Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #13

[SouthAussie]

As relations thaw, Russia appoints ambassador to US​

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

In a further sign of improving relations with Washington, Vladimir Putin has appointed Alexander Darchiev as Russia’s ambassador to the US.

The post had been vacant since October 2024, when long-time Russian ambassador Anatoly Antonov returned to Moscow.

Restoring diplomatic relations was the subject of recent US-Russian talks in Riyadh and then Istanbul.

US and Ukraine officials to meet next week to discuss peace plans, Zelensky says

The Ukrainian leader says he will travel to Saudi Arabia where talks on bringing a "lasting" peace will take place.

www.bbc.co.uk

So this appointment was agreed during the US/Russia talks in Istanbul, their 2nd round of talks.


On Feb. 28, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Washington, during talks held in Istanbul on normalizing diplomatic relations, handed over an official note to Moscow on Darchiev’s appointment as Russia’s ambassador to the US.

“His departure to his place of service in Washington is expected in the near future,” the statement said.

Putin signs decree appointing Alexander Darchiev as Russia’s ambassador to US

Russian presidential decree fills ambassadorial role vacant since Darchiev’s predecessor Anatoly Antonov completed his mission in Washington, DC in October 2024 - Anadolu Ajansı

www.aa.com.tr

In a memoir, John J. Sullivan, a U.S. ambassador to Russia under then-President Joe Biden, described Darchiev becoming "visibly enraged" during a meeting at the foreign ministry in Moscow, over remarks by Biden, who called Putin a war criminal.

"When I finished, he started screaming at me in a profane tirade that I should not come into the ministry with such a belligerent attitude," Sullivan wrote.

https://www.reuters.com/world/putin...russias-new-ambassador-washington-2025-03-06/

 

[JennieM]

4m ago10.58 GMT

We need to rearm Europe and do not have lot of time, Denmark's Frederiksen says​

Denmark's prime minister Mette Frederiksen arrives at the Special European Council to discuss continued support for Ukraine and European defence at the EU headquarters in Brussels.Photograph: Nicolas Tucat/AFP/Getty Images

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen says that “the most important thing now is to rearm Europe.”

“I do not think we have a lot of time. So [we need to] rearm Europe: spend, spend, spend on defence and deterrence,” she says.

Asked about Macron’s proposal on nuclear deterrence, she says “we have to discuss everything now so all good ideas around the table have to be a part of our discussion.”


7m ago10.55 GMT

Ukraine is buying time for us with their blood, we need to act, Lithuanian president says​

Lithuania's president Gitanas Nauseda speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels. Photograph: Omar Havana/AP

Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda is one of the first European leaders to stop and chat with journalists on the way into today’s European Council.

He says "there is no need to explain … how important this meeting is,” with “Ukraine buying the precious time for us every day, paying with their blood.”

“It would be highly irresponsible to waste this time and to have long hours discussions without the clear outcome,” he says.

He calls for “flexible” approach to defence spending in fiscal deficit rules, and more support for Ukraine.

Nausėda also pointedly says the EU needs to strenghten the Eastern flank to help it protect critical infrastructure from acts of sabotage, hybrid aggression, and other forms of undermining the border countries.

Asked about Macron’s idea of expanding the French nuclear umbrella would serve “as a really, very serious deterrence towards Russia.”

The Lithuanian president also said the EU needs to take decisions today regardless of potential opposition from Hungary or Slovakia, “because otherwise history will penalise us.”

“It’s lasting too long, our inability to take decisions. And now it’s the time [to act],” he said.

Zelenskyy joins EU leaders at defence summit as Russia accuses France of wanting Ukraine war to continue – Europe live

Leaders gather to discuss €800bn plan to boost military capacity as Kremlin says Macron’s comments were ‘extremely confrontational’

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

Europe knows the threat is not just Russia IMO.

 

[SouthAussie]

.
Loading bags of firewood onto a truck for delivery to residents along the front lines in Ukraine. Trying to keep them warm.

Interestingly, Hope for Ukraine is a non-profit based in Roseland, New Jersey, USA. Gathering private donations to help feed, clothe, and keep front line Ukrainians warm.

I also saw a post where they were delivering sweet treats (various cakes) to front line soldiers.

Hope for Ukraine

imo

 

[Simply Southern]

The US cannot keep piping up about being the arbiter of peace throughout the world, promising all those countries, regardless of where they are in the world, that their presence is not only a protection for the US but also for their allies. What is the point of the US spending trillions of dollars on military bases throughout the world if when the rubber hits the road the US starts whining about how much money they are spending? What's the point? This is the first time in history since WW2 that the US is reneging on deals they've made with countries to cement their commitment to a foreign country to protect them for the malign influence of Russia. The military equipment sitting in NATO countries like Poland is there to protect NATO countries on the eastern flank. Poland isn't stupid enough to believe that Putin will stop at Ukraine. The world has come to realize that US help is transactional under Donald Trump. He couldn't give a **** about Ukraine if he doesn't get a piece of the pie. On a micro level he gives the impression he wouldn't help an old lady cross the street unless she paid him. On the macro level he's willing to let Putin take over Ukraine over a perceived slight. If commitment is that elastic under Trump why doesn't the US just pull up stakes? They can't be relied on anymore. The US can't be considered the leader of free world when there is a clear and present danger of Putin taking all of Ukraine and the only way he could that is with either Trump's help or his inaction.

The US government fiscal year runs October to September so all the funds allocated to Ukraine were already agreed upon at the beginning of the fiscal year. How is it that Trump can unilaterally decide he's not going to provide those funds?

The financial Year may run October to September, however the last bill only provided funding through March 14th. The physical year and funding do not coincide. The previous administration pushed out Ukraine funding prior to January 20th. Moo

 

[SouthAussie]

The financial Year may run October to September, however the last bill only provided funding through March 14th. The physical year and funding do not coincide. The previous administration pushed out Ukraine funding prior to January 20th. Moo

Wasn't it US Congress who committed all of the funds to Ukraine? 220 Republicans and 215 Democrats. Link


Congress has enacted five emergency supplemental funding measures to address Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
These include:
the Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 (FY2022 USAA, P.L. 117-103, Div. N)
the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 (FY2022 AUSAA, P.L. 117-128)
the Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (FY2023 USAA, P.L. 117-180, Div. B)
the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (FY2023 AUSAA, P.L. 117-328, Div. M)
the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act,2024 (FY2024 USSAA, P.L. 118-50, Div. B)

As of January 2025, Congress has appropriated a total of nearly $174.2 billion from FY2022 through FY2024 in supplemental appropriations in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Congressional Research Service - U.S. Direct Financial Support for Ukraine (13 January 2025)

 

[sds71]

Reuters - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the matter said, potentially putting them on a fast-track to deportation.The move, expected as soon as April, would be a stunning reversal of the welcome Ukrainians received under President Joe Biden's administration.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-plans-revoke-legal-status-ukrainians-who-fled-us-sources-say-2025-03-06/

 

[SouthAussie]

Reuters - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the matter said, potentially putting them on a fast-track to deportation.The move, expected as soon as April, would be a stunning reversal of the welcome Ukrainians received under President Joe Biden's administration.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-plans-revoke-legal-status-ukrainians-who-fled-us-sources-say-2025-03-06/

No low is too low.

imo

 

[LibraStarr]

Reuters - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the matter said, potentially putting them on a fast-track to deportation.The move, expected as soon as April, would be a stunning reversal of the welcome Ukrainians received under President Joe Biden's administration.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-plans-revoke-legal-status-ukrainians-who-fled-us-sources-say-2025-03-06/

There’s no justification for this beyond pure cruelty. These people were allowed in because they were escaping war and crisis, and now Trump wants to rip that protection away. No official announcement yet from Homeland Security, but if this happens, it’s just another example of Trump throwing allies under the bus out of spite.

IMO

 

[JennieM]

No low is too low.

imo

What ally is this? The enemy kind?

 

[SouthAussie]

What ally is this? The enemy kind?

There's no pretending any more, is there? Hard lines are being drawn.

imo

 

[UK Girl]

In the time that peace negotiations were initiated back in 2022, how many Ukraine military and civilian lives were lost. How many Russian military and civilians. Don't they count too? While we can sit safely in our homes and discuss (and some spew hatred for President Trump), we are not directly involved. An old saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink is apropos. There have been many countries trying to negotiate peace, yet you choose to hate on the USA. So be it, I respect your opinion, but we are not in charge, Zelensky and Putin are in charge. I remember ten years of Vietnam, what a waste of lives to only end up giving up. JMO MOO

We are directly involved when we took their weapons from them and promised to defend them, About the people lost - that is on Putin tbh

 

[JennieM]

26m ago12.08 GMT

Ukrainian opposition leaders reject US suggestions of wartime election​

Ukrainian opposition leaders have dismissed the idea of holding a wartime election, after a media report of contacts between them and US officials and in the wake of President Donald Trump calling his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” for not holding one, Reuters reports.

Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday his team was working with US “partners” to maintain support for Ukraine – but he added that he was opposed to a wartime election.

In a written statement published on Telegram, Poroshenko said elections should only happen after peace had been established. He added that a vote should take place no later than 180 days after the end of the war.

Yuliia Tymoshenko, another opposition leader, said her team “is talking with all our allies who can help in securing a just peace as soon as possible,” and said that elections should not take place before this had been achieved.

Politico reported on Wednesday that four senior members of Trump’s entourage had held discussions with some of Zelenskiy’s top political opponents.

The talks were held with Tymoshenko and senior members of the party of Poroshenko, who was president from 2014 to 2019, Politico reported, citing three Ukrainian lawmakers and a U.S. Republican foreign policy expert.

The discussions focused on whether Ukraine could have quick presidential elections, according to the report.

Petro Poroshenko, who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019, speaks during an interview in Kyiv in 2022. Photograph: Miguel A Lopes/EPA

Zelenskyy joins EU leaders at defence summit as Russia accuses France of wanting Ukraine war to continue – Europe live

Leaders gather to discuss €800bn plan to boost military capacity as Kremlin says Macron’s comments were ‘extremely confrontational’

www.theguardian.com

 

[Mo Thuairim]

There's no pretending any more, is there? Hard lines are being drawn.

imo

Are we really surprised? Purging the civil service, stifling the press and scapegoating foreigners (unless they're your autocratic ally). It's dictatorship 101. He's only getting started. Not to be trusted by any sane country.

 

[UK Girl]

Europe knows the threat is not just Russia IMO.

Denmark /Greenland certainly does.

 

[SouthAussie]

26m ago12.08 GMT

Ukrainian opposition leaders reject US suggestions of wartime election​

Ukrainian opposition leaders have dismissed the idea of holding a wartime election, after a media report of contacts between them and US officials and in the wake of President Donald Trump calling his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” for not holding one, Reuters reports.

Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday his team was working with US “partners” to maintain support for Ukraine – but he added that he was opposed to a wartime election.

In a written statement published on Telegram, Poroshenko said elections should only happen after peace had been established. He added that a vote should take place no later than 180 days after the end of the war.

Yuliia Tymoshenko, another opposition leader, said her team “is talking with all our allies who can help in securing a just peace as soon as possible,” and said that elections should not take place before this had been achieved.

Politico reported on Wednesday that four senior members of Trump’s entourage had held discussions with some of Zelenskiy’s top political opponents.

The talks were held with Tymoshenko and senior members of the party of Poroshenko, who was president from 2014 to 2019, Politico reported, citing three Ukrainian lawmakers and a U.S. Republican foreign policy expert.

The discussions focused on whether Ukraine could have quick presidential elections, according to the report.

Petro Poroshenko, who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019, speaks during an interview in Kyiv in 2022. Photograph: Miguel A Lopes/EPA

Zelenskyy joins EU leaders at defence summit as Russia accuses France of wanting Ukraine war to continue – Europe live

Leaders gather to discuss €800bn plan to boost military capacity as Kremlin says Macron’s comments were ‘extremely confrontational’

www.theguardian.com

Make no mistake .... this is the US trying to install a Ukraine leader of US (and perhaps Russian) choosing.

imo

 

[UK Girl]

No low is too low.

imo

wow

 

[SouthAussie]

Denmark /Greenland certainly does.

As does Panama.

 

[UK Girl]

There's no pretending any more, is there? Hard lines are being drawn.

imo

It is funny - when Trump won I may not like him but thought at least that things would calm down somewhat although I knew he did not like Zelensky. I did not realise he would throw everyone to the Sharks though.

 

[Simply Southern]

Good article on he Dec reconciliation bill past December 2024 funding through March 14th 2025. The most recent Dec bill only provides funding for the government to operate for 3 months. After 3 months a new bill will need to be introduced or the government will go into "shut down". Government shutdown will provide only essential services and essential employees will work. All other employees will be furloughed home.

Reconciliation bills are used when both parties cannot agree on a yearly budget. The United States has not funded a full 12 month budget since the Obama administration.
Moo

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/12/20/congress/house-passes-funding-package-government-shutdown-00195737