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Third EU state objects to Ukrainian membership talks


RT
Tue, 12 Dec 2023 15:15 UTC
Nehammer
© Getty Images/Nicolas Economou/NurPhotoAustrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer
Austria has joined Hungary and Slovakia in opposing fast track procedures for accepting Ukraine and Moldova into the union...

There should be no preferential treatment for Ukraine in regards to its path to becoming a member of the European Union, Austrian Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer said during a government meeting on Monday.

His statement came in response to proposals from the European Commission to launch accession talks with Ukraine as soon as possible. However, after opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, EC President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that the bloc's leaders would only discuss "the opening of accession negotiations, not accession itself" at the upcoming European Council summit this week.

Answering questions from members of Austria's EU Main Committee, Nehammer stated that his country was generally in favor of EU enlargement and agreed to offering Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova accession prospects.

However, he insisted that there should be no "fast-track procedure" for the two states and that internal EU reforms would also be needed to prepare the bloc for enlargement. He stressed that Austria would not agree to any accession talks with Ukraine under the current conditions.

Comment: If the EU and West think Ukraine is a drain on war resources, just wait until it is a member in the fold!

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Bullseye

Timofey Bordachev: The EU is now dealing with the consequences of its huge strategic failure


RT
Wed, 13 Dec 2023 21:03 UTC
eu council
© Thierry Monasse / Getty ImagesLatvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins is talking with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the French President Emmanuel Macron
Whether many of us in Russia are prepared to admit it or not, the European Union's place in international politics will inevitably become an important issue of both theoretical and practical significance. For the great powers, the urgency of this question is determined by what they associate with Western Europe in their own plans and, consequently, where they are likely to be disappointed. In the case of the US, the bloc's strategic importance is determined by its ability to contain Russia with at least partial self-reliance.

For Russia itself, the EU is a potential "weak link" in the united coalition of the West, led by the US, which threatens the interests and survival of the Russian state. A similar position is held by China, whose authorities also expect American influence in Europe to decline over time, allowing Beijing to retain access to some Western technologies and markets in the face of an inevitable "divorce" from the Americans. From India's point of view, the EU is a less demanding partner than the US in modernizing the Indian economy and solving some of its national development challenges.

At the same time, it is difficult to speak of genuine sympathy for Western Europeans on the part of any of their global partners. In these foreign policy circumstances, the EU's leading countries are faced with the prospect of gradually becoming frontier territories that all the opposing global players will regard as nothing more than a political or economic resource base. The question is whether Western Europeans can stop moving in this direction and, more importantly, whether they need to show more individualism in world affairs.
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Stormtrooper

Report says UK secretly sent 500 troops to Cyprus base supplying weapons to Israel

Ian DeMartino
Sputnik
Tue, 12 Dec 2023 20:33 UTC
RAF Akrotiri
RAF Akrotiri, the UK's air base in Cyprus
Cyprus is an island that sits in the East Mediterranean Sea, about 230 miles from the Gaza Strip. Not unlike Palestine, its territory is disputed by two peoples, the Turkish Cypriots in the north and the Greek Cypriots to the south, where UK and US troops are stationed.

Previously, the UK admitted to sending 1,000 troops to the East Mediterranean to support Israel but did not provide details on where the troops were deployed. But James Heappey, who serves as the minister for the UK's armed forces, confirmed in a letter to a British MP that some 500 troops had been dispatched to Cyprus.

The UK has two military bases in Cyprus that are considered UK soil, Dhekelia in the eastern part of the island and Akrotiri in the west. Royal Air Force (RAF) Akrotiri is the larger of the two and also includes a base used by the US military. RAF Akrotiri has been used by the UK as a staging area for bombing campaigns in the Middle East.

Comment: The UK is trying to prove it still has relevance as a faithful Deep State footsoldier.

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Mr. Potato

Zelensky gives US TV viewers fake frontline facts


RT
Wed, 13 Dec 2023 20:16 UTC
Vladimir Zelensky, Bret Baier
© Paul Morigi / Getty ImagesUkrainian President Vladimir Zelensky (L) visits ‘Special Report’ with Bret Baier at FOX News, on December 12, 2023.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has contradicted frontline developments by claiming that Russian troops have failed to capture a single village from Kiev's forces this year. The Ukrainian leader talked up his country's supposed military achievements in an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier on Tuesday.

Zelensky is visiting Washington this week to urge continued military assistance for Kiev in 2024. Political clashes on Capitol Hill have caused a White House request for more than $110 billion in foreign security spending, including over $60 billion for Ukraine, to be blocked.

Speaking in English, Zelensky claimed that Ukrainian forces had "destroyed mostly [the] Russian fleet that was situated in our waters and near... occupied Crimea." Kiev has launched several successful attacks on Russia's Black Sea Fleet using Western-provided cruise missiles, although Moscow's forces have repelled numerous other assaults.

Zelensky further claimed that Ukraine had killed 20,000 members of the now-disbanded Wagner private military company, and that "Russia did not occupied [sic] any Ukrainian village during this year."

Comment: No wonder Western countries are turning off their money and weapons spigots. Even the lies make Ukraine sound like a lost cause!

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Star of David

Report says that Israel has started flooding Hamas tunnel network with seawater

Carlo Versano
The Messenger
Tue, 12 Dec 2023 20:08 UTC
Hamas tunnels gaza
© IDF/XThe tunnels underneath a Gaza hospital as seen in photographs released by the Israeli military.
The Israeli military has started pumping water from the Mediterranean Sea into the vast tunnel complex that winds underneath Gaza, according to a report Tuesday.

The seawater plan, under consideration as recently as last week, is part of an effort by the Israelis to incapacitate the underground network used by Hamas to shuttle personnel and supplies through the Strip.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli forces had begun flooding the tunnels with water, citing U.S. officials with knowledge of the plan.

The hitch, however, is that some of the 130 or so Israeli hostages who remain in captivity are believed to be in the tunnels.

In a tense meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's War Cabinet last week, after the initial reports that the military had started assembling the pumping infrastructure, families of those hostages slammed the plan to flood the tunnels with seawater.

Comment: If Israel is successful, they will destroy the very area they are so keen to annex for generations. Guess they just don't care:


Or they don't care because the viability of the land doesn't matter?




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Chess

Biden warns Israel is losing support over 'indiscriminate bombing' of Gaza


RT
Wed, 13 Dec 2023 20:26 UTC
biden
© AFP / Getty Images / Anna Moneymaker
US President Joe Biden warned that Israel risks losing international support if it continues its "indiscriminate" bombing campaign in Gaza at a campaign fundraiser in Washington, DC on Tuesday, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "change his government."

Biden offered some of his harshest criticisms of Israel to date, suggesting that its war against Hamas risked a loss of support among Washington's allies. All of the other UN Security Council members except the UK (which abstained) had attempted to issue a resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza last week, which was vetoed by Washington.

"Israel's security can rest on the United States, but right now it has more than the United States. It has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world... But they're starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place," Biden said.

He went on to cite a private discussion with Netanyahu in which Israel's prime minister likened the Gaza conflict to the Second World War and observed that "a lot of civilians died" in Allied bombing raids.

Comment: Biden doesn't actually care about Israel bombing Gazans to death, he just wants them to know that him and a few of his friends don't exactly like that, so Bibi should be careful. We're sure Bibi is quaking in his boots.

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Snakes in Suits

'I am a Zionist' - Biden


RT
Wed, 13 Dec 2023 20:20 UTC
biden
© Global Look Press / Bonnie Cash
US President Joe Biden expressed his "unshakable" commitment to Israel's security at a White House reception event on Monday, marking the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. He also pledged continued military support for West Jerusalem amid its conflict with the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group, Hamas.

The US remains Israel's most important ally amid the ongoing conflict, which has sparked widespread condemnation in the Muslim world and beyond over Israeli bombardments of Gaza. The strikes have led to heavy civilian casualties, according to local medical authorities.

On Monday, Biden blasted what he called a "sickening" surge of anti-Semitism both in the US and around the world amid the conflict. "We see it across our communities and schools and colleges and social media," he said, adding that "silence is complicity."

Speaking to Jewish lawmakers and other attendees, the president said that his "commitment to the safety of the Jewish people and the security of Israel, its right to exist as an independent Jewish state, is unshakeable." He then vowed to "continue to provide military assistance to Israel until they get rid of Hamas," adding, however, that both Washington and West Jerusalem had to be careful not to antagonize "the world's public opinion."

Comment: Zionism in this context is just another word for "globalist" or "elite" or whatever term we would apply to people who have no connection whatsoever to any "-ism", religion, community, or nation. They are beholden only to their lust for power and control, and since being a "Zionist" furthers that goal, Biden is happy to embrace that particular ideology.

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Star of David

Why can't the US ever say no to Israel?

Tarik Cyril Amar
RT
Tue, 12 Dec 2023 00:09 UTC
biden and bibi
© Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP
December 8, 2023, is a day that will live in infamy. The United States made history of the worst kind by using its permanent seat on the UN Security Council to veto a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution was advanced by the United Arab Emirates (a US partner) and supported by more than 90 member states. It also had preponderant backing in the global organization's privileged "upper chamber," the Security Council, where 13 of its 15 members were in favor (while the UK abstained, abdicating its sovereignty to the US, again).

The American veto directly defied UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Not a natural-born rebel, the UN chief had deployed a rarely used procedure to promote the ceasefire, putting his authority on the line. Referring to Article 99 of Chapter 15 of the UN Charter, he already implied that "international peace and security" were in danger. His spokesperson was explicit that Guterres was making a "dramatic constitutional move." While maintaining diplomatic balance by also highlighting the Hamas attack on Israel, Guterres' letter to the Security Council depicted the catastrophic suffering of the Palestinians under the ongoing Israeli attack and concluded that "nowhere" was safe in Gaza.
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Bad Guys

Ukraine was never going to win - US senator


RT
Wed, 13 Dec 2023 18:47 UTC
Tommy Tuberville
© Getty Images / Alex WongU.S. Republican Senator from Alabama Tommy Tuberville
Ukraine always faced the prospect of losing the conflict with Russia in the event that Washington cut off its aid, US Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville has said.

His comments came after the US Senate last week blocked a bill by President Joe Biden that was intended to allocate a further $60 billion in funding to Kiev, on top of the $110 billion already spent. Republicans opposed to the package have demanded tougher immigration control on the US-Mexico border in exchange for approving the bill, rejected by the White House.

Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, Tuberville was asked whether cutting off funding to Kiev could result in Ukraine being defeated. The senator replied that he personally "never thought they can win to begin with," especially with the way the US "eased into" the conflict.

Tuberville also dismissed claims by Kiev's backers that Russia will advance elsewhere into western Europe once it defeats Ukraine's forces. The Republican argued that Moscow "can't beat Ukraine on the eastern side," and questioned how it was expected to push further across Europe.

"I've never believed that scenario. I think it's a good selling point to send more money," Tuberville suggested.

The US has so far provided Ukraine with an estimated $111 billion in military and economic assistance since the outbreak of its conflict with Russia in February 2022. While Washington has increasingly warned that funds are beginning to run out, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has nevertheless continued to insist on receiving more money.

Comment: Senator Tuberville only said what everyone already knew from the beginning, i.e. that Kiev never stood a chance and Putin isn't planning to conquer Europe. But it's still refreshing to finally hear the obvious truth from someone in the Capitol.

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Black Magic

Ukraine ready to ban country's largest Christian church


RT
Wed, 13 Dec 2023 15:54 UTC
A religious procession in Kiev organized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).
© SputnikA religious procession in Kiev organized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).
A bill that would ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the largest Christian church in the country, could be passed in early 2024, the speaker of the parliament in Kiev, Ruslan Stefanchuk, has said.

Ukrainian authorities have long accused the UOC of having ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, despite the religious organization condemning Russia's military operation in Ukraine and announcing its autonomy from Moscow shortly after the escalation of the conflict in February 2022.

When asked about the legislation during a TV appearance on Rada TV on Tuesday, Stefanchuk said that "the committee must make the necessary decisions, carry out consultations, and accept it as a proposal in the second reading."

"I hope that this issue might be settled in the beginning of the next year," the speaker stressed.

Comment: Ukraine is busy destroying Christianity and all its cultural roots. Yet the EU seems to think that Ukraine is fulfilling all the requirements to become a part of the EU.

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