Berlin turns on Christmas lights amid energy crisis

Pres. Putin Speech: Today, Pres. Putin addressed the Federal Assembly in his annual speech. Many important topics were addressed, including Russia suspending its participation in the START nuclear weapons treaty with the US but is not abandoning the pact. The announcement came from Pres. Putin during his annual address to the Russian parliament today. He also talked of NATO's complicity in the Ukrainian attacks on Russian air bases. Murad Gazdiev reports. (see posts below, incl. link to full speech)
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RT spoke to the heads of the new regions of Russia, Donetsk and Lugansk republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson. They said the message from Pres. Putin was vital.
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Pres. Putin Speech, Some reactions: Is the conflict in Ukraine entering a new phase between NATO, EU against Russia? Ralph Niemeyer expresses concerns as the U.S. wants to deindustrialise Europe and a major recession is looming because of sanctions and the energy crisis U.S.A. and E.U. have provoked. He says the U.S.A. are conducting a separate ECONOMIC war against Germany. (QS we know where that led us before don't we...)
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Africa's comment: The conflict in Ukraine has wide ranging, detrimental impact especially because of western sanctions and supply chain shortages; every world economy is hit from high tech to food and agriculture. Serge Bayala comments.
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The Perils of Hegemony: A new report from Beijing lays out what it calls 'the perils of US hegemony' painting a picture of the lengths Washington goes - to achieve its vision of global 'democracy'. The time of the delivery of the report was important as it arrived on the same day Pres. Joe Biden made his visit to Kiev. (see below)
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Stop fuelling the fire! : A senior Chinese official gives a ringing endorsement to current ties between Beijing and Moscow with a high level meeting taking place in the Russian capital.
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South Africa: Today it was Armed Forces day and they held their annual parade. It commemorates a tragedy of WW1 when hundreds of lives were lost on the S.S. Mendi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_MendiShow more

Iraq/U.A.E. energy cooperation: The new agreement will allow Iraq to improve it's economy greatly. Saad All Muttalibi gives details. Nearly a quarter of the world's energy is based in the Gulf and it's important that countries work together as a natural matter rather than the imposed contexts of super-powers.
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70 million children do not have access to education, especially those in conflict zones and regions where there have been natural disasters, according to the UN. In Afghanistan a young teacher is trying to change that for his country and is just getting on with it and teaching outside! His project is called "Today Child" His name is Wazir Khan.
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Link to Pres. Putin's speech in full (English) https://rumble.com/v2abl0u-president-putin-delivers-the-annual-address-to-federal-assembly-english-ful.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=7
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i) --- Putin accuses NATO of direct involvement in attacks on Russia
Below, via RT website ----- A) --- Western bet on neo-Nazis in Ukraine, failed sanctions and key nuke deal suspension: Highlights from Putin’s major speech
B) --- What you need to know about the US-Russia nuclear treaty that Moscow suspended
C) --- Putin accuses NATO of direct involvement in attacks on Russia
D) --- Putin tells Russian business where the future lies
E) --- Moscow summons US ambassador
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1) --- NATO reacts after Moscow puts major nuclear accord on ice
1a) --- Russia suspends last nuclear treaty with US
2) --- Xi Jinping planning Moscow trip – WSJ
2a) --- China unveils global security paper
2b) --- Chinese report decries US hegemony
3) --- Pres. Biden's remarks - in a nutshell
4) --- DeSantis takes aim at Biden over Ukraine
5) --- EU prolongs Russia sanctions

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21 Feb, 2023 13:55

i) --- Putin accuses NATO of direct involvement in attacks on Russia

Experts from the US-led bloc helped equip Ukrainian combat drones that struck deep across the border, the president says

NATO helped Ukraine conduct drone attacks on Russian airfields that house long-distance nuclear-capable bombers, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday. He made the statement during the annual address to the Federal Assembly, which comprises both chambers of the country’s parliament, as well as to senior Russian officials.

“We know that the West was directly involved in the attempts by the Kiev regime to strike the bases that house our strategic aircraft,” Putin said.

“The drones used [in the raids] were equipped and upgraded with help from NATO experts.”

On December 5, UAVs attacked Dyagilevo and Engels military airfields located 500km (310.6 miles) and 700km (435 miles) from Ukrainian-held territory respectively. Three servicemen were killed and two aircraft received minor damage, the Russian Ministry of Defense said at the time. A similar drone raid on Engels Air Force Base in Saratov Region occurred on December 26, when three people were killed and no planes were damaged, according to the MOD.

" ... I want to emphasize: The US and NATO are saying outright that their goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. And, after this, they are going to tour our defense sites as if nothing is happening? ... "

The 2010 treaty replaced the first START agreement signed by the US and the Soviet Union in 1991. Last month, the US accused Moscow of refusing to “facilitate inspection activities.” Putin also said that Russia’s requests for inspections have either been ignored or rejected.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571843-putin-accuses-west-drones/
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21 Feb, 2023 16:44

A) --- Western bet on neo-Nazis in Ukraine, failed sanctions and key nuke deal suspension: Highlights from Putin’s major speech

The Russian leader did not mince his words as he outlined tensions with the West during a major address to parliament

Russia attempted to peacefully resolve the issues involving Ukraine after 2014, but Western leaders were secretly preparing a completely different scenario, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday during his address to the Federal Assembly, the country’s main legislative body.

Speaking to both chambers of parliament as well as senior officials and public figures, the Russian leader touched on a variety of key topics during a speech lasting almost two hours.

From the military operation in Ukraine to economic and social issues, here is a recap of what the president said.

World should not be divided
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Russia not only intends to firmly protect its own interests, but also its belief that the modern world should not be divided into “civilized countries” and “all the rest,” Putin said. He stressed the need for close partnerships without exceptionalism and resorting to aggression.

The president insisted that Moscow remains open to constructive dialogue with the West, and continues to call for a united and fair global security system. However, Putin claimed that instead of cooperating, the West has only issued a muddled response and hidden behind the umbrella of NATO, which continues to expand its borders towards Russia while American military bases spread throughout the world.

Why Russia acted in Ukraine
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Putin recalled that all of Russia’s security guarantee proposals were rejected outright by the US and NATO, which he said made it clear that the go-ahead for aggressive actions by Kiev had already been given. According to the president, there was clear evidence that another “punitive action” was being planned in Donbass for February 2022.

Putin said Kiev and its Western backers initiated the conflict in Ukraine, while Russia is now using force to put an end to it.

West doesn’t care who it uses against Moscow
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Western nations used the “despicable method of deceit” during campaigns in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, and Syria, Putin argued. Regarding Ukraine, Putin said the West had openly admitted that the 2014-2015 Minsk agreements were a bluff. While “Donbass was burning and blood was being spilled,” Ukraine’s backers “were playing with people’s lives,” he stated.

Putin continued by claiming that the West does not actually care who it supports in its fight against Russia, which is why it turns a blind eye to Ukrainian fighters openly celebrating notorious Nazi divisions and bearing their insignia.

Putin asserted that the Ukrainian people have become expendable hostages for Kiev and its Western backers, who have occupied Ukraine in a political, military, and economic sense, devastating the country for the past several decades.

Consequences of long-range arms supplies to Kiev
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Putin suggested that the West is treating Ukraine as a battering ram against Russia, and is using the battlefield as a test-firing range. However, he stressed that one thing “everyone should understand” is that the longer the range of Western weapons systems being delivered to Ukraine, the farther Russia will be forced to move the threat away from its borders. “It’s only natural,” said the president.

West wants a global conflict
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Western elites no longer hide their true intentions and are openly calling for a “strategic defeat for Russia,” Putin added. He accused them of trying to transform a local conflict into a global confrontation, but argued that Russia will “react accordingly” to any threats.

At the same time, Putin insisted that the West recognizes that it cannot defeat Russia militarily, which is why it is launching increasingly aggressive information attacks against Russian culture, history, the Orthodox Church, and other traditional values.

Sanctions have failed
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The West has not only opened a military and information frontline against Russia, but also an economic one, according to Putin. However, its efforts have backfired and ultimately failed, despite attempts to spark inflation, crash the ruble, and blatantly steal Russia’s foreign exchange reserves, he added.

“Anti-Russian sanctions are only a tool,” Putin observed, claiming that the goal, as Western officials themselves have stated, is to “force suffering” upon Russian citizens. “But they miscalculated, and Russia’s economy proved much more robust than the West expected,” the president argued.

Russia is not just adapting to new realities, but is bringing its economy to new frontiers and working with its partners on establishing a stable and secure system of international settlements, independent of the dollar or other Western reserve currencies, Putin explained.

New START suspended
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Putin stated that Moscow is well aware of the West’s involvement in attempts by Ukrainian forces to strike Russia’s strategic aviation. This, coupled with “absurd” requests from NATO to be allowed to inspect Russia’s defense facilities within the framework of the New START nuclear treaty, leaves Moscow no choice but to temporarily withdraw from the agreement, the president announced.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571853-putin-federal-assembly-recap/
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21 Feb, 2023 14:37

B) --- What you need to know about the US-Russia nuclear treaty that Moscow suspended

New START is the last surviving agreement from the Cold War era effort to avert nuclear apocalypse

Russia is suspending participation in a key nuclear arms reduction treaty with the US, President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday. He cited Washington’s failure to keep its end of the bargain and its deepening involvement in the Ukraine conflict.

The New START Treaty is the last surviving relic of the effort by the US and USSR to avert nuclear annihilation by accepting restrictions on their arsenals and building mutual trust.

Cold War legacy
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START stands for “Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty” and was originally the name of a document signed by US President George H. W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991.

It was part of a decades-long effort by the two superpowers to put limits on the number of strategic nuclear weapons in their possession in a way that would give neither side an advantage.
The same process produced the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM), which protected deterrence capabilities by restricting the use of missile interceptors, and the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which banned shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles to reduce tensions in Europe.

The New START is the latest successor to the nuclear cap deal, signed during the Barack Obama administration.

Trust but verify
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The treaty puts a limit on nuclear devices and the means of their delivery, including ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles), SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles) and long-range bombers, that the parties may have and deploy. The ceilings are still high enough to keep the US and Russia the biggest nuclear powers in the world.
The treaty also gives the parties the privilege of inspecting each other’s military sites to verify compliance.

Deteriorated security architecture
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Much of what the USSR and the US created in the name of strategic stability has since been eradicated.
US President George W Bush pulled his country out of the ABM Treaty, claiming that the US had to defend itself and Europe from “rogue states” – Iran and North Korea. In Moscow’s eyes, the interceptor launch sites that the US subsequently built in Eastern Europe are a major threat, since they could potentially be used to fire cruise missiles against Russia.

The INF Treaty was scrapped by US President Donald Trump, who claimed that Russia was in breach and that it restricted the Pentagon in its confrontation with China. He also killed off the Open Skies agreement, which allowed member states, including the US and Russia, to conduct flyover inspections to monitor military deployments.

The Trump administration intended to let New START expire, but Joe Biden’s election victory allowed him to renew it until 2026.

Another key military agreement involving the US and Russia, the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was de facto ended on Moscow’s initiative, after it suspended participation in 2007. The Russian government cited NATO’s expansion in Europe as breaking the spirit of the deal.

Inspections quarrel
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Amid the conflict in Ukraine, the US and Russia have accused each other of failing to facilitate inspections under the New START. NATO jumped on Washington’s bandwagon earlier this month with a formal statement condemning Moscow for alleged violations.

As Putin announced the decision to formally suspend participation, he accused NATO of helping Ukraine launch drone attacks on Russian airfields where long-range bombers are based. With Washington pursuing a “strategic defeat” of Russia, it made no sense to stick to the deal, he stated.
The Russian leader added that the arsenals of the UK and France would need to be accounted for in any future agreement on nuclear reduction.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571841-new-start-treaty-explainer/
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21 Feb, 2023 13:55

C) --- Putin accuses NATO of direct involvement in attacks on Russia

Experts from the US-led bloc helped equip Ukrainian combat drones that struck deep across the border, the president says

NATO helped Ukraine conduct drone attacks on Russian airfields that house long-distance nuclear-capable bombers, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday. He made the statement during the annual address to the Federal Assembly, which comprises both chambers of the country’s parliament, as well as to senior Russian officials.

“We know that the West was directly involved in the attempts by the Kiev regime to strike the bases that house our strategic aircraft,” Putin said.

“The drones used [in the raids] were equipped and upgraded with help from NATO experts.”

On December 5, UAVs attacked Dyagilevo and Engels military airfields located 500km (310.6 miles) and 700km (435 miles) from Ukrainian-held territory respectively. Three servicemen were killed and two aircraft received minor damage, the Russian Ministry of Defense said at the time. A similar drone raid on Engels Air Force Base in Saratov Region occurred on December 26, when three people were killed and no planes were damaged, according to the MOD.

Speaking on Tuesday, Putin said Moscow will temporarily withdraw from the 2010 New START Treaty with the US, which caps the number of nuclear warheads and the means of delivery, and allows for inspections of each other’s nuclear arsenal.

I want to emphasize: The US and NATO are saying outright that their goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. And, after this, they are going to tour our defense sites as if nothing is happening?

The 2010 treaty replaced the first START agreement signed by the US and the Soviet Union in 1991. Last month, the US accused Moscow of refusing to “facilitate inspection activities.” Putin also said that Russia’s requests for inspections have either been ignored or rejected.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571843-putin-accuses-west-drones/
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21 Feb, 2023 14:24

D) --- Putin tells Russian business where the future lies

Investing domestically will help preserve wealth and aid the economy, according to the president

Russian businesspeople should invest more in their own country in order to support the economy and preserve their own wealth, according to President Vladimir Putin.

During his address to the Federal Assembly on Tuesday, Putin urged entrepreneurs who are currently faced with the “predatory behavior of the West” as a result of sanctions to not cling to the past and attempt to sue someone abroad. It is pointless to “run around with outstretched hands and humiliate yourself,” the president said, noting that he had warned them about such risks earlier.

According to Putin, big Russian businesses should understand that for the West they will remain second-rate strangers and the titles of “count, peer and mayor” will not help.

“The sources of wellbeing and the future for businessmen of the Russian Federation should be in their native country, then there will be a strong, self-sufficient economy,” Putin stressed, encouraging businesses to reorient their investments.

“I am addressing the representatives of our business [community], I know many personally and for many years … Launch new projects, earn money, invest in Russia, invest in enterprises and jobs, help schools and universities,” the president urged.
https://www.rt.com/business/571828-putin-russian-businesses-investments/
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21 Feb, 2023 14:03

E) --- Moscow summons US ambassador

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has denounced Washington’s “growing involvement” in the Ukraine conflict

Russia issued “a formal demarche” to US ambassador to Moscow Lynne Tracy on Tuesday over Washington’s continued efforts to arm Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said.

The move comes shortly after US President Joe Biden promised more military aid to Ukraine during his surprise visit to Kiev on Monday.

In a statement, the ministry said that it was protesting “the growing involvement of the United States in hostilities on the side of the Kiev regime.”

According to the ministry, the US is “pumping the Ukrainian military with arms and providing it with targeting information for strikes on Russian military and civilian infrastructure.” Such policies “clearly prove that assertions of the American side that the US is not a party to the conflict are inadequate and false,” it added.

Moscow reminded the US ambassador that both Western-supplied weapons and the personnel who are operating them, including US citizens, are “legitimate targets” for Russia’s military.

The ambassador was also told that “the current aggressive course of the US to deepen confrontation with Russia in all areas is counterproductive,” the statement read.

At the same time, the ministry noted that if the US wanted to de-escalate the situation, it should “take steps envisaging the withdrawal of US-NATO military and equipment, as well as the cessation of hostile anti-Russian activities.”

It also pointed out that the US should offer an explanation for the explosions that ruptured the Nord Stream gas pipelines last September, adding that Washington should not “hinder an objective investigation to identify the culprits.”

Earlier this month, American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published a bombshell report laying blame on Washington for orchestrating attacks on the infrastructure. The US has denied any involvement.

The demarche came after Biden traveled to Kiev on Monday to meet with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, pledging another $500 million in military aid to Ukraine, including more artillery ammunition, rockets, and anti-armor systems.

According to the Pentagon, as of February 20, the US has committed some $30 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia started its military operation against the neighboring state almost one year ago. The military aid includes M1 Abrams tanks, heavy artillery, air defense systems and other equipment.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571846-moscow-summons-us-ambassador/
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21 Feb, 2023 14:45

1) --- NATO reacts after Moscow puts major nuclear accord on ice

Less arms control makes the world more dangerous, the bloc’s chief Jens Stoltenberg said

Russia should reconsider its decision to suspend the New START nuclear arms control treaty with the US, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said.

This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was withdrawing from the last remaining nuclear accord with Washington earlier on Tuesday.

“I regret the decision by Russia to suspend its participation in a New START program,” Stoltenberg told a press conference. “More nuclear weapons and less arms control makes the world more dangerous,” the NATO chief added. “That is why I’m calling on Russia today to reconsider its decision.”

The New START treaty caps the number of warheads and the means of their delivery, as well as allows for inspections of each other’s nuclear arsenal.

The 2010 agreement, signed by then presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, replaced the first START treaty concluded by the US and the Soviet Union in 1991.

Moscow and Washington extended the New START for five years in 2021, when ties between the two powers were already strained. The relations reached a new low after Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine last February and the US, together with other NATO members, began supplying Kiev with weapons.

In late January, Washington accused Moscow of violating the treaty by refusing to conduct inspections. On Tuesday, Putin claimed that the West was directly involved in helping Ukraine conduct drone strikes on Russian airfields that house long-distance nuclear-capable bombers.

According to the president, Russia’s requests for inspections laid out in the treaty have been either ignored or rejected. He said it did not make sense to adhere to the New START treaty any more under such circumstances.
https://www.rt.com/news/571847-stoltenberg-russia-nuclear-deal/
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21 Feb, 2023 10:51

1a) --- Russia suspends last nuclear treaty with US

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the country’s temporary withdrawal from the New START Treaty

Moscow is suspending its participation in the last remaining nuclear treaty between Russia and the US, President Vladimir Putin has announced. During his key address to the Russian parliament on Tuesday, he noted that Moscow will not exit the New START Treaty, but is temporarily withdrawing.

Explaining the decision, Putin stated that the agreement was initially drawn up under completely different circumstances, when Russia and the US did not perceive each other as adversaries. Now, however, according to the president, not only is the US issuing ultimatums to Russia, but NATO itself has essentially made an application to become part of the treaty as well.

The bloc members are now demanding an inspection of Russia’s strategic facilities, Putin said, noting that Moscow’s requests to inspect Western nuclear facilities under the treaty are systematically denied with only formal explanations for the rejection.

Putin noted that the US has continued to insist on maintaining hegemony, while its NATO partners openly admit that they want to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.

“Russia cannot ignore this. We cannot allow ourselves to ignore this,” he said.

"..Before we return to discussing this agreement, we must understand for ourselves what the intentions of countries like France and the UK are and how we will consider their strategic arsenals as well, which is the cumulative striking potential of NATO..."

The New START Treaty was originally signed in 2010 by then-Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, and aimed to cut in half the number of strategic nuclear missile launchers deployed around the world. Under the treaty, both countries were supposed to allow the other side a limited number of inspections per year to verify compliance with the agreement. Unless extended, the treaty was set to expire in 2026.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571834-russia-suspends-key-nuclear-treaty-putin/
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21 Feb, 2023 16:51

2) --- Xi Jinping planning Moscow trip – WSJ

The Chinese leader will use the visit to promote Beijing’s Ukraine peace plan, the outlet reported

Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Moscow for a meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming months, the Wall Street Journal claimed on Tuesday. Reports of the trip come as Beijing looks to take a leading role in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

The visit will take place sometime in April or early May, the American newspaper said, citing “people familiar with the plan.” The sources claimed that Xi will use the summit with Putin to push for multiparty peace talks aimed at ending the fighting in Ukraine.

Successive rounds of peace talks failed last year, with Kiev abruptly withdrawing from negotiations in Istanbul in April. Russian officials and others elsewhere have claimed that Western powers pressured Ukraine into abandoning the talks, despite an agreement being close at hand.

Chinese Foreign MInister Wang Yi announced last week that Beijing will soon release a paper outlining its “position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.” Wang said that the plan will respect the “territorial integrity and sovereignty” as well as the “legitimate security concerns” of both Russia and Ukraine.

However, the minister suggested that China’s push for peace may meet the same end as last year’s negotiations did, as “some forces might not want to see peace talks materialize,” in what was seen as a thinly-veiled reference to the West’s alleged intervention in Istanbul.

Wang arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, and the Wall Street Journal said he will discuss Xi’s visit with Russian officials. Wang is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday, but it is still unclear whether he will speak with Putin.

China has taken a relatively neutral stance on Ukraine, with its Foreign Ministry repeatedly calling for peace talks while labeling the US the “main instigator” of the conflict. Beijing has refused to join the Western-led sanctions regime against Russia, and has strengthened its trade ties with Moscow since the start of the military operation in Ukraine last February.
https://www.rt.com/news/571863-china-xi-moscow-trip/
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21 Feb, 2023 11:26

2a) --- China unveils global security paper

The document offers a sharp rebuke of “the Cold War mentality,” hegemonism, and unilateralism

China has released its Global Security Initiative Concept Paper, which focuses on preventing conflicts and promoting global security, while blasting the use of sanctions in foreign policy.

The initiative, which was unveiled by the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, hinges on several core concepts and principles meant to help both China and the international community navigate in what the document describes as an “era rife with challenges.”

It prioritizes UN-centered security governance, stating that “the Cold War mentality, unilateralism, bloc confrontation and hegemonism contradict the spirit of the UN Charter and must be resisted and rejected.”

Countries should also uphold the consensus that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” the initiative reads, adding that the nuclear powers should strengthen dialogue and cooperation to mitigate the risk of a nuclear stand-off.

The document went on to stress the need to take the “legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously,” while respecting their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The program paper also made an appeal to resolve international disputes exclusively through diplomacy. “War and sanctions are no fundamental solution to disputes; only dialogue and consultation are effective in resolving differences,” it said, adding: “abusing unilateral sanctions… does not solve a problem, but only creates more difficulties and complications.”

Addressing the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, the paper highlighted the need to “support political settlement of hotspot issues such as the Ukraine crisis through dialogue and negotiation.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said the initiative strives to establish a human community with a shared future, and that it “is open and inclusive” for any nation to join.

The idea of the initiative was first put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in April 2022 as a means to “uphold the principle of indivisible security” in the world.

This comes one day after China released a report titled ‘US Hegemony and its Perils’, blasting Washington for escalating the great power competition across the globe, staging ‘color revolutions’, and stoking regional tensions under the guise of promoting democracy.
https://www.rt.com/news/571831-china-global-security-paper/
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20 Feb, 2023 13:52

2b) --- Chinese report decries US hegemony

Washington uses the rest of the world for its economic benefit, displaying “arrogance and prejudice,” the keynote document says

The US has been abusing its hegemonic position in the world for decades to reap benefits for itself and sow rivalry and instability in other nations, a report published on Monday on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's official website claims.

The document seeks to draw international attention “to the perils of the US practices to world peace and stability and the well-being of all peoples.” It offers examples of Washington’s purported selfishness in the areas of politics, the military, the economy, technology and culture.

For a century, the US has treated Latin America as its backyard, where those who resist the US face “political interference, military intervention and regime subversion,” the text claims. Elsewhere, it creates divisive blocs under its influence, and fosters “color revolutions” against opponents. Lately Washington has posited the false dichotomy of “democracies vs. autocracies” and arbitrarily labels nations as members of one of the camps.

The use of force has been a feature of US expansionism since its independence, the document says. Since 2001 alone, wars launched by Washington “in the name of fighting terrorism have claimed over 900,000 lives with some 335,000 of them civilians.”

The Pentagon has used an array of “appalling methods” of war, from biological weapons in Korea to depleted uranium munitions in more recent times, “causing… countless civilian casualties and lasting environmental pollution,” the piece notes.

The US government has used the dollar’s status as the global reserve currency, and its influence on the international financial system, to quash competition and slap unilateral sanctions against opponents. Washington “is basically collecting ‘seigniorage’ from around the world,” and during the Covid-19 pandemic, disrupted the global economy by injecting trillions of dollars into it, the report says.

The report accuses the US of using its status as a leading technological power to conduct electronic surveillance and espionage, including against its closest allies, as well as cyberwarfare, noting that having the leverage of big tech companies allows the US government to censor speech online and push its narratives on a global scale, while silencing critics.

The document concludes that the US should do some “soul-searching” and change its approach, as “the historical trends of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit are unstoppable.”
https://www.rt.com/news/571773-chinese-report-us-hegemony/
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3) --- Pres. Biden's remarks - in a nutshell

https://rumble.com/v2acujg-bidens-remarks-in-a-nutshell-ukraine-conflict-is-a-test-for-us-and-eu-woo-w.html?mref=6zof&mc=dgip3&ep=2

Don't know what else to say about this one

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21 Feb, 2023 15:44

4) --- DeSantis takes aim at Biden over Ukraine

The US president’s administration has no strategic objective in Ukraine, the Florida governor says

Joe Biden is pursuing a ‘blank check’ policy towards Ukraine, while turning a blind eye to the most pressing issues in America, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said, commenting on the US president’s surprise visit to Kiev on Monday.

“We have a lot of problems accumulating here in our own country that he [Biden] is neglecting,” DeSantis told Fox News’ ‘Fox & Friends’ several hours after the US leader arrived in the Ukrainian capital.

“He’s very concerned about those borders halfway around the world [in Ukraine]. He’s not done anything to secure our own border [with Mexico] here at home,” said DeSantis, who some believe is preparing to run for president in 2024. He also called out Biden for the “national humiliation” of “having China fly a spy balloon clear across the continental US.”

On the topic of America’s military support for Ukraine amid the conflict with Russia, the governor insisted that the Biden administration has “effectively [given Kiev] a blank check with no clear strategic objective identified.”

“I don’t think that it’s in our interest to be getting into a proxy war… over things like the [Ukrainian] borderlands or over Crimea,” DeSantis said.

While Russia is “hostile” to the US, it does not pose the same level of threat to the US as China does, according to the governor.

“The fear of Russia going into NATO countries and all that, and steamrolling, you know, that has not even come close to happening,” he said, referring to Western claims that Russia plans to invade NATO nations.

DeSantis claimed that the conflict in Ukraine would not have broken out in the first place if not for “the weakness that the president showed during his first year in office.” DeSantis is expected by many to be Donald Trump’s main rival for the Republican presidential nomination next year.

During his trip to Kiev, which lasted just five hours, Biden once again assured his Ukrainian counterpart, Vladimir Zelensky, of Washington’s support and pledged another $500 million in lethal aid to his government.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who delivered an address to the Federal Assembly on Tuesday, warned the West against supplying longer range weapons to Kiev. If this happens, Russia’s forces will have to move deeper into Ukrainian territory “to push the threat away from our borders,” he explained.
https://www.rt.com/news/571842-desantis-biden-ukraine-visit/
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21 Feb, 2023 09:02

5) --- EU prolongs Russia sanctions

A tenth round of restrictions is expected later this week

The European Union has extended for another year an array of anti-Russian sanctions imposed over the conflict in Ukraine. At the same time, the bloc’s leadership acknowledged that it is running out of targets for new restrictions.

The decision adopted by the EU Council on Monday means the measures have been prolonged until at least February 24, 2024.

Members pledged “unwavering” support for Kiev in its fight against Moscow, with the foreign ministers of EU states expressing solidarity in a video address. The bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, accused Russia of attacking a “peaceful neighbor” one year ago, and claimed that Moscow had expected to win the conflict “in a few days.”

The Russian government has insisted that its military operation was necessitated by Kiev’s continued attacks against civilians in Donbass and the creeping expansion of NATO into Ukraine.

The EU has been targeting Russia with sanctions since 2014, when an armed coup in Kiev toppled the Ukrainian government and prompted the region of Crimea to break away and rejoin Russia.

Since last February, the EU has cut much of its trade with Russia, leading to consequences such as a surge in energy prices. This week, a tenth package of sanctions is expected to be adopted. The new blacklist will reportedly feature high-tech goods, but also some symbolic items, including toilets.

However, European Council President Charles Michel acknowledged last week that there are “not many things left” for Brussels to target. Speaking to a Belgian newspaper, the official argued that “each debate on sanctions is much more difficult than the previous one.”

The latest stumbling block was reportedly synthetic rubber. Some member states such as Poland want to ban trade in the compound with Russia, while others, including Germany and Italy, opposed such a move, Politico reported last week. EU member states previously clashed over proposed restrictions on Russian hydrocarbons, petroleum products, diamonds, and nuclear technology.
https://www.rt.com/news/571817-eu-sanctions-russia-prolonged/
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