Haddock

I am French and russia is my enemy.

Leonid Ivashov, a retired Russian Colonel General and a prominent military and public official: “Stop military actions and sit down for negotiations. What is wrong with this option? You've already lost, you didn't foresee anything at all, you didn't have the brains to understand that there would be a war, not this light-winged operation where you just fluttered in, spat somewhere, and won." Despite Ivashov’s fierce and high-profile public criticisms of the Kremlin's decisions regarding Ukraine, he has continued his public life and commentary from within Russia.

1/ Murder and torture have become so normalised in the Russian army that they no longer attract much attention, a Russian warblogger says. Five years of brutality have resulted in the acceptance of practices that once prompted "horror and a normal psychological rejection". ⬇️

🇨🇳 🇺🇸 Imagine China invades the United States. Chinese troops occupy Alaska. Chinese missiles destroy American cities, power stations and hospitals. Beijing complains that Washington has been behaving provocatively by refusing to surrender. President Donald Trump appears on television, desperately appealing to Europe for help. Europe’s response? “Donald, shut up. You don’t have the cards. You’re in a very bad position. You should be grateful we’re even talking to you.” Then a Chinese missile strikes an elementary school in Washington. Dozens of American children are killed. A European leader is asked whether Beijing should be held responsible. “Look, it’s terrible. Absolutely terrible. But we must remember that people are dying on both sides. Chinese soldiers are being killed by American troops, too. We cannot simply blame China because some American children have died. We need to understand the legitimate security concerns of both countries.” Meanwhile, reports emerge that 50,000 American children have been forcibly taken by Chinese occupation forces. Children from Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas and Texas have been transported to China, separated from their parents and placed with Chinese families. Europe urges everyone to remain calm. “Frankly, some of these children have been placed with better Chinese families. Very respectable people. Lovely homes. We mustn’t allow emotional arguments about children to derail the peace process.” Trump demands their immediate return. European leaders roll their eyes. “Honestly, the man is exhausting. Every time we speak to Trump, it’s the same bloody thing. Anti-aircraft missiles, air defence systems, ammunition, weapons, weapons, weapons. Can’t he just shut up for five minutes? We’re trying to negotiate peace here.” Meanwhile, Europe demands that Washington immediately stop attacking Chinese oil refineries and military infrastructure. “American strikes are escalating the conflict and threatening global energy prices. Beijing needs reassurance that its infrastructure will be protected.” China continues systematically destroying America’s electricity grid, bridges and railway networks. Europe calls for restraint. From America, naturally. European envoys then fly to Beijing to negotiate lucrative deals involving gas from occupied Alaska and a magnificent new North American security architecture. “We must address China’s legitimate security concerns. Perhaps America could withdraw its troops from certain states and reconsider its military alliances. After all, Beijing has genuine concerns about American military forces operating so close to Chinese positions.” The Chinese positions are in Texas. Trump protests that nobody has asked the Americans what they think. “Donald, we’re negotiating peace. Please stop being difficult. China’s security concerns are just as legitimate as yours.” Eventually, Brussels announces a historic agreement with Beijing determining the future of North America. The Americans are invited to applaud. Now, if this sounds like foreign policy devised by a committee of spectacularly incompetent estate agents attempting to sell a house while its owners are being murdered upstairs, congratulations. Your brain is functioning. In modern American diplomacy, the country invading its neighbour deserves security guarantees, commercial opportunities and understanding. And the children? Well, there are always two sides to every story. The moral collapse of a government. Stay connected, follow @Microinteracti1

The topic of Taurus missiles is a sensitive one. Let me explain why. This will be both an explanation and an answer to some skeptics who say: “We help Ukraine, but what is Ukraine doing for us?” Here is an example. The IRIS-T air defense system. An excellent German system, and we are grateful to its manufacturers. Every type of defense is important for Ukraine, but it is also important for German industry. We have made IRIS-T the world’s number one system after the Patriot, which is an anti-ballistic system. Today, it costs somewhere between $600,000 and around $1 million to $1.5 million. That’s the result of this war. We have also helped address all the problem areas, because only in a real war can you truly eliminate the weaknesses of a particular defense system. Germany now has orders backed up for 10 to 20 years. The cost of a missile has gone up severalfold, even by tens of times. And all of this means jobs. Why do we want to order Taurus missiles? Because when the Americans were unable to supply us with anti-ballistic interceptors for our air defense, we were left with only one option: to destroy Russian launchers. They have built entire launch sites and are killing us, while we have no way to defend ourselves. These are not civilian targets, infrastructure, or energy facilities. That is why we really wanted to order Taurus missiles. And not simply to order them, but, once again, to test them as well. It benefits both sides. From an interview with ZDF. (3/3)

DON'T WORRY ABOUT STEPHEN MILLER Nothing has changed. As deputy chief of staf fHe already had Trump's ear, and was already shaping policy. Now he just gets a new business card. Remember that a chief of staff, to a weak president, is a weak chief of staff?

Thank you, Mr. Kushner. Those five principles are important. However, Moscow subscribed to these principles in documents signed in 1975 (Helsinki Final Act) and 1990 (Charter of Paris). The problem isn't agreeing to principles, but Moscow's failure to abide by them. 🧵 /1

I thank all our partners in the NB8 – the Prime Minister of Estonia @KristenMichalPM, the President of Finland @alexstubb, the President of Lithuania @GitanasNauseda, the Prime Minister of Denmark @Statsmin, the Prime Minister of Iceland @KristrunFrosta, the Prime Minister of Latvia @AndrisKulbergs, the Prime Minister of Norway @jonasgahrstore, and the Prime Minister of Sweden @SwedishPM. It is important that you support Ukraine and that we share the same views on matters of principle. We discussed preparations for the trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi. There have been many preparatory steps in recent days: a meeting in Brussels involving NATO and Europeans, my contacts with the U.S. President’s envoys, and virtually constant communication between our negotiating teams. We believe we need to make the meeting in the Emirates productive, and we have conveyed our proposals for realistic potential outcomes to the American side. We all agree that issues concerning Europe's security must be discussed with the participation of European nations, all of which equally deserve guaranteed security. I am grateful that real diplomacy – bringing Russia's war against Ukraine to an end as soon as possible – is seen as the top priority. I briefed the leaders on our needs ahead of this winter – energy and, of course, air defense. Thank you for your readiness to help. We will continue coordinating and working out our common strong positions in detail. Thank you!

🚨 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says Ukraine is unlikely to regain all its territory militarily and that peace may require compromise. But only Ukraine can decide what it is willing to accept. My question is simple: Why is the country defending its land expected to compromise, while the country that invaded it gets to keep making demands? If aggression is rewarded with territory, what exactly stops the next invasion?

1/ Russian soldiers are reportedly starving to death in a pocket within Russia's Kursk region which has been described as "a second Stalingrad". Thousands are said to have perished, with the unburied bodies and skeletons of Russian soldiers strewn in the streets and woods. ⬇️