Tag: russia

Zelensky Says Ukraine Will Establish Diplomatic Ties With HTS-Led Syria

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was working to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria following the takeover of the country by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a US-designated terrorist organization that’s an offshoot of al-Qaeda.

“We are preparing to renew our diplomatic relations with Syria and our cooperation within international organizations. I want to thank our intelligence for the security framework of these contacts,” Zelensky said.

His comments came after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visited Syria and met with HTS officials, including Syria’s de facto leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, who has been going by his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Syria in 2022 after former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Russia, recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk Republics in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian intelligence supported the HTS takeover of Syria by providing drones and drone operators a few weeks before the offensive was launched. Ukraine’s military intelligence, known as the HUR, had also reportedly been involved in attacks on Russian bases in Syria.

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Trump Should Terminate The Bilateral Security Agreement Between The US & Ukraine

He should do this on his first day in office if he’s serious about implementing his foreign policy agenda.

New York Times contributor Rajan Menon wrote in a mid-December op-ed that Trump is unlikely to agree to give Ukraine the security guarantees that Zelensky is demanding in temporary lieu of NATO membership. He’s apparently unaware that Trump will soon inherit the bilateral security agreement that the Biden Administration reached with Ukraine in June. It essentially institutionalizes existing US military aid for Ukraine and obligates it to resume the present scale and scope of such if the conflict reignites.

Nevertheless, Menon’s factually inaccurate assessment raises the question of whether Trump would terminate that agreement as part of his plan to “Pivot (back) to Asia” for more muscularly containing China, which his administration could never do in full if it maintains such commitments to Ukraine. Last June’s document stipulates that “Either Party may terminate this Agreement by providing a written notification through diplomatic channels to the other Party” within six months of planning to abandon it.

It’s therefore legally feasible, but Trump would predictably get a lot of flak from his “deep state’s” Russophobic hawks, though he’d then free the US up to “Pivot (back) to Asia” without worrying about being dragged back into another proxy war with Russia in Europe. Moreover, by depriving Ukraine of the US security guarantees that it took for granted, he’d make it less likely that Kiev would violate the ceasefire in an attempt to manipulate America and others into fighting Russia on its behalf afterwards.

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Russia Determines How the Ukraine War Ends

Scott Ritter, the former UN weapons inspector, told the “Dialogue Works” podcast on Tuesday that the incoming Trump administration’s position on how to resolve the war in Ukraine is insignificant because it will be Moscow that determines how the war will end.

Ritter said he does not think it is worthwhile to talk about the conversations Keith Kellogg, the retired three-star general tapped by Donald Trump as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, has with Kyiv because “that conversation is irrelevant.”

“Ukrainians, simply, don’t have a vote,” he said. He said Kellogg should inform the Ukrainians that the longer they choose to fight, the greater harm will be done to the country.

“But I don’t think he’s going to do that,” he said. “I think Kellogg is going to think that he’s going to find some kind of pressure points for Russia…maybe he will reach out to Europe about increasing defense spending.”

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Failing Kursk Offensive May Backfire On Ukraine As Russian Troops Mass Near Sumy

The true purpose of Ukraine’s surprise offensive into the Russian agricultural region of Kursk has been hotly debated since it was launched in August.  The complete failure of the 2023 “counter-offensive” led many to believe that Ukraine’s rumored troop shortages were far worse than initially reported.  Some believed that the Kursk offensive was designed to allay fears among allies that Kyiv was no longer capable of taking ground from the Russians. 

The invasion of Kursk was successful primarily because the area was weakly defended, and it was weakly defended because it has no strategic value.  It’s a collection of farming towns with no industrial infrastructure, and the nearest vital site (a nuclear power plant) is too far away for the Ukrainians to reach.  Almost every tactician not working for Ukraine has questioned the offensive, calling it potentially one of the greatest military blunders in modern history.  

Why?  Because Kursk has siphoned up some of Ukraine’s best troops and weaponry and increased the ground they have to defend with the limited forces they have available.  In a war of attrition, the losing side must seek to shrink and strengthen their area of defense instead of spreading themselves thin.  Ukraine did the opposite. 

Vladimir Zelensky claims that Kursk was designed to lure large numbers of Russian troops away from the eastern front and stop their advance.  If this is the case, then the effort was unsuccessful.  Russian attacks increased in the period after the Kursk invasion and now Kremlin forces are in the process of taking at least three key cities which will cement their control of the Donbas.  

Another theory is that Kursk was intended to convince NATO allies that Vladimir Putin’s “red lines” are meaningless and that Ukraine should be given access to long range missiles for striking deep into the heart of Russia.  If that was the plan, then it has succeeded.  The Biden Administration and NATO have given Zelensky the green light to use ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles at will.  

Another possible advantage for Ukraine in the “red line” narrative is that it could be used to convince NATO countries to deploy troops to the region, thus triggering WWIII.  This is, at bottom, the only hope Ukraine has to push Russia back – A massive influx of western troops and hardware.  But at the same time the risk of a wider war with nuclear implications grows exponentially.  There are plenty of people in Ukraine, elites in globalist think tanks and officials in NATO that have no problem with that.

The problem with Kursk is that Ukraine needs to hold it until they can get the response they want from the west, but Russia appears to be poised to take the ground back.  And, if these reports are accurate, then maintaining a presence in Kursk may have backfired on Ukraine.

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Biden White House to Give Another $2.5 Billion to Ukraine – After a $1.25 Billion Donation on Friday!

Joe Biden’s handlers announced another $2.5 billion will be gifted to Ukraine.

Today’s multi-billion dollar donation included an additional $1.25 billion drawdown package for the Ukrainian military and a $1.22 billion Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package.

Biden’s handlers are hoping to escalated the Russia-Ukrainian conflict before the senile Democrat leaves office.

Who’s up for World War III?

The Biden team announced the latest donation early Monday morning on the White House website.

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Friends With (Geopolitical) Benefits: How Russia and North Korea Are Changing the Game

Recent reports suggest that North Korean (DPRK) troops may be assisting Russia in its war with Ukraine – a development that underscores their growing strategic partnership, formalized by a treaty pledging mutual military, economic, and cultural cooperation. This alliance, formalized through a recently enacted treaty, could bolster Vladimir Putin’s position ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, as Trump has pledged to end the war in the early days of his second administration. Any involvement of DPRK troops – whether logistical or kinetic – could help to expedite Russian operations. These developments, set against the backdrop of Russia and North Korea’s recently enacted comprehensive strategic partnership, highlight the deepening ties between the two nations, raising critical questions about the Ukraine war, DPRK-Russia relations, and US diplomacy in the region.

The Kremlin’s Pragmatic Gambit

The treaty, signed during Vladimir Putin’s state visit to the DPRK on June 18, 2024, ratified in November and taking full effect on December 4, 2024, marks a pivotal moment in DPRK-Russia relations. While Western media have focused on the defense-related aspects – such as alleged sales of DPRK ammunition to Russia and the rumored deployment of North Korean troops to the Russian Federation – the treaty encompasses far more than military cooperation.

Allegations of DPRK troop deployments to Russia have dominated Western headlines, though neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has confirmed them, and much of the evidence was clearly fabricated. The Pentagon claims that several thousand DPRK troops likely traveled to Russia earlier this year, ostensibly for “training exercises,” and are now stationed in rear echelons behind the front lines in the Kursk region in response to a Ukrainian invasion that was launched in August 2024. Even if DPRK troops are confined to logistical and support roles, their presence could enable Russia to redeploy its troops to critical fronts, enhancing its operational capabilities.

This aligns with speculation that Putin hopes to drive all Ukrainian forces from Russian soil before Trump’s inauguration, preferring to negotiate an end to the war from an uncompromised position of strength.

The recently enacted treaty commits both nations to mutual military assistance, stating, “In case any one of the two sides is put in a state of war by an armed invasion from an individual state or several states, the other side shall provide military and other assistance with all means in its possession without delay in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and the laws of the DPRK and the Russian Federation.”

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Sorry, But The Russian ‘Caesar’ Is Not Going To Bring Down Putin

At CDM, we strive for truth in our reporting, no matter where that truth lands, or whose ox it gores.

For instance, we were the first to verify the attempted coup against Russian President Vladimir Putin by Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was indeed a coup; Prigozhin did indeed lead troops against Putin to Moscow. Other ‘Conservative Inc’ personalities came up with wild theories as to why the Wagner movement of forces from Donbass on the Russian capital was an elaborate ruse, to move mercenaries to Belarus.

Anyone with sources on the ground, like CDM has, would have known this not to be true, and farcical.

Prigozhin was murdered shortly after the coup ended, when his plane was shot out of the sky by Russian military elements, verifying the veracity of our analysis.

The legacy media is now pushing a new theory, that a Russian national with the war name – Caesar – is going to bring down the Putin regime, leading a band of Russian national mercenaries, numbering a few thousand at best, against the Russian army to defeat Putin.

In a video posted by ‘The U.S. Sun’, ‘Caesar’ tells of how the ‘man on the street’ in Russia is talking about his efforts and a movement is spreading to create a new Russia, without Putin at the helm.

Once again, anyone with sources on the ground in Ukraine, and Russia, would understand this is ridiculous — no one is talking about ‘Caesar’ on the streets of Russia.

In fact, the situation is just the opposite – Russians believe Putin has outfoxed NATO and the West, and will ultimately be victorious in Russia’s goals for the ‘special military operation’ in East Ukraine.

On another note, anyone with knowledge of Russian history, would know ‘Caesar’ is pronounced ‘Tsar’ in Russian. No one in a Slavic population would use the word ‘Caesar’.

In addition, Russian military members do not speak English, especially those fighting at the grunt level on the ground. If they do speak English, it means they have studied at Moscow universities and have status in society. If they go to Moscow to study and gain status, they would not be a grunt in the army at the front.

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Finnish Commandos Seize Russia-Linked Ship After Undersea Cable Cut

Finland has seized the ship which is being accused of cutting of an undersea cable connecting electricity to Estonia, allegedly on behalf of Russia, given that the vessel was carrying Russian oil. Finnish authorities and Western officials have described the damage to the Estlink 2 electricity cable as the result of “aggravated criminal mischief”.

EU officials have characterized the incident as part of Russia’s hybrid warfare against NATO, with a European Commission statement describing the cable severing as “the latest in a series of suspected attacks on critical infrastructure.”

The vessel in question was observed traversing the same area where the cable damage occurred near in time to the incident. Four additional telecom cables were disrupted – one linking Finland and Germany and three between Finland and Estonia.

Finland’s coast guard boarded the suspect vessel on Thursday:

Finnish police said in a statement that the coastguard crew boarded an oil tanker in Finnish waters early on Thursday. Authorities named the vessel as the Eagle S, and said it was registered in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific.

When it was detained, the ship was sailing from Russia’s Saint Petersburg to Port Said in Egypt, according to online marine tracking website, MarineTraffic.

According to MarineTraffic, the ship was owned by United Arab Emirates-based vessel management company, Caravella.

The European Commission in its statement additionally accused the Eagle S ship of being part of Russia’s energy sanctions-busting ‘shadow fleet’.

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Putin Reveals Biden Offered To Postpone Ukraine’s NATO Entry As Compromise 

Russian President Vladimir Putin fielded questions from journalists Thursday at the conclusion of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting held outside St. Petersburg. The Russian-led EEU economic bloc includes member states Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Among the more interesting moments was when Putin revealed what President Biden previously offered him in order to avert the Ukraine conflict, regarding the question of Kiev’s NATO membership.

The comments came in the context of a question over Trump’s reported peace plan and the idea of freezing the front lines. Putin described that such a plan is nothing new, and added the following per state media translation:

“I know that the current President Biden spoke about this, it’s no secret, back in 2021. He proposed exactly this to me – to delay Ukraine’s admission into NATO by 10-15 years, because [Kiev] is not ready yet,” Putin said, referring to the midsummer meeting he had with the US leader in Switzerland.

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Biden Pledges More Arms To Ukraine After Christmas Strikes

President Joe Biden on Christmas Day said he has directed the Pentagon to continue its “surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine,” following a wave of Russian air attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure early Christmas morning.

“The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid,” Biden said in a statement.

“Let me be clear: the Ukrainian people deserve to live in peace and safety, and the United States and the international community must continue to stand with Ukraine until it triumphs over Russia’s aggression.”

The president said that the United States will “continue to work tirelessly” to back Ukraine against Russian forces in the ongoing war.

Ukraine’s air force said that the early morning attack by Russia using 78 air and ground missiles and 106 Shahed drones damaged critical equipment in Ukraine’s power grid, causing outages on Christmas Day.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decried the deliberate attack on Christmas day as “inhumane.”

Ukraine shot down “more than 50 missiles and a significant number of drones” and was still hit as there are power outages in a number of regions as engineers are trying to restore power, Zelenskyy said.

“Russian evil will not break Ukraine and will not spoil Christmas,” Zelenskyy said.

The strikes wounded at least six people in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and killed one in the region of Dnipropetrovsk, the governors there said.

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