Zelensky and Macron Planning ‘Peace Summit’ Without Russia – WSJ

Zelensky and Macron planning ‘peace summit’ without Russia – WSJ

RT

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and his Western European backers are organizing a summit to build support for Kiev’s peace plan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The plan has been deemed unacceptable by Russia, while the document has been met with indifference by non-Western leaders.

French President Emmanuel Macron has offered to host the summit in Paris, while Denmark and Sweden have also put themselves forward as hosts, the newspaper reported. Although no guest list has emerged, European officials have reportedly reached out to Brazil, India, China, and other non-Western countries, with one anonymous diplomat stating that “no Russians” would be invited, “but everybody else will be welcomed.”

“We require a unified plan of the responsible civilized world that really wants to live in peace,” Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, told the Wall Street Journal.

Russia has already emphatically rejected Ukraine’s so-called pace plan. 

Published late last year, the plan demands that Russia hand back the territories of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye to Kiev, while also relinquishing control of Crimea, which voted overwhelmingly to join the Russian Federation in 2014. The plan also demands that Russia pay reparations to Ukraine and hand over its officials to face international tribunals.

It is highly unlikely that a summit to which Russia is not invited, organized by countries currently bankrolling the Ukrainian military, will change any minds in the Kremlin. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated last week that the Ukrainian plan essentially involves “the capitulation of Russia.”

EU officials are aware of this, and told the Wall Street Journal that they plan on watering down Ukraine’s plan to “make it more acceptable” to non-Western powers such as Brazil, China, India, and Saudi Arabia, if not to Russia itself.

Yermak acknowledged that the peace process “is not possible without the whole world, including the leaders of the Global South,” and Zelensky has recently made overtures to the non-Western world, addressing the Arab League in Saudi Arabia this month and speaking to Chinese President Xi Jinping the month before.

However, this outreach has come across ham-fisted at times, with Zelensky accusing Arab League members of succumbing to “Russian influence,” before skipping a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the G7 summit in Japan. Last month, Zelensky’s top adviser, Mikhail Podoliak, demanded that China “make a choice” to back Ukraine and the West or “lose its influence” in world affairs.

China has released its own 12-point peace plan, which despite being rejected by the US and its NATO allies, has found favor in much of the world, including Russia. Lula has backed Beijing’s plan, while a coalition of African leaders has urged Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire followed by peace talks, which Kiev has refused to do unless Moscow’s troops withdraw to Russia’s pre-conflict borders. 

Xi Calls On China's Top National Security Officials To Prepare For "Worst Case Scenarios"

Xi Calls On China's Top National Security Officials To Prepare For "Worst Case Scenarios"

Alex Wu of The Epoch Times

Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping on May 30 told his top national security officials to be ready for “worst case scenarios” and “stormy seas”.

Xi was addressing officials attending the first National Security Commission meeting since the CCP’s 20th National Congress last year, according to state-run Xinhua.

As commission chairman, Xi  said they must deeply understand “the complexity and difficulty of the national security issues we now face have increased significantly.”  Xi called on CCP officials to carry forward the “spirit of struggle” and “must adhere to bottom-line thinking and worst-case-scenario thinking, and get ready to undergo the major tests of high winds and rough waves, and even perilous, stormy seas.”

Xi’s use of “bottom-line thinking and worst-case-scenario thinking” has drawn the outside world’s attention.

Wang He, China affairs commentator and The Epoch Times columnist, wrote: “This may be the first time in a top political meeting of the CCP that the two terms are used together. The combination of these two terms shows that the tone of the National Security Commission meeting is really combative.

“When the CCP faces the most dangerous time for it, it acts most viciously. It also means the CCP is at its weakest point and using ferocious acts to cover up its inner weakness.”

Xi also emphasized the regime must speed up the modernization of the military, making it more effective in “actual combat and practical use,” as the CCP faces a “complex and grave” situation in terms of national security.

“The top circle of the CCP should obviously feel that the pressure from the international community is increasing,” Zhong said.

“Now the CCP dares not openly advocate for war, but instead claims to ‘take the initiative to shape an external security environment that is beneficial to us’. They must be really afraid of any counterattacks and being defeated.”

In the meeting, Xi also required the construction of a national security risk monitoring and early warning system, enhanced national security education, and improved data and AI security management.

“The CCP is not only afraid of external pressure,” Zhong said. “But it is also afraid of internal problems, so Xi requires maintaining political security and improving the management of data and artificial intelligence security.”

Continue reading here.

Russia Foils Ukrainian Attack on Belgorod Region, Over 30 Terrorists Killed

Russia Foils Ukrainian Attack on Belgorod Region, Over 30 Terrorists Killed

RT

An apparent attempt by Ukrainian militants to reprise last month's raid on Russia's Belgorod Region has been foiled by the timely intervention of Russia's military and border security forces.

Early on June 1, units of the Russian armed forces and the border guard, as well as other elements of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB, the agency in charge of Russia's border security), have repelled three attempts by Ukrainian forces to invade Russia's territory near the town of Shebekino.

"This morning, the Russian armed forces .. thwarted a new attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist act against the civilian population of the city of Shebekino, Belgorod Region," the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement issued today.

According to the statement, Ukraine mustered two infantry companies supported by tanks for this attack.

"Thanks to brave actions of Russian servicemen, three attacks by Ukrainian terrorist groups were repelled," the ministry said, adding that combat aircraft belonging to the forces of Russia's Western Military District have conduct 11 strikes on the enemy targets.

"As a result of the active actions of the units covering the state border of the Western Military District and the FSB of Russia, the terrorist formations of the Kiev regime, having suffered significant losses, were driven back. Violations of the state border were not allowed," the ministry said.

During the fighting, Ukrainian forces lost "30 terrorists, four armored fighting vehicles, Grad MLRS combat vehicle, one pickup truck," according to the estimates provided by Moscow.

Prior to the attack, Ukraine carried out rocket artillery strikes against Shebekino, damaging residential buildings and causing injuries among civilians.

Last month, a small contingent of Ukrainian militants outfitted with Western military hardware launched a raid into Russia's Belgorod Region. 

The group's attempts to sow terror among the civilians ended in failure due to a swift response by the Russian armed forces, who promptly crushed the Ukrainian raiders, killing 70 and forcing the rest to flee back to Ukraine.

Is Another Front Opening In The Ukraine War? Moldova President To Allow Ukraine Troops Entry into Country to Attack Transnistria

Moldova President To Allow Ukraine Troops Entry into Country to Attack Transnistria

Hal Turner

The President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said publicly just moments ago she is ready to grant permission to Ukraine to send troops into Moldova to grab the gigantic weapons storage depot in Transnistria which is under Russian protection.

"If it is necessary for the Ukrainian army, we are ready to give the right to enter our territory in order to deal with warehouses, weapons and personnel. This is a gesture of solidarity," she said.

Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognized breakaway state that is internationally recognized as a part of Moldova.

Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester river and the Moldovan–Ukrainian border, as well as some land on the other side of the river's bank. Its capital and largest city is Tiraspol.

Transnistria has been recognized only by three other unrecognized or partially recognized breakaway states: Abkhazia, Artsakh and South Ossetia.

Transnistria is officially designated by the Republic of Moldova as the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester.

In March 2022, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution that defines the territory as under military occupation by Russia.

The region's origins can be traced to the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which was formed in 1924 within the Ukrainian SSR.

During World War II, the Soviet Union took parts of the Moldavian ASSR, which was dissolved, and of the Kingdom of Romania's Bessarabia to form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1940.

The present history of the region dates to 1990, during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was established in hopes that it would remain within the Soviet Union should Moldova seek unification with Romania or independence, the latter occurring in August 1991. Shortly afterwards, a military conflict between the two parties started in March 1992 and concluded with a ceasefire in July that year.

As part of the ceasefire agreement, a three-party (Russia, Moldova, Transnistria) Joint Control Commission supervises the security arrangements in the demilitarized zone, comprising 20 localities on both sides of the river.

For the President of Moldova to openly announce she will grant permission to Ukraine to use Moldova territory to attack Transnistria, is a blatant violation of the Ceasefire Agreement and of the three-party Joint Control Commission.  This violation could simply mean the ceasefire is now over, which would not bode well for Moldova.

Moreover, Moldova's military NEUTRALITY is enshrined in its Constitution!   How the President can do something like this is utterly unimaginable!

Of course, one need not look too far to figure out who is influencing this woman; she is pictured below at a World Economic Forum gathering with non other than Klaus Schwab:

Although the ceasefire has held, the territory's political status remains unresolved: Transnistria is an unrecognized but de facto independent presidential republic with its own government, parliament, military, police, postal system, currency, and vehicle registration.

Its authorities have adopted a constitution, flag, national anthem, and coat of arms.

After a 2005 agreement between Moldova and Ukraine, all Transnistrian companies that seek to export goods through the Ukrainian border must be registered with the Moldovan authorities. This agreement was implemented after the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) took force in 2005.

In addition to the unrecognized Transnistrian citizenship, most Transnistrians have Moldovan citizenship, but many also have Russian, Romanian, or Ukrainian citizenship. The main ethnic groups are Russians, Moldovans/Romanians, and Ukrainians.

Transnistria, along with Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Artsakh, is a post-Soviet "frozen conflict" zone. These four partially recognized or unrecognized states maintain friendly relations with each other and form the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations.

There are already thousands of Romanian troops (i.e. NATO)  inside Moldova, since August last year.

With today's announcement by the Moldovan President, Ukrainian troops will now be able to also enter Moldova, to begin planning to forcibly take the gigantic weapons depot in Transnistria.   There are enough weapons stored there, to supply the entire Ukrainian Army for slightly more than a YEAR!

If Ukrainian troops in Moldova, move against Transnistria, then they might get bombed by Russia, which has to protect Russian citizens in Transnistria and protect that weapons storage depot.

If Romanian troops are along side those Ukrainian troops, and get bombed by Russia (accidentally or otherwise) NATO might use that as an "attack upon NATO" and an excuse to enter the Russia-Ukraine war.

POLAND SENDS WEAPONS, AMMUNITION TO MOLDOVA

Last night Polish Air Force transport aircraft landed in Moldova to deliver weapons and ammunition.  Here are photos:

It is said that MOST of this gear is for Moldovan POLICE.  Which means the President of Moldova KNOWS that the Russians in her country, and in Transnistria, are likely to RIOT over her decision, and they're gearing up to shoot them all.

Weapons Storage Depot at Cobasna, Transnistria

It is now clear that Ukraine is desperate to get its hands on the weapons storage depot at Cobasna, Transnistria.   Here's an overhead of that GIGANTIC weapons storage depot:

It is a wellspring of all types of ammunition that Ukraine now DESPERATELY needs.

I suspect Ukraine will go "hot" on Transnistria very quickly, and I also expect to see Russia take the gloves off and utterly smash both the Ukraine troops, and anyone from Moldova - including Romanian (NATO) Troops, that try to grab that arms depot.

Things over there are getting exponentially worse, very, very fast.

The End Of A Mega-Cycle

This Is the End of a Mega-Cycle

Michael Snyder

Have we finally reached the end of the road?  When it comes to the economy, most of us focus on short-term cycles.  In recent years there have been times when the economy has been growing and there have been times when the economy has been shrinking, but all of those short-term fluctuations have happened in the context of a long-term trend of debt-fueled “growth”.  We have been relentlessly stealing from the future in order to make the present more pleasant, and most of us pretend that the piper will never have to be paid.  But of course the truth is that a day of reckoning is fast approaching, and that day of reckoning is going to be immensely painful.

Earlier today, I came across a tweet by End Wokeness that really does a great job of pointing out the harsh reality of what we are facing…

US national debt, 1960: $286 billion
US national debt, 2023: $31.4 trillion

Are our roads better?
Are our streets safer?
How about healthcare?
Is it easier to raise a family?
Did we improve our schools?

If not, then what the hell did they do with that $31,124,000,000,000?

I can actually answer that last question.

They bought time.

By kicking the can down the road over and over again, they have been able to delay the severe economic consequences that myself and so many others have been warning about all these years.

About two-thirds of our national debt has been accumulated since Barack Obama first entered the White House.

Over the past 15 years, our politicians in Washington have been on an absolutely insane debt binge.  Adding more than 20 trillion dollars to the national debt has allowed them to extend the party for a lot longer than many of us originally anticipated, but now the jig is up.

Our currency is rapidly losing value, inflation is wildly out of control, the Federal Reserve has been forced to dramatically hike interest rates, and economic conditions are steadily deteriorating all around us.

I think that there will be enough votes from the Democrats to pass the debt ceiling agreement, and I believe that Kevin McCarthy will remain the Speaker of the House.

But if I am wrong, things will get quite “interesting” very rapidly.

Of course it isn’t just the federal government that is drowning in debt.

State and local governments have taken on mountains of debt, corporate debt has surged to levels that we have never seen before, and U.S. consumers are currently more than 17 trillion dollars in debt.

High interest debt is particularly destructive, and it is being reported that Americans now owe more than a trillion dollars on their credit cards…

America’s credit card balance has passed $1 trillion, or it’s about to, depending on whom you ask.

The average interest rate on a new card is 24 percent, the highest figure since the Reaganomics era.

This really is a form of predatory lending, and most of the large financial institutions are doing it now.

Don’t fall into their trap.

Because once you get into a situation where you cannot pay off the balance every month, you can end up paying back far, far more than you originally borrowed…

A typical American household now carries $10,000 in credit card debt, by one estimate, another record.

If that doesn’t sound like a lot of debt, try paying it off. At $250 per month, with 24 percent interest, you’ll be making payments until 2030, and you’ll spend a total of $20,318, twice what you owed. And that assumes you never use the card again.

What we are facing is an entire society that is completely and utterly saturated with debt.

From the very top to the very bottom, we have pushed things just about as far as they can go, and now the wheels are starting to come off.

In order for the party to continue, our debt levels have to continue to expand, and the Uniparty in Washington understands this very well.

But this madness cannot go on forever.

We are like an addict that needs larger doses over time in order to achieve the same buzz.

That can work for a while, but eventually the addict overdoses and ends up dead.

Sadly, the end of our story is rapidly approaching as well.  The debt mega-cycle that we are currently experiencing has reached a terminal phase, and there is going to be immense pain as the system implodes all around us.

I really do hope that the abominable debt ceiling agreement that they are trying to push through Congress right now does get defeated.

But no matter what happens in Washington, this debt mega-cycle is coming to an end, and that has very serious implications for each one of us.