election against Jimmy Carter. Casey believed that any earlier release of the hostages would give a boost to the Carter campaign, demonstrating that the Democratic Party's policy of how to deal with Iran was working. The Iranian government was approached secretly using CIA resources and complied with the request, believing that it would result in a less hostile relationship with the new administration. In the event, Reagan defeated Carter and some believed that the continuation of the hostage crisis had made the administration look feckless and hurt the incumbent just enough to change the outcome of the election.

Since that time "October Surprise" has become shorthand for playing a political dirty trick shortly before the election to directly impact negatively on a candidate's credibility or ability to respond to problems.
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