Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #14

[branmuffin]

2m ago18.06 GMT

US to immediately lift suspension on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine​

The US state department has announced Washington will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.

A statement by the state department, carried by Reuters, comes after a lengthy meeting between senior US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia today.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/mar/11/ukraine-russia-us-peace-talks-moscow-war-latest-live-news-europe#top-of-blog

Thought that had already been done yesterday! According to Rubio. No mention of financial aid MOO

What a lowdown thing to do; remove intelligence increasing the vulnerability of attacks in Ukraine without a viable way to counter attack. I cannot wrap my head around it. How far the US has sunk.

 

[branmuffin]

Immediate 30 day ceasefire agreed dependant on agreement by Russia (how can it be immediate if Russia hasn't agreed yet). JMO Minerals deal agreed but not signed yet. Resumption of intelligence sharing (no mention of financial aid). MOO

2m ago18.12 GMT

US and Ukraine agree to conclude minerals deal 'as soon as possible'​

The presidents of Ukraine and the US have agreed to “conclude as soon as possible” a comprehensive agreement for “developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources to expand Ukraine’s economy, offset the cost of American assistance, and guarantee Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security,” according to a joint statement by the US and Ukrainian delegations.

3m ago14.11 EDT

Ukraine agrees to accept immediate 30-day ceasefire​

Ukraine has agreed to accept a US proposal for an immediate 30-day ceasefire and to take steps toward restoring a durable peace after Russia’s invasion, according to a joint statement by US and Ukrainian delegations meeting in Jeddah.

Kyiv and Washington “took important steps toward restoring durable peace for Ukraine” on Tuesday, the statement reads.



The US will “immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine,” it says.

Both delegations agreed to immediately “begin negotiations toward an enduring peace that provides for Ukraine’s long-term security”, it says.

The US committed to discussing these proposals with representatives from Russia, while the Ukrainian delegation reiterated that European partners shall be involved in the peace process, it says.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/mar/11/ukraine-russia-us-peace-talks-moscow-war-latest-live-news-europe#top-of-blog

I sure hope Ukraine's ceasefire is incumbent on Russia doing the same. Not just being a goat tied to a stake while the predator circles.

 

[Stella123]

Yes it is incumbent on Russia agreeing the same - links earlier

 

[JennieM]

This summit is only for the coalition of the willing. Australia is sending our military rep to Paris because of that.

The US is not part of the coalition of the willing.

imo

Don’t blame the US.

It can’t be in the coalition of the willing when it’s part of the coalition of the dictators.

 

[Stella123]

9m ago20.15 GMT

Dan Sabbagh
Suddenly the ball is in Russia’s court. The flow of US intelligence and military aid to Ukraine is to resume – and the Kremlin is being asked to agree to a 30-day ceasefire that Kyiv has already told the Americans it will sign up to.

It is a dizzying turnaround from the Oval Office row between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump and the apparent abandonment of the White House’s strategy to simply pressurise Ukraine into agreeing to a peace deal. Now, for the first time, Russia is being asked to make a commitment, though it is unclear what will follow if it does sign up.

Announcing the peace proposal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said that he hoped Russia would accept a peace agreement “so we can get to the second phase of this, which is real negotiations”.

That may leave plenty of room for interpretation. Russia has also been pushing for a ceasefire, though the Kremlin had wanted that to be followed by elections in Ukraine, before any full negotiation about territory and Kyiv’s future security.

Ukraine, meanwhile, will want strong security guarantees to avoid a resumption of the war, involving European peacekeepers on the ground, which Russia has so far said it is against. An open question, perhaps, is whether peacekeepers could enter Ukraine during a ceasefire period, but this is speculative.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/mar/11/ukraine-russia-us-peace-talks-moscow-war-latest-live-news-europe#top-of-blog

So from that I take it, it's - get a ceasefire first, then start the negotiations.

I am almost sure Putin will want Zelensky to hold an election or resign as part of any further negotiations. I hope he doesn't agree to that. Assuming Putin actually agrees to the ceasefire. JMO

 

[Stella123]

Assuming a peacefire is agreed by Putin - who is going to police it or monitor it? JMO

 

[JennieM]

This is the moment for Trump to prove his relationship with Putin
​

Nomia Iqbal
Reporting from the White House

The ball is in Vladimir Putin’s court as the Americans say but the pressure is on President Trump too. He has often talked up his close ties with the Russian President.

During that fiery clash with President Zelensky there was a line that may have gone unnoticed.

He had said: “Let me tell you Putin went through a hell of a lot with me, he went through a phony witch hunt.”

He was referring to an investigation during his first term where his election campaign was accused of colluding with Russia to win.

The allegations were denied by both sides but Mr Trump’s comments seemed to suggest some sort of solidarity had been forged with Putin.

President Trump today said he hopes Putin agrees to this deal. So this is probably a moment for Mr Trump to prove his relationship with Putin is as close as he says it is.

Putin 'makes first visit to Kursk since Ukraine incursion' ahead of US-Russia talks

Kyiv has called on Moscow to respond to the proposed ceasefire - the Kremlin says it is waiting to be briefed by the US.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

Assuming a peacefire is agreed by Putin - who is going to police it or monitor it? JMO

Russia.

 

[Kudzuu]

He reminds me so much of my grandfather during his early stages with Alzheimer’s/dementia. He was still lucid enough to function quite normally and independently, but his personality changed and he became combative and forgetful and repeated himself constantly.

Edit to add: recently I went back and watched some of trumps speeches and interviews from 2016-2020 and his decline since then is quite shocking and noticeable. He’s always been very brash but he has changed so much since then.

I agree. It was mostly word salad then but now there is something else going on. Where are his rallies? They stopped after the election. His eyes look vacant. And what is it with that long oversized coat?
His eyes are puffy and he looks sick to me.

It is concerning that people in the GOP are not outraged. Actually frightening.

 

[Kudzuu]

Oh and I forgot his insult to the Polish President as well, "Be quiet small man". MOO

I bet the Polish president wishes he could change his name.
Oh as for Musk...like father like son.

 

[Stella123]

Russia.

Really? Where does it say that?!! Or were you just saying nobody really

 

[Herat]

I agree. It was mostly word salad then but now there is something else going on. Where are his rallies? They stopped after the election. His eyes look vacant. And what is it with that long oversized coat?
His eyes are puffy and he looks sick to me.

It is concerning that people in the GOP are not outraged. Actually frightening.

His expressions seem quite a bit more limited.

Reminds me of the fixed, "reptilian face" you can see in Parkinson's disease.

 

[Stella123]

I wish I could find it, but I read somewhere - maybe one of the previous links - that there had already been a discussion between Trump and Russia about a ceasefire while negotiations were conducted. I think the main issue will be the second round of negotiations as Putin will have very specific demands that Ukraine would find hard to agree to. I think his main demand would be that Zelensky goes and Ukraine holds an election. Zelensky might even be prepared to do that, if he can get the best security protections out of it. JMO MOO

The US already seem to know that Putin wants to keep his currently occupied areas.

I also don't trust Trump IMO - if he's threatened to (and actually cancelled) intelligence and aid before, he could do it again - as soon as Ukraine doesn't agree to a demand. JMO

 

[JennieM]

Really? Where does it say that?!! Or were you just saying nobody really

Sorry, nowhere, me being all cynical.

 

[JennieM]

4m ago16.50 EDT

US resumes military assistance to Ukraine​

A Ukrainian presidential official has confirmed that the US has resumed military assistance to Ukraine following talks in Saudi Arabia.

Palvo Palisa, deputy head of the presidential office, said:

I have confirmation that US military assistance has been resumed. The agreements are being implemented.

US-Ukraine peace talks a ‘work in progress’, says Zelenskyy’s most senior aide, as officials meet in Jeddah – Europe live

US and Ukraine officials meet in Jeddah to discuss peace following drone attack in Moscow

www.theguardian.com

 

[Stella123]

I still wish they would specify what they mean by "military assistance". There are different types! It doesn't say "full" military assistance or financial aid or weapons. JMO

 

[JennieM]

1m ago16.57 EDT

Russia and US could communicate 'in next few days', says Russian foreign ministry​

Russian and US officials could communicate with each other in the next few days, Russia’s foreign ministry said.

“We do not rule out contacts with US representatives within the next few days,” foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Russian state news agency Tass.

US-Ukraine peace talks a ‘work in progress’, says Zelenskyy’s most senior aide, as officials meet in Jeddah – Europe live

US and Ukraine officials meet in Jeddah to discuss peace following drone attack in Moscow

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

That's up to zelensky to decide to walk away from President Trump's offer. So far he hasn't been willing to do it.

Rock and a hard place.

 

[branmuffin]

If Poland are part of NATO then it's always been said you attack one member you attack them all, supposedly.I have my thoughts on how the Russians could have been stopped in their tracks, that moment passed long ago, Chamberlain tried peace in our time, see how that turned out, either accept Russian gains or widen the conflict, no one's prepared to step up to that mark, so it's jaw jaw and accept the Russian gains.

Do you even know how Chamberlain tried peace prior to WW2? Apparently not, because Trump and his cronies and Putin are copying the same playbook offered by Hitler. And we know how that turned out.

Here is a transcript of Neville Chamberlain's personal notes regarding his meeting with Hitler on September 30 1938.

"He said that he had, from the time of his youth, to be obsessed with the racial theory and he felt that Germans were one, but he had drawn a distinction between the possible and the impossible and he recognizes that places that Germans are where it is impossible to bring them into the Reich; but where they are on the frontier it is a different matter and he is himself concerned with 10 million Germans, three million of whom are in Czechoslovakia. He felt, therefore, those Germans should come into the Reich. They want to and he is determined that they should come in. It was impossible that Czechoslovakia should remain like a spearhead in the side of Germany.

So I said, 'Hold on a minute, there is one point that I want to be clear and I will explain why: you say that the 3 million Sudeten Germans must be included in the Reich? Would you be satisfied with that and is there nothing more that you want? I ask because there are many people who think that is not all, that you wish to dismember Czechoslovakia'.

He then launched into a long speech; he was out for a racial unity and he did not want a lot of Czechs, all he wanted was the Sudeten Germans."

The agreement is on my next post.

 

[SouthAussie]

During today’s talks, the U.S. side proposed taking an even bigger first step—a 30-day full interim ceasefire, not only stopping missile, drone, and bomb attacks, not only in the Black Sea, but also along the entire front line.Ukraine is ready to accept this proposal—we see it as a positive step and are ready to take it. Now, it is up to the United States to convince Russia to do the same. If Russia agrees, the ceasefire will take effect immediately.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1899535976529346606

Well, it's good that Macron's ceasefire/truce idea has been submitted at the peace talk. IIRC Macron suggested that back in February to see if Russia was serious about a commitment to peace.

imo