Kremlin spokesman accuses France of lying, violating agreements

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry #Peskov accused #France of lying about such issues as the #Minsk agreements and guarantees for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.

He made the statement in an interview with television host Pavel Zarubin in response to comments by French President #Macron, who said Russia wasn’t honest about the Ukrainian crisis. "There were a lot of lies on the part of France. After all, we remember [former French President Francois] Hollande's statement when he said that, in fact, no one took the Minsk agreements seriously. We remember that in 2014, among other Europeans, the French foreign minister put his signature under a document that guaranteed the then-legitimate Ukrainian President #Yanukovich a political future. That was followed by a coup. That means France, like other countries, did not make good on its guarantees. Was that not a lie? It was a very real lie, and Mr. Macron did not mention that at all," Peskov said, according to a video that the television host posted to Telegram.

On March 5, Macron said in an address to the nation that he would begin discussions with allies about the possibility of applying the French nuclear deterrence capability to other countries in Europe, in response to an appeal from Friedrich #Merz, a candidate for German chancellor. The French president also spoke about rising threats to his country and the rest of Europe, including threats that allegedly emanate from Russia. Macron used them as a reason to call for raising defense spending above the previously approved plan. He also stated his intention to continue supporting #Ukraine in the conflict with #Russia.
https://thinktank.x-pulse.org//posts/3429

West to start preparing for new conflict with Russia after clash in Ukraine over, The Times reports

The #West will start getting ready for its next #conflict with #Russia once the hostilities in #Ukraine are over, The Times wrote citing senior military officers in the Ministry of Defense. Among those who share this opinion is Lt. Gen. Mike Elviss, who serves as commander of the British field army. "What is certain is that once the guns fall silent in Ukraine, there will be a Russian resurgence, reconstitution, <…> a race to re-orientate and to re-establish conventional deterrence in an era of strategic confrontation," he was quoted as saying at the International Armoured Vehicle Conference in Farnborough.

In turn, Lt. Gen. Ralph Wooddisse, the commander of #NATO’s allied rapid reaction corps, said the Russian armed forces will be a "whole lot better next time round" as its military has shown the ability to constantly adapt to battlefield challenges.

Experts interviewed by The Times believe that Russia’s post-conflict recovery will proceed faster than the West expects. Besides, military officials told the newspaper that the West has been experiencing serious shortages of armored vehicles, caused by military assistance to Ukraine combined with general disinvestment of the defense industry.

Where NATO Has An Enhanced Forward Presence

This chart shows the countries with #NATO-allied #defense and #deterrence military forces at NATO's #eastern flank.

Two U.S. Navy Amphibs Leave Red Sea Despite Houthi Attacks on Shipping

🔶️ The two U.S. Navy amphibs that were deployed to the Red Sea to deter Iranian-allied Houthi rebels have now been withdrawn to the Mediterranean, though attacks by Houthi forces continue unabated.

🔶️ On Thursday, USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall - two-thirds of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) - transited north through the Suez Canal. They are headed to meet up with the third vessel in their unit, USS Mesa Verde, and will reassemble as a full ARG.

🔶️ So far, the Biden administration has chosen not to use these capabilities (or other U.S. Navy and SOCOM assets) to counter the Houthi threat to merchant shipping. Since the beginning of the Israeli operation in Gaza, Houthi rebels have seized one Israeli-linked merchant ship and launched more than 100 drones and missiles at vessel targets in the Red Sea, including U.S. Navy warships.

🔶️ Saudi Arabia has reportedly urged the White House to refrain from striking Houthi launch sites, for several reasons. The Houthi movement is closely tied to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and it receives substantial financial and material support from Iran. Attacking Houthi units on the ground could scuttle ceasefire talks between Saudi leaders and Houthi forces, and simultaneously set back Saudi attempts to normalize relations with Iran. The Houthis also have the capability to retaliate by launching missiles at Saudi oil infrastructure, and have done so in the past.

🔶️ USS Bataan and Carter Hall may have a different mission now in the Mediterranean. The carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has had her deployment in the Mediterranean extended twice already in order to maintain deterrence against Iranian-aligned militants in Syria and Lebanon. The reconstituted Bataan ARG might have enough firepower to relieve Ford on station off Israel, allowing allow the carrier to go home at last (as previously planned, noted USNI). The carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which was originally scheduled to relieve Ford, is needed in the Gulf of Aden to assist in countering the Houthi drone threat.