A Request, A Demand, An Ultimatum, then action!

[Sampanviking]

Hmmm not that long ago you were telling us that the US were no longer interested in Europe only confronting China in the pacific.

If you read carefully, you will see that I have not contradicted myself.
I have also pointed out that China and Russia have adopted each others read lines and that one country moving in response to the violation of its red lines, will cause the other to react as if its own had been violated as well. This is why the situation is so dangerous.

[cromwell]

Back in April, a current affairs commentator, reminded everybody how Russian diplomacy, in relation to its red lines, has worked for centuries, as Russia in the Czarist period and the Soviet Union through most of last century and in modern Russia today.

He said it starts with a request or recommendation, this is redelivered as a demand, this then becomes an Ultimatum and then, if unmet is followed by hard action.

We are seeing this process active today. Since 2014 Russia has been making recommendations to NATO about ending its eastward expansion, these became louder earlier this year in April, when the Ukraine started building up its forces on the Donbass contact line. These quietened down over the summer but have become louder again as Ukraine forces have resumed activity on the contact line.

Last month these recommendations became a series of demands and these demands; re-delivered today to NATO and the US, have the sound of Ultimatum about them:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59696450

Have no doubt, this is a potentially very dangerous moment, no less dangerous than the Cuban Missile Crisis, except in reverse.

It is no secret the US hates the Nordstream 2 project and is willing to do anything to try and scupper it. This includes destablising the situation with Ukraine by literally flooding the country with weapons. The aim no doubt is to leave Europe having to rely of US LNG shipped over at a cost many times more than that of the cheap gas that Russia would be able to sell.
A war in Europe would suit the US very well, Sanctions closing the German requested Nordstream 2 pipeline and the conflict closing the Ukraine transiting pipes, which are already earmarked for closure by Easter next year.

If the war did spread to cover large parts of the EU, the US probably would not mind this either as it sees Europe as a potential rival to its hegemony, just as much as it sees it as a compliant ally.

Hmmm not that long ago you were telling us that the US were no longer interested in Europe only confronting China in the pacific.

[Sampanviking]

Back in April, a current affairs commentator, reminded everybody how Russian diplomacy, in relation to its red lines, has worked for centuries, as Russia in the Czarist period and the Soviet Union through most of last century and in modern Russia today.

He said it starts with a request or recommendation, this is redelivered as a demand, this then becomes an Ultimatum and then, if unmet is followed by hard action.

We are seeing this process active today. Since 2014 Russia has been making recommendations to NATO about ending its eastward expansion, these became louder earlier this year in April, when the Ukraine started building up its forces on the Donbass contact line. These quietened down over the summer but have become louder again as Ukraine forces have resumed activity on the contact line.

Last month these recommendations became a series of demands and these demands; re-delivered today to NATO and the US, have the sound of Ultimatum about them:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59696450

Have no doubt, this is a potentially very dangerous moment, no less dangerous than the Cuban Missile Crisis, except in reverse.

It is no secret the US hates the Nordstream 2 project and is willing to do anything to try and scupper it. This includes destablising the situation with Ukraine by literally flooding the country with weapons. The aim no doubt is to leave Europe having to rely of US LNG shipped over at a cost many times more than that of the cheap gas that Russia would be able to sell.
A war in Europe would suit the US very well, Sanctions closing the German requested Nordstream 2 pipeline and the conflict closing the Ukraine transiting pipes, which are already earmarked for closure by Easter next year.

If the war did spread to cover large parts of the EU, the US probably would not mind this either as it sees Europe as a potential rival to its hegemony, just as much as it sees it as a compliant ally.