A Tale Of Three Summits
As we enter the second month of the Ukrainian invasion, calls for 24 March are made for a day of world protests
Has it really taken a month for NATO to wake up and see the threat on the doorstep of Europe, where invasions and loss of freedom and democracy lie in wait for the complacent and those who believe that discussions with a dictator will solve everything?
I believe that NATO is divided as many believe, between the Baltic states and former Soviet states, and everyone else. When you have an alliance that is divided, what then? The further western states want diplomacy, while the states that are close to the action want defensive measures, yet because they are the smaller states their voices get drowned out. As Estonia said, NATO needs to move from having a presence to actually looking as if they are defending. If NATO had lined all the borders with troops from the first day, it would be difficult to criticize them for not reacting, but the fact is it took 3 weeks before they made an official statement. Now they are playing catch-up and are reinforcing four new areas of defence, and it is no surprise that all of them (Slovenia, Russia, Bulgaria, and Hungary) are vulnerable states that Putin has eyed up.
NATO, the G7 and the EU are all meeting today, where Zelenskyy has called on the world to stand up for freedom by supporting Ukraine. It’s called ‘pester power’ and it is to get the attention of the world leaders and multinational organizations. In a video message to the world, he reminds everyone that Russia has imposed war on the democratic world and not just Ukraine, and that we must stand together to protect our freedoms.
The majority of the world sees Zelenskyy as a brave hero, but there have been critics that have blamed him for the deaths of the Ukrainians. The Russians killed them, not Zelenskyy, but they blame him for not surrendering or to give up territories in Ukraine to save lives. They claim is that he is out to make a name for himself, but that shows how people like to twist things to suit their narrow minds. Zelenskyy is the Russian’s number one target, and he will always be a target now, and he has has to beg and plead fro help from around the world. That is not an easy thing to do, and he has had to keep up the spirits of all Ukrainians around the world.
Zelenskyy made his speech in English last night, asking the world to support freedom:
"The war of Russia is not only the war against Ukraine. Its meaning is much wider. Russia started the war against freedom. This is only the beginning for Russia.
Russia is trying to defeat the freedom of all people in Europe. Of all the people in the world.
It tried to show that only crude and cruel force matters.
The world must stop Russia. The world must stop the war.
One month already. That long. It breaks my heart, the hearts of all Ukrainians and every free person on the planet.
Come to your squares, your streets. Make yourself visible and heard.
Say that people matter, freedom matters, people matter, peace matters. Ukraine matters."
I watched some footage and read some of the news, and it is heartbreaking to watch people queue for food from humanitarian aid trucks that have been allowed into cities that are in ruins. Do we see people crying out for Zelenskyy to surrender? No, because they do not wish to be occupied by the Russians and expect Zelenskyy to fight for them. The occupied cities hope that the West will come and help to free them, just as they did during the Second World War. That is why they protest daily for their freedom to be returned.
I will update tonight the results and feedback of the summits. It has come to a point where countries have no choice but to act, or to go down in history as traitors to democracy. Renault changing its mind within hours is an indication of ‘pester power’ where countries and customers will criticize poor decisions and force a company to rethink their position. The same is with all the countries that have sat on a fence as the action wasn’t in their backyard. Do they really need to discuss what to do if Russia attacks a Western convoy of humanitarian aid or weapons, where western civilians would be killed? Surely such scenarios should have been in place already. NATO caught napping, again?
Day 29 (24 March)
NATO meets in Brussels today.
The UN rejected the Russian resolution that attempted to justify the invasion. Only Russia and China voted in favour. What Russia was trying to do was blame Ukraine for the humanitarian crisis and was trying to get the UN to ‘sort it’ officially, and by trying to legitimize their presence.
NATO (Stoltenberg) states that this is a serious crisis (again, no kidding—we have known this for a month now!) and that this is the most serious conflict in Europe since the end of the Second World War. I think most of us can see that without being told.
Russia claims it has taken Izyum which is near the Donbas region. This would widen the corridor between Russia and Europe.
NATO is adding 40,000 troops as a defensive measure along the eastern flank. These will be sent to Slovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. This should have been done on 24 February 2022.
There are concerns of radiation spreading with firing around Chernobyl, and that forest fires could be ignited and create toxic fumes.
Stolteneberg added that the Russian invasion has forced a reset for NATO, and that they are prepared for the ‘long haul’. I would need more than these words to be convinced of that. He has also been granted an extension of his role as Secretary General until 2023, but would anyone want his job because he will be blamed for all the things that have gone wrong? In a crisis you can’t change a leadership for effective results, but in this case if may have been a better choice to get new blood in that was more proactive and convincing.
More ‘useless’ statements from NATO, asking Russia to stop the war immediately. I really don’t know why they bother making such comments because it makes them look stupid and weak. Why would Putin take any notice of an alliance he despises and has no respect for, and one that didn’t say a word for three weeks? NATO has also called on Belarus to stop enabling Russia, but again, why would they listen? The reputation of NATO sank a month ago when they failed to actively respond to a threat against the world, and they have still failed as no one can trust them or take them seriously.
There is no surprise that the no-fly zone was denied again, and NATO has stated they will assist Ukraine and supply weapons so that they can defend themselves. What if they don’t have enough men? No point in providing weapons when there aren’t enough soldiers to use them. They have also said if there is a chemical war then they would respond accordingly. With NATO’s track record of responding, cities and countries will be wiped out if you wait for NATO to respond. It has taken NATO a month to get their act together which is a poor show for an entity that is supposed to be able to react in a crisis situation.
The European Council has stated that ‘Putin must be defeated’ and that they believe that can happen through supporting Ukraine and imposing tighter sanctions. Haven’t they been doing that for a month at the cost of thousands of lives already? The support is lukewarm, and if the EC believes that is all it takes to defeat Putin (sanctions and giving Ukraine weapons usually after the fact), then I fear democracy is doomed.
NATO is poised to be ‘reformed’ and that means additional funds must be found through the members. The penny has dropped (finally) that they must defend the Eastern Bloc from Russian invasions.
The Wagner Group (mercenaries) is on the radar again, and apparently private military contractors are illegal in Russia, but isn’t that what the mafia is? Allegedly there is a price on Zelenskyy’s head, which is no surprise as all of Putin’s opponents are either killed, hunted, or are imprisoned.
Zelenskyy repeats that Ukraine is fighting this war for Europe and the world, and while Ukraine is not formally part of any alliance, it is still working to the shared goals of peace in Europe. It’s a case of him stating Ukraine isn’t a member, but they are still prepared to do their part for the greater good. Therefore, as a quid pro quo, why aren’t the other alliances doing the same? They are offering aid, but that creates a stalemate and doesn’t halt the bombings that destroy the buildings and cities. You can’t resurrect or replace ancient buildings.
In addition to the no-fly zone, Zelenskyy has asked for planes and tanks as these are necessary to fight Russia head on, and has offered to pay for them. Ukraine cannot fight with what the other countries have chosen to give, and Zelenskyy repeats that Ukrainians want to survive, but the alliances are able to help further, but aren’t prepared to do so still.
Reports form Zelenskyy claim that phosphorus ( toxic chemical that burns the skin) bombs have been used by the Russians.
Biden claims that NATO is united, but is it really? The fact that that there seems to be differing opinions on what actions should be taken by the member countries indicates that they aren’t all on the same page, same book but not the same chapter.
Sanctions take time to work, and they aren’t working even though more associates of Russians have had sanctions imposed on them. They knew that it would happen and have assets elsewhere to live off and through other means. These people are prepared, and so sanctions won’t hit them for a long time.
Ukraine has stated they have taken part in prisoner exchanges. These include seafarers who were captured by Russians in exchange for Russian civilian sailors in Odesa.
Russians have shelled evacuation trains from Kyiv to Ivano-Frankivsk. They have continued to attack evacuation corridors throughout the invasion too.
The Russians have claimed they will open an evacuation corridor to allow foreign vessels to leave ports in Ukraine on 25 march for 11 hours, from 8am-7pm. There are concerns that there are driving mines in the Black Sea.
Zelenskyy has said, “Our firm position will be represented at these three summits. At these three summits we will see: Who is a friend, who is a partner, and who betrayed us for money." This is a true test to see which countries are willing to defend freedom and democracy, and which ones are traitors to democracy and who value trade deals over lives.
More talk while the genocide continues.