Thirty-three days remain until Donald Trump’s inauguration, and there is reason to fear—perhaps tremble—about what might happen between now and then. The War Party, deeply entrenched in the outgoing American administration and in European governments (unfortunately, not all of which are outgoing), will do everything possible to stop the one wise thing the president-elect plans to do after January 20: to end the “absurd bloodbath” of the war between Russia and NATO in Ukraine with a compromise. Since Trump’s election victory, those who want to prolong and expand the conflict have been setting fires everywhere. In Georgia, by backing the coup-leaning President Zourabichvili, who refuses to step down and acknowledge her electoral defeat. In Romania, by supporting the cancellation of elections because an undesirable candidate won the first round. In Syria, by approving an offensive by Al-Qaeda and ISIS militants, misleadingly labeled as “moderates” like their leader Arnaldo Jolani. And in Ukraine, by convincing the remnants of Biden’s administration to greenlight Atacms missile strikes in Russia—previously denied as “militarily useless” even by the Pentagon.
Yesterday, the Ukrainian secret service—which seems to have no clear allegiance—carried out and claimed responsibility for the most serious attack across the border in Moscow: blowing up Russian General Igor Kirillov and his deputy with a kilo of TNT.
This act was designed to provoke further escalation. There was no tactical gain on the battlefield, where Kyiv continues to lose ground. It only guarantees a proportional Russian reprisal for the murdered officers, hindering peace negotiations that not only Trump and his allies but also Zelensky and Putin consider inevitable. Meanwhile, so-called Europe remains silent on the terrorist regime that the West has supported with weapons, billions, and intelligence for a decade. Once a ceasefire arrives, this regime will need to be demilitarized to prevent further attacks at home and abroad (such as the Nord Stream pipeline destruction, the assassinations of Daria Dugina, Zaporizhzhia plant security chief Korotky, former socialist deputy Kiva, blogger Tatarsky, the attempted murder of writer Prilepin, and support for jihadist groups in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Syria).
It remains unclear whether Zelensky, while trying to curry favor with Trump and preparing his people for harsh territorial concessions, approved this latest provocation by his secret service or if the regime’s hardliners acted independently. Either way, the Ukrainian leader, who started as a comedic figure, seems destined to end as a tragic one.
Il Fatto Quotidiano, December 18, 2024
