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Witkoff: "The war didn't need to happen. It was provoked. It doesn't necessarily mean it was provoked by the Russians. There were all kinds of conversations back then about Ukraine joining NATO. That didn't need to happen. It basically became a threat to the Russians."

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Trump is trying to give Putin a win here, so there will be no concession from Russia. Not publicly anyway. Trump understands about saving face, and he wants to give his friend that. Why would Trump ask for a concession from Russis when he's blaming everything on Ukraine.

witkoff's failure to respond shows that he wants Ukraine to capitulate to russia.

Institute for the Study of War@thestudyofwar.bsky.social

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff referred to the early 2022 Istanbul protocols as offering "guideposts" for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. An agreement based on those protocols would be a capitulation document.🧵 (1/9)

Agh the property developer worth millions is now an expert in international negotiations. So Ukraine started the war as they wanted to become a nato member. They upset Putin, the poor wee ex KGB snowflake was upset so decided to flatten their country. OK, I'm off out to get tartan paint.

Interesting how many 'Property Developers' are now Polititians (?) Same here in the U.K. Wonder why? Rule of thumb. Never trust a Property Developer. Avarice is their religion.

might not have been a good idea to grant access to the monopoly on violence to people who live by the credo "when there's blood in the streets, buy property"

More republican gibberish. “No different than Gaza” you mean where we take it, push 2 million Palestinians off their land and build resorts on the beach? What a fvcking asshole.

Witkoff is so far in over his head here. I get that he's just one of the few who will tolerate Trump, but this is international diplomacy at the highest level and he's just unfit. Clueless.

As for the deal between Israel and Hamas, it was Biden's negotiators who did the hard work to get the parties near the finish line for that settlement. Trump's bombastic threats to both sides, which was probably just a bluff, did succeed in finalizing Phase 1. But Phase 2 remains to be negotiated.

And Trump's bizarre and illegal concept for roughly 2 million Palestinian inhabitants of Gaza to be relocated so that the US could take possession of Gaza and develop it as the Riviera of the Middle East isn't even remotely plausible and is likely to make Phase 2 more difficult to achieve.

Once again I apply the victim conjecture. If someone broke into your home and then raped and killed your family, would negotiate turning over the deed to your house? The media needs to ask that question of all these Putin Puppets

Ukraine wants to join a club for protection? Ooo, I feel threatened! So I’m gonna invade my neighbor and bomb hospitals and schools and civilians

Not a single Russian citizen has been under threat from Nato for over 20 years anyway. Probably more. Putin, and now you and the American government, seem to want the Russian people to think we are threatening them. We have not. We are not. We will not. What is Trump after.....just what?

I love how they all got in line so quickly for Russian talking points. Remember kids, the bully isn’t responsible you are when they beat you up! Fucking insanity. Why buys this gaslighting crap?

Look, Witkoff, Ukraine HAD NOT joined NATO or the EU when Putin invaded. It would be one thing (deeply offensive) if he threatened to attack if Ukraine so acted, but Putin objected to the mere fact that Ukraine retained the sovereign right to act in its own interest.

It seems that Witkoff doesn't know the "NATO-Russia Founding Act" 🤦: no veto of Russia against other countries joining NATO, no violance against other countries, territorial integrity, souvereignity, no nuclear weapons in Eastern Europe, Russia joins G8, mutual economic assistance...

Bullshit! Putin didn't want to pay to transport gas through Ukraine. That is why he invaded them nd that is why he wants their territory. Our own Republican Party is stupid. Or re just becoming spinners like Trump/Vance.

The discussion was because Ukraine said they wanted to join NATO. They're a sovereign nation capable of deciding on their own what alliances they want to join. That isn't provocation for war.

the rationale for Putin at the time was 1. protecting Russians in the eastern Ukraine, 2. breach against "no NATO expansion" (false claim, no such secret agreement. it was testified by Gorbachev) . there was no talk about Ukraine joining NATO, none.

Using NATO as a legit security concern is such BS. The treaty is an explicit defense arrangement. It was created in response to Russian Soviet aggression in Eastern Europe. It is not an arrangement to make war. Therefore it can only be viewed as a threat if you are a country that contemplates ...

Tapper you are embracing the weak Teet Of CNN ( lord knows your a feared of the Jim Acosta effect on your career) in your intrepid style of ignorance journalism . Trust ? The hell with that You kissed that goodbye long ago

So let me get this straight. Ukraine deserves to be wiped off the map because they wanted to join the western NATO alliance – with us and the European democracies – and that hurt Putin's fee-fees? So we're with the Russians? Wow, Putin's investment in the GOP has really paid dividends. #traitors

that is a simple, straight-up (and outrageous) repetition of Russian propaganda. and an implicit statement that Russia has a unilateral veto on not only Ukraine's, but also, stunningly, the United States' collective security arrangements. Russia decides for the US now...

Paid by the oligarchs and USSR oppressors fund. Russia is attacking innocent civilians. He is the aggressor and mental head case. Literally taking over people who stood up against him.

Just imagine Canada and Europe discussing imagining the US. There were all kinds of conversations back then. They were talking to Putin. We didn't like that. Basically it became a threat to Europe and the free world... The bullshit they say. Just apply it to them ....

He's right, the war didn't need to happen. They were not provoked! In fact, they were the ones provoking based on their threatening behavior toward Ukraine. And, THEY invaded and occupied portions of Ukraine well before this horrible war as well. Russia is THE problem.

All these GOP traitors gaslighting the American people by blaming everyone but the Russians for starting the war with Ukraine. They are so beholden to Trump if he told them to eat shit they would and then rave about how great the “steak” tasted.

When Trump goes after everything he wants from other countries and using the military they won't be able to pretend to be calm anymore but hey let's play ball for ratings the way I would have been done with any station that bow down to that orange pos

Do these assholes even understand what NATO is? Of course they do, but they're exploitng the fact that most Americans do NOT know that NATO is a pact for collective defense - that all will come it the aid of any member that's attacked. It isn't a mutual aggression pact.

Ukraine was guilty of defending itself. A sovereign nation invaded. Russia committed war crimes, kidnapped children and destroyed cities and infrastructure. They should be brought to account.

I don't know what's more pathetic, watching Trump roll over like a trained poodle, or watching these sniveling sycophants describe it as, "peace through strength".

He is so full of shit! Putin took land, nuclear weapons, weapons so he could make it easy to take more. I always was taught Russians lie, cheat, rape and steal and they still do. Let him move there and find out.

Twice. Because at some point, they all stopped thinking about Crimea in 2014. Probably because this is not only bad for the narrative they're trying to spin; it invites questions about Viktor Yanukovych's campaign manager and why Trump gutted Ukraine's protections from the GOP platform.

"It wasn't necessarily the man's fault that he raped her, he was provoked by the cute skirt she chose to wear. She didn't need to wear that skirt" That's how they sound and it's gross.

He's right, and numerous policy experts have been saying this since at least the 90s. In between the 2 posts I screenshotted are quotes from 26 people all saying that. bsky.app/profile/sjon...

SJones@sjoneswastaken.bsky.social

Whether justified or not, it was predictable &, indeed, predicted by many foreign policy experts. Arnaud Bertrand posted a round-up thread including 26 such people with sources. It's a good thread, I recommend reading it. x.com/RnaudBertran...

That line of bullshit completely ignores the fact that Putin had ALREADY taken part of the Ukraine during Obama's administration, that Putin has been asserting for ages that Ukraine belongs to Russia. All that should just be overlooked by Ukraine? Hell NO!

Russia has already attacked Ukraine, and Ukraine wants to join a defensive alliance. That is justified and necessary. Putin has made it known he wants back the countries that were once part of the Soviet bloc. It definitely NEEDED to happen. This war is the proof.

CNN and sadly not just CNN the place where Republicans go to gaslight Americans enabled by their anchors with the tiniest of pushbacks and sometimes no pushbacks at all CNN we value lies if the Republican lies

Europe has spent more helping Ukraine than US. Not that I've ever thought about it before BUT another one of the Orange Bs lies. Radosław Sikorski said he will be discussing this at his UN speech tomorrow. He also stated Europe could fund Ukraine for a year-its Russia who are broke.

How is joining NATO a threat to Russia except in a way that they can’t do what they just did with invading a country? NATO has never preempted an attack on a sovereign country so why does it matter if they were taking about joining NATO? Reporters suck these days

Tapper nodding his head like “yeah, you gotta point”. And, I’ll bet the Russians are responsive to an end when the US is like “Ukraine has to cede territory to Russia, it’s only fair”. Plus Ukraine has kicked a lot of Russian and North Korean ass.

Where's the pushback on this nonsense? Where are the follow-up questions like "Well, why do you think Ukraine wanted to join NATO?" Or "Why does Russia feel threatened by NATO? Do you believe NATO intends to invade Russia?"

Traitors. There just no other word for it. Republican logic: Perp kicks down your door, rapes and murders you family, squats on your couch. You should give up your home without a fight. Don’t call for help because the perp paid off your “friends” These are the same Stand Your Ground idiots?