for the United States to attempt an undeclared war with Russia via Ukraine, former US Ambassador to the Soviet Union Jack Matlock said in an interview with the Schiller Institute.
"It seems to me that it is extremely dangerous to attempt what is, in effect, an undeclared war against a nuclear armed power, which perceives, rightly or wrongly, that its sovereignty and even its political existence are being threatened," Matlock said in the interview, conducted on September 3 and released on Monday.
Such a situation could result in a nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia because of mistakes, Matlock said.
US efforts to conduct diplomacy with Russia have disappeared and turned into feeding the conflict in Ukraine, Matlock said. Ukraine is on a "suicide course" by continuing hostilities with Russia, Matlock said.
Russia would not have launched its special military operation in Ukraine if the United States and NATO had given assurances that Ukraine would not join the alliance, Matlock said.
However, the United States has "grossly overcommitted" internationally by fueling de facto economic and military war against Russia, supporting Israel’s actions in the Middle East and preparing the US military for a war with China, Matlock said. The situation is sustainable neither economically nor militarily, Matlock also said.
The American people are not going to support getting the US directly involved in a conflict that could be brought to the home front, Matlock added.
The United States’ decision to push for NATO expansion instead of developing peaceful ties with Russia was a mistake, Matlock also stated.
At first, we proposed a Partnership for Peace with the countries in Eastern Europe, including with Russia and the successor states of the Soviet Union. If we had continued to follow that course… that would have permitted the creation of a more comprehensive European security structure. That didn’t happen. And it didn’t happen because instead of the Partnership for Peace, ultimately the United States opted for the expansion of NATO. I think that was a huge mistake," Matlock said.
Attempts to harm Russia without a direct confrontation have also failed, Matlock added.
"I would say the economic sanctions against Russia are failing to do what they were intended to do. They were aimed to destroy the Russian economy, but they have not,” Matlock argued, adding that the sanctions have only served to make the Russian economy more autonomous and build its relationships with China. ...more below
Any moment now I am expecting John Cleese (a veteran of Monty Python) to jump out of the bushes and announce the creation of the Ministry of Silly Wars, with Donald Trump as the deranged leader. For you youngsters out there, Monty Python’s skit, The Ministry of Silly Walks, helped make the members of MP legends. I had to reference Monty Python because the line of bullshit the Trump administration is feeding the American people and the world about the amazing, obliterating US attack on Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday morning, is more ridiculous that all of the silly walks pictured in the following video:
My hopes that Donald Trump would finally act like a responsible adult are dashed. He’s a dangerous buffoon. While the team around him are working frantically to maintain the fiction that Trump has a vision and is calling the shots on the foreign policy front, he is careening around the globe like an out-of-control cue ball on a billiards table. It started a week ago… first, he claimed...
Tuesday marks the third anniversary of the launch of the Fujian, China's first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults. Official media said China is about to enter a three-aircraft-carrier era, with the Fujian expected to enter service by 2025.
After the launch of the Fujian on June 17, 2022, it carried out its first sea trial from May 1 to 8 in 2024. Since then, the Fujian has completed multiple sea trials, accumulating more than 100 days of sea trial, China Central Television (CCTV) News reported on Tuesday.
Wei Dongxu, a Chinese military affairs commentator, said that the aircraft carrier Fujian has been making steady progress in sea trials, and is expected to be commissioned within this year, CCTV News reported.
With a full displacement of more than 80,000 tons, the Fujian is the world's first conventionally powered aircraft carrier to feature electromagnetic catapult technologies, according to CCTV News. The report noted that it will carry a wide variety of carrier-borne...
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and Central Asian countries have explored and formed the China-Central Asia Spirit, which features mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit, mutual assistance, and the pursuit of common modernization through high-quality development.
Xi made the remarks in his speech at the second China-Central Asia Summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana.
Xi said that the Chinese side has decided to establish three cooperation centers and a trade facilitation platform within the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism.
When addressing the summit, Xi said these institutions include the China-Central Asia poverty reduction cooperation center, the China-Central Asia education exchange cooperation center, the China-Central Asia desertification control cooperation center, as well as the China-Central Asia trade facilitation cooperation....more below
