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Build the Wall? Finland Plans Border Fence With Russia as NATO Membership Looms

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As walls go, it’s shaping up to be far less imposing than the Berlin Wall and not nearly as politically divisive as former President Donald Trump’s coveted barrier between the U.S. and Mexico.

But Finland‘s planned border fence with Russia looks to be a major geopolitical statement, one that could fuel even greater tensions between the Kremlin and the West while signaling that Russia‘s war in Ukraine may have forever altered Europe’s attitude toward its hostile neighbor.

Finnish border guard officials announced recently that they will begin construction next spring on a nearly two-mile stretch of fence on the Finland-Russia border near the eastern town of Imatra, according to Euronews and other media outlets. Beyond that initial construction, Finnish leaders earlier this month proposed spending up to $143 million to build many more miles of border fence along the country’s boundary with Russia, with the fence eventually stretching well over 100 miles.

If completed, such a fence could cover between 10% and 20% of Finland‘s 833-mile border with Russia, the largest such boundary that any European nation shares with Russia. (Read more from “Build the Wall? Finland Plans Border Fence With Russia as NATO Membership Looms” HERE)

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Ukrainians FIRED Missile That Hit Poland, U.S. Officials Say; Ukraine Rules Out Ceasefire Talks

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By Jerusalem Post. Initial findings suggest that the missile that hit Poland was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile, Associated Press reported on Wednesday, citing US officials.

This latest report contradicts earlier intelligence provided by US officials that the missile that hit Poland was of Russian origin.

Earlier, Polish President Andrzej Duda had told reporters it was “most likely a Russian-made missile,” but there was no concrete evidence of who fired it, and the incident was a one-off. . .

At the time, it was widely speculated that this could have been a Russian missile. Polish officials also confirmed that the missile was of Russian origin.

However, the Russian Defense Ministry called the reports about the impact of Russian missiles in Poland a “deliberate provocation,” claiming that the Russian Armed Forces did not carry out any strikes near the Ukrainian-Polish border. (Read more from “Ukrainians FIRED Missile That Hit Poland, U.S. Officials Say” HERE)

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Ukraine Rules Out Ceasefire Talks With Russia to End War

By Jerusalem Post. Ukraine will not consider entering ceasefire negotiations with Russia, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin declared in an interview to the BBC over the weekend.

“I don’t think that the issue of resuming any negotiations is possible,” the prosecutor general said Friday, reaffirming Kyiv’s belief that collecting evidence of war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, alongside international cooperation against the Kremlin, is crucial to holding Russia accountable for its war.

There have been no public attempts to reconvene peace talks between the two sides since initiatives to bring about a ceasefire in Istanbul during the first weeks of the conflict broke down without progress. (Read more from “Ukraine Rules Out Ceasefire Talks With Russia to End War” HERE)

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‘Unlikely’ Poland Missile Strike Was Launched From Russia, Biden Says

By Washington Examiner. President Joe Biden disclosed it is “unlikely” the Russian-made missile that killed two people in Poland was launched from Russia.

“There is plenty of information to contest that,” Biden told reporters in Bali, Indonesia. “I don’t want to say until we completely investigate. It’s unlikely in the [lines of] trajectory that it was fired from Russia, but we’ll see.”

After convening an emergency meeting of G-7 leaders plus critical partners, including the Netherlands and Spain, Biden conveyed that the bloc “agreed to support Poland’s investigation … to make sure we figure out exactly what happened.”

“Then we’re going to collectively determine our next step as we investigate and proceed,” he said Wednesday morning local time. “There was total unanimity among folks at the table.” (Read more from “‘Unlikely’ Poland Missile Strike Was Launched From Russia, Biden Says” HERE)

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Russia’s Latest Mistake Could Set off World War III; Country Will Consider Invoking NATO Article 4

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By Townhall. Amid Putin’s long-running war against Ukraine, a new volley of Russian missiles missed their presumed intended target in Ukraine and struck in Poland on Tuesday, killing at least two Polish citizens and leaving sizable craters where they landed. According to reports, the missiles hit a village, Przewodów, near Poland’s border in an area where locals were drying grain.

Russia’s strike hitting Poland could significantly raise the stakes of the war that’s been raging since Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine on February 24. Until now, other nations have provided training, support, and war machinery to the two countries in conflict, but have not gotten directly involved on behalf of Russia or Ukraine. But because Poland is a member of NATO, and has now been attacked by Russia, it could invoke Article 5 of the NATO charter, triggering the alliance’s collective defense provision where “an attack against one Ally is considered as an attack against all Allies.”

That would draw in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the rest of NATO’s membership.

Russia’s strike hitting Poland could significantly raise the stakes of the war that’s been raging since Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine on February 24. Until now, other nations have provided training, support, and war machinery to the two countries in conflict, but have not gotten directly involved on behalf of Russia or Ukraine. But because Poland is a member of NATO, and has now been attacked by Russia, it could invoke Article 5 of the NATO charter, triggering the alliance’s collective defense provision where “an attack against one Ally is considered as an attack against all Allies.”

That would draw in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the rest of NATO’s membership.

(Read more from “Russia’s Latest Mistake Could Set off World War III” HERE)

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Country Will Consider Invoking NATO Article 4

By CNN. Poland has summoned the country’s Russian ambassador, after concluding that a Russian-made missile fell into its territory on Tuesday and killed two people near the Ukrainian border.

In the wake of the incident, the NATO member will increase the combat readiness of some troops and is considering activating Article 4 of the NATO military alliance treaty, officials said. . .

Russia’s Defense Ministry earlier denied targeting the border. It called the reports by Polish media, who first reported the deaths, “a deliberate provocation in order to escalate the situation,” according to a short statement late Tuesday. . .

Polish President Andrzej Duda said in a Tuesday address that Poland does not know who fired the missile, while noting that the missile was “most likely produced in Russia.” (Read more from “Country Will Consider Invoking NATO Article 4” HERE)

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NATO to Convene Emergency Session After Suspected Russian Missile Lands in Poland

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Tensions were significantly heightened in eastern Europe after a suspected Russian missile landed in Poland and killed two Polish civilians as the war in Ukraine continued into its eighth month. . .

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by issuing a forceful statement by video.

“Hitting NATO territory with missiles,” he said. “This is a Russian missile attack on collective security! This is a really significant escalation. Action is needed.”

Poland convened an emergency national security meeting leading to some concern over whether the missile attack would trigger Article 5 of the NATO charter, which says an attack on one member is an attack on all members. (Read more from “NATO to Convene Emergency Session After Suspected Russian Missile Lands in Poland” HERE)

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Poland Puts Its World War II Losses at $1.3 Trillion, Demands German Reparations

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Poland estimates its World War II losses caused by Germany at 6.2 trillion zlotys ($1.32 trillion), the leader of the country’s ruling nationalists said on Thursday, and he said Warsaw would officially demand reparations.

Poland’s biggest trade partner and a fellow member of the European Union and NATO, Germany has previously said all financial claims linked to World War II have been settled.

Poland’s new estimate tops the $850 billion estimate by a ruling party lawmaker from 2019. The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has repeated calls for compensation several times since it took power in 2015, but Poland hasn’t officially demanded reparations.

“The sum that was presented was adopted using the most limited, conservative method, it would be possible to increase it,” Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Law and Justice (PiS), told a news conference. (Read more from “Poland Puts Its World War II Losses at $1.3 Trillion, Demands German Reparations” HERE)

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Russian Spy Chief Says U.S., Poland Plotting Division of Ukraine

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Russia’s foreign spy chief accused the United States and Poland on Thursday of plotting to gain a sphere of influence in Ukraine, a claim denied by Warsaw as disinformation aimed at sowing distrust among Kyiv’s supporters.

Sergei Naryshkin, the chief of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), cited unpublished intelligence that he said showed the United States and Poland, NATO allies, were plotting to restore Polish control over part of western Ukraine.

“According to the intelligence received by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Washington and Warsaw are working on plans to establish Poland’s tight military and political control over its historical possessions in Ukraine,” Naryshkin said in a rare statement released by the SVR. . .

Poland has ruled some territories that are now part of Ukraine at different times in the past, most recently between the two world wars. Western Ukraine, including the city of Lviv, were absorbed into the Soviet Union at the end of World War Two.Russian Spy Chief Says U.S., Poland Plotting Division of Ukraine. (Read more from “Russian Spy Chief Says U.S., Poland Plotting Division of Ukraine” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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Ukraine Accuses Russia of Blackmail With Plan to Halt Gas to Poland

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Kyiv accused Russia of blackmailing Europe by cutting off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria as the crisis in Ukraine deepened, with tensions surging in nearby Moldova and Moscow warning the West to back off.

NATO member and staunch Kremlin opponent Poland is among the European countries seeking the toughest possible sanctions against Russia for its invasion. Fellow alliance member Bulgaria is almost completely reliant on Russian gas imports.

Poland’s state-owned PGNiG (PGN.WA) said supplies from energy giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM) via Ukraine and Belarus will be cut at 0800CET (0600GMT) on Wednesday, but Warsaw said it did not need to draw on reserves and its gas storage was 76% full.

“The gas system in Poland is balanced and customers can feel safe,” Minister in Charge of Energy Security Piotr Naimski said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on “unfriendly” countries to pay for gas imports in roubles, a move only a few buyers have implemented so far. (Read more from “Ukraine Accuses Russia of Blackmail With Plan to Halt Gas to Poland” HERE)

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Poland Asserts 2010 Plane Crash That Killed President, Top Generals, Was Russian Attack

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A Polish government special commission has reinforced its earlier allegations that the 2010 plane crash that killed President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others in Russia was the result of Moscow’s assassination plan.

The latest of the commission’s reports, released Monday, alleges that an intentional detonation of planted explosives caused the April 10, 2010 crash of Soviet-made Tu-154M plane that killed Kaczynski, the first lady and 94 other government and armed forces figures as well as many prominent Poles.

Their deaths were the result of an “act of unlawful interference by the Russian side,” the commission’s head Antoni Macierewicz told a news conference.

“The main and indisputable proof of the interference was an explosion in the left wing … followed by an explosion in the plane’s center,” said Macierewicz, who in 2015-2018 served as defense minister in Poland’s right-wing government.

He denied that any mistakes were made by the Polish pilots or crew members, despite bad weather at the time of the crash. (Read more from “Poland Asserts 2010 Plane Crash That Killed President, Top Generals, Was Russian Attack” HERE)

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‘Her Office Has A Higher Turnover Than Taco Bell’: Kamala Harris’ National Security Adviser Quits

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On Monday, in the wake of Vice President Kamala Harris’ disastrous visit to Poland, it was reported that her National Security Adviser Nancy McEldowney, will become the latest staffer to leave Harris’ office.

According to Reuters, McEldowney, who advised not only Harris but also President Biden on foreign affairs including Afghanistan, Iran, and Ukraine, wrote in an internal memo that she was quitting in order to “focus on some pressing personal matters,” adding, “This was a difficult decision because I am so deeply committed to the work we do and the crucial national interest we serve. But after more than a year, this is the right decision for my family.”

Reuters noted McEldowney cautioned she was not “not rushing out the door.”

McEldowney’s announced departure follows on the heels of Harris’ Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh, who revealed last week she was leaving. In February, Kate Childs Graham, the head of Harris’ speechwriting team, quit. (Read more from “‘Her Office Has A Higher Turnover Than Taco Bell’: Kamala Harris’ National Security Adviser Quits” HERE)

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The U.S. And NATO Have No Strategy to Aid Ukraine and Defeat Russia

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A remarkable exchange took place earlier this week between the United States and Poland, which shares a long border with Ukraine and likely would be first to get hit by Russian forces if the war expands beyond Ukrainian territory. The exchange was not only embarrassing, highlighting the U.S. State Department’s incompetence, but it underscores what can only be described as a complete absence of strategy among the NATO allies, which appear to have no end-game and no off-ramps in mind for Ukraine and Russia.

Here’s what happened. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Sunday that Poland has a “green light” to provide fighter jets to the Ukrainian air force, adding that the U.S. was working with Poland to find a way to replace MiG-29 jets (which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly and fight) that might be sent to Ukraine with American F-16s. . .

But it wasn’t true — not quite. Poland, acutely aware of what Moscow’s likely response would be if dozens of Polish warplanes flown by Ukrainian pilots crossed from Poland into Ukraine and started hitting Russian targets, issued a curious statement on Tuesday. The Polish Foreign Ministry said it was ready to deploy, free of charge, all their MiG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, “and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.” . . .

What can we conclude from this bizarre back-and-forth? First, that Blinken’s “green light” comment Sunday was made without consulting Poland or our other NATO allies. Second, that Poland’s statement Tuesday was a not-too-subtle attempt to shift the responsibility for the entire scheme to the United States. Essentially, Poland was saying that if the U.S. government wants to aide Ukraine by giving it warplanes, Poland would not be the one to transfer or even facilitate the transfer of those aircraft onto the battlefield. They would have to come from a U.S. air base, not Poland.

Lastly, the U.S. response reveals that despite Blinken’s reckless comment, the U.S. has not thought seriously about how any of this would work, and what might or might not give Moscow a casus belli to attack Polish or NATO targets in Eastern Europe. (Read more from “The U.S. And NATO Have No Strategy to Aid Ukraine and Defeat Russia” HERE)

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