Latest news with #Ribbentrop-MolotovPact
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Historian Françoise Thom: 'Faced with Putin, Europeans are in a position of strength without realizing it'
Recently, the "fog of war" has morphed into the "fog of diplomacy." There is no point trying to untangle the confused impulses of the Trump administration. We must stand on the only solid ground available: Russia's objectives – especially since it is always on that side that the American president ends up. Here, the situation is clear. The Russian economy has been plunging at an accelerated pace. Militarily, Russia is making progress, but not quickly enough to win the race against economic collapse. The Kremlin's men have a long memory. They remember that most of the Russian Empire's territorial expansions were achieved with the complicity and help of one or more foreign powers: in the wake of Prussia and Austria for the partition of Poland in 1772; by coming to an agreement with Turkey to reconquer the Caucasian states in 1920-1921; by relying on Germany for the reconquest of the Baltic States and the annexation of Galicia (the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, signed in 1939). So why not turn to Donald Trump to bring Ukraine to heel? Military force is always a last resort in the eyes of those in the Kremlin. They prefer manipulation and subversion. And this is where they excel, thanks to Western ignorance of Russian methods of projecting power, which remain unchanged. In addition to co-opting a foreign accomplice, the second hallmark of Russian expansion is the salami tactic. Russia slices up its victim (as we saw with Ukraine: First Crimea, then the Donbas). Once the first slice is taken, it moves on to the second, then the third. The Russian proposals made to Steve Witkoff [special envoy of the US president, who visited Russia on August 6] illustrate this approach. Vladimir Putin demanded that the United States, as a prerequisite for hypothetical negotiations toward a ceasefire, force the Ukrainians to evacuate the parts of the Donetsk region they still control, which are the strongest fortified lines on the Ukrainian front, in exchange for a symbolic piece of territory in the Sumy region.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anti-Ukraine Romanian politician claims Ukrainian territories in letter to Putin
Diana Șoșoacă, the anti-Ukrainian leader of the far-right S.O.S. România party, has written a letter to Russian ruler Vladimir Putin complaining about being barred from registering as a candidate for the Romanian presidency and stating that she wants to "reclaim" supposedly Romanian territories that belong to Ukraine. Source: European Pravda Details: Șoșoacă's letter to Putin was prompted by the decision of Romania's Central Electoral Commission to bar her from the presidential elections for a second time due to her unconstitutional statements. Șoșoacă believes that the real reason for her exclusion is her repeated calls to establish "good relations" with Russia and says Romania has become a "true dictatorship". Quote from the letter: "We have Romanian territories that are illegally held by Ukraine due to the unjust Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, which has been denounced, and therefore we have the right to defend Romanians in the territories that we want to reclaim." Details: Șoșoacă is asking for her demand to be considered "in the negotiations that are taking place regarding peace in Ukraine". Background: Diana Șoșoacă is notorious for her numerous controversial statements and actions. She was expelled from a European Parliament session for shouting over another MP, chanting "We believe in God!" while holding an icon. She also made a speech filled with fabricated claims about "a million Romanians" in Ukraine supposedly being prevented from speaking or praying. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
