Russians running yearslong Trolling operation to project their blame onto Ukraine.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris’ trip to Warsaw to thank Poland for taking in hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion took an unexpected turn before she even left Washington. She’ll be parachuting into the middle of unexpected diplomatic turbulence over fighter jets.

The Polish government on Tuesday came out with a plan to transfer its Russian-made fighter planes to a U.S. military base in Germany, with the expectation that the planes would then be handed over to Ukrainian pilots trying to fend off Russian forces. In turn, the U.S. would supply Poland with U.S.-made jets with “corresponding capabilities.”

But the Poles didn’t run that idea past the Biden administration before going public with it, and the Pentagon quickly dismissed the idea as not tenable. Warplanes flying from a U.S. and NATO base into airspace contested with Russia would raise the risk of the war expanding beyond Ukraine.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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• EXPLAINER: What does a US ban on Russian oil accomplish?
• Ukrainians flee besieged cities as conditions worsen
• Pentagon says Poland's jet offer for Ukraine 'not tenable'

It was a rare moment of disharmony in what has been a largely united effort by NATO allies to assist Ukraine without getting embroiled in a wider war with Russia.

And it meant Harris was flying into fractious terrain Wednesday as she opens a two-day visit to Poland and Romania and tries to patch things up.

“This fighter jet situation is a messy deal, and Harris will have to go there and smooth things out,” said Daniel Fried, who served as U.S. ambassador to Poland for President Bill Clinton and was a senior adviser in the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. “There’s plenty of discussion on the way ahead that needs to be had with the Poles that is better to have in an in-person conversation.”

Harris is expected to continue talks with the Poles about getting fighter jets to the Ukrainians during her visit to Warsaw, according to a senior administration official who previewed the trip on the condition of anonymity. The matter remains a priority to the Biden administration, the official added.

Harris is slated to meet on Thursday with Polish President Andrzej Sebastian Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki as well as with Ukrainians who have fled to Poland. She’ll also meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while in Warsaw. Trudeau has been in Europe this week meeting with Ukraine allies.

Harris will travel on Friday to Bucharest, where she’s to meet Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

The vice president also is expected to use the meetings in Poland and Romania to underscore the U.S. commitment to the NATO alliance and the need for continued humanitarian and military assistance for Ukraine. She’ll also highlight the need for allies to continue their close coordination.

Biden has applauded Poland and other eastern European countries for stepping up in the midst of what’s become an enormous humanitarian crisis that is only growing. Some 2 million people have fled Ukraine, and more than half of the refugees have arrived in Poland.

Biden on Tuesday said he was committed to helping Ukraine’s neighbors assist refugees. He has deployed 4,700 additional U.S. troops to Poland to bolster the defense of the eastern flank NATO ally.

“I’ve made it clear that the United States will share in the responsibility of caring for the refugees so the costs do not fall entirely on the European countries bordering Ukraine,” Biden said. He had been looking to Congress to pass a $14 billion aid package to assist Ukraine and its eastern European allies.

Hours after Biden spoke, Poland blindsided the White House with its proposal.

Victoria Nuland, undersecretary of state for political affairs, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that she saw the Polish government’s announcement as she was driving to Capitol Hill to testify.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. called it “curious” for Poland to announce its plan “without alerting us first.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken did say on Sunday that the U.S. was working with Poland on plans to supply Ukraine with fighter jets and to “backfill” Poland’s needs. The Polish government, however, made clear that it would not send its fighter jets directly to Ukraine or allow its airports to be used.

Poland’s idea of transferring its MiGs to the U.S. did not come up during the talks with Blinken, according to a U.S. official familiar with the talks.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate matter, said White House officials did not think the proposal would easily solve logistical challenges of providing aircraft to Ukraine and questioned the logic of transferring the planes to a major NATO base in Germany only to move them back to eastern Europe.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pleading for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine or provide Ukraine with fighter jets. NATO has nixed the no-fly zone idea, saying such a move would lead to the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II and spread further.

Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said late Tuesday he hoped the administration could work out a better agreement with Poland and “give them assurances that we will deliver” fighter jets. McCaul also said that more lethal drones could be another option to help provide air power to the Ukrainians

Harris traveled to the Munich Security Conference last month to rally European allies in the days ahead of the invasion. She also met with Zelenskyy and other European officials.

“The vice president’s trip to Poland and to Europe is part of our effort to show our strong support for our NATO allies and partners, the security assistance they’ve been providing, their role in accepting and welcoming refugees from Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

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hanimmal said:

I don't know much about this source of information, so feel free to call me out on using it.

I think after the attack on our democracy that the Saudi's and UAE have helped conduct that we finally tell them to go fuck themselves.

I would rather see us buy our oil from Iran and Venezuela at this point.

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Fogdog said:

dictators circling the wagons, perhaps?

If only Trump had won in 2020 we could be in that group. Trade our freedom for oil.

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hanimmal said:

I don't know much about this source of information, so feel free to call me out on using it.

I think after the attack on our democracy that the Saudi's and UAE have helped conduct that we finally tell them to go fuck themselves.

I would rather see us buy our oil from Iran and Venezuela at this point.

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Two Americans, including one member of the 'CITGO6,' released from prison in Venezuela | CNN

At least one American member of the so-called CITGO 6 has been released from prison in Venezuela, a lawyer assisting several of the CITGO 6 and a spokesman from a Venezuelan nongovernmental organization that's providing legal assistance to prisoners in the country both told CNN.

www.cnn.com

“We are ready to regain production. One, two, or three million barrels, everything! Everything in the name of peace!” he said.

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BudmanTX said:

dunno about that one buddy......js....from what i read Saudi and UAE don't wanna ramp up production, and they still have contracts with that bafoon pooty.....now when pooty's money runs out it might be a different story....hard to say.....

Two Americans, including one member of the 'CITGO6,' released from prison in Venezuela | CNN

At least one American member of the so-called CITGO 6 has been released from prison in Venezuela, a lawyer assisting several of the CITGO 6 and a spokesman from a Venezuelan nongovernmental organization that's providing legal assistance to prisoners in the country both told CNN.

www.cnn.com

Analysis: The US could be making a high stakes bet with Venezuela. Putin is the reason
Analysis from CNN's Stefano Pozzebon in Caracas, Venezuela
The recent trip by two top US foreign policy officials to Caracas, Venezuela, is a sign of just how much the geopolitical balance could be shifting in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
National Security Council Senior Director Juan Gonzalez and Venezuela Affairs Unit Chief James Story met embattled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Saturday — the first since diplomatic relations between the two countries broke down in 2019.
Coverage of the meeting has, so far, focused on the possibility the White House might lift some of the sanctions it has imposed in recent years on the Venezuelan oil industry in order to replace imports from Russia, which US President Joe Biden banned earlier today.
Context: Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world — and historically, much of its crude oil has been exported to US refineries.
Venezuelan oil: Maduro confirmed Venezuela’s intention to increase its crude oil output on Monday, a move that comes as Russia’s oil exports are plummeting due to sanctions over its invasion in Ukraine.

American deal might be easier said than done: Oil production in the country is at an almost all-time low after years of mismanagement and lack of maintenance of oil facilities.
It would take years, and billions of dollars of investments, to recover oil exports from Venezuela to what they used to be, suggests expert Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin American Energy Program at the Baker Institute in Houston. So if the White House needs a short-term solution to lower the price of gasoline, it cannot come from Venezuela.
US citizens released: However, the US officials’ Venezuelan deployment did bring some immediate results. Venezuela released at least two US citizens late Tuesday, with speculation it was done as a "sign of goodwill" from Maduro (and as part of potential sanctions relief) that has yet to happen.


Gustavo Cárdenas is a US citizen detained in Caracas since 2017 and one of six detained oil executives from US refinery CITGO. Later, Jorge Alberto Fernandez, a Cuban-US dual citizen detained in Venezuela since February 2021, was released from prison. He is not one of the so-called "CITGO 6."
The Caracas trip signals the intention that the White House might be ready to change its relationship to Venezuela in the long term. That’s because Caracas has grown much closer to Moscow under Maduro’s rule.
But it is a high stakes bet: Maduro has walked away from negotiations before — and if it doesn’t work out, Biden will likely pay a political price.

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hanimmal said:

I really don't know much about foreign relations, so I am willing to be wrong on this.

What I do understsnd though is that we have made the Saudi's and the UAE 'royalty' extremely wealthy and they have been shitting all over us for decades. And depending what is in the 9/11 report, and what we know about their bullshit backdoors to the Trump insurrectionist/traitors (and genocide in Yemen, murdering Khashoggi who was breaking info about the brainwashing campaign), I wouldn't mind one big giant reset. Especially since they are buddying up with Putin to screw us so that they can get their puppets back in office.

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Saudi Arabia and UAE leaders ‘decline calls with Biden’ amid fears of oil price spike

The Gulf nations have capacity to pump more oil to ease supply fears but relations with the US have chilled during Biden administration

www.theguardian.com

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday embraced calls for an international war crimes investigation of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, citing the “atrocities” of bombing civilians, including a maternity hospital.

Speaking alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda at a press conference in Warsaw, where she is demonstrating U.S. support for NATO’s eastern flank allies, Harris expressed outrage over the bombing Wednesday of the maternity hospital and scenes of bloodied pregnant women being evacuated, as well as other attacks on civilians. She stopped short of directly accusing Russia of having committed war crimes.

“Absolutely there should be an investigation, and we should all be watching,” said Harris, noting that the United Nations has already started a process to review allegations. “I have no question the eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities.”

Harris’ visit to Poland came amid a kerfuffle between Warsaw and Washington over a Polish proposal to send its Soviet-made fighter jets to a U.S. and NATO base in Germany so they could then go to Ukraine. Poland, in turn, would receive American F-16s.

Poland had publicly floated the proposal without first consulting the U.S. Just as Harris arrived in Warsaw late Wednesday, the Pentagon definitively rejected the idea, saying it would run the risk of escalating the Russia-Ukraine war.

At Thursday’s news conference, both Harris and Duda sought to brush aside differences on the fighter jets issue.

“I want to be very clear, the United States and Poland are united in what we have done and are prepared to do to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, full stop,” she said.

Duda for his part sidestepped questions about why Poland announced its proposal without first consulting the United States. He stressed his government’s intention was driven by a desire for “NATO as a whole to make a common decision” on the matter.

“In a nutshell we have to be a responsible member of the North Atlantic Alliance,” Duda said.

Harris’ embrace for an investigation of war crimes came after the Biden administration on Wednesday warned that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine as the White House rejected Russian claims of illegal chemical weapons development in the country it has invaded.

The White House raised the notion of Russia after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova — without evidence — accused Ukraine of running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor announced last week he was launching of an investigation that could target senior officials believed responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide amid a rising civilian death toll and widespread destruction of property during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But investigations at the ICC take many years, and relatively few convictions have ever been won. The ICC was set up in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The crime of aggression, which can’t be investigated in Ukraine because neither Russia nor Ukraine is a member of the court, was added later.

Duda said “it is obvious to us that in Ukraine Russians are committing war crimes.” He added that in his view the invasion was “bearing the features of a genocide — it aims at eliminating and destroying a nation.”

Harris praised the Polish people for their generosity for taking in nearly 1.5 million refugees since Russia invaded Ukraine last month.

“I’ve been watching or reading about the work of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and so I bring you thanks from the American people,” Harris said earlier during a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hours after the U.S. House passed a massive spending bill that includes $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine and its European allies.

The legislation includes $6.8 billion to care for refugees and other economic aid to allies.

Harris also met Thursday with seven refugees who have fled from Ukraine to Poland since the Russian invasion began. She praised the refugees for their “courage” and said the conversation would help inform U.S. assistance efforts. The group included a Ukrainian advocate for people with disabilities, a Moroccan university student, a professional film producer from Odessa, a Senegalese community leader and teacher, a LGBTQIA+ rights activist from Kyiv, and a Ukrainian energy expert and her young adult daughter.

“We are here to support you, and you are not alone,” Harris told the group. “And I know there’s so much about the experience that you’ve had that has made you feel alone. You are not alone. We around the world are watching.”

The vice president is also scheduled to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while in Warsaw. The Canadian leader has been in Europe in recent days meeting with allies about Ukraine.

Harris’ whirlwind visit to Poland and Romania was billed by the White House as a chance for the vice president to consult with two of the leaders from eastern flank NATO nations about the growing humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Already, more than 2 million refugees have fled Ukraine — with more than half coming to Poland — and even more expected to arrive in the days ahead.

Duda warned of a “refugee disaster” if Poland doesn’t receive more assistance to help house and feed Ukrainians fleeing the conflict. He said he asked Harris for the U.S. to “speed up” the process for those Ukrainian refugees who would want to go to the U.S. and might have family there.

“The United States is absolutely prepared to do what we can and what we must to support Poland, in terms of the burden that they have taken on,” said Harris.

Harris will travel on Friday to Bucharest, where she’s to meet Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

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hanimmal said:

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-duda-andrzej-duda-kamala-harris-europe-792555553cca39ef9e1b4f1e7f8cebe6
View attachment 5099223



This is a good hearing today too.

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BudmanTX said:

and this one...from who ever Max Blumenthal is......trying to make the case that Neo's are in Ukraine and we are arming them

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hanimmal said:

I'm not 100% but I am pretty sure that if he posted here it would need to be in Green Font.



Recent video's he put out giving a english platform to the Russian UN propagandist.

And those videos have the pro-Russian troll that was trying to use typical Cherry picking to construct a bullshit narrative to try to discredit the investigation into the Russian social media attack on our citizens.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/trumps-war-on-factual-news-journalism.1020994/post-15615786

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