A Game Of Hearsay Hangs War By A Thread
Written originally by Jack Kerley 19 Feb. 2022.
The United States government was adamant that Russia was going to invade Ukraine on Wednesday but the invasion never came.
A New York Times article cited Wednesday Feb. 16 as the fated invasion date but Russian European Union Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov shot down those claims, DW reported.
“As far as Russia is concerned, I can assure you that there will be no attack this Wednesday,” Chizhov said, “There will be no escalation in the coming week either, or in the week after that, or in the coming month.”
Thursday, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared in front of the United Nations Security Council to announce that intelligence has also uncovered a Russian plan to justify invasion with a false flag, the Associated Press reported.
Blinken suggested a “so-called terrorist bombing” inside Russia and claimed Russia planned to target “specific groups” without further detail raising further concern, according to the AP.
“Let me be clear. I am here today not to start a war, but to prevent one,” said Blinken, in what the AP called, a nod to a former Secretary of State’s appearance in front of the UNSC where they cited fake intelligence, justifying the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
U.S. President Joe Biden repeated similar talking points claiming that Russia will stage “a false flag operation to have an excuse to go in,” but also failed to elaborate any further, the AP reported
Biden claimed that an attack could come next week or within a few days without being specific, one thing he said with certainty was Kyiv being the target, DW reported.
The entire conflict stems from the Ukrainian request to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in 2008 at the Bucharest Summit.
Former president George W. Bush pushed for both Ukraine and Georgia to be granted Membership Actions Plans despite opposition from Germany, France and multiple other member-states, according to the New York Times.
All NATO states agreed to not close the door on the possibility of Ukraine or Georgia joining the alliance some time in the future despite risk of Russian retaliation at NATO’s eastward expansion, the NY Times reported.
Come December 2021, Moscow sent a list of demands to the United States in order to bring the escalating tensions down, the Guardian reported.
This list includes;
– The withdrawal of NATO troops and weapons from countries that joined post-1997
– NATO promise to halt eastern expansion
– NATO military drills in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Caucasus or Central Asia will be halted unless agreed upon with Russia
– Moving short/medium range missile systems out of striking range and the banning of Ukraine from ever joining NATO among others, according to the Guardian.
The Russians have been more than willing to begin negotiations “without delay and without stalling,” according to Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov.
Ryabkov believed that the demands weren’t unreasonable but senior U.S. officials said parts were unreasonable, according to the Guardian.
NATO head Jens Stoltenberg completely ruled out the denying of Ukraine’s ability to petition for NATO membership in the future but was open to other negotiations, the Guardian reported.
Amnesty International has come out and stated that a hot conflict would endanger many and threaten the human rights of many more.
“Economic and social rights have already been negatively impacted. Rising prices for basic foods and goods, including medical supplies, are affecting people’s right to healthcare and to an adequate standard of living in Ukraine,” AI stated in January.