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US and Ukraine defense ministers sign agreement for intensified military cooperation ahead of Zelensky's first visit to the White House

Jonny Tickle
RT
Wed, 01 Sep 2021 12:49 UTC
Austin/ Zelensky
© Drew Angerer/Getty Images
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he arrives at the Pentagon on August 31, 2021.
The US and Ukraine have agreed to deepen military ties by signing a strategic framework for their defense partnership, it was revealed on Tuesday, following a meeting between American and Ukrainian defense ministers in Washington.

The agreement came the day before a scheduled meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his American counterpart Joe Biden, who will convene in the White House on Wednesday.

Writing on Twitter, Zelensky revealed that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian Minister of Defense Andrey Taran had signed the document, which he called an agreement "on the strategic foundations of the defense partnership." The president also noted the importance of Washington's support for "Ukrainian territorial integrity, gaining NATO membership and joint opposition to Russian aggression."
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Star of David

Israel opposes Biden plan to reopen US Palestinian mission in Jerusalem

Dan Williams
Reuters
Wed, 01 Sep 2021 01:42 UTC
Yair Lapid
© Oded Balilty/AP
Israeli FM Yair Lapid
Israel said on Wednesday that a U.S. plan to reopen its consulate in Jerusalem that has traditionally been a base for diplomatic outreach to Palestinians is a "bad idea" and could destabilise Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's new government.

The prior administration of President Donald Trump signaled support for Israel's claim on Jerusalem as its capital by moving the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. It later subsumed the consulate, in west Jerusalem, in that mission. It was among several moves that incensed the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as capital of a hoped-for, future state.

President Joe Biden has pledged to restore ties with the Palestinians, back a two-state solution and move forward with reopening the consulate. It has been closed since 2019, with Palestinian affairs handled by the embassy.

"We think it's a bad idea," Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told a news conference when asked about the reopening:
"We think it's a bad idea. Jerusalem is the sovereign capital of Israel and Israel alone, and therefore we don't think it's a good idea.

"We know that the (Biden) administration has a different way of looking at this, but since it is happening in Israel, we are sure they are listening to us very carefully."
Wasel Abu Youssef, a senior Palestine Liberation Organization official, told Reuters that the Israeli rejection of the consulate's opening was expected, adding: "They are trying to maintain the status quo and block any political solution".
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Putin

Pope quotes Putin's criticism of Western intervention in Afghanistan, believing broadside against imposing values came from Merkel


RT
Wed, 01 Sep 2021 13:51 UTC
Pope
© Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
Pope Francis
Pope Francis has unwittingly backed President Vladimir Putin's condemnation of the American-led invasion of Afghanistan, citing the Russian leader's words in the belief they had been spoken by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In an interview with Spanish radio station COPE on Wednesday, the head of the Catholic Church was asked his views on the chaos that has unfolded in the region since Kabul fell to the Taliban last month.

According to the pontiff, he had seen wisdom in comments from Merkel, and attempted to translate them into Spanish for listeners:
"It is necessary to put an end to the irresponsible policy of intervening from the outside and building democracy in other countries, ignoring the traditions of the people."
The pope said he "felt a sense of wisdom" in the sentiment, and added that Merkel is "one of the world's great political figures." However, in reality, as Russian news organizations later pointed out, the statement was actually made by Putin at a joint press conference with Merkel in Moscow last month.
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Pirates

Afghan resistance against Taliban will stop if inclusive govt formed: Ahmad Massoud


Alarabiya News
Tue, 31 Aug 2021 11:07 UTC
Resistance fighters
© screenshot Reuters
Anti-Taliban resistance troops in Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan
Afghan resistance fighters will avoid conflict if the Taliban agree to a "power-sharing deal," the leader of the Afghan resistance movement in Panjshir, Ahmad Massoud, the son of one of the main leaders of Afghanistan's anti-Soviet resistance in the 1980s. He told Foreign Policy magazine:
"If the Taliban are willing to reach a power-sharing deal where power is equally distributed and is decentralized, then we can move toward a settlement that is acceptable to everyone. Anything less than this will be unacceptable to us, and we will continue our struggle and resistance until we achieve justice, equality, and freedom."
The fighters - who call themselves the National Resistance Front - have been holed up in Panjshir valley, north of Kabul, since the Taliban took over the country on August 15. Panjshir is the last remaining Afghan province not under the control of the extremist group.

On August 22, Massoud had told Al Arabiya that Panjshir valley will not be handed over to the Taliban and resistance fighters will be ready to fight back if the extremist group tries to seize it. "We confronted the Soviet Union, and we will be able to confront the Taliban," he said at the time.

Comment: Militia fighters made an offering to the Taliban, but so far fighting claims the day:
Taliban forces clashed with militia fighters in the Panjshir valley north of the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday night.

Since the fall of Kabul on Aug. 15, the Panjshir has been the only province to hold out against the Taliban, although there has also been fighting in neighbouring Baghlan province between Taliban and local militia forces.

Fahim Dashti, a spokesman for the National Resistance Forces, a group loyal to local leader Ahmad Massoud, said the fighting occurred on the western entrance to the valley where the Taliban attacked NRF positions.

He said the attack, which may have been a probe to test the valley's defences, was repulsed with eight Taliban killed and a similar number wounded, while two members of the NRF forces were wounded.

A significant force of Taliban fighters has been moved to the area but the two sides have so far been engaged in negotiations and have avoided fighting.
See also: Afghanistan's Massoud says he will not surrender to Taliban UPDATE

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Star of David

Israel MK: 'Future confrontation with Gaza will not have guaranteed outcome'


MEMO
Sat, 28 Aug 2021 10:49 UTC
Chikli/Infantry
© Yonatan Sindel/Flash90/Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images/KJN
Israeli MK Amichai Chikli • Israeli infantry soldiers near border with Gaza Strip
Israeli MK Amichai Chikli announced on Friday that the Israeli army had lost its deterrence against the Palestinian resistance, mainly Hamas, warning that any future confrontation with Gaza will not have a guaranteed outcome.

As reported by Israeli Channel 7, Chikli stated:
"We lost the soldier, who was killed at the borders with Gaza, due to losing deterrence."
The MK, of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's party, spoke about the "failure" of the Israeli army, which, according to him:
"Is represented by a Hamas activist coming close to the border and opening fire at an Israeli soldier from a zero distance."
Commenting on the shooting of the Israeli soldier, who shot and wounded 41 Palestinian demonstrators before a Palestinian security officer responded, Chikli expressed:
"The Israeli army did not immediately repair its deterrence; therefore, it will not be able to win in the future confrontation with Hamas."
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Magnify

Crimes by US military must be investigated, Beijing says after reports that American troops fired on civilians after Kabul bombing


RT
Wed, 01 Sep 2021 18:18 UTC
US soldier, Afghanistan
© REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
Afghanistan (FILE PHOTO)
China's Foreign Ministry has demanded probes be opened into numerous allegations of crimes committed by the US military against Afghans during the 20-year occupation of the now-Taliban controlled nation.

Speaking on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin was asked to respond to reports that US troops had fired on Afghan civilians following the suicide bombing at Kabul airport last Thursday.

The incident has claimed nearly 200 lives but reporters, including RT International correspondent Murad Gazdiev, have relayed accounts from eyewitnesses who claimed US troops fired at the crowds after the explosion, potentially causing more casualties.

Comment: See also:

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Bulb

Afghan crisis shows EU needs more autonomy


DW
Wed, 01 Sep 2021 18:19 UTC
Afgan refugees

Several EU member states were involved in the scramble to evacuate citizens and local Afghan supporters from Kabul
EU Council President Charles Michel said on Wednesday that the European Union needs to pursue decision-making autonomy in the wake of the chaotic evacuations from Afghanistan that ended last week.

"In my view, we do not need another such geopolitical event to grasp that the EU must strive for greater decision-making autonomy and greater capacity for action in the world," he told the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia.

Influence is EU's 'greatest challenge'

Looking to the future of the EU's role in the world, the EU Council president discussed the importance of maintaining the bloc's influence in an interdependent world.

"European influence will be our greatest challenge in the coming years, and Afghanistan has offered a stark demonstration," he said.

Comment:

Dear Charles Michel, the EU is just as beholden to the US as it ever was. You're not fooling anyone. The EU's Afghan refugee program is a case in point.

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Bad Guys

WHO monitoring new coronavirus variant named 'Mu' that appears resistant to vaccines


France24
Wed, 01 Sep 2021 18:10 UTC
coronavirus
The World Health Organization has said it is monitoring a new coronavirus variant known as "Mu", which was first identified in Colombia in January 2021.

Mu, known scientifically as B.1.621, has been classified as a "variant of interest", the global health body said Tuesday in its weekly pandemic bulletin.

The WHO said the variant has mutations that indicate a risk of resistance to vaccines and stressed that further studies were needed to better understand it.

"The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape," the bulletin said.
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Eye 2

Report says US 'negotiated secret arrangement with Taliban' to help get some Americans to Kabul airport

Ryan Saavedra
The Daily Wire
Tue, 31 Aug 2021 17:08 UTC
Airport Kabul
© U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Isaiah Campbell
Evacuees wait to board a US Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 23.
The Biden administration reportedly worked out a previously undisclosed arrangement with Taliban extremists to help bring U.S. citizens to the airport in Kabul.

"The U.S. military negotiated a secret arrangement with the Taliban that resulted in Taliban members escorting groups of Americans to the gates of the Kabul airport as they sought to escape Afghanistan," CNN reported.
"The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the arrangements, which have not been disclosed until now because the US was concerned about Taliban reaction to any publicity as well as the threat of attacks from ISIS-K if its operatives had realized Americans were being escorted in groups."
The Taliban allegedly escorted some Americans a few times a day from a staging area near the airport to a gate that was manned by U.S. forces. U.S. forces were able to watch some of the escorts take place.

Comment: Biden's administration has gone on as it began, in confusion and chaos. All according to a larger plan?

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Arrow Down

Putin calls it: US has nothing to show for two decades of fighting in Afghanistan, despite efforts to impose Washington's own values

Rachel Lloyd
RT
Wed, 01 Sep 2021 16:55 UTC
US soldiers evacuate afghanistan bagram
© Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
US Army soldiers walk to their C-17 cargo plane for departure May 11, 2013 at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the crisis in Afghanistan is of Washington's making, arguing that efforts to reform the country have failed and saying the global community must now work together to prevent tragedy.

In a meeting with students on Wednesday, Putin criticized what he said amounted to the US' mishandling of its presence in Afghanistan, which ended abruptly in August when the Taliban took the capital, Kabul.

"The result is one tragedy, one loss... American troops were present in this region, and for twenty years they tried to civilize people, and to introduce their own norms and standards of life in the broadest sense... including in the political organization of society," he continued. "The result is zero, if not to say that it is negative."

Comment: Russia has been consistent in its message that peace will only be possible with respectful dialogue, not the imposition of one group's views over another.

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