Last week the world stood on the very edge of a nuclear war, as Ukraine’s US-funded president, Vladimir Zelensky, urged NATO military action over a missile that landed on Polish soil. "This is a Russian missile attack on collective security! This is a really significant escalation. Action is needed," said Zelensky immediately after the missile landed.
But there was a problem. The missile was fired from Ukraine – likely an accident in the fog of war. Was it actually a Russian missile, of course, that might mean World War III. But Zelensky didn’t seem to be bothered by the prospect of the world blown up, judging from his reckless rhetoric.
While Zelensky has been treated as a saint by the US media, the Biden Administration, and both parties in Congress, something unprecedented happened this time: the Biden Administration pushed back. According to press reports, several Zelensky calls to Biden or senior Biden Staff went unanswered.
When US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan finally returned Zelensky’s call, he is reported to have said, “tread carefully” on claims Russia was behind the missiles landing in Poland. The Biden Administration went on to publicly dispute Zelensky’s continued insistence that Russia shot missiles into NATO-Member Poland. After two days of Washington opposition to his claims, Zelensky finally, sort of, backed down.
We’ve heard rumors of President Biden’s frustration over Zelensky’s endless begging and ingratitude for the 60 or so billion dollars doled out to him by the US government, but this is the clearest public example of the Biden Administration’s acceptance that it has a “Zelensky problem.”
Zelensky must have understood that Washington and Brussels knew it was not a Russian missile. Considering the vast intelligence capabilities of the US in that war zone, it is likely the US government knew in real time that the missiles were not Russian. For Zelensky to claim otherwise seemed almost unhinged. And for what seems like the first time, Washington noticed.....more below
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran will reject any call for a ceasefire in the ongoing war with the United States and Israel, insisting that there must be a permanent end to the aggression.
In an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Araghchi said that Iran will continue to fight because Israel and the US had already shattered a ceasefire reached to end the 12-day war in June last year.
“And now you want to ask for a ceasefire again? This doesn't work like this… There needs to be a permanent end to the war,” Araghchi said.
“Unless we get to that, I think we need to continue fighting for the sake of our people and our security,” he said.
The comments came in response to NBC moderator Kristin Welker's question about whether Iran would be ready to end the war and return to the negotiating table with the US.
It also came two days after US President Donald Trump said that the only way to end the war would be for Iran to announce “unconditional surrender.”
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