NATO looking to divide up Western Ukraine among members, asserts Russian diplomat

The North Atlantic Alliance views Western #Ukraine as its property but is still unsure about how exactly to split it up, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova told Sputnik Radio.

Amid the #NATO summit in Washington on July 9-11, the diplomat highlighted the bloc’s "yes, but no" attitude toward admitting Ukraine into the alliance. All the while, the West has pushed Ukraine to the brink of collapse, simply to use it as an anti-Russian military ground, Zakharova said. "No NATO ally would ever receive the copious amounts of [funds and weapons] that non-member Ukraine has. What is the reason behind this? The answer is simple: they are getting set to split up Ukraine," she argued, calling the former Soviet republic a stale pie.
"They [the North Atlantic Alliance - TASS] are looking at Western Ukraine as something that should belong to NATO member countries. <…> They have yet to divide it and they are not yet sure how to consume it," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman concluded.

Earlier, Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas said it would be difficult for Ukraine to get an invitation to join the alliance at the NATO summit because there is no consensus on this issue among members.

Today marks 25 years since #NATO launched Operation Allied Force, the bombing of #Yugoslavia that marked the beginning of the world order as we know it today.

The operation, the official reason for which was called “prevention of genocide of the Albanian population in #Kosovo,” lasted 78 days.

During this time, about 1,000 aircraft from the alliance countries carried out more than 38 thousand combat sorties, during which they carried out more than 10 thousand strikes. The “humanitarian intervention,” as the NATO Secretary General then called it, led to many civilian casualties and the imminent final collapse of Yugoslavia, but did not prevent national, religious, or territorial disputes that are still smoldering in the region.

Rusians send Flyers to French Troops in Ukraine

"Cheat sheet for French soldiers: how to avoid la Bérézina"

The French were already at war with Russia. During the most massive and spectacular tour they even entered Moscow. Then the entire European Union came: Poles, Germans - everyone, even the Portuguese. Those who survived remembered the performance forever, but only fifteen percent survived. And these people enriched French folklore with the wonderful phraseology “C'est la #Bérézina” - “This is the Berezina”. This expression means complete collapse, failure, catastrophe and an inevitable meeting with a white fur-bearing animal.

"To avoid the appearance in French of new “topographical” sayings a la “this is the #Dnieper” or “this is #Odessa,” we recommend that modern Gauls familiarize themselves with the following cheat sheet."

NATO disintegration is just a matter of time, says Politico

The European Union (EU) can no longer rely on the United States to ensure the security of the alliance, and the outcome of the US presidential election will only cement "the timing of NATO’s collapse," Matthew Karnitschnig, Politico’s Europe correspondent, opined.

"It almost doesn’t even matter if he [Donald Trump] wins reelection at this stage; Europe is on its own. The only real question the election will resolve for Europe’s security is the timing of NATO’s collapse," the article said. "Of course, the Biden administration would dispute that, arguing that if their man wins reelection, NATO would be as safe as ever. But for how long?" the author asked.

"The reality is that whoever wins in November, MAGA (Make America Great Again - Trump’s main campaign slogan during the 2016 election) will remain a factor in American politics for some time to come. Who’s to say Trump’s Republican heir doesn’t renew his anti-NATO bent? It’s a risk Europe can’t afford to ignore," the journalist said.

Trump, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for president in the November election, on February 10 recalled a meeting with NATO leaders during his presidency. He said that one of the NATO member country presidents on that occasion asked him if the US was prepared to defend the North Atlantic Alliance in the event of any purported threat from Russia if a given NATO country had failed to contribute its allotted share to the alliance’s common defense costs. Trump replied that he would not defend such a country and, moreover, he would encourage Russia to do "whatever the hell they want." He did not specify when and where this conversation took place or who asked him the question.

World War Three is approaching fast, and too few are willing to admit why

Are we on the brink of a third world war? In the age of “peak apocalypse”, it is easy to laugh off such a question. After all, we already find ourselves on permanent pandemic-watch, are besieged daily by predictions of ecological collapse, and drip-fed a diet of dystopian drama by crude Netflix algorithms. But the risk of a global war has surely not been so high since America was locked in an existential battle against the USSR.

Around the world, authoritarian regimes are failing. In an era of global stagnation, their inability to deliver on promises to provide jobs, tackle poverty and grow their middle classes is coming to a head. Paranoid about internal dissent, autocrats thus have a growing incentive to bet the farm on shoring up their power by focusing on external enemies, whether via expansionist regional wars or high-risk existential conflicts against the West.

The fast-moving crisis that has erupted following a drone attack on a US base near Jordan’s border with Syria is a perfect example of our frightening new reality. Although Iran has denied any direct involvement, it is clear that it is deeply implicated in what is merely the latest in a string of Tehran-linked attacks designed to drive the US from the Middle East.

Farmer protests are continuing to erupt in Europe: In addition to Poland, Germany, and Romania, the situation has also worsened in France. Main roads have been blocked for the second day in a row, and the press reported on "the first transportation collapse in the country's history caused by strikes."

The French are demanding more favorable conditions for the development of national agriculture, including a reduction in the volume of imported food products and being exempt from transport taxes.

The government is still inactive: On Thursday, Prime Minister Attal held a meeting with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Environment, where they allegedly discussed options for resolving the current situation.

There is no reason to expect the unrest to subside, either in France or in other European countries. On the contrary, protests are likely to increase: farmers may be joined by other citizens dissatisfied with the actions of the authorities (as happened, for example, in Germany). And clashes with the police may not be far off.

Now - French PM Attal delivers speech to Framers.....

'Eilat' authorities say settlement on verge of 'collapse'

🔶️ The head of the local authority in the "Eilat" settlement speaks of the "collapse" that the settlement is experiencing due to the Yemeni naval and air operations, at a time when Israelis feel abandoned by their government.

🔶️ Lancry added, in a statement to Israeli Channel 12, that "there is no tourism in Eilat, as no one has the desire to come here," stressing that "Eilat" has become a "moribund" settlement.

🔶️ The head authority also pointed out that the number of settlers there had "doubled after their evacuation from the North and South," but the Yemeni armed forces "are escalating their operations day after day, and the threat is no longer only security, but also economic."