Republicans vs. RINOS at war w. one another over supporting globalist Demon-rats for sending funds, arms to Ukraine in proxy-war vs. Russkies

Apollonian

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Republicans Turn on Each Other Over Ukraine’s Latest Request​

Link: https://americanliberty.news/defens...test-request/phouck/2023/01/?utm_medium=email

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U.S. Marines bombard through a live fire range using M1A1 Abrams tanks in Djibouti, March 30, 2010. The Marines are assigned to Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. [Photo Credit: English: Sgt. Alex C. Sauceda, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]
Patrick Houck
ByPatrick Houck
-
January 21, 2023

Est. Read Time: 5 min.
Defense NewsForeign AffairsNational Security

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is unequivocal: there’s no substitute for sending tanks to Ukraine.

With the country bracing for a possible, multi-pronged Russian offensive, or at least localized operations, the clock is ticking to build up defenses around strategic positions.
The U.S. Congress agreed to send a Patriot missile battery as part of Kyiv’s latest $2 billion security assistance package. But more isolationist members of the Republican caucus aren’t happy. Chief among them is controversial Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
While mainstream Republicans increasingly back Greene’s push to audit U.S. aid to Ukraine, there’s plenty of pushback to her intransigence on providing the fledging democracy with more firepower to inflict further damage on the Russian Armed Forces and Vladimir Putin’s global standing.
One of her GOP opponents on the issue, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has publicly come out in support of sending main battle tanks, like the M1 Abrams, to the pot-marked battlefields of Eastern Europe.
Greene wasn’t having any of it, as Newsweek reports:

“Why aren’t you calling for tanks at America’s southern border while our country is invaded everyday and Americans are being murdered in record numbers by Chinese fentanyl from the Cartels? We serve the American people, who pay for the tanks and our salaries, not Zelenskyy,” Greene tweeted in reference to the Biden administration’s immigration policies and fentanyl that has been seized at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Her remarks come after Graham and Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island visited Kyiv on Friday, and criticized the delays from the West in supplying Ukraine with tanks, Reuters reported.
“All three of us, one Republican and two Democrats, share the same goal – for Ukraine to drive the Russians out of Ukraine. To achieve that goal, the Ukrainian military needs tanks,” Graham tweeted Friday.

During his visit to the war-torn country, Graham blasted Germany in a press conference after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who he said asked for “investment, not charity.”
Berlin has failed to reach an agreement on providing Kyiv with Leopard 2 tanks, considered only second to the M1 Abrams. The ongoing negotiations have continent-wide repercussions, as 13 European countries possess Leopard tanks. Many of them have already agreed to send the German-made tanks to Ukraine, but doing so requires Germany’s permission.
CNN has more on the impressive capabilities of the latest variant of the Leopard 2.
“Leopard 2 is a modern, well-protected main battle tank with good sensors,” Jack Watling, Senior Research Fellow in Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told CNN. “It was originally designed to be maintained by conscripts and is therefore simpler to keep in the fight than some other NATO designs like the Challenger 2. There is also an existing production line to keep Leopard 2s supplied with spare parts.”
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Engine Leopard 2 [Photo Credit: Sonaz, CC BY-SA 2.0 DE , via Wikimedia Commons]
Leopards meanwhile run on diesel, unlike Abrams, which makes their fuel consumption more efficient and reduces the number of fuel trucks required to support a battalion.
These are among the reasons why critics of Berlin’s stance say Leopard 2s should be shipped to Ukraine regardless of whether the US decides to send its own M1 Abrams tanks.
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Leopard 2A5 main battle tank during a teaching and combat demonstration. ©Bundeswehr/Modes [Photo Credit: Bundeswehr-Fotos, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]
“Leopards are available in Europe,” CDU lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter told CNN on Friday. “Abrams have a lot of logistic support needed, it’s much more costly to deliver (them).
READ NEXT: The Alarming Reason Washington’s Elite Are Embracing States’ Rights
 

Opposition to US spending on Ukraine grows – poll​

by RT
February 1st 2023, 5:17 am

Link: https://www.infowars.com/posts/opposition-to-us-spending-on-ukraine-grows-poll/

With Republicans souring on Washington’s blank check for Kiev, fewer respondents to a Pew survey now think it should give more

A growing number of Americans believe that the US is sending too much aid to Ukraine, with more than a quarter now saying that the administration of President Joe Biden is being too generous, according to a new Pew Research poll. The percentage of those who believe that Washington should increase its military and economic aid has halved over the last year.

Published on Tuesday, the poll found that 26% of Americans now say that the US is giving too much aid, up from just 7% last March, while 20% of respondents said that the US should give more and 31% say the amount is “about right.”


The findings show a dramatic change since March of last year, when 42% told Pew that they felt the US wasn’t doing enough for Ukraine.

In the months since that first poll, the US has substantially increased its assistance to Kiev, and has now allocated more than $110 billion in military and economic aid. Doled out in successive packages, Washington’s efforts to bankroll Ukraine’s military has seen anti-air systems, armored vehicles, and more than a million artillery shells delivered to the country, with Biden pledging to keep the arms flowing “for as long as it takes.”

The bulk of this aid has been funded by two mammoth spending bills passed by Congress: a $40 billion bill passed in May and a $1.7 trillion government spending bill in December that included another $47 billion for Ukraine. While Republican leadership supported these bills, a small number of GOP lawmakers close to former President Donald Trump condemned Biden and his Democrat colleagues for spending so much on a foreign conflict, arguing that the money would be better spent shoring up the American economy and tightening border security.

Republican voters are more likely to oppose aid to Ukraine, with 40% saying that the US is giving too much, and 17% calling for more. Only 15% of Democrats think Biden should reduce US aid, while 23% think the cash flow to Ukraine should increase.
 

US ANNOUNCES MASSIVE $2.5 BILLION WEAPONS PACKAGE FOR UKRAINE​

Published: February 1, 2023 |

Link: https://www.blacklistednews.com/art...s-massive-25-billion-weapons-package-for.html

SOURCE: ANTI-WAR – BY DAVE DECAMP


The US on Thursday announced a new massive $2.5 billion arms package for Ukraine that includes Stryker armored combat vehicles for the first time.
The tranche of weapons includes 90 Strykers and 55 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, which the US first pledged to send to Ukraine as part of an over $3 billion arms package that was announced earlier this month.
The package also includes munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs), and other equipment.
The Strykers are made by General Dynamics and are designed to transport troops with extra protection, similar to the Bradleys. The Stryker is lighter and faster than the Bradleys and is on wheels as opposed to tracks.
Both vehicles can be used to go on the offense, and that’s what US officials have in mind for the new transfer. Germany and France have also pledged to send similar armored vehicles.
The UK said it would send 14 of its main battle tanks, the Challenger 2, but it’s not clear if Kyiv will get more Western-made heavy tanks. Berlin is hesitant to sign off on deliveries of its Leopard 2, and US officials signaled this week that they wouldn’t be sending the M1 Abrams.
While Ukraine is receiving a significant amount of new armor, Valery Zaluchny, the commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, said in December that he needs at least 300 heavy tanks and 600-700 fighting vehicles if he is to stand a chance to drive Russia out of the territory it’s captured.
According to the Pentagon, the full $2.5 billion arms package includes the following:
  • Additional munitions for NASAMS
  • Eight Avenger air defense systems
  • 59 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) with 590 TOW anti-tank missiles and 295,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition
  • 90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) with 20 mine rollers
  • 53 MRAPS
  • 350 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs)
  • 20,000 155mm artillery rounds
  • Approximately 600 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds
  • 95,000 105mm artillery rounds
  • Approximately 11,800 120mm mortar rounds
  • Additional ammunition for HIMARS
  • 12 ammunition support vehicles
  • 6 command post vehicles
  • 22 tactical vehicles to tow weapons
  • High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs)
  • Approximately 2,000 anti-armor rockets
  • Over 3,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition
  • Demolition equipment for obstacle clearing
  • Claymore anti-personnel munitions
  • Night vision devices
  • Spare parts and other field equipment
US military aid for Ukraine is being pulled from funds that have already been authorized by Congress and signed into law by President Biden, which at this point amounts to about $113 billion.
 

Republicans Pressure Biden to Send More Advanced Weapons to Ukraine​

Republican hawks want Biden to send Gray Eagle drones, F-16s, and ATACMs
by Dave DeCamp Posted onFebruary 6, 2023

Link: https://news.antiwar.com/2023/02/06...den-to-send-more-advanced-weapons-to-ukraine/

Key Republican members of Congress are launching a two-front campaign to pressure the Biden administration to send Ukraine more advanced weapons, Defense One reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the plan.
One aspect of the campaign is to pressure Biden administration officials through closed-door briefings. The other is to apply public pressure, something Republican leadership has been doing throughout the war.
The main demand from the hawkish Republicans is for the US to provide MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones, F-16 fighter jets, and Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which have a range of up to 190 miles. Providing Ukraine with either weapon would significantly escalate US military aid and bring the US and Russia closer to a direct clash.
The latest weapons package the Biden administration announced included Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) for the first time. The GLSDB can hit targets up to 94 miles away, nearly twice the range of the munitions Ukraine has been using with the US-provided HIMARS rocket systems. But nearly doubling Ukraine’s strike range did not satisfy the hawkish Republicans.
“I have repeatedly called for more, better, and faster aid to Ukraine, but today’s announcement from the President is more of the same unnecessary slow-walking that has gotten us to this point,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) said Friday after the new weapons package was announced.
“We should begin training on the F-16s and ATACMS they have asked for immediately and seek to transfer these weapons systems as soon as possible. Training for Abrams and the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb should have started months ago,” Wicker added.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has previously called for Biden to send Ukraine ATACMs so they could strike Crimea, which would risk a major escalation of the war. For their part, Ukrainian officials appear to be focusing their effort on securing F-16s or other advanced Western fighter jets.
While Republican leadership is pushing for more military aid to Ukraine, there are signs they are thinking about how the war will end. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the head of the House Armed Services Committee, who favors sending ATACMs, has said the US must give Ukraine everything it needs now so the conflict ends by this summer. But a lot could happen between now and the summer, and each escalation risk provoking Moscow.
 

6 reasons the neocons in the West wanted this war with Russia​

Link: https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/6-reasons-the-neocons-in-the-west-wanted-this-war-with-russia/

In trying to spur yet another regime change, the U.S. has degraded not Russia, but its own allies and alliance.
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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy

Frank
Wright

Wed Feb 15, 2023 - 1:18 pm EST

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(LifeSiteNews) — There has been a lot of war news recently, combined with confusing messaging. With no overall aim in sight it is difficult to make sense of the policy of the United States and its Western allies. Here is a brief overview of the chaos which has replaced the careful plans of our masters.
Robert Kagan is one of the leading neoconservatives in the United States. His wife, Victoria Nuland, led the 2014 putsch in Ukraine which installed a neoliberal, Western-oriented government. He openly admits that Russia was provoked into invading Ukraine. Why would he say this?
The reason he said this was because it is true, and because it was part of the neoconservative plan.

Firstly, the U.S. decided to remove Yanukovich because he declined a neoliberal economic package from the West, and moved to accept an interest free loan from Russia instead. The U.S. then toppled his government and replaced it with one which immediately implemented punishing neoliberal “reforms.”

Secondly, the U.S. and NATO then set about rebuilding the defeated Ukrainian army, training and funding it to become the biggest and best in Europe by 2022. In addition, a heavily reinforced defensive line was built down the eastern flank of Ukraine. This is known by some today as the Zelensky Line.

Thirdly, the U.S. and its allies entered into negotiations with Russia over the Donbass whose conditions were never intended to be implemented. It is now admitted by Angela Merkel, former Ukrainian President Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky himself that these agreements were undertaken to buy time for the rearmament of Ukraine.

Fourthly, the plan as set out in this 2019 RAND Corporation paper was to engage Russia in a military conflict designed to result in stalemate. The US intended to entrap Russia in the kind of quagmire which had stymied its own adventures abroad. The goal here was not only the military humiliation of Russia, but was moreover an attempt to “bleed” Russia on the battlefield in an unwinnable campaign of Western-backed attrition.

Fifthly, as RAND indicated, the use of economic sanctions to isolate and degrade the Russian economy was supposed to guarantee a domestic crisis in Russia, which would combine with the planned Russian military disaster to produce serious unrest.

Sixth, the goal was ultimately to create the conditions for regime change in Russia. By “overextending and unbalancing” Russia in the military, economic and diplomatic spheres the U.S. could realistically hope to replace the Russian state with one of its own choosing, as it had done with Ukraine.

This would allow for the more efficient integration of Russia into the international managerialist world order, with its plentiful resources now available to fund and supply the restoration of both Europe and Ukraine. A defeated Russia could be broken up, into more readily manageable client states, providing easier access to the remaining neoconservative targets of China and Iran.
None of this has happened. Russia is destroying the Ukrainian army. It posted a record trade surplus and has forged closer links, including lucrative oil and gas contracts, with a range of partners outside the limited reach of the Western sanctions system.
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It is Europe, and also NATO, which appears to have been “overextended and unbalanced.” with NATO Secretary General conceding that the West lacks the industrial capacity to match Russian armament supplies, and with Europe facing the worst economic crisis since the Second World War. The United States appears to have been willing to sacrifice the European standard of living, going as far as committing an act of war against Germany in bombing its main gas pipelines. This act, together with the effects of the sanctions, have accelerated the deindustrialization of the leading economy of Europe. The U.S. has degraded not Russia, but its own allies and alliance.
It is for these reasons that it is seeking a swift exit from Ukraine which pacifies the Russians. The United States has orchestrated a defeat for itself of an order of magnitude which eclipses the debacle of Afghanistan, having weakened its allies, exposed its military vulnerability, attacked a fellow NATO member and taken measures which have seriously degraded the European economy. It appears to have no plan other than to cut and run from the mess it will leave its friends in Europe, who will have to find their own way to deal with a renascent and victorious Russia.
The chaos we see in the messaging in our media is of a piece with the panic in the eyes of Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO. The fear and confusion is not a result of failure alone, but the product of a planning process so impervious to reality as to refuse to provide for any outcome other than success.
It is remarkable as a case of hubris alone that following an unbroken series of foreign disasters the neoconservative forever war faction could have had such invincible confidence in their latest scheme. This fact underlines the danger these people represent to the world.
The Russians are not innocent, and to wish for a swift end to the war is not to exculpate them. They have withstood an avowed attempt to dissolve their sovereignty into a global managerial model directed by people with no regard for the human cost of their actions. It is not an act of sedition to denounce the capture of the West by an elite whose idea of freedom is the demolition of nations and the abolition of liberty, privacy and bodily autonomy in the service of managerial efficiency. It is no exaggeration to state that the active promotion of various forms of insanity is routine in the mass media of the West.
Our present leaders have as much conscience as the machines they fetishize, and through whose technological advancement they wish to better control us. To them, everything which degrades life for ordinary people is an advantage. For the time being at least, the global rollout is coming to a grinding halt. The mess you see in the media is what happens when there are no balloons to shoot down. Stand by. Normal service will be resumed.
 

US to provide $10 billion aid to Ukraine in coming days, says Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen​

Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/c...ary-janet-yellen-8462791/?utm_source=substack

Ahead of the first G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meet, Janet Yellen met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and discussed strengthening global debt vulnerabilities, multilateral banks, crypto assets and health.​

By: Express News Service
Bengaluru | Updated: February 23, 2023 16:58 IST

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Caption U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a news conference as G20 finance leaders gather on the outskirts of Bengaluru . (PTI)
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The US will provide additional economic assistance of $10 billion to Ukraine in the coming days, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday.
At a media briefing held on the sidelines of the first G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ (FMCBG) Meet, she said that the United States had already provided 46 billion dollars in security, economic and humanitarian aid.

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“Our economic assistance is making the resistance possible, funding key public services and is keeping the (Ukrainian) government running,” she said, noting that February 24 would mark one year of Russia’s “unjust war” on Ukraine. Continued robust support for Ukraine will be a major topic of discussion during her time in India, she added.

Ahead of the first FMCBG meeting, Yellen met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. According to the ministry, the two leaders discussed perspectives on strengthening global debt vulnerabilities, multilateral banks, crypto assets and health. The Just Energy Transition Partnership and possible takeaways for the two sides from the meeting were also discussed.

“Both sides agreed that lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic should not be lost sight of and there is a need for enhancing preparedness for future pandemic type shocks,” the ministry said.
 
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