Calendar of Events

In an attempt to present smooth sailing in NATO, the organization’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the NATO Summit in Vilnius will adopt a three-point plan to bring Ukraine “closer” to accession: 1) a multi-year program of assistance; 2) upgraded political ties; and 3) a new NATO Ukraine Council, with Ukraine participation.

It is an attempt for NATO to save face at a time when, according to all accounts about the sorry state of Ukraine’s alleged counter-offensive, even the continued existence of Ukraine as a state is in doubt. Vague references to “assistance” can only be met with skepticism given that Ukraine has indebted itself beyond reason and the majority of NATO countries if not all are themselves in dire straits economically, financially and many of them politically as well. As for talk about NATO countries continuing to provide weapons, it is vacuous when even the U.S. has no ammunition to spare and has resorted to sending cluster bombs whose shelf-life has expired and which put the Ukrainian people in more danger than ever.

NATO’s demand to increase defence spending in NATO is clearly aimed at catering to the U.S. striving to dominate Asia and there is little appetite for this since most countries do not want to go to war with China, or Korea or Russia for that matter. The only thing that could save Ukraine is if NATO were to make sure Ukraine reaches a settlement with Russia which provides its security demands with a guarantee. If such measures are not taken, Russia will not stop until it reaches this aim.

Sweden’s Membership Contingent on Türkiye’s European Union Membership

On July 10, NATO issued a Joint Press Statement saying that an agreement had been reached with President Erdogan of Türkiye that will clear the way for Sweden’s membership in NATO. The NATO statement did not mention that Erdogan made it clear that Türkiye’s approval is contingent on its receiving EU membership.

“I want to address those countries that have kept us waiting on the doors of the EU for 50 years. First, open the way to Türkiye’s membership of the European Union, and then we will open it for Sweden, just as we had opened it for Finland,” Erdogan said.

The proposal has yet to be put to a vote in Türkiye’s parliament. News agencies indicate that approval is expected. Hungary has also yet to put Sweden’s membership in NATO to a vote in its parliament.

French Reticence to NATO’s Eastward Expansion

According to news reports, French government officials announced on July 9 that France “is not in favour of expanding NATO’s field of operations to the Asia Pacific as a matter of principle.” “NATO means North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” the official stated. He said France would not support Japan joining NATO. “Even the much-hyped Article 5 of the bloc’s treaty,” the official stated, specifically refers to maintaining the “security of the North Atlantic area.”

Lithuania’s “Asia Pacific Strategy”

Just days before the NATO Vilnius Summit, Lithuania saw fit to issue an Asia Pacific Strategy of its own. China responded saying that it shows NATO has a hidden agenda against China. The most eye-catching part of this 16-page “strategy,” China said, is its statement on the Taiwan question which emphasized “the development of economic relations with Taiwan is one of Lithuania’s strategic priorities.” It even shamelessly drew a “red line,” claiming that the status quo in the Taiwan Strait “cannot be changed via the use of force or coercion,” China said. It pointed out once again that China is one, recognized by the United Nations and internationally and Taiwan is an integral part of China. Lithuania is attempting to unilaterally impose some other interpretation on Taiwan’s status as part of one China and talk of force is inappropriate.

Opposition from Within U.S. Congress to Provision of Cluster Bombs to Ukraine

Nineteen members of the U.S. Congress issued an open letter opposing the Biden administration decision to provide Ukraine with cluster bombs. “We can and will continue to support our Ukrainian allies’ defense against Russia’s aggression. However, that support does not require we undermine the United States’ leadership in advocating for human rights around the world, enable indiscriminate harm that will only further endanger Ukrainian civilians, or distance us from European partners in the conflict who are signatories to the UN Convention opposing cluster munitions,” they wrote.

The Biden administration’s announcement that it will provide cluster bombs runs counter to Congress’ restrictions on the transfer of these weapons, the open letter says. The fact is that the Biden administration did not sign that restriction into law without first adding a clause which permits exceptions. Because of this, the open letter said the decision “severely undermines our moral leadership. It underscores the work still ahead to press the U.S. to join the international community in banning the use of cluster munitions.”

Not only is the decision immoral but the use of police powers by the U.S. president to override Congress, which began after 9/11, also shows that the legislative role of the U.S. Congress is no longer worth anything. The U.S. president can act with impunity in matters pertaining to war and peace, crime and punishment and this is a problem facing not only the people of the United States but humankind itself.

Prime Minister of Cambodia Speaks Out Against Use of Cluster Bombs

On July 9, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen cited the “painful experience” of his country, where the U.S. killed or maimed tens of thousands of people in the 1970s when it dropped millions of bombs on Cambodia and Laos in an attempt to strike communist bases.

“Out of pity for the Ukrainian people, I call on the American president, as the supplier, and the Ukrainian president, as the recipient, not to use cluster bombs in the war because the real victims will be the Ukrainians,” he said.

Some 20,000 Cambodians have been killed by these bombs over the past four decades.

France Pledges Long-Range Cruise Missiles for Ukraine

On July 11, French President Emmanuel Macron, upon arriving at the NATO summit in Vilnius, said his country would be sending long-range missiles to Ukraine. The missiles have a range of 250 km, allowing them to penetrate further behind Russian lines, including reaching Crimea, effectively escalating the conflict. The missiles would come from existing French military stocks, a French military source told reporters, adding that it would be a “significant number,” with another source citing a figure of 50.

The cruise missiles were jointly developed by France, which calls them SCALPS, and Britain, which calls them Storm Shadows. Britain already sent a shipment of the cruise missiles to Ukraine on May 11, with British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace saying at that time that the British supply of Storm Shadows would be enough to meet Ukraine’s current demand.

Thus far, The U.S. has repeatedly declined to supply Ukraine with its 297-km range Army Tactical Missile System missiles, saying that Ukraine could use them to strike inside Russia’s internationally recognized borders.

Meeting Between Chinese President and Speaker of the Russian Federation Council

Chinese President Xi Jinping, on July 10, met with visiting Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko in Beijing. She is on four-day trip to China, July 9-12, during which she will participate in the eighth meeting of the China-Russia committee for parliamentary cooperation.

“During my state visit to Russia in March this year, President Putin and I reached new and important consensus on deepening bilateral comprehensive strategic coordination and practical cooperation in various fields,” Xi said during the meeting, noting that the development of China-Russia relations is a strategic choice that the two countries have made based on the fundamental interests of their respective countries and peoples.

China will continue to work with Russia to develop a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, featuring mutual assistance, in-depth integration, innovation and win-win outcomes for all, to boost development and revitalization of the two countries and promote the construction of a prosperous, stable, fair and just world, Xi said.

Matviyenko said the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination conforms to the interests of the two countries and the will of the two peoples, and has reached its highest level in history and continues to develop steadily. President Xi’s successful state visit to Russia in March has injected strong impetus into the development of Russia-China relations.

The Russian Federation Council supports deepening Russia-China cooperation and is willing to strengthen exchanges with China’s National People’s Congress to provide a legal guarantee for the implementation of the consensus of the two heads of state, Matviyenko said.

Opinions of Russian Foreign Policy Experts

Russian foreign policy experts are giving their opinions on how Russia should act in face of the U.S./NATO attempts to destroy Russia and what they refer to as Russian civilization.

On June 27, Professor Sergey Karaganov, Honorary Chairman of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, said Russia has to consider using the threat of nuclear weapons. His article, titled “A Difficult but Necessary Decision for Russia in Global Affairs” argues that the best way of forcing the U.S./NATO to back off will be for Russia to restore the fear of atomic escalation. This harkens back to the politics of the Cold War despite the fact that the situation today is no longer the same and the relations between world powers is also no longer the same. Today, to think that an equilibrium can be maintained by using the nuclear deterrent reveals an inability to analyze the conditions today and rely on the peoples of the world to sort out the existential problems humankind is facing in this period of transition.

A week later, Ivan Timofeev, said to be “a rising star among Kremlin-linked foreign policy experts,” is said to have “stepped in to moderate Karaganov’s chilling words.” He wrote that the active diplomacy of Russian President Vladimir Putin to “build constructive relations with the U.S. and the EU on all fronts” is the way forward. This was predicated on his hope that “the area of the ex-USSR would remain a neutral field of cooperation.” Putin’s hope withered away as “it gradually became clear that there would be less and less inclusiveness [by the U.S./NATO/EU] towards Russia,” he said.

Pinning the hopes of Russia on a position the writer himself admits is without hope seems like a pretty hopeless way to go. This does not mean, however, that the active diplomacy of the Russian president is without merit. It shows that every avenue is being explored to provide not just Russia, but Ukraine, Europe and humanity itself, with a way forward.

Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, former President of Russia and the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council said, “[W]e are ready to look for reasonable compromises” – “with conditions.”

“Firstly, our interests should be taken into account to the maximum extent: there should be no more anti-Russia in principle. The Kiev Nazi regime must be annihilated… What will replace it, we do not know, [neither do we know] what will remain of the former Independent (Ukraine). But the West will have to accept this.

“Secondly, all the hard-won results of the total confrontation should be consolidated in a new document such as the Helsinki Act (1975).

“Thirdly, it is likely that a careful reassembly of the UN and other international organizations will be required. It is possible only with full respect for the rights of permanent members of the Security Council.”