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410 executed corpses in Bucha alone. Russian soldiers are “causing more atrocities right now”. These comments came from Foreign Minister Antony Blinken in Brussels on Thursday evening. Blinken has just completed 48 hours of meetings with NATO and is dying to help Ukraine.
This was not your average meeting. The NATO foreign ministers’ meeting evolved into a global anti-Russia force. There were unusual guests. Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea participated for the first time ever.
NATO will maintain and increase its support “so that Ukraine can prevail,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
BLINKING COMMITS RUSSIAN RESPONSIBILITY “ONE DAY, ONE WAY”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken prepares to address a media conference following a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO Headquarters in Brussels Thursday, April 7, 2022. Ukraine on Thursday appealed to NATO for more weapons in its fight against Russia to help prevent further atrocities like those reported in the city of Bucha, and urged Germany to cut bureaucracy to allow more supplies to come in. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys) (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)
Thank heavens for NATO, according to the somber testimony this week from America’s top military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. First, Milley said Russia could take Kyiv in 72 hours. That was in February. Now he says the war will drag on for years.
Both statements were of no help to Ukraine. Milley’s comments hurt because they fueled fears that Ukraine could never beat Russia. This pessimism has withheld US support.
Also, Milley is wrong again. The balance of this war will be decided in days and weeks and will depend on whether Ukraine can win the battle that is taking place in Izyum and Mariupol.
NATO gets it. There was no pessimism in Brussels. It was all grim determination.
Praise Ukraine’s success in combat – and Russian atrocities. “The disgusting images coming out of Bucha and other parts of Ukraine have only strengthened our resolve and unity,” Blinken said. He told how Russian soldiers gathered residents of Bucha and forced them to watch as the Russians shot a young man. “That’s dirt,” said the killer, pointing at his victim. “We’re here to rid you of the dirt.”
Ukraine’s counterattack is also a race to contain the atrocities. “More and more credible reports of rape, killing and torture are emerging every day,” Blinken said. “We have to assume that Russian soldiers are currently committing more atrocities,” he added.
For blinking there is a sense of urgency. What a contrast to Milley, who has campaigned as chairman on issues from critical race theory to Afghanistan to Ukraine. Milley also made the unfortunate remark that Russia is undeterred.
General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, listens during a media briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on Friday, January 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Admittedly, Milley has told Congress quite a bit about how Ukraine fights and wins. On Tuesday, Milley praised the “extraordinary intelligence sharing that we have allowed Ukraine to see” which, combined with a decentralized fighting style, “works extremely well on the battlefield”. Translation: American surveillance is helping a lot, and Ukraine is using the right tactics to beat Russia.
Still, it’s Milley’s job to offer advice. Good advice. You must be wondering.
Of course, blinking had its moments too. He still mentions renewable energy in every speech and boasts of sending lethal weapons to Ukraine without acknowledging the policies started with Trump. He’s certainly a Biden family man, having worked with Biden on and off for 20 years. Blinken even has a supporting role in the Hunter Biden laptop saga. But for now, Blinken’s “strong sense of urgency” is leading the Biden administration’s response. Blinking is synchronized with NATO. (And things were going much better without President Biden or Vice President Harris.)
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken spoke to reporters on Tuesday 5 March 2022 before leaving for Europe. (Fox News)
Not a minute too soon. Ukraine must attack Russia on the roads south of Izyum before two Russian army groups combine. NATO member Greece wants to help Ukraine protect Odessa lest it “turn into Mariupol,” Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said on Thursday. Holding on at Mariupol and advancing near Izyum could bring another victory as big as the victory at Kyiv.
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Blinken, Austin and Milley talk to their Ukrainian colleagues almost every day. As you know, Ukraine is not afraid to ask for equipment. “They come with new systems that they think are helpful,” said Blinken on Thursday evening in Brussels. The final choice depends on “what Ukrainians are willing to use once they get it.”
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“For every Russian tank in Ukraine there will soon be 10 anti-tank systems,” Blinken told NBC’s Andrea Mitchell this week. That is the ghost.
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