Ukraine Will Not (And Should Not) Concede Land To Russia
Days 90 and 91 ~ The impact of the war on the international community
The same issues are getting discussed each day, where some parties (that are not as yet directly related) as keen to impose their opinions on how the conflict should be resolved, and they keep repeating their position, expecting others to cave and to agree with them.
At times we seem to be going around in circles, so I won’t repeat the same thing that has been said before, except that Ukraine has stated they will not hand any land over to Russia, and it is their country and no other country should tell them otherwise.
Yesterday Henry Kissinger made a statement that he believed that Ukraine should hand over land to Russia to end the conflict. Like many, I thought he had died, but who wants the advice of a 98 year old man who supported the corrupt Nixon administration, especially concerning the Vietnam War which many Americans soldiers got dragged into?
As Biden left Asia on a short tour, Russia and China carried out joint nuclear bomb exercises. Many saw that as a warning to the US, and to the world at large. If anything, it has shown China’s hand and that they support Russia. Taiwan is in a difficult position having always been part of China, but was able to have some independence. With the current puppet government, Taiwan would be handed back over to China to rule (as currently they have their own government) without much effort, just as Crimea was handed over to Russia due to Yanukovych, who is currently in exile for High Treason in Russia. North Korea has joined in with the testing of ballistic missiles today as well, which appears to show an alliance with China and Russia against the West.
We are now close to 100 days of the war in Ukraine, and the effects are being felt by the world in terms of energy supplies being cut and prices rising, and food shortages due to Ukraine’s grain supply being blocked from export by the Russians. France, Germany, Turkey, Italy, and Hungary have chosen to support Ukraine, but only on the fringes as they advocate appeasement for a ‘quick fix’ to a problem that has been brewing since 1991.
The truth is if one looks at the bigger picture, any concession of land to Russia is a virtual surrender and acceptance that Russia had a right to invade/liberate. Also, that once that door has opened and you let the Russians in, they will stay and continue to expand. The Russians have not denied that this is their aim and intent either, so why external parties wish to allow Ukraine to remain in a vulnerable state is beyond me. If their own country was faced with the same choice, would they surrender land and live in perpetual fear of Russia coming back to take more when it suited them?
The arrests for war crimes in Ukraine continues with Russian soldier that have been identified, but will it serve as a deterrent, and has justice been done by imprisoning the minions who carried out orders from the tyrants?
The appeasers are concerned about tourism, the economy, and their own political careers. They know there will come a time when the electorate and citizens will object to funds being given to Ukraine while their own citizens are homeless or are on the poverty line. In the USA that has already begun with some disgruntled citizens wanting Ukraine to surrender so that the government can focus on domestic matters.
Day 90 (24 May)
Russian media has stated that the Azovstal Prisoners of War will be tried at a tribunal in the now Russian occupied Mariupol. The tribunal will be made up from ‘international’ judges from Russia, South Ossetia, and other Russian client states.
Zelenskyy stated at Davos that the Russians still have 20 times more weapons that Ukraine, and that in order to defeat Russia and save democracy and protect it, that Ukraine needs more weapons.
He also stated that he wished to help set up an organization to prevent hunger in the world. As Ukraine exports much of the grain around the world, this is something the country can do once it is back on its feet.
The Ukrainian post office has released an amended version of the stamps with the sinking of the Moskva, where the warship is seen to have sunk.
Olena Zelenka, has announced a program to help all Ukrainians with mental health, and psychological support brought on by the war.
Russia has been caught stealing Ukrainian grain stuck at the ports, and Lithuania has offered to help with the blockade by the use of their seaports and railways.
Boris Bondarev, the Russian diplomat who resigned and who has spoken out against Russia has given an interview. He is aware that he will now be considered a traitor and that he needs to take measures ensuring his own personal safety.
Melitopol is in the news again, and is occupied by Russians where the residents are resisting the occupiers. Reports claim that Russians are taking bribes from citizens in order to let them leave the city as evacuees. The cost is Hr 300-500 ($100-300) per person to leave the city.
The UN and ICRC need to step in, because if people choose to leave then they should be allowed to do so. Some will stay, through health reasons or because they need to look after elderly relatives, and others will stay to fight the Russians.
Microsoft is to assist Ukraine in documenting war crimes, after meeting Microsoft’s president (Brad Smith) at Davos. The company will also help rebuild Ukraine’s digital industry after the war. I know we keep talking about ‘after the war’ but we are still at the start of the war, while the appeasers believe that this can end soon.
In occupied Kherson, there are reports that Russia intends to set up a military base there which would make it harder to remove them. A few weeks ago, the Russians began to move the military into abandoned homes to occupy them, which is what happens when a country illegally annexes territory. This means that the original owners of the property would struggle to reclaim their homes if they were evacuated. If the owners had died, then the Russians may just claim it for themselves. This is what Germany did in all the territories that invaded, and implanted Germans there to make it it difficult for them to be removed.
Henry Kissinger, a former Secretary of State for the US that served under JF Kennedy and Nixon has stated he believes that Ukraine should hand land over to Russia to end the conflict. At Davos, he also stated that the Europe should stop trying to defeat Russia (thus, stop helping Ukraine) as it would create an unstable Europe. On the contrary, by failing to stop Russia, that creates an unstable Europe.
Few have agreed with him, and those are the disgruntled ones who don’t understand the logistics of war and are basically selfish. Most have stated as a 98 year old man who has not been party to contemporary politics, he should keep his opinions to himself as they are worthless (that is me being polite), and other have brought up the outcome of his poor decisions in Vietnam. People also forget that he apparently advised Putin after the Cold War, and when everyone thought Russia wanted to be part of a democratic Europe.
My own thoughts are that he is entitled to his opinion, but he isn’t going to to around to see the errors of such poor advice that is undemocratic, and that concedes to authoritarianism. We are fortunate he is not in government any longer.
The Russians attacked a chemical plant in Severodonetsk. The Azot plant previously was used as a shelter for civilians.
On Russian state television there have been threats of nuclear attacks again, with a claim that the war will end in Russian victory or a humanitarian catastrophe.
This is a clear message that Russia will not stop at the cities they have occupied and have no intention of leaving Ukraine either. The appeasers need to realise that and accept that appeasement merely gives Russia time to regroup, and where they could negotiate the lifting of sanctions which would then help fund a subsequent attack.
The battle in Donbas continues where Svitlodarsk has been captured and possibly occupied. Ukraine doe not have the weapons needed for this full scale attack. They were not fully prepared, not could they have been as it is apparent there had been traitors working within the administration of the separatist groups, and could have hindered any defensive preparations being made prior to the invasion.
Hours after Biden left Asia, Russia and China carried out nuclear weapons exercises in the region. This comes after Biden has stated the US would honour the Taiwan Relations Act (1979) where the US would support Taiwan if there was an act of aggression made agains them. In recent weeks, China has been flying near the Taiwanese defence zone, enough to alert their defences.
Taiwan is a complicated issue because it is part of China, but retained some independence due to Chiang Kai-Shek who retreated to Taiwan in 1949 when his troops could not defeat Mao Tse-Tung. One reason why Taiwan has never been recognized as a sovereign state is because the UN Security Council must approve them as a full member of the UN, and China would veto that.
Day 91 (25 May)
Marks and Spencers will exit Russia after 17 years. This follows the actions of other companies like Starbucks, McDonalds, Siemens, and Renault.
Mariupol has been de-mined, and Russia says ships can leave through a humanitarian corridor to export much needed food staples around the world. However, Russia does nothing for free and wants sanctions against them lifted in exchange for the corridor being opened.
Eight soldiers were charged for the murder of the head of a village and her family after being identified. Olha Sukhenko was murdered along with her husband and son, and buried in a shallow grave that was riddled with mines so that no one could get to the bodies.
While Belarus is seen as a client state of Russia, there are many Belarusians who are fighting on behalf of Ukraine because they want a democratic and independent Belarus. The media has shown Belarus as an ally, but it must be remembered that it is the current government that is corrupt and does not reflect the nation.
The Kremlin is considering holding a referendum to merge Russia and Belarus.
The Russian diplomat in the UN who resigned over the war has spoken out, and has given insight to how his colleagues have reacted. Some are unhappy with the economical aspects of the war, but Bondarev has stated he has resigned and has spoken his mind which is not illegal—however, it is frowned upon and states he is aware he should b concerned about his personal safety.
In the Donbas region there is heavy fighting where the weapons donated by other countries are helping Ukraine defences. These included Sievierodonetsk, Lyman, Avidiivka, Pasika, Bakhmut, and Lysychansk. Zaporizhzhia has been targeted as it is a main railway hub, and has steelworks and is an area where many defence companies are located. By disrupting the infrastructure, it weakens Ukraine, and there is also a nuclear plant nearby where if the energy was knocked out it would cause more humanitarian suffering.
The US is imposing another way to make it isolate Russia. They will halt the ability for US bondholders to accept payments from Russians. This means that Russia cannot pay their debts, they would default and then end up in court to recover the debt.
Sweden and Finland hold talks with Turkey again regarding their NATO application. It seems Turkey wants something in return that benefits them within NATO. The countries area accused of harbouring PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) members that Turkey deems are terrorists. Turkey wants sanctions lifted on arms exports (in 2019 after Syria), and has also made demands of NATO. Turkey wishes to be included in the F-35 advanced aircraft program, as it was barred after they bought S-400 missile systems from Russia (so why are they still in NATO?) They also wish the US to purchase F-16s for their existing fleet. Looks like Turkey is looking to ‘blackmail’ NATO to gather high tech weapons that they were banned from having. Given that they have bought weapons from Russia, surely NATO should be cautious about handing any weapons to them at all?
Ukrainians are finding dead soldiers scattered around the outskirts of Kyiv as the Russians had left their men behind, and have not claimed the dead bodies that have been recovered that lie in refrigerated trains.
The EU are still debating over a sixth package of sanctions against Russia. They wish to make violating sanctions a crime, so that it would be easier to prosecute. This would not just be the company or individuals, but lawyers and bankers that assist any such violations.
While I will always support elderly folks being allowed to voice their opinions, I would suggest that Henry Kissinger's be taken with a spoonful of salt when he urges the west to stop trying to inflict defeat on Russia. I would hope that his judgement is ignored by the west. In wanting to appear that he is still relevant, perhaps he should write another book after taking some Epsom Salt.