New videos show the Russian army's so-called 'peacekeeping' force on the ground inside Ukraine, as the United States was trying to convince European allies to follow their lead and impose tough sanctions.
History is a funny thing, and the main thing that history loves to do is repeat itself, according to the wisest man that ever lived, King Solomon. WWII, the largest global battle ever waged with an ever larger one coming up, was started because Adolf Hitler desired to restore the German empire. In 2022, that same spirit is exactly what is the driving force behind Gog, um, I mean Putin right now.
"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us." Ecclesiastes 1:9,10 (KJB)
Now, one of two things is going to happen, and you can take this to the bank. Either Putin is going to provoke, taunt and tease in some gigantic bluff, which after rolling in tanks yesterday is possible but ever-increasingly not likely. Or, Putin has taken the mantle of Gog and Magog, and is stepping up to perform what is written in the scripture of truth. Here on Day 708 Of 15 Days To Flatten the Curve, I'm placing my bet on the latter rather than the former. To the FIGHT!!!
Putin's 'peacekeepers' in tanks roll into Ukraine separatist regions: Biden kicks off sanctions and UK will follow after issuing stark warning 'the invasion has begun'
FROM DAILY MAIL UK: Military vehicles were seen after night fell on Monday in Makiivka, in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), recognized hours earlier as an independent state by Vladimir Putin. Other footage showed armored vehicles at other locations in the DPR and neighboring Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), also recognized by the Kremlin. No insignia were visible on the vehicles, but there is little doubt they are Russian forces deployed on Putin's orders.
At the same time, Ukraine said heavy shelling broke out along nearly all 250 miles of its frontline with the breakaway provinces, leaving two of its soldiers dead and 12 injured in a major escalation in violence. Videos showed pro-Russian separatists lighting celebratory fireworks and waving Russian flags in Donetsk city following Putin's announcement of recognition.
The celebrations came as President Joe Biden issued an executive order banning US investment or trade with the two regions, but stopped far short of the 'swift and decisive' response that had been threatened. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the sanctions were designed to prevent Russia 'profiting off of this blatant violation of international law,' before tweeting: 'Russia's move to recognize the 'independence' of so-called republics controlled by its own proxies is a predictable, shameful act.
'We condemn them in the strongest possible terms and #StandWithUkraine, as I told Foreign Minister tonight.'
White House spokesman Jen Psaki promised more sanctions will follow later today, while the State Department ordered its remaining staff to leave Ukraine for the safety of Poland. Biden was on Monday night trying to get European allies to follow him in imposing sanctions.
'Clearly, the White House is talking to the Europeans,' said Bill Taylor, former US ambassador to Ukraine, on CNN - suggesting the administration is holding off on tougher sanctions on Russia for the moment in order to get European partners on board.
A senior US official earlier declined to characterize whether Putin's order for Russian armed forces to conduct 'peacekeeping' there counted as an actual invasion, which would trigger much wider and more severe Western sanctions against Moscow.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that 'the first barrage of UK economic sanctions against Russia' will be revealed today after Putin 'completely tore up international law.' After chairing an early morning emergency meeting of top ministers, Johnson told reporters: 'This is I should stress just the first barrage of UK economic sanctions against Russia because we expect I'm afraid that there is more Russian irrational behavior to come.
'I'm afraid all the evidence is that President Putin is indeed bent on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the overrunning, the subjugation of an independent, sovereign European country and I think, let's be absolutely clear, that will be absolutely catastrophic.'
Johnson said that Putin continues down on the path to 'encircling Kyiv itself, which is what he seems to be proposing to do, capturing the Ukrainian capital' then it is vital his efforts 'should not succeed and that Putin should fail'. It comes as UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid declared that Russia 'invaded' Ukraine.
'We are waking up to a very dark day in Europe,' Javid said early this morning on Sky News. 'We have seen that Putin has recognized breakaway eastern regions in Ukraine and from the reports we can already tell that he has sent in tanks and troops. From that you can conclude that the invasion of Ukraine has begun.'
European Union foreign ministers are also set to meet today to decide what sanctions to impose, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
'Clearly, the response will be in the form of sanctions,' he declared, but added that the aim is not to impose the whole range of sanctions that the EU has prepared should Russia invade Ukraine, but rather to address the recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent.
Asked whether Russia's decision to send 'peacekeepers' in already amounts to an invasion, Borrell said, 'I wouldn't say that's a fully fledged invasion, but Russian troops are on Ukrainian soil.' The bloc has repeatedly said it is ready to impose 'massive consequences' on Russia's economy if Moscow invades Ukraine but has also cautioned that, given the EU's close energy and trade ties to Russia, it wants to ratchet up sanctions.
An EU official said the bloc's 27 ambassadors would discuss a wider package of sanctions this afternoon, but warned there would be difficulty in agreeing on an approach.
'There's a whole escalation ladder, starting with Russian individuals and moving up to finance, trade, and eventually energy. So, technically, a lot is possible,' the official told Reuters.
'The problem politically is how to craft sanctions that all can agree to.'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also refused to recognize an 'invasion' in a 2am address to the nation, instead speaking of a 'violation of sovereignty' before adding: 'We are not afraid of anyone or anything. We don't owe anyone anything. And we won't give anything to anyone.' Zelensky has also demanded an immediate halt to the Nord Stream 2 project to pipe Russian natural gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea. The President called on Europe to introduce 'immediate sanctions' that include 'the complete stop of Nord Stream 2'.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appeared to oblige his request, announcing this morning that he was suspending the pipeline project and had asked the German regulator for the pipeline to halt the review process.
'There can be no certification of the pipeline and without this certification, Nord Stream 2 cannot begin operating,' he said.
Nord Stream 2 has long been a point of contention between Ukraine and Germany, with Ukrainian authorities pointing out that Germany cannot effectively impose sanctions on Russia while simultaneously securing a dedicated pipeline for Russian gas. Scholz's declaration that the project has been halted suggests that Germany is now willing to join Western allies in imposing strong sanctions. READ MORE
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