As has become the norm in all West-dominated groupings, formal or informal, the recent G7 Foreign Ministers Meet in Tokyo condemned Russia for invading Ukraine, rather than focusing on issues such as economy, energy, climate change and health. It may be recalled that at the 2018 G7 Summit held in Charlevoix, Canada, Donald Trump, then US President, had called for reinstating Russia to the G7. Trump reiterated this call at the 2019 G7 Summit held in Biarritz, France, and was supported by then-Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. However, other members did not support him.
The Group of Eight (G8) was reduced to G7 after Russia was expelled from the group after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. This was an example of hardcore Western imperialism since the US has invaded or fought in 84 of the 193 countries recognised by the United Nations and has been militarily involved with 191 of 193 (a staggering 98 percent), according to the book ‘America Invades: How We’ve Invaded or Been Militarily Involved with Almost Every Country on Earth’ by Christopher Kelly and Stuart Laycock.
The G7 foreign ministers promised “severe consequences” if Russia used NBC weapons in Ukraine. They also warned Russia against deploying nukes in Belarus – this despite NATO missile deployments targeting Russia, and the US and UK naval vessels suspected of carrying nuclear weapons while visiting Japan and South Korea over the past several years. They also called on China to abstain from threats, coercion, intimidation, or the use of force.1
Seymour Hersh has already blown the cover of how the US sabotaged the Russian Nord Stream pipelines2 though lately assisted by German Chancellor Olof Scholz, America has been trying to divert the blame elsewhere. Seymour Hersh has now revealed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky embezzled $400 million allocated by the US for purchasing oil3 and that he has been buying discounted Russian oil while fighting Russian forces. Clearly, it is a marriage of convenience between the POTUS Joe Biden and Zelensky with the US benefiting financially and strategically. Hersh has also asked whether the Biden administration has an endgame to the conflict.4
Fake propaganda
Part of the US-led fake propaganda of Ukraine winning the war has been blown by the recent leak of classified US documents. This includes an apparently official NATO document, which shows that 71,500 Ukrainians have been killed in action compared to only 16,000-17,500 Russians.5 But the Biden administration is in no mood to call for a ceasefire. American Patriot missiles have been deployed in Ukraine and Zelensky is being instigated to launch a “spring offensive” using the newly provisioned Western tanks, even as the next phase of the Russian offensive is also likely soon.
The American endgame apparently is to make as much money out of the indefinitely extended war and target Russian military capability. That is why an earlier statement was to keep fighting until the last Ukrainian standing. An interesting view from within the US is that Donald Trump has a high chance of returning as the POTUS in 2024 and if that happens, he will pull out from Ukraine faster than Afghanistan.
The world is getting wise of America’s rogue warmongerings. President of Brazil, Lula da Silva says, “Everyone is talking about war, talking about providing weapons to help Ukraine or NATO expanding east to the borders of Russia. Therefore, we must find those countries that want peace. China wants peace, Brazil wants peace, Indonesia wants peace, and India wants peace. So, let’s bring these countries together and make an offer of peace for Russia and Ukraine. I used to trust the EU as a balancing force that has never been directly involved in wars. However, now the EU is directly involved in the conflict. When Chancellor Scholz visited Brazil and asked to sell missiles to help Ukraine, I told him no….. I believe that both Russia and Ukraine want peace…. and the whole world needs peace.”6
Ground reality
According to the Wall Street Journal, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olof Scholz privately told Zelensky in February 2023, that Ukraine cannot win the war against Russia and it should begin peace talks with Moscow.7 But the ground reality is that peace cannot come to Ukraine until Washington wants it. The repeated references to the possible use of NBC weapons by Russia indicate the American fear that should Russia be “forced” to resort to their use because of American miscalculations, the US can no more remain unscathed. Europe and the UK would suffer major damage in such an eventuality but Europe has another major problem facing it – that the US wants to use them against China.
Emmanuel Macron’s statement to reporters that Europe must not become just America’s followers, including over the issue of Taiwan, was in this context. Realisation is also dawning that taking on China would not be a cakewalk, especially with its technological advancements. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said, “We need to re-think and adapt our approach to a more dangerous and competitive world and this means engaging with China, which is estimated to have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035.”
Proxy war
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, now says that in the last decades, China has become an economic powerhouse, a key global player. It is now reducing its dependency on the world while increasing the world’s dependence on itself. The US wants Europe to cut economic ties to China but the realisation is dawning on Europe that the US is taking them for a ride behind the pretext of the Anglo-Saxon about to be gobbled up by the Russian bear. Even Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, the US representative for Georgia’s 14th congressional district since 2021, called the war in Ukraine “ridiculous” and said Russia poses no danger to the US or its NATO allies. “We are paying for … a proxy war with Russia, when I’ve never seen Putin actually showing any detail of his plans to invade Europe, I don’t believe the lies that I’m being told about this.”
Whether Joe Biden is under a “puppet master” 8 is debatable but the Biden Administration is known to be dancing to the tune of America’s arms, energy and pharma lobbies. Moreover, the run-up to the presidential elections will likely witness erratic foreign policy decisions. For example, with the Saudi-Iran handshake and Syria’s return to the Arab world, America is considering officially recognising the Taliban government in Afghanistan. This is after the US F-16 deal with Turkey in exchange for Turkey lifting objections to Finland joining NATO.
America’s economic terrorism through unilateral sanctions, arbitrarily denying the SWIFT system and freeing assets of nations in their Central Banks is bound to witness a global riposte. The US may not be worried immediately but to say it is not getting concerned would be untrue. Meanwhile, Baba Vanga had reportedly foreseen a nuclear explosion in 2023. There are reports that Russia is getting ready to undertake a nuclear experiment. Hopefully, that would be the only explosion that Baba Vanga foresaw.
- (https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/18/asia/g7-foreign-ministers-meeting-japan-taiwan-ukraine-intl-hnk/index.html#:~:text=G7%20foreign%20ministers%20meet%20in,Karuizawa%20on%20April%2018%2C%202023.&text=The%20Group%20of%20Seven%20(G7,Tuesday%20following%20talks%20in%20Japan).
- (https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream)
- (https://eurasiantimes.com/ukraine-war-zelensky-embezzled-400-million-allocated-by-the-us-for-purchasing-fuel-seymour-hersh/?amp)
- (https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/trading-with-the-enemy)
- (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/57467.htm)
- (https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-crisis/us-needs-to-stop-encouraging-war-and-start-talking-about-peace-says-brazilian-pres-lula-articleshow.html)
- (https://www.wsj.com/articles/natos-biggest-european-members-float-defense-pact-with-ukraine-38966950)
- (https://secure.moneyballeconomics.com/?cid=MKT717179&eid=MKT731172&assetId=AST286629&page=2)
-The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views expressed are personal.