IS THIS CUBA: ACT 2?

The Cuban missile crisis in 1963 began with a decision by the USA to station Jupiter ballistic missiles in Turkey aimed at Russia. In response, Russia directly threatened the USA by placing missiles in Cuba.

The Russian missiles were removed as were the USA ones in Turkey. This was not announced as part of the deal to make it look like the USA had ‘won’. Only later did the truth emerge. The current situation in Ukraine is every bit as dangerous.

The Ukraine war began with a US backed Coup in 2014 in which NATO neutral Ukraine transitioned to a hawkish pro-American regime with threats to station missiles within it aimed at Russia. The coup triggered a civil war in the Donbas between ethnic Russian speakers against nationalist Ukrainians. The Ukrainian army was sent into the Donbas to crush dissent. Military personnel from the Russian speaking Donbas serving in the Ukrainian army mutinied and fought it. Russia annexed Crimea.

Attempts to resolve the crisis with the Minsk agreement would have conferred some autonomy on the two main Donbas regions but kept Ukraine intact. Zelenskyy was elected in 2019 having gained a mandate for the Minsk agreement with a 70% majority. Once elected he was threatened by Ukrainian nationalists and urged by western governments who were hostile to Russia and completely reversed his position. Eventually Russia invaded to try and force a negotiated settlement. When it failed Russia annexed all 4 Donbas regions following overwhelmingly supportive referendums.

Donald Trump pretends to act as a ‘mediator’ in this conflict. The USA is in fact the most powerful element in this western ‘proxy war’ against Russia. Trump has stepped back from supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep inside Russia – just as the Jupiter’s were capable of doing. These missiles are both provided by and operated with US technical officers guided by US satellites which rips the US mask of neutrality away. The USA would be an open belligerent and a legitimate military target.

Trump wants a ‘peaceful settlement’ which effectively forces a freeze in the battlefield which Ukraine has made clear it will only consider to be ‘temporary’. It will re-arm and start the war again in the future. Germany blows hot and cold about sending similar Taurus missiles to Ukraine. If it does, it could move from being a passive actor in the war to becoming an active belligerent – and a legitimate Russian target.

The military establishment knows that only massive NATO intervention could stop the Russian advance. Field Marshall Lord Richards, once Britain’s most senior army officer has recently spelled out why this will not happen in an interview with the Independent. Ukraine will not win ....“Unless we were to go in with them – which we won’t do because Ukraine is not an existential issue for us. It clearly is for the Russians....” he said.

This one statement reveals western deceit at a stroke. Those responsible for provoking this war must be severely punished.