MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine abandoned the agreements reached after the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kiev area and Moscow does not understand why Western countries are dragging Ukraine into NATO, creating a security threat, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"Not everyone knows this, but we know it well, that Kiev received its sovereignty and independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union on the basis of a declaration of independence, and in this declaration it was written in black and white that Ukraine is a neutral state. And for us, it is of fundamental importance," Putin said at a Friday meeting in St. Petersburg with the heads of African delegations.

"Why the West began to draw Ukraine into NATO is not very clear to us."

The Russian leader added that Moscow has repeatedly publicly voiced its readiness for talks with Kiev.

"But after the withdrawal of our troops from near Kiev - and we were asked to do this in order to create conditions for the conclusion of a final agreement - the Kiev authorities abandoned all previous agreements," Putin said, adding that now, "the ball is completely on their side."

He further underscored that despite the West's failure to comply with the UN Charter, Russia is in fact ready to seek a peaceful settlement to the Ukraine Conflict.

"They do not care for the UN Charter, they refer to the international law only when they believe that these tools can be used against someone, in this case against Russia. They will not succeed, it is too primitive," he stated.

"If they really want someone to comply with the UN Charter and other documents of international law, they have to comply with the same norms themselves. But this, nevertheless, does not mean that we do not want and do not seek a peaceful resolution of the conflict."

Doubling down, Putin noted that Russia has not in any regards violated the UN Charter and acts in full accordance with it, adding that its principles should be respected by all. "There should not be any double standards, unilateral sanctions and attempts to ensure their own security at the expense of others," he said.

Moscow Values African Countries’ Approach in Finding Ukraine Solution

The Russian president went on to state during the Friday meeting that Russia has carefully analyzed the thoughts and considerations of African countries on Ukraine, and appreciates their determination to find a just and fair solution to the Ukraine crisis.

During the meeting dedicated to the topic of Ukraine, the Russian leader expressed the hope that African colleagues understand the nature and origins of the Ukraine crisis.

"We tried to convey our vision of this problem. We believe that the problem did not arise yesterday, and was provoked by some forces in the West, who had been preparing for a hybrid war with our country for many years, doing everything to turn Ukraine into a tool to undermine the foundations of Russia's security, to damage Russian positions in the world, and to undermine our statehood," Putin said.

The Russian president emphasized that it was the coup in Ukraine in 2014, which Western countries actively supported, that led to the current crisis.

Putin also thanked African leaders for their approach in seeking a just and fair solution to the Ukraine crisis.

"I know that you are sincerely striving to render possible assistance in achieving a just and sustainable solution to the conflict, and we, of course, greatly appreciate your balanced approach, as well as the fact that you did not support and do not support the anti-Russian rhetoric, anti-Russian campaign," Putin said.

Putin's comments came amid the Russia-Africa Summit 2023 and Economic and Humanitarian Forum, which was held July 27-28. The event has called on delegates from nearly 50 African nations to discuss all matters food security and bolstering ties between Russian and African states.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230729/putin-ball-now-on-ukraines-side-with-regard-to-talks-1112235097.html

WHEN PUTIN SAYS ""Why the West began to draw Ukraine into NATO is not very clear to us."" HE KNOWS WHY, THOUGH. THE AMERICAN EMPIRE WANTS TO DESTROY RUSSIA AND CHINA. 

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MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT HITS THE FAN:

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

EASY.

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

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by Gilbert Doctorow

After three weeks of traveling in northwest Russia, observing the people and daily living conditions around me, I answer the title question with “yes and no”.

On the one hand, the consumer society is doing well. Supermarkets are well stocked. In Europe, Russia had the lowest inflation rate in the food sector last month: zero percent. When you read about export bans on one product or another, like today's Kremlin ban on rice exports, the reason lies in the outside world, not in Russia. even. The Kremlin has reacted to India's recently announced rice export ban, which has driven up world prices and led to the sale abroad of Russian rice that the country needed if markets had been left to their own devices. own initiative.

Meanwhile, we are told that the grain harvest in Russia this season may well show a record surplus, despite all the weather anomalies globally and within the Russian Federation. Russia accounts for 20% of the world grain supply, Ukraine only 5%. Under these conditions, Russia can easily meet world needs even if Ukraine does not export a single bushel of wheat.

In a very important consumer sector, that of the automobile, the reorganization of supply from Europe to the benefit of China was done almost smoothly. High-end PRC cars are increasingly visible in St Pete as the weeks go by. On the main roads leading into town, I see new Chinese brand dealerships opening here and there. I have tested these cars in taxi fleets and they are really impressive not only for me as a passenger but also from the feedback of the drivers.

True, the ruble is weak, and several consumer electronics companies have announced price hikes on devices imported from the West. This weakness has causes related to the displacement of the hydrocarbon trade from Western Europe to Asia, where contract settlements are not denominated in dollars. So there are fewer dollars and euros auctioned on the Russian domestic exchange and the price of these currencies has followed the bids.

By the way, despite the weakness of the rouble, I am surprised every day that sea bass imported from Turkey or premium French Burgundy wine are on sale in supermarkets in Petersburg at prices half the price we pay in Belgium for similar products.

On the other hand, one would have to be blind not to realize that the country is at war, given the now ubiquitous recruiting advertisements urging men to enlist as “contract” soldiers for the war. I say "men" because the billboards, posters and television spots are all aimed at men. They tell the reader that “fighting is a man's job”.

The call is openly and categorically sexist. But it only accentuates the positive aspects: "join your comrades", etc. Judging by the models in these ads, the men who sign up appear to be in their 20s and 30s, and a second tier in their 40s and 50s… There's no hint that those who don't sign up are not slackers, cowards or wimps.

In and around St. Petersburg, you see far more recruitment ads than soldiers in uniform. In my suburb of Pushkin, we have several military academies and in the morning, therefore, you can see a section doing its morning run. But this is nothing new.

The other day, on a commuter train, we were seated directly opposite a young soldier in his twenties. While the sartorial image of these men was sad about ten years ago, I can say that this young man's uniform was very elegant. And he had a confident attitude.

What we don't see is a soldier bearing arms in a civilian area.

Despite the appeal to alpha males, the TV news also tells us that women serve in the armed forces. We sometimes see interviews with female Air Force pilots. But the overriding theme when it comes to women is that they serve as doctors or nurses who can treat wounded soldiers in the field on their way back to hospitals in central Russia. They save lives, they don't take any.

Meanwhile, for those who can bear to watch the war news on television, the narrative has changed, particularly in the past week. Until then, information about the material and personal damage caused by the daily Ukrainian bombardments on the city of Donetsk and other cities of Donbass occupied a large part of the news bulletins. Now the focus is on the destruction that Russian forces are inflicting on the Ukrainians, as Kiev carries out larger attacks and puts its strategic reserves into play, especially in the Zaporizhia region. The new Ukrainian offensive does not seem to be any better than previous exploratory maneuvers in breaking through the very dense Russian defense lines.

Russian military pundits on major talk shows who a week ago showed great reserve in predicting the course of the conflict lest the Russians be overconfident, now seem beaming and ready to confide that the Ukrainians never received the equipment they needed to make their counter-offensive a success.

As I noted in a recent essay, the Russian military command waited until it was certain that Ukraine was already committing its reserves to battle and that they would soon be exhausted. That time is approaching now. We see that the Russians are launching an offensive in the northeast, in the Kharkov region.

There are good reasons to believe that the Russian advance around Kharkov is producing results. Last week there was talk of starting reconstruction work in the border region of Belgorod, where the Ukrainians made an armed incursion six weeks ago from Kharkov and destroyed or damaged a large number of houses by artillery fire. Russia sent the signal to take Kharkov and put an end to these calamities. Obviously, the Russian military manages to silence the Ukrainian guns.

Against this background of shifts in the distribution of forces in favor of Russia, I am amazed that American and other observers and commentators do not take notice. A very good example of this blindness or ignorance is the article published last week by Katrina vanden Heuvel, owner and editor of The Nation, and James Carden, who can be said to represent the supposedly enlightened views of progressive Democrats in the United States. The co-authors called for peace talks based on compromise between the two parties to the conflict. In particular, Ukraine would accept neutrality and Russia would pay war reparations. War reparations!

These writers, like so many “talking heads” in the West, lack the language skills to access Russian news sources on their own. They are entirely dependent on State Department propagandists for the bare facts from which to base their proposals, no matter how reasonable. I humbly submit that this war will either end on Russian terms or escalate through miscalculation and American stubbornness to the point of a nuclear exchange that would jeopardize the survival of the 'humanity.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells reporters that the risks of human extinction from nuclear war are no greater than the dangers humanity faces from climate change. Goebbels would be proud of him.

source: Gilbert Doctorow

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