NATO Meets To Discuss The Ukrainian Situation
Another UN resolution is passed as 143 countries condemn Russia's illegal annexation
Over the past 72 hours, the major alliances have met and discussed the Ukrainian situation, again. It took a Russian bombardment of missiles for them to act, but is it enough to issue statement of support to Ukraine, and to pledge to send the air defence systems they have been asking for since the invasion began?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/g7-leaders-joint-statement-on-ukraine-11-october-2022
G7 Statement on Ukraine, 11 October 2022
We, the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), convened today with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Our meeting took place against the backdrop of the most recent missile attacks against civilian infrastructure and cities across Ukraine, leading to the death of innocent civilians. We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms and recall that indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilian populations constitute a war crime. We will hold President Putin and those responsible to account.
The G7 firmly condemn and unequivocally reject the illegal attempted annexation by Russia of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions in addition to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. We solemnly reiterate that we will never recognise this illegal annexation or the sham referenda that Russia uses to justify it.
Russia has blatantly violated the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. They cannot and do not give Russia a legitimate basis to change Ukraine’s borders. We call upon all countries to unequivocally reject these violations of international law and demand that Russia cease all hostilities and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from Ukraine.
We have imposed and will continue to impose further economic costs on Russia, including on individuals and entities – inside and outside of Russia – providing political or economic support for Russia’s illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory.
We deplore deliberate Russian escalatory steps, including the partial mobilisation of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, which is putting global peace and security at risk. We reaffirm that any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences.
We condemn Russia’s actions at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and the pressure exerted on the personnel of the facility. This is a further irresponsible escalation and we will hold Russia responsible for any incident caused by their actions. The safety, security and safeguards of the nuclear facility are paramount and we support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s efforts in this regard.
We reiterate our call on the Belarusian authorities to stop enabling the Russian war of aggression by permitting Russian armed forces to use Belarusian territory and by providing support to the Russian military. The announcement of a joint military group with Russia constitutes the most recent example of the Belarusian regime’s complicity with Russia. We renew our call on the Lukashenko regime to fully abide by its obligations under international law.
We reaffirm our full support to Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty in its internationally recognised borders. In line with international law, in particular the UN Charter, Ukraine has the legitimate right to defend itself against Russian aggression and to regain full control of its territory within its internationally recognised borders.
We reassured President Zelenskyy that we are undeterred and steadfast in our commitment to providing the support Ukraine needs to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support and will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We are committed to supporting Ukraine in meeting its winter preparedness needs.
With a view to a viable post-war peace settlement, we remain ready to reach arrangements together with interested countries and institutions and Ukraine on sustained security and other commitments to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression. We will continue to coordinate efforts to meet Ukraine’s urgent requirements for military and defense equipment. We look forward to the outcomes of the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction and Modernisation of Ukraine on October 25.
No country wants peace more than Ukraine, whose people have suffered death, displacement and countless atrocities as the result of Russian aggression. In solidarity with Ukraine, the G7 Leaders welcome President Zelenskyy’s readiness for a just peace. This should include the following elements: respecting the UN Charter’s protection of territorial integrity and sovereignty; safeguarding Ukraine’s ability to defend itself in the future; ensuring Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, including exploring avenues to do so with funds from Russia; pursuing accountability for Russian crimes committed during the war.
We are deeply troubled by the deliberate damage to the Nordstream pipelines in international waters in the Baltic Sea and strongly condemn any deliberate disruption of critical infrastructure. We welcome ongoing investigations.
We will act in solidarity and close coordination to address the negative impact of Russia’s aggression for global economic stability, including by continuing to cooperate to ensure energy security and affordability across the G7 and beyond.
The G7 met (11 October 2022) and condemned the Russian missile attacks on civilian infrastructure, and stated that Russia must be held to account for war crimes committed. Germany and the US managed to deliver air defence systems to Ukraine within 48 hours of the meeting.
Ukraine Defense Contact Group, held a Ramstein-format meeting (6) on 12 October 2022.
The UN General Assembly were voted on passing a resolution to condemn the illegal Russian annexation of partially occupied territories in Ukraine. This was because the resolution failed in the UN Security Council as Russia vetoed the resolution and China abstained. This was passed late on 12 October 2022.
NATO had a two day meeting, where countries pledged to provide air defence systems and more weapons to aid Ukraine. (12-13 October 2022)
Meanwhile, the support of the West simply makes Putin mad, and propaganda is heightened to turn Russians against the West. As the UN resolution (that is non-binding and does nothing in practical terms) was announced, Russia fired more missiles on Mykovlaiv and Kyiv.
Day 231 (12 October)
The Zaporizhzia nuclear power plant lost external power again the second time in 5 days. Power was resumed again by the next day, but the back-up power has been relied on and creates an unstable situation. The Russians had shelled the Dniprovska substation which led to the cut in power. The situation has been made worse, as Enerhoatom have stated that Russia is refusing supplies of diesel to be delivered, which are necessary to for the back-up power.
Grossi, the head of the IAEA met with Putin in Moscow the day before, where a fidgety Putin declared Grossi was always welcome in Russia, and that he was open to discussions. However, discussions really meant that as long as people agreed with what he said.
The talks were supposed to agree to a safe zone around the plant, and for Russian troops to move out of the plant, but Russia will not do the latter. The optics are that Russia wishes to make the plant part of Russian property, and by kidnapping another member of staff from the plant, it is hardly in the spirit of discussions. The IAEA (UN branch) has made little progress and seems to yield to Russia because they don’t want to poke the deranged bear into starting a nuclear war.
During the Ramstein-format meeting, Germany will deliver additional MARS II multiple launch rocket systems, and PzH 2000 artillery systems, over the next few week
s
The only way it seems to have a safe zone is for Ukraine to formally request the UN and NATO troops to provide the means, as this is the only way the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant can ever be considered safe during this war.
NATO countries will meet for a two days in Brussels to discuss the ongoing Ukraine situation, and the need for air defence systems which Ukraine has been crying out for since the start of the invasion. The recent attacks show that these weapons cold have prevented deaths if they had been delivered back in March when they were requested by Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians themselves.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive continues while Russia attacks Ukraine, as 5 settlements in occupied Kherson are liberated. Small steps lead to ousting the Russians, but the task is difficult as Russians are projecting what they have occupied and can use citizens as human shields.
The Russians FSB (Secret Service) have claimed that they have found those behind the Kerch Bridge attack and have arrested 8 people in connection with the incident. They state that 12 people were involved, so far 4 Ukrainians , 2 Georgians, and 5 Russians have been identified. They claim it was a truck bomb that originated in Odesa, then went to Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, and then into Russia! Quite an elaborate plot to try and implicate specific groups.
The FSB also claim that they stopped two attacks in Moscow and Bryansk, and have arrested two Ukrainians, but this might be propaganda to bolster the Russian narrative.
HIMARS from the US arrived on the evening of 11 October 2022, after the G7 emergency meeting, and 36 hours after the Russians attacked multiple regions in Ukraine in retaliation for the Kerch Bridge bombing.
Russia attacked Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia where civilians have died. Missile attacks also occurred in Mariupol and Volnvakha. Some may ask why Russia is attacking regions they have annexed, and that is because only parts of the areas have been annexed, and they also wish to prevent Ukrainian troops from liberating the areas. The Russian do not care about the people or the buildings, only the power over the land.
The attack was in a Donetsk market in Avdiivka where 8 civilians were killed, and others were injured. This was obviously not a military target. The aims seem to be to knock out civilian infrastructure and anything that makes life normal for Ukrainians.
At the G7 meeting, Zelenskyy asked for an air shield, a request he has made before to protect the skies. The G7 pledged to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support for us as it was necessary to Ukraine.
Belarus has formally declared that they will assist Russia in the war and have the mothballed 20 T-72 tanks in anticipation of this, and have also been assisting Russia with repairs of damaged weapons and machinery. In effect, Belarus has been part of the war since the start, and who is to say that Belarusian troops have not been aiding Russian troops already in Ukraine?
The Czech Republic has joined other Baltic states and has banned Russians with a Schengen Visa for tourism sport or cultural purposes from entering the country from 25 October 2022. While the Czech Republic has stopped issuing visas back in March, this legislation applies to existing visas that had already been issued.
At last, Macron has announced that France will be delivering air defence systems, which would include radars and missiles to Ukraine in the next few weeks. He has been heavily criticised by his own citizens for failing to provide weapons and to act, other than to make statements and call Putin. Even the French have said that they were ashamed of their country for not providing more assistance, and that the news was welcomed, but it should have happened sooner. And so say all of us! This was announced in an interview for a France 2 that night.
Day 232 (13 October)
The UN last night voted to condemn the Russian annexation of four partially occupied territories in Ukraine. 143 countries voted in support of the condemnation, while 35 abstained and 5 voted against. The 5 that voted against, were Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea, and Nicaragua. Russian support is dwindling
.
Serbia, Brazil, Iran, and Morocco have switched to vote against Russia. What does this mean? Even though 100 countries voted to condemn the annexation of Crimea back in 2014, what did that vote do? Nothing of practical use except to see which countries support Russian tyranny. Countries that abstained and who sat on the fence are now having to choose a side, and they want relations with western countries, and that cannot happen if it is believed that they support Russia. The same will happen here, where the resolution has no actual power but is a public statement for the record
.
The 35 countries that abstained and that are of concern were: Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Togo, Thailand, Tajikistan, Sudan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, South Sudan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Laos, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, India, Kazakhstan, Guinea, Ethiopia, China, Congo, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Eswatini, Burundi, Bolivia, Armenia, Algeria, Cuba, and Honduras.
Russia will look at which countries support them, and it seems that they have lost the support optics wise from Serbia and Hungary. This is because Hungary is a member of NATO and the EU, and they cannot be seen to support Russia publicly. Serbia has been seeking EU membership, and if they supported Russia then the application would not be successful, as currently they currently have candidate status that has been pending. EU membership would be advantageous for trade and freedom of movement for Serbians.
The NATO meeting resulted in the alliance agreeing to provide defence systems to Ukraine, both long and short range systems to counter the ballistic missiles cruise missiles, and in particular drones that are attacking civilian areas. The UK, Canada, France and the Netherlands have pledged additional support with weapons to Ukraine the US had already made such a pledge in the G7 meeting earlier in the week.
More than 50 countries met at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, that we consider our Ukrainian allies. After the first meeting Mykolaiv was shelled—that was the Russian response. The UK will provide a further 18 howitzer artillery guns in addition to 64 already delivered and aerial drones to help support the Ukrainian troops logistically. The Netherlands said it would deliver €15 million worth of air defence missiles, and Canada pledged a further $47 million worth of military aid including drones and satellite communications. In Germany announced delivery of the first defence systems, the latest IRIS-T SLM, with further deliveries expected soon.
The FSB post what looks like a staged video of an arrest and discovery of someone with a bomb in their backpack. The very handy video footage defies all the precautions one would take with a suspected bomb, such as throwing the man down at a bus stop, and the ‘bomb’ wrapped up in bubble wrap in a fresh brown box!
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will participate in a meeting on 14 October, of the Bucharest Nine to discuss areas of concern to the countries on NATO's eastern flank. The nine are: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. These countries are all close to the Ukrainian borders and vulnerable to attacks from Russia.
Further attacks are happening in Kyiv and across Ukraine. The air defence systems from the allies would have been helpful before the attacks.
Maxar imagery shows the damage done to the Crimea Kerch Bridge, and also shows a ferry carrying supplies to the area.
Unfortunately, it's all just words, in the end. The frustration of the Ukrainians must be off the chart, at this point.
While Russian support may be dwindling, it is concerning that Russia (and China) have been lobbying for years in many of the 35 countries which have abstained from voting to condemn Russia.