What an ‘Unhinged’ Meeting Reveals About ‘Vladimir Putin’s War’ | Putin's Road to War | FRONTLINE
"What’s at stake in the upcoming Erdogan-Putin meeting? "Andrey Mordvichev -- Russia general says Ukraine just ‘stepping stone’ to invade Europe: ‘Won’t stop' "Ukrainian attacks force Russia to relocate Black Sea fleet "Ukraine’s top military leader says war is at a stalemate and a ‘beautiful breakthrough’ is unlikely"""
-- Shocked Vladimir Putin confronts AI-generated version of himself
The Telegraph Dec 15, 2023 Vladimir Putin denied he has a body double during a marathon phone-in press conference broadcast on Russian television. Putin told viewers that there is “only one person can speak like myself and use my voice, and this is going to be me”. The Russian president has been accused of using a body double for some public engagements and trips to occupied Ukraine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L2YAIk0vSc -- Russia assumes UN Security Council presidency, Ukraine calls it 'worst joke ever'
CBC News CBC/Radio-Canada is a Canadian public broadcast service. Wikipedia Apr 2, 2023 The United Nations Security Council, the international body responsible for maintaining peace and stability around the world, will be led by Russia starting April 1, known to many as April Fool's Day. Over a year ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkzzjI19cVY
Meanwhile Putin apparently has strong support generally, specifically for the war. While a concerning number, in significant Western democracies, have been talked into feeling democracy is not even worth supporting at home.
Can Russia Be Defeated? Nina Khrushcheva on Why "the West Must Face Reality in Ukraine"
Democracy Now! 177,105 views Jan 5, 2024 Latest Shows Support our work: https://democracynow.org/give As Ukraine and Russia complete an exchange of nearly 500 prisoners amid ongoing hostilities, American news outlets are reporting that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be open to ceasefire talks behind the scenes. But in Moscow, "That's not how we see it," says Nina Khrushcheva, a professor of international affairs at the New School and the great-granddaughter of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. "Putin has been quite clear from the beginning that Russia is going to achieve all its goals," and, despite international sanctions, the majority sentiment in Russia is that even ceasefire negotiations will result in the country ending the war "on stronger terms," Krushcheva says. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bPQnbkZNrc
Could it be really, in sense at all, that too many in Western countries fiddle while Democracy burns.
The Kremlin is pouncing on rumors of a rivalry between Zelenskyy and army boss Zaluzhny. There’s a grain of truth in the propaganda.
Leaders Of Norway, Lithuania And Portugal Visit Kyiv On Ukrainian Independence Day
Tensions between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his top general Valery Zaluzhny are spilling into the open | Alexey Furman/Getty Images
By Veronika Melkozerova December 5, 2023 7:21 am CET
[If your eyes are too tired to read farther, here you go for more:] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence ..inside...
KYIV — More than 21 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine the mood is turning grim in Kyiv — with tensions between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his top general, Valery Zaluzhny, spilling into the open.
Last year's successes, as Ukraine first blunted Russia's attacks on its capital and then recaptured swaths of territory, have faded into a stalemate along hundreds of kilometers of frontlines as entrenched Ukrainian and Russian soldiers fight bloody battles for advances and retreats measured in meters.
That’s led to political infighting in Kyiv as officials search for ways to outlast Russia during a long war in which Moscow has more men, more weapons and a bigger economy. The mood in Kyiv is further soured by recent wobbles in foreign support for continued military aid.
Ukrainian politicians are desperate for a plan for what to do next.
They say the military’s main idea seems to be to draft many more Ukrainians and to press Kyiv’s allies for more artillery ammunition. Civilian officials, meanwhile, want the military to provide a proper plan for the war, hinting the brass has none.
“All we hear so far from [the military] is: ‘Give us more people and millions of artillery shells.’ That’s unrealistic,” said a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
But military officials told POLITICO that a plan does exist.
“You think that [U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd] Austin and [Commander of the U.S. European Command Christopher] Cavoli would come to meet Zaluzhny if he had no plan?” one asked.
"It is clear that expending funds in the Ukrainian money pit is becoming increasingly difficult for them," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told .. https://tass.com/politics/1715513 .. reporters on Monday. "As far as we are concerned, the special military operation will continue, our economy has adjusted to the conditions of the special military operation and ensures the required level for continuation."
The infighting in Kyiv is causing public dismay.
"I understand why Russia wants to split the military-political leadership into 'military' and 'political' and make them fight each other," said Alina Mykhailova, a Ukrainian army officer and a member of the Kyiv city council, in a Facebook post .. https://www.facebook.com/MAlina.Mykhailova/posts/pfbid02oagdAfzJJVFhaC29a1ZV9L7JJHoYNbTsMvsaEvjBaj99EJsW77ZiKUx5vYTF9iRrl . "This is the only way for the enemy to decisively defeat Ukraine. But I do not understand and refuse to understand why we give them what they want."
Russia is sensing the cracks in Ukraine’s leadership | Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images
People close to Zelenskyy say the column left him scrambling to reassure partners that the war is not a dead end, and that it's still worth helping Ukraine. Now the president wants his army to come up with a strategy to keep the aid flowing.
"I would like people to understand the entire plan of action, where we are going, what the challenges are," Zelenskyy told reporters .. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=863070888818104 .. in Kyiv.
Kyiv continues to push its allies for more ammunition, even if the EU falls short of its pledge to send a million shells by March.
Observers, however, think the military may have a point.
“More artillery and people already sound like a plan. This war is so dynamic that plans for the months ahead sound unrealistic,” said Anton Pavlushko, an analyst with the InformNapalm OSINT project investigating the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A taste of electoral politics
But any daylight between the president and his top commander invites a political attack.
Ukrainian politicians are desperate for a plan for what to do next | Pool photo by Juan Medina/Getty Images
While Zaluzhny has not publicly expressed any political ambition, his high level of popular support makes him the only real competitor to Zelenskyy if he ever decides to run for the presidency.
He also urged rival politicians to steer clear of the issue. “It is irresponsible to spread ideas about elections during war,” a visibly angry Zelenskyy said.
So far, his appeals aren’t working.
European Solidarity, an opposition party led by former President Petro Poroshenko, has been using Zelenskyy's perceived beef with Zaluzhny to undermine political support for the country's leader.
A plan for how to turn the war around would also buttress foreign support for Ukraine, which is showing signs of fraying.
The U.S. Republican Party is balking at President Joe Biden's call for a $61.4 billion emergency funding request for Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Joe Biden at the White House in September | Drew Angerer/Getty Images
"I want to be clear: Without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from U.S. military stocks,” White House budget chief Shalanda Young wrote .. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/04/white-house-ukraine-aid-00129846 .. to Congress on Monday, adding: "If Ukraine’s economy collapses, they will not be able to keep fighting, full stop.”
[ Insert: Congress must send aid to Ukraine now by Mark Temnycky, Opinion Contributor - 01/12/24 11:00 AM ET [...]Critics now assert that the U.S. has spent too much money on Ukraine and contend that resources should be allocated elsewhere. Yet U.S. aid to Ukraine has not come at the expense of other U.S. programs. Rather, American assistance was predetermined and agreed upon by lawmakers separately. In fiscal 2022, the U.S. Congress approved $40 billion in aid to Ukraine while the total defense budget in fiscal 2022 was $715 billion. Then, in fiscal 2023, Congress approved $46 billion in aid to Ukraine, whereas the total defense budget for fiscal 2023 grew to $816.7 billion. P - In other words, funds appropriated to Ukraine in fiscal 2022 accounted for 6 percent of the total defense budget. Then, in fiscal 2023, Ukraine aid accounted for 5.6 percent of a larger defense budget. With only a tiny fraction of America’s defense budget, Ukraine has successfully degraded Russia from having the second-strongest military in the world to being the second-strongest military in Ukraine. https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4403311-congress-must-send-aid-to-ukraine-now/ ]
Zelenskyy and the military brass are nevertheless trying to send a positive message.
They point out that while the summer counteroffensive was disappointing, Ukraine did manage to push Russia's Black Sea fleet out of the western part of the sea and reopen grain shipments from Ukraine's ports. The military has also scored dramatic successes in hitting targets inside Russia, including last week's daring attacks .. https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-security-service-blew-up-main-railway-connection-between-russia-china/ .. on a key railway connection to China.
Key foreign allies have insisted they won't abandon Ukraine despite the tough times.
"We have to support Ukraine in both good and bad times," he added. "We should also be prepared for bad news.”
The dire situation requires that Ukrainian politicians form a unified front to keep fighting, Mykhailova warned in her social media post.
"You won't gain anything, and millions of Ukrainians will forever lose their homes, freedom, and lives. At best, you will go abroad and write memoirs, and you will go down in history as traitors and good-for-nothings who wasted a unique historical chance to destroy the Russian empire," she said.
"The foundation of our victory is not long-range missiles and unknown technologies. [It] is the unity of the government, the people and the military."
Closer Ties to the West Don’t Mean Turkey Will Give Up On Russia
"What’s at stake in the upcoming Erdogan-Putin meeting? "Andrey Mordvichev -- Russia general says Ukraine just ‘stepping stone’ to invade Europe: ‘Won’t stop' "Ukrainian attacks force Russia to relocate Black Sea fleet "Ukraine’s top military leader says war is at a stalemate and a ‘beautiful breakthrough’ is unlikely""""
h/t DesertDrifter, related: Yep is good he isn't more involved though he has helped Zelensky out. Erdogan/s playing a balancing act between Putin and the West, though looks too the isn't keen on Putin's expansion plans: Turkey Is Sending Cold War-Era Cluster Bombs to Ukraine https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=173911737
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Turkey has sought to maintain relations with both Russia and the West: an approach it will strive to continue.
Is Turkey on the side of Russia or the West when it comes to the ongoing war in Ukraine? The answer is that it depends on your viewpoint.
On the one hand, Ankara provides military and diplomatic support to Kyiv. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed never to accept Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian territory: the same position he took during Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Turkey has played a crucial role in securing Ukraine’s seaborne exports, initially through a UN-brokered grain deal, and now thanks to a corridor in its territorial waters.
On the other hand, Turkey never joined the West in imposing sanctions on Russia. It has become a top buyer of Russian crude oil, behind only China and India. While most of Europe has cut aviation links with Russia, Istanbul airport remains a hub .. https://www.ft.com/content/e5be1cac-3901-4066-a036-f78546b55eaf .. for flights to and from Russia’s major cities. Erdogan is now preparing to host Putin on February 12, despite the Russian president's pariah status in the West.
Turkey’s balancing act has gone through various phases, with the country sometimes leaning more to the West, sometimes cozying up to Moscow. Most recently, there has been a swing toward the United States and its allies.
At the end of January, the Turkish parliament finally approved Sweden’s accession to NATO (new members require unanimous approval from existing members). The issue of Sweden’s membership had become a bargaining chip, with Ankara demanding concessions from both Stockholm and, more importantly, the U.S. administration and Congress.
In addition, Turkey appears willing to observe U.S. secondary sanctions on Russia. Following an executive order issued by President Joe Biden in December that seeks to punish foreign companies aiding Moscow’s war effort, Turkish banks have reportedly .. https://en.thebell.io/russian-banks-squeezed-as-washington-tightens-sanctions/ .. cut ties with their Russian counterparts. According .. https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/6454712 .. to Russia’s Kommersant newspaper, exceptions have only been made for subsidiaries of foreign banks in Russia.
The Mine Countermeasures Group in the Black Sea is theoretically open to other NATO members, though Turkey has been scrupulous about enforcing international rules that ban military ships from non–Black Sea countries from passing through the Bosphorus in wartime.
While all these developments are significant, they amount to a tactical readjustment rather than a strategic overhaul of Turkish foreign policy. Erdogan and the Turkish elite do not intend to abandon Russia.
Some of the oil currently pumped to Lukoil’s Neftochim refinery in Bulgaria (exempt from the EU sanctions) will likely be redirected to STAR, which is located next to the Aegean port city of Izmir. Its refining capacity means Turkey looks set to consolidate its role as a hub for Russian oil exports, including to the EU. In addition, Turkey is reexporting oil products from Russia (imports of Russian diesel and other products tripled in 2023).
It’s not just oil: Turkey is also becoming increasingly important for Russian natural gas shipments. With Gazprom’s transit agreement with Ukraine expiring at the end of this year, the TurkStream pipeline looks set to become Russia’s sole export route to the EU .. https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/91154 . Turkish state-owned utility BOTAS has already concluded contracts to supply Hungary’s MVM and Moldova’s Moldovagaz. It has also secured .. https://liveuamap.com/en/2024/24-january-pm-of-ukraine-shmygal-met-with-pm-of-slovakia .. access to the Bulgarian grid, including the underused Trans-Balkan Pipeline, which was the main route for Russian gas coming into Turkey before completion of the undersea TurkStream.
In other words, Turkey can buy Russian gas from Gazprom, mix it with gas from other sources, and resell it to European countries seeking to diversify their energy supplies. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated .. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-04/putin-sees-gas-hub-agreement-with-turkey-in-very-near-future .. in 2023 that an agreement on a “gas hub” in Turkey was in the works. But even without a formal deal with Moscow, Turkey appears to be in a good position to profit from Russia’s isolation from the European gas market, which absorbed the bulk of Gazprom’s shipments before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The huge profits to be made from the energy trade ensure that Turkey’s partial shift to the West will not have a major impact on its relations with Russia. Moscow needs Erdogan more than ever because of the economic lifeline he provides. In a similar way, Washington prefers engagement with Ankara over hostility. Both the United States and Russia have learned to live with Turkey’s balancing act.
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