Political strategic level
Belarus's impostor President Alexander Lukashenko, summoned to the mat, will today and tomorrow kiss the hand and then some of Russia's führer Putin. Kremlin mouthpiece Peskov explained that the so-called leaders of the countries will meet face to face to discuss Lukashenko's call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. If this statement accidentally slipped out of Lukashenko's mouth - which is highly unlikely - the potato generalissimo will be flogged.
However, far more importantly, the real reason for the meeting is probably that tomorrow, 6 April, the Supreme Council of the 'Union State' will meet. We do not rule out that Belarus will lose its independence completely there. Putin has clearly been nervous of Lukashenko's trampling and finger-pointing for some time. Although the Union State exists as an alliance without borders, the Russian leader wants absolute obedience from his clown Lukashenko.
Total annexation of Belarus, not only in fact but also in law. In exchange for Russian Iskander complexes capable of launching missiles with nuclear warheads. Apart from blackmail and threats to the West, this is the funeral pyre of Belarus' legal sovereignty. Do you hear the Kremlin orchestra playing ink for the Tsar?
The French President, unable to bear the turmoil he caused by pushing through the pension reform and by showing the King of the United Kingdom the slipper, went to China. Emmanuel Macron hopes to resolve at least two issues during his three-day state visit: to get China on his side so that he can pressure Russia to stop its military action in Ukraine and to fix its increasingly frayed trade relations with the world's biggest factory.
At the very least, what Mr Macron wants is to persuade China not to send arms or parts of arms to the Putin regime, which is committing genocide against the Ukrainians and making a mockery of the world's security architecture by chairing the UN Security Council.
While the French head of state is in Beijing, the French semi-heads - the trade unions - will on Thursday stage the 11th round of nationwide demonstrations and strikes since January. Moreover, as he attempts to negotiate the terms and nature of trade, he will somehow have to navigate the landmines laid for him and for himself by the Head of the European Commission, Mrs von der Leyen, who, incidentally, is also in Beijing. The European Union must be prepared to draw up measures to protect trade and investment that China can exploit for its own security and military purposes, as she said in Brussels only recently.
The EU's top diplomat also added fuel to the flames before the trip. "You cannot support the aggressor", said Josep Borrell before the trip to Beijing by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron. "A permanent member of the (UN) Security Council is clearly expected to uphold the international rules-based order, and China will see it as a moral duty to contribute to a just peace."
While China is a trading partner of the EU, it is also a rival whose economic and military power can threaten Western security. And then there are the issues of human rights violations. Both Mr Macron and the head of the EC are aware of this. It is therefore very interesting for us to see how the world's great powers, wearing bunny masks, are trying to deceive themselves and their partners. Until recently, we have seen the West waltzing with terrorist Russia, but it seems that the Western intellectual in the tailcoat is learning the hard way.
It is not only Jesus, but also Lithuania, who says that it is not right to serve both God and Mammon at the same time.
Lithuania's new proposal to the EU calls for sanctions against Russia's nuclear energy industry, with an exception for Hungary. It proposes to phase out existing contracts with Rosatom over a two-year period. This proposal is not yet public, but we think it is very fair. Apart from food, gas and oil, other very important instruments of Russian influence and hybrid power are nuclear energy and the Orthodox Church.
It is encouraging that the Kremlin's hydra is slowly being beheaded by sanctions, but we must realise that its heart will still have to be pierced by the Abrams tube.
Russia, taking advantage of its presidency of the UN Security Council, has invited the Russian Commissioner for the Rights of the Child, who is the subject of an international arrest warrant, to today's informal meeting. Maria Lvova-Belova, who is wanted for war crimes, will speak by video link about "the disinformation spread by Western officials and the media about Ukrainian children who have been trafficked to Russia".
This is no longer a circus. We must state that this is a perversion.
The United Kingdom has said that it has blocked the outside broadcast of the meeting in protest and will not send its ambassador. It was supported by the US Mission, which said that it would also not send its ambassador to the meeting.
Operational level
On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced that as Ukrainian troops prepare for a spring offensive against Russian forces, the US will send Ukraine around €500 million in the coming months. The EU will also spend more than $500 billion on ammunition and equipment and more than $2 billion on ammunition, radar and new weapons to help Kyiv fight drones.
The package includes at least two new weapon systems to counter drones, specifically the Iranian-made Shahed, which Tehran supplies to Russia and which has been used extensively in attacks on Ukrainian cities.
The Ukrainian leader, Mr Zelensky, reacted to the report by saying that "we are waiting for HIMARS ammunition, missiles for air defence systems, artillery shells and other important equipment. We are preparing for the liberation of the occupied territories".
Meanwhile, military instructor pilot, retired colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military expert Roman Svitan confirmed that there is not much time left before the offensive.
"The enemy is going on a deaf defence and trying to disperse. The defences are set up to cover the retreat, the occupiers are planning a retreat. From north to south, the enemy is pursuing certain defensive measures. The Russians are already seeing the general outlines of our offensive and the probable front line. Therefore, there will be no enemy offensive on the southern front," Svitan stressed.
According to the military expert, the enemy will only have enough combat power on the Donetsk and Luhansk fronts for a few more weeks.
Victory is not far away.
The President of Ukraine has been invited to the NATO summit in Vilnius in July. "A strong independent Ukraine is vital for the stability of the Euro-Atlantic region, and we look forward to meeting President Zelensky in Vilnius", said Stoltenberg.
We are preparing for the Ukrainian President's visit and planning where and how we would like to take selfies with him.
Tactical level
Over the past day, the enemy has launched 3 missile and 47 air strikes, including 17 Shahed-136 UAVs. The defenders intercepted 14 of them. The enemy launched 42 attacks using volley fire systems. Civilians were casualties.
The likelihood of missile and air strikes remains high throughout Ukraine and Russia has increased the number of warships in the Black Sea.
In the vicinity of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Maryinka, the Ukrainian Defence Forces repelled more than 60 enemy attacks.
Some units of the Belarusian Armed Forces continue to carry out tasks on the border areas with Ukraine. The Russian Federation will continue to use the airspace, territory and military infrastructure of the Republic of Belarus.
The enemy continues its attempts to capture the town of Bakhmut.
During the day, the Ukrainian Air Force conducted 9 airstrikes against Russian troop and equipment concentrations. The Ukrainian Defence Forces shot down a Cube high precision unmanned aerial vehicle.
Ukrainian rocket and artillery forces attacked 3 command posts, 2 Russian troop concentrations, 2 BM-21 Grad and a Russian electronic warfare station.
Lithuania
Yesterday, the people of Finland celebrated the fact that Finland has finally joined NATO. We even had the impression that the rejoicing was greater than when Lithuania joined NATO.
But maybe we are wrong, as usual.
We are certainly not wrong about one thing: the snow outside the window.
We believe that this is how Finland greeted us on the occasion of its accession to the Alliance.
Well done!
In this photo, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (left) shakes hands with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right) after presenting his country's accession document during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (Johanna Geron, Pool Photo via AP)
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