Cluster Munitions for Ukraine: Everything You Need to Know About Washington's Green Light Decision | Kyiv Post |

Germany and other NATO nation weapons developers first turned to cluster munitions during the Cold War-era as a counter to expected Red Army massed tank assaults into northwest Europe.

The SMArt 155 is one of the most advanced versions of that technology, building a pair of "smart" anti-armor mines into a howitzer shell that flies the sub-munitions to a target.

Equipped with advanced electronics, sensors and flight programs, the twin bomblets guide themselves to attack the thin roof armor of a tank or other heavy armored vehicle. Germany reportedly first sent Ukraine the munition in March 2023. 

Reportedly, a single SMArt 155 shell costs $80,000. A conventional 155mm shell - the munition the AFU is chronically short of - costs between $500 and $3,000. 

AFU gunners have reserved expensive SMArt 155 shells, or small quantities of similar Swedish-manufactured 155 BONUS anti-armor cluster munition shells, for use only against very high value targets. 

Cluster Bombs For Kids

The White House has floated what appears to be a trial balloon to see how open the public might be to giving Ukraine cluster bombs, which are famous for maiming and killing children. And quite a trial balloon it was.

The "widely banned weapons," reported...

— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) July 7, 2023

New on MoA:
In Pictures - Zelenski's Visits NATO Summit [_link] pic.twitter.com/pvkGEIGXvQ

— Moon of Alabama (@MoonofA) July 12, 2023

Stranded in Tunisia: African migrants' urgent plea for help | DW News |

Tunisia's crackdown against Sub-Saharans has reached a new brutal stage. Hundreds of migrants were saved at the last minute near Libya, while others remain stuck in the desert near the border with Algeria.

The remote militarized zone between Tunisia and Libya is as inhospitable as a region can be. There is nothing but sand and sea water, it is generally barred for visitors, humanitarian organizations or any form of trespassing. This is where Tunisian authorities had dropped off around 800 Sub-Saharan migrants for days until they were picked up again by Tunisian authorities on Monday night.

According to several news agencies, people were left to their own device, and the news outlet Al Jazeera reported that around a dozen people died, while others had started to drink sea water out of desperation.

The Arab Uprising and America's military intervention based on NWO - R2P policy. A process of democratization under leadership of Samantha Power, now head of USAID and support for Ukrainian war refugees. She is a veteran.

UNHCR steps up relief efforts as huge numbers flee Libya to Egypt and Tunisia | UN Relief - March 1, 2011 |

Press statement by President von der Leyen with Italian Prime Minister Meloni, Dutch Prime Minister Rutte and Tunisian President Saied

Good afternoon,

We are here as Team Europe. We want to mark an important milestone in the relationship between Tunisia and the European Union. Tunisia is a partner that we value very much in the European Union. And this is demonstrated by the three of us being here in Tunis together, and by the kind hospitality we received and the good discussions with President Saied.

With Tunisia, we share much more than geographic proximity, we share a history. Since 2011, the European Union has been supporting Tunisia's journey of democracy.

Indeed, people from the Garden don't quite understand the struggle for survival in the Jungle, rest of the World.

'Sapere aude'

'We're not Amazon': UK defence secretary suggests Ukraine could say thank you more | The Guardian |

The British defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has suggested Ukraine needs to put more emphasis on thanking the west for its assistance after Volodymyr Zelenskiy's complaints on Tuesday that his country had not been issued a firm timetable or set of conditions for joining Nato.

"Whether we like it or not, people want to see a bit of gratitude," Wallace said at a briefing in the margins of the Nato summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, when asked about the Ukrainian president's comments that it was "absurd" for Kyiv to be told it would be welcome in the alliance but not given a date or exact conditions.

"Sometimes you are asking countries to give up their own stocks [of weapons]," Wallace said. "Sometimes you have to persuade lawmakers on the [Capitol] Hill in America."

Today the G7 reached an agreement on long-term security arrangements with Ukraine. This is a historic moment, and it sends a clear message to Moscow. The largest economies in the world are committing to Ukraine's security for as long as it takes. The Netherlands will be involved...

— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) July 12, 2023

Most recent statement of misplaced arrogance direct from Machiavelli's teachings on temporal power: "I want Moscow to realize defeat: Fu*k, they did it again".

'Sapere aude'

... Biden's one-day visit in Finland will include meeting with four Nordic prime ministers along with Niinistö.

Earlier on Wednesday, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) said he also was going to meet Biden. However, according to Finnish law, the president is charged with handling foreign affairs, while the prime minister's role concentrates on domestic issues, so Orpo will not be attending the Nordic Prime Ministers' Summit.

Biden's visit has involved major security arrangements around the Finnish capital, with a number of city blocks around the Presidential Palace cordoned off. An area around Helsinki Harbour will also be off-limits to members of the public and maritime activities in that zone are to be limited, for example. Authorities also introduced a temporary border control for all travellers ahead of Biden's visit.....

Good talk.

Sanna Marin hires a talen agent

The agency said that Marin specialises "in topics of geopolitics, strategic autonomy, climate change, and female leadership."

Marin's public speaking experience abroad include a recent address at the Davos World Economic Forum, a commencement speech at New York University and has also spoken at the Lowy Institute, the Munich Security Conference, for example.

The agency's other clients include Nobel prize recipients, actors, athletes, business leaders and a long list of other well-known names from a broad range of society. The firm also represents former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama.

I have been told a different, secret story about Erdogan's turnabout: Biden promised that a much-needed $11-13 billion line of credit would be extended to Turkey by the International Monetary Fund.

• Turkey Pays Off IMF Debt, Becomes Contributor (2013)
• Turkey is also seemingly on the brink of a major debt crisis (2018) to EU, UK, and US sanctions against Turkey (2021)
• Turkey receives $6.3 billion SDR from IMF (2021)
• IMF:TR | Balance sheet, 1984-2023
• IMF | REPUBLIC OF TÜRKIYE | at a glance (2023)
• Turkiye | EVDS dashboard

[...]
A June analysis [06.06.23] by Brad W. Setser of the Council on Foreign Relations, "Turkey's Increasing Balance Sheet Risks," said it all in the first two sentences--Erdogan won re-election and "now has to find a way to avoid what appears to be an imminent financial crisis."

...To be sure, Erdogan no doubt intends to do another round of deals with [Türkiye]'s neighbors to close [Türkiye]'s financing gap.

Erdogan has been able to get funds from almost everyone. Even countries that don't like each other have given money to Erdogan to try to make sure [Türkiye] doesn't swing toward their rivals[, competitors, and partners]. The [Islamist] Qataris and the [Islamist] Saudis, for example, don't have the closest relationship. But both have provided Erdogan with funding--the Qataris to cement an alliance with the Islamist Erdogan, and the [Islamist] Saudis and the [Islamist] Emiratis to keep [Türkiye] from migrating fully into Qatar's camp. [Türkiye] has also gotten a deposit from the Azer[baijan], swap lines from [Islamist] China and [S.] Korea, and a bit of funding from [Islamist] Russia's state atomic energy company...

The critical fact, Setser writes, is that Turkey "is on the edge of truly running out of usable foreign exchange reserves--and facing a choice between selling its gold, an avoidable default, or swallowing the bitter pill of a complete [360°] policy reversal and possibly an IMF program."

APsplainin Turkey's finance chief heralds $50.7 billion deals with stim checks from UAE as Erdogan tours Gulf nations, 20 July swaps and LCT opportunity

Erdogan embarked on a tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE on Tuesday, seeking trade and investment opportunities for Turkey's floundering economy.
[...]
The agreements involve export financing, earthquake bonds, energy gas and oil production, defense arms production, and other sectors [, possibly mining].

General assessment and latest developments
[... 1-13 ...]
The way forward for EU-Türkiye relations
[... 14-19 ... ]

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has adopted a report on Turkey which also mentions the latter's normalization process with Armenia.

The report supports the Armenia-Turkey normalization for reconciliation, regional stability and security. The report welcomes the progress achieved so far and commends the Armenian Prime Minister's attendance of the Turkish President's inauguration ceremony. The report once again calls on Turkey to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide and preserve the Armenian cultural heritage in Turkey.

• Ukrainian Parliament ban on the use of Greek and Russian by ethnic Greeks (2014)
• Ukraine region ban on Russian culture sparks controversy (2018)
• New law stokes Ukraine language tensions (2021)
• Why is Ukraine trying to cancel Russian culture? (2022)
• Ukraine brings cancel culture after Russian culture, language (2023)

[...]
Urging the Turkish government, the European Union and its member states to break the current deadlock and move towards a closer partnership, MEPs recommend starting a reflection process to find a parallel and realistic framework for EU-Turkey relations. They call on the Commission to explore possible formats for a mutually appealing framework.

trade.ec.europa.eu: Türkiye is one of 42 current members of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), which was launched in 2008 as a continuation of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership established at the Barcelona Conference in 1995. This inter-governmental partnership promotes cooperation and dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean region and brings together all 27 EU Member States and 15 countries of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Israel [!], Jordan [!], Lebanon [!], Mauritania [?!], Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine*, Syria [!]—suspended, Tunisia [!], and Türkiye; Libya [!] is an observer).

The UfM's strategic objectives are regional stability, human development and regional economic integration. Its overall aim is to transform the Euro-Mediterranean region into an area of peace, stability, and prosperity.
---
* This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.

In the report, MEPs confirm that Turkey remains a candidate for EU accession, a NATO ally and a key partner in security, trade and economic relations, and migration, stressing that Turkey is expected to respect democratic values, rule of law, human rights and abide by EU laws, principles and obligations.
[...]

The European deputies called on the EU to start a reflection process to find an "alternative and realistic framework" in substitution for Turkey's EU accession [sic] process.

trade.ec.europa.eu: Total trade in goods between the EU and Türkiye in 2022 amounted to €198.1 billion (3.6% of the EU's total trade with the ["intra- and extra-euro area"].

The EP report urged Turkey "to ratify Sweden's NATO membership in the Turkish Grand National Assembly as early as possible," saying that delaying it would only play into Russia's hands. EP members acknowledged measures taken by the Turkish authorities to prevent the re-exportation to Russia of goods covered by EU sanctions, but it urged them to go further to ensure that Turkey "stops being a hub for eNTiTiEs and individuals that wish to circumvent [EU] sanctions."

• The lira is tumbling after the US said it's ready to kick its battle against Turkey up a notch (2018)
• UPDATE: EU, UK, and US SANCTIONS against Turkey (2021)
• EU Approves 11th Sanctions Package Against... third-countries (2023)

A press release on Tuesday from the EP Foreign Affairs Committee said EP members underlined that the NATO accession process of one country cannot be linked to the EU accession process of another. A parliamentary source told Al-Monitor that this was a new amendment to the report, implying that the wording came after [Stoltenberg-]Erdogan[-Biden-Hersh] made the linkage between Sweden's NATO bid and Turkey's long-standing bid for EU membership.
[...]

Yılmaz Tunç said Wednesday, after the European Union said Ankara's accession process "cannot resume under the current circumstances."

"We regret to see that the report is far from evaluating the current reform works in Türkiye and the developments in the fields of human rights and rule of law objectively and based on data," Tunç wrote on social media.

The European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee adopted the report on Tuesday by 47 votes in favor, no votes against and 10 abstentions. "Türkiye's < wipes tears > alignment rate with the EU's Common foreign and security policy has slipped to an all-time low of 7%, making it by far the lowest of all enlargement countries," the report highlighted.
[...]
Türkiye has the longest history with the union and the longest negotiation process. The country signed an association agreement with the EU's predecessor in 1964, the European Economic Community (EEC), which is usually regarded as a first step to eventually becoming a candidate. Applying for official candidacy in 1987, Türkiye had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a candidate country. For the start of the negotiations, however, Türkiye had to wait for another six years, until 2005, a uniquely long process compared with other candidates.

Five European countries will extend ban on Ukraine's grain | PBS - July 19, 2023 |

The five agricultural ministers and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who met with them, said Ukrainian grain previously got stuck in their countries, leading to a glut that drove down prices for their farmers, and they don't want to see that happen again.

The ministers urged the EU to work out mechanisms that will get Ukrainian grain and other food to their destinations without hurting the agricultural industry in transit countries.

"Today the EU should build proper law and infrastructure tools to regulate transport of Ukraine grain in the long term," Telus said.

"We want to help Ukraine in the transit," he said.

Always same a$$hole frontline states bordering Belarus and Russia. 22th Century here we come ... 😆

'Sapere aude'

Sixty percent of the volumes went to the countries of Africa and Asia, in particular, these are Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan... They also were sent to China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen...

JCC "data visualization" of exports by [sic] sundry countries other than UKRAINE
total BSI cargo (mt): 32,856,036 mt
departures (Slide No. 5/11) from Ukraine: 1004
Turkey's UN Region is developing "Asia-Pacific"
exports from [?] country to self
725K mt total WFP exports to any country "development category", WB "income group", and commodity - or -- Slide No. 2/11 (Kenya, Sudan, Djbouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Yemen = 726K mt, or 2.2% of total BSI cargo)

h/t EU "diplomat" Borrell ...

EU warns that Russia seeks to create dependencies through cheap grain | Hellenic Commodity News |

The EU has warned developing countries and the Group of 20 (G20) members that Russia is offering cheap grain "to create new dependencies," Reuters reported on Aug. 3, citing a letter it has obtained.

"As the world deals with disrupted supplies and higher prices, Russia is now approaching vulnerable countries with bilateral offers of grain shipments at discounted prices, pretending to solve a problem it created itself," the EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell said in the letter seen by Reuters on Aug. 2.

"This is a cynical policy of deliberately using food as a weapon to create new dependencies by exacerbating economic vulnerabilities and global food insecurity."
Russia unilaterally terminated the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 17. The deal, brokered by Türkiye and the U.N. in July 2022, allowed Ukraine to export its grain amid the full-scale Russian invasion.

Ukraine's grain exports are vital to the world's food supply.

Zelenskyy had announced he wanted a grain deal cutting out Russia completely and set up talks with the UN and Türkiye... neutral NATO states to patrol the Sea of Odessa, Danube ports, Black Sea and guide International vessel through the Dardanelles. Building permanent walls for our security and share future wealth from the EU-UK-USA.

Zelenskyy Wanted Russia Out of UN Grain Deal | July 17, 2023 |

'Sapere aude'

New on MoA:
Ukraine - Weak Propaganda Talk[_link]
Maps: June 5, July 20 2023 pic.twitter.com/fMimSTlk0W

— Moon of Alabama (@MoonofA) July 20, 2023

'People can't afford milk': Moldovans weigh political future as Ukraine war hits economy | The Guardian |

Electricity blackouts, stray missiles and 35% inflation ... on Ukraine has plunged neighbouring Moldova into a crisis that goes beyond higher energy bills. "I see elderly people crying in front of the shop window. It's not that they can't afford salami; they can't even afford the basics like milk," says Carolina Untilă, who works in a corner shop in the suburbs of the capital, Chișinău. Moldova's dependence on energy imports is driving record inflation. Prices of some products have doubled; in her shop, grocery sales have halved, Untilă says.

"Out of a pension, how can you save anything? It all goes on food and medicine," says Ion Istrati, 72, from Borogani in southern Moldova. He is one of many who, faced with gas and electricity prices that are up to six times higher than last year, have applied for government help. "Without the compensation, it would have been grave," Istrati adds. According to opinion polls, more than 40% of Moldovans are struggling with basic costs of living, while an additional 21% of people cannot afford the bare minimum.

To alleviate the burden of winter, as the former Soviet republic weans itself off almost total energy reliance on Russia, the government has had to turn to its western partners for emergency financial support. Russia's state gas company Gazprom slashed supplies to Moldova in October, while reliance on Ukrainian electricity interconnectors has made the country an indirect casualty of the violence, as Kyiv stopped exporting electricity to Moldova in October.

Moldova's minister for external affairs, Nicu Popescu, estimates that sourcing the alternative winter energy supplies the country needs will cost more than €1bn (£860m). So far, the government has managed to raise a third of the amount from its EU partners.

The World Bank In Moldova

'Sapere aude'

OSCE Moldova Elections November 2023

The state of emergency, authorised by the parliament in February 2022 and introduced soon after the
start of the war in Ukraine, has been regularly extended and remains in force.

On 19 June, on a petition by the government, the Constitutional Court ruled to dissolve the Şor Party as unconstitutional and ordered its removal from the register of parties. The Şor Party MPs retained their mandates as independent MPs. While some opposition parties consider this measure excessive, many ODIHR NAM interlocutors supported it as proportionate, although some stated it might be insufficient to prevent further violations and the influx of foreign funds to influence elections. On 10 July, the ruling party submitted a draft law to amend the Law on Political Parties and institute a three-year ban on standing in any elections of the members of the executive board, elected representatives and candidates nominated by any party that was declared unconstitutional by a decision of the Constitutional Court.

2021 Moldovan parliamentary election results

'Sapere aude'

Today the regime of Meloni and Italy are rewriting history ... no more diplomatic talk with the Soviets Russian Federation and no more shaking of hands ... no more meeting of minds to fight the scourge of a boiling Planet Earth.

La Russia all'Italia: "No alla legge sull'Holodomor"

Retroactively Mussolini was never born, the genocide of tens of millions by the German-Italian-Japanese Axis and destruction of Europe/Asia never happened. The Western Atlantic Alliance has gone MAD. Penitenti.

'Sapere aude'

NATO slams Russia's 'dangerous' Black Sea grain block | AFP - France24 |

NATO condemned Russia's "dangerous" moves to block Ukrainian grain exports in the Black Sea, after urgent consultations with Kyiv following Moscow's withdrawal from a UN-backed deal.

"Allies and Ukraine strongly condemned Russia's decision to withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal and its deliberate attempts to stop Ukraine's agricultural exports on which hundreds of millions of people worldwide depend," a statement from NATO said.

"They also condemned Russia's recent missile attacks on Odesa, Mykolaiv, and other port cities, including Moscow's cynical drone attack on the Ukrainian grain storage facility in the Danube port city of Reni, very close to the Romanian border."

Service members in Ukraine can now earn an extra $7.50 per day, capped at $225 per month, in addition to their base salary and other bonuses. Troops who qualify will get back pay dating as far back as April 24, 2022, the official said.

Grier Martin, who is temporarily serving as the Pentagon's top personnel official, approved the change in a July 13 memo, which was posted to the unofficial "Air Force amn/nco/snco" Facebook page on Thursday. Military Times confirmed the memo's authenticity.
[...]
The Pentagon has said a small number of U.S. troops are stationed at the American embassy in Kyiv, working as its security detail and accounting for billions of dollars of military equipment the U.S. is sending to Ukraine.

A small U.S. special operations team working out of the embassy helps Ukrainian troops with intelligence operations and provides security for high-level visitors, but is not fighting alongside Ukrainian troops on the battlefield < wipes tears > ABC News reported in April.
[...]
Pentagon officials have emphasized that U.S. forces are not conducting combat operations inside the country.

pic.twitter.com/O71DMvmvKB

— Yuriy (@yurasak) March 9, 2022

PR by Ukrainian Institute

How to talk about the war in Ukraine ...

1. Name the war
a. Proxy
b. Stupid

2. Name the aggressor
a. White House
b. NATO since 2008

3. Be deliberate about what you are trying to say
a. Failure of diplomacy
b. Russia and Ukraine are part of Europe
c. Economic ties builds peace ☮️

4. Avoid using words that imply shared responsibility
a. Pax Americana

'Sapere aude'

Infamous policy of furthering lies, conspiracies and propaganda.

CIA's Operation Mockingbird

'Sapere aude'