Thread by @ejmalrai

#Russia started a "special military operation" in Donbas. Heavy shelling is hitting the province. Prsdnt Vladimir Putin said he is not planning to occupy #Ukraine. Putin asked the Ukrainian army to lay down its weapons. "Kyiv will be responsible for possible bloodshed," he said.

#Europe turned deaf ears on #Russia's request to stop @NATO's expansion & believed Putin was not seriously concerned and that he will behave as his predecessors. The #US want #Moscow to be involved in a war but Putin is showing his determination to allow the west another thought.

A missile hit the #Ukraine capital Kyiv, leading to an exodus of thousands of people from the eastern front and the capital towards the western borders. Expect long queues on banks, foreign currency withdrawal, provision and other necessities.

There will be an avalanche of fake news and disinformation from today onward. #Ukraine #Russia.

If #Russia decides to neutralise #Ukraine's military capability, there will be a lot of bombing in the next days.Putin is talking now, asking the military to lay down their weapons and mentioning again the fact that Ukraine "will not be permitted to have nuclear weapons". Serious

This indicates that #Russia is extremely serious about going ahead with the war to take Donbas in the first place. Today is #Moscow's step for #Europe to understand that it is time for diplomacy to be more active to stop what is coming next.

#Russia Putin said, "he will respond against Any foreign intervention". It means he is ready for an all-ou-war if needed. What Putin is trying to say is that he has no room for compromise and will continue if no guarantees are forwarded about NATO keeping away from #Ukraine

#BrteakingNews:
#Russia Defence Ministry said the #Ukraine Air Force has been neutralised.

In Donbas, one city after another is falling in the hand of the separatists and the Russian army's advance.

When Putin recognised Donbas sovereignty, separatists were in control of around 38% of the region. The war plan seems to be clearing the entire region fast.

I believe the explosions that hit several parts of #Ukraine this morning aimed to neutralise the Ukrainian capabilities to reduce losses of the troops advancing in Donbas.

There seems no all-out war (no advance on different fronts) against the country but limited to Donbas only.

The point #Russia is making is the following:
I was serious in my warning
I have given you enough time for diplomacy
You have supplied #Ukraine with billion worth of weapons for nothing
Remember Ukraine when you think of including Georgia in NATO
Keep NATOout of Ukraine or else..

I believe the military operation will continue until all of Donbas is #Russia-friendly & then Putin will stop the operation & wait. #Ukraine will understand that no foreign country will send troops to support it. It is on its own. #US #EU et al will impose further sanctions only.

We can expect as the first stage of this war that 58% of Donbas, the administrative borders, will fall into the hand of Separatists and the #Russia/n army. The operation should last only a few days and troops will move extremely fast to limit losses.

I believe Putin is wrong if he believes the #US will negotiate. On the contrary, warmongers will be pushing the west for aggressive behaviour. Thus, @JoeBiden has cornered himself, thinking he is embarrassing Putin. Biden can't go to war and will look weaker. Europe is the hope.

#Germany, #France and #Italy should lead the negotiation and talk to #Russia about a solution. Putin will be negotiating from a position of strength. However, he'll be happy to see the sanctions lifted. Too early, I know, guns are talking now, but that is the only way out.

Anyone saw this coming when #Russia President delivered his message two days ago.

I a pretty convinced that the #US wished for a general invasion of #Ukraine but it won't happen, for now.

Be conscientious and avoid contributing to fueling the war.

https://twitter.com/ejmalrai/status/1496166262086451204

In #Brussels, EU Commission Prsdnt Ursula von der Leyen & OSCE High Representative Josep Borrell just spoke now but are missing the point: "We imposed sanctions on #Russia to dry its resources and prevent a war". Putin has $630 Billion in reserve & plenty of resources, still.

The point is @NATO expansion: Jan 1990, W German FM Hans-Dietrich Genscher declared “What NATO must do is state unequivocally that whatever happens in the Warsaw Pact, there will be no expansion of NATO territory eastwards, that is to say, closer to the borders of the USSR.”

In February 1990, Baker then told Gorbachev in Moscow that “there would be no extension of NATO’s jurisdiction for forces of NATO one inch to the east.” Gorbachev then stated, “any extension of the zone of NATO is unacceptable.” Baker replied, “I agree.”

October 1993. US Sec Warren Christopher travelled to Moscow to explain in advance of the Jan 1994 NATO summit that the US would not support new members joining the alliance, but would rather develop a Partnership for Peace that would include all states of the former Warsaw Pact.

Details of James Baker meeting in the NS declassified document below & both memoirs of Warren Christopher and Clinton’s chief on Russia's dossier Strobe Talbott. The US failed to honour its verbal promises.

nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/…
amazon.com/gp/product/080…

amazon.com/gp/product/081…

#Ukraine cuts its diplomatic ties with #Russia.

https://twitter.com/ejmalrai/status/1496402532809248770

Important:
#Israel Foreign Minister Yair Lapid condemn the "Russian invasion of #Ukraine".

The Israeli condemnation may reflect positively on #Syria where #Russia could take a tougher position towards the Israeli continuous attacks. Russia was allowing Israeli bombing for years.

#Breakingnews:

#Russia announced ready to talk with #Ukraine about its neutrality and non-participation to @NATO.

#Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko denied Ukrainian accusations that his nation is taking part in the attack on Ukraine.

#BreakingNews:
#Russia said the city of Belgorod, located on the Seversky Donets River 40 kilometres north of the border with Ukraine, has been hit by artillery. No casualties were reported.

Instead of imposing sanctions on #Russia, #Europe should establish a serious communication-diplomatic line & look after the interest of the continent in stopping this war & prevent NATO-USA from establishing a military base and strategic missiles in #Ukraine to threaten #Moscow.

#Ukraine asked #Turkey to prevent #Russia's access to the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits but this won't happen. Ukraine has NATO solidarity but won't fight on its behalf. Kyiv is on its own: time for @ZelenskyyUa to understand that the west won't go to the battlefield.

I won't post any pictures of human, equipment losses and war-related on #Ukraine. In war, there will be many photos on both sides. Regardless, the objective is set and #Russia will end up fulfilling it. Even so, there are no absolute winners in any war.

Confirmed: #Russia/n forces control the Antonov military airport about 15 miles outside of #Kyiv capital.

Well, it seems all the #US, #UK, #Frensh, #Canadian et al. weapons worth billions of dollars that were sent to #Ukraine in the last weeks were in fact sent for #Russia to take as a spoil of war as the Russian advance is so swift and decisive.

It looks like the Ukrainian army is resisting a bit more than the #Afghan army when the Taliban entered #Kabul without resistance.

Hostomel airport is the objective now.
google.com/maps/place/Hos…

Customers pay the price of #US #NATO expantion
Brent crude hit $105 a barrel for th expansion since August 2014, following a rise of more than 8% .
Benchmark Dutch gas futures rose to 62%, the most since at least 2005. German power for March jumped as much as 58%.

Biden's speech and "war on Russia" reminds me of Georges W. Bush's "war on terror":

Who is not with us is against us.

Why on Earth do we need additional 7000 US men in Europe? This is how the #US is fighting #Russia and "defending" #Ukraine?