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Polaris of Enlightenment

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/world/erdogan-nato-must-stay-out-of-the-ukraine-war/

World

Erdogan: “NATO must stay out of the Ukraine war”

The war in Ukraine

Published 10 July 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Erdogan does not want NATO countries to declare war on Russia.
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On the eve of the NATO summit in Washington, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took the opportunity to clarify his country’s position on the war between Russia and Ukraine.

He emphasized that while Turkey supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity, it is completely “unacceptable” for NATO to become an active party in the conflict.

– We expect an outcome from this summit that takes into account our national security interests and strengthens solidarity within the alliance. During our meetings (in Washington), we will draw attention to the growing threat of terrorism in the world and emphasize the need to intensify NATO’s efforts here, he said.

– We maintain a principled position on the conflict in Ukraine. We support its territorial integrity and consider it unacceptable for NATO to become a party to the war in Ukraine, he continued.

He added that “every day that weapons are being used (in Ukraine) confirms the rightness of Türkiye’s position“, according to media reports.

Focus on Israeli crimes

The president also announced his intention to “put Israel’s ongoing massacre against the Palestinian people on the agenda” at the summit, lamenting that “We have not been able to achieve what we wanted from NATO regarding Israel and Palestine”.

– The efforts of the international community are not yet enough to stop Israel. We will put these issues back on the agenda of our meetings in the US and expect to obtain the results we hope for. Serious talks were held in Doha. The head of Mossad also visited Qatar. Certain steps have been taken, but they have not been finalized yet, Erdogan pointed out.

According to the president, Turkey is “is among five NATO countries that make up the backbone of the organization” and therefore hopes that its demands will be heard. The NATO summit will be held between July 9 and 11 in the US capital and this year also coincides with the 75th anniversary of the military alliance.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/world/political-elite-furious-as-trump-seeks-to-broker-peace/

World

Political elite furious as Trump seeks to broker peace

Donald Trump's USA

Published yesterday 11:19
– By Editorial Staff
Vladimir Putin och Donald Trump under ett möte i Moskva 2019.
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The US announcements that the US and Russia will negotiate peace in Ukraine, that Ukrainian NATO membership is unthinkable, and that a return to the 2014 borders is unrealistic have sent establishment politicians on both sides of the Atlantic into a rage.

“Surrender and betrayal”, thunders Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, arguing that the announcement “amounts to abandoning Ukraine, and undercutting the security of our European allies”.

His colleague from California, Adam Schiff, is equally outraged, complaining that Trump “called our enemy, Russia, before calling our ally, Ukraine”.

“Let’s not mince words about what this represents: a surrender of Ukraine’s interests and our own, even before negotiations begin. Trump’s a great dealmaker all right – for the Kremlin”, he claims.

“A dark day”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expresses his disappointment that there will not be a “just peace” and says that “Ukraine, Europe and the United States should work on this together”.

Estonian politician Marko Mihkelson goes even further, claiming that “today might go down in history as a dark day for Europe”, demanding that EU leaders act immediately and “take our fate into our own hands”.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is also not happy with the US announcement that a return to Ukrainian borders before 2014 is unrealistic.

– It would have been better to talk about Ukraine’s possible NATO membership or the country’s possible loss of territory at the negotiating table, he says.

“Invitation to despots and tyrants”

The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas also condemns the US efforts, saying that “Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity are unconditional”.

Seven European countries, together with the European Commission, are also calling for Ukraine and the EU to be given seats at the negotiating table, while France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, says the US action opens the door to dictatorship and tyranny.

– Abandoning Ukraine would be a definitive recognition of the right of the strongest. It would be an invitation to all despots and tyrants around the world to invade their neighbors with total impunity.

“Our line is firm”

Sweden’s Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) also reacted strongly, saying that despite the US announcement, Ukraine may well become a NATO member in the future.

– Hegseth said that NATO membership cannot be part of this political peace agreement. Then there is (another) agreement from (the previous NATO summit in) Washington that says that Ukraine’s future is in NATO, but of course it must first meet the political requirements for membership.

The Swedish minister goes on to say that only Ukraine can decide whether or not to give up territory to Russia, and states that Sweden and other European allies remain committed to the country’s “territorial integrity”.

– Let’s have some ice in our stomachs now. Our line is firm, he urges.

“A day of triumph for Putin”

On the editorial pages of several Swedish establishment media, there is almost a mood of doom. Svenska Dagbladet’s Olof Ehrenkrona, for example, believes that “Donald Trump’s United States is actively undermining Europe’s security”.

“No decent and lasting peace is likely as long as Putin is in charge in the Kremlin”, he states, calling the US announcement a “day of triumph” for Putin.

“He (Putin) is fooling the great negotiator who now appears to be a weakling and a loser”, he adds.

Meanwhile, Trump supporters and others who have long called for increased peace efforts in Ukraine note that EU leaders and the former Biden administration have had three full years to bring peace to the country – but that they have not been interested in any such efforts or made any major efforts to end the war.

Instead, the focus has been on raising tensions and escalating the conflict further – partly by sending advanced weapons systems to Ukraine that can strike targets inside Russia – but also by claiming in various statements that Europe or NATO could soon be at full-scale war with Russia.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-governments-top-priority-continued-support-to-ukraine/

Sweden

Swedish government’s top priority: continued support to Ukraine

The war in Ukraine

Published 13 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Volodymyr Zelensky and Ulf Kristersson during a meeting in 2023.
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The Swedish Government announces that continued Swedish support to Ukraine is at the top of the foreign policy priority list.

– For Sweden, support for Ukraine is not just a moral duty, but an investment in Europe’s and our own security, independence and freedom, says Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard (M).

On Wednesday, the Minister for Foreign Affairs presented the Government’s foreign policy declaration for the coming year and the foreign policy priorities that are considered most important to focus on.

– This year’s foreign policy declaration is being presented at a difficult time in terms of security policy. We – Sweden, the EU and NATO – are in a long-term and far-reaching confrontation with Russia. Russia will continue to pose a serious threat to security in Europe, regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine, the minister warned.

– Our task is inescapable: we will counter Russia’s ability to do us harm, not least by supporting Ukraine, Malmer Stenergard promises.

The center-right government states that “support for Ukraine is the government’s primary foreign policy task” and that more than SEK 70 billion (€6 billion) has been pumped into the project so far.

“Gender equality” – a key issue

In addition to this, there will also be a focus on various initiatives at NATO and EU level – strengthening “resilience against attempts to destabilize our societies such as cyber attacks, disinformation and sabotage of critical infrastructure”, it says.

In particular, the Foreign Minister emphasizes that “gender equality” is a fundamental core value of Swedish foreign policy and promises to invest in promoting it in 2025.

– In 2025, Sweden will chair the Executive Board of UN Women. As Chair, we will drive global gender equality work forward and emphasize the importance of women’s economic empowerment.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/pentagon-rules-out-nato-membership-for-ukraine-in-peace-process/

World

Pentagon rules out NATO membership for Ukraine in peace process

The war in Ukraine

Published 13 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The newly appointed US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
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US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that Ukraine will not join NATO as part of any ceasefire agreement with Russia. He stressed that attempts to reinstate Ukraine’s 2014 borders are “unrealistic”, and that no US troops will be deployed to enforce such an agreement.

Kiev has repeatedly argued that NATO membership is a key security guarantee, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyj says it is a precondition for resuming dialogue with Moscow.

Despite this, NATO has never presented a membership timetable for Ukraine, and several officials point out that membership is not an option during the current conflict.

Hegseth stressed during a meeting in Brussels that security guarantees for Ukraine must be backed by strong troops from both Europe and other parts of the world.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has previously expressed doubts about the security benefits of NATO membership, saying it could exacerbate tensions with Russia.

Moscow has long opposed Ukraine’s membership aspirations, arguing that NATO’s expansion towards its borders threatens Russian security and that Ukraine should adopt a neutral position in a future peace agreement.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/trump-ukraine-may-become-russian/

World

Trump: Ukraine may become Russian

The war in Ukraine

Published 12 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Trump is also demanding the equivalent of $500 billion in rare earths as payment for US aid.
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In an interview with Fox News, US President Donald Trump has attracted attention by speculating that Ukraine may become part of Russia in the future.

– They (Ukraine) may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday, Trump said in the interview aired Monday.

He also stressed that he wants to see a return on US aid to Ukraine and again mentioned the idea of exchanging aid for Ukraine’s rare earths.

– The fact that a large part of Ukraine wants to become Russia or has already joined it is obvious, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday when asked about Trump’s statement.

– This is a fact that has materialized on the ground: Russia now has four new regions. People who, despite many dangers, were queuing to vote in a referendum on joining Russia – this in many ways corresponds to the words of President Trump.

Demanding $500 billion worth of metals

In the Fox News interview, Trump also claimed that his administration had made “tremendous progress” in laying the groundwork for potential peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and several meetings are scheduled to be held with Volodymyr Zelensky.

While the Biden administration justified its unlimited support to Kiev with alleged altruism and freedom arguments, Trump has a much more transactional view of the US role and continued aid packages.

– I told them (Ukraine) I want the equivalent, about $500 billion in rare earths, and they’ve essentially agreed to do that, so at least we don’t feel stupid. Otherwise we are stupid. I said to them that we have to get something. We can’t continue to pay this money, the president explained.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com