Russia-Ukraine 4.16: Johnson once again blocked aid to Ukraine, Georgian pro-Ukrainian parliamentarians boxed pro-Russian parliamentarians
Original Xiaolean A place to write 2024-04-16 19:57
Morning Mist / Repost
Original Creator: Sue Fei
Dear readers and friends, this is a series of original articles on the war situation between Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan on April 16, 2024.
Regarding the issue of US aid to Ukraine, which everyone is most concerned about, I am sorry that I cannot bring you good news, and the "stuck neck" continues. U.S. House Majority Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he would introduce four separate bills to fund Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and other U.S. national security needs.
Johnson's announcement came after a closed-door meeting of Republicans on Monday. "There are events around the world that we are very closely following," he said. We know the world is watching us and see how we react." "We will vote separately for Israeli aid, aid for Ukraine, aid for the Indo-Pacific, and another document that contains our national security priorities," he said.
He said that the latest bill will include the issue of lend-lease, the issue of confiscation of frozen assets of the Russian Federation, new sanctions against Iran, and other measures.
It is estimated that the documents will be formally presented to the House of Representatives on Tuesday, followed by standard procedures for discussion and revision within 72 hours. If the process is not delayed, the House of Commons will be able to put the bill to a vote on Friday night.
If passed, the package must be reconsidered and voted on in the U.S. Senate.
However, in my experience, once the bill deals with the issue of lend-lease and the confiscation of frozen assets of the Russian Federation, it will certainly not be discussed clearly in three or five weeks.
In response, the White House said on Monday that it opposes a separate bill to help Israel without aid to Ukraine.
At the same time, the US Department of Defense also said that there is an urgent need to provide Ukraine with air defense capabilities and called on the House of Representatives to pass a bill to aid Ukraine.
After Iran's massive attack on Israel, more than 90 members of the US Congress, representing both parties, called on Speaker Mike Johnson to immediately submit a bill passed by the Senate with the help of Israel and Ukraine.
Obviously, Johnson put the ready-made bill and did not submit it to a vote, and went to great lengths to do this and that. Now it is necessary to divide the bill into three, which is clearly unwilling to aid Ukraine.
We have discussed the importance and benefits of aiding Ukraine to the United States, and the harm and loss of not aiding Ukraine to the United States, which we have discussed at least 20 times in the article. And the leaders of the United States and abroad, including NATO allies and the European Union, have also said over and over again that the sea is simply rotten.
Yesterday, former NATO Secretary General George Robertson said in an interview with the Austrian newspaper La Presse that if Ukraine wins the war, she could one day become a member of the European Union and NATO. But if Putin wins the war, then Russia will build a new world order with North Korea, Iran and other countries, and then "we will all feel very uncomfortable."
It can be said that if it is still believed that Ukraine should not be aided to this day, and that the United States can watch the fire from the other side on the issue of the war in Ukraine, then Johnson will not need any bicycles in the future.
However, Chuan Pu and his followers and lackeys are determined not to let go, and they must use this opportunity to suppress the Democratic Party. I really can't stand this kind of behavior of putting personal self-interest above national interests rather than ending up together.
And the way Trump does things, I can't agree with either.
Trump has a lot of advantages, but I personally don't appreciate the mentality of going to great lengths to get one thing done. In fact, it can be seen from the Capitol Hill incident that this extreme character, when the wind is smooth, is fine, but when it encounters difficulties or adversity, it may explode, endangering itself and the people around it.
Trump's sons and daughters-in-law are indeed stronger than the Biden family. But those who get close to Trump often don't end well. From "military advisor" Bannon to private lawyer Giuliani, from his Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to former trade adviser Navarro, these people are like chewed sugar cane, either disappearing or standing aside, and the unlucky ones are already in prison.
Of course, Trump himself and his fans will definitely be shouting about "political persecution" again. However, it is reasonable to blame persecution for one person, two people, one thing or two things, so many people, so many things, is it political persecution?
I don't mean to blame Trump, but I would say that what is a blessed man? It's a deep-seated habit of being a human being, and he must be careful to accumulate his energy and release it carefully, without overusing it, in order to seek a long-term, gradual process of improvement.
Readers who have read my "theory of energy maneuvering" will surely understand what I'm talking about.
But looking at Trump's current practice of sucking energy from the people around him, and then sucking one dry and then finding the next, I think Trump is dramatically overdrawing himself and his allies over the years, and the end result of this approach must be chicken and egg fight.
Trump attended the "hush money" criminal trial in New York on April 15, the first criminal trial against a former president in the history of the United States.
The trial is related to Trump's alleged cover-up of a sex scandal. Trump was accused of having his former political broker and former lawyer Michael Cohen pay $130,000 in hush money to adult film actress Daniels in 2016 to prevent her from publicly talking about having a one-night tryst with Trump. The hush money payment itself is not illegal, and Trump faces the charge that in order to conceal information that may have been detrimental to his campaign, he chose to falsify records of financial transactions and return the "hush money" advanced by lawyers in installments in the name of "attorney's fees." This is suspected of election interference.
As we all know, the president of a country must be honest and morally sound. Everyone has done wrong things, some wrong things are unforgivable, and some wrong things can be discussed, but Trump covers up his possible moral stain and hides the actual situation from the public, which is suspected of violating the law and disrespecting the presidential election.
It is reported that the trial of the case began on the 15th and lasted about 6 to 8 weeks, and Trump is expected to be present throughout the process. CNN said that although the trial will not be televised, it is bound to become a "national" event.
The overall strategy of Trump and his lawyers is to delay. They seized on every detail and argued repeatedly, admitting nothing. They are hoping that the case will drag on until after the election, which will not only minimize the impact of the case, but also possibly grant Trump a pardon (albeit unlikely).
In addition, Biden avoided commenting on the matter. When asked by reporters what he thinks about it, Biden simply shakes his head. The trial is still ongoing, and there is no final conclusion on whether the court will convict Trump. What's more, Trump is the Republican presidential candidate, and it is inconvenient for Biden to express his opinions.
Briefing on the overall situation of the war between Russia and Ukraine:
1. On the 783rd day of the war, according to the results report released by the Ukrainian General Staff this morning local time, in the past day, a total of 104 battles took place on the entire front line, a number that refreshed the record for the recent period, and of course brought amazing casualties, and the Russian army lost 920 people yesterday.
Oleh Kalashnikov, press officer of the 26th Separate Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Army, deployed in the Chasiv Yar direction, described to the public the current situation of operations on the front line from Chasiv Yar to Bakhmut.
"Today, the situation is still quite tense and dynamic," he said. The enemy is trying to conduct assault operations along the entire section of our front, trying to use both infantry and mechanized units, and artillery is working around the clock. And, unfortunately, the phenomenon of dropping guided aerial bombs has become commonplace. However, it should be noted that the enemy suffered considerable losses. The Ukrainian Defense Forces are holding the line".
He also said that due to the dominance of drone reconnaissance on the battlefield, the Russian army now does not use large formations at the battalion level to launch attacks. That way they will always be discovered and destroyed in time. Therefore, the most observed by the officers and soldiers on the front line of the Ukrainian army are the assault operations of the Russian army in companies, sometimes even a platoon or a squad. But the Russian army is usually supported by some heavy weapons, such as tanks.
The Russians, he said, "can storm a position more than three times a day." This is the work that exhausts our defenders", he also mentioned that the artillery of the Russian army is working endlessly, trying to reduce the solidity of the Ukrainian defense line. He also admitted frankly that the Ukrainian army lacks artillery shells.
According to the head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency, Budanov, 10 days ago, the shells purchased with the help of the Czech Republic have not yet arrived in Ukraine.
From this point of view, I think that the Ukrainian army still needs to grit its teeth and hold on for one to two months, and when the shells and F-16s arrive, the pressure on the front line can be slightly reduced.
Budanov said yesterday that the Russian offensive is expected to begin in late May or early June.
"I am confident that we will be fully prepared for such a possible scenario," Budanov said. However, our success will depend largely on the support of our Western allies. Without their assistance, the situation would have been extremely challenging for us."
As of yesterday, the Russian army has accumulated 455,340 casualties, with 920 new losses yesterday.
The Ukrainian army also destroyed a total of 7,189 Russian tanks, 9 new ones, 13,809 armored vehicles, 13 new ones, and 11,609 artillery pieces, 16 new ones.
2. In terms of air strikes, Ukrainian air defense systems shot down all 9 Shahid suicide drones that came on in the early hours of this morning.
Ms. Humeniuk, spokeswoman for the Southern Military District, yesterday disclosed the adjustment of the tactics of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the use of ships. She said that the Black Sea Fleet will now only allow corvettes to leave port and enter the Black Sea a few hours before the launch of the Caliber cruise missile. In the past, these frigates would leave the port and enter the sea a few days before the launch of cruise missiles.
Apparently, the Black Sea Fleet is scared by the Ukrainian "sea babies".
3. Since the beginning of the war, 91 employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine have been killed and 351 injured as a result of shelling while performing their duties. This includes rescuers who eliminate the consequences of the Russian attack, the demolition of rubble, etc., but also the fire brigade of Ukraine.
The Georgian government reintroduced the "Foreign Agents Act", opposition lawmakers directly attacked, and demonstrations broke out in the capital: Georgia's ruling party recently reintroduced the "Foreign Agents Act", causing public dissatisfaction.
A video shows that during the discussion of the bill in parliament on the 15th, Alexander Yelisashvili, the leader of the opposition "Civic Party", suddenly rushed to the stage and punched Mamuka Mdinaradze, the leader of the parliament of the pro-Russian ruling party "Georgian Dream", in public.
The other deputies immediately rushed forward to pull the rack, and Yelisashvili was immediately taken away from the parliament by security personnel.
Yelisashvili, who had come outside the parliament, told reporters waiting outside with emotion that he had been beaten by other lawmakers, but that he did not care about being beaten because it was for Georgia. This law must be revoked, there is no time to be polite, because "they are dragging us directly into Russia."
He also said that we are either Georgians or slaves, but we are not slaves, you all saw it, (should help me with it) reprimand them.
He also proudly showed the reporters present that "it was this fist that punched Mdinaraze in the face of Russia".
Yelisashvili previously claimed to have been on the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 and participated in Ukraine's war against Russia. At that time, there were many Georgian volunteers fighting on the battlefield in Ukraine against the Russian army.
Thousands of people demonstrated in the capital Tbilisi on Monday (15th), shouting "no to Russian laws" outside parliament, and many waving EU and Georgian flags.
In March 2023, Georgia's parliament passed the controversial "Foreign Agents Act", which requires all media or non-governmental organizations that derive more than 20% of their funding from foreign countries to disclose their funding sources. The bill was met with massive protests at home and opposition abroad, with several international human rights organizations claiming that the bill violated the norms of "freedom of expression." Subsequently, the Georgian parliament had to announce the withdrawal of the bill.
The Georgian opposition believes that the law, which seeks to silence Georgian critical voices, could be used by the government against dissent and affect its chances of joining the European Union.
EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said last year that the bill was "bad for Georgia and the Georgian people" and "inconsistent with the values and norms of the European Union, contrary to the goal of EU membership supported by the Georgian people, and could seriously affect the EU's relations with Georgia if passed."
On June 23, 2022, Ukraine and Moldova were both certified by EU applicants, but the EU refused to certify Georgia at the same time, claiming that Georgia still needs to meet some requirements. It was only in December last year that the EU finally officially recognized Georgia as a requesting country.
During Georgian Prime Minister Kobakidze's visit to Germany on 12 July, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that "we, the European Union, are very critical of your bill" and hoped that Georgia would consider the EU's opposition and refrain from passing the bill, believing that the bill would undermine civil society.
The United Nations also claimed that the bill could hinder the work of the United Nations in promoting development in Georgia, as many of the non-governmental agencies it works with would be affected, and called on Georgia not to pass a bill that could impede democracy.
The U.S. ambassador to Georgia expressed grave concern about the bill, saying that "if your partner countries oppose it, but the countries that occupy your land [i.e., Russia] welcome it, then you should seriously consider whether this bill is appropriate."
But I didn't expect that after more than a year, the ruling party is now bringing up the old thing again. The move caused another uproar.
The opposition party "For Georgia" issued a statement on the 15th calling on the ruling party to withdraw the bill, proposing that the transparency bill that it may support must have two major elements: "against the influence of Georgia's enemies, especially the 'occupying power' Russia", and "not to divide Georgian society and label some citizens as traitors or agents".
The party claims that the relevant bills in Western countries have these two elements, but that a bill without these two elements "is copying Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Hungary".
Pro-Western Georgian President Zurabishvili said on social media: "Georgia will not succumb to re-Sovietization".
By the way, now the Georgian president is pro-Western, the prime minister is pro-Russian, and it is a very screwed state, so Georgia has not been able to provide much assistance to Ukraine, but it still appropriately provided some light weapons and individual equipment and medical supplies.
Opposition politician Japaridze said the ruling party was afraid of losing power: "We must carry out reforms in the judiciary, the electoral system, the fight against corruption, the de-oligarchization." This is what the EU asks us to do in order to join the EU and NATO. But if the government implements these reforms, it will lose power. So they decided to get rid of all the criticism of civil society and the media and stay in power forever, just like Putin in Russia".
According to a 2023 poll, more than 80% of Georgia's 3.7 million people support joining the European Union. But EU countries do not want Georgia to pass the bill, because it is contrary to institutional transparency.
Russia has previously pushed out the "Foreign Agents Act" in order to prevent the so-called "foreign infiltration", but in fact, it is mainly to prevent Western progressive ideas. Now Georgia is also pushing a similar bill, and the wording is exactly the same, obviously copying the "advanced experience of Russia", digging deep holes, and building high walls.
According to an IRI poll conducted in April last year, about 40 percent of those who knew what the bill was in favor of, 13 percent supported it, and the rest did not express an opinion.
However, opinion polls generally show that Georgians support both EU membership and the current ruling party.
This is also easy to understand, since Russia had taken Yuseo Setia from Georgia, and Georgians desperately wanted to join the EU and NATO, on the one hand, for economic development, and on the other hand, for security.
But Georgia is, after all, too close to Russia, and one can imagine what the attitude of the Russians will be with Georgia's "eastward expansion." So many Georgians are in favor of maintaining the status quo. This state of mind is also very twisted, which fully shows that Georgia's geographical location is "too far from heaven and too close to Russia".
In fact, since Georgia is too small, it is difficult for them to control their own destiny. This is also the reason why Yelisashvili, who punched Mamuka Mdinaradze, was going to Ukraine to serve as a volunteer in the first place:
If Ukraine falls, it is impossible for Georgia not to fall.
We have long spoken about the victory or defeat of Ukraine and the geopolitical situation around the Black Sea. Overall, Ukraine's victory will curb Russia's expansionist ambitions, and if Russia suffers a crushing defeat, perhaps there will be a rethinking of its land greed, belief in violence, and myths of authoritarianism.
However, as I mentioned earlier, former NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said that if Putin wins the war, then Russia will establish a new world order with North Korea, Iran and other countries, and civilization will be eroded. While NATO may not be directly attacked anytime soon, there are many gray areas where the order may be reversed quickly, especially in places like Georgia and Kazakhstan close to Russia. I am afraid that by that time, both Europeans and Americans will feel even more pressure, and by that time they will pay a heavier, if not heavier, price in life and wealth than they do today to aid the Ukrainians!
Therefore, aid to Ukraine is urgent and imperative, Republicans, wake up!
Source:2024-04-16 WeChat official account A place to write things
https://mp.wexin.qk.com/s/uzgt7pv7sanyasb8ub5fu
【Statement】This article is forwarded and shared, and the source has been indicated. It does not mean that this platform agrees with or opposes the views of the original author, and the responsibility and copyright belong to the original author. This article is reproduced for the purpose of conveying more information, if there is any infringement, please contact to delete.