France finds Baltic allies in its spat with Germany over Ukraine troop deployment
France is building an alliance of countries open to potentially sending Western troops to Ukraine — and in the process deepening its clash with a more cautious Berlin.
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné was in Lithuania on Friday, where he met his Baltic and Ukrainian counterparts to buttress the idea that foreign troops could end up helping Ukraine in areas like demining.
“It is not for Russia to tell us how we should help Ukraine in the coming months or years,” Séjourné said at a meeting chaired by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and attended by his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba. “It is not for Russia to organize how we deploy our actions, or to set red lines. So we decide it among us.”
Continue reading at www.politico.eu
Slovakia faces increasing isolation as allies exclude it from Ukraine meeting
France organised a follow-up teleconference bringing together foreign and defence ministries to discuss the war in Ukraine. However, they ‘learned their lesson’ and did not invite Slovakia because of its pro-Russian stance.
Representatives from 28 countries, including Ukraine and the US, held an ad hoc ministerial teleconference on Thursday (7 March) to follow up on last week’s Ukraine summit in Paris.
But no Slovak representatives were invited to the follow-up meeting organised by France. The Slovak government has not commented on this situation.
“The French have learnt their lesson,” two sources told the Slovak newspaper Denník N., referring to last week’s controversial comments by Prime Minister Robert Fico, which caused a stir.
Continue reading at www.euractiv.com
Germany Stokes War With Russia, Insists They’re the Good Guys This Time
The German military plans to reinstate compulsory service, it was reported this week.
German defense chief Boris Pistorius is seeking proposals to restore conscription by April of this year, and hopes to implement the measure before parliamentary elections in 2025. The country has required military service for most of its postwar history but suspended conscription in 2011, instead moving towards a professional all-volunteer force.
The announcement comes after Russia leaked telephone conversations between Pistorius and US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland revealing Ukrainian plans to attack Russia using Germany’s top-shelf Taurus missile system. The incident prompted major controversy in Germany, revealing the depth of anti-Russia sentiment among the Bundeswehr’s leadership even as Chancellor Olaf Scholz assures the country he won’t formally send German troops to the Donbass.
Continue reading at sputnikglobe.com
Was Neocon Anti-Russia Hawk Victoria Nuland Forced Out?
Mass speculation has emerged after the sudden announcement this week that influential US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland would be resigning from her position in the Biden White House.
The surprising development came Tuesday amidst a difficult moment for US President Joe Biden. Former President Donald Trump has maintained a steady lead over Biden in opinion polling as questions remain about the octogenarian head of state’s ability to serve a second term. Cracks have also begun to show in Biden’s political coalition as pro-Palestine activists urge a show of defiance against the president’s foreign policy in state primary contests.
The problems extend to the personnel of Biden’s Cabinet as a scandal has arisen over Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s lack of transparency over health issues. With the president facing challenges on multiple fronts, why would the White House choose this moment for a staff shakeup? Former US Central Intelligence Agency analyst Ray McGovern speculated the answer may lie in disagreements between Biden administration officials and the notoriously strong-willed Nuland during a discussion on Sputnik’s The Critical Hour program Wednesday.
Continue reading at sputnikglobe.com
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Nuland, a protagonist of the Iraq and Ukraine wars resigns
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