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Diplomat: “Western powers behave like children”

The war in Ukraine

Published 25 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Sachs argues that the EU's foreign policy must be based on something other than Russophobia and aping the US.

Economics professor and diplomat Jeffrey Sachs, known for his role as an advisor to several Eastern European governments after the collapse of the Soviet Union, recently delivered a sharp speech in the European Parliament during the event “The Geopolitics of Peace”.

In his speech, Sachs stressed that the leaders of the Western powers are behaving “worse than children” and called on the EU to break out of the shadow of US hegemony and develop its own realistic foreign policy.

Sachs, who has close insight into both US and European politics, described how the US has pursued a unilateral and confrontational foreign policy since the 1990s. He pointed out how the US has come to see itself as the world’s lone power since the fall of the Soviet Union. This has led to wars in Serbia in 1999, Iraq, Syria, Libya and now also in Ukraine. Europe has not had a voice of its own, but has only been a loyal follower.

The diplomat noted that in 1991 the US and Germany promised that NATO would not expand eastwards, but that this was a lie and already in 1994 the project to bring Ukraine and Georgia under its umbrella began. This was a direct provocation against Russia, violating post-war agreements.

He also condemned NATO’s so-called open-door policy as a hypocritical approach, arguing that the US would hardly accept China building military bases in Mexico or Canada.

– NATO reserves the right to go where it wants without any neighbor having any say whatsoever. This is nonsense stuff. This is not even baby geopolitics. This is just not thinking at all. So the war started.

“Talk to Moscow”

He argued that Russia’s invasion in 2022 was a direct consequence of Western abuses and that Putin never intended to wage a war of conquest.

– I can tell you what his intention was. It was to force Zelensky to negotiate neutrality. And that happened within seven days of the start of the invasion. You should understand this, not the propaganda that’s written about this.

– Within a couple of weeks, there was a document exchanged that President Putin had approved, that Lavrov had presented, that was being managed by the Turkish mediators. I flew to Ankara to listen in detail to what the mediators were doing. Ukraine walked away unilaterally from a near agreement. Because the United States told them to.

Sachs also criticized the EU’s destructive “Russophobia” and mimicry of US policies:

– Go to Moscow. Discuss with your counterparts. Are you kidding? You’re Europe. You’re 450 million people. Europe is a $20 trillion economy. You should be Russia’s natural partner, he explained, pointing out that the Trump administration is de facto imperialist, wanting to dominate the world and serve only its own interests.

Europeans should lead Europe

According to Sachs, Europe needs to develop its own foreign policy and one that is realistic and not just based on Russophobia.

– a foreign policy that is a realistic foreign policy that understands Russia’s situation, that understands Europe’s situation, that understands what America is and what it stands for, that tries to avoid Europe being invaded by the United States because it’s not impossible that America will just land troops in Danish territory. I’m not joking.

– Please don’t have American officials as head of Europe. Have European officials.

The professor also underlined that the US withdrawal from nuclear treaties (such as the ABM Treaty in 2002) has created chaos and that there is effectively no effective nuclear arms control left.

“The war is ending”

The professor also condemns US Middle East policy, noting that it has long been controlled by Israel and the Israel lobby.

– On the Middle East, by the way, the US completely handed over foreign policy to Netanyahu 30 years ago. The Israel lobby dominates American politics. Just have no doubt about it.

Sachs notes that it is dangerous to be an enemy of the US but even more dangerous to be its friend. He also points out that Trump will end the war in Ukraine and that it is time for European leaders to prepare for this reality.

– The war is ending. So get it out of your system. Please tell your colleagues. It’s over.

“US covert regime change operations”

The event was organized by Michael von der Schulenburg, former UN Under-Secretary-General and current member of the German Left Party BSW. Sachs’ speech provoked strong reactions and several MEPs left the hall during the performance.

The Nordic Times has previously highlighted Jeffrey Sachs’ views on the war in Ukraine and argued that the conflict could easily have been prevented if the Western powers had a sincere willingness to compromise. Instead, he notes that the war was in fact forced by the US and NATO’s eastward expansion.

– It’s pretty clear in early 2014 that regime change and a typical kind of US covert regime change operation was underway. And I say typical because scholarly studies have shown that just during the Cold War period alone, there were 64 US regime covert regime change operations. This is a, it’s astounding. Serious scholarship has devoted its time to tracing all the times the US overthrows or tries to overthrow other governments. Well, there’s no doubt. The US overthrows Yanukovych, he said.

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USA signs mineral deal with Ukraine

The war in Ukraine

Published 1 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The newly signed US-Ukraine mineral agreement may be the first sign that the hatchet between Zelensky and Trump is at least temporarily buried.

The US and Ukraine have formally signed a comprehensive mineral agreement that gives Washington access to Ukraine’s strategic mineral resources. The agreement can be seen as a deepening of cooperation between the countries in the wake of the high-profile and aborted meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in February.

On April 30, the US and Ukraine signed an economic partnership agreement that gives the US access to Ukraine’s important mineral reserves, including rare earth metals, reports PBS News.

The agreement also means that the parties will create a joint investment fund to support Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal describes the agreement as “a strategic deal for the creation of an investment partner fund. This is truly an equal and good international deal on joint investment in the development and restoration of Ukraine between the governments of the United States and Ukraine”.

Trump: Repayment

The fund will be managed jointly with equal voting rights, with both countries contributing to the capital. Revenues from new licenses for critical minerals, oil, and gas will be shared, with 50 percent going to Ukraine’s treasury via the fund.

Donald Trump has described the mineral agreement as an important part of the US’s continued commitment to Ukraine. He has emphasized that the agreement gives the US access to strategic resources and can serve as a form of repayment from Ukraine for the military support Washington has provided to Kiev.

In his speech to the US Congress on March 4, 2025, Trump mentioned the mineral agreement and emphasized Ukraine’s willingness to sign it. He highlighted the importance of the partnership for US national security and stability in the region, without going into details about the content of the agreement.

Difficult negotiations

The agreement has been preceded by lengthy and at times difficult negotiations, in which security guarantees have been a key issue. During a meeting at the White House in February, a planned summit between Trump and Zelensky was abruptly canceled after disagreement over the terms.

Zelensky has emphasized the importance of security guarantees and said that negotiations are ongoing. However, Prime Minister Shmyhal has expressed optimism that the agreement will be signed and that it will strengthen Ukraine’s future.

Ukraine’s mineral resources include 22 of the 50 materials classified as critical by the US Geological Survey, including rare earth metals that are essential for electronics, clean energy technology, and certain weapons systems.

The agreement is also part of the US strategy to reduce dependence on China, which dominates global production of rare earth metals.

In parallel with the agreement, the US and Ukraine have discussed the possibility of including future military support as part of the investment fund, although previous military aid is not covered.

At the time of writing, no official comments from the Kremlin or Moscow have been published in connection with the agreement.

Putin: The entire Kursk region has been retaken

The war in Ukraine

Published 28 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
According to Russia, more than 76,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured during the Kursk offensive.

Over the weekend, the Russian president announced that the entire Kursk region had been liberated and that all remaining Ukrainian troops had been forced out of Russian territory.

At the same time, Moscow also confirmed that North Korean troops had participated and played a significant role in the fighting.

It was on Saturday that Putin announced that the last Ukrainian forces had been driven back from Kursk in connection with the capture of the small community of Gornal, 1 kilometer from the border.

– The defeat of the armed formations of the Ukrainian armed forces that invaded Kursk Region has been completed, confirmed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, adding that Kiev’s plans to “create a so-called strategic bridgehead and to disrupt our offensive in Donbass have failed”.

It was in August last year that Ukraine launched a large-scale and initially successful offensive in the region, forcing Russia to focus on trying to slow it down.

Over time, however, the roles were reversed, with Ukraine finding it increasingly difficult to gain new ground and Russia instead regaining previously lost territory. The latest Russian counteroffensive began in early March, and it is this that is now said to have led to the collapse of the last Ukrainian forces in Kursk.

“Huge losses”

– The enemy’s complete rout in the borderline Kursk Region creates conditions for further successful operations by our troops in other major frontline areas and brings the defeat of the neo-Nazi regime closer, declared Russia’s leader, who has long argued that the “de-Nazification” of Ukraine is of utmost importance to Russia.

– The Kiev regime’s venture has failed completely while the huge losses suffered by the enemy, in particular, those among the most combat-fit, best prepared and equipped Ukrainian army units, including the formations provided with Western equipment – and these are assault units and special operations forces – will undoubtedly have their impact along the entire engagement line, he continued.

According to Russian figures, 76,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded during the offensive and thousands of tanks and other military vehicles have been lost.

Praise for North Korean soldiers

It is also noteworthy that Russia officially acknowledged that North Korean troops played a significant role in the fighting – and special thanks were extended to them.

According to Gerasimov, the North Koreans distinguished themselves and “demonstrated high professionalism, courage, and heroism in battle”.

Although the fighting in the region is over, the Russian army’s work in Kursk is not finished. The focus is now on searching for “individual Ukrainian armed forces service members attempting to hide on Russian territory”, according to reports.

Comment: The military-industrial complex excels

The war in Ukraine

In the shadow of the war in Ukraine, the Swedish military-industrial complex is growing faster than ever. The question is no longer who benefits from the war – but why so few dare to talk about it.

Published 16 April 2025
– By Jenny Piper
Soldier with Saab Bofors Dynamics NLAW anti-tank missile.
{ $opinionDisclaimer }

A look at the ten largest Swedish companies on the Stockholm Stock Exchange reveals that the Wallenberg family is the majority owner in most of them, topping the list with its holding company Investor, valued at approximately SEK 860 billion (€77 billion).

newcomer to the list is the defense conglomerate Saab, which is now reaching new record levels on the stock exchange after rising over 2% and surpassing the historic industrial company Sandvik in market value.

It is interesting to note that before the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022, SAAB B had a market capitalization of just under SEK 30 billion (€2.7 billion) and that Sandvik SAND at the same time was worth about SEK 280 billion (€25 billion).

Three years and countless stock rallies later – this year alone the stock has surged nearly 90% – the picture looks completely different. Recently, the industrial giant was surpassed in market value, and as of today, Saab is worth SEK 239 billion compared to SEK 238 billion for Sandvik.

That people don’t understand that the entire Ukraine war, with ingredients like war-mongering, military buildup, “standing behind the Ukrainian people”, “fighting for freedom and democracy”, and so on, is merely a facade for the military-industrial complex – which uses Ukraine as a playground and exploits the Ukrainian people to the fullest to enrich itself without any interest in stopping the suffering it has helped create.

The Swedish establishment works in symbiosis with Brussels to bring us down, but the Swedish people are so incredibly indoctrinated that I fear there is no salvation for this country, where citizens willingly line up to praise the war profiteers and help contribute to the collapse instead of acting against the abuse of power.

 

Jenny Piper

All Jenny Piper's articles can be found on her blog.

US envoy proposes territorial solution for Ukraine

The war in Ukraine

Published 14 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The war in Ukraine has now been going on for over three years (stock photo).

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff opens the door for Russia to retain control of four Ukrainian regions in exchange for a ceasefire, Reuters reports. The proposal is criticized both in Kiev and in Washington.

Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 8 in St Petersburg. The meeting, which lasted more than four hours, is part of the ongoing negotiations on a possible peace settlement in the now three-year-long conflict.

According to Reuters sources, Mr. Witkoff proposed that Russia retain Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson – areas under Russian control since 2022 – as a way to pave the way for a ceasefire.

The proposal was presented to US President Donald Trump after talks between Witkoff and Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev in Washington. According to Reuters, Witkoff stressed that control over the territories is already de facto Russian.

Ukraine rejects

Ukraine has categorically rejected the idea of ceding territory. President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly reiterated the country’s line that territorial integrity is non-negotiable.

Several European governments are taking the same line, stressing that any peace agreement must be based on international law.

In Washington, Mr. Witkoff’s initiative is divisive. The second US envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, is skeptical about the proposal and considers it unrealistic.

– Ukraine would never agree to unilaterally cede total ownership of the territories to Russia, Kellogg said, according to sources.

Unclear US line

President Trump has not yet taken an official position on Witkoff’s proposal. The administration is still working to coordinate its strategy, according to two Western diplomats. The US line is described as unclear, raising questions among allies.

Within Congress, several Republican members have reacted with concern. Contacts have been made with National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss alternative negotiating paths.

In parallel, talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine continue, but without any concrete results. Both sides are standing by their demands, while Ukraine’s Western allies recently met in Brussels to coordinate continued support.

According to the Kyiv Independent, Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine, which puts Moscow in a strong negotiating position for a possible peace agreement.

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