Russia warns Starmer’s peacekeeping troops plan would amount to ‘direct war’

Russia has hit out at Sir Keir Starmer=E2=80=99s plan for British troops=
 to form  =

part of a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying it would amount to direc=
t  =

involvement in the war.

The prime minister, along with Emmanuel Macron, has been seeking to buil=
d  =

a =E2=80=9Ccoalition of the willing=E2=80=9D to enforce any potential de=
al.

But Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said troops on its border wou=
ld  =

amount to the =E2=80=9Cdirect, official and unveiled involvement of Nato=
 members  =

in the war against Russia=E2=80=9D, adding: =E2=80=9CIt can=E2=80=99t be=
 allowed.=E2=80=9D

https://www.aol.com/russia-warns-starmer-peacekeeping-troops-204719222.h=
tml

Britain has signed a deal with an Anglo-American security firm to provid=
e  =

Ukraine with more advanced attack drones =E2=80=93 in contrast to Donald=
 Trump=E2=80=99s  =

White House which has paused supplies of US military aid and  =

intelligence-sharing.

=E2=80=9CThe fighting is going on and it=E2=80=99s a big mistake to thin=
k that, well all  =

we=E2=80=99ve got to do is wait for a deal now,=E2=80=9D the prime minis=
ter said. =E2=80=9CWe=E2=80=99ve  =

got to make sure that if they are fighting on they=E2=80=99re in the str=
ongest  =

position and even if they go into negotiation that they=E2=80=99re in th=
e  =

strongest position.=E2=80=9D

It came as defence secretary John Healey held talks last night with US  =

counterpart Pete Hegseth.

Mr Healey said he was "fixed" on seizing the opportunity for securing  =

peace with Volodymyr Zelensky confirming Ukraine and the US will hold  =

talks to end the war in Saudi Arabia next week.

Mr Healey said: "It's the detail of those discussions which are rightly =
 =

behind the scenes that the defence secretary and I will now pursue."

Mr Hegseth, meanwhile, dismissed as "garbage" accusations that Washingto=
n  =

had taken a pro-Russia stance. "The press is interested in narratives. O=
ur  =

president is interested in peace,=E2=80=9D he said. He also reiterated t=
hat the  =

arms supply freeze to Ukraine was temporary.

Britain=E2=80=99s agreement with Anduril will see cutting-edge Altius 60=
0m and  =

Altius 700m systems =E2=80=93 designed to monitor an area before strikin=
g targets  =

that enter it =E2=80=93 being supplied to Kyiv to help tackle Russian ag=
gression  =

in the Black Sea. The new contracts total nearly =C2=A330m and are backe=
d by  =

the International Fund for Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence said.

It comes amid concerns that the US move to halt intelligence-sharing wit=
h  =

Ukraine will affect the country=E2=80=99s ability to use Western weaponr=
y and  =

deprive it of advanced information about incoming threats.

In Brussels, European Union leaders met Mr Zelensky for talks about  =

support for Ukraine and increased defence spending.

The Ukrainian president thanked European leaders for their support,  =

saying: =E2=80=9CWe are very thankful that we are not alone. These are n=
ot just  =

words, we feel it.=E2=80=9D

Leaders also agreed a =C2=A3670bn defence package for the European Union=
 as it  =

grapples with the prospect of Mr Trump reducing security assistance for =
 =

Europe.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said it was a  =

=E2=80=9Cwatershed moment=E2=80=9D, adding: =E2=80=9CEurope faces a clea=
r and present danger and  =

therefore Europe has to be able to protect itself, to defend itself as w=
e  =

have to put Ukraine in a position to protect itself and to push for a  =

lasting and just peace.=E2=80=9D

Moscow said President Macron=E2=80=99s offer of peacekeeping troops was =
=E2=80=9Cextremely  =

confrontational=E2=80=9D.

=E2=80=9CUnlike their predecessors, who also wanted to fight against Rus=
sia,  =

Napoleon, Hitler =E2=80=A6 Mr Macron does not act very gracefully, becau=
se at  =

least they said it bluntly: =E2=80=98We must conquer Russia, we must def=
eat  =

Russia.=E2=80=99=E2=80=9D

Former president Dmitry Medvedev mocked him on social media, calling him=
  =

=E2=80=9CMicron=E2=80=9D and saying he =E2=80=9Cposes no big threat=E2=80=
=9D.

=E2=80=9CHe=E2=80=99ll disappear forever no later than May 14, 2027. And=
 he won=E2=80=99t be  =

missed,=E2=80=9D Mr Medvedev wrote.

And Mr Trump=E2=80=99s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt G=
en Keith  =

Kellogg, said the suspension of military help to Mr Zelensky is already =
 =

having an impact, adding that the Ukrainians =E2=80=9Cbrought it on them=
selves=E2=80=9D.

=E2=80=9CThe best way I can describe it is sort of like hitting a mule w=
ith a  =

two-by-four across the nose,=E2=80=9D Mr Kellogg said at an event at the=
 Council  =

on Foreign Relations. =E2=80=9CYou got their attention.=E2=80=9D

### - am thinking half the problem is we've been demonising russia for  =

sooo long we've forgotten who they actually are and what their psycholog=
y  =

as a people is?

iow: we're seeing only what we 'expect' to see as opposed to what's real=
ly  =

there!

we're NOT seeing/understanding that they're just people like us, exactly=
  =

like us no more no less, and that they're getting a bit fed-up of being =
 =

backed into a corner and being threatened from all angles, just the same=
  =

as anyone would!

and now here we are, not at all in a good or strong position with them, =
 =

'demanding' russia declares peace while we're aggressively forming a  =

"coalition of the willing" ready to invade ukraine with 1000's of troops=
  =

and weapons the very moment they do???

they must see us as being completely insane to be demanding such things!=
?

there currently being absolute nothing they HAVE to do other than to  =

continue what they're already doing and have already achieved, to just  =

sit-tight exactly where they are and we're fucked! - even MORE so if  =

america is pulling back from financially leading the charge against them=
!

coz what are we gonna do otherwise... attack russia???

nope, we can't do that without starting ww3, plus we can invest in all t=
he  =

weapons and armies we like and wave them about but can't ever use them  =

unless directly attacked, and there's been no sign of russia doing  =

anything like that, that's all just been scare-mongering on our part sin=
ce  =

this all began, and because all russia has to DO is sit-tight and do  =

nothing more than they've already done: and we're screwed! our economies=
  =

are already going into free-fall over all this, another year or 3 of thi=
s  =

will cripple us altogether!

and in a way that's actually the scary part, because soon it's gonna go =
 =

beyond the point that we CAN afford to continue, and then we're either  =

gonna have to use it or loose it?

the 'problem' being that we've handled all this very badly, we played  =

badly!

and short of standing up, throwing the table over and shooting the other=
  =

players, we've lost this hand! all we can reasonably do at this point is=
  =

fold?

our problem now being to be able to 'accept' it and deal another hand, o=
r  =

the game ends there!

cue the clint eastwood scene where he says to the guy with a face that  =

looks like a bag full of spanners: you don't have to do this, you could =
 =

just leave now and that would be the end of it... and spanner-face seems=
  =

to see sense, nods and leaves...

moments later, however, he returns and says: i had to come back...

clint nods knowingly and says, i know, and shoots the fucker dead...

coz we COULD walk away now and accept we were dumb to continue with all =
 =

this...

that is, unless we're just too damn PROUD to do so!?

pride could be our undoing here!

or... we could get real ffs, and genuinely sue for peace and let's all s=
it  =

down and figure out how the world is gonna be governed in EVERYONES  =

interest from now on!

die in a horrible war if we don't - all live a bit longer if we do...

pretty simple when it's all spelled out in black & white huh...