Merci beaucoup, France, for the birthday gift of Macron leading the first round.
Now it is onto the second round. Don't fuck it up, France. MACRON ALL THE WAY!
That didn't take long. Going into the second round of the French election, Socialist, Green, right-wing candidates back Macron against Le Pen, according to AFP.
Hard left Melanchon is VERY clear that no one on the left should vote for Le Pen in the runoff.
"I know your anger. But don't let it lead you to make an irreparable mistake. We know for whom we'll never vote. Not a single vote must go to Marine Le Pen."
Racist Zemmour will back Nazi Le Pen in the runoff. But conservative Pecresse is backing Macron in the runoff. Pecresse is vociferous about denying Le Pen the Elysee Palace.
Hidalgo of the Socialist Party, Jadot of the Green Party & Roussel of the Communist Party all back Macron in the runoff. Melanchon already said no vote should go to Le Pen.
Tomorrow is the 1st round of the French presidential election. As a reminder, in 2017, Le Pen defended the 2014 annexation of Crimea, said she saw it as part of Russia & promised to work with Putin. Zemmour is a right wing extremist. So is she.
In Brussels, Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba says during a presser with NATO Sec General Jens Stoltenberg that his agenda has three priorities to take up with allies: "Weapons, weapons, and weapons."
As a reminder, the only exit ramp here is with a Ukrainian victory over Russia.
Speaking from Brussels, Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba rebukes the international community, saying it should not take the brutal lives of Ukrainians at Bucha to realize they must do more.
Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba is shaming the world for its reticence in doing more to help fight Russian aggression. Fine, he says, Ukraine will fight the war. Just give us the weapons.
There was no more appalling sight at the UN than Russia chairing a session of the UN Sec Council while it launched its war on Ukraine. Since there is no mechanism to expel a permanent member, it is clear the international security apparatus is broken.
Let me repeat: Zelenskyy is right. Either amend the way the UNSC works so it can expel of Russia, or, dissolve the body for the sake of the world. It is now an impotent joke as genocide is carried out by Russia in Ukraine, while China turns a blind eye.
Indeed. There are millions of people in Russia who oppose this heinous war. But there are also millions of people in Russia who endorse this aggression against Ukraine & support the erasure of this country off the face of the earth. Let's not erase the truth & face reality.
It is good to see brave Russians opposing Putin, but so many more are silent. The problem predates this horrific war in Ukraine. From Grozny, to Aleppo, to the annexation of Crimea. Plus South Ossetia & Abkhazia. Russia has a long history of aggression that has unfolded unchecked
And when I say unchecked, I include the lack of pushback from the international community that has indulged Russia's encroachment into sovereign countries for years. YEARS.
We are *here* because the world has been afraid to stand up to Putin.
President Joe Biden says this repeatedly -- but please, please, please DO NOT diminish its importance. Putin has badly underestimated the resolution & unity from the US & its NATO allies.
We would not be *here* were Joe Biden not president. It is not accidental that citizens of NATO countries have higher confidence in U.S. global leadership under President Joe Biden.
Let me repeat: We would not be *here* were Joe Biden not president. It is not accidental that citizens of NATO countries have higher confidence in U.S. global leadership under President Joe Biden. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
"There’s an essential through line from Jan 6 to what we’re seeing now: Accountability for Jan 6 becomes more important in this geopolitical context, where we’re reentering a conflict with Russia over whether liberal democracy is durable" - @ThePlumLineGS washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/…
The Biden admin has avoided the usual ethos of US hegemony in responding to the Ukraine crisis. They’ve stuck much closer to the ground. As noted by Snyder to Sargeant: "They say, We can’t do everything. But we can be creative and do a lot of things.”
The Biden admin has, so far, avoided actions that Russia might see as a trigger, while unleashing draconian sanctions, & sending arms to Ukraine. It is what @ThePlumLineGS referred to as "a new realism" by the US & Western allies.