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Antony Blinken Confirms Ukraine Will Join NATO

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reiterated NATO’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s aspirations to join the defensive alliance.

During a gathering of NATO member states in Brussels to mark the alliance’s 75th anniversary, Blinken emphasized the enduring determination to bolster the country during the Russia-Ukraine War. He declared, “Ukraine will become a member of NATO,” underscoring NATO’s commitment to supporting Ukraine’s defense capabilities and fostering closer ties with the alliance.

Blinken’s statement echoes sentiments expressed by U.S. President Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in previous years, affirming NATO’s stance on Ukraine’s eventual membership. However, Blinken’s remarks also underscore the complexities involved, including the need for Ukraine to meet the criteria for membership, such as not being occupied by a foreign power.

Despite these challenges, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed Blinken’s comments, revealing ongoing efforts within NATO to advance Ukraine’s membership aspirations. Kuleba expressed gratitude for the encouraging messages and highlighted NATO’s commitment to determining the next steps towards Ukraine’s membership.

While formal NATO membership for Ukraine may still be on the horizon, individual member states are forging closer ties through “NATO-lite” arrangements. These agreements, exemplified by recent treaties with Finland and other nations, offer further funding, support, and military aid to Ukraine, in an attempt to bolstering its defense capabilities.

Russia’s Financials Are Far Better Than the Wests’; It Could Pay off All External Debt Tomorrow

Russia’s external debt has been falling steadily and reached $326.6bn in December 2023, compared with $322.3bn in the previous quarter and $383.6bn at the end of 2022. It could pay the entire amount off tomorrow – in cash.

The Kremlin has been paying off its external debt. Low external debt means Russia doesn’t need to tap international capital markets so is not vulnerable to any sort of sanctions on bond issues, which are easy to apply and enforce.

Coupled with Russia’s strong current account surplus, which was up to $5.2bn in February from $4.5bn in January, thanks to high oil prices, Russia can fund itself easily on this profit.

At the same time gross international reserves have been rising and are now hovering around $600bn at the end of the first quarter. Half of these reserves are frozen. About $150bn are in monetary gold (up from $135bn pre-war) and the rest in yuan.

Even counting out the frozen funds, Russia can cover its external debt dollar for dollar with cash, whereas everyone in the West is massively leveraged, including the Ukraine where the debt-to-GDP ratio is almost at 100%.

It is these rock-solid fundamentals – no one else in world has even remotely similar metrics – which is the essence of Putin’s Fiscal Fortress. It is a ridiculously strong basis, which means even if the West manages to reduce Russia income from oil and gas exports, it will still have a massive amount of wiggle room.

To see the charts and rest of the article, please click HERE.

Senior NATO Officers, Including Polish General, Reportedly Killed in Russian Strike in Ukraine

[T]he Russians successfully bombed a six-story deep command bunker in Chasiv Yar on March 26.

According to the Russians, the bunker was hit by one or more Iskander missiles. The Iskander is a short-range ballistic missile that can operate at hypersonic speed (Mach 5.9). It has different types of warheads including bunker busters that weigh between 1,000 and 1,500 pounds.

RU POV: Russian FAB bombs hit positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Novomykhailivka
byu/LordMinax inUkraineRussiaReport

Inside that command center were very senior NATO officers, some of whom were killed, according to Russian reports. One of them was Brigadier General Adam Marczak of the Polish army. . .

Poland reported his death, which the Polish Army said was due to “unexplained natural causes.”

Various Telegraph channels report that other NATO officers were either killed or wounded in the attack at Chasiv Yar. According to these accounts, some of the wounded were hastily evacuated to Poland. We don’t know the names, the ranks or the nationality of any of those killed or wounded other than Marczak. (Read more from “Senior NATO Officers, Including Polish General, Reportedly Killed in Russian Strike in Ukraine” HERE)

Ukraine Loses Patience: Give Us the Damn Weapons

The West should hurry up and hand over the “damn” missiles Ukraine demands, their foreign secretary says, remarking: “We need air-defence systems on the frontlines”.

An essential role of the Ukrainian state since even before Russia’s re-invasion in 2022 has been cajoling and even begging the West for more military equipment, but these calls have occasionally tripped into a more demanding mien. That time has rolled around again with one of the nation’s top politicians making strident demands to help stop the bombs falling.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, perhaps the final remaining senior member of Volodymyr Zelensky’s government to regularly wear a suit and tie rather than the near-ubiquitous olive green in public, said in quotes distributed by Ukrainian state media: “Give us the damn Patriots.”

The remarks came in an interview with Politico, and Kuleba explained his demand, speaking of new Russian weapons that were harder to intercept. The answer, he said, was to deploy more advanced air-defence weapons on Ukraine’s frontiers to shoot down the aircraft dropping the bombs, rather than the weapons themselves.

He said: “…If we had enough air defence systems, namely Patriots, we would be able to protect not only the lives of our people, but also our economy from destruction… You cannot jam [the new bombs]. It just falls on your head and destroys everything… We need air-defence systems on the frontlines”. (Read more from “Ukraine Loses Patience: Give Us the Damn Weapons” HERE)

Russia Outpacing U.S., Europe on Artillery-Shell Production Three to One: Report

Russia is producing three times as many artillery shells than the combined totals of the United States and its European allies.

A senior European intelligence official told CNN that Russia has been producing 250,000 shells per month — 3 million per year — while the combined defense-industrial capacities of both the U.S. and NATO limit production to about 1.2 million over the same span. The U.S. military set a goal of 100,000 rounds per month by the end of 2025, CNN reports, but that the goal is now unattainable given the $60 billion in Ukraine funding currently in congressional limbo.

The report comes as Russia gains the upper hand in its invasion of Ukraine, having recently captured the city of Avdiivka in the Donbas region. A NATO official told CNN that artillery is the most important aspect of the ongoing war, saying it is in that area where Russia has both “a significant production advantage” and “a significant advantage on the battlefield.”

The report also mentions that, aside from its own domestic production, Russia has imported large quantities of munitions. Iran sent Russia at least 300,000 artillery shells and North Korea delivered at least 6,700 containers carrying millions, according to the NATO official.

While U.S. and NATO leaders have said they do not expect Russia to make significant gains during a forthcoming offensive, Putin has recently begun targeting Ukrainian weapons factories with long-range missiles and drones. (Read more from “Russia Outpacing U.S., Europe on Artillery-Shell Production Three to One: Report” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

WWIII WATCH: Putin Warns of Nuclear Consequences if Western Troops Enter Ukraine; Germany Appears to Have Inadvertently Revealed the UK and France have Soldiers in Ukraine

In a startling escalation of tensions, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a stern warning that any deployment of Western troops in Ukraine could lead to global nuclear conflict. The ominous statement comes amidst rising concerns over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the potential for broader international involvement.

Putin declared Russia’s willingness to use its “entire arsenal” if the conflict in Ukraine does not go in its favor. The Russian leader accused Western allies of contemplating the deployment of troops to Ukraine and warned of severe consequences if such a move were to occur.

French President Emmanuel Macron recently stated that sending Western soldiers to Ukraine “could not be ruled out.” He emphasized the need to do everything possible to prevent Russia from prevailing in the conflict.

Putin, during his address, accused Western allies of selecting targets for striking Russian territory and discussed the possibility of sending a NATO contingent to Ukraine. He warned that the consequences for potential invaders would be “far more tragic” than in previous instances when foreign troops were sent to Russian territory.

In a somewhat taunting tone, Putin questioned whether Western leaders truly understood the gravity of the situation, suggesting that they were treating the conflict as a simulation. He asserted that these leaders, who he claimed hadn’t faced tough challenges, seemed to have forgotten the harsh realities of war.

The international community now faces a precarious situation, with diplomatic efforts likely to intensify to prevent further escalation and find a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.

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Germany Appears to Have Inadvertently Revealed the UK and France have Soldiers in Ukraine

By Breitbart. German Chancellor Scholz stands accused of handing Russia a propaganda coup in order to smooth over his own political difficulties as he claims the presence of British and French soldiers aiding Ukrainian forces.

Scholz has been accused of abusing intelligence and being a bad ally by angry NATO politicians after his remarks about the level of involvement he claims there is of the British and French in the deployment of the Storm Shadow / SCALP cruise missiles they have given to Ukraine, and which have been deployed with devastating effect. . .

It is a little-discussed fact that many NATO states have soldiers in Ukraine, but these troops are generally present only to protect the embassies of those nations in Kyiv, and to safeguard diplomatic staff. In some cases they have additional roles: the United States has been open about the fact it has a limited presence of soldiers who track what happens to the enormous amounts of high-tech weapons systems the West gives to Ukraine, for the sake of accountability. Indeed, that presence was re-confirmed only this week by John Kirby.

In the case of the United Kingdom, an apparently off-guard remark by a senior military officer in 2022 revealed there may be more going on behind the scenes, the Lieutenant General saying there had been “discreet operations in a hugely sensitive environment and with a high level of political and military risk”. The British government later strongly denied having any active troops in Ukraine, however, warning against “taking at face value allegations that have the potential to spread disinformation”. (Read more from “Germany Appears to Have Inadvertently Revealed the UK and France have Soldiers in Ukraine” HERE)

Our Most Serious National Security Threat Isn’t Russian Nukes in Space, It’s Intelligence Agencies in Washington

It was a busy day in Washington on Wednesday as the intelligence bureaucracy tried to foment a national security panic over Russian nukes in space in hopes of ramming through the Ukraine aid package and killing reforms designed to curb its power to spy on Americans.

Lest you think that sounds crazy, consider the timing of the panic provocations, which came almost immediately after House Speaker Mike Johnson said he and other Republicans weren’t going to be “rushed” into approving the $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. It also came at the precise moment — just coincidentally! — that the House was debating reforms to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, set to expire in April, that would end warrantless surveillance of Americans, which of course the White House and intelligence agencies oppose.

All of it just goes to show that the most serious threat facing America isn’t Russian nukes in space or overseas terrorist plots, it’s the political class in Washington and our intelligence agencies that think they’re above the law.

Here’s what happened. On Wednesday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner issued a cryptic warning about a “national security threat” related to a “destabilizing foreign military capability” so grave that President Biden should declassify all information about it immediately. Soon thereafter, anonymous sources leaked to the press that the threat was about Russia wanting to put nuclear weapons in space.

This prompted a flood of statements from Republicans and Democrats that the threat was very serious — but not to worry, they have the situation under control. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters he had already scheduled a briefing with congressional leaders on the matter before Turner made his statement, and don’t worry, President Biden “is going to ensure the security of the American people.” (Read more from “Our Most Serious National Security Threat Isn’t Russian Nukes in Space, It’s Intelligence Agencies in Washington” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Did Our Intelligence Agencies Suggest the Russia Hoax to Hillary Clinton’s Campaign?

Tuesday’s explosive news — that long before the FBI launched Crossfire Hurricane on July 31, 2016, the U.S. intelligence community had asked foreign intel agencies to surveil 26 people connected to Donald Trump — raises the question of whether our intelligence community colluded with the Clinton campaign in these efforts. After all, it was then-Biden campaign adviser and now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken who “set in motion the events that led to” 51 former intel officials issuing the public statement that falsely framed the Hunter Biden’s laptop story as Russian disinformation.

If a Biden campaign adviser conspired with some of the biggest names in the intelligence community a month before the 2020 election to bury the damaging scandal, it is no stretch to think the Hillary Clinton campaign might have sought an assist from the same folks to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

We’ve also long known the Clinton campaign funded the Steele dossier, the primary evidence used by the FBI to obtain four Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act wiretap orders against a Trump campaign associate. The Clinton campaign’s efforts to peddle the Russia-collusion hoax to the FBI and the media are likewise well-established.

But did the Clinton campaign’s plot to portray Trump as a Russian asset also involve the intelligence community, and if so, when did those efforts start?

Open-source material suggests the Clinton campaign’s efforts to push the Russia angle against Trump began in June 2016, when the Democrat law firm Perkins Coie contracted with Fusion GPS, which in turn retained Christopher Steele to investigate Trump’s connections to Russia. While there are several connections between the Clinton campaign and members of the intelligence community beginning in July, there is a dearth of evidence suggesting coordination between the two before then. (Read more from “Did Our Intelligence Agencies Suggest the Russia Hoax to Hillary Clinton’s Campaign?” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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Schumer’s Intimidation: U.S. Troops May Be Deployed to Eastern Europe Without $60 Billion Border Bill (VIDEO)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has issued a stark warning that U.S. troops could be sent to eastern Europe within a few years if the Senate fails to pass a crucial border bill providing $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. Schumer made this warning during an appearance on MSNBC on Monday.

Schumer’s argument revolves around the belief that if the U.S. does not support Ukraine with aid, Russian President Vladimir Putin could potentially expand his influence, leading to a scenario where American forces might find themselves engaged in conflict in eastern Europe, particularly in a NATO ally. This is a common narrative the Biden administration utilizes to justify funding the Ukrainian war, despite millions of lost U.S. funds and weapons.

President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had previously made similar arguments, warning that without additional aid, U.S. troops could end up fighting Russian forces if Putin were to attack a NATO ally. Schumer echoed these concerns, urging the Senate to pass the border bill to provide even more taxpayer assistance to Ukraine.

The proposed legislation not only allocates $60 billion in aid to Ukraine but also includes $14 billion for Israel. Schumer argued that if the bill fails to pass, the conflict between Israel and Hamas would persist. However, the proposed border bill only earmarks $20 billion for border-related issues, a fraction of the amount designated for Ukraine, further highlighting Biden’s “American’s Last” narrative.

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NATO Warns of All-Out War With Russia in Next 20 Years

Civilians must prepare for all-out war with Russia in the next 20 years, a top Nato military official has warned.

While armed forces are primed for the outbreak of war, private citizens need to be ready for a conflict that would require wholesale change in their lives, Adml Rob Bauer said on Thursday.

Large numbers of civilians will need to be mobilised in case of the outbreak of war and governments should put in place systems to manage the process, Adml Bauer told reporters after a meeting of Nato defence chiefs in Brussels.

“We have to realize it’s not a given that we are in peace. And that’s why we [Nato forces] are preparing for a conflict with Russia. . .

Adml Bauer, a Dutch naval officer who is chairman of Nato’s Military Committee, praised Sweden for asking all of its citizens to brace for war ahead of the country formally joining the alliance. (Read more from “NATO Warns of All-Out War With Russia in Next 20 Years” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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