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NSA Jake Sullivan defends U.S’ 'moral authority' to send cluster bombs to Ukraine

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... ubscribers

Another Putin press release that will be studied in future history books.

For those who don't know, behind closed doors most politicians have privately given up on Ukraine winning - the Ukraine offensive was a failure of historic proportions - another ~20k Ukrainian dead in exchange for maybe 1k Russians and no worthwhile gains. There has been talk of a Polish/Lithuanian intervention (though explicitly described as not a NATO intervention) coming. Rather than wait for Russia to advance across Ukraine towards Polish borders, the plan at present is to send Polish & Lithuanian troops in to occupy what is left of Ukraine to force a stalemate of sorts.

https://archive.is/KkUFw
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/71714

Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin: Mr President, colleagues.
According to information provided to the service by several sources, officials in Warsaw are gradually coming to an understanding that no kind of Western assistance to Kiev can support Ukraine in reaching the goals of this assistance. Moreover, they are beginning to understand that Ukraine will be defeated in only the matter of time.

In this regard, the Polish authorities are getting more intent on taking the western parts of Ukraine under control by deploying their troops there. There are plans to present this measure as the fulfillment of allied obligations within the Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian security initiative, the so-called Lublin Triangle.

...

Vladimir Putin: Yes. We should elaborate on what Mr Naryshkin has just said. This information has already appeared in the European media, in particular, the French.

I believe it would be suitable in this context to also remind everyone about several history lessons from the 20th century.

It is clear today that the Western curators of the Kiev regime are certainly disappointed with the results of the counteroffensive that the current Ukrainian authorities announced in previous months. There are no results, at least for now. The colossal resources that were pumped into the Kiev regime, the supply of Western weapons, such as tanks, artillery, armoured vehicles and missiles, and the deployment of thousands of foreign mercenaries and advisers, who were most actively used in attempts to break through the front of our army, are not helping.

Meanwhile, the commanders of the special military operation are acting professionally. Our soldiers, officers and units are fulfilling their duty to the Motherland courageously, steadfastly and heroically. At the same time, the whole world sees that the vaunted Western, supposedly invulnerable, military equipment is on fire, and is often even inferior to some of the Soviet-made weapons in terms of its tactical and technical characteristics.

Yes, of course, more Western weapons can be supplied and thrown into battle. This, of course, causes us some damage and prolongs the conflict. But, firstly, NATO arsenals and stockpiles of old Soviet weapons in some countries are already largely depleted. And secondly, the West does not have the production capacities to quickly replenish the consumption of reserves of equipment and ammunition. Additional, large resources and time are needed.

The main thing is that formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine suffered huge losses as a result of self-destructive attacks: tens of thousands of people.

And, despite the constant raids and the incessant waves of total mobilisation in Ukrainian cities and villages, it is increasingly difficult for the current regime to send new soldiers to the front. The country’s mobilisation resource is being depleted.

...

However, massive efforts are being taken to stoke the fire of war – including by exploiting the ambitions of certain East European leaders, who have long turned their hatred for Russia and Russophobia into their key export commodity and a tool of their domestic policy. And now they want to capitalise on the Ukrainian tragedy.

In this regard, I cannot refrain from commenting on what has just been said and on media reports that have come out about plans to establish some sort of the so-called Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian unit. This is not about a group of mercenaries – there are plenty of them there and they are being destroyed – but about a well-organised, equipped regular military unit to be used for operations in Ukraine, including to allegedly ensure the security of today’s Western Ukraine – actually, to call things by their true name, for the subsequent occupation of these territories. The outlook is clear: in the event Polish forces enter, say, Lvov or other Ukrainian territories, they will stay there, and they will stay there for good.

And we will actually see nothing new. Just to remind you, following WWI, after the defeat of Germany and its allies, Polish units occupied Lvov and adjacent territories that had been part of Austria-Hungary.
With its actions incited by the West, Poland took advantage of the tragedy of the Civil War in Russia and annexed certain historical Russian provinces. In dire straits, our country had to sign the Treaty of Riga in 1921 and recognise the annexation of its territories.

Even earlier, back in 1920, Poland captured part of Lithuania – the Vilnius region, a territory surrounding the present-day Vilnius. So they claimed that they fought together with the Lithuanians against so-called Russian imperialism, but then immediately snatched a piece of land from their neighbour as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
As is well known, Poland also took part in the partition of Czechoslovakia following the Munich Agreement with Adolf Hitler in 1938, by fully occupying Cieszyn Silesia.

In the 1920-1930s, Poland’s Eastern Borderlands (Kresy) – a territory that comprises present-day Western Ukraine, Western Belarus and part of Lithuania – witnessed a tough policy of Polonisation and assimilation of local residents, with efforts to suppress local culture and Orthodoxy.

I would also like to remind you what Poland’s aggressive policy led to. It led to the national tragedy of 1939, when Poland’s Western allies threw it to the German wolf, the German miliary machine. Poland actually lost its independence and statehood, which were only restored thanks in a large measure to the Soviet Union. It was also thanks to the Soviet Union and thanks to Stalin’s position that Poland acquired substantial territory in the west, German territory. It is a fact that Poland’s western lands are a gift from Stalin.

...

I see similarities between American policy here and Vietnam. In both cases the American policy is to do enough not to lose. In both cases the Americans ruled out trying to win out of fear of how another major power will react out of desperation if we go too far. Then it was fear of millions of Chinese troops, now it is fear of Russian nukes or crippling cyber attacks or both. In both cases we gradually increased lethality as we saw we could do without the feared blowback. In both cases we did not and don’t know what the red line that can not be crossed is or if there is a red line.

In both cases we felt we could not back off because of fear that a defeat would be taken as a sign of weakness. Then during the cold war it fear that the Russians would see us as a paper tiger, now it’s the Chinese.

Mmhmm, because forum user Mikah is behind closed doors in international meetings with heads of states.


In other news: I read that France has decided to send some missiles with longer ranges that would allow Ukraine to fire on targets on Crimea and deepe behind enemy lines. IIRC they have a range of 250km. It wasn’t disclosed how many were being sent. There was mention of some controversy in the article as some believe it could escalate things unnecessarily. Who knows.. war is pretty unnecessary already so it seems everyone’s already in the thick of it so may as well keep going I guess.

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No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

Well wars continue until both sides decide it serves their interests best to negotiate. In this case, at least one side must think they have more to gain by continuing to fight. Not sure what exactly either side has gained so far.

I'm not sure if this belongs here but Yevgeny Prigozhin may or may not have been killed in a plane crash.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/te ... 023-08-23/

Couldn't have happened to a nicer man.

It's true what they say, only the good die young.

Was at dinner with family friends including a couple of intellectuals who are older than I. One of these in particular has had a hard on for Putin for years — I believe this is actually a holdover from when he strongly sympathized with the Soviet side in his youth. The other is a brilliant mathematician. I don't know all his political beliefs but his parents were involved in the Depression-era Jewish leftist movement — radical trade unionists and all that.

So I can't really discuss anything with them because everything they say can always be supported by quoting some scholarly book one of them has read, although I can't help thinking that they limit their reading to books written by people whose views support their own. Of course they've both been retired for a while and I haven't.

So the whole topic of Ukraine came up as it always has. The first gentleman I mentioned has, from the start, always gone on about how the truth about Ukraine is being suppressed by the news media and how we should pay closer attention to Putin's reasons for taking military action before condemning them or feeling sympathy for Zelenskyy, the Bidens, and their cronies. Last night he made some general remarks to the effect that it's high time Americans took account of the fact that Latin Americans, Africans, and I believe, Asians e.g. India, China, etc. don't support Ukraine; which I suppose makes those of us who do look foolish.

I think there's a simple explanation for this. Latin America, Africa, and "poorer" Asian countries like Indian don't support Ukraine for the simple reason that they expect Russia to prevail and don't want to get on Putin's bad side. China generally looks at everything from its own point of view, which is that they'll take whatever stance best serves their own interests, and if Western countries are refusing to sell certain things to Russia such as ammunition, then they can sell Russia that same ammunition at a premium. I don't think it's by any means an ethical position, it's basic self-interest. Given that China will always be China, as for the other countries, they are acting as they are because the US in the person of our Leading Party refuse to commit to Ukraine, and other Western countries are getting the message and deciding they don't want to throw good money after bad at the Ukrainian cause.

Sorry that may not be very intellectual, but those eggheads will have to try harder to earn my respect.

Had no idea , that many countries used them...? That is just aweful, i feel .
kinda leaves me to wonder alittle which countries manufacture them......and or sell them.
( nothing like , better weapons of War .) ( sarcasm implied)