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Washington Is Ramping up Its Campaign to Draw NATO Into War With Russia; China Condemns Taiwan for Sending Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine

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By The Federalist. By now it should be obvious that a concerted and bipartisan effort is underway in Washington to escalate U.S. involvement in the Ukraine war. This effort has been ongoing since the war began three weeks ago, but now it’s entering a new and dangerous phase.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, a half-dozen top Republican lawmakers called for the Biden administration to provide Ukraine with “Soviet- or Russian-made strategic and tactical air defense systems and associated radars to Ukraine.”

That means long-range surface-to-air missiles, like the Soviet-made S-300 system, which is designed to shoot down enemy aircraft and intercept ballistic missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the United States to help Ukraine acquire S-300 air defense systems from countries that have them, like North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members Bulgaria, Greece, and Slovakia, and he might do so again on Wednesday when he addresses Congress. . .

The provision of such heavy weaponry to Ukraine, whether by the United States or our NATO allies, would represent an unprecedented level of direct military support for Ukraine that would undoubtedly — and rightly — be interpreted by Moscow as a sharp escalation by the West.

Top Republican lawmakers, though, are undeterred by such concerns. The letter, signed by GOP Sens. James Inhofe, Marco Rubio, James Risch, and Reps. Mike Rogers, Michael Turner, and Michael McCaul, also calls for an array of other weapons to be sent immediately to Ukraine, including more Javelin antitank and Stinger antiaircraft missiles, which the United States has been providing to Ukraine in large quantities, as well as myriad small arms, ammunition, and other supplies. (Read more from “Washington Is Ramping up Its Campaign to Draw NATO Into War With Russia” HERE)

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China Condemns Taiwan for Sending Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine

By Breitbart. The Chinese Communist government on Wednesday blasted Taiwan for sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine and supporting sanctions against Russia, accusing the island of “taking advantage of others’ difficulties” to score political points against Beijing.

“The Democratic Progressive Party authorities are using the Ukraine issue to validate their existence and piggyback on a hot issue, taking advantage of others’ difficulties,” snarled spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is the governing party of Taiwan.

“Their attempts to incite confrontation and create hostility through political manipulation will not succeed,” Zhu vowed.

Furious outbursts over humanitarian aid to civilians trapped in a war zone might seem odd even for the Chinese Communist regime, but Beijing’s specific concern is that Taiwan is trying to make China look bad for refusing to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and capitalize on worldwide sympathy for the besieged Ukrainians by highlighting Taiwan’s position as the potential victim of a perpetually threatened Chinese invasion.

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday announced an $11.5 million donation to Ukrainian refugees on Tuesday, bolstering $3.5 million pledged this month. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen kicked in one month of her salary to the cause. (Read more from “China Condemns Taiwan for Sending Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine” HERE)

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Republicans, Democrats Focus On Ukraine’s Borders as US Borders Remain Porous Under Biden

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Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C., have focused much of their attention, in recent weeks, on the borders of Ukraine even as illegal immigration to the United States is set for new records this year.

After Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a joint address to Congress on Wednesday, Republicans began demanding Biden take more action to aid the foreign country in its conflict with Russia.

Democrats, likewise, have praised Biden’s economic sanctions on Russia and seek to focus much of their anger toward President Vladimir Putin during the 2022 midterm elections.

Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN.), and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are so invested in the Ukraine-Russia conflict that they took a trip last weekend to Poland and have since argued for greater U.S. involvement.

Meanwhile, nearly 60 Republicans and Democrats in the Problem Solvers Caucus are urging for more U.S. air defense support for Ukraine against Russia. (Read more from “Republicans, Democrats Focus On Ukraine’s Borders as US Borders Remain Porous Under Biden” HERE)

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‘Unprecedented Assistance’: Biden Fast Tracks Another $1B in Weapons for Ukraine

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President Joe Biden announced his decision to provide an additional $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine on Wednesday.

The president spoke at the White House about his additional support after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Congress and urged them for more support to help them fight against Russia’s invasion of their country.

Biden boasted of the “unprecedented assistance” he had prepared for Ukraine, thanking Congress for passing over $13 billion in aid and support funds for the conflict.

The president detailed an additional $800 million in aid to Ukraine on top of $300 million in recent weeks to assist their fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He said the United States would provide 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems some with longer ranges, as 9,000 anti-armor systems, and 100 drones. (Read more from “‘Unprecedented Assistance’: Biden Fast Tracks Another $1B in Weapons for Ukraine” HERE)

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Elon Musk Mocks People Who Support Ukraine and Transgender Rights

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In one of a series of late night tweets early on Monday morning, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO posted a meme that appears to mock people who speak out in support transgender people and Ukrainians amid the Russian invasion.

“I support the current thing,” the meme, which features what is known as a “Wojack” or “Feels Guy,” reads. Behind the crudely-drawn meme man are a number of identity-based flags, including the lesbian flag colors and the new LGBTQ rainbow flag that prominently displays both the transgender flag colors alongside black and brown lines to symbolize Black and brown communities.

In front of the Wojack, of course, is the blue and gold of the Ukrainian flag, which many people who support the Ukrainians against the Russian invasion have used on social media to signify their solidarity.

(Read more from “Elon Musk Mocks People Who Support Ukraine and Transgender Rights” HERE)

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Russian Lawmaker Demands Return of Alaska

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A Russian lawmaker made an outlandish demand over the weekend that the United States return Alaska and a historic settlement in California, in addition to paying reparations to Russia over crippling American-led sanctions that have put Moscow’s economy in a tailspin.

Oleg Matveychev, a member of the state Duma, outlined on Russian state television a set of demands for the U.S. and Ukraine after Kiv’s “demilitarization is completed,” the Express newspaper in the United Kingdom reported.

The demands include the return of Alaska, which the U.S. purchased from the Russian Empire in 1867 as part of the Alaska Purchase, and the former Russian settlement of Fort Ross, California, 90miles north of San Francisco.

“We should be thinking about reparations from the damage that was caused by the sanctions and the war itself, because that too costs money and we should get it back,” Matveychev said during a Sunday interview.

He also called for the “return of all Russian properties, those of the Russian empire, the Soviet Union and current Russia, which has been seized in the United States, and so on.” (Read more from “Russian Lawmaker Demands Return of Alaska” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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Fox Nation Host Lara Logan: Numerous Ukrainians Are Nazis and Are Tied to the Occult

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Fox Nation host Lara Logan asserted on Tuesday that the Ukrainian military has ties to the occult and Nazis. . .

During the interview, Logan insisted that “Vladimir Putin knew exactly what he was doing when he went into Ukraine.”

“And there’s so much more going on in Ukraine that nobody is talking about. You see such dishonesty when it comes to the history of Ukraine,” Logan said. “I mean, you can find pictures of them online holding up the NATO flag and the swastika. And at the same time, their own emblem contains the black sun of the occult, which was a Nazi SS emblem. And it also contains the sideways, you know, lightning insignia of the SS.”

She added: “I mean, this is on throughout the Ukrainian military you can see that black sun of the occult on their body armor, even on the female soldiers who are paraded in front of the world as being, you know, such an example of Ukraine’s independence and spirit and nobility. Even they are wearing the black sun of the occult.”

. . . [W]e in the media, in the western media and in the west, won’t acknowledge the reality of what’s gone on: Western Ukraine backed the Nazis. It was a headquarters for the Nazis SS,” the Fox Nation host ranted. “There’s a long history of the United States and our intelligence agencies funding and arming Nazis in Ukraine. These are not, like, new neo-Nazi groups that sprung up. These are the actual Nazis.” (Read more from “Fox Nation Host Lara Logan: Numerous Ukrainians Are Nazis and Are Tied to the Occult” HERE)

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War-Bucks: Defense Stocks ‘Outperform’ After Russian Invasion of Ukraine

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Defense stocks have outperformed the market in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to a recently published Bank of America global research report.

“The Russo-Ukrainian conflict has ensured investors of a rising defense budget and triggered the recent outperformance of defense names related to the S&P500,” said the March 7, 2022, report by research analysts at Bank of America Securities and Merrill Lynch.

The report said predicted a boost in defense spending in both the U.S. and Europe that would bring the U.S. defense budget to a record $900 billion by fiscal year 2025.

“We estimate the U.S. defense budget could rise to at least 3.5% to 4% of GDP on this paradigm shift. We now expect U.S. defense spending in FY2023 to be $800bn with the likely return of Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) Funding and exceed $900bn by FY2025,” it said.

“We expect the NATO ‘soft’ target for defense spending (2% of GDP) to become a ‘firm’ target or floor. Currently, only four countries meeting this target; there are 20+ more to go. Our UK analyst Benjamin Heelan expects more governments to announce plans to meet the 2% of GDP NATO targets,” it added. (Read more from “War-Bucks: Defense Stocks ‘Outperform’ After Russian Invasion of Ukraine” HERE)

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Russian Forces Pound Ukraine Killing More Civilians, Edging Closer to Capital

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Russian forces are pounding Ukrainian cities and edging closer to the capital, Kyiv, in a relentless bombardment that keeps deepening the humanitarian crisis in this war, now in its third week.

Still, a narrow diplomatic channel remains open, with a Ukrainian official saying Tuesday’s talks with the Russians were difficult, but that there was room for compromise.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told European leaders gathered in London on Tuesday that he realizes NATO has no intention of accepting Ukraine. Zelensky has this indicated before but this statement was more explicit. Russia has demanded that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO, adopt a neutral status and demilitarize. (Read more from “Russian Forces Pound Ukraine Killing More Civilians, Edging Closer to Capital” HERE)

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General Says Putin Days Away From Critical Point Where War Could Turn; Russia Assault Stalls; NATO Country Calls for Ukraine No-Fly Zone

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By Daily Wire. Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges told Fox News on Monday that he believes Russian military forces are just days away from not being able to continue to their war against Ukraine.

“The Russians went after his [Fmr. Amb. to NATO Kurt Volker’s] training center in Yavoriv, outside the city of Lviv, partly to demonstrate that they could reach the lines of communication that bring supplies and support from Poland into Ukraine,” he said. “But also I think to maybe go after the logistics buildup that’s happening there. I don’t think we should overreact to this.” (Read more from “General Says Putin Days Away From Critical Point Where War Could Turn” HERE)

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Russia Assault Stalls, US Official Says

By USA Today. Almost all of Russia’s assaults on Ukrainian cities remain stalled, and there have been little or no advances made over the weekend, a senior U.S. Defense Department source said Monday.

Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion remains strong, particularly around the cities of Kyiv and Cherniv, according to the official who was not authorized to speak publicly about intelligence assessments.

The assessment comes the same day Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the military operation is “proceeding in accordance with the original plan and will be completed on time and in full.”

The U.S. official acknowledged that some cities have been surrounded and face increasing bombardment from Russian long-range artillery and missile attacks. Russia has fired more than 900 missiles at Ukrainian targets since the invasion began, and the attacks have become increasingly indiscriminate, the official said. (Read more from “Russia Assault Stalls, US Official Says” HERE)

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NATO Country Calls for Ukraine No-Fly Zone

By Fox News. Estonia is the first NATO member nation to have a body formally call for the implementation of a no-fly zone amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pleading with the United States and western allies to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

But President Joe Biden and NATO have ruled that out, saying that enforcing it would put the U.S. and NATO in direct confrontation with Russia and would expand the conflict. (Read more from “NATO Country Calls for Ukraine No-Fly Zone” HERE)

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Why Die for Biden?

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As you would expect from brain-dead Biden and the people controlling him, American policy has been moving in the wrong direction. Whatever you think about the situation in the Ukraine, one thing is obvious. It’s a crisis. Shouldn’t we try to stay out of danger? Instead, the US has led the way in imposing drastic economic sanctions on Russia, backing Putin to the wall. What if he gets desperate and uses atomic weapons? This could result in the end of civilized life on our planet. Is this what Americans want?

The danger isn’t just something I and other critics of American policy have conjured up. “President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday [March 5] that Western sanctions on Russia were akin to a declaration of war and warned that any attempt to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would lead to catastrophic consequences for the world. . . ‘These sanctions that are being imposed are akin to a declaration of war but thank God it has not come to that,’ Putin said, speaking to a group of flight attendants at an Aeroflot training centre near Moscow. He said any attempt by another power to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would be considered by Russia to be a step into the military conflict.”

The neocon warmongers brush this danger aside. They say that “we” have to do something to defend the Ukraine from an unprovoked Russian attack. But this totally distorts what is happening there. The Ukrainian government started things by moving against Donbass, a territory that declared independence and is allied with Russia. According to the Ukrainian government, the Ukrainians can secede from Russia but people can’t secede from the Ukraine. As Rick Rozoff pointed out in an article on February 2, “Two-thirds of Ukrainian army servicemen have been amassed along the Donbas contact line, Eduard Basurin, spokesman for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) militia, said on Thursday.

‘Another three brigades are on their way [to Donbas], which is 20,000 to 25,000 troops more. The total number will reach 150,000, not to mention the nationalists. This is about two-thirds of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ personnel,’ Basurin said on the Rossiya 1 television channel (VGTRK) on Thursday.

The Ukrainian troops are stationed along the 320-kilometer front line, he said. . . The situation in Donbass has reached a critical mark in the past week due to Ukraine’s aggressive actions, Donetsk People’s Republic representative at the Minsk talks, DPR Foreign Minister Natalia Nikonorova said on Thursday.”

But the provocative actions against Russia go much further back. Vasko Kohlmayer gives an excellent account of these and highlights the danger of nuclear war that reckless American policy has caused: “The war drums are, of course, beating for US involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.

‘Declare a NoFlyZone over Ukraine,’ tweeted Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.).

Lindsey Graham, a powerful US Senator, went so far as to publicly advocate the assassination of the Russian head of state. Tweeted he:

Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country – and the world – a great service.

Such brazen incitement to murder by a highly positioned US official could be construed as a war act by the other side.

Watching the mounting hysteria, we can be certain that the beating of the war drums is going to become only louder in the days ahead. . . Before the situation escalates into a nuclear Armageddon, ordinary people would do well to ask themselves whether we have any dog in this fight.

And if we do, what is the size of this dog? Is it big enough to run the risk of nuclear annihilation?

Until last week, most Americans knew almost nothing about Ukraine. If you asked them what is its capital or major river, you would get no response. . . What triggered Putin was the globalists’ push to expand NATO to Russia’s doorstep in Ukraine. The globalists wanted to make it part of their New World Order which they use to prettily enrich themselves.

Joe Biden’s family has been at it for years already. They pulled millions from that land through the President’s son Hunter in one of the most brazen and shameless schemes of influence peddling in American history. . . If Trudeau, Biden and their friends want us to go to war with Russia, they must explain to common people how exactly it is in their vital interest that Ukraine join NATO.

Until they give us a good reason, we should say NO to the war in Ukraine.

The Russians have made it amply clear what they want. They want a neutral Ukraine that is free of NATO. This is a reasonable demand. To start World War III over this would be an act of most regrettable foolishness.”

Is there anything we can do to de-escalate the situation? The greatest Congressman in American history, Dr. Ron Paul, has the answer. American should end its encirclement of Russia and disband NATO. Let’s look at his vital message to us: “When the Bush Administration announced in 2008 that Ukraine and Georgia would be eligible for NATO membership, I knew it was a terrible idea. Nearly two decades after the end of both the Warsaw Pact and the Cold War, expanding NATO made no sense. NATO itself made no sense.

Explaining my ‘no’ vote on a bill to endorse the expansion, I said at the time:

NATO is an organization whose purpose ended with the end of its Warsaw Pact adversary… This current round of NATO expansion is a political reward to governments in Georgia and Ukraine that came to power as a result of US-supported revolutions, the so-called Orange Revolution and Rose Revolution.

Providing US military guarantees to Ukraine and Georgia can only further strain our military. This NATO expansion may well involve the US military in conflicts unrelated to our national interest…

Unfortunately, as we have seen this past week, my fears have come true. One does not need to approve of Russia’s military actions to analyze its stated motivation: NATO membership for Ukraine was a red line it was not willing to see crossed. As we find ourselves at risk of a terrible escalation, we should remind ourselves that it didn’t have to happen this way. There was no advantage to the United States to expand and threaten to expand NATO to Russia’s doorstep. There is no way to argue that we are any safer for it.

NATO itself was a huge mistake. . . I believe as strongly today as I did back in my 2008 House Floor speech that, “NATO should be disbanded, not expanded.’ In the meantime, expansion should be off the table. The risks do not outweigh the benefits!”

The same people who imposed Covid-tyranny on us now want us to risk war with Russia. Let’s stop them before it’s too late. (For more from the author of “Why Die for Biden?” please click HERE)

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Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. [send him mail], former editorial assistant to Ludwig von Mises and congressional chief of staff to Ron Paul, is founder and chairman of the Mises Institute, executor for the estate of Murray N. Rothbard, and editor of LewRockwell.com. He is the author of Against the State and Against the Left. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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