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Putin orders Russian troops into Ukraine separatist regions |

  • Ukraine and West on alert for Russia creating pretext to invade
  • UN Security Council holds emergency meeting
  • Witness sees unmarked tanks entering Donetsk
  • Global markets rattled, oil hits 7-year high

MOSCOW, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognising them as independent on Monday, accelerating a crisis the West fears could unleash a major war. A Reuters witness saw tanks and other military hardware moving through the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk after Putin formally recognised the breakaway regions and ordered the deployment of Russian forces to “keep the peace”. About five tanks were seen in a column on the edge of Donetsk and two more in another part of town, a Reuters reporter said. No insignia were visible on the vehicles. Putin’s announcement drew international condemnation and immediate U.S. sanctions to halt U.S. business activity in the breakaway regions and ban import of all goods from those areas. The measures were separate from sanctions the United States and its allies had prepared if Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

A senior U.S. official said the deployment to breakaway enclaves did not yet constitute a “further invasion” that would trigger the harshest sanctions as Russia already had forces there, but that a wider campaign could come at any time. NB: What the fuck. Russia walks in takes Ukraine territory without fireing a shot the the spinless lefty liberals say its not an invasion… So what the hell is it?

Britain, France and Germany also agreed to respond to Russia’s recognition of the breakaway regions with sanctions, and the White House said it would announce further measures on Tuesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who received a solidarity call from U.S. President Joe Biden, accused Russia of wrecking peace talks and ruled out territorial concessions. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told an emergency meeting of the Security Council that Moscow’s recognition of the eastern regions was part of its attempt to create a pretext for a further invasion of Ukraine. “Tomorrow, the United States will impose sanctions on Russia for this clear violation of international law and Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she told reporters after the Security Council meeting on Monday evening. “We can, will, and must stand united in our calls for Russia to withdraw its forces, return to the diplomatic table and work toward peace.” The Russian U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, warned Western powers to “think twice” and not worsen the situation. China called for all parties to exercise restraint while Japan said it was ready to join international sanctions on Moscow in the event of a full-scale invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to sign documents, including a decree recognising two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent entities, with leaders of the self-proclaimed republics  U.S. diplomatic staff, who had been moved from Kyiv to the western city of Lviv, were ordered to spend the night in Poland as the crisis deepened. Oil jumped to a seven-year high, safe-havens currencies like the yen rallied and global stocks tumbled as Europe’s eastern flank stood on the brink of war. The rouble extended its losses as Putin spoke, at one point sliding beyond 80 per dollar.  In a lengthy televised address packed with grievances against the West, a visibly angry Putin said eastern Ukraine was ancient Russian land.  Russian state television showed Putin, joined by Russia-backed separatist leaders, signing a decree recognising the independence of the two Ukrainian breakaway regions – the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic. Putin had announced his decision in phone calls to the leaders of Germany and France earlier, the Kremlin said. In his address, Putin delved into history as far back as the Ottoman empire and as recent as the tensions over NATO’s eastward expansion. His demands that Ukraine drop its long-term goal of joining the Atlantic military alliance have been repeatedly rebuffed by Kyiv and NATO states.  “I deem it necessary to make a decision that should have been made a long time ago – to immediately recognise the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic,” Putin said. A French presidential official said the speech “mixed various considerations of a rigid and paranoid nature”. The United States says Russia has massed a force numbering 169,000-190,000 troops in the region, including the separatists in the breakaway regions, and has warned of invasion at any moment.

Putin has for years worked to restore Russia’s influence over nations that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union, with Ukraine holding an important place in his ambitions. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Russia denies any plan to attack its neighbour, but it has threatened unspecified “military-technical” action unless it receives sweeping security guarantees, including a promise that Ukraine will never join NATO. Recognition of the separatist-held areas will narrow the diplomatic options to avoid war, since it is an explicit rejection of a seven-year-old ceasefire mediated by France and Germany. NN: From a tactical perspective taking another slice of the Ukraine without firing a shot is a brilliant move. The coming sanction are little more then hitting a tank with a fly swatter……

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Biden responds with limited sanctions after Putin recognizes breakaway Ukraine regions

President Joe Biden on Monday reacted swiftly to Russian President Vladimir Putin declaring he would recognize the independence of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, possibly using the move as a pretext for an invasion the U.S. has warned was likely coming at any hour.

The White House said Biden would soon issue an executive order “that will prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in” the two Ukrainian regions under the control of Russian-backed separatists, Donetsk and Luhansk.

The order “will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. She added that the U.S. “will also soon announce additional measures related to today’s blatant violation of Russia’s international commitments.” But the White House added these sanctions were not the same punishing ones the U.S. has threatened for weeks — crippling Russia’s banking sector, restricting access to semiconductors, targeting Putin and those close to him, and more — if Russia actually launched an invasion. “These measures,” Psaki said, “are separate from and would be in addition to the swift and severe economic measures we have been preparing in coordination with allies and partners should Russia further invade Ukraine.” The European Union said it, too, would “react with sanctions against those involved in this illegal act” of recognizing the Ukrainian regions’ independence, which are under the separatists’ partial control. The announcements came soon after Putin said during a televised address that he would recognize the regions’ independence. “I believe that it’s necessary to take a decision that has long been coming — to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Donesk’s People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic,” Putin said, using the names the separatists use for the regions. Moscow already de facto controls the two self-declared republics, which make up only a portion of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, with the authorities answerable to Russian operatives. Putin’s announcement and subsequent decrees he signed recognizing the regions’ independence — expected to be ratified by Russia’s parliament on Tuesday — raised the question of whether he would then take the more provocative step of formally annexing them, and sending Russian troops into Ukraine. During Putin’s lengthy speech, Biden spoke on the phone for 35 minutes with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to the White House. Biden also spoke for half an hour today with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanel Macron, according to the White House; both spoke with Putin over the past couple days. Earlier, Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA Director William Burns, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, all arrived at the White House for a meeting of Biden’s national security team on Presidents Day morning Previously, while the U.S. and Western allies have said they would be united in imposing severe sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine, they had been more ambiguous about what steps they would take if Russia stopped short of a full-on invasion. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that Russia recognizing the regions’ independence would “necessitate a swift and firm response from the United States in full coordination with our allies and partners.” The White House meeting came a day after officials said Biden was, “in principle,” open to a summit with Putin, brokered by France’s President Emmanuel Macron, on the condition that Russia did not invade. Russian officials were cool to the idea on Monday. During their meeting with Putin, Russia’s defense minister, foreign minister, chiefs of intelligence agencies, and the heads of parliament and senate, all called on Putin to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk. Biden said Friday the U.S. had “reason to believe” that Russia would invade “within days.” On Sunday, U.S. officials told ABC News that lower-level Russian tactical commanders had been making plans on the ground, at the local level, to invade Ukraine. A senior Biden administration official said Sunday that no plans existed yet for a potential Biden-Putin summit, and that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov would discuss the format and timing later this week – as long as Russia did not invade. Meanwhile, during their meeting in Moscow, Putin and top Russian national security officials bluntly questioned the usefulness of holding any new summit with Biden, suggesting it would be pointless unless the United States had changed its position. Putin said that Macron suggested there were some “changes” in the U.S. position, although he added he could not see what they would be. Russia’s foreign minister said he would speak to his French counterpart today – but was sure the U.S. would not provide positive responses to Russia’s needs. Even as U.S. officials warned a Russian invasion appears imminent, they also said they were still open to talking. “We never give up hope on diplomacy until the missiles fly or the tanks roll,” Sullivan said. “We’ve been working hard for months with our allies and partners to get Russia to sit down in a serious way at the table.” But, he added, “The likelihood there’s a diplomatic solution, given the troop movements of the Russians, is diminishing hour by hour.” NN: Putin is a master and Biden and his merry bunch of liberals are fuck ups.

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Russia recognizes Donbass regions’ autonomy – Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Moscow has recognized the two self-declared breakaway Donbass republics in Ukraine’s east as sovereign nations, as a military standoff across the contact line continues to escalate. Speaking as part of a televised address to the nation on Monday evening, Putin signed the decree, saying that “I deem it necessary to make a decision that should have been made a long time ago to immediately recognize the Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) People’s Republics.” Lawmakers will now be asked to consider statements of friendship and support with the two regions. The move, he said, was a direct result of the failure of the 2014 Minsk agreements, designed to put an end to fighting. “They are not interested in peaceful solutions – they want to start Blitzkreig,” he claimed. “Every day they are amassing troops in the Donbass,” Putin went on. At the same time, he slammed Ukraine for “extreme nationalism,”  “Nazism” and “Russophobia,” pointing to the shuttering of Russian-language news outlets and laws he said discriminate against Russian speakers. The head of state also alleged that Kiev is sending saboteurs to target Russian infrastructure and attempting to “drag foreign states into conflict with our country.” Ukraine’s ambitions to join NATO, he insisted, would mean an “immediate threat of attack against our country.”   Putin began the address by setting out his version of Ukrainian history and the former Soviet Republic’s ties to Russia.“Let me stress once again that Ukraine is not just a neighboring country for us. It is an integral part of our own history, culture, and spiritual world,” he said, emphasizing that Ukrainians are “people Russians have blood and family ties with,” as well as friends, neighbors and colleagues. Putin asserted that “modern Ukraine was completely created by Russia, or to be more exact, by Bolshevik Communist Russia.” According to him, “Lenin and his supporters did it in a crude way, alienating Russia’s historical territories. Millions of people living there weren’t asked at all.” The Russian President pointed out that since the fall of the USSR, Kiev has turned its back on its role in the Soviet Union, toppling statues of leading Marxists. “If you want de–communization, we are happy with that. But don’t stop halfway – we are ready to show what de–communization really looks like,” he went on. Moments before the speech aired, the Kremlin revealed that Putin had given notice to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that he intended to sign a decree recognizing the DPR and LPR “in the near future.” According to the official version of events, the two other world leaders “expressed their disappointment with this development,” but emphasized their willingness to maintain diplomatic efforts. The announcement comes as forces loyal to the two breakaway regions and Kiev’s troops accuse each other of carrying out heavy shelling across the front lines. On Monday from Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik, the leaders of the DPR and LPR, calling for Moscow’s backing for their independence. Putin chaired a televised meeting of the Russian Security Council to consider the request, in which he was urged by top officials to grant both regions recognition. The two republics declared their autonomy from Kiev’s control in 2014, following the events of the Maidan, when violent street protests toppled the democratically elected government in Ukraine. However, until now, neither Russia nor any other UN member nation has recognized them as sovereign nations, and Moscow has backed the Minsk agreements designed to bring a diplomatic solution to the conflict and reconcile the Donbass with Kiev. Last week, Putin urged the Ukrainian government to begin talks to put an end to the increasingly tense situation. “All Kiev needs to do is sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of the Donbass and agree on political, military, economic, and humanitarian measures to end this conflict. The sooner this happens, the better,” he said on Friday. Western leaders have been warning for months of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, and have said that Moscow could use “false flag” operations against the Donbass territories to justify sending its army in. Russia has repeatedly denied that it has any aggressive intentions, and has called for security agreements that would limit the expansion of NATO, the US-led military bloc, into Eastern Europe. On Friday, US President Joe Biden announced that he had intelligence that had led him to believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin had decided to attack, and that it would take place in the next several days. The Kremlin has consistently denied it is planning to launch an offensive, branding intelligence reports released by Washington as “hysteria.”  Over the past several weeks, Russian officials have been seeking assurances from the West that it says are designed at ensuring stability on the European continent. Putin said that these had been “rejected”  and that “the level of threat for our country is becoming greater and greater.”  In the proposals, sent to Washington and NATO in December, Moscow called for a halt to the US-led military bloc’s expansion, limits on missile placement, and for current bloc members to renounce any military activity on the territory of Ukraine, as well as in other Eastern European, Transcaucasian, and Central Asian states. Another clause also demanded that Kiev would never be admitted to NATO, which Russia has long stressed is a “red line.” “Some NATO member states are concerned about Ukraine joining, and we have got signals from European capitals saying ‘What are you worried about, it won’t join NATO tomorrow’ – but what about the day after tomorrow? And the day after that?” he stressed. Putin also confirmed “for the first time in public” that, in 2000, he had floated the idea of Russia joining NATO to then-President Bill Clinton during a visit to Moscow. According to him, the West has since created a vast political gulf to distance itself from Russia and undermined the relationship: NN: Russia has been churning the Donbass area for over 4 years, And handing out Russian passports like candy…… In essence Russia has sliced off another section of sovereign Ukrainian territory… Slice and dice. Its time for Biden to put up or shut up!! I wanna SEE the swift and severe sanctions NATO has been threating…..

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U.S. plans to cut ties with targeted Russian banks if Ukraine is invaded

President Joe Biden’s administration has prepared an initial package of sanctions against Russia that includes barring U.S. financial institutions from processing transactions for major Russian banks, three people familiar with the matter said. The measures, which would only be implemented if Russia invades Ukraine, aim to hurt the Russian economy by cutting the “correspondent” banking relationships between targeted Russian banks and U.S. banks that enable international payments. While U.S. authorities have said banking restrictions would be part of a package of possible sanctions, the administration’s plan to cut correspondent banking ties — which underpin global money flows — has not previously been reported. The United States will also wield its most powerful sanctioning tool against certain Russian individuals and companies by placing them on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, effectively kicking them out of the U.S. banking system, banning their trade with Americans and freezing their U.S. assets, the same sources said. The White House and Treasury Department declined to comment. The sources said the package could change up to the last minute and it was unclear who the targets would be. However, they believe top Russian financial institutions including VTB Bank, Sberbank, VEB, and Gazprombank are possible targets. Experts consulted by Reuters said that while the correspondent banking tool lacks the punch of an SDN designation, which freezes a bank’s assets, they could still deal a meaningful blow to the target banks by making it difficult to transact in U.S. dollars, the global reserve currency. Much of global trade is transacted in dollars. It is unclear whether Russian banks would be added to the SDN list, but both types of sanctions could hit Russia hard. “Since a significant number of global trade transactions are in U.S. dollars this is a sanction with bite, but without the more complicated and deadly sanction of being placed on the SDN list and having all assets in the U.S. or in the hands of U.S. persons frozen,” said Washington lawyer Kay Georgi, who specializes in international trade. Sources noted that the administration could exempt certain transactions from the restrictions if deemed necessary. The Biden administration has been threatening tough banking sanctions against Russia for weeks in a bid to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine. Moscow has amassed upwards of 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders, but Putin has denied plans to launch an attack. Peter Harrell, who sits on the National Security Council, said last month that “heavy hitting financial sanctions” were part of a strategy to hurt Russia’s economy but spare its citizens. “The goal of the financial sanctions is really to have short term upfront costs on Russia, to trigger capital flight, to trigger inflation, to make the Russian central bank provide bailouts to its banks,” he said in a speech late last month. The tough warnings have put some U.S. financial firms on edge. Members of the financial services and payment industries have been in touch in recent days with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which administers sanctions, sources said. Tensions grew over the weekend as Russia extended military drills in Belarus, heightening fears among Western powers of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine. Biden and Putin on Sunday agreed in principle to a summit, France said, offering hope conflict could be avoided. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the United States and Britain would cut off Russian companies’ access to U.S. dollars and British pounds if the Kremlin orders an invasion. The Biden administration has been similarly aggressive in its rhetoric. In a briefing on Friday, Deputy National Security advisor Daleep Singh told reporters that the cost to Russia of an invasion would be “immense, both to its economy and its strategic position in the world.” NN: Russia can well afford the costs. It has gotten out of debt, stock piled foreign reserve currencies, bough a mountain of gold and arranged for payment of the oil it sells in good, gold and a basket of other currencies,,,,,

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Russian Terminator tanks move two miles from Ukrainian border as war fear grows

Russia maintains as many as 130,000 troops on the Ukrainian border amidst growing fears that an invasion is imminent and frequent reports from the west warn of false flag operations and cyber attacks Russian terminator tanks have moved within two miles of the Ukrainian border as fears of war grow. Convoys of Kremlin military firepower have moved close to the border, a new video has revealed. A train loaded with Terminator tank support fighting vehicles is seen in a video evidently for the first time heading towards the border. The Terminator is seen as especially suited to urban warfare. The ominous manoeuvres have been taken part in the Belgorod region of Russia only days after Moscow was originally supposed to withdraw troops, before reneging on that promise. Russian forces are now closer than ever to the frontier in preparation for an invasion which officials in the west have repeatedly warned is coming. One of the videos shows a convoy on the move near Shebekino, close to the border.

Some fear the tanks have been moved closer in preparation for an invasion or as an attempt to intimidate Russia’s enemies.

Russia has amassed a significant portion of its arm. y on the border near Ukraine (Image:

In another video, tanks are visible in snow at Kamenka in Kursk region, less than four miles from the Ukrainian border. Other footage shows army moves underway, for example MSTA-S howitzers around 20 miles from the frontier. Multiple videos posted on TikTok and other social media from Belgorod and Kursk regions show Russian firepower in positions within easy reach of Ukraine, supporting US and UK warnings that an invasion could be imminent. As well as that, Russia staged major naval war games in the eastern Mediterranean as Moscow closed much of the Azov Sea, close to Ukraine, for drills. The Mediterranean drills involve warships from Putin’s Pacific, Northern and Black Sea fleets. Putin’s decision to reverse his previously declared intention and keep his forces in autocratic Belarus further highlights the threat of invasion to Ukraine.

The Mirror’s newsletter brings you the latest news, exciting showbiz and TV stories, sport updates and essential political information. But one Western source said: “Whether or not Putin invades Ukraine, it looks like he has cemented his control of Belarus without anyone noticing.”. State TV channel Rossiya 1 anchorman Dmitry Kiselyov – described as Vladimir Putin’s “mouthpiece” or “propagandist-in-chief” – launched a scathing attack on the Queen and Johnson needed a war to deflect attention from scandals engulfing the royal family and Downing Street. It was the “Americans and English that need war”, he said, alleging Britain was especially “thirsting” for a conflict due to problems engulfing the royal family and the lockdown parties held in Downing Street. Russia, in contrast, was “forcing the West into dialogue and peace”, he claimed. “ Boris Johnson ’s office keenly awaits this war because it switches attention from his government’s crisis to the pre-programmed ‘Russian invasion’,” Kiselyov told viewers. “The Royal Family is in urgent need of distractions, too, as Scotland Yard digs into Prince Charles giving away high British awards – honourable titles and even citizenship to foreign businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz. “Yet they very much want to distract attention – even if this distraction is war. “The Queen’s favourite son Prince Andrew has settled with the victim of his rape at Mummy’s expense – $16 million – in a US court. “The 95-year-old Queen will pay.” NN: Truth is the first victum of war.

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U.S. Agrees to a Biden-Putin Summit in Principle: Ukraine Update

U.S. President Joe Biden has agreed in principle to attend a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as long as Russia doesn’t invade Ukraine, the White House said.  Oil and gold gave up early gains on the U.S. statement, which offered fresh hope for a peaceful resolution to the standoff even as there was no immediate response from the Kremlin. News of a possible summit came after Russia and Belarus said joint military drills due to end last weekend were being extended. Russia has repeatedly denied it plans to invade Ukraine, calling such claims propaganda and “hysteria.” — Russia said Monday there were “no concrete plans” yet for a summit between Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden, hours after the White House said it had agreed in principle to a meeting to help resolve the standoff over Ukraine. NN: Obviously Putin is buying time…. NATO, Europe and the US are starting to wear down……. This was 5 years in the planning by Putin

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U.S. Warns That Russia May Target Multiple Cities in Ukraine

The U.S. has told allies that any Russian invasion of Ukraine would potentially see it target multiple cities beyond the capital Kyiv, according to three people familiar with the matter. Cities that could also come under attack include Kharkiv in the northeast and Odessa and Kherson in the south, said the people, all Western officials who asked not to be identified talking about such sensitive matters. They did not provide details on the intelligence they said underlined these calculations. .NN: Things are heating up. I still rate this as a negotiation at gun point. What do lefty liberals know about negotiations…… Or the use of force…….

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Cathie Wood’s ARKK Fund has been decimated

Cathie Wood went on TV to defend her ARK fund’s bad performance. It didn’t go as planned

Cathie Wood’s flagship fund, the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), is down 30% year to date and is more wildly volatile than practically any fund on the market. So when Wood was invited on CNBC’s Halftime Report, she took it as an opportunity to defend the fund and its deflated price, now down to $68.80 from its peak of $155 a year ago. “We’ve had a significant decline,” Wood said, adding, “we do believe innovation is in the bargain basement territory.” She noted that while her ETF wasn’t performing at its best, her stocks were still “way undervalued” and the recent fund loss was only temporary. Then Zoom gave her 10 minutes to wrap up the interview as the call’s 40 free minutes were almost up. Having Zoom ask if she was “running out of time?” was probably not a good look for Wood, who has been rapidly buying up shares in Zoom and other tech companies that have dipped since their pandemic heights. Zoom and Wood’s other big tech holdings in Teladoc Health, Roku, and Roblox are all down between 20% and 40% year to date as fears of rising interest and inflation rates have depressed tech shares.  But a big part of the interview was focused on a more personal attack against Cathie Wood, who was named best stock picker in 2020 by Bloomberg’s then editor-in-chief Matthew Winkler, after she correctly predicted Tesla would one day be worth more than $1 trillion. When asked about the Short Innovation ETF (SARK), launched late last year by Tuttle Capital Management—which tracks the inverse performance of ARKK using swaps contracts for the sole purpose of betting against Wood’s picks—she dismissed it outright. “They’re not doing any research. They are simply shorting innovation,” she said. Of course, SARK isn’t betting against innovation, it is betting against Wood. “Well, we stand for innovation,” she retorted. The SARK ETF has jumped 55% since its launch, while the ARKK ETF has declined by 42% over the same period. Tuttle Capital Management CEO Matthew Tuttle responded with his own view on the SARK ETF, calling it a “tool” for investors. SARK can be used “to express a bearish view on the market, innovative companies, the current rising rate environment, or a [specific] portfolio manager if they wish. It is un-American to not have choices in the marketplace,” Tuttle told Insider on Thursday. Either way, Wood is forging ahead. Her only fears now are bearish calls on her ETF. “Our biggest concern is that our investors turn what we believe are temporary losses into permanent losses,” Wood said. NN: Another millennial nut case. Her fund has lost 70% and she told investors they should have a 5 year horizon…. Noon does that when they speculate

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Iran could reach JPCOA deal shortly – Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday that Iran may “shortly” agree a new nuclear deal with major powers but warned it will be weaker than the original 2015 agreement. Bennett was speaking ahead of a cabinet meeting following indications that the outline of a deal was taking shape at talks in Vienna. “We may see an agreement shortly,” Bennett said, adding that the deal that appeared to be in the making “is shorter and weaker than the previous one”. The 2015 Iran nuclear agreement offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme, but the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and reimposed heavy economic sanctions. Talks on reviving the initial pact, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have been held in the Austrian capital since late November, involving Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly and the United States indirectly. Bennett has been a staunch opponent of the JCPOA and repeatedly warned any revenue Tehran sees as a result of new sanctions relief will be used to purchase weapons that could harm Israelis. “This money will eventually go to terrorism,” he reiterated Sunday. Bennett has said Israel will not be bound by a restored agreement and will retain the freedom to act against Iran. “We are organising and preparing for the day after, in all dimensions, so that we can maintain the security of the citizens of Israel on our own,” he told his cabinet. Signs of a deal coming together emerged at the weekend, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying there “was the chance to reach an agreement that will allow sanctions to be lifted”, while warning that talks could still collapse during what he called “the moment of truth”. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, speaking at the same Munich gathering, said his country was “ready” for a deal “if the other side makes the needed political decision”. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was meanwhile due in Doha this week, on a rare foreign visit, to discuss growing efforts to revive the accord, building on a secret visit to Tehran by a Qatari envoy, diplomats in the region said. Qatar has frequently sought to play a mediation role in world hotspots and its emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani met US President Joe Biden in Washington on February 1. Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani then went to Tehran for talks with Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian. Thani’s visit to Iran, never officially announced, was confirmed to AFP by a diplomat aware of the trip. The Israeli premier, without detailing his sources, said a new Iran deal could expire in 2025, when the original JCPOA negotiated under former US president Barack Obama is due to lapse. “If the world signs the agreement again -— without extending the expiration date -— then we are talking about an agreement that buys a total of two and a half years, after which Iran can and may develop and install advanced centrifuges, without restrictions,” Bennett said. Since the Vienna talks resumed, senior Israeli officials have said the Jewish state could support negotiations on a more robust pact with Iran, one that effectively makes it impossible for the Islamic republic to develop a nuclear weapon. There is broad opposition across the Israeli and political establishment against the terms of the JCPOA. Addressing the Munich conference on Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said that an agreement with Iran would “not mark the end of the road,” insisting that inspections of its nuclear infrastructure must continue in the event of a deal. “All steps must be taken to ensure that Iran never becomes a nuclear threshold state,” Gantz said. “The world must never come to terms with it and Israel will never come to terms with it.” NN: Kerry fucked up the Iran deal begin with. He has moved on to fuck up climate change. But the sell out to Iran is in good hands. Biden and his merry band of liberals are sucking up to Iran as we speak. Nuclear terrorism here we come……

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Russia-Belarus Drills Near Ukraine Border Are Being Extended

MOSCOW/DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) – Russia will extend military drills in Belarus that were due to end on Sunday, the Belarusian defence ministry announced, in a step U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said made him more worried about an imminent invasion of Ukraine. The defence ministry said the decision was taken because of military activity near the borders of Russia and Belarus as well as the situation in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region. Incidents of shelling across the line dividing Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists in that region – which were sporadic in the past – increased sharply last week and continued on Sunday. Speaking to CNN, Blinken said that while all signs suggested Russia was on the brink of invading, the United States and its allies would use every diplomatic opportunity to dissuade the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, discussed the need to step up the search for diplomatic solutions to the escalating crisis in eastern Ukraine in a phone call on Sunday, the Kremlin said in a statement. Belarus did not say how long Russian troops in Belarus – estimated by NATO to number 30,000 – might now remain in the country, which borders Ukraine to the north. Belarus Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin said the focus of the extended exercises was “to ensure an adequate response and de-escalation of military preparations of ill-wishers near our common borders”. The Kremlin did not comment on the Belarus drills. Russia previously said the troops would return to permanent garrisons once the drills were over. NATO says Russia could use the troops as part of an invasion force to attack Ukraine. Moscow denies any such intention. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, told Reuters the extension of the Belarus exercises underlined that official promises from Moscow should not be taken as binding. Russia and its allies say the West is whipping up tensions by sending NATO reinforcements to eastern Europe. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the repeated warnings by the West that Russia was about to invade were provocative and could have adverse consequences, without giving details. Western countries are preparing sanctions they say would be wide-reaching against Russian companies and individuals in case of an invasion. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a BBC interview broadcast on Sunday that such sanctions could include restrictions on Russian businesses’ access to the dollar and the pound. However, he acknowledged such threats may not deter Moscow, saying Putin may be “thinking illogically.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the West should impose some of the sanctions now, rather than waiting for an invasion. Blinken said, however, that sanctions were a deterrent that should not be unleashed before an attack. The focus of tensions in recent days has been on the swathe of eastern Ukraine that Russian-backed rebels seized in 2014, the same year Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. More than 14,000 people have been killed in the conflict in the east. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern part of the country. On Sunday, a Reuters reporter heard explosions in the centre of Donetsk city in the eastern Donbass region controlled by separatists. Heavy shelling was heard elsewhere in the region. SMS messages sent to residents of Donetsk urged men to report for military duty. More than 30,000 people from Donetsk and nearby Luhansk have crossed the Russian border in the past 24 hours, TASS news agency said, quoting authorities in Russia’s Rostov region. The separatists began evacuating residents on Friday saying that Ukraine was planning to attack – which Kyiv denied. Kyiv’s Western allies are concerned Russia might use the escalation as a pretext for wider conflict. Local military forces in one of the separatist areas, Luhansk, said on Sunday that two civilians had been killed and five buildings damaged in shelling by the Ukraine military. Russia’s Investigative Committee will investigate the case, the RIA news agency quoted it as saying. Two Ukrainian soldiers were reported killed and four wounded on Saturday. The International Committee of the Red Cross said water services had been disrupted for more than a million people in the region, and called on all sides to spare civilian infrastructure. Ukraine’s foreign minister Kuleba said Ukraine was not planning or carrying out any offensive operations. The renewed fighting in eastern Ukraine follows a build-up over several weeks of Russia troops to the north, east and south of the country. The West estimates 150,000 or more Russian troops are currently near Ukraine’s borders. Russia, which has demanded NATO prevent Ukraine from ever joining the alliance, calls Western warnings it is planning to invade hysterical and dangerous. However, it has warned of unspecified “military-technical” measures if its demands for NATO pullback from Eastern Europe are not met. U.S. President Joe Biden was due to convene his top advisers later in the day to discuss the crisis. Biden said on Saturday he believed Russia could launch an attack “at any time,” despite Kremlin assurances that some troops were returning to their permanent bases after military exercises. A Russian diplomat at the U.N. said no-one should tell Russia where or when to conduct exercises. NN: AS you are seeing we are devoting a lot of time and resources to the Ukraine conflict. Our opinion is the same. Putin will push things to the brink as a negotiation ploy