When politicians in power are extremely unpopular, they generally turn to militarism and jingoism for a quick boost. Starmer is now the darling of the UK media for his sabre-rattling over Ukraine and is busily churning out tweets of military imagery.
In doing so he is attempting to pose as in defiance of Trump, and capitalise on Trump’s unpopularity in the UK, even though just two days earlier he was fawning on Trump in the White House and inviting him on an “unprecedented” second State visit.
As ever, there is a great deal of smoke and mirrors here. The European leaders are going to come up with an alternative “peace plan” to present to Trump. This will not be along the lines of the G7 Declaration which was strongly anti-Russian. The European leaders acknowledge that the Biden-era G7 Apulia position is now gone.
Instead the new European plan will essentially give Trump pretty well everything he wants, but give the Europeans a ladder to climb down. Starmer is seeking to be hailed as the great bridger of the Atlantic, who explained Trump to Europe and vice versa.
If Trump were an ordinary politician he would then agree to adopt the “European” plan brought to him by Starmer, with a couple of tiny amendments, and then take the joint position into talks with Putin. But Trump being Trump, he might just tell Starmer to stay out of it.
Both the European and American peace plans will involve Putin keeping control over the large majority of the land his troops hold – because otherwise Putin will not agree, and there will be no point. The European plan will have elements designed to blur the sovereignty issue of the Ukrainian land Russia will retain. This will not run once real negotiations with Russia are underway.
As always, money talks and big business is really pulling the strings. Zelensky did not in the event sign the minerals deal with Trump and is now desperate to do so to try to get American cash flowing his way again.
It is worth noting that Starmer’s delusional “Hundred Year Alliance” agreement with Zelensky contained the UK’s attempt to grab the same minerals Zelensky is now asking again to be allowed to hand over to Trump.
You find this in the UK/Ukraine 100 Year Partnership at “Pillar 5, Para 3, article iv”
(iv) supporting development of a Ukrainian critical minerals strategy and necessary regulatory structures required to support the maximisation of benefits from Ukraine’s natural resources, through the possible establishment of a Joint Working Group;
While we are on the subject, most people sensibly ignored the detail of this crazy “100 year” agreement on the entirely sensible grounds that none of it is ever going to happen. But it does contain some remarkable declarations of malevolent intent, of which my favourite is the desire to open a joint online propaganda unit to interfere in the legacy and social media of third countries.
Which we find outlined in fluent Orwellian at “Pillar 7, Para 4”.
Implement joint media initiatives, contributing to coordinated efforts to promote shared values and vision, addressing the information manipulation and malign interference in third party countries. We commit to partnering on joint initiatives such as communication campaigns to mitigate against those threats. We commit to facilitate strengthening of relationships with civil society organisations to support research and the development of counter-FIMI approaches, recognising the importance of independent media and civil society organisations in building societal resilience.
Which is of course precisely what they are always accusing Russia of doing. Indeed alleged Russian social media interference is why they interfered to have the anti-war winner of the first round of the Romanian elections disqualified.
What this plan amounts to is another Integrity Initiative, this time as a UK/Ukrainian co-production.
One thing I learnt in over 20 years as a diplomat is that the public are generally fed lies about diplomatic discussions. Most diplomatic talks generally end up with an agreed communique that is designed to make everyone look good and may only have a slight link to actual events.
This is especially true with regard to human rights, where in my substantial experience claims that human rights abuses were being dealt with by “quiet diplomacy” were almost always a lie.
A British minister cannot meet a Saudi or Chinese minister without being asked if they raised human rights. The answer given is always “yes” and it is almost always untrue, or it was raised so briefly, quietly and apologetically that it is virtually untrue.
So there is a sense in which the Trump/Vance encounter in the Oval Office with Zelensky was refreshing, in that what you saw is what you got. It was only in being in public that it was more bruising than many diplomatic encounters. I suspect it has shortened the war, especially if Trump sticks to the decision to end aid.
Shortening the war would be a good thing. If you think a principle is so important that you believe it is fine for millions of people to die for it – none of whom are yourself – I suggest you reconsider your principles. I am not so exercised about who is the mayor of Russian-speaking Lugansk that I am prepared to have a nuclear war over the issue.
What I find particularly alarming is the continuing comparison of Putin to Hitler, and the allegation that if Putin is not “stopped” in Ukraine, then he will conquer the whole of Europe.
This is a quite extraordinary example of false analogy. Putin has never shown any indication of following a universal ideology he wishes to impose by conquest, or of territorial ambition beyond a small number of Russian-speaking ex-Soviet districts contiguous to Russia.
In addition to which, Russia is gradually winning a war of attrition against a much smaller neighbour, which is to be expected. Ukraine has survived this long with massive Western aid. But the idea that the Russian army is capable of conquering the whole of Europe, when it cannot subdue Kiev, is plainly utter nonsense. Even aside from the fact there is absolutely no desire in Moscow to do so.
Trump has pointed at NATO and revealed the Emperor’s New Clothes. NATO was formed to counter a Soviet alliance that did possess a universal ideology it wished to spread, and did have the military strength to threaten (though it should be stated not even the Soviet Union ever had any intention of invading Britain or formulated plans to do so). That threat has now passed.
The attempt to use the farcical Salisbury incident as evidence of a Russian threat to the UK population is, frankly, pathetic.
It is hard sometimes to follow the workings of the propaganda machine. At what stage did the crazy narrative that Russia blew up its own Nord Stream pipeline get abandoned?
Russia destroying the pipeline was unanimously and loudly proclaimed by the entire legacy media and the entire political class of the Western world. Those of us who pointed out this was not true were denounced and ridiculed. Yet now the narrative has quietly been dropped, and the truth is occasionally acknowledged by the media. Though with no admission of the previous lies.
How does this cycle operate? Is it centrally determined, or is it organic? Were the media really stupid enough to believe Russia destroyed Nord Stream, or were they knowingly lying? How have the German people been persuaded to accept the massive damage the increase in energy costs did to industrial employment? These are fascinating fields of study.
European politicians who have made a career of Russophobe rhetoric are suddenly naked in the breeze. They are charging around banging the drum of war, threatening to mobilise armies they do not possess and convinced that preserving their own place in the socio-economic hierarchy is well worth the threat of nuclear oblivion.
Laughter is the best response to their pretension.
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“Russia destroying the pipeline was unanimously and loudly proclaimed by the entire legacy media and the entire political class of the Western world. Those of us who pointed out this was not true were denounced and ridiculed. Yet now the narrative has quietly been dropped, and the truth is occasionally acknowledged by the media. Though with no admission of the previous lies.”
Bit like the idea of where SARSCoV2 came from, then.
Now it’s pretty much admitted it came from a biological warfare laboratory, even if they’re still claiming it was accidental, by framing that explanation as the “lab leak” hypothesis. “Social media” is another f***ing bullshit psywar term. Ditto “credit crunch”.
Guy Debord used to go on about “the consciousness that comes too late”.
The reasons they’re bigging up Russia in the west are
1. Weapons contracts. (This is completely obvious – they are boasting about it in terms of percentages of the economy.)
2. A world cull is planned. (Did we think Fordism, or “Keynesianism” as it’s called in the British kingdom, would go on forever, boys and girls? Didn’t we read Marx on the falling rate of profit? Marx was right FFS.)
So Trump’s administration has suspended any funding for new arms sales to Ukraine – at the same time, the EU”s number one warhawk – von der Leyen, has announced a one-hundred and fifty billion Euro’s arms loan for each EU country, in a programme named Re-Arm Europe.
Von der Leyen said of Europe:
“The EU needs to start “spending better and spending together” on developing its military capabilities because “we are living in dangerous times. Europe’s security is threatened in a very real way,” ”
So who is the bigger threat to Europe, the USA or Russia? going by Nato expansionism across Europe – I think we know the answer to that question. Re-arming Europe will only leave its citizens much worse-off in a financial sense, whilst enriching the European MIC at their expense – a rearmed Europe will also in my opinion be more aggressive, as some of the countries will up their games – to jockey for assets in foreign lands, lands exploited – whilst the natives lives are left in turmoil.
These people are out of their minds, the EU – that was supposed to be a “peace union” – now see the chance of peace breaking out as a risk!? And no analysis what Russia would likely do when the EU expand their army enormously! Do they not understand that this move will only make Russia themselves spend even more? The people running the EU do not even understand the most basic concepts of International Relations theory:
“The Security dilemma”
“In international relations, the security dilemma (also referred to as the spiral model) is when the increase in one state’s security (such as increasing its military strength) leads other states to fear for their own security (because they do not know if the security-increasing state intends to use its growing military for offensive purposes).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_dilemma
“So who is the bigger threat to Europe, the USA or Russia? “, neither. It’s our own governments and the unelected imbiciles in Brussels that are the biggest threat to us all.
Stevie Boy.
I can’t disagree with that.
So Lord Ashcroft – has compared the Neo-Nazi dictator of Ukraine, to that of Winston Churchill – well, Churchill was a big fan of the Fascist Mussolini.
Did you see that a relative of Churchill responded to that claim:
“I don’t think so @LordAshcroft. Winston was my great uncle and I knew him well; he would be appalled at the constant hijacking of the Churchill name to justify such insanity and the needless loss of life,” .
https://x.com/MarlboroughOf/status/1896286460166492501/
I did Jack – though there was no mention, of the four million Indians that died due to famine – a famine linked to a Churchill decision.
According to Wikipedia:
Winston Churchill died in 1955.
The 12th Duke of Marlborough was born in 1955.
“I knew him well” doesn’t seem credible.
Winston died in 1965 so the 12th Duke could only have known him in the first ten years of his life and the last ten of Churchill’s when the man was ailing after a series of strokes.
The duke has had well publicised problems with drug addiction and has had spells in prison for forgery, criminal damage and dangerous driving. In 2013 he was accused of racially abusing a taxi driver. His father fought an expensive legal battle to disinherit him from taking possession of Blenheim Palace. I don’t think he’s really in a position to accuse anyone else of dishonouring the family name.
Craig, even assuming putin s ambitious stop with neighbouring countries, there is still a threat to the rest of Europe. Putin will take the rest of Ukraine, zelensky will be replaced by a puppet and there will be massive unrest, resistance, demos, strikes and sabotage. Putin will then blame the neighbouring countries for fomenting the unrest and use this as a pretext to take them over as well. Putin is paranoid and this poses a threat beyond Russia’s immediate neighbours.
Do you now regret the NATO/CIA-instigated, Nazi-executed coup of 2014? Or do you still approve, even knowing everything it has led to?
Ukraine is one of those ‘made up’ countries, a shithole country as Trump might say, Putin has IMO no interest in inheriting the bag of problems known as Ukraine. He’ll keep all the areas that voted to join Russia and a chunk western Ukraine will probably be reabsorbed back into Poland. The same applies to Europe, why the hell would anyone want that madhouse ?
Don’t forget Russia is one of the biggest countries on the planet with vast untapped resources and bordering the artic, the pacific and the baltics. They have it all, they really don’t need a bunch of piky europeans. IMO.
Exactly put.
Ukraine before all this was considered a basket case economy and id high up on the league table of corruption.
The EU has no idea what it is inheriting if it allows Ukraine to join them.
NATO is out – even under Biden it was a no no.
How the EU is going to get its Investment back is beyond me and I suggest they call it quits whilst they are still behind.
Latest deluded Stop press is an 800 billion War Fund out with the EU economic rules.
So -they can issue money for alleged defence against an enemy who may or may not invade but can’t raise their people’s living standards across the board.
And they want protection from a reluctant US.
If it wasn’t so pathetic and sad for the ordinary Ukranians I’d be laughing.
The Ukranian people have been misled – used as proxy’s in a US attack on Russia that should never have been.
The MSM and other dopey deluded commentators still think they can win a war that is already lost.
Instead of licking their ( and the Ukranian) wounds they are still prepared to fight to the last Ukranian.
None of Sabre rattlers will put their lives on the line as is the tradition but when the last Ukranian is dead the European young people can carry on the good fight.
As you say we and the Ukranians need protecting from the EU not Trump.
I have nothing against the ordinary Ukranians and they are brave but, it was always based on the lie that The West would have their backs and die to that they could beat Russia.
Even more deluded that that the West thought it could break Russia up as well.
The Europeans need US Security Guarantees more than the Ukranians do if they really believe that Russia will at some future time invade Europe.
If Trump does a deal with Putin ( like Zelensky should have done with the US) that will calm things down.
But if they themselves start provoking The Russian bear the Russians may forget all about Ukraine and start on Poland then the UK then wherever.
Ironically Trump could prevent that happening with a deal.
They should learn the lessons of Ukraine but the main point is is that the EU and Biden made a massive mistake in thinking it would be easy.
‘ Putin’s Bluffing ‘ is looking very embarrassing indeed now.
Only Trump will admit it was a failure.
The EU is yet to be convinced and their delusions are being exhibited each day.
p.s perhaps the EU and the UK could have elections to ratify this 800bn and a move to a war economy?
You only need bunkers if you think a war is close.
Worst of all, it (or its western regions) is full of Bandera-worshiping Nazis whose open worship of Hitler and co has been painted out of the picture by NATO. How many aggressive and violent young people have travelled to the Ukraine to fight alongside the Azov fanatics and returned to their homes in the West with similar views seething under the surface? Helped by the relentless demonization of Russia by the West’s fully complicit media.
Mr Chater, how did you acquire your miraculous gift of prophecy? It must be wonderful to know the future… or is it?
@James – And why do you think that stuff? Or would “think” be the wrong word, just as it would be for those who act as if Coronation Street and the wrestling are true?
It’s only been a couple of days but Starmer’s plan for Ukraine is already in tatters. The US is laughing at it and even the Germans won’t play ball. The reality is clear that there is no political ‘Europe’ just as there is no ‘west’. The shoulder to shoulder unity over slaughtering kids in Palestine was just a momentary mirage.
Great stuff once again, thank you.
I’m surprised columnists who are usually pretty reasonable ae taken in. Ian Dunt, for example, was overjoyed to see every national newspaper (just about) singing praises for Starmer – and concluded that this is because Starmer must be doing the Right Thing at last.
Trump posted on his social network Truth “TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG. I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!”
It’s tonight already. Any guesses?
Will they finally notice the Nazis in Ukraine? Or will he announce a Special Mineral Operation?
Yes perhaps the Mineral deal being agreed to since Zelensky just came back to Trump, although he offered no apology, a sign that he still do not understand that he is in the wrong.
Ze is an actor, he’ll do whatever face he needs to do for every situation, including ‘don’t understand where he is wrong’ face.
Came back to Trump? Do you mean this? https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1896948147085049916
An excellent piece. The British media have been peddling propaganda on Ukraine – which is even more shameful as not only is the UK not legally at war, but our politicians haven’t secured a Parliamentary or public mandate for arming Zelensky’s regime. I think we know the answer over whether our human-rights lawyer Prime Minister raised the human rights of Ukraine’s conscripts and wider Ukrainian society with his grinning, dressed-down guest in Downing Street on Sunday. The conscripts, just like the Gazan people, and indeed hard-pressed British people are simply pawns in the careers of people like Starmer.
“Both the European and American peace plans will involve Putin keeping control over the large majority of the land his troops hold…”
1. The “peace plans” are pathetic and irrelevant. There will be no peace until both sides stop fighting. Russia is one of the sides, and will not stop fighting until it has achieved its aims.
2. Not only “the large majority of the land his troops hold” but all the territory of Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhe and Kherson oblasts. Every last square millimeter, which according to the Russian constitution is now part of the RF. Perhaps also large amounts (or all) of other oblasts, depending on the General Staff’s assessment of the threat from missiles and drones. As Mr Putin, Mr Lavrov and others have reiterated, every time the Kiev mob uses a long-range weapon to attack Russia, the amount of territory Russia will take expands.
3. It’s not Mr Putin’s army. It is the Russian Federation’s. That is actually a very important distinction.
“We commit to partnering on joint initiatives such as communication campaigns to mitigate against those threats”.
“… mitigate against…”???
“…Russia is gradually winning a war of attrition against a much smaller neighbour…”
All other countries are much smaller than Russia. Canada, China, and the USA are each about half the geographic area of Russia. (Maybe that’s why Mr Trump is keen to annexe Canada, as then his country would be about as big as Russia).
Still, Ukraine is the world’s 45th biggest nation by area. Slightly smaller than France, but considerably larger than Spain, Sweden, or Germany. Well over twice the size of the UK.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area
More to the point, as of January 2022 Ukraine’s armed forces were far and away the most powerful in Europe – if Ukraine is in Europe. The biggest in NATO apart from the USA and Turkey.
They aren’t any more.
“Shortening the war would be a good thing”.
If only everyone in the West agreed! It could be done in days. All that needs to happen is:
1. Ukraine to surrender unconditionally.
2. Russia to acquire whatever territory it deems essential to its national security.
3. The Ukrainian neo-Nazi and other terrorist organisations to be disbanded, and those accused of atrocities to be tried.
4. Ukraine to be demilitarised permanently, with solemn undertakings (for what they are worth!) from Kiev, NATO, and the USA that Ukraine will never be allowed to apply for NATO membership.
6. The USA to remove its nuclear weapons from territories adjacent to Russia (to be defined by Russia) and to remove all or almost all of its armed forces from Europe.
Er… I think that’s about it.
If anyone thinks those conditions onerous, maybe before next time they poke the bear they should consider the consequences. The Russians could easily have killed everyone in Ukraine (and various other places). Instead, they went in with kid gloves and killed only the bare minimum of people – those who, essentially, insisted on being killed.
Is that all? A total surrender to Putin and you believe that’ll bring about a lasting peace?
History obviously not your strong suite.
“A total surrender to Putin and you believe that’ll bring about a lasting peace?”
Not to “Putin”; to the Russian Federation. You seem to have difficulty with the abstract idea of a nation-state and an associated government. Mr Putin is merely the RF’s chief executive at the moment.
An unconditional surrender would certainly shorten the war, which Mr Murray rightly considers desirable. The RF is going to get everything it wants; the only question is how much time it will take and how many more people must die. From the viewpoint of certain interests, the more Russians who die, the better – and they consider Ukrainians to be Russian for all intents and purposes.
“History obviously not your strong suite”.
I suppose that’s a matter of opinion. Since I got my degree in history at Trinity College, Cambridge, and have taken a strong interest in the subject ever since, I thought it was.
As a matter of interest, what are your qualifications as a historian?
” Since I got my degree in history at Trinity College, Cambridge, ”
Just like King Charles then? Were you there at the same time?
Your arguments over the role of Putin and his role in the Russian Federation remind me of GB Shaw’s apologies for Stalin which I obviously don’t have to remind you of.
Pears, you have not answered my question: what are your qualifications as a historian?
Your comparison of Mr Putin with Stalin is foolish; apart from being rulers of Russia and defeating Western aggression they have very little in common.
‘” Since I got my degree in history at Trinity College, Cambridge, ”
‘Just like King Charles then? Were you there at the same time?’
Actually I was, but our interactions were limited to one “Good morning”. We had nothing in common. As for your jibe at Trinity, you should be aware that it has quite a good record.
“Members of Trinity have been awarded 34 Nobel Prizes out of the 121 received by members of the University of Cambridge (more than any other Oxford or Cambridge college). Members of the college have received four Fields Medals, one Turing Award and one Abel Prize. Trinity alumni include Francis Bacon, six British prime ministers (the highest number of any Cambridge college), physicists Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Ernest Rutherford and Niels Bohr, mathematicians Srinivasa Ramanujan and Charles Babbage, poets Lord Byron and Lord Tennyson, English jurist Edward Coke, writers Vladimir Nabokov and A. A. Milne, historians Lord Macaulay and G. M. Trevelyan, and philosophers Ludwig Wittgenstein and Bertrand Russell…”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_College,_Cambridge
Until proven otherwise, diplomacy is supposed to prevent war, or stop it if it’s already being waged. But usually not to support it, let alone trigger it.
So we’ll see what happens.
The only things beyond argument today are that NATO is brain-dead, and so is what was formerly known as the “West”.
Another BRICS in the wall! That could easily make a song…
“The European leaders are going to come up with an alternative “peace plan” to present to Trump.
… the new European plan will essentially give Trump pretty well everything he wants”
… and they’re just going to pop along to Trump, tell him his plan’s no good and that he should throw it out and adopt their’s?
Not sure about this. Yes, it could be a plan to set up a climb-down claiming “we did everything we could but America is to blame”. But a much more troubling interpretation is available.
Why is the sinister prime minister making such a big deal about a backstop for a peace plan that hasn’t even begun to be devised yet?
Why did Zelensky think it is such a big deal that he created the unprecedented scene he did in the Oval Office?
To provide the Europeans with a ladder to climb down?
Perhaps Peter Mandelson let the cat out of the bag when he said Zelensky should declare a unilateral ceasefire.
There is a strong view that the British establishment wishes not just to carry on the war but to escalate it. Zelensky appears to be on board.
The sinister prime minister’s – the establishment’s boy – demand for British “boots on the ground and planes in the air” is part and parcel of that. But he knows full well that that would be unfeasible without American military back-up, hence the chorus of demand culminating in Zelensky’s blow-out – with which he seemed very pleased with himself.
So, taking a lead from Mandelson, the plan would be to “force” US military back-up; declare a unilateral Ukrainian ceasefire which they know would be unacceptable to Moscow; wait for the Russian response; then demand America join with them in a war against Russia.
Da-dah – WW3.
Insane? Of course. We are presently “governed” by psychopaths. That much has been clear for some time.
They are still living in Biden (neo-conservative) time. They think they can talk any old rubbish and expect everyone to accept it.
Fortunately we are not, Trump is not that stupid, and it appears that the sinister prime minister’s plans are rapidly crumbling and being deposited in the dustbin of ignominious history where they belong.
When the current degenerate rabble “governing” Europe make Trump look like a paragon of virtue and the only sane voice in the madhouse you know something is very, very wrong.
‘The sinister prime minister’s – the establishment’s boy – demand for British “boots on the ground and planes in the air” is part and parcel of that’.
As he and everyone else must realise, that would very quickly result in boots in the air and planes in the ground. And some very nasty smells.
I was amused by Craig’s reference to the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage and the bizarre insistence by western media that the Russians did it to themselves. It may be the case that they’ve now dropped that ridiculous claim, yet recently I posted in a thread at the Guardian’s Comment Is Free section the observation that Germany never uttered a peep when the U.S. blew up their source of affordable natural gas and thus could not be relied on to lead Europe in the direction of a new, independent policy. My comment was instantly deleted. It seems that canard braised in its own juices is still being served within the company’s lunchroom.
Long ago, it was said that a week is a long time in politics. Actually, nowadays people have the greatest difficulty remembering what was said to have happened yesterday.
“We have always been at war with Eastasia”.
British elite troops – rightly decorated for their bravery, on their way to Ukraine to subdue Russian forces.
https://nitter.poast.org/pic/orig/media%2FGlH2DZzWMAA7wWa.jpg
They look as if they have been to hell and back. Well, maybe not all the way back.
And today Zelensky suddenly backtracked apparently wish to come back to Trump, what a circus. Did the EU write his statement below because it is identical to the phoney peace-plan EU just put out about short ceasefire while west move in soldiers . I hope Trump put him in place again because this man is obviously not interested in real peace.
Zelensky:“We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same. Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.”
Incidentally, how is Starmer proposing we pay for all this extra support for Ukraine?
Since this is _such_ a national emergency – we’re about to be murdered in our beds by hoards of Russians, after all – a substantial hike in tax must be in order, right? We’re all going to have to make serious sacrifices for the very future – nay, existence – of our country. So the biggest burden must fall on those with the biggest shoulders. The very rich are going to have to take a haircut here, the working classes are already tapped out.
What? No new taxes, just cuts to already impoverished services, which primarily will be felt by the poor? I am shocked, shocked I tell you!
Seriously? Hordes of Russians?
Since diplomacy has stopped working and we call each other names and believe that money can settle everything, I have a great business idea (I certainly have to share it to my government):
in response to Starmer’s initiative to increase spending on defense against us, the evil hordes of Russians, I suggest that you simply pay us this money as a ransom so that we will not touch you.
Much more effective, I find that. At least it would be a direct payment, completely transparent transaction, so the money will not be stolen by Starmer himself.
That is an eminently reasonable suggestion. It will benefit the environment (bombs aren’t exactly the greenest technology), we can carry on doing our jobs without all the hassle and interruption of getting mobilised for war, fewer people having to see shrinks for years afterwards over the trauma, not so many homeless veterans making the cities look untidy (because that’s how we treat them if they come back)…
Enormous benefits all round!
It’s called protection money. Extortion; and it’ll bankrupt us because like all blackmailers Russia will keep coming back for more.
We’ve been this way before by the way so know it won’t work.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danegeld
Well, the Russians also paid tribute to the Golden Horde.
Ok, another business scheme:
from time to time Putin shakes something military in front of your nose, scared you pay Starmer and Starmer gives part of this money to Putin as payment for the service.
If the tariffs are attractive, then a schedule can be negotiated. Like, we threaten UK every first Monday of the month, and Germany on Saturdays.
We can also discuss discounts for small countries, like Estonia.
I mean, if we are a boogeyman , would be fair to monetize it. Since Ursula is ready to allocate big money due to our image, so it would be fair if we get a little bit of this money. As a trademark owner.
We can put a big beautiful banner on the Kremlin: “Dreaming of a BIG loan from the EU and the US that is not subject to audit and doesn’t need to be repaid? Ask me how”
Perhaps this is too cumbersome a phrase for good advertising. Need help from native speakers to make it brief and creative.
Pears Morgaine
You do sound like your namesake you really do.
In the world of Gangster States the US certainly takes the biscuit.
I went on a US youtube post once where an American Citizen ( not a subject ) listed a catalogue of US involvement in regime Change and interference in other countries affairs since WW2.
I scrolled down and never got to the end due to scrolling dizzieness.
Nobody but nobody can match the CIA and all measures of interference by the Democratic US State in such a short time.
Now – I don’t want to moralise here as a lot of countries ‘ interfere ‘ but the US is second to none.
Many years ago the CIA put out its Little Black Book of oppressive and Murderous ‘ Regimes ‘ who ‘killed’ millions of people ( a bit like Netanyahu giving cookery tips to Gazans ) and the fact is that most people died of starvation either due to sanctions or stupidity of the governments who were in charge – whether right or left by the way.
The theory that only other countries are ‘ Evil ‘ is more religious than fact.
The truth is that Imperialism is soaked in blood, whether that be the British – The French – The Plucky Little Belgians or The Spanish.
It is not a pleasant world for anyone minor or even those who live in a Major country, as the Americans are about to find out under Trump.
He will dis-appoint his MAGA Groupies just like the UK and Europe will dis- appoint their Groupies too because ALL Empires must fall.
It is an historical fact that is inevitable.
Can we all live in peace and harmony?
My view at the moment is no.
Would it be nicer and easier to live in harmony – of course.
But the declining Empires don’t work in that way.
They try ( not surprisingly ) to cling on to their former power and influence and threat.
It’s the only way you can get business done – Win – Win.
Meaning in the case of the US we win and we win again.
This is Ukraine’s fate.
This is any minor powers fate in an Imperialist world.
It may be Venezuela’s fate – who knows?
But when the Samson brings down the Temple due to an economic and political haircut then ALL the fellow Neo- liberal Worshipper are crushed under the weight of the falling Temple.
It’s a Biblical analogy and I am not religious at all but, the ‘ believers ‘ are now being shown as to what their belief/fealty was worth.
Time to make way for the New, as the Old is …………. well………..old and is not good enough for the 21st Century.
it is understandable that the Old don’t want to let go – but in order for ALL humanity to progress it has to be done.
” The truth is that Imperialism is soaked in blood, whether that be the British – The French – The Plucky Little Belgians or The Spanish. ”
Or indeed the Russians.
So your point is?
“If you think a principle is so important that you believe it is fine for millions of people to die for it – none of whom are yourself – I suggest you reconsider your principles.”
Very eloquently put, Mr. Murray.
Perhaps a thought for the day for the Morgaines, Kinsellas and MJs of this world?
some daunting names you cite there. warriors of the fearless 82nd Chairborne Division.
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago and golf course in Gaza – will have to wait, as the Arab nations in the region agree to rebuild Gaza – whilst the resident remain in it.
“The Arab Summit adopts Egypt’s plan for the reconstruction of Gaza and the final statement.
The plan aims to counter President Donald Trump’s proposals for a “Middle East Riviera” by presenting a scheme for rebuilding the devastated strip without displacing its population.”
https://nitter.poast.org/SuppressedNws/status/1897000132329267401#m
BlackRock – the world’s most powerful and secretive global company in the world – take control of a huge chunk of the Panama Canal – after buying out Hong Kong company’s ports.
“BLACKROCK SEIZES PANAMA CANAL PORTS IN $19B MEGA-DEAL
BlackRock, the world’s top money manager, is acquiring two key Panama Canal ports—Balboa and Cristobal—in a $19 billion deal with Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison.
The acquisition secures control over 40% of the canal’s container traffic.
Trump has long claimed China “runs” the canal and vowed to “take it back.”
Now, BlackRock’s move effectively does it for him.
With two-thirds of the canal’s cargo linked to the U.S., this deal reshapes control over a critical global trade route.
Source: The New York Times, Bloomberg”
Now will BlackRock buy out Venezuela, before Trump tries to usurp the democratically elected Maduro.
Re: ‘the farcical Salisbury incident’
It’s seven years to the day since Sergei & Yulia Skripal were last seen in public after being found incapacitated on a bench in the Maltings shopping precinct. After following a fair few false trails over the interim period (mostly due to not applying Hanlon’s Razor rigorously enough*), it’s with considerable assistance from the recent Dawn Sturgess Inquiry and the copious documentation uploaded to its website, that I’m now fairly sure I’ve managed to work out just what went on there (albeit still with one or two loose ends to tie up) – as well as almost four months later in Amesbury, which resulted in the tragic death of the above-mentioned Ms Sturgess, a mother of three. I hope to share my conclusions with you all on this blog’s forum in the coming days (not getting barred again-permitting). So look out for that won’t you.
* which is not to say that a good deal of malice wasn’t involved
Don’t write things like this please. Surely you’ve seen those murder shows where a character says “I can’t tell you over the phone”? Surely you know what always happens in the next scene?
Thanks for your reply Steve, and for your concern. I wouldn’t worry too much about me though; they’ll have a job on tracking me down. Despite no longer being ensconced in the Leodensian underworld, I’m still fairly off-grid – I’m not even on the electoral register. I doubt whether the powers-that-be are that bovvered though*: very few people seem to care about the Skripal stuff these days – as well as our host, even Rob Slane can’t be arsed with it any more. However, stalwarts do remain, so if anyone is in need of an immediate Skripal fix, Timmy has just put in another Stakhanovite effort over on Propaganda in Focus:
https://propagandainfocus.com/schrodingers-novichok-12-points-from-the-dawn-sturgess-inquiry-part-1/
https://propagandainfocus.com/schrodingers-novichok-12-points-from-the-dawn-sturgess-inquiry-part-2/
https://propagandainfocus.com/schrodingers-novichok-12-points-from-the-dawn-sturgess-inquiry-part-3/
(Owing to laziness, my upcoming report will be substantially shorter)
* I’ve got a stick to operate my front door handle mind – well, you can’t be too careful.
I only occasionally come back to look at this website as an independence supporter who hopes to find some constructive material. What I increasingly see are Trump supporters, Putin apologists and and conspiracy theorists who paint Ukraine and Zelenskyy as Nazis. There are fascists in every country on the planet, including a substantial number in Russia who loudly praise Putin and who in turn are allowed remarkable legal/criminal leeway. One commentator said that Ukraine is not a real country – a bit like the rabid English/British nationalists who say the same of Scotland. I have not seen much mention of Ukraine’s unilateral nuclear disarmament in 1994, enshrined in the Trilateral Agreement in exchange for security assurances from the United States and Russia. Both Putin and Trump have reneged on that. It doesn’t bode well for any other country giving up these insane weapons if this is what happens when they do so.
To understand the nazi, fascist claim you have to learn some history about Ukraine going back to the 1920s and further on on how ukrainians collaborated with the german nazis against the russians. Today, it is often fought with the same imagery, the same rhetoric. If you go back just 10 years there were lots of reporting on this even in the msm. This is no “conspiracy theory”.
Yes there are nazis in many nations there are however very few nations were neo-nazism is so normalized as in Ukraine.
Ukraine have always been a divided and fragile nation and it was proven to everyone that the nationalists in the western Ukraine simply did not respect the russian ethnic/lingiual lawyer of Ukraine and therefore commited the coup in 2013 where the so called Right Sektor – a neo-nazi pro-violence group played the biggest role in toppling Yanukovich.
Listen to this pro-nazi boy what he said back in 2013, in a way he descbribe what the conflict is all about: https://youtu.be/5SBo0akeDMY?t=123
About seven million Ukrainians served with the Red Army in WW2 and 1.4 million died. Ten percent of the Red Army’s Generals were Ukrainian. Another 8-9 million civilians were killed and the country largely wrecked. There were Nazi collaborators in all countries, including over one million Russians. The number of Ukrainian collaborators was small by comparison.
https://s2pu.com/index.php/en/ww2/139-ukrainians-in-the-red-army-and-the-liberation-of-norway
These were real heroes who gave their lives in the fight against Nazism, not wanting to see that filth in their country.
Today’s government in Ukraine is destroying monuments to the Red Army and erecting monuments to Hitler’s collaborators. Even neighboring Poland is perplexed. Even Israel does not deny that Ukraine is glorifying Nazism.
David, you are not alone!
I feel for you! I met here supporters of Biden, apologists for Netanyahu, and supporters of conspiracy theories who paint Zelensky as a fighter for European values!
And guess what?
The owner of this website is committed to freedom of speech! That’s the kind of person he is, he believes that everyone has the right to express their opinion, as long as they don’t lie.
There was never a King of “Ukraine” you jock eejit, whereas there was King of Scotland starting over a millenium ago. A king of Scotland that was separate to the King of England.
The Romans thought Scotland was different to England.
Ukraine is a fake country run by Nazis, Russia is a real, a superlatively great country that is the least Nazi.
Vladivostok as a city in Russia looks more or less like any Ukrainian city such as Kiev or Sumy. Scottish cities with all those granite buildings look nothing like their English counterparts.
What’s the weather like in St Petersburg?
David White
“There are fascists in every country on the planet, including a substantial number in Russia who loudly praise Putin and who in turn are allowed remarkable legal/criminal leeway.”
This is a conspiracy theory that paints Russia and Putin as nazis.
I have only followed Mr Murray since Assange’s imprisonment in 2019. I had the chance to overhear him at a post-protest gathering in a pub, and he struck me as every bit as decent as I had come to think of him from his writing, but I also realized that a large proportion of the protestors were, to put it mildly, odd. Exactly the sort of stuff you find in the comments. So anti-establishment, that anything that’s anti-US must be good. People unhappy with their lives in the west, who had been fed the lie that life in glorious Russia with a benevolent leader watching over them would be preferable. Not to mention the cryptocurrency scammers, UFO hunters, and the rest of the usual cooky crowd. All righteously in support of Assange’s freedom, but lacking the original message of the cypherpunk manifesto or of Assange’s opposition to injustice at large. Maybe I’m naive to believe those were the true principles WikiLeaks operated on.
As a resident of Estonia, my reaction to this article is predictable. Murray’s statement that “I am not so exercised about who is the mayor of Russian-speaking Lugansk that I am prepared to have a nuclear war over the issue.” strikes me as missing the point. I wonder if he will write the same if Putin, encouraged by US and European capitulation to his conquest with no repercussions, attempts to annex the Baltics or Poland.
In the Eesti mind, can there ever be justified disgust a political-media establishment defined by support for austerity, war, genocide and antisemitism scamming? Is disgust at the establishment genuinely an indicator to you of self-loathing, some longing to live in Russia, to hunt UFOs or some other disqualifier from seriousness and respectability?
Rather than lamely seeking to delegitimise dissent, why not offer your commonsense reasons for supporting establishment politicians and media? Try and turn the lost dissenting souls around.
I think you have extrapolated positions that I don’t hold. There is a difference between being critical of the establishment, and being so critical that it blinds one to situations where the establishment is actually fairly rational and in the right (it does happen sometimes!)
David was saying the comments are not what he would expect, or what used to be posted. When Mr. Murray was providing excellent and sorely lacking coverage of Assange’s days in court, I found every post to be in alignment with my own interpretation of the situation. The comments as well. I was tempted to feel that people in total agreement on one issue would have similar thoughts on others, but obviously that’s not the case, and this dissonance is what I was pointing out.
I’ll just take one concrete stance that I think should be uncontroversial: Ukraine *should* seek security guarantees. Signing any kind of “peace” without some guarantee that fighting will not resume is madness and ignores history. Russia under its present and past forms has displayed consistent and repeated behavior of ignoring territorial integrity and ceasefires, with a propensity to annex and suppress its neighbors. Again, these events are within living memory.
EU really showing off their hypocrisy but also an increasing authoritarianism, just days ago there were huge protests in Romania against the annulled election, an election that, in the first (and only) round, brought forward a staunch Ukraine/Nato critic, Călin Georgescu.
The EU came out bragging how they took part in the process to stop short the election process!
Video https://x.com/visegrad24/status/1877861172306673790
Now, some days ago there were huge protests after Georgescu was arrested by the Romanian police.
And days after there have been huge demonstrations, probably many hundreds of thousands in the streets of Romania.
Video: https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/1895833352852164862
But not a single word of condemnation and hardly any (EU) media reporting on it all – and if there are reports the protesters are framed as extremists. Compare that situation to that of Georgia some months back where pro-western demonstrations got full positive coverage even though the demonstrations were often violent and where the EU put sanctions on the Georgian leadership.
Călin Georgescu is a Holocaust denying neo-Nazi. Georges Simion who called for the demonstration is also a neo-Nazi as are his supporters who turned out for the protest.
I thought you didn’t like neo-Nazis?
Bernhard at MoA voiced this unconfirmed rumour that Trump could announce the US pulling out of NATO tonight addressing Congress. I don´t quite believe it yet (well, we´ll know in 2 hours time). On the other hand the sudden European insanity with nearly 1T arms build-up appears almost as a pre-emptive reaction to what might have been talked about behind closed doors for a few weeks now. It is indeed very odd that virtually no German media even reported on the possibility of this. Normally they like to fancy the wildest of rumours…the less likely (Andromeda and other fairy-tales) the more chatter.
Russia is not even using 10% of its land forces in Ukraine. Nor more than 12% of its airforce in Ukraine.
Ukraine is not fighting a “bigger opponent” because while all of Ukraine’s military is geared to fighting Russia and commiting terrorism – Russian military is also in sizeable numbers in their north, south border , Far East border and Kaliningrad.
The Ukrainian army is roughly 25% of the total NATO army and Russia has destroyed them.
Russia simply has never attempted to take Kiev.
It is therefore foolhardy and ridiculous for Craig to claim Russia doesn’t have the ability to invade and takeover Europe “because the couldn’t take Kiev”. A total reproduction of western propaganda.
Of course Russia has that ability as their military proved to be highly skilled in the Special military operation.
Your post is a total reproduction of Russian propaganda which flies in the face of reality. If all you say is true why is there still fighting in Ukraine?
Russia tried and failed to take Kyiv. Get over it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=Pe8AWujGuR0&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fduckduckgo.com%2F
The reason my post was Short is because it’s true Been fighting with Scottish Nationalsts for weeks over this .
Exactly, and all their media minions too. Illuminating to see the caring, sharing Guardian faux-feminists shilling for more mass murder of mostly men. But then their human credentials went to hell with their disgusting genocide coverage. Cosmo Viner has run that once great paper into the moral abyss. As Stamer has with Labour.
Also it should be repeated over and over and over again. OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES ARE SPENDING ALL OUR MONEY ON WEAPONS WHILE THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEIR POPULATIONS ARE DESTITUTE OR WAGESLAVES.
They are seeking to slaughter more foreigners, while starving more of their own citizens. More and extra Death. This is politics and politicians today. When will people wake up to the reality that democracy is an illusion and politicans are psychopaths?
Nothing will change until they respect the mob again. The capitulation to the lockdowns encouraged them to kick us all harder. Funny how that whole thing transferred trillions from public to private too eh? Almost like that was the whole point….
Two or three posters were arguing about whether Trump is capable of empathy earlier in this thread, and in respect of his goal to bring about a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, it would suggest he is. But, if he IS capable of empathy, then why isn’t he putting more pressure on Netanyahu to stick to the ceasefire deal and to stop violating it repeatedly, never mind his plans for Gaza (which of course he couched with an empathetic narrative). And do empaths lie through their teeth all the time, and deceive and cheat their supporters. I don’t think so. Oh, right, and do empaths have Nazi-saluting buddies?! And then there’s this:
The West’s Support For Israel Is The #1 Threat To Free Speech
President Trump has made a post on Truth Social saying federal funding will be cut to universities which allow “illegal protests” on their campuses, obliquely referring to pro-Palestine demonstrations against Israel’s genocidal atrocities.
“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” Trump said. “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS!”
Elise Stefanik, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the UN, made it clear that this was the Trump administration taking a position on “anti-Israel hate.”
“Antisemitism and anti-Israel hate will not be tolerated on American campuses,” tweeted Stefanik with a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post.
They are using the completely fictional narrative of “antisemitism” on university campuses to stomp out protests against Israeli atrocities in the United States. They couldn’t be more transparent about it.
https://caityjohnstone.medium.com/the-wests-support-for-israel-is-the-1-threat-to-free-speech-54563e3a32fa
Trump isn’t the only one trying to paint good caring people as antisemites and Jew-haters of course, but I would suggest he’s more fascistic than empathetic. As are all the other smearers and demonisers AND dehumanisers.
Talking of empaths and empathy:
Jeremy Corbyn calls for a Chilcot-style inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Gaza
https://labouroutlook.org/2025/03/04/jeremy-corbyn-calls-for-a-chilcot-style-inquiry-into-the-uks-involvement-in-gaza/
The Trump administration are merely following the playbook of the British political-media class, c.2015-19 (as did the Biden administration on Gaza protests).
All the UK’s most unscrupulous offenders from that period – invariably Labour centrists – have since been rewarded with life peerages, either by the Tories or Starmer.
The UK’s antisemitism ‘crisis’ psyop resumed with a vengeance in late 2023 to try and muddy the waters and deflect from the Gaza Genocide. Witness Stephen Fry’s alternative Christmas Message on Channel 4 or any speech by Starmer related to Israel.
Whether it be Ukraine or Gaza or bogus antisemitism scamming, Trump’s liberal detractors do not have a leg to stand on.
Recent events after the inauguration of Trump are all very confusing and nothing can be taken at face value. The most worrying aspect is that now all focus is on Ukraine and the tragedies in the Middle East have been relegated to the back burner. Israel is now well towards achieving the dreams of a greater Israel and remodelling of the Middle East in the western image.
What I fear is collusion between Russia and Trump and the deal is Russia gets Ukraine and perhaps other NATO concessions whilst the ME is left for US and Israel. Meanwhile the charade played out iin Europe about unity behind Ukraine is a cover for the major collusion. It also serves to militarise Europe and maybe in the hope of getting a major economic recovery.
In this scenario Iran would be neutralised and all Arabs left by the peninsular monarchies sign the Abraham accord with Israel and Russia gets to retain Syrian bases as they will be totally useless under these conditions.
I fear a great stitch up of the Palestinians.. Hope I am wrong.
news is slipping through the Russian-speaking sphere that the US wants to see Russia as a mediator between a potential US-Iran nuclear deal. Nothing has been officially confirmed yet, but something will definitely change globally in the balance in the Middle East. I can’t even begin to guess how this will affect Palestine.
As for Europe, I recall that several months before the war in Ukraine, significant events took place.
First, it became obvious that Kiev was sabotaging the Minsk agreements.
Second, at the conference in Munich, Zelensky raised the issue of nuclear weapons for Ukraine.
Third, Russia turned to NATO and demanded that it guarantee that NATO’s actions in Ukraine did not threaten Russia’s security.
I remember very well that Russia’s concerns were ridiculed by Europe and arrogantly rejected. And the Ukrainian OSCE mission began to register an exponential increase in military action in Donbas. So all this together led to Russia convinced there’s nobody to negotiate with, and our security we should ensure ourselves.
I am not revengeful (in Russian the word is злопамятный, we use to joke Я не злопамятный, я просто злой и память у меня хорошая *I’m not vindictive. I’m just angry and have a good memory.*)
Well, I like the very idea that Europe will now be in Russia’s shoes, thinking about how to ensure its security, and maybe even regretting that those Russian proposals for a joint security architecture on our continent were ridiculed and rejected. But such is life and such is the logic of conflicts – if you reject compromise at the beginning of a conflict, you may find your position worsened during the conflict.
Tatyana,
“news is slipping through the Russian-speaking sphere that the US wants to see Russia as a mediator between a potential US-Iran nuclear deal”
Yes, thank you for this, it has been rumoured around the internet for a while. A Russia-Iran-USA rapprochement would potentially be an enormous boost to reducing international conflict.
” … maybe even regretting that those Russian proposals for a joint security architecture on our continent were ridiculed and rejected.”
Indeed. My suspicion is that the Istanbul agreement of Mar-Apr ’22 will be the starting point for peace negotiations and the Russian proposals of Dec ’21 will be the end point. This too would potentially provide an enormous boost to international peace and security.
It would also show the grubby, corrupt, third-rate gang of Euro politicians up for what they are, which I suspect is their primary fear.
Tatyana
Thank you for your insight into what is happening in Russia. I do not share your and Peter’s optimism about peace and deals with Iran. Israel is set to destroy Iran’s capabilities especially now the non-nuclear ones which are a real threat. Netanyahu gets what he wants because no one will stop him. Putin’s ‘pragmatic’ attitude to the Palestinian problem has always been pro Israel because in fact most of the hardline Israelis are either originally from the old Soviet Union, Warsaw pact or more recently powerful oligarchs. I think Iran will be sacrificed and so will the Palestinians for the sake of peace in Europe. Russia has never expressed strong enough views about the genocide in Gaza just merely going through the mild diplomatic rebukes that amount to nothing. Even in Syria, Russia never protected Syrian air space against Israel, even when it meant killing Russian pilots through friendly fire. Also in my view Europe will recover because the strong pro Ukrainian stance by the Biden administration was forced on Europe. Germany was initially very reluctant to pay anything but a lip service to arming Ukraine, but such was the propaganda that they found themselves on a locked losing course while their US masters changed course. They now find it embarrassing to admit to their people that they have been acting against their own interest. After all Germany and other European countries would love to resume cheap Russian oil supplies once they get over their own propaganda.
SA, one piece of news on Iran today, that might go as something official statement.
Peskov, Kremlin spokesmam, clarified that during the high-level talks between Russia and the United States in Riyadh, the topic of Iran was not discussed in detail. Iran will become a separate area of dialogue between Russia and the US in future contacts.
“Since Iran is our ally, partner, a country with which we are developing comprehensive, mutually beneficial and mutually respectful relations, Russia is ready to do everything possible for this (a peaceful solution to the nuclear problem. – Ed.). The United States knows about this,” Peskov told journalists.
Tatyana
The treaty signed between Iran and Moscow is just a declaration of friendship and intent to try and help each other and has no obligation to come to the aid of each other in case of aggression by a third party. This can be seen in the following. Look at article 3.3 in the link below.
“In the event that either Contracting Party is subject to aggression, the other Contracting Party shall not provide any military or other assistance to the aggressor which would contribute to the continued aggression, and shall help to ensure that the differences that have arisen are settled on the basis of the United Nations Charter and other applicable rules of international law.
https://irangov.ir/detail/456479
John Helmer is a good analytical source of the goings on in Russia as per link below.
https://johnhelmer.net/the-pistachio-pact-is-the-russian-iranian-strategic-agreement-the-nut-or-the-shell/
In a way it is understandable, if not perhaps even excusable for Putin to look at Russia’s interest, even at the expense of those of Iran. Also as John Helmer points out:
“On the battlefield Russians are very fast learners from their mistakes,” a veteran Moscow analyst says. “But in Russian politics and business they are slow to accept that the US and Israel have always been enemies to Russian interests, and will remain so. What the Americans and Israelis don’t realise is that Putin was the slowest to change his mind towards them. The Ukraine war and now the Gaza War have changed all that.”
The other benefitting party from all this are the Saudis and in particular MBS who is now set to be the leader of the Arab world. The reproachment between the Saudis and the Gulf monarchies on one hand, and Iran on the other, brokered by China has merely led to polite diplomatic niceties and for example did not translate to attempts at solving the Syrian situation without the current debacle of all sides rushing to befriend a former Al Qaida leader. He has learnt his lesson and fared better than Zelensky by changing his Arab/Islamic garb to western style suites and ties.
Leopards don’t change their spots. MBS likes a bit of action with a bone saw and HTS Harry likes a good stoning. Meanwhile Trump seems to have disowned Gonzalo Lira in favour of a bit of Ukranian rough. The stench of politics doesn’t decrease with time.