by Giuseppe Sarcina
Biden: “Chemical weapons threat is real.” The mayor of Irpin denounces the use of phosphorus bombs. Biden in Europe, today’s NATO summit: “We are strengthening the eastern flank” Selenskyj speaks to the French and Renault stops operations in Russia
BRUSSELS The West is trying not to get lost in the no man’s land that separates peace, or at least a truce, from the most disastrous wars. It is a country populated by threats like those of Kremlin spokesman Dmytri Peskov, who yesterday “did not rule out” the use of “tactical nuclear weapons,” devastating devices with a range of about 2 kilometers. It’s a space for predictions that become ominous omens when asked, “Could Russia resort to chemical weapons?” The President of the United States replies, “I think it’s a real threat.” Or maybe the use of weapons of mass destruction in the field has already begun, if he reads what Oleksandr Markushun, mayor of Irpin, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv, writes on Telegram: “In the evening of 22 northwestern suburbs of the capital with phosphorus ammunition. It is a crime against humanity, these weapons were banned by the 1949 Geneva Convention. “. And Foreign Minister Antony Blinken spoke explicitly of “war crimes”: “Based on the information currently available, the United States believes that Russian forces committed war crimes in Ukraine”.
point of no return
Vladimir Putin is pushing the conflict in Ukraine to the point of no return. Are they still just provocations? Like his tanks, the Russian leader is already sinking in the mud. Is there anything you can do about it? These are the questions on the table at the extraordinary NATO summit in Brussels today. The most anticipated protagonist, Joe Biden, will also attend the G7 summit and the European Council meeting. At the beginning, the thirty heads of state and government listen to Volodymyr Zelenskyy via video link. In a speech to the French parliament yesterday, the Ukrainian head of state called on Renault to leave the Russian car market, in which he has a 30% stake: “You are financing Putin’s war”. Zelenskyy will ask NATO for more decisive military support; more radical economic sanctions. A group of countries, led by Britain and Poland, will follow suit. Your thesis: In the last 1015 days the scenario has changed fundamentally; the strategy of waiting and containment is no longer sufficient. No one calls for military intervention in Ukraine: it would be World War III. But at the very least, it should be noted that NATO’s position could change if Putin really had to resort to chemical or nuclear weapons. The first response came with the press conference by Alliance Secretary Jens Stoltenberg. Thirty minutes of acrobatics and some awkwardness sandwiched between two statements that are difficult to reconcile. The first: “It is clear that the use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons would change the nature of the conflict.” The second: “NATO will not send any soldiers, but must do everything possible to prevent this escalation.” How? It’s not understood yet.
What are the consequences?
At times, Stoltenberg appeared to be a deputy White House spokesman. He limited himself to repeating the exact same words that have echoed in Biden’s speeches for weeks: “There will be grave consequences.” Of course, nobody thinks that the new sanctions announced by the US leader against the oligarchs or the Russian MPs are part of these “consequences”. This is not the subject under discussion. Instead, it must be clarified whether, for example, the thirty NATO countries are willing to hand over offensive military assets such as tanks or heavy artillery to the Ukrainian resistance. It seems to understand that this will not be the case. Stoltenberg mentioned sending “tools to protect Ukrainians from possible chemical or nuclear attacks”. He insisted on the need to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank “in the long term”. He appealed to China to “condemn the Russian invasion”. Hardly anything else.
March 23, 2022 (Modified March 24, 2022 | 08:35)
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