Submitted by: M Mulukin

Putin decides to recognize the two breakaway regions of Ukraine.........

February 22, 2022

In a statement on Monday night, the Kremlin said that President Vladimir Putin had informed both Germany’s Olaf Scholz and France’s Emmanuel Macron in phone calls of his decision to recognize the independence of the two breakaway Ukraine republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.

 Both leaders “expressed disappointment” over the move. The decision came after Russia’s top officials made impassioned speeches in favour of recognition at an unscheduled Kremlin security council meeting.  This move could pave the way for Russian troops to move into Eastern Ukraine.

Putin opened his address to the nation on his decision with “a history lesson on why Ukraine isn’t a state but a creation by “Bolshevik Russia, by Lenin,” whom he called the “author and architect” of Ukraine.

The order will likely be seen as another escalation of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, on a day when tensions rose as Putin moved forward with the formal recognition of two breakaway regions and delivered a lengthy speech about the relationship between the two nations.

Putin framed the troop movement as a “peacekeeping” effort in both regions. His decision to recognize both regions was seen by the United States and its European allies as a dramatic provocation and part of a pretext to invade Ukraine and led to the U.S. and European Union announcing sanctions. Many experts believed Moscow’s formal recognition would effectively scuttle a previous ceasefire agreement that some Western allies hoped could provide a route out of the crisis.

In a wide-ranging televised speech Monday evening, Putin described Ukraine as a historical part of Russia that was illegitimately taken from Moscow and is now run by a “puppet regime” controlled by the U.S. and the West.

"Ukraine is not just a neighbouring country, they are a part of our culture," he said.

Noting that Ukraine has taken down some of its Soviet-era statues, he warned Kyiv, "You want decommunization? We will show you what it’s like."

He then signed a decree formally recognizing the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, which have been controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.

Alongside him were Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik, heads of the Donetsk and Luhansk republics. Soon after Putin finished his address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he spoke with President Joe Biden Monday afternoon and would soon speak with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A White House official said the call lasted about 35 minutes.

In a readout of Biden's call with Zelenskyy, the White House said Biden "strongly condemned Putin’s decision to purportedly recognize the 'independence' of" Donetsk and Luhansk.

"President Biden reiterated that the United States would respond swiftly and decisively, in lock-step with its Allies and partners, to further Russian aggression against Ukraine," the White House continued.

Biden also held calls with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In a separate readout, the White House said Biden and the two European leaders "discussed how they will continue to coordinate their response on next steps."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden will soon sign an executive order prohibiting U.S. investment and trade in the Ukrainian breakaway regions. That order will additionally allow the administration to sanction any person who operates in those areas.

"We have anticipated a move like this from Russia and are ready to respond immediately," she said in a statement. "To be clear: these measures are separate from and would be in addition to the swift and severe economic measures we have been preparing in coordination with Allies and partners should Russia further invade Ukraine."

The European Union condemned "in the strongest possible terms" Putin's recognition of the two regions in eastern Ukraine.

"This step is a blatant violation of international law as well as of the Minsk agreements," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel said in a joint statement. "The Union will react with sanctions against those involved in this illegal act."

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No clear Israeli plan for countering “dangerous” nuclear Vienna deal with Iran..........

February 22, 2022

PM Naftali Bennett broke weeks of Israeli silence on the Iranian nuclear issue on Sunday, February. 20 when he told a visiting delegation of American Jewish leaders “Israel will not accept Iran as a nuclear threshold state.”

The emergent deal – between the six world powers and Iran in Vienna – “is highly likely to create a violent, volatile Middle East,” he said. Israel was “deeply troubled that “what we see in the talks will make it much, much harder for us to defend ourselves.”

Bennett pointed out out that Iran is intent on closing the open files of the International Atomic Energy Agency – which represent the results of “hot investigations” pertaining to possible military dimensions. “Or in simple English: Iran has hidden and is still hiding nuclear-weapon related materials. It has been caught red-handed, and Iran is demanding that the inspectors that caught them will pretend to forget what they saw. Meanwhile, Iran has reached a very advanced phase of its uranium enrichment process.”

The “biggest problem with this agreement is the sunset clause,” he went on to say – according to which, “in two-and-a-half years, [Iran] will be allowed a nuclear breakout. It puts Iran on the fast track to nuclear development.”

Iran will be able to set up centrifuges on areas “the size of a football field … and it will be legal.” Iran “won’t even have to destroy all those centrifuges they developed over the years”.

“The agreement will moreover pour money, billions of dollars, into the Iranian terror machine – more UAVs, more attacks on ships, more rockets on Israel and our allies through its proxies. And to cap the chutzpah – Iran is demanding to delist the IRGC. Do you understand? They are now asking to let the biggest terror organization on earth off the hook.”

Regarding disagreements with Washington, Bennett disclosed: “When we discuss this with our American friends, we all agree on the diagnosis. This is the hand we were dealt. There is no point in playing the blame game. We need to address the challenge”.

“Let me be clear. One way or another, I have no doubt that Israel will prevail over whatever circumstances we face. Israel will always retain its freedom of action to defend itself,” said Bennett, adding that this country is “building unprecedented military capabilities.” “We have to be by far the strongest country in the region.”.

The prime minister’s speech was impressive, say analysts – except that it is not clear what he expected of his audience, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Was he asking those leaders to go home and use their influence in Congress – nationally and in their respective states – to scupper the dangerous Iran deal? If that was his purpose, he should have laid out a clear plan of political action to bolster any military steps that Israel was proposing to embark on.

No sort of action, political or military, was, however, indicated in the Bennett presentation or appeared to be in the making by his government.