As both the U.S. and Russia continue to ramp up the rhetoric about the war in Ukraine, the threat of nuclear war continues to escalate.
For many who remember the Cold War, this is concerning.
On Tuesday, President Biden shouted in Poland that the commitment of the United States — and the rest of NATO — to Ukraine was unwavering.
“Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. Never,” insisted Biden.
As President Biden commits to continuing to write a blank check to protect Ukraine’s borders from foreign invasion (while not doing a damned thing about our own,) Vladimir Putin made his state of the nation address stating that Russia had pulled out of the U.S./Russia New START Nuclear Treaty.
The United States and Russia hold 90% of nuclear warheads in the world. The New START Treaty, which was set to expire in 2026, limits both parties to 1,550 warheads on deployed missile launchers and heavy bombers. Both sides met that limit in 2018.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that Russia was pulling back from the New START treaty with the United States which reduces and limits each country’s nuclear arsenal.
“In this regard, I am forced to announce today that Russia is suspending its participation in the strategic offensive arms treaty,” Putin said in his annual address to the nation, just one day after President Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine.
In his long-delayed state-of-the-nation address, Putin cast Russia and Ukraine as victims of Western double-dealing. He said Russia, not Ukraine, was the one fighting for its very existence.
The speech reiterated a litany of grievances that the Russian leader has frequently offered as justification for the widely condemned war and ignored international demands to pull back from occupied areas in Ukraine.
Source: Fox News
Putin’s long, rambling speech blamed American ideals and U.S. hegemony as threats to global cooperation.
Putin Uses Woke Leftists And Weak-Kneed Church Leaders To Legitimize Attacks On The West
It’s important to remember that while Putin occasionally says something that’s true — perhaps that the West has ditched God for the new religion of wokeness, that some in the U.S. are fixated on “regime change” while denouncing “foreign interference” in their own elections, and that the U.S. is a-okay with sending billions to Ukraine to fight a centuries-long land dispute while people in the Third World are dying of malnutrition and preventable disease — he’s saying it to prop up his murderous, power-hungry authoritarian regime.
Putin even has the audacity to insist that Ukraine started the war back in 2014 — you know, when they invaded Crimea… oh, wait. That was Russia doing the invading. His contention here is that back during Obama 1.0’s second term, Ukraine attacked rebels in the Donbass region which Russia then “liberated” just a year into Obama 2.0’s first term.
It’s often helpful to check out what news outlets around the world are saying.
Here’s Australia’s 10 News First:
Here’s a short video from the Hindustan Times about Russia’s
Alleging that the United States was turning the war into a global conflict, Putin said Russia was suspending participation in the New START treaty, its last major arms control treaty with Washington.
Signed by then-U.S. president Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, the treaty caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the countries can deploy.
Due to expire in 2026, it allows each country to physically check the other’s nuclear arsenal, although tensions over Ukraine had already brought inspections to a halt.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Putin’s move “deeply unfortunate and irresponsible”. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said it made the world a more dangerous place, and urged Putin to reconsider.
The Russian leader said, without citing evidence, that some in Washington were considering breaking a moratorium on nuclear testing.
“… if the United States conducts tests, then we will. No one should have dangerous illusions that global strategic parity can be destroyed,” Putin said.
“A week ago, I signed a decree on putting new ground-based strategic systems on combat duty.”
It was not immediately clear which systems he meant.
Source: Reuters
It’s also quite helpful to get a better understanding of events from someone outside of North America.
WATCH: Konstantin Kisin Explains Why Russians Continue To Support Vladimir Putin
For more straight news, check out our new site, ClashNews.US.
Kisin, comedian and co-host of the TRIGGERnometry podcast, posted a thread on Twitter where he translated and summarized Putin’s speech while adding some context where necessary. It’s a long, but worthwhile read.
1/ Putin Withdraws Russia from Nuclear Treaty – Speech Summary pic.twitter.com/SKDq46edTC
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
3/ While I oppose the invasion of Ukraine the summary below is a faithful translation and paraphrasing of the speech, with certain parts omitted to make it more readable.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
5/ Read and share this as a Substack where it is easier to read:https://t.co/RUmHILlrxz
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
7/ He repeats the claims he made in previous speeches that the invasion of 2022 was to protect people in historically Russian lands, defend Russia, neutralise the “neo-Nazi” threat posed by Ukraine and says that Russia will continue to “carefully” and “persistently” work to…
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
9/ He lists a number of alleged misdemeanours by Western leaders, including “turning a blind eye to political assasinations”.
The West trained Ukrainian officers and provided weapons.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
11/ Over their many decades of colonialism, imperialism and hegemony they have become accustomed to doing whatever they want and spitting the world in the face. They lie to their own populations just as they lie to us.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
13/ We believe in honest partnerships that cannot be based on any, especially aggressive, exceptionalism.
For years, we argued that Europe and the world as a whole need an indisivible international security system based on the equality of all parties.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
15/ No other nation has hundreds of military bases around the world like the US. Just look at the map. They unilaterally withdrew from missile treaties that were designed to maintain peace on our planet. Why did they do this?
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
17/ That’s when it became clear that they’re got the green light to follow an aggressive path and have no intention of stopping. By February 2022, it was clear that plans were in place for another bloody punitive expedition into the Donbass.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
19/ Let me say it again: They started this war. And we’re using force to stop it. (applause)
The people who wanted to attack the Donbass intended their next step to be an assault on the Crimea and Sevastopol (major strategic military port occupied and annexed by Russia in 2014).
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
21/ They’ve already spent $150 billion to prop up the regime in Kiev. This is nearly 3 times what they gave to the poorest countries according to the OECD.
They’re also happy to splash out on creating instability and funding revolutions in countries around the world.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
23/ They paint us as the enemy to distract from their own economic and social problems as they supress the resulting dissent.
Let me remind you that in the 1930s, the West opened the door to power for the Nazis. And now, they’re turning Ukraine into “anti-Russia”.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
25/ For one reason and one reason alone: to rip these historically Russian lands, which are currently called “Ukraine”, away from our country.
The West forced this to a head by supporting the “bloody” overthrow of the Government in 2014.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
27/ (For context, many countries in the region, including Russia itself, have military and other units called Edelweiss after the flower, not the Nazi unit, see: https://t.co/THlxT6KQr7)
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
29/ Like in the 1930s, the intention is to direct aggression eastwards and use someone else to eliminate their competitors.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
31/ They spent decades destroying Ukrainian industry and pillaging its natural resources which predictably led to social problems and huge jumps in poverty and inequality.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
33/ The Kiev regime serves the interests of other countries instead of its own.
They’re using Ukraine as a battering ram against Russia and as a testing ground for their weaponry.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
35/ Western elites do not hide their true intentions – as they say, they want to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia. What does this mean for us? They want to end us and turn a local conflict into a global stand-off.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
37/ They’re particularly targetting young people by misrepresenting history, attacking Russian culture and Orthodox Christianity.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
39/ They force priests to bless homosexual marriages – fine, let them do whatever they want. Our view is and has always been in Russia that adults can live however they want.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
41/ The family is the union between a man and a woman plus children” (unlike previous applause which seemed somewhat “invited” and unenthusiastic, at this point the audience erupts in spontaneous applause).
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
43/ Millions of people in the West see the spiritual catastrophe their societies are being led towards. The elites are going crazy but that is their problem. What we have to do is defend our children from this degradation and degeneracy.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
45/ These traitors commit acts of terrorism and other crimes to undermine our security and the integrity of our country – they will be held responsible under the law.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
47/ (For reference, calling the invasion of Ukraine a “war” is currently illegal in Russia and punishable by up to 15 years in prison. https://t.co/ARvqL4yAcn)
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
49/ He spends a few more minutes promising economic development of these regions: “Together we’ve become stronger”)
He spends a good chunk of time responding to the concerns of families of fallen soldiers and veterans by announcing a new fund.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
51/ Numerous critics of the regime, particularly those who demand tougher action on Ukraine and domestically, have raised these issues on high profile Russian social media channels in recent weeks)
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
53/ The West has deployed not only informational, military but also economic warfare against us. But they have failed on all fronts and that will continue to be the case.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
55/ The sanctions against Russia are the method but their objective, as they have openly said, is to make our citizens suffer. Such humanism. They want to destabilise our society from within but they have failed.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
57/ We spent over a trillion rubles on this and let me emphasise: we didn’t print this money either. (“unlike the West” is implied here)
We will continue to defend our country but this must not be at the cost of continuing to grow our economy.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
59/ (He lists various achievements, including road-building, new industrial facilities and improved logistics + other economic achievements and goals. After this long section on the country’s future economic plans, he elicits, for the first time, a genuinely excited reaction:
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
61/ They even took money that was earned lawfully (this is a direct swipe at the oligarchs whom he cut down to size in the early 2000s). With a grin, he says “no ordinary Russian feels sorry for people who lost money they held in foreign accounts”.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
63/ (He continues attacking oligarchs at length, including by arguing that since they own and run Russia’s major businesses while being “dependent” on the foreign countries in which they live, this is a strategic vulnerability for Russia that must be addressed.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
65/ You can live out your days in your seized mansion with your frozen bank accounts in your pleasant Western capital or some warm weather resort. That is your right and we won’t even interfere.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
67/ But there is another choice: stand with your Motherland. You can work for your fellow Russians. You can work not only for your own benefit but for the people in cities and villages around you. We have many such fighters in our business community and they are the future.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
69/ Now that you’ve seen how they treat you, stop begging and humiliating yourselves. Stop looking to the past and trying to take them to court. You are strong and capable people – I have known many of you personally for many years.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
71/ Russia is an open country but it’s also an independent civilisation. This is no claim to exceptionalism or superiority. But it is *our* civilisation. That’s what matters. We have inherited it from our ancestors and we must pass it on to our children.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
73/ We all remember how during the pandemic we were the first to support certain European countries, including Italy and others, during their toughest weeks in battling COVID. We remember the help we provided to Turkey after the recent earthquake.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
75/ All local elections and the 2024 Presidential Election will be held in strict adherence to the law and all democratic and constitutional norms. Elections are always a choice but our political forces are all united behind the mission of ensuring the security of our country.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
77/ “In the cause of defending Russia, we have to bring together and join our efforts, our duties and our rights, to support a single, historic supreme right: the right of Russia to be STRONG”. (Emphasis Putin’s) (standing ovation)
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
79/ He talks at length about domestic economic policy.)
I would like to address one final thing. In February of this year, NATO effectively demanded that we “return” to complying with New START, including allowing inspectors to visit our nuclear defence facilities.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
81/ And now they want to visit our defence facilities?
Given the current stand-off, this is ridiculous. I should note as well that under this Treaty, we are not given the opportunity to conduct full inspections ourselves.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
83/ And they expect to just stroll into our defence facilities? Including the latest ones?
A week ago I put our new strategic ground-based forces on alert – they want to stick their noses in these locations too? And they think we’ll just let them?
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
85/ Britain and France also have nuclear weapons which are being improved and modernised. And they are also aimed at us.
The latest statements by their leaders confirm this – listen to them. We cannot ignore this. We have no right to ignore this, especially now.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
87/ Subsequently, our relations improved so much that the US and Russia stated that they no longer considered each other to be adversaries. That was a good thing.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
89/ (A simple way to understand what Putin is saying is this: think about Russia and the US as two people. Each one has a gun and neither wants to shoot and kill the other but neither wants to be blackmailed by the other having a gun either.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
91/ Now imagine the American guy has a button which can disable the Russian’s gun (anti-missile systems capable of disabling Russia’s nuclear weapons) or is seeking to create one. If the US can shoot without being shot back, it can use this to put pressure on Russia.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
93/ After the collapse of the Soviet Union, they started trying to re-do the outcome of the Second World War. They wanted to build an American world, a world in which there is only one sovereign.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
95/ They planned and executed a number of wars around the world with one aim: to break the international relations architecture created after WW2.
This is not a figure of speech. This is what is happening.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
97/ There are new and rapidly expanding centres of power and influence. This is a natural process that cannot be ignored. What we cannot accept, however, is the US attempting to reshape the world to cater solely to their own selfish interests.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
99/ As if there is no connection between New START and the conflict in Ukraine or other hostile actions against our country. This is either extremely cynical or extremely stupid behaviour. And they’re no idiots – they are not stupid people.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
101/ (applause, 3 people at the back attempted to start a standing ovation which didn’t happen).
Let me repeat: we are not withdrawing from the treaty, we are suspending our participation.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
103/ With their statement, they’ve effectively applied to join this process. Fine, let’s do it. But please don’t lie again and pretend to be peacemakers who want to defuse tensions.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
105/ In view of this, our Ministry of Defence and Rosatom must prepare to test our nuclear weapons. Of course, we would never be first to do this but if the US conducts tests, we will too.
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
107/ (He spends the next section praising the diversity of Russia’s armed forces fighting in Ukraine, coming from all the nations of Russia and fighting side by side, and the contribution of civil society)
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
P.S. Some people will likely take issue with the title of this thread in that Putin claims he hasn't withdraw Russia from the treaty, merely suspended Russia's participation. I personally view this as the same linguistic obfuscation as the term "Special Military Operation".
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) February 21, 2023
Psalms of War: Prayers That Literally Kick Ass is a collection, from the book of Psalms, regarding how David rolled in prayer. I bet you haven’t heard these read, prayed, or sung in church against our formidable enemies — and therein lies the Church’s problem. We’re not using the spiritual weapons God gave us to waylay the powers of darkness. It might be time to dust them off and offer ‘em up if you’re truly concerned about the state of Christ’s Church and of our nation.
Also included in this book, Psalms of War, are reproductions of the author’s original art from his Biblical Badass Series of oil paintings.
This is a great gift for the prayer warriors. Real. Raw. Relevant.
Sources:
1. Mion, Landon. “Russia suspends participation in New START nuclear treaty with US, Putin says.” Fox News. February 21, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/world/putin-delivers-annual-address-day-after-bidens-visit-to-ukraine
2. Faulconbridge, Guy. “Russia’s Putin issues new nuclear warnings to West over Ukraine.” Reuters. February 21, 2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-update-russias-elite-ukraine-war-major-speech-2023-02-21/
