Legal And Naval Matters

First the legal matters. There are reports that key Zhou and Obama players were advising Zelensky before his calamitous Oval Office routine—he should have stuck to playing the piano. Now, on the one hand, bad advice is exactly what you’d expect from these types—they have a track record of that. However, there’s also a legal angle.

Matthew Nichol @MatthewNichol5

Rumor has is that traitors Anthony Blinken, Victoria Nuland, Susan Rice, and Alexander Vindman advised Zelensky to stand tall in his meeting with Trump. If true, they are acting as foreign agents violating the Logan Act.

4:51 PM · Feb 28, 2025

Nichol has this wrong. This has nothing to do with the Logan Act, which is unconstitutional, in any event. This is about the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA). The key, as always, is: If true.

Sean Davis on X: Susan Rice and the Maiden Coup is what setoff the war in Ukraine
X ^ | 3/1/2025 | Sean Davis

As Obama’s national security advisor, Rice was a key architect of the West’s of the 2014 Maidan coup in Ukraine, which was the foundation for everything that has happened in Ukraine since then. All the needless death and destruction was built upon the Maidan madness that Rice and her friends deliberately designed.

If you’re wondering why she’s so angry and defensive—simultaneously claiming to have in-depth personal knowledge of the dynamics driving the negotiation while confessing she hasn’t talked to a single person involved in any of it—it’s because everything happening in Ukraine today was deliberately set in motion by her utter incompetence as Obama’s top foreign policy adviser.

The important part here is, is Rice confessing that she hasn’t talked to anyone, or is she simply denying that she has been offering advice to Ukraine? Knowing that to admit that would be admitting a FARA violation, unless she has registered as a foreign agent. At any rate, some of Rice’s public statements appear to mirror positions adopted by Zelensky at the Oval Office meeting. In particular, she expressed the view that Zelensky needed to hold out for “concrete security guarantees.” Which is what he did. Coincidence or not?

Obviously I have no idea whether this is simply rumor mongering or is based on reliable source information:

Kingmaker-38 - Big IF! (True) @KingMakerFT

To take this claim seriously, we need evidence. Did the former Biden team (Victoria Noland, et al) actually communicate with Zelensky before he met with Trump? And how do we know what they said?

12:10 PM · Mar 1, 2025

This is true. We need evidence, but only sufficient evidence to open an investigation. For that, knowledge that there were communications would probably be sufficient for the FBI to open an investigation—not necessary to know what they said. Not at this point.

Shipwreckedcrew weighs in:

Shipwreckedcrew @shipwreckedcrew

That’s what GJ subpoenas are for.

I would have a GJ subpoena out on Monday for every comm device/account of Vindman and all his banking records.

FARA investigation.

Grand Jury subpoena = Full Investigation. That will depend on the relevance and reliability of the information: predication. At any rate, interesting possibilities.

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On to naval matters. I presume there are contractual or even treaty provisions involved here. Regardless, it’s the sentiment that counts.

Megatron @Megatron_ron

NEW:

The Norwegian Haltbakk Bunkers Oil company stops supplying US Navy. After yesterday's events in the White House with Zelensky, Haltbakk Bunkers, one of Norway's largest marine fuel companies, have announced that it will no longer refuel American Navy vessels. Haltbakk has also called on other European companies to refuse service to American forces.

1:06 PM · Mar 1, 2025

Now, here’s a lengthy thread—I’ve edited out some of the images and text—about a matter that I briefly noted a few days ago—China’s PLAN(avy’s) circumnavigation of Australia. It all seems fair enough. Australia transits the Taiwan Strait and China returns the attention by circumnavigating Australia and conducting live fire drills while doing so. It seems to be China’s way of showing what it thinks of the US efforts to confine China to its home waters. That will get much more difficult now that Indonesia is a full member of BRICS.

In what follows, please note that the author makes what looks like a mistake. He states that the Chinese flotilla transited the the Madura Strait, which is at the eastern end of Java. They haven’t done so—yet. They may do that on the return trip—although that seems unlikely. Likely routes through the Indonesian region would be the Sunda or Lombok Straits. In reality, on the voyage out it appears that the PLAN flotilla transited the Mindoro and Balabac straits, crossing the Sulu Sea. I take it the other confused Madura and Mindoro. As it happens, the Mindoro Strait is a common route for vessels that need to take a detour because they’re too large for the Strait of Malacca. Still, I’m sure the Philippines were pretty unhappy, as you’ll see from the maps below.

People's Art of War 人民兵法 @pplsartofwar

Let's step away from Ukraine for a bit. Talk about the Chinese task force south of Australia. China has been sailing a three ship task force in international waters near NZ and AUS Here's a thread of what you need to know:

11:07 PM · Feb 28, 2025

The fleet is composed of three ships. CNS Zunyi (107), frigate CNS Hengyang (568) and fleet oiler CNS Weishanhu (887).

These are two small Type 054A is a multi-role frigates. With a supply ships to extend the fleet's range.

Previous task forces ops scope was westward. Indian Ocean to combat piracy. Or good will visits to Africa and Europe. This is unusual because a live fire exercise . Between NZ and AUS - allies of the US, and disrupted air travel.

What is the military point of this?

Its testing the PLAN's naval capabilities and logistics. This is gathering data on how it can perform naval operations in a new area.

Those are:

Madura Strait [= Mindoro Strait]

Solomon Sea

Coral Sea

Tasman Sea

Indian Ocean near Perth

These are major sea routes for naval dominance in the South Pacific and the First Island Chain.

Madura [= Mindoro] Strait in the Philippines is a major transit point through the First Island Chain.

The Solomon, Coral, and Tasman Seas are major strategic sea routes to the South Pacific, Australia and New Zeeland.

Its also reconnaissance. Testing Australia, NZ, Philippines, and the U.S. to gauge their military and political reactions.

In fact, it appears that Australia only became aware of the presence of the PLAN flotilla when it was sighted and reported by a commercial air liner over the Tasman Sea. Which says something about recon capabilities in the area.

Live fire drills are a test.

If Australia and the U.S. do not react strongly, it shows China can increase its naval presence in the region without major consequences.

If Australia reacts aggressively, China can use that response to justify further military buildup in the South Pacific.

It gives them a shape of the military response. But also the political one. Which is great data for future maneuvers. Political and miltiary.

What is the domestic [Chinese] political message?

The PLA Navy’s ability to operate in blue waters demonstrates that military reforms are working.

It is a symbol showing the fleet is capable of operating far from home - and generate fear in Western naval powers. It is a statement of equality in a chaotic time.

This tells the domestic audience: “We are no longer a regional power confined to our coastline. We now project strength globally.”

Whether or not that is true is irrelevant.

In this next paragraph, I’m puzzled as to why the author thinks returning via the South China Sea would be “daring”. The PLAN already operates there.

Judging by the current route it looks like [the flotilla] will make a loop around Australia into the Indian Ocean. That leaves three routes back to their naval base. Sunda Strait, Lombok Strait, or their original route through the Philippines and Banda Sea. These would place the fleet in the Java Sea. Were it can make a transit back the original route. If they feel more daring? They might go north into the South China Sea. This is a statement btw. Means the PLA Navy has the ops range to sail AROUND Australia and into disputed waters in the SCS.

This confirms that the PLA Navy is an emerging blue water force. Capable of sustained operations far from China’s shores.

By circling Australia and conducting live-fire drills, China proves it is no longer confined to coastal defense or the first island chain.

…

The obvious question here is, Why does China feel the need to make a statement like this? And the equally obvious answer is that it’s a response to the Five Eyes efforts to hem China in and threaten China’s supply of Middle East oil via a possible blockade. It’s about actions causing reactions. Go figure, right? Why should the US travel thousands of miles—at enormous expense—to threaten China? Or Russia, for that matter. Does that really serve our national interests? Aren’t there less dangerous and less expensive ways to advance our true national interests? And do Aussies and Kiwis really feel safer now?