RT News - June 21st 2024 Late

Mass protests in Nairobi, Kenya over tax hikes caused by IMF demands as a condition of borrowing. It's the 3rd day of protests and one man is reported killed. Live rounds have been fired, tear gas and water cannons used to disperse the crowds. Noluvuyo Kunge reports and speaks to some protesters.
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During the Vietnam State visit by President Putin, he warned that any nuclear attack on Russia would be catastrophic for the world. Russia's Deputy FM Sergey Ryabkov talks about the treaties signed, possible changes of doctrines and implications. See articles below.
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Last week President Putin put forward peace proposals for the end of the conflict in Ukraine. This gave the chance for the attendees of the Swiss "peace summit" to consider but was rejected by them. Russia's FM Sergey Lavrov said it's time the west became "more realistic".
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The US will prioritise the supply of weapons to Ukraine over the supply to NATO allies. (I guess the penny dropped that all of Europe is now broke and it doesn't matter which country gets the weapons first - Ukraine is bankrupt and will never be able to repay any "loans" of any kind. This debt will be written off I suspect as it is the US and NATO allies who have pressed for the continuance of this conflict. - this is just my opinion)
Scott Bennet wants the UN NATO member states and it's allies to be given a toy of a dead child in their remembrance. 14,000 civilians (many of them children) died in Donetsk and Lugansk between 2014 and 2022 as Kiev's forces bombarded them from trenches and attacked them on the street.
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Sanctions are being applied on Russia's LNG but they are convoluted as heck. Rachel Marsden explains.
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Israel/Gaza updates. After heavy bombardment overnight, dozens were killed and injured in Gaza City. There is literally nowhere for the Gazans to go that is safe. More than 37,400 Gazan civilians have been killed since October 7th, 2023. Previously a strike on Rafah killed dozens and injured more. Warning, disturbing, sad images.
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The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal talks about how the outlet is being attacked for exposing Israel's propaganda, used as justification for attacks on Gaza, and how the Washington Post has been used by the US legal system to get it's employees investigated. This is discussed at length on Afshin Rattansi's Going Underground. Watch the whole episode here https://rumble.com/v52uwxe-max-blumenthal-targeted-for-exposing-israels-lies-the-washington-post-attac.html on Rumble.
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Short take: Rising taxes sees rising tensions. One man is reportedly shot dead in Kenya, as anger boils on the streets over rate increases being pushed by the International Monetary Fund. Vowing a catastrophic eye for an eye, Vladimir Putin says there’s no immediate need to change Russia’s nuclear doctrine. The Russian president also says Moscow reserves the right to supply long-range weapons to countries like the DPRK. That’s in response to Western escalation.

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Russia to upgrade nuclear weapons 21 Jun, 2024 15:42

Moscow considers its arsenal a key form of strategic deterrence to maintain the global balance of power, President Putin has said

Russia will upgrade its nuclear arsenal as it is a primary guarantor of national security, President Vladimir Putin revealed on Friday.

The comment comes amid growing tensions between Moscow and the West over the Ukraine conflict, as the US and its allies continue to arm Kiev while claiming not to be party to the conflict.

Putin has warned that Russia would use all means available to defend itself should the state's existence be at stake. Citing the need to send the West a message, the Kremlin last month ordered the military to carry out drills in deploying non-strategic nuclear weapons.

“We plan to further develop the nuclear triad as a guarantee of strategic deterrence and to preserve the balance of power in the world,” Putin said on Friday at a meeting of graduates from military institutions.

The ‘nuclear triad’ refers to the combination of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and strategic bombers, which can all carry nuclear payloads. These weapons systems ensure that a potential enemy cannot destroy a nation’s nuclear forces in a first-strike attack.

Putin warned this week that the strategic defeat sought by the West would mean “the end” of Russian statehood, though he added that he believes that defeating Russia is impossible due to the unity of its people.

Such a threat, however, warrants Russia going “all the way” to achieve its goals in Ukraine, he added.

Putin has repeatedly said that any conflict involving the use of nuclear weapons would have dire consequences for humanity. In early June, he said that Russia was “not brandishing” nuclear weapons and expressed hope that “it will never come” to a nuclear exchange between Moscow and the West.

Russia’s nuclear doctrine states that such weapons can only be used in the face of a “threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the country, he noted at that time, but added that Moscow is considering modifications to this.

Speaking in Hanoi on Thursday, Putin argued that the West appears to be working on low-yield weapons to lower the nuclear threshold. Asked if Moscow could include a clause on the possibility of launching a pre-emptive nuclear strike, Putin said Russia does not need a first strike, “because our return strike is guaranteed to destroy any attacker.”

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Russia has advantage across front line – defense minister 21 Jun, 2024 15:08

Andrey Belousov made the claim at a Kremlin ceremony for military graduates.

Russian forces have the initiative across the front thanks to their skill and professionalism, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov has said.

Belousov spoke on Friday, at the Kremlin ceremony for the best-in-class graduates of military and security academies. Russian President Vladimir Putin also addressed the event.

“In trying times, our army and navy have repeatedly proven that they are capable of adequately responding to the most serious threats and challenges,” Belousov said. “Today, during the special military operation, Russian service members are honorably fulfilling their military duty, effectively defending national interests, and resolutely fighting the followers of the Nazi ideology.”

“Thanks to their courage, dedication and professional work, we have the initiative along the entire front line, [and are] consistently degrading the enemy’s combat potential,” Belousov concluded.

The recently appointed defense minister noted the increased responsibility of unit commanders and officers under the circumstances, in a nod to newly minted officers from military academies.

Belousov described the Ukraine conflict as “the struggle to establish a fair and equal world order.”

This past week has seen heavy fighting along the entire front line. Russian forces have advanced towards Gulaypole on the Zaporozhye front, fortified a bridgehead near Chasov Yar, and decimated Ukrainian counterattacks to the north of Kharkov, near Volchansk and Liptsy.

Meanwhile, Russia has carried out missile strikes on Ukrainian strategic assets such as bridges and airfields, while using drones to “hunt” Western-supplied weapons systems.

Speaking to the graduates, Putin vowed to increase the deliveries of equipment to the frontline troops, mentioning drones, armored vehicles, attack jets, high-precision weapons and communications systems.

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Defeating Russia impossible – Putin 20 Jun, 2024 22:50

The president has warned the West against making “another big mistake”

The West must realize that inflicting “a strategic defeat” on Russia is impossible due to the unity of its people, who understand that this would spell the end of the country’s thousand-year history, President Vladimir Putin has argued.

Speaking at a press conference in Hanoi following meetings with the Vietnamese leadership on Thursday, Putin addressed the issue of Western powers “raising the temperature” of the Ukraine conflict through gradual escalation.

“Apparently, they expect us to get scared at some point. But at the same time, they also say that they want to achieve a strategic defeat of Russia on the battlefield. What does this mean for Russia? For Russia, this means the end of its statehood. This means the end of the thousand-year history of the Russian state. I think this is understandable for everyone,” Putin noted.

" .. And then the question arises: Why should we be afraid? Wouldn’t it be better to go all the way then? This is elementary logic...... "

Even though Putin has repeatedly admitted that any conflict involving the use of nuclear weapons would have dire consequences for humanity, he has maintained that Moscow would be forced to defend itself using all available means if the country’s existence were at stake.

Back in 2018, he famously said that “as a citizen of Russia and the head of the Russian state I must ask myself: Why would we want a world without Russia?”

The US and its allies have funneled weapons, ammunition, and equipment to Ukraine over the past two years, while insisting they are not a party to the conflict but want to inflict “a strategic defeat” on Moscow. In recent months, Washington, London, and other NATO members announced they were lifting restrictions on Kiev’s use of their weapons against Russia.

Citing the need to send the West a message, last month the Kremlin ordered the military to carry out drills in deploying non-strategic nuclear weapons. Asked on Thursday whether Russia could change its nuclear doctrine to include a clause on the possibility of launching a pre-emptive nuclear strike, Putin emphasized there was no need for that.

“We do not need a preventive strike yet, because the enemy is guaranteed to be destroyed in a retaliatory strike,” he said.

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Kremlin explains Putin’s pledge that Russia willing ‘to go all the way’ 21 Jun, 2024 12:51

The president has accused the West of playing chicken with Moscow in the Ukraine conflict.

President Vladimir Putin’s statement about Russia’s intention to “go to all the way” referred to achieving its objectives in the Ukraine conflict, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Peskov was asked for clarification about remarks the Russian leader made on Thursday during a press conference in Vietnam. Putin was asked by a reporter what intentions he believed Western nations had in escalating tensions with Moscow.

“Apparently, they count on us to chicken out at some point. But at the same time, they say they want to achieve a strategic defeat against Russia on the battlefield,” he replied.

Such an outcome would amount to the loss of Russian statehood, Putin argued.

“The question then is: why would we be afraid? Would it not be better to go all the way?” he concluded.

The US and its allies have claimed that the Ukraine crisis is the result of a Russian drive for territorial conquest, and that by launching military action, Moscow has already suffered “a strategic defeat” in the form of alienation on the world stage. Western leaders have pledged to support Kiev for “as long as it takes” to prevail in the hostilities.

Moscow has accused the US of triggering the conflict by expanding NATO across Europe against Russian objections and by vowing to bring Ukraine into the military bloc. This has given Kiev a sense of impunity, prompting it to crack down on political dissent and discriminate against the ethnic Russian minority to appease radical nationalists, officials in Moscow have claimed.

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US permits Ukrainian strikes anywhere beyond conflict front line – Politico 21 Jun, 2024 10:41

The area that Kiev can target using American-made weapons is not limited to Kharkov Region, officials in Washington told the outlet

The US has permitted Ukraine to strike targets on Russian territory using American-made weapons anywhere across the front line – not just in the Kharkov Region, Politico has reported.

This doesn’t represent a change to Washington’s policy on the use of US-supplied weapons by Kiev, anonymous sources told the outlet in an article published on Thursday.

In late May, media reported that the administration of President Joe Biden had quietly greenlighted Ukrainian attacks using American weapons inside Russian territory for “counterfire purposes in the Kharkov region.” The ban on long-range strikes deep inside Russia remained unchanged, according to the reports.

In an interview with ABC News earlier this month, Biden clarified that Ukraine could use US-made arms “only in proximity to the border [with Russia] when [Russian weapons] are being used on the other side of the border to attack specific targets in Ukraine.” Washington is “not authorizing strikes 200 miles into Russia and we’re not authorizing strikes on Moscow, on the Kremlin,” he clarified.

Officials who talked to Politico confirmed the statement made by White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan earlier this week, in which he said Kiev’s ability to fire US-supplied weapons wasn’t limited to Kharkov Region.

“It extends to anywhere that Russian forces are coming across the border from the Russian side to the Ukrainian side to try to take additional Ukrainian territory,” Sullivan said in an interview with PBS on Tuesday.

Russian forces are now advancing in Kharkov Region, but if they move across the border in some other area, “it would apply there as well,” Sullivan explained. “This is not about geography. It’s about common sense. If Russia is attacking or about to attack from its territory into Ukraine, it only makes sense to allow Ukraine to hit back against the forces that are hitting it from across the border.”

Russia has repeatedly warned against the use of weapons supplied to Kiev by the US and their allies to strike deep inside its territory, arguing that such attacks would amount to direct Western participation in the conflict, as the Ukrainian military is unable to fire foreign long-range systems without assistance from NATO states.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow would not rule out supplying weapons to other countries, including North Korea, in response to the West providing long-range systems to Ukraine.

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US warns Ukraine about corruption – WaPo 21 Jun, 2024 12:13

Washington says Kiev is not doing enough to fight the issue and claims it could imperil future military and economic aid.

Ukraine’s Western backers have accused Kiev of not making enough progress on eliminating corruption, and have warned that it could cost the country military and economic support in the future, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

The outlet noted that while Ukrainian officials have admitted that corruption remains an issue in the country, they have insisted that they are battling it “as fiercely as their troops are fighting Russia,” suggesting that the West was not giving Kiev sufficient credit for its efforts.

While new corruption cases against high-ranking government officials are being opened almost every month, the head of the dedicated unit within Ukraine’s Prosecutor’s Office, Alexander Klimenko, stressed that the fact that “the number of cases has doubled doesn’t mean that there is twice as much corruption.”

“On the contrary: it means that we’re twice as effective as before,” Klimenko claimed, according to the Washington Post.

However, US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have reportedly been dissatisfied with the results of Kiev’s war on corruption. A meeting between Vladimir Zelensky and Blinken in Kiev last month was “tense,” the Washington Post reported, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. While the Ukrainian leader expressed his appreciation for US military aid, he was also reportedly frustrated with Blinken’s focus on corruption.

“Winning on the battlefield will prevent Ukraine from becoming part of Russia,” Blinken said following the meeting. “Winning the war against corruption will keep Ukraine from becoming like Russia,” he added.

But many in Zelensky’s team, as per the Washington Post, privately argue that although corruption remains a challenge for the country, efforts to fight it could distract them from the primary goal of defeating Russia. Some senior Ukrainian officials have also been complaining that Kiev’s Western backers were using the “stereotype of Ukraine as corrupt” as an excuse to delay additional aid.

On Monday, the European Commission also appeared to express doubt in Kiev’s ability to properly manage foreign aid, and announced the creation of a special watchdog to prevent “fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest,” as well as the possible embezzlement of billions of dollars allocated to Kiev as part of the EU’s plan to finance Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Moscow has repeatedly condemned continued Western military and financial aid to Ukraine, arguing that it only serves to prolong hostilities and cause more bloodshed without affecting the inevitable outcome of the conflict.

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Ukrainization of Georgia will not happen – prime minister 21 Jun, 2024 12:11

Tbilisi is right to protect its political system from foreign influence, Irakly Kobakhidze has insisted.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has vowed to resist pressure from political forces that seek to “Ukrainize” the country, insisting that his government will not allow that to happen.

Kobakhidze lashed out at the United National Movement (UNM), linked to former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, for stirring public discontent over a law that requires NGOs and media outlets that receive foreign funding to declare their sources.

Kobakhidze claimed that the UNM is trying to instigate mass protests similar to those that toppled the Ukrainian government in 2014.

”I can assure representatives of the National Movement that the Ukrainian scenario will not take hold in Georgia, that the Ukrainization of Georgia will not happen under any circumstances. We shall put maximum effort into preventing that,” he told journalists, after meeting Georgian ambassadors and other Foreign Ministry officials in Berlin.

Saakashvili, Georgia’s pro-Western former leader, came to power in 2003 on the back of mass protests. His party, however, lost the 2012 election. He fled his home country, where he faced criminal prosecution over his actions in office, and tried to build a new political career in post-coup Ukraine.

His short stint as the governor of Odessa Region lasted less than two years, after which he went into opposition, lost Ukrainian citizenship, and ultimately returned to Georgia in 2021. There he was arrested and put in jail; he now claims to be a victim of political persecution by the “pro-Russian” government in Tbilisi.

The ‘foreign agents’ law has put the Georgian government in the crosshairs of the US and its allies, who argue it is an attack on democracy and have threatened sanctions against officials and politicians supporting it. The ruling Georgian Dream party had to overcome a presidential veto before the bill could become law earlier this month.

Kobakhidze insisted that the Georgian law was reasonable and called the campaign against it “farcical,” citing a similar piece of legislation in Canada, which was passed by the Senate late on Wednesday. The federal bill known as C-70 is supposed to curb foreign influence on national politics in order to protect democracy in the country.

Senior Georgian officials and pro-government politicians had previously made negative remarks about Ukraine and how it serves as an example for Tbilisi how not to conduct foreign policy.

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Hungary ‘won’t ride NATO war train’ – Orban 21 Jun, 2024 11:26

Budapest will stay out of the Ukraine conflict, the prime minister has vowed.

The US appears intent on continuing to fight Russia in Ukraine and hopes to win, but Hungary is acting to counter this destructive policy, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said.

The vocal opponent of the Western approach to the Ukraine conflict expressed fresh criticism during a weekly interview on Kossuth Radio on Friday.

“It appears that the Western world, led by the Americans, wants to defeat Russia, with the Germans playing the role of extras,” Orban claimed. He described the strategy as “hopeless,” adding that it is disastrous for the Ukrainians and Russians dying on the battlefield and is potentially escalatory.

The Hungarian leader claimed, however, that “we have already slowed the train to war,” citing the outcome of the recent European Parliament elections in which his party enjoyed success while some pro-Ukrainian groups suffered setbacks.

The Hungarian government has secured assurances from both outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and his presumed successor, Mark Rutte, that Budapest will not be dragged into a “mission” that the US-led bloc is establishing in Ukraine, the prime minister said. Hungary will not contribute troops, weapons, or money to the plan, Orban vowed.

“I can pull the emergency brake. The train will stop, and we Hungarians will get off this train,” he said. “And if we become very strong and the stars are lucky, we will convince the driver not to go any further.”

Moscow has described the Ukraine conflict as a US-initiated proxy war. After several member states publicly said this month that they will allow Kiev to strike targets deep inside Russia with Western-supplied weapons, President Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow could supply similar arms to enemies of the West.

French President Emmanual Macron, who has called on NATO countries not to rule out troop deployments to Ukraine, was among the EU leaders to have suffered the biggest in the European Parliament elections. He subsequently dissolved the French parliament, and is facing the threat of becoming a lame duck for the rest of his term as his political alliance contemplates a potential wipeout in the national legislature.

Supporters of the NATO involvement in the Ukraine conflict say its mission will be limited to training Ukrainian troops on the country’s soil.

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