Russian Tensions
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No, except some might, like me, have wondered why the Azov battalion carry Anarchist colours, and this explains why.
I’ve never thought much of Makhno myself. He seems more of peasant bandit leader (in the Hobsbawm sense). I don’t know why the anarchists eulogise him. Well actually I think I do. Here was somebody who opposed both the old regime and the Bolsheviks — their Russian revolution hero to rival Lenin and Trotsky. Incidentally should Trotsky be regarded as a Ukrainian?
Like the Russian populists who became terrorists
The same case is about Proudhon who was not the father of anarchism, probably he was closer to Henry George
There was a castroist group who had an anarchist flag and then they became maoists
I get that Scholz and others might secretly assure Putin that Ukraine will never join NATO, but here’s the crux:
How can the US and NATO give him the written guarantee he wants without it alienating Ukraine, whose application to join is in progress?
To Ukraine: “You can join NATO.”
To Russia: “They’ll never be let in.”Not good in America’s eyes, I shouldn’t think, if they want to keep Ukraine in their sphere of influence!
So they simply cannot do what Putin demands!
Finland is still in the European/US sphere of influence and is within the EU, without being a member of NATO, as are Austria, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland. A Finland style resolution would be my best bet for a resolution to this, with the Ukraine staying outside the EU but making trade agreements that match all aspects of the Common Trade Agreement, etc.
Some diplomatic fudge is the most likely outcome. The trouble is that the UK has an inexperienced, not to say mad, Foreign Secretary who keeps turning up the rhetoric. Now she is talking about Russia going on to attack other east European countries. Completely crazy talk as, if this happened, there would have to be a war between NATO and Russia which Russia would never risk.
But I don’t think anyone treats her or Britain seriously any more that Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov did, especially not France or Germany. Germany gets 55% of its gas from Russia. Britain gets only 3%. That tells it all.
And Russia has just promised billions of dollars investment for Germany. So still don’t get why Germany tows the NATO line at all.
“Ben Rhodes, Former Deputy National Security Advisor of the United States, also shared his thoughts on Twitter, writing:
Biden did not seem optimistic about the latest Russian overtures – remained focused on warning of invasion, detailing consequences for Russia (and the world), not giving an inch on the core NATO issues that Putin has been focused on.”“The US’s chief diplomat also would not rule out possible American military involvement in the worsening conflict, during a separate interview on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday.”
“Speaking after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Putin said the US and NATO rejected Moscow’s demand to keep Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations out of NATO, halt weapons deployments near Russian borders and roll back alliance forces from Eastern Europe.”
Biden…Invasion – from a probability to now just a possibility
https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/02/15/so-far-putin-is-the-biggest-winner-in-the-ukraine-conflict/
Russia will never get a public declaration by Nato that Ukraine will not join the organisation, but then it does not really need to. It has already succeeded in toxifying the issue, making it unlikely that Nato powers will raise it as a serious option in future.If you watch the following time line website I’ve linked, it does kind of explain why Putin is a little alarmed, especially considering the troule in Belarus and in Khazakstan. Not that I have any more sympathy for Russian National interests as I do for US/Western interests.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlargement_of_NATO#/media/File:Map_of_NATO_chronological.gif
Pipeline ploy: How U.S. natural gas interests are fueling the Ukraine crisis
Along with trying to militarily absorb Ukraine into NATO, another major factor that’s becoming more apparent in the Biden administration’s unceasing talk of war with Russia is the desire of U.S. energy producers to invade European markets with fracked natural gas.
Though the mainstream press is saturated with talk of a forever-imminent Russian assault on Ukraine and speculate about Moscow’s supposed desire to freeze Europe by cutting off gas supplies, few reporters in the corporate media are asking who stands to gain economically from the standoff in the east.
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