Macron and Scholz Ask Putin To Let 2,500 Prisoners of War Go...
Ukraine waits for weapons from their allies to arrive so that they can defend the country
Last night, I had in the background one of Churchill’s speeches and although I had heard it before and read it, what is important is that he never wavered from defending the Nation, whatever the cost. He was honest in that respect, that freedom and democracy comes at a cost be it lives and the economy, and it is not a quick process when an aggressor attacks you.
The speech was on YouTube, and I read the comments where those who are not British admired his courage and determination. Some compared it to Ukraine and that there are no leaders these days who have the courage to see this battle through.
I am proud to be British, for at least for now the government are supporting Ukraine in terms of weapons and aid. They have also stated that they do not favour appeasement, and that the future of Europe depends on Ukraine defeating Russia. That is an uncomfortable truth that the French, Hungarians, Germans, and Italians don’t wish to acknowledge. The Poles, Finns, Romanians, and Estonians are among those who have historically suffered at the hands of Russian tyrants—they will do what it takes to prevent that from ever happening again.
As we reach a stalemate in the conflict, people are beginning to think about themselves and how a world war would affect them. Travel would be limited, prices of everything would go up, there would be rationing, and of course there is the fear of bombs and nuclear attacks. Ukraine is way over on the other side of Europe, and so the apathetic view is what if a town is occupied if we get to keep our modern conveniences? It ails to me write the previous sentence but that it the truth, because some people are selfish, and the contemporary society has been evolving into a more selfish one of late. We see people risking their lives to help evacuate people who failed to leave when they had the chance. I still struggle to understand why people waited so long—when you hear the Russians are here, then you know you must either stay and fight, or leave so that you don’t have to be rescued.
I have read journalists and other observers stating the problem is Zelenskyy and that he should stop fighting and give up parts of Ukraine—they blame him for the deaths that the Russians carried out. Zelenskyy is in a difficult position, where he must beg for help from other states, and he is carrying out the will of Ukrainians where the majority believe that the only hope of a free Ukraine is to defeat the Russians.
The previous sanctions against Russia were not enough of a deterrent when Crimea was annexed, and when areas of the Donbas region were taken by separatists, again there was little international reaction. These failures to act have led to the current situation, therefore, appeasement and concessions will mean a victory for Russia, plus it means the door is open to take more towns and cities, one by one until the whole of Ukraine is occupied. That is the reality of the situation that some countries simply do not want to hear, for to them, ignorance is bliss. They may counter that with asking for proof of such a plan, but we all know tyrants and dictators are unlikely to promote their plans to attacks and kill people in the public domain. The Russians have as much said that they do not believe they invaded Ukraine, because Ukraine was always part of the Russian Federation and they never recognised their independent status.
The world leaders are delaying the inevitable world war. We see discussions and meetings each week where issues are highlighted, but are rarely addressed in an effective manner. Churchill’s words and determination gave the world hope that it would all be over and that they would defeat Germany—some may have called it arrogance, but the other world leaders listened to him because he had experience and had learnt from his previous mistakes. Can I say hand on heart that I hear hope in the statements the world leaders make, or in the statements that the alliances issue? No, I sense fear, apathy, and uncertainty as to what to do. They just want it all to go away, but with companies leaving Russia for good and willing to do so and to make a loss, the way back (if they so choose) will not be easy.
The UN, the WHO, the EU, NATO, the ICC and ICJ have all been involved, but their contribution has been limited to unenforceable symbolic resolutions, and inquiries into war crimes that are being documented but realistically may never be prosecuted. News surfaces when they have identified some of the soldiers who carried out alleged war crimes, but they are the pawns in this war, so finding them and prosecuting them does little except to catalogue some justice.
I do have hope though because Ukraine must win to save democracy in the world. However, the human cost of this battle is high and it is heartbreaking to see people lose everything, and still fear for their safety. The West fears Russia attacking them directly, and not just the convoys of weapons sent to Ukraine. Fear does not win wars when you fight on the side of righteousness and to save the lives of innocents. One must use courage to stand up to the tyrants, whose aim is to disrupt and to conquer through self-perceived entitlement and desires. You cannot reason or negotiate with such people, and to do so will reveal weaknesses that they will use against you in the future. Millions have died to protect and defend the freedoms that many take for granted today—we cannot let them down and must fight until the aggressor is no more.
Day 94 (28 May)
Putin speaks to Nehammer (Austria) again in an attempt to open humanitarian corridors. Apparently, Putin has ‘assured’ him that there will be prisoner exchanges despite the suggestions that captured soldiers in Mariupol will be tried in a tribunal there and could face the death penalty.
Talks with Turkey in relation to Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership applications have been fruitless as expected. Turkey wishes to blackmail NATO and that is what they are doing by blocking the applications.
The Moscow led Ukrainian Orthodox Church has severed ties with the Russian Orthodox Church for supporting the invasion.
Kyiv, as expected is being targeted again now that soldiers from Mariupol can be deployed elsewhere. The city is carrying on as normal for now and has a comedic show starring Putin lined up but sirens still sound at night.
In Donbas, the Russians are encircling key target areas that serves as infrastructure hubs. The Ukrainians are putting up a good fight, but do they have sufficient weapons to continue fighting or will then run out as they did in Mariupol?
Russian propaganda continues where the statements from appeasers such as France and Turkey have been spun to state that Russia is winning because other countries want Ukraine to concede land. That is why Macron’s words are dangerous as they play into Putin’s hands and it is what he wants—a fractured Europe where the countries disagree with each other and where factions grow from within.
The appeasement faction (France, Italy, Turkey, Hungary, Israel, and sometimes Germany) are actually hindering the progress Ukraine and the allies are making by pursuing appeasement.
As international sporting events take place, Russia has been banned from all events such as Wimbledon, Belarus has been included in the ban as well. Belarus has been allowed to play international football, but UEFA has stated the team must play on neutral grounds and Ukraine and Belarus will be prevented from being drawn against each other. While some say it is unfair, we have seen some athletes brandish support for what the world deems an illegal invasion and attack on a sovereign state, therefore, it is only right to prevent such incidents.
Lavrov is still playing the ‘Russia is a victim’ game, and claims that any attacks on Russia are wrong (also called Ukraine defending itself), and continues to paint the West (the US in particular) as the enemy.
The EU Council is meeting on 30-31 May in Brussels to discuss the Ukrainian situation, especially the grain problem where 22 million tonnes are being blocked by the Russians. It’s great that they know this, but what exactly are they going to do about this except slap more sanctions against Russia?
They can try and escort the freighters out, but as the sea is littered with mines can they take that risk. The alternative as we can see is food shortages and rising prices.
Many countries have broken ties with Russia, and twinned cities have been replaced with non-Russian cities or towns. No one wants to be associated with anything Russian, which is a shame for those who do not support Putin’s war who must suffer.
The appeasement twins (Macron and Scholz) have been on the phone to Putin again, and I did not know whether to laugh or swear when I read that they had asked Putin to release the 2,5000 Azovstol prisoners of war. As someone on social media said, ‘What have they both been smoking?’. Putin has ignored all of Macron’s calls, so why would Putin listen to either of them let alone carry out their request?
Russia has said that there can be no prisoner exchanges until the prisoners have been convicted, so technically it won’t be happening for quite a while as the Russians need them for propaganda purposes. Putin responded by warning France and Germany to stop supplying arms to Ukraine, another blackmail attempt. Therefore, lift the sanctions against Russia and you get to export your grain and we can trade and make money to fund the invasion that will continue. Then, stop supplying weapons to Ukraine, so then we can defeat them faster and you can swap the prisoners of war that we will probably torture and where some might have died by then.
Reports have come in from prisoners who have been exchanged, where they have returned in poor condition, having been raped, tortured, and where they were also injected with drugs.
I urge all who can to watch Clive Myrie interviewing Andrei Kelin Russian Ambassador to the UK today on BBC Sunday Morning. A longer version is available on BBC IPlayer. A masterful interview with a clearly angry/nervous/maybe terrified subject looking sideways at his minders a lot of the time and denying the clear evidence of war crimes. His stance was astonishing and terrifying. An eye opener, for me at any rate.
E-L - You listening to Churchill's speech reminds me of my now deceased brother listening to the great man speak on a 33 RPM vinyl record album (circa maybe the late '50's) and how no one dared to speak to him as he listened to Churchill's wartime speeches. Thank you once more for your timely update on events surrounding the ongoing atrocities in Ukraine. Difficult to understand why it is possible Putin is still alive considering the world wide ramification of his war.