March 4th was 100's of lives ago...
Update(1700ET): Recall that Biden in Brussels just days ago hailing a NATO that's "more united than ever"... as France24 and others reported: "Russian President Vladimir Putin had banked on NATO being split when he launched an invasion of Ukraine last month, but Putin actually sparked the exact opposite, with the alliance now being more united than ever, US President Joe Biden said at a NATO-G7 summit in Brussels on Thursday."
And now on Monday, NATO allies are said to be split on whether they should talk to Putin, which also comes after weeks of France's Emmanuel Macron coming under intense pressure for being among the only Western leaders willing to hold frequent phone calls directly with Putin seeking de-escalation. Macron, it should be remembered, was the first to criticize Biden over the US president's remarks suggesting US policy is now regime change in Russia. "We shouldn’t escalate, with words or actions," Macron said.
"As NATO allies discuss the terms of any potential peace deal to be struck between Russia and Ukraine, signs of strategic splits are emerging from within their ranks," writes Bloomberg. "With the war now in its second month, a series of dilemmas are coming into sharp focus over which conditions could be deemed acceptable by Ukraine for any accord, especially as regards the security guarantees alliance members might be able to offer Kyiv."
Divergences have also come into more public view also given Ukraine's President Zelensky has openly backed off a path to NATO membership, saying "neutrality" is now on the table (but while also desiring individual security alliances with Kiev's backers). Speaking of NATO security documents being hotly debated, Bloomberg comments, "The U.K., Poland and other central and eastern European nations – with the exception of Hungary – are skeptical that Russia’s president is serious about negotiating an acceptable peace deal, according to the same document."
But one NATO diplomat was emphatic that, "At the end of the day, allies will have to find a way to deal with Putin whether they like it or not, the second official added."
On the Russian side, new reports out Monday strongly suggest Putin is backing off the stated goal of "denazification" - hinting that full regime change is not an end-goal. Ukraine is alleging that Russia may be eyeing splitting the country into Western and Eastern halves.
zerohedge.com |
