Trump emboldened them and now there is war in the air. This brings in China and North Korea as allies to Russia.
January 19, 2022
A group of Russian amphibious warfare vessels (click here) — three of which left the Baltic Sea region yesterday, preceded by another three the day before — have started to enter the English Channel. Some expect that their journey will eventually take them to the Black Sea to participate in an invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.
Multiple reports confirm that all six of the Russian Navy warships have begun their passage through the English Channel, after which they will enter the Atlantic Ocean. The vessels comprise the Project 775 Ropucha class amphibious warfare ships Olenegorskiy Gornyak and Georgiy Pobedonosets, as well as the Project 11711 Ivan Gren class landing ship Pyotr Morgunov, from the Northern Fleet, plus three other Ropuchas, the Korolev, Minsk, and Kaliningrad, from the Baltic Fleet....
These aren't drills. This is an invasion into the English Channel. It is a direct threat to the UK and NATO.
24 January 2022
By Chris Pleasance
Battleships will take part in sea drills around 150 miles off Ireland's southwest coast, within the country's 'exclusive economic zone' but outside its territorial waters.
Foreign Minister Simon Coveney revealed on Monday that Russia informed Ireland about the drills at the weekend, saying the warships are 'not welcome' but his country 'doesn't have the power to stop this from happening'....
The USA is deployed in the Pacific. Putin believes post Trump he has the best intelligence about The West that he has ever had and he believes this is the only chance Russia has to reek havoc globally. Putin is providing every reason to act against him. This is not a minor issue. Ireland is reporting Russian ships off it's coast.
24 January 2022
By Tom Gillespie
Boris Johnson (click here) has warned that "gloomy" intelligence suggested Russia was planning a lightning raid on Ukraine's capital Kyiv as fears grow of an invasion - with NATO sending additional ships and jets to its deployments in eastern Europe.
The alliance said it could also add additional combat units in response to Russia's military build-up on Ukraine's border.
NATO has so far based about 4,000 troops in multinational battalions in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, backed by tanks, air defences and intelligence and surveillance units.
Russia has massed around 100,000 troops near Ukraine's border, demanding that NATO promise it will never allow Ukraine to join and that other actions, such as stationing alliance troops in former Soviet bloc countries, be curtailed. Moscow denies it is planning an invasion....
This is more than just a threat to an invasion of Ukraine, this is a direct threat against The West. If The West ever wanted to move against Russia, there is a clear path to the legal stance of it's military now. The West is completely justified in moving against Russia. No holds barred.
Putin is a foolish man to think that brinkmanship is okay. These are the sovereign waters of Western countries and it has the upper hand now to end the aggression by Russia. This is not a game. Russia is leveraging against The West and it has a right to defend itself now.
Russia is not in international waters anymore. Death means nothing to Putin so long as it isn't his own.
Bans on nuclear weapons is in effect for one year now. What does that mean? In regards to peace it is a real effort to end nuclear proliferation. In the real world, with North Korea ignoring such measures, it means little.
January 22, 2022
Saturday marks one year (click here) since the United Nations treaty banning nuclear weapons came into force.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons proclaims any use of such weapons would be inhumane and would violate international law. It prohibits the development, manufacturing, possession and use of nuclear weapons. It's the first international accord to impose a comprehensive ban on such activities.
Adopted in 2017 by the UN, it came into force on January 22, 2021, after 50 countries and territories had ratified or acceded to it.
The treaty has so far collected 86 signatories and 59 instruments of ratification or accession, up nine over the past year.
Meanwhile, neither nuclear-armed countries nor nations that rely on US nuclear deterrent, such as NATO members and Japan, have joined the pact....
Taiwan has conventional intermeidate missiles capable of reaching China.
January 24, 2022
Tokyo - The new U.S. ambassador to Japan, (click here) Rahm Emanuel, arrived in Japan on Sunday, filling a key post that has been vacant for more than two years and taking on the crucial task of enhancing their countries' alliance amid China's growing assertiveness in the region.
The 62-year-old former top aide to former President Barack Obama is known for his close ties with President Joe Biden.
Emanuel gained the trust of Biden when he was White House chief of staff from 2009 to 2010 for Obama, whom Biden served as vice president.
After his arrival in Japan, Emanuel tweeted that he and his wife are "excited to have arrived in Japan and are eager to meet the people of Japan as we travel throughout the country."
The U.S. ambassadorial post has been vacant since William Hagerty stepped down in July 2019 to run for the Senate....
January 24, 2022
The Foreign Ministry warned against traveling to Ukraine for any purpose. Its second-highest Level 3 advisory, which previously covered parts of the Eastern European country, now applies to the whole of the nation.
About 250 Japanese citizens including family of embassy staff live in Ukraine, according to the ministry....
January 24, 2022
By Takuya Mizorogi
Tokyo - Central and Eastern European countries, (click here) with which China has worked to strengthen ties through its Belt and Road Initiative, have begun changing their stance toward Beijing.
In an interview with Nikkei, Akio Miyajima, Ambassador of Japan to Poland, said these countries are finding the economic benefit from China is not as great as they had expected. He argued that Japan should strengthen relations with these countries, especially Poland, a pro-U.S. country.
As Poland has been wary about the growing military ambitions of Russia and is located on the counter-Russia front line of NATO, "it should be an urgent issue for Japan to strengthen ties with Poland, which is a major country in Eastern Europe, for the purpose of keeping Russia and China in check," Miyajima said....
There is no backing down or playing "Chicken," this is real and so is the threat. Putin and Xi along with any other of their friends are currently calculating The West's ability, agility and LACK of will. There is always the question as to what is NEW in the arsenals of NATO and the USA that come out of hiding for a threat such as this.
Russia and it's friends must be crippled, without exception, after such blatant disregard for world peace and the lives of innocent people. There can be no exception.