Moscow reacts to Pentagon’s warning of direct Russia-NATO clash

 

Source: RT

The statement by US defense chief Lloyd Austin shows who the real aggressor is, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said

A claim by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that NATO and Russia could end up in a direct confrontation if Kiev loses its conflict with Moscow is “mad,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

During a US House Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, Austin suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin “won’t stop” if his forces prevail against Ukraine. Russia’s neighbors in the Baltic region “understand Putin and his capabilities. And frankly, if Ukraine falls, I genuinely believe NATO will be fighting Russia,” the Pentagon chief said.

In a post on Telegram later in the day, Zakharova said she wondered whether Austin’s remarks were “a direct threat to Russia or an attempt to come up with an excuse for [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky?”

“In both cases, it’s mad,” she insisted. “But now everyone sees who the aggressor is – it’s Washington.”

The Pentagon chief’s statement came as Republican lawmakers continue to resist attempts by the administration of US President Joe Biden to push through another $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine. Several lawmakers are demanding that assistance to Kiev be paired with measures to secure the border with Mexico.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who visited Kiev last week, said Ukraine is currently “losing the war” to Russia. According to Schumer, Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials made it clear to him that “if they don’t get the aid, they will surely lose the war.”

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron hinted that NATO forces could be sent to Ukraine if the situation for Kiev continues to deteriorate. There is “no consensus” among the US-led bloc’s members about deploying troops in Ukraine, but “in terms of dynamics, we cannot exclude anything. We will do everything necessary to prevent Russia from winning this war,” he pledged.

In the days since then, the US, Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany and other NATO members have distanced themselves from Macron’s remarks, stressing that there are no plans to use the bloc’s forces in Ukraine.

In his address to the Federal Assembly on Thursday, Putin again rejected speculation by the US and its allies that Russia might target NATO states. “The West provoked the conflict in Ukraine... and they continue to lie. Now, without any shame, they say that Russia supposedly intends to attack Europe. We here understand that it’s nonsense,” he stressed.
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Pentagon warns of direct Russia-NATO clash

Source: RT


The US defense secretary calls for additional funding for Kiev’s war effort before it’s too late

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has warned eastern NATO members to prepare to fight Russia, claiming that Moscow “will not stop” if it defeats Kiev’s forces.

Addressing the US House Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, Austin once again urged lawmakers to approve additional funding for Kiev’s war effort, painting a grim picture for NATO allies.

”If you are a Baltic state, you are really worried about whether you are next… And, frankly, if Ukraine falls, I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with Russia,” the Pentagon chief said.

Austin went on to claim that “other autocrats around the world will look at this and will be encouraged by the fact that this happened and we failed to support a democracy.”

Washington quickly became Kiev’s top backer after Russia launched its military operation in 2022, but the $45 billion war chest has been spent and US assistance all but ground to a halt after Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive failed to make any significant gains.

President Vladimir Zelensky reportedly warned last week that his country would “surely lose the war” without continued US support, as a new $60 billion aid package for Kiev faces gridlock in Congress amid Republican opposition.

The US military is considering whether to draw on its last remaining $4 billion allocated for Ukraine – even with no assurances the money will be replaced by lawmakers amid fierce debate over renewed aid, multiple officials told CNN.

Russia has repeatedly denounced Western arms shipments to Ukraine, warning that they will only prolong the conflict and make the West a direct participant in the hostilities, and stating that all Western-supplied arms would “burn” on the battlefield.
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Related Links:

West flirting with nuclear war – Putin
Pentagon warns of direct Russia-NATO clash
UK ‘directly involved’ in Ukraine conflict – Kremlin
Macron stands by remarks on NATO troops in Ukraine
Germany has prepared Russia-NATO conflict scenario – Bild
Prepare for conflict with Russia in five years – German general
NATO-Russia confrontation ‘could last decades’ – Stoltenberg

Taiwan renews bid to buy US arms

US F-16 fighter jet (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/181248.html

Taiwan has announced that it still continues its bid to buy eight submarines and 66 F-16 fighters from the United States.

"The country's position to seek (eight) diesel-powered submarines and F-16C/Ds has never changed," Taiwan's defense ministry said in a statement on Sunday, AFP reported.

"The deal is still in the US government's screening process. The ministry will keep pushing for the deal so as to meet Taiwan's self-defense demands."

Washington approved in 2001 to sell eight conventional submarines to Taiwan as part of the biggest arms package with the island since 1992.

The US has not produced conventional submarine for more than 40 years. Germany and Spain, other builders of submarines, have refused to offer their design to Taiwan, fearing the action would anger China, experts say.

Taiwan also asked for 66 F-16 fighters in 2007, a plan that has since then been stalled.

Taiwan has reportedly decided to agree with a US offer of delivering four submarines to accelerate the process of the deal.

China's Chief of General Staff Chen Bingde said last week that further US arms sales to Taiwan would hurt military relations between Beijing and Washington. He said the US cannot stop China's development using Taiwan.

Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Thomas Hou said on Thursday that most of US lawmakers have shown support for the implementation of Taiwan Relations Act, a law which obliges the US government to sell defensive weapons to Taiwan.

China stopped defense ties with the US in 2010 when Washington announced plans to sell more than $6 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan.

China 'extending military reach'

Beijing has been critical of similar reports in the past, 
saying they hurt bilateral relations [EPA]

Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/08/201081733121585238.html

China has increased spending on its military and expanded the reach of its military operations abroad, according to a new report from the US defence department.

The report (pdf), an annual study sent to the US congress, estimated China's military spending in 2009 at $150bn, an increase of roughly 7.5 per cent from the previous year.

Some of China's expanded military efforts have been positive, the report found.

"Some of these missions and associated capabilities have allowed the [Chinese army] to contribute to international peacekeeping efforts, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief," the report said. "[But] others appear designed to improve the [army's] ability for extended-range power projection."

Taiwan remains a particular area of focus. The Chinese army upgraded many of the more than 1,000 short-range missiles aimed across the Taiwan Strait, the report found.

"China continues to deploy many of its most advanced systems to the military regions opposite Taiwan," it said.

But China has also expanded its military operations beyond its immediate territory, like carrying out anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden.

'Dangerous Risk'

The study also said that China has an active program to build aircraft carriers, and that construction on the first one could begin later this year. It also reported that China plans to expand its fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

The report concluded that "many uncertainties remain regarding how China will use its expanding military capabilities".

Ike Skelton, the chairman of the armed services committee in the US house of representatives, called for greater transparency from the Chinese army.

The lack of communication raises "a dangerous risk that miscommunication and misperception between the US and China could lead to a miscalculation," Skelton said in a statement.

China has not yet commented on the report. But Beijing sharply criticized a similar report last year, saying it had a "baneful influence" on ties between the US and China.

Diplomatic ties between the two countries have been strained for several months: China froze military relations with the US in January after Washington announced a sale of helicopters, missiles and other military gear to Taiwan.

Despite the rapid growth, China's military spending remains just a small fraction of the US defense budget, which this year topped $660bn.

Iran calls for disarmament timetable

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=130839§ionid=351020104



Weeks after 189 members of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty called for the elimination of nuclear weapons on the global stage, Iran calls for a specific timeframe for the implementation of the ban.

Iran's envoy at the UN headquarters in Geneva Seyyed Mohammad Reza Sajjadi said the greatest threat facing the world is the nuclear arsenals in possession of certain countries.

He voiced strong criticism against nuclear powers threatening non-nuclear states with their weapons.

"The world cannot wait forever to see if nuclear countries wish to dispose of their nuclear weapons or not. Therefore, it is essential that the international community takes immediate and serious measures with respect to the issue," Sajjadi said.

The Iranian envoy went on to call on all representatives attending the upcoming Nuclear Disarmament Conference in Geneva to set a timetable for global nuclear disarmament.

Sajjadi said the Disarmament Conference should task a special committee to start negotiations for the removal of all nuclear weapons adding that this forum "must not remain indifferent toward this matter."

The remarks come as earlier in May, 189 NPT member states reaffirmed their commitment to eliminating all nuclear weapons and called on Israel to denuclearize as part of efforts for a nuclear weapons-free Middle East

Israel -- believed to be the possessor of the sole nuclear arsenal in the Middle East - has brushed aside international calls to sign the NPT, stubbornly refusing to commit to the international treaty.

US to engage in 'hit and run' war in Somalia

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120260§ionid=351020501


The United States is involved in preparatory military operations in Somali for a 'major' offensive against Somali fighters, report says.

US is providing military assistance to Somali government in order to retake capital Mogadishu from Somali fighters, a recent report in The New York Times indicates.

The American military is conducting nighttime surveillance in the Al-Shabab-controlled areas of the capital and training Somali intelligence officers and forces in addition to providing logistical supports for the government, the report adds.

All the preliminary efforts, including reconnaissance and logistic operations, are meant to help launch a major assault on what US government dubs the 'al-Qaeda' branch in Somalia within 'a few' weeks.

“It's the Americans … helping us," the US newspaper quoted Somali military chief General Mohamed Gelle Kahiye as saying.

Meanwhile, a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity was quoted in the report as saying that American 'covert forces would get involved if the offensive fails to dislodge al-Qaeda terrorists.'

“What you're likely to see is airstrikes and Special Ops moving in, hitting and getting out,” noted the official.

The report also refers to secret US military and intelligence involvement in the Horn of Africa conflicts in the aftermath of the overthrow of Somalia's junta leader Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

It also mentions the US Central Intelligence Agency's failed collaborations with Somali warlords to stop the fighters in 2006 which led to a US-backed invasion of the impoverished African state by Ethiopian forces in the effort to kill top leaders of Somali fighters.

In summer 2009, the American government hastily shipped in millions of dollars of weapons in order to save the Somali government, it went on to say.

Recently, there have been reports of the arrival of US defense contractors in Somalia in order to support 'peace efforts' there.

American officials claim that between 6,000 and 10,000 trained Somalia troops would fight in the offensive against an estimated 5,000 Somali fighters.

China firm on suspending US ties

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=119441§ionid=351020404


Amid strained China-US ties over Washington's sale of arms to Taiwan, China has urged the US to be cautious to prevent more damage.

"China demands that the US speak and act cautiously to avoid causing further damage to relations between the two countries," Huang Xueping, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, said on Thursday.

He also noted that Beijing would not reverse its decision to suspend bilateral military plans with Washington.

"China's decision to suspend planned China-US military visits has not changed."

The tension between the two countries emerged after the US announced in January that it would sell $6.4 billion of arms to Taiwan.

The deal included Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters and equipment for Taiwan's F-16 fleet.

China, which views Taiwan as part of its territory, reacted to Washington's move by imposing sanctions on US companies involved in the military agreement.

The Pentagon said earlier on Wednesday that Beijing also postponed several high-profile military exchanges with Washington.

A number of other issues such as US President Barack Obama's meeting with the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, and Google's claims of being targeted by cyber attacks in China have worsened ties between the two major powers.

Xueping's remarks, reported by the Xinhua news agency, indicates China has not put aside the public ire with Washington, despite allowing a US aircraft carrier to visit Hong Kong last week.

Romania approves US missile deployment

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117880§ionid=351020606


Romania has given the go-ahead to a revamped Washington plan to deploy medium-range ballistic missile interceptors in the Black Sea state.

Romania's President Traian Basescu announced on Thursday that the country's Supreme Defense Council has approved a Washington proposal to include Romania in a defense system against "potential attacks with ballistic missiles or medium-range rockets."

"Terrestrial interceptors will be located inside the national territory," he said, according to Reuters, adding that the US facilities were expected to become operational in 2015.

Basescu said that the missile project is merely aimed at protecting Europe and Romania, reiterating that the anti-missile system is not a threat against Russia.

"The new system is not against Russia. I want to categorically stress this, Romania does not host a system against Russia, but against other threats," he said.

US President Barack Obama scrapped a Bush-era missile project to place interceptors in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic, introducing the new plan which involves Romania.

The new plan, however, still needs the backing of Romania's parliament, before it can be implemented.

China-US exchange of threats intensifies

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117848§ionid=351020404


Verbal threats between China and the US intensify as Beijing reiterates that it would not step back from its policies.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry reacted strongly to US President Barack Obama's threat of taking a tougher stance on Beijing to make sure it opens its markets to trade with Washington.

"Wrongful accusations and pressure will not help solve the issue," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said on Thursday.

Obama once again criticized China's currency policies on Wednesday, reiterating that his administration was pushing China to enforce trade rules and further open its markets.

In response, Zhaoxu emphasized that the yuan was at a reasonable level and China did not deliberately pursue a trade surplus with the United States.

US manufacturers have complained for years that China's currency policies give local companies an unfair price advantage. China says its exchange rate policy is an internal matter.

Tensions between the two biggest economies of the world have intensified after the US revealed a $6.4 billion package of arms to Taiwan, a country that China regards as a threat.

Later, China threatened to impose sanctions on US arms companies that would participate in the US-planned sale of weapons to Taiwan.

Zhaoxu also noted that the government's decision to impose sanctions on US weapon makers was an appropriate measure.

A number of other issues such as Obama's plan to meet with the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, and Google's complaint of being targeted by cyber attacks in China have strained ties between the two major powers.

China suspends military ties with US

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117442&sectionid=351020404

China suspends military exchanges with the US and threatens to impose sanctions on US arms companies over a Washington decision to sell weapons to Taiwan.

China's Defense Ministry suspended military exchange visits with the US, saying the suspension was "in consideration of the serious harm and impacts [of the 6.4-billion-dollar US-Taiwan arms deal] on Sino-US military relations."

Chinese Foreign Ministry also threatened to impose sanctions on US firms that sell weapons to Taiwan amid straining relations between Washington and Beijing.

"China will also impose corresponding sanctions on US companies that engage in weapons sales to Taiwan," the ministry said on Saturday.

"The United States must be responsible for the serious repercussions if it does not immediately reverse the mistaken decision to sell Taiwan weapons," Chinese deputy Foreign Minister He Yafei told the US ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman.

The arms sale includes Black Hawk helicopters, Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles, mine hunter ships and information technology.

US Congress has 30 days to comment before the plan goes forward. Lawmakers traditionally have supported such sales.

Saturday's measure is the second such suspension, since the former Bush administration in 2008 announced a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan.

Relations between the two countries have been strained as President Barack Obama plans to meet with the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, later this year.

More complications could affect President Hu Jintao's expected visit to the US this year, as well as talks on human rights that Obama and Hu had agreed to continue, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Arms sale to Taiwan will cost US dear, says China

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117389&sectionid=351020404

China has threatened the US with "serious" consequences over a Washington decision to sell USD 6.4 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan.

The arms package includes Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters, and communications equipment for Taiwan's F-16 fleet. However, it does not include the fighter jet itself, which had been part of Taipei's wish list, AFP reported on Friday.

After US announced the arms sale to Taiwan, Beijing quickly responded with a warning that the arms sale could jeopardize important bonds of cooperation between the two countries and can have "serious" consequences.

"The US plan will definitely undermine China-US relations and bring about serious negative impact on exchange and cooperation in major areas between the two countries," a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, Wang Baodong said.

Baodong urged the United States to halt the planned sales, saying that otherwise "this will lead to repercussions that neither side wishes to see."

The last US arms package for Taiwan, announced under previous president George W. Bush in October 2008, led China to temporarily snap off military relations with the United States.
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2010 Jan 26

US approves Taiwan arms sale



Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/01/201012653823775265.html

The Obama administration has reportedly approved a multi-billion dollar arms package for Taiwan, in a move that threatens to test relations between Washington and Beijing.

The Associated Press quoting senior US congressional aides said on Monday that the package will likely include Black Hawk helicopters, Patriot missiles and communications equipment.

According to the report, the White House has been consulting with Congress about Taiwan's defence needs ahead of a formal announcement of the sale at a yet undetermined date.

However, the package will reportedly exclude F-16 fighter jets that Taiwan has sought to buy in order to modernize its air force, with aides saying it would be "too provocative" to the Chinese.

A Taiwan diplomatic source was quoted in The Washington Times as saying the F-16s were needed to replace ageing warplanes.

The new deal is part of an $11bn arms package first offered in 2001 under George Bush, the former US president, and which has been provided in stages because of political and budgetary considerations in Taiwan and the United States.

The US awarded a contract worth nearly $970m to Lockheed Martin for the provision of air defence missiles and another worth over $1bn to Raytheon Co for the production of patriot missiles for Taiwan, according to a New York Times report earlier this month.

Renegade province

The latest sale had been widely expected, with Beijing warning of an impact on ties with Washington and reiterating earlier this month its objection to any deal.

China announced on January 12 the successful test of its interceptor missile as part of its advanced air defence capabilities, a move experts say was an indirect reaction to the weapons sale.

Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province and has vowed to bring the island eventually back under mainland rule, by force if necessary.

The US government, on the other hand, is bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act which obliges Washington to ensure the island is capable of responding to Chinese threats, and to sell defensive weapons to it.

In a report to Congress last year the Pentagon said China's military build-up includes development of new advanced ballistic and cruise missiles that would be used against US forces if they were to defend Taiwan against attacks from the mainland.

In 2008, China suspended most military dialogue with Washington after the Bush administration approved a $6.5bn arms package to Taiwan that included guided missiles and attack helicopters.

China warns US about arms sales to Taiwan

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115690&sectionid=351020404

China has objected to the US plans to sell missile equipment to Taiwan, urging Washington to abandon the move as it would undermine trust between the US and Chinese militaries.

"The US arms sales to Taiwan infringe upon China's security interest[s] as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and interfere with China's internal affairs," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement on Saturday.

The reaction follows the US Defense Department's approval of the sale of Patriot missile equipment to Taiwan despite opposition to the move by China.

The Pentagon in October 2008 notified Congress of $6.5bn in arms sales to Taiwan.

The deal will allow weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp. to sell Taiwan over 250 advanced Patriot missiles.

Taiwan estimates that China has up to 1,500 missiles aimed at the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own.

The latest Chinese Foreign Ministry statement came hours after China's Defense Ministry issued a separate warning that it reserved the right to take unspecified further action if Washington followed through with the plan.

"The US side clings obstinately to the Bush administration's plan of arms sales to Taiwan, which severely undermines the mutual trust between the two militaries," said Defense Ministry Spokesman Huang Xueping in an official statement.

He added that China urges the United States "to sever military links with Taiwan, in order to avoid further damaging relations between the two countries and the two militaries and the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

Mottaki Slams Obama and US on Human Rights Abuse

Source: PressTV

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has taken a swipe at US President Barack Obama's double standard polices regarding Iran's nuclear program and its internal affairs.

"The world is awash with US human rights violations in all forms and means, including the killing of innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq, the continuance of the notorious Guantanamo prison camp in Cuba, and the flagrant disregard for the Israeli regime's genocide of Palestinians," said Mottaki in a Saturday interview in Bahrain. he added

Considering Washington's own black human rights record, the Obama administration has some nerve to pass judgment on Iran, he said.

Iran's top diplomat went on to add that the Iranian people would never allow foreign interference in their countries affairs, because they are aware that it is only aimed at sowing discord.

His remarks came after US President Barack Obama, in accepting his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Thursday, expressed full support for the post-election unrest in Iran.

With regards to the "concern" expressed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over Iran's close ties with Latin American countries, Mottaki said such remarks starkly contradict the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961).

He added that the United States has no right to forcibly prevent countries from promoting relations with each other.

In a veiled reference to Iran's business partners in Latin America, Clinton warned that having close ties with Iran would have inevitable consequences.

"We can only say that is a really bad idea for the countries involved," said the former first lady. "If people want to flirt with Iran, they should take a look at what the consequences might well be for them. And we hope that they will think twice."

This is while Washington's long-standing interference in Latin America has had far greater consequences -- to an extent that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recently called on the US to develop fresh ties based on a "vision of partnership and not interference, of contribution and not intervention" with Latin American countries

The United States, discontent with the rise of socialist and leftist governments in its so-called strategic backyard, has a long history of interference in Latin American affairs.

In 1954, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) organized a covert intervention to oust the democratically-elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz Guzman.

Seven years later CIA planned, financed and executed an assault on Cuba known as The Bay of Pigs Invasion, designed to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro.

More than 20,000 American troops, meanwhile, landed in Dominican Republic in 1965 to sabotage the National Liberation Movements.

The CIA also orchestrated the 1973 Chilean coup d'?tat, in which the government of President Salvador Allende was overthrown. General Augusto Pinochet assumed power and established a military government that ruled until 1990.