"We must determine all the hard facts - as much as possible, given that the plane crashed on Russian territory," Zelensky said in a video published on his website.26 Jan, 2024 16:10
He added that the Ukrainian authorities are investigating the incident and working to "determine the fate of all POWs."
"Our country will be insisting on an international investigation," the president said, accusing Moscow of "playing with the lives of Ukrainian POWs." He did not name a culprit in the destruction of the transport plane, however.
[...]
Russia requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the incident. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters that "Ukrainian propaganda" has been frantically "trying to concoct other explanations" since the information about the passengers of the doomed flight was revealed. France, which chairs the council this month, said it could call for a session on Thursday afternoon.
Putin said that material seized from the crash site suggests that an American or French air-defense missile was used to bring down the plane, and that exactly how the aircraft was shot down "will become clear in a couple of days."Related:
"The results of the investigation into the IL-76 case will be published so that the Ukrainian people know" what happened to their soldiers, he stated.
Just this week, Russia's Defence Ministry said it had hit a nest of 60 foreign fighters in Kharkov — most of whom, it claims, were French. If true - although the French government denies that's the case - it would raise a lot of questions, like why are French nationals fighting Russia in Ukraine? Who are these people, exactly? Why the Gallic shrug from Paris over their presence in an armed conflict zone when the ubiquity of Western intelligence in Ukraine suggests that France should be well aware of what's happening?
At least 400 US citizens have been killed during the conflict in Ukraine, Col. (Ret.) Douglas Macgregor, a former adviser to the defense secretary in the administration of former US President Donald Trump, has said.Correspondence between the origin of manufacture and the nationality of the rocket launch commanders is not guaranteed. War is a tricky business.
"We know that at least 400 Americans have died whether they are contractors or in uniform. Our administration won't say this," he wrote on the X social network.
"We stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor, Greg Abbott, and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy, including razor wire fences, to secure the border. Because the Biden Administration has abdicated its constitutional compact duties to the states, Texas has every legal justification to protect the sovereignty of our states and our nation."
"It appears that individuals within the White House are trying to force policymaking through leaks to the media. This continues to create uncertainty about whether our allies can rely on US LNG for their energy security. If this leaked report from anonymous White House sources is true, it appears the Administration may be putting a moratorium on the entire U.S. LNG industry.The White House declined to comment on the report and the DOE didn't respond to a request for comment.
"Such an action would shock the global energy market, having the impact of an economic sanction, and send a devastating signal to our allies that they can no longer rely on the United States.
"The true irony is this policy would hurt the climate and lead to increased emissions as it would force the world to pivot to coal."
The Biden administration is delaying a key decision on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities, potentially waiting until after the upcoming presidential election to make a final determination, according to The New York Times.
The changes to evaluation criteria for LNG export terminals reportedly under consideration could derail the construction of key facilities like CP2, according to the NYT.
Several key players in the administration's climate agenda reportedly met earlier in January to discuss what to do about the criteria for approving natural gas export facilities. The environmental lobby is pushing the administration to scrap CP2 and other LNG export terminals, but American LNG has also been instrumental in helping Europe meet demand after the start of the Ukraine war, according to Fortune.
American LNG exports have been on a steady rise since July 2020, reaching a record high in October 2023, the most recent month on record with the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
While pressure from allies may be strong, young voters and environmental activists are poised to be key constituencies for Biden and fellow Democrats as the 2024 election draws closer on the calendar. A decision to green light CP2 and other similar projects is likely to draw the ire of green voters and activists, an outcome which could possibly deliver a major blow to President Joe Biden's reelection chances given the bevy of unfavorable polls currently swirling around him.
Former President Barack Obama and his team ultimately waited to kill the Keystone XL pipeline until 2015, well after they had secured a second term and would not have to seek re-election again.
Neither the White House nor the DOE responded immediately to requests for comment.
"Central to Trudeau's invocation of the Act was the alleged threat of right-wing extremism and violence, but new documents that podcaster Jeremy Mackenzie obtained through Canada's freedom of information law show that this drastic measure was based on fabricated intelligence."Government-approved media pushed that narrative soon after Trudeau accused Conservatives of supporting a "fringe group" with "unacceptable" views. They effectively branded the protesters as radicals.
Comment: See also:
- Escobar: How Yemen's 'asabiyya' is reshaping geopolitics
- US asks China for help with Houthis & Red Sea blockade, China reminds journalists 'Gaza conflict' to blame
The following further confirms the ships position, and the convoy: