Political strategic level
Two dictators, Xi and Putka, are currently enjoying the world's attention. The media and politicians are speculating on what these two actors have agreed on, because the world's security architecture today unfortunately depends on Jinping's decisions. It is said that the conversation between the leader and the demagogue, during which the war in Ukraine was discussed, lasted as long as four hours. It is said to have been about Beijing's 12-point peace proposal for an end to the fighting in Ukraine.
What is in that plan? The plan published by the Chinese Foreign Ministry cynically calls for an end to Western sanctions against Russia, the creation of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, and steps to ensure the export of grain. The proposal essentially elaborates on China's long-standing positions, including the demand to effectively guarantee the 'sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity' of all countries.
It states that nuclear power plants should be safe and the threat or use of nuclear weapons should be resisted. It also calls for an end to the "Cold War mentality", which is Beijing's standard term for what it sees as the United States' domination of the world and its interference in the affairs of other countries.
And not a single word about the Russian invasion, the mass murder of civilians and the destruction of cities. This is the true face of the Eastern barbarians' values: human life, human rights are zero, and the main priority is the military and economic power of Russia and China, which will ensure the prosperity of the ruling elite and the Communist Party until the end of the world.
That is why the words of the US White House spokesman, John Kirby, that Xi should press 'President Putin to stop the bombing of Ukrainian cities, hospitals and schools, to stop the war crimes and atrocities, and to withdraw his troops' did not, and will not, come out of the meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that he has "publicly and through diplomatic channels communicated to China his peace formula and his invitation to participate in this formula".
Instead of a reduction in military action and a real peace plan, there is even closer cooperation between China and Russia, which is why NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warns that there are 'signs' that Russia has asked China for lethal weapons. "We have not seen any evidence that China is supplying lethal weapons to Russia, but we have seen some signs that Russia has asked for them and that this issue is being discussed by the Chinese authorities in Beijing," the alliance chief says.
Chinese state media report that the Kremlin has responded positively to China's "objective and honest" stance on Ukraine and that both countries have spoken out against any country or group of countries undermining "the legitimate security interests of other countries for military, political or other gains".
In other words, the war in Ukraine was caused by the US and the West, which is why they are being called on to end it. Russia and Ukraine must respect each other's sovereignty and borders with one exception. Russia has the right to determine Ukraine's borders by force. This is the scenario of the end of the war between Beijing and Moscow, after the two evil-doers have cooked up a soup of lies in the Kremlin made of Ukrainian blood and the sulphur of hell.
As the dictators were meeting, The New York Times reported that since the start of the war, China has sold more than USD 12 million worth of drones and spare parts to Russia. The newspaper obtained these figures from Russian customs.
It is noted that Chinese companies use several intermediaries to circumvent sanctions. It is speculated that these chains may involve a much wider network of technologies and that supplies are made through informal channels in Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Belarus. "Hundreds of drones of various models are thus routinely supplied to Russia and immediately sent to the war zone in Ukraine," says the NYT.
In this tense and complex situation, we need to see reality for what it is. Beijing cannot play on Washington's side today, because if Russia is crushed, the West will come to dominate Russia's economic space and resources. It is in China's interest to involve the West as much as possible in the war; it is in Russia's interest to artificially create famine in Africa and a migrant crisis, because this will weaken the economies of the West, which means strengthening China. Beijing certainly does not want World War III, but it wants to weaken the US, the EU and Russia itself at Putin's hands, so that China becomes the world's number one power.
There is one major flaw in this whole 'cunning' plan of Beijing. Xi and his Communist Party elders have not yet experienced what a deep recession in the global world economy would mean for China. China, which is dependent on Western markets, would also sink into a deep hole.
The leaders of the free Western world are well aware of these laws of the global economy, which is why they did not expect Russia to attack Ukraine. This is illogical because it harms Russia itself. Unfortunately, no economist will be able to feed rational thinking into either Putin's or Xi's chauvinist and imperialist notions.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida came from Ukraine and visited Buche. According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Kishida came to "pay tribute to the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people in defending their homeland against Russia". Tokyo has expressed its support for Ukraine since the beginning of the war and has joined other countries in imposing sanctions on Russia. Kishida has so far been the only G7 leader not to visit Ukraine.
Jens Stoltenberg plans to hold a Ukraine-NATO summit on 4 and 5 April, despite Hungarian protests.
Seeing the sometimes diverging positions in public between Washington and Kyiv, and the attitude of NATO representatives after the Ramstein meetings, we believe that it is high time to have a permanent contact group where the military and officials of NATO countries and Ukraine coordinate and plan their actions on a daily basis.
Operational level
According to the White House, Russia is preparing another offensive against Ukraine in the coming weeks. Attacks could go in several directions.
According to US White House spokesman John Kirby, the coming weeks will be "decisive" in Russia's war against Ukraine. The US has evidence that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin "will try to launch another attack, and perhaps on many other vectors", he said. The US wants the Ukrainians to be able to defend themselves "against any renewed Russian offensive" and to be able to "conduct offensive operations at any time and place of their choosing, of any size and scope".
This is why Ukrainians are being trained to fight according to NATO standards with NATO weapons. The US also supports Ukraine's decision to defend Bakhmut and will provide Ukraine with other support, including intelligence.
As much as many in the West, and our politicians, do not like to hear and see it, the 'mighty counter-attack' and the crushing of Russia will have to be postponed. In the meantime, it is necessary to withstand the onslaught of the horde and to prepare for various further actions to contain Russia.
The UK has announced that it will supply Ukraine with depleted uranium projectiles for its Challenger 2 tanks. Such projectiles are highly effective against modern tanks and armoured vehicles. Although the munitions are not recognised as chemical weapons and their use is not regulated in any way, Moscow has stated that it would consider the use of depleted uranium in Ukraine as a "dirty bomb".
US Abrams tanks are said to arrive in Ukraine earlier than expected. Initially, 31 newer M1A2 Abrams were planned to be sent to Ukraine, which could take a year or two to produce and ship.
However, officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said that it was decided to send an older version of the M1A1, which can be withdrawn from army stocks. It will be easier for Ukrainian forces to learn how to use and maintain it. The updated older Abrams model could be delivered to Ukraine within 8-10 months.
Tactical level
Russia has attacked Ukraine overnight and in the morning with drones and missiles. Iranian unmanned Shahed drones attacked the Kyiv region and destroyed buildings. According to initial estimates, three people were killed and seven wounded. Ukrainian defenders destroyed 16 out of 21 drones.
Russian Su-35 jets bombarded the Odessa region with missiles, with injuries and damage to a residential building.
Terrorist Russia continues its efforts to fully occupy the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, attacking in the directions of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Maryinka and Shakhtarsk. In these areas, the Ukrainian Defence Forces repelled 114 attacks.
The terrorists launched 10 rocket and 32 air strikes, as well as 90 attacks from cruise missile systems.
The Ukrainian Air Force conducted 6 air strikes against the occupiers' concentrations. The Ukrainian defenders shot down 15 different types of enemy unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as 2 Kh-59 cruise missiles.
Rocket and artillery units hit an ammunition depot, 2 anti-aircraft missile systems, a radar station and other important enemy targets.
In Lithuania
Yesterday, a draft tax reform bill caused a big stir in the country. In their attempts to put livestock and their farms in order, the rulers have forgotten that it is not livestock that pay taxes, but people. Lithuanian citizens.
It is very good that they are trying to make taxes dependent on income rather than on activity. It is too bad that, in an attempt to fill the budget, it is once again planned to do so at the expense of middle-income earners.
It is a pity that the attempt to reform and simplify the tax system and make it progressive seems, at least for the time being, to be going awry. This will undoubtedly be appreciated by the livestock voters in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.
For some reason, it seems to us that such decisions will strengthen the Kremlin's influence through committees of all kinds, not only in the regions, but also in the major cities.
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Photo: Russian attack on the Prosecutor General's Office in Kyiv region, source unian.net
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