https://antiimperialistnews.substack.com/p/biden-crosses-red-line-he-previously
It looks like the decision to escalate to World War III has been made
May 31, 2024

As Zelensky arrived in Stockholm to discuss bilateral agreements with Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Norway, it was revealed that Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory with US-made weapons, following similar decisions by European countries.

Germany, for example, has agreed a €500 million aid package and said Ukraine can strike Russia with its weapons, but absurdly insisted it is not party to the conflict. This is yet another example of how unpredictable this war is and how the west will give mixed messages to cause maximum confusion prior to making a decision.

When Russia inevitably retaliates and attacks European soil, the media is going to tell you this was completely unprovoked and brand anyone who dodges the coming draft a traitor. This money laundering exercise is getting out of hand, isn’t it?

Biden has told Ukraine it can strike Russian troops from Kharkhiv, but only in the area of Russia just across the border. Given Zelensky has already bombed Russian oil refineries and probably carried out the Moscow attack, trusting him to respect that instruction is like trusting Boris Johnson to behave in a Perugia honey pot with no security detail.

Zelensky is doing everything he can to push for escalation and even told The Guardian the White House’s “equivocation” had cost lives. He urged Biden to “overcome his worries” about nuclear escalation, even though he has previously acknowledged Russians are being prepared for nuclear warfare. His argument then was we should fight to prevent nuclear warfare, his argument now is we shouldn’t be afraid of it.

The Biden administration has told Ukraine it is not allowed to hit civilian infrastructure, an order you would not have to make if you were working with people who respect the rules of war. Of course, when Ukraine does hit civilian infrastructure, Biden will care about as much as he cared about his red lines in Rafah. Nothing that comes next will be unintentional.

I’m old enough to remember when we were told Ukraine would never get western artillery, long-range missiles, tanks and fighter jets. Everything we were told would be an unacceptable, reckless escalation has now been done or is coming soon. The media are reporting this as perfectly reasonable, of course. Perhaps journalists think they’re immune to radiation poisoning.

The media are going to tell you this latest escalation is a roaring success, gloating every time Ukraine hits a Russian target. They are going to tell you that Ukraine was struggling because it was not allowed to attack Russian soil. This argument will be used as justification to strike further into Russian territory with bigger weapons, all because our leaders, who overthrow democratically-elected leaders across the world, suddenly care about democracy. There is a very good chance you are going to fall for this ruse.

Remember, it’s only two minutes since the Biden administration admitted that allowing Ukraine to strike inside Russia would represent a major escalation and draw the US directly into the fight. NATO has now made the decision to be drawn directly into the fight, but don’t worry, it’s all Putin’s fault that we’re endangering every lifeform on this planet, apart from the microbes buried a few miles under the crust.

Ignoring Russia’s red lines is exactly how we got Ukraine into this war in the first place. After years dangling the carrot of NATO membership in front of Zelensky’s nose, European countries are now arguing we can’t allow Russia to reach NATO’s doorstep.

“If we don't do anything, the Russian army will keep marching until it reaches the EU's western border, Poland's border. Then those troops will be standing at NATO's border, and we too have to protect it,” Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the Bundestag Defence Committee, said.

So let me get this straight: it’s completely unreasonable for Putin to have concerns about NATO putting missile bases on Russia’s doorstep, but we must start World War III to stop Russia being on NATO’s doorstep? It seems to me the people who were outraged about Ukraine being called a buffer zone are upset that Ukraine is no longer a buffer zone.

NATO already has its new propaganda line: self-defence is not an escalation, it’s a right. Expect every Ukraine bot on Twitter to spam you with this one when you argue World War III is not such a good idea. World War III is actually a brilliant idea because western capitalism wants it. You can expect Geiger counters and radiation suits to be the must-have items this Christmas so you’d best get saving up those bottle caps.

When you’re drinking Nuka Cola and cooking radroaches over a bonfire, remember this was all for the sovereignty of that strip of land where we pretended the population weren’t ethnic Russians who wanted their independence from Kyiv.

If you’re still waving your Ukraine flag, at least you will soon have the exciting opportunity to volunteer for the front line. You can help make up the shortfall of Ukrainians who’ve decided they would rather not die for this madness.

One problem for Ukraine is that Russia is recruiting troops at a much faster rate than it’s losing them, meaning Russian forces are growing as quickly as Ukrainian forces are shrinking. In some places, Ukrainians are outnumbered seven to one. The Ukrainian solution to lack of troops is to line the Romanian border with checkpoints, infra-red cameras and sensors so its men can’t escape. There are even suggestions of landmines being placed near the Tisza river.

According to the BBC, 650,000 men of fighting age have fled the country, but deserters face up to ten years in prison if they are caught. Imagine being so sadistic, you would go to such lengths to force a young lad to be a pawn in NATO’s proxy war. The absurdity of this policy is that commanders are asking the recruitment office not to recruit men who don’t want to fight because they are just a burden. The problem is volunteers are becoming impossible to find because the people who actually have to do the fighting are not as keen on war as those who don’t.

So what exactly is this madness achieving? As the Georgian prime minister pointed out, prior to the Maidan coup “Ukraine had its territorial integrity and an economy of $200 billion”, now it’s turning into a wasteland in the name of western democracy. Ukraine is the new Libya and the new Libya is nowhere near as good as the old, pre-NATO Libya.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg knows that NATO is never wrong about these things so he has dismissed the possibility of a hot war between NATO and Russia, arguing Putin has threatened NATO many times before and nothing bad has happened.

“This is part of the efforts by President Putin and Moscow to prevent NATO allies from supporting Ukraine to defend itself, and again, Ukraine has the right to self-defence and we have the right to help Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.

Just know that when Stoltenberg is proven wrong, it will all be the fault of the anti-war voices who predicted he was wrong. It’s their fault he’s lacking in prescience, even when what’s coming next is spelt out in the clearest possible terms. Dmitry Medvedev has warned that Russia is prepared to use tactical nuclear warheads and explained:

"Russia regards all long-range weapons used by Ukraine as already being directly controlled by servicemen from NATO countries. This is no military assistance, this is participation in a war against us.”

A Putin-backed think tank has recommended that Russia considers a “demonstrative nuclear blast” to deter Ukraine from striking Russian soil. It’s worth reiterating for the millionth time the UK has admitted it has no ability to defend itself against Russia’s most advanced missiles. You still find Stoltenberg’s words reassuring? You still think we should not get to the negotiating table? You don’t think we should at least try peace before global war? Not even when Putin has indicated he is ready to talk?