by Stephen Lendman

On Friday, puppet masters Vice President Joe Biden and Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland arrived in Ukraine.

Visiting America's newest colony. Delivering marching orders. Discussing Big Lies about Russia encroaching on Ukrainian territory.

Sending troops cross border. Supplying Donbas self-defense forces with weapons and munitions.

Discussing plans for escalated conflict. All-out war. Assuring US political and military support.

Regardless of Geneva and Minsk agreements. Outrageously blaming conflict conditions on Russia and Donbas fighters.

Oligarch president Petro Poroshenko earlier vowed to crush them. Mobilizing Ukrainian forces aggressively.

Intending full-scale war. Perhaps greater than ever mass slaughter and destruction. Wanting hardline rule replacing Donbas democracy.

Fascist viciousness writ large. Planning eventual NATO membership. What Russia absolutely won't tolerate.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov weeks earlier warning against attempts to end Ukraine's non-aligned status.

Saying it'll "derail all efforts at initiating dialogue with the aim of ensuring national security," he said.

Washington made Russia a strategic adversary. Fast-tracking toward direct confrontation. Ongoing events uncomfortably similar to those preceding WW I. History has a way of repeating.

On November 19, Lavrov addressed Russia's lower house State Duma. Saying things are changing.

"(I)nternational relations are going through a transition as a new multipolar international order continues to emerge for objective reasons."

"A fundamentally different picture of the world is taking shape right before our eyes." Not easily or quickly.

"The end of one era and the start of the next is never a straightforward process, and it's usually marked by series of intense local conflicts, if not global clashes."

"We face challenges of truly historic proportions whose complexity cannot be underestimated."

"At the same time, clearly, Russia has every opportunity to consolidate its position as one of the centres of the new multipolar system, have a positive influence on the international situation, strengthen security and stability, and create favourable external conditions for the internal development of our country and sustainable economic growth - all to improve the quality of life of our citizens."

"Russia's traditionally independent policy is in synch with the times, and is becoming increasingly popular in the world and attracting a wide range of partners in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe."

"The Ukraine crisis was the result of the policy pursued by Western countries over the course of the last 25 years, whereby they sought to strengthen their own security at the expense of others and to expand the geopolitical space under their control."

"This revealed itself in successive waves of NATO enlargement despite assurances to the contrary given at the highest levels and in violation of solemn declarations to create a system of equal and indivisible security in the Euro-Atlantic zone."

"With the support of the United States and several European countries, an unconstitutional armed coup was staged in Ukraine."

"Nationalist radicals brought the country to the brink of a schism and pushed it into civil war. The chances of de-escalating the conflict have been repeatedly torpedoed by the West."

Washington bears full responsibility. Rogue EU partners share it. Fascist Kiev governance threatens regional peace and stability.

Russia won't look on passively as events of great importance occur on its border. Western countries should stop supporting Kiev's "war party," Lavrov said.

"(T)urning a blind eye to (its) flagrant human rights violations, lawlessness and war crimes."

Blaming Russia won't work, Lavrov stressed. Hard truths have a way of exposing Big Lies.

Sanctions "undermine efforts to stabilise the global economy and don't bring us any closer to resolving the Ukraine crisis."

Russia prioritizes peaceful conflict resolution. Grounded in international law. Excluding Western-style double standards and hidden agendas.

Urging other nations to operate the same way. World peace depends on it. Threatened because of Ukrainian flashpoint conditions.

Incendiary by any standard. The gravest geopolitical crisis since WW II. Fueled by Washington's rage for war.

Madness in Europe's heartland. Heightened by provocative NATO exercises. Preparing for possible war with Russia. Waged for unchallenged dominance.

Irresponsibly accusing Moscow of violating NATO airspace. Provocative drills. Big Lies. Hard truths expose them.

Numerous false reports claimed Russia invaded Ukraine. With troops and heavy weapons.

On Friday, NATO officials admitted no credible evidence proves it. According to Russia's NATO envoy Alexander Grushko:

"As far as I remember, even NATO officials themselves admit they have no credible materials confirming that Russian weaponry and military vehicles cross the border and that Russian troops are being amassed along the border with Ukraine."

It bears repeating. Claims otherwise are Big Lies. NATO turned Baltic states "into an area of some kind of military confrontation with Russia, and this is a dead-end track," said Grushko.

Russia remains concerned about NATO's eastward expansion. Encroaching on its borders. Planning Ukrainian Alliance membership. Despite claims otherwise.

"It should be clear to NATO that the deployment of a significant military force along our borders, constant drills and exercises, will undoubtedly push us into taking certain precautions," Grushko said.

Madness defines US-led NATO policy. Risking the unthinkable. James Petras explains what's going on as an " 'all-or-nothing campaign…' "

"(T)o seize all of Ukraine or, failing that, destroy the restive southeast, obliterate its population and productive capacity and engage in an all-out economic (and possibly shooting) war with Russia."

Lunacy writ large. Threatening humanity. At the same time, Russia continues going all-out for peaceful conflict resolution.

No nation works harder at it. Putin and Lavrov true peace champions. Polar opposite Obama. Neocons influencing him.

Fascists in Kiev. Chairman of the State Duma Committee on the Commonwealth of Independent States, Leonid Slutsky, calling its Verkhovana Rada governing coalition "a marionette parliament."

"(D)eclaring (an intention to join) NATO." Prospects ahead look grim. War winds head toward gale force.

Decades after WW II's end, another potential global conflict looms. With weapons making earlier ones look like toys.

On November 22, US-controlled Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty headlined "New Ukraine Coalition Agreed, Sets NATO as Priority."

Its "major goal." Pro-Western/anti-Russian coalition member parties include the Poroshenko bloc, Popular Front, Samoponich (Self-Rule), Radical Party and Batkivshchyna (Fatherland).

Their agenda includes returning Crimea to Ukraine. Poroshenko saying "Crimea is and will be Ukrainian."

Last March, Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to join Russia. An astonishing 96.77%. With an 82% turnout.

Moscow accommodated their wishes. In compliance with international law. Self-determination is a universal right.

"(B)ased on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples," according to the UN Charter, Article 1.

A fundamental human right. "Everyone…entitled to all Universal Declaration of Human Rights " 'freedoms…' "

"(W)ithout distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."

"(O)n the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty."

At the time, Obama ludicrously called Crimean self-determination a "threat to US national security."

For sure the threat of a good example. Running counter to Washington's imperial ambitions.

Other Kiev goals include joining NATO. Protecting Ukrainians living in "occupied territories."

EU membership. Permanent bases in Donbas. Investigating February 2014 Maidan (Independence Square) killings.

Whitewashing putschists direct responsibility. The way coverup suppressed their involvement in Odessa's May 2014 massacre.

Doubled military spending. Despite Ukraine's bankrupt economy. A basket case and then some. Zombie-like.

Parts of its economy in free fall. Under severe Depression conditions.

Headed for collapse without greater financial aid than already received.

Punishing Ukrainians with force-fed austerity. When government aid desperately needed.

At the same time, US-led bullying Russia continues. Threatening new sanctions. State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke saying:

"We have a broad understanding and a similar point of view with our European partners with respect to the steps Russia needs to take and the ways in which the costs to Russia should increase if they fail to abide by the agreements."

Russia alone continues going all-out for peaceful conflict resolution. Washington sabotages its best efforts.

Kiev's dirty war without mercy continues. Heading for greater conflict than earlier. Naked aggression. Putting many thousands of lives at risk.

Potentially spreading cross-border. Pitting Washington and rogue EU states against Russia. Making the unthinkable possible.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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