RT News - November 1st 2022 Late

Serbia's President puts the country on high alert after unidentified drones reportedly entered the country's airspace and passed over military bases near Kosovo. see 3 (below)

Japan retains its stake in a Russian-led energy project as it deals with skyrocketing inflation, and becomes the first G-7 member to jump off the anti-Russian sanctions track.

Olaf Scholz laments the high inflation rate in Germany.

Russia confirms it's stance on the grain deal (see earlier post). The UN tracker app confirms that only 5% of the grain and dry goods shipments brokered for the world's poorest reach their destination, with EU receiving the "lions share" (These sea shipments which were hijacked by EU etc., could have gone overland since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, as usual and in every other year)

COP27 is about to kick off with many countries not attending.

In Kenya, the use of GMO crops is called into question.

It's election time in Israel (again)

Russia's Permanent Representative to United Nations Vasily Nebenzya is speaking at the UN about the problems faced by journalists in conflict zones and then pension of the west for fakery. RT is making a new documentary called "Journalists Under Fire"

With the US elections coming up, pollsters find a great deal of voters find that the country is "out of control"

Vladimir Putin accuses Kiev of posing a threat to the 'Black sea grain corridor' as Moscow again slams Ukraine for using the passageway to launch military attacks.
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via RT website 1 Nov, 2022 15:32

1) US troops on the ground in Ukraine – American media

The military personnel are reportedly inspecting Western weapons deliveries

American troops are now on the ground in Ukraine, where they are monitoring NATO arms deliveries to the country, an anonymous Pentagon official told several US media outlets on Monday. It is unclear how many personnel are involved, or where they are located.

Speaking to reporters from the Associated Press, NBC News, and other members of the Pentagon press pool, the official said that the contingent of troops is led by Brigadier General Garrick Harmon, the US defence attaché to Kiev.

“There have been several of these inspections,” the official told reporters, without revealing where the examinations have taken place. He added that the checks are not happening “close to the front lines,” but where security conditions allow.

The US inspected its arms shipments to Ukraine before Russia launched its military operation in February, but pulled its personnel out of the country days before it began. It is unclear how many troops have returned or when the checks restarted.

The Pentagon official would only say that a “small” number of troops are involved.

The US State Department announced last week that it would allocate “personnel to assist the government of Ukraine with handling…of US security assistance,” although it did not mention that these personnel would be drawn from the ranks of the military. The plan was announced after media reports, citing US intelligence agencies, claimed that Washington could not trace the weapons it sends to Ukraine. One intelligence source told CNN in April that these weapons disappear “into a big black hole” once they enter the country.

The anonymous Pentagon official told journalists that Kiev has been “transparent,” and has cooperated with inspectors thus far.

While Americans have fought and died in Ukraine of their own accord, Monday’s announcement marks the first time since February that Washington has acknowledged the presence of uniformed troops in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has cautioned the US and its NATO allies against getting involved in the conflict, and even before the announcement, he stated that the Kremlin views itself as fighting the “entire Western military machine” in Ukraine.
https://www.rt.com/russia/565747-us-troops-in-ukraine/
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2) via RT website 1 Nov, 2022 17:11

Türkiye not ready to approve Sweden’s NATO bid

Ankara still demands that Stockholm extradite suspects it considers terrorists, a Turkish official has said

Türkiye is still not ready to lift its veto and endorse Sweden’s NATO bid, a spokesman for the leading AK Party, Omer Celik, said on Monday. Promises made by Stockholm in relation to Ankara’s concerns about providing asylum to suspects it considers terrorists are not enough, he added.

“These statements of Sweden are good, but not enough until they are implemented,” Celik said, according to Bloomberg. “We are waiting for it to come to life.”

Türkiye stalled the process of approving the applications of Sweden and Finland to join NATO, which were filed in May. Both nations sought to join the military bloc following the launch of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. Ankara earlier warned that it could block the bids, as it accused the two nations of harbouring members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and other groups it considers to be terrorist organizations.

In early October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that his nation was ready to back Finland’s bid, adding that “Finland is not a country where terrorists are roaming freely.”

A week ago, Reuters reported that Sweden informed Türkiye it was ready to work with Ankara on the extradition of terrorist suspects and said it had taken additional measures against Kurdish militants. Stockholm also reportedly said it remained “fully committed to the implementation” of the memorandum signed by Sweden, Finland, and Türkiye in June.

On Tuesday, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his nation has “full respect for the fact that every country within the alliance makes its own decisions,” adding that he had recently talked to Erdogan by phone and the two “agreed on me coming to Ankara and I will communicate the exact date when it is formally confirmed.”

The prime minister is expected to visit Türkiye at some point next week. The statements also come ahead of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s visit to Türkiye this week. On October 20, he said he was “confident that all Allies will ratify the Accession Protocol,” opening the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

Stoltenberg added that Stockholm does not have any restrictions on arms exports to Türkiye any longer and has also established a cooperation mechanism in the fields of intelligence sharing and fighting international terrorism.

So far, only two NATO members have not ratified the Accession Protocols for Finland and Sweden: Türkiye and Hungary. According to Stoltenberg, in the Hungarian parliament, the ratification is on the agenda “this fall.”
https://www.rt.com/news/565752-turkey-sweden-nato-not-ready/
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3) via RT website 1 Nov, 2022 15:30

Serbia puts military on high alert over Kosovo

Belgrade’s peaceful stance doesn’t mean that it’s weak and can be harassed, the defence minister said

Belgrade put its military on high alert on Tuesday as the breakaway region of Kosovo began implementing a plan to ban Serbian license plates, the country’s defence minister, Milos Vucevic, announced.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who is also the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces, has ordered the military “to increase the level of combat readiness to be prepared to respond to any task,” Vucevic said in an interview with the broadcaster Happy TV.

“Serbia talking about peace and stability doesn’t mean that we’re weak, that we can be harassed and humiliated,” he pointed out, apparently addressing Kosovo’s leadership.

The country’s military, which is “many times stronger than it used to be,” remains fully committed to protecting all citizens of Serbia, including Serbs in Kosovo, the minister warned. “No one should doubt that,” he added.

However, Vucevic stressed that Belgrade wasn’t looking for conflict, saying that “it’s better to negotiate for a thousand days, than spend one day in the trenches.”

The situation in northern Kosovo where many Serbs reside has been tense. The local authorities began implementing their restrictions earlier in the day and issued the first warnings to vehicle owners with Serbian plates, he said.

According to Pristina’s plan, warnings will first be issued, followed by penalties of €150 (around $149). After a transition period ends in April 2023, drivers who failed to switch from Serbian to Kosovar license plates will have their cars seized.

The ban was initially slated to go into force on August 1, but it was postponed after Serbs in northern Kosovo set up roadblocks in preparation to resist the heavily armed special police that Pristina had deployed to the area.

Since then, the sides have been unable to find a way to resolve the deadlock. Last week, Vucic warned that attempts by Kosovo to restrict the movement of cars with Serbian license plates would “surely meet the democratic resistance of the Serbian people, and the state of Serbia will not allow the persecution and killing of its people.”

The US and many of its allies recognized the mainly Albanian-populated Kosovo as a sovereign state in 2008, but Serbia still considers the province a part of its territory. Belgrade is backed in this by others, including Russia and China, which do not recognize the territory as an independent entity.
https://www.rt.com/news/565739-serbia-military-kosovo-plates/
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