The Multi-Polar New World Order

[Ron Wagner + 642]

10 hours ago, frankfurter said:

Aint no such thing as a 'constitutional republic'.  That's like saying you are a legal humanoid.  You are a human, with a mind, so I presume. America is a republic, with a constitution.  Sadly, that constitution is only words on paper.

If I write USA, Russia, China are republics, that is fact. Don't know why you persist to claim such is propaganda.

In a republic, power is vested in the highest office. The incumbent may or may not exercise the power as a dictator. US presidents since Roosevelt have usurped the Constitution and invaded other countries at will: in true dictatorial fashion. Don't know why you argue such fact, and why you try to smear anyone who raises such fact as a propagandist.

Are Putin and Xi dictators? In your mind, yes. But in fact, no. Both are limited by their own laws and parties. Their powers and those of your president differ only in degree: not in principle.

In every post, you somehow try to bring China into the topic. What China has to do with the creation and functioning of your so-called US democracy is a total mystery. Your posts are highly indicative of paranoiac neurosis.  What do you so dreadfully fear?

 

As in all good propaganda there is some truth in your argument. When people do not have a vote or the vote is in anyway distorted by unfair means the people do not have a vote. Russia long ago made sure that the people were not able to vote for whoever they wished. You know that very well. Only certain people are allowed to run for office and many districts lost their ability to run their own operations. There is no comparison in Russia or China to any actual representative democracy or Republic. 

It is true that American Presidents have strayed form the constitution of our great republic and that the constitution is not always followed as well as it should be. There are egregious examples such as Lincoln during our civil war, FDR during WW2, and the creation of the "federal' banking system. It took awhile for Blacks to attain all of their rights after slavery was abolished by Lincoln and the North. 

America is in danger of having its constitution further diluted by all sorts of Democrat schemes that are continually being worked on. One in the works right now is trying to eliminate our electoral college which was wisely designed by our founding fathers. Another is changing the way voting takes place and cheating is allowed with no thorough oversight. 

Our November election will hopefully allow a lot of improvements in what happens going forward. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58614227 Russia election: Putin's party wins election marred by fraud claims

https://www.politico.eu/article/vladimir-putin-wins-right-to-extend-his-russia-rule-until-2036-in-landslide-vote/

 

[Boat + 1,315]

On 4/20/2022 at 6:50 AM, Tom Nolan said:

EXCERPTS   The G-20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Spain is also invited as a permanent guest.

The Biden administration wants to increase pressure on Russia, but finds increasing resistance to do more.

Brazil, Russia, India, and China widely known as BRICs have not bowed to US pressure. Nor have Mexico, Saudi Arabia, or South Africa. 

 

Globalization is Dead. Long Live the New World Order!

https://www.corbettreport.com/episode-369-globalization-is-dead-long-live-the-new-world-order/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Lavrov: Russia, China Moving Towards Multipolar 'Fair World Order'

by Tyler Durden

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2022 - 07:00 PM

Wed March 30th – Zero Hedge
Lavrov: Russia, China Moving Towards Multipolar ‘Fair World Order’
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/russia-china-foreign-ministers-meet-wednesday-discuss-fair-world-order

EXCERPTS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his Chinese counterpart on Wednesday, where he said the two are carving a path towards a ‘fairer world order.’ [See elbow bump]
The meeting between Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, marks the first visit to a key ally since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, according to The Economic Times.

The two countries will work to achieve “a multipolar, fair, and democratic world order,” Lavrov said, speaking from the Chinese city of Tunxi located in the eastern inland Anhui Province.

In a video released by the Russian foreign ministry ahead of a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Lavrov said the world was “living through a very serious stage in the history of international relations”.

At the end of this reshaping of global relations “we, together with you, and with our sympathisers will move towards a multipolar, just, democratic world order”, Lavrov said. -Economic Times

Lavrov and Yi were seen on Chinese state TV in face masks bumping elbows in front of their national flags shortly before the meetings – which Lavrov will attend – to discuss ways to help Afghanistan.
Both the US and the Taliban are expected to be in attendance….

May China and Russia be blessed with fairness. I hope N Korea in all its fairness joins them with its fairness along with Iran, Syria etc. I foresee no problems between all these fair minded authoritative bastions of cooperation. 🤣

[frankfurter + 562]

3 hours ago, Ron Wagner said:

As in all good propaganda there is some truth in your argument. When people do not have a vote or the vote is in anyway distorted by unfair means the people do not have a vote. Russia long ago made sure that the people were not able to vote for whoever they wished. You know that very well. Only certain people are allowed to run for office and many districts lost their ability to run their own operations. There is no comparison in Russia or China to any actual representative democracy or Republic. 

It is true that American Presidents have strayed form the constitution of our great republic and that the constitution is not always followed as well as it should be. There are egregious examples such as Lincoln during our civil war, FDR during WW2, and the creation of the "federal' banking system. It took awhile for Blacks to attain all of their rights after slavery was abolished by Lincoln and the North. 

America is in danger of having its constitution further diluted by all sorts of Democrat schemes that are continually being worked on. One in the works right now is trying to eliminate our electoral college which was wisely designed by our founding fathers. Another is changing the way voting takes place and cheating is allowed with no thorough oversight. 

Our November election will hopefully allow a lot of improvements in what happens going forward. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58614227 Russia election: Putin's party wins election marred by fraud claims

https://www.politico.eu/article/vladimir-putin-wins-right-to-extend-his-russia-rule-until-2036-in-landslide-vote/

 

At least we agree the USA is a republic. So, in your mind, a democracy is a society in which the common person can choose, by vote, their leaders? That voting process is suffrage, not democracy. The founders of America were slave owners. Americans should well ponder why their founders chose a republic, not a democracy, for their new country.

[Boat + 1,315]

4 hours ago, Ron Wagner said:

As in all good propaganda there is some truth in your argument. When people do not have a vote or the vote is in anyway distorted by unfair means the people do not have a vote. Russia long ago made sure that the people were not able to vote for whoever they wished. You know that very well. Only certain people are allowed to run for office and many districts lost their ability to run their own operations. There is no comparison in Russia or China to any actual representative democracy or Republic. 

It is true that American Presidents have strayed form the constitution of our great republic and that the constitution is not always followed as well as it should be. There are egregious examples such as Lincoln during our civil war, FDR during WW2, and the creation of the "federal' banking system. It took awhile for Blacks to attain all of their rights after slavery was abolished by Lincoln and the North. 

America is in danger of having its constitution further diluted by all sorts of Democrat schemes that are continually being worked on. One in the works right now is trying to eliminate our electoral college which was wisely designed by our founding fathers. Another is changing the way voting takes place and cheating is allowed with no thorough oversight. 

Our November election will hopefully allow a lot of improvements in what happens going forward. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58614227 Russia election: Putin's party wins election marred by fraud claims

https://www.politico.eu/article/vladimir-putin-wins-right-to-extend-his-russia-rule-until-2036-in-landslide-vote/

 

So your in a state where one candidate had 51% of the vote and the other 49%. The state would send 100% of the state’s delegates to Washington. In the case of California that’s 55 votes if I remember right. One would think sending 27 delegates for one party and 28 for the other would be much fairer. In 1974 usually a debater who could articulate this miscarriage of manipulation would win in a debate. But here in the US the laws still stand. Only one party tried to circumvent the election, the law and attempt a Coup in my lifetime of 60+ years. They should be in jail. Some of us want a fairer representation of our votes but we’re not attempting to law and order away in an insane power grab to get it. 

Edited April 25, 2022 by Boat

[Ron Wagner + 642]

6 minutes ago, Boat said:

So your in a state where one candidate had 51% of the vote and the other 49%. The state would send 100% of the state’s delegates to Washington. In the case of California that’s 55 votes if I remember right. One would think sending 27 delegates for one party and 28 for the other would be much fairer. In 1974 usually a debater who could articulate this miscarriage of manipulation would win in a debate. But here in the US the laws still stand. Only one party tried to circumvent the election, the law and attempt a Coup in my lifetime of 60+ years. They should be in jail. Some of us want a fairer representation of our votes but we’re not attempting to law and order away in an insane power grab to get it. 

I don't understand what you mean by an insane power grab. Maybe just what we consider as fair elections where every actual citizen only has one real vote. That is all we want. 

As for the electoral college it is subject to state control of percentages I think, but it is good for less populated states to follow the constitution as it was designed by the founding fathers. The rationale was to allow more control of individual states with smaller populations. Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota are some of the largest. It makes good sense to me. It can be changed by constitutional amendment. 

https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/EssentialElectoralCollege_Ebook.pdf

[Ron Wagner + 642]

1 hour ago, frankfurter said:

At least we agree the USA is a republic. So, in your mind, a democracy is a society in which the common person can choose, by vote, their leaders? That voting process is suffrage, not democracy. The founders of America were slave owners. Americans should well ponder why their founders chose a republic, not a democracy, for their new country.

Russia should ponder why it chose communist dictators over capitalist dictators and have remained poor even when communism was replaced with fascism. I think it has something to do with just blindly following dictatorial leaders. 

[notsonice + 1,063]

On 4/24/2022 at 12:04 AM, frankfurter said:

So, now we know you are proud to be a war monger.  Mussolini defined Fascism as the merger of State and Corporate interests and power. Do you deny the deep state; the control special interest groups have over Washington DC; the control of money and power wielded by the Federal Reserve; the censorship and control over free speech wielded by Twitter and Facebook ?  Your Democracy is in your own demented mind; it is not real.

I did not invade Ukraine.

Putin did.

And today, I hope every Russian sent to Ukraine is sent back in a body bag

If you are a Russian you can step up at the war crimes trial for Putin and his supporters and take responsibility if you want. 

Enjoy the new US supply of weapons sent to Ukraine. I hope they find your brothers soon. 

Putin wanted war and he is getting what he deserves, filled body bags

[Ron Wagner + 642]

22 hours ago, frankfurter said:

At least we agree the USA is a republic. So, in your mind, a democracy is a society in which the common person can choose, by vote, their leaders? That voting process is suffrage, not democracy. The founders of America were slave owners. Americans should well ponder why their founders chose a republic, not a democracy, for their new country.

Pure Democracy is chaotic. Republics and good democracies work on the basis of a constitution. Russia has a good constitution that is only a piece of paper to them. America is far from treating its constitution like that but there are many efforts to make it fit the leftist agendas. 

European nations, Canada and parliamentary systems IMHO do not afford as many rights to their citizens. 

I was surprised how difficult it was for Britain to leave the European Union, that is a warning to other countries about joining, in my opinion. 

[Boat + 1,315]

On 4/24/2022 at 2:42 PM, Ron Wagner said:

As in all good propaganda there is some truth in your argument. When people do not have a vote or the vote is in anyway distorted by unfair means the people do not have a vote. Russia long ago made sure that the people were not able to vote for whoever they wished. You know that very well. Only certain people are allowed to run for office and many districts lost their ability to run their own operations. There is no comparison in Russia or China to any actual representative democracy or Republic. 

It is true that American Presidents have strayed form the constitution of our great republic and that the constitution is not always followed as well as it should be. There are egregious examples such as Lincoln during our civil war, FDR during WW2, and the creation of the "federal' banking system. It took awhile for Blacks to attain all of their rights after slavery was abolished by Lincoln and the North. 

America is in danger of having its constitution further diluted by all sorts of Democrat schemes that are continually being worked on. One in the works right now is trying to eliminate our electoral college which was wisely designed by our founding fathers. Another is changing the way voting takes place and cheating is allowed with no thorough oversight. 

Our November election will hopefully allow a lot of improvements in what happens going forward. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58614227 Russia election: Putin's party wins election marred by fraud claims

https://www.politico.eu/article/vladimir-putin-wins-right-to-extend-his-russia-rule-until-2036-in-landslide-vote/

 

The constitution is no different than the rule of law. Both parties ignore whatever does not fit their agenda at the moment. Both parties job is to simply control the media daily cycle pointing out the other parties faults and ignoring their own. Humans are not capable of fairness but resist mightily when shown examples. 

[frankfurter + 562]

7 hours ago, Ron Wagner said:

Pure Democracy is chaotic. Republics and good democracies work on the basis of a constitution. Russia has a good constitution that is only a piece of paper to them. America is far from treating its constitution like that but there are many efforts to make it fit the leftist agendas. 

European nations, Canada and parliamentary systems IMHO do not afford as many rights to their citizens. 

I was surprised how difficult it was for Britain to leave the European Union, that is a warning to other countries about joining, in my opinion. 

I see. Maybe you and 350mm other murcuns should learn a democracy is like a pregnant woman: either she is or is not, there is no between.  So you don't want a real democracy: you want something like a democracy, but isn't. In other words, a false democracy. Well, congratulations. You have accomplished: USA is certainly a false democracy.

 

[frankfurter + 562]

21 hours ago, notsonice said:

I did not invade Ukraine.

Putin did.

And today, I hope every Russian sent to Ukraine is sent back in a body bag

If you are a Russian you can step up at the war crimes trial for Putin and his supporters and take responsibility if you want. 

Enjoy the new US supply of weapons sent to Ukraine. I hope they find your brothers soon. 

Putin wanted war and he is getting what he deserves, filled body bags

Spoken like the true war-mongering, imperialistic, ass hole you are.  So, it's ok for Ukraine to accept US generals and war weapons to murder +14,000 civilians, but not ok when you receive push back. Your response? More weapons.

You will never, because you can never, accept the views and wishes of other peoples. Yours is the only way, the right way, no other way is possible.  You and you alone decide who is worthy of living, how to live, where to live, and when to die, all by your hand. If not by your hand directly, then a gullible proxy will do oh so nicely, for that can be spun in your media to remove culpability. 

The USA murdered millions in Korea, yet Korea was never a combatant in WW2. Many millions more since 1955, and the murder continues daily. For all this, you are in the right. Your cause; your definition of democracy; only yours, no other. Yet, the countries you bombed and invaded never declared war upon you, were not democracies during your terror, and not democracies after your terror.

For you, the only solution is more weapons, more war, more destruction, more death.  Well, when this solution is upon your doorstep, may we hope you will receive the justice you meted to others?

 

[notsonice + 1,063]

58 minutes ago, frankfurter said:

Spoken like the true war-mongering, imperialistic, ass hole you are.  So, it's ok for Ukraine to accept US generals and war weapons to murder +14,000 civilians, but not ok when you receive push back. Your response? More weapons.

You will never, because you can never, accept the views and wishes of other peoples. Yours is the only way, the right way, no other way is possible.  You and you alone decide who is worthy of living, how to live, where to live, and when to die, all by your hand. If not by your hand directly, then a gullible proxy will do oh so nicely, for that can be spun in your media to remove culpability. 

The USA murdered millions in Korea, yet Korea was never a combatant in WW2. Many millions more since 1955, and the murder continues daily. For all this, you are in the right. Your cause; your definition of democracy; only yours, no other. Yet, the countries you bombed and invaded never declared war upon you, were not democracies during your terror, and not democracies after your terror.

For you, the only solution is more weapons, more war, more destruction, more death.  Well, when this solution is upon your doorstep, may we hope you will receive the justice you meted to others?

 

ass hole you are???? ha ha ha Enjoy the US supplying the Ukraine weapons to defend themselves

I enjoy paying taxes to support the supply of weapons to Ukraine......

Putin invaded the Ukraine...he is just one of the many low life war mongering ass hole Russians ....no different than you. 

Putin is deliberately having Russian forces target civilians.....He should be tried for war crimes......Hope he is convicted and swings from the end of a rope. Genocide is all he has left. He is a disgusting piece of shit. 

Please keep defending your great asshole leader Putin.... You should show up at his trial ....he will need a friend

Yes we will give more weapons to Ukraine.......They deserve them as they are doing gods work....

Gods work???? yep, wiping out Putins troops  (satans helpers) 

 

Putin decided the fate of his countrymen........now please go crawl in your hole with the rest of your fellow Russian worms who support Putin

PS must really suck to be supporting a loser like Putin........... losers love losers.

Edited April 26, 2022 by notsonice

[notsonice + 1,063]

1 hour ago, frankfurter said:

Spoken like the true war-mongering, imperialistic, ass hole you are.  So, it's ok for Ukraine to accept US generals and war weapons to murder +14,000 civilians, but not ok when you receive push back. Your response? More weapons.

You will never, because you can never, accept the views and wishes of other peoples. Yours is the only way, the right way, no other way is possible.  You and you alone decide who is worthy of living, how to live, where to live, and when to die, all by your hand. If not by your hand directly, then a gullible proxy will do oh so nicely, for that can be spun in your media to remove culpability. 

The USA murdered millions in Korea, yet Korea was never a combatant in WW2. Many millions more since 1955, and the murder continues daily. For all this, you are in the right. Your cause; your definition of democracy; only yours, no other. Yet, the countries you bombed and invaded never declared war upon you, were not democracies during your terror, and not democracies after your terror.

For you, the only solution is more weapons, more war, more destruction, more death.  Well, when this solution is upon your doorstep, may we hope you will receive the justice you meted to others?

 

 

enjoy the read........

Putin gets what he didn’t want: Ukraine army closer to West

By ROBERT BURNS2 hours ago

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The longer Ukraine’s army fends off the invading Russians, the more it absorbs the advantages of Western weaponry and training — exactly the transformation President Vladimir Putin wanted to prevent by invading in the first place.

The list of arms flowing to Ukraine is long and growing longer. It includes new American battlefield aerial drones and the most modern U.S. and Canadian artillery. Also, anti-tank weapons from Norway and others; armored vehicles and anti-ship missiles from Britain; and Stinger counter-air missiles from the U.S., Denmark and other countries.

If Ukraine can hold off the Russians, its accumulating arsenal of Western weapons could have a transformative effect in a country that has, like other former Soviet republics, relied mainly on arms and equipment from the Soviet era.

But sustaining that military aid won’t be easy. It is costly and, for some supplier nations, politically risky. It also is being taken out of Western stockpiles that at some point will need to be replenished. That is why U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is convening a meeting Tuesday at Germany’s Ramstein air base to work out ways to keep it going, now and for the long run. Defense ministers and top military leaders from approximately 40 countries are to participate

The goal, Austin said, is not just to support Ukrainian defenses but to help them prevail against a larger invading force.

“We believe they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support,” Austin said on Monday in Poland after returning from a visit to Kyiv with Secretary of State Antony Blinken that included discussion of Ukraine’s military needs. He also said the goal is to “see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things it has done in invading Ukraine.”

Despite its early failings, the Russian military still holds some advantages that will be put to the test in the eastern Donbas region, where they are assembling more combat troops and firepower even as the U.S. and its NATO allies scramble to get artillery and other heavy weaponry to that area in time to make a difference.

With the war’s outcome in doubt after two months of fighting, the Pentagon is providing 90 of the U.S. Army’s most modern howitzers, along with 183,000 rounds of artillery — and other sophisticated weaponry that could give the Ukrainians an important edge in looming battles. The U.S. also is arranging more training for Ukrainians on key weaponry, including howitzers and at least two kinds of armed drone aircraft.

On Monday, Austin and Blinken announced $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries in Europe; some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv, in part to help Ukraine transition to more advanced weapons and air defense systems. The remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began, officials said.

Such financing is different from previous U.S. military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of weapons and equipment from Pentagon stockpiles but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The Ukrainians say they need even more, including long-range air defense systems, fighter jets, tanks and multiple-launch rocket systems.

“It will be true to say that the United States now leads the effort in ensuring this transition of Ukraine to Western-style weapons, in arranging training for Ukrainian soldiers,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, adding, “and I only regret that it didn’t happen a month or two months ago from the very beginning of the war.”

Philip Breedlove, a retired U.S. general who led NATO in Europe from 2013 to 2016, says his shorthand summary of what Putin wants in Ukraine and elsewhere on the Russian periphery is, “Weapons out, NATO back, and no America.”

“What has happened is, Mr. Putin is getting exactly what he did not want. He’s getting more weapons forward, he’s getting more NATO forward, and he’s getting more America in Europe,” Breedlove said in an interview.

The complexities of keeping up Western military aid to Ukraine, even as its troops are fully occupied with a brutal war, are a reminder of what is at stake. Putin said before launching the invasion that Moscow could not tolerate what he saw as a Western effort to make Ukraine a de facto member of NATO. He argued that Ukraine’s interest in westernizing and in remaining outside of Russia’s orbit was due to “external forces” such as U.S. pressure.

Putin has demanded that Ukraine forswear membership in the NATO alliance, and beyond that he has insisted on turning back the clock to 1997, before NATO had begun adding former Soviet and Soviet-allied nations to its ranks.

There is little prospect of Ukraine joining NATO, but Russia’s war has in fact brought NATO closer to Ukraine. The result has been a boost to Ukraine’s prospects for mounting a successful defense, even in the eastern Donbas region where the Russians hold certain advantages and where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014.

___

AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

[frankfurter + 562]

1 hour ago, notsonice said:

 

enjoy the read........

Putin gets what he didn’t want: Ukraine army closer to West

By ROBERT BURNS2 hours ago

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The longer Ukraine’s army fends off the invading Russians, the more it absorbs the advantages of Western weaponry and training — exactly the transformation President Vladimir Putin wanted to prevent by invading in the first place.

The list of arms flowing to Ukraine is long and growing longer. It includes new American battlefield aerial drones and the most modern U.S. and Canadian artillery. Also, anti-tank weapons from Norway and others; armored vehicles and anti-ship missiles from Britain; and Stinger counter-air missiles from the U.S., Denmark and other countries.

If Ukraine can hold off the Russians, its accumulating arsenal of Western weapons could have a transformative effect in a country that has, like other former Soviet republics, relied mainly on arms and equipment from the Soviet era.

But sustaining that military aid won’t be easy. It is costly and, for some supplier nations, politically risky. It also is being taken out of Western stockpiles that at some point will need to be replenished. That is why U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is convening a meeting Tuesday at Germany’s Ramstein air base to work out ways to keep it going, now and for the long run. Defense ministers and top military leaders from approximately 40 countries are to participate

The goal, Austin said, is not just to support Ukrainian defenses but to help them prevail against a larger invading force.

“We believe they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support,” Austin said on Monday in Poland after returning from a visit to Kyiv with Secretary of State Antony Blinken that included discussion of Ukraine’s military needs. He also said the goal is to “see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things it has done in invading Ukraine.”

Despite its early failings, the Russian military still holds some advantages that will be put to the test in the eastern Donbas region, where they are assembling more combat troops and firepower even as the U.S. and its NATO allies scramble to get artillery and other heavy weaponry to that area in time to make a difference.

With the war’s outcome in doubt after two months of fighting, the Pentagon is providing 90 of the U.S. Army’s most modern howitzers, along with 183,000 rounds of artillery — and other sophisticated weaponry that could give the Ukrainians an important edge in looming battles. The U.S. also is arranging more training for Ukrainians on key weaponry, including howitzers and at least two kinds of armed drone aircraft.

On Monday, Austin and Blinken announced $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries in Europe; some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv, in part to help Ukraine transition to more advanced weapons and air defense systems. The remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began, officials said.

Such financing is different from previous U.S. military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of weapons and equipment from Pentagon stockpiles but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The Ukrainians say they need even more, including long-range air defense systems, fighter jets, tanks and multiple-launch rocket systems.

“It will be true to say that the United States now leads the effort in ensuring this transition of Ukraine to Western-style weapons, in arranging training for Ukrainian soldiers,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, adding, “and I only regret that it didn’t happen a month or two months ago from the very beginning of the war.”

Philip Breedlove, a retired U.S. general who led NATO in Europe from 2013 to 2016, says his shorthand summary of what Putin wants in Ukraine and elsewhere on the Russian periphery is, “Weapons out, NATO back, and no America.”

“What has happened is, Mr. Putin is getting exactly what he did not want. He’s getting more weapons forward, he’s getting more NATO forward, and he’s getting more America in Europe,” Breedlove said in an interview.

The complexities of keeping up Western military aid to Ukraine, even as its troops are fully occupied with a brutal war, are a reminder of what is at stake. Putin said before launching the invasion that Moscow could not tolerate what he saw as a Western effort to make Ukraine a de facto member of NATO. He argued that Ukraine’s interest in westernizing and in remaining outside of Russia’s orbit was due to “external forces” such as U.S. pressure.

Putin has demanded that Ukraine forswear membership in the NATO alliance, and beyond that he has insisted on turning back the clock to 1997, before NATO had begun adding former Soviet and Soviet-allied nations to its ranks.

There is little prospect of Ukraine joining NATO, but Russia’s war has in fact brought NATO closer to Ukraine. The result has been a boost to Ukraine’s prospects for mounting a successful defense, even in the eastern Donbas region where the Russians hold certain advantages and where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014.

___

AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

Excellent piece of propaganda.  yup, them weapons are gonna make them ruskies tremble in fear.