While Putin was consulting with his General Staff at Rostov on Don about which we know a meeting occurred and nothing else, MFA Lavrov was interviewed by the Russian publication International Affairs. The English version is linked, but the Russian option can be chosen at the link within the header. I should note the Russian version has much more content. For example, there’s
I thought it interetsing that Lavrov highlighted Vietnam and Afghanistan. Clearly it illustrates that Russia expects this to happen again and it directly attacks a weak link in USA's foreign policy - its habit of offerring unconditional and ever lasting support and then cutting and running. We can see the same thing going on here. Possibly, but the number of statements coming from the west about how they say they will maintain support for Ukraine come what may tells me they won't.
The Ukraine regime, whatever else it is, is not collectively dumb and must know this. Once we see its leaders bugging out it will be over. You would have thought Russia would be working this angle. The USA can trigger this by simply turning off the cash spigot. You wonder how many more weapons it is prepared to send, or even in a position to send? A lot more I think, but not enough.
A reasonable observation, but the dynamics are different in Ukraine versus Southeast Asia and Afghanistan, primarily the ultimate political goal--to ruin Russia. The Outlaw US Empire has invested in Ukraine since 1945--almost 80 years--and that sort of long term investment is very difficult to abandon, which is why the narrative is As long as it takes. And it's the knowledge of that investment that keeps Zelensky and his Nazis afloat. It will take a severe diminishment in the power of Dollar Hegemony to end the Outlaw US Empire's global hegemony project.
When push comes to shove, considering americas economic downward spiral, I haven't given up hope for a revival of the working class and sweeping government spending reforms.
Lavrov detailed the extremely important fact that all the world needs to know--The Outlaw US Empire doesn't want the conflict to end as it's nowhere near attaining its goals. IMO, Medvedev's words harmonize with Lavrov's to provide an complex symphony that's very Russian but also understandable. Here's what he published on his Telegram today, https://t.me/s/medvedev_telegram
"The defeat of the West in the Ukrainian direction is inevitable.
"And let their leaders, who have forgotten about their own citizens, shout with each other that they will support the stubs of the Square with weapons and money for as long as necessary. They will train soldiers for the Kiev meat processing plant, they will restore the ruins of the dying economy of the Bandera regime. They will maintain insane sanctions against Russia. It won't help. Why?
"For them, this is someone else's war, in which strangers die for them. And although they do not feel sorry for them, the West will never go beyond the fact that it will begin to harm its interests too much. No matter how he wailed out loud at his summits and at the UN. Someone else's war sooner or later becomes boring, costly and irrelevant.
"And for us, this is a tragedy involving our people. ***It's an existential conflict. A war for self-preservation***. It's either them or us.
"It will take some time. Western authorities will change, their elites will get tired and will beg for negotiations and freezing the conflict. Any counteroffensive will run out of steam. They will sing the dead, lick their wounds.
!!!!!"But we must not stop until the current terrorist Ukrainian state is completely dismantled. It must be destroyed to the ground. Or rather, so that even the ashes of it do not remain. So that this abomination could never, under any circumstances, be reborn.
"If it takes years or even decades, so be it. We have no choice: either we destroy their hostile political regime, or the collective West will eventually tear Russia to pieces. And in this case it will perish with us.!!!!! [!!!!! My Emphasis]
"No one needs this.
"Therefore, this is the only way - the complete utilization of the state machine of a hostile country and absolute guarantees of loyalty for the future.
"They can only be given by Russia's control over everything that is happening and will happen in the territories of the former Bandera state. And we will achieve it."
Note Medvedev says Russia's actions will end up saving the West from itself. Russia cannot leave any vestige of the proxy state remaining. Lavrov says the Outlaw US Empire doesn't want to stop the war because its proxy nation still has life. It's entirely possible to negotiate away the proxy state, which IMO Russia would prefer to do. But negotiations aren't dependent on Kiev; they depend on Washington and it's not ready. More facts on the ground need to be established; and as I wrote at MoA, it's possible the Ukie military could collapse and surrender separately from Kiev, which would put Biden in a pickle.
The neocons, grew off the "no more pearl harbors", and hype about USSR dominating the world have captured a broad well funded swath of the USA political sphere. It is more powerful now!
The mode of operation is evident in the domino theory, and on that no competitor will be allowed and any amount of damage to remove the possible (paranoia) threat is allowed.
Millions dead, starvation, vast economic ruin and cultural elimination are no deterrence to assure the USA/empire is secure.
No matter how small or distant the supposed threat!
The choice made to dominate versus cooperate in the 1990s beginning with the Wolfowitz Doctrine which became the basis for declaring war on the world via Full Spectrum Domination announced in 1996 and again in 1999 is most notable, although Lavrov doesn't employ that POV. Lavrov shies away from examining the Deep History of Anti-Russianism and sticks to the more recent context, although he began with a very powerful statement, "the concept of Western domination promoted by the United States and its subordinate countries does not imply the harmonious development of all mankind. On the contrary, we have to deal with the constant desire of the Western minority for military-political and financial-economic expansion." In other words, Imperialism. As Lavrov observes, perhaps the most important development is the Rest of World now knows beyond all doubt what the West is up to and how it operates, and is cooperating on developing joint mechanisms to combat the assault.
I thought it interetsing that Lavrov highlighted Vietnam and Afghanistan. Clearly it illustrates that Russia expects this to happen again and it directly attacks a weak link in USA's foreign policy - its habit of offerring unconditional and ever lasting support and then cutting and running. We can see the same thing going on here. Possibly, but the number of statements coming from the west about how they say they will maintain support for Ukraine come what may tells me they won't.
The Ukraine regime, whatever else it is, is not collectively dumb and must know this. Once we see its leaders bugging out it will be over. You would have thought Russia would be working this angle. The USA can trigger this by simply turning off the cash spigot. You wonder how many more weapons it is prepared to send, or even in a position to send? A lot more I think, but not enough.
A reasonable observation, but the dynamics are different in Ukraine versus Southeast Asia and Afghanistan, primarily the ultimate political goal--to ruin Russia. The Outlaw US Empire has invested in Ukraine since 1945--almost 80 years--and that sort of long term investment is very difficult to abandon, which is why the narrative is As long as it takes. And it's the knowledge of that investment that keeps Zelensky and his Nazis afloat. It will take a severe diminishment in the power of Dollar Hegemony to end the Outlaw US Empire's global hegemony project.
When push comes to shove, considering americas economic downward spiral, I haven't given up hope for a revival of the working class and sweeping government spending reforms.
Lavrov is one cool customer, articulate as all can be.
He really nailed the US position that Russia must deal with Zelensky rather than the US.
Lavrov detailed the extremely important fact that all the world needs to know--The Outlaw US Empire doesn't want the conflict to end as it's nowhere near attaining its goals. IMO, Medvedev's words harmonize with Lavrov's to provide an complex symphony that's very Russian but also understandable. Here's what he published on his Telegram today, https://t.me/s/medvedev_telegram
"The defeat of the West in the Ukrainian direction is inevitable.
"And let their leaders, who have forgotten about their own citizens, shout with each other that they will support the stubs of the Square with weapons and money for as long as necessary. They will train soldiers for the Kiev meat processing plant, they will restore the ruins of the dying economy of the Bandera regime. They will maintain insane sanctions against Russia. It won't help. Why?
"For them, this is someone else's war, in which strangers die for them. And although they do not feel sorry for them, the West will never go beyond the fact that it will begin to harm its interests too much. No matter how he wailed out loud at his summits and at the UN. Someone else's war sooner or later becomes boring, costly and irrelevant.
"And for us, this is a tragedy involving our people. ***It's an existential conflict. A war for self-preservation***. It's either them or us.
"It will take some time. Western authorities will change, their elites will get tired and will beg for negotiations and freezing the conflict. Any counteroffensive will run out of steam. They will sing the dead, lick their wounds.
!!!!!"But we must not stop until the current terrorist Ukrainian state is completely dismantled. It must be destroyed to the ground. Or rather, so that even the ashes of it do not remain. So that this abomination could never, under any circumstances, be reborn.
"If it takes years or even decades, so be it. We have no choice: either we destroy their hostile political regime, or the collective West will eventually tear Russia to pieces. And in this case it will perish with us.!!!!! [!!!!! My Emphasis]
"No one needs this.
"Therefore, this is the only way - the complete utilization of the state machine of a hostile country and absolute guarantees of loyalty for the future.
"They can only be given by Russia's control over everything that is happening and will happen in the territories of the former Bandera state. And we will achieve it."
Note Medvedev says Russia's actions will end up saving the West from itself. Russia cannot leave any vestige of the proxy state remaining. Lavrov says the Outlaw US Empire doesn't want to stop the war because its proxy nation still has life. It's entirely possible to negotiate away the proxy state, which IMO Russia would prefer to do. But negotiations aren't dependent on Kiev; they depend on Washington and it's not ready. More facts on the ground need to be established; and as I wrote at MoA, it's possible the Ukie military could collapse and surrender separately from Kiev, which would put Biden in a pickle.
The neocons, grew off the "no more pearl harbors", and hype about USSR dominating the world have captured a broad well funded swath of the USA political sphere. It is more powerful now!
The mode of operation is evident in the domino theory, and on that no competitor will be allowed and any amount of damage to remove the possible (paranoia) threat is allowed.
Millions dead, starvation, vast economic ruin and cultural elimination are no deterrence to assure the USA/empire is secure.
No matter how small or distant the supposed threat!
The choice made to dominate versus cooperate in the 1990s beginning with the Wolfowitz Doctrine which became the basis for declaring war on the world via Full Spectrum Domination announced in 1996 and again in 1999 is most notable, although Lavrov doesn't employ that POV. Lavrov shies away from examining the Deep History of Anti-Russianism and sticks to the more recent context, although he began with a very powerful statement, "the concept of Western domination promoted by the United States and its subordinate countries does not imply the harmonious development of all mankind. On the contrary, we have to deal with the constant desire of the Western minority for military-political and financial-economic expansion." In other words, Imperialism. As Lavrov observes, perhaps the most important development is the Rest of World now knows beyond all doubt what the West is up to and how it operates, and is cooperating on developing joint mechanisms to combat the assault.
lavrov sure is well spoken! thanks karl..