by Paul Craig Roberts, Paul Craig Roberts:
“Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics called for NATO to allow Ukraine to conduct strikes inside Russian territory, adding the alliance should not fear Moscow’s response. The White House has resisted sending Kiev missiles with the range to hit targets inside Russia.
“During an interview on the sidelines of NATO summit in Romania, Rinkevics stated ‘we should allow Ukrainians to use weapons to target missile sites or air fields from where those operations are being launched.’ Allies ‘should not fear’ escalation from Moscow, he added. ”
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Escalation is proceeding as it did in Vietnam. A Washington puppet would not have voiced a provocative proposal without Washington’s permission. By “inside Russia” Rinkevics means territory beyond the territory Russia recently reincorporated. He is calling for widening the war by crossing a red line that President Putin could not ignore.
It is, of course, Washington that has widened the Kremlin’s limited military operation into an ever larger war with increasing Western participation. But it was President Putin’s decision in favor of a slow moving limited war, which did not hamper Ukraine’s ability to fight the war, that enabled Washington to widen the war. Washington had plenty of time to create the narrative and control the explanation of the war. Washington’s propaganda created sympathy for Ukraine and hatred of Russia. What the Kremlin needed was a quick decisive victory and a new Ukrainian government before Washington had time to react.
More importantly, by entering the conflict with insufficient soldiers and no reserves, the extended Russian lines became indefensible. Russian pullbacks were used in the West to create the impression that Russia could be defeated. The UK Telegraph even wrote a few days go that Ukraine would be in Crimea by Christmas.
The belief that Russia can be defeated will prevent realistic negotiations and will encourage more provocations that sooner or later will cross a red line that cannot be ignored. The go-slow limited military action is a certain path to wider war. Before long Washington will be too involved, too committed to step back. Far from being limited, the conflict is leading to nuclear confrontation. If the Kremlin cannot find the wisdom to quickly bring the conflict to an end, it will spin out of control.
The Kremlin seems to be having a difficult time recognizing reality. For many months the Kremlin has been complaining about each new “indirect” participation by the US/NATO. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has recently elevated this complaint to “direct participation.” In other words, the Kremlin has finally acknowledged that the US/NATO are at war with Russia. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-now-says-us-nato-directly-participating-ukraine-war
Lavrov admits that the risk of escalaion into nuclear war is enormous.
So why doesn’t the Kremlin do what it should have done long ago and bring the conflict to a quick close by destroying the infrastructure that permits Ukraine to continue the war and replace Zelensky, an American puppet, with a leader friendly to Russia?
Conflict became inevitable when the Kremlin stood aside and permitted Washington to overthrow the Ukrainian government and install a puppet. The conflict moved forward when the Kremlin refused the Donbass’ request to be reincorporated into Russia along with Crimea. In 2014 I said that this mistake would result in war. When the conflict began last February, it was clear that anything but a quick decisive Russian victory would result in US/NATO involvement.
For the Kremlin the lessons remain unlearned. More pointless complaints, ignored by the West, issue from the Kremlin while its spokesman gives assurances that Russia has no intention of removing Zelensky.
There seems to be no Kremlin decision to correct the highly unfavorable situation the Kremlin has created for itself.
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