In the Imperial City on the Potomac, NATO members are congratulating each other while mongering—at least rhetorically—for war and more war. Meanwhile, Russia is taking care of business on the actual battlefield:
Blinken says that they will have an "incredibly strong" package that will be revealed within the next two days to Ukraine. He stated that the F-16 jets are on their way to Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given Ukraine permission to strike its missiles deep into Russian territory.
Zelenski and Polish Prime Minister Tusk announced the inclusion of Poland in the war and the targeting of Russian missiles directly from Polish territory. Polish General Wieslaw Kukula announced that Poland is preparing the army for war.
Norway will transfer six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine
The operative principle here is that what goes around comes around. And nothing comes around quite like hypersonic missiles. I can’t imagine a move that would be more popular in Russia than Putin sending Mr. Kinzhal to teach the UK and Poland a lesson. As for Poland preparing its army for war, the Polish military will never, ever, be ready for war with Russia. I heard, also, that Tusk walked back that bit about trying to shoot down Russian missiles from Polish territory—like, woops! I gotta consult with DC. All this yackety yack going on in DC, at the same time that our drones apparently have remained outside the no-fly zone over the Black Sea. Establishing that no-fly zone seems to me like the beginning of Russia calling the American bluff.
Meanwhile, a remarkable event is taking place in Belarus, right up against the Polish border and not much more than a hop, skip, and a jump from the Ukraine border:
And, no, this is not a day or two affair. The Chinese will be conducting drills with Belarus—which hosts Russian nukes, air defense systems, and very large contingents of Russia military forces—for eleven days. Belarus says this is a direct response to Ukrainian provocations—Ukraine has moved reserves closer to the Belarus border. Poland, too, has been sabre rattling, and NATO ISR flights in the area have become more intense in the area since they were banned from the Black Sea.
China, on the other hand, says the drills are focused on anti-terror activities. Right. And if you buy that I’ve got a really long wall in China to sell you.
China and Belarus kicked off ultra-rare joint military drills near the Polish border inside Belarusian territory on Monday. It is unprecedented given Chinese troops are now deployed so close to a raging war zone in Eastern Europe.
The Belarusian armed forces pointed specifically to "Ukrainian provocation" as a key reason to hold the drills. Vladimir Kupriyanyuk, the deputy head of the general staff of the military, said the exercises are a response to the "West's aggressive foreign policy towards Belarus" and to "Ukrainian provocation."
Alarmingly, the maneuvers dubbed 'Eagle Assault' are not just a single day or two-day drill, but are slated to last eleven days, until July 19. The drills are being staged near the city of Brest on the Belarus-Poland border, and which is some 40 miles from the Belarusian border with Ukraine to the south.
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The statement called out NATO's growing involvement in Ukraine specifically: "The NATO grouping on the border with Belarus is growing rapidly,which leads to an increase in tension in the region," stated a follow-up post. It additionally warned of "harsh reaction" should any external forces "cross Belarusian borders."
Poland's Defense Ministry responded by saying that a big focus of the NATO summit in Washington this week will be addressing the "hybrid war ongoing on the Poland-Belarus border, as well as on the Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian borders."
All of this is also happening while Russia has stationed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which it calls a 'Union State' based on their close defensive partnership (and historic treaty) and ongoing cooperation regarding Ukraine.
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At this point the potential for a true global war centered in Ukraine is becoming easier to imagine, given PLA troops are now in the region, holding drills with the 'pro-Russian' side.
This should dispel any doubts about the closeness of military ties and strategic planning between Russia and China. Presumably the Chinese, in exchange for their support, are receiving Russian military technology that will serve their purposes in the Far East. Well played, Neocons! I get it that the Chinese are not Mongols, but this should give pause to all that sabre rattling among the Euros. I think Will Schryver gets this pretty much right:
China is now holding joint military exercises with Belarus near Poland before the NATO summit. Wait. Chinese troops…near Poland?! This is the most obvious brushback pitch in the world. They’re signaling that NATO would face not just Russia but China. This needs to deescalate.
On the Zhou front, there have been well sourced reports that when Zhou supposedly meets with foreign heads of state, Blinken has subbed for Zhou when the meetings fall outside the 10-4 window when Zhou is able to find his own ass. Purely a figure head. Dangerous situation. Politically and otherwise.
Could be that Nato was planning something this month. Maybe the Chinese are trying to play the part of the war spoiler. For who in NATO would be crazy enough or brave enough to attack Russia if Chinese troops were in the zone of confrontation?
Not having access to TS material increases the difficulty to see the real situation or motives behind a Nation States actions. The question becomes when were these joint exercises planned? Was it months ago? If so, the postulation above is not valid. But if it was just recently announced , then the question remains, .....Why? And are we truly seeing the "real"reason or is there another undercurrent that we are not seeing?
On the Zhou front, there have been well sourced reports that when Zhou supposedly meets with foreign heads of state, Blinken has subbed for Zhou when the meetings fall outside the 10-4 window when Zhou is able to find his own ass. Purely a figure head. Dangerous situation. Politically and otherwise.
Could be that Nato was planning something this month. Maybe the Chinese are trying to play the part of the war spoiler. For who in NATO would be crazy enough or brave enough to attack Russia if Chinese troops were in the zone of confrontation?
Not having access to TS material increases the difficulty to see the real situation or motives behind a Nation States actions. The question becomes when were these joint exercises planned? Was it months ago? If so, the postulation above is not valid. But if it was just recently announced , then the question remains, .....Why? And are we truly seeing the "real"reason or is there another undercurrent that we are not seeing?