Tag: memorandums of understanding

West Wants Relationship with Ukraine to Follow the ‘Israel Model’

Ms. Cat
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the Western Wall, in Jerusalem’s Old City on January 23, 2020 (Shlomi Cohen/Flash90)

The United States and some of its NATO allies plan to increase weapons-sharing and provide additional security guarantees to Ukraine. Polish President Andrzej Duda told the Wall Street Journal that Western leaders were supportive of developing ties with Kiev similar to the relationship Washington keeps with Tel Aviv.

West Wants Relationship with Ukraine to Follow the ‘Israel Model’

Related:

Archived: To Aid Ukraine in Fight Against Russia, Allies Look to Security Model Like Israel’s

Israel isn’t a member of NATO, and the U.S. isn’t treaty-bound to come to the country’s aid. But for decades Israel has enjoyed a special relationship with the U.S. as Washington’s most stalwart partner in the Middle East, and it is also the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since World War II.

U.S. assistance to Israel is currently outlined in 10-year agreements, and the most recent one commits Washington to providing $38 billion in military aid between 2019 and 2028.

Zelensky did say that he wanted Ukraine to be a “big Israel”. /sarcasm

A massive new US embassy complex in a tiny Middle East nation is raising eyebrows

Ms. Cat1 Comment
Source: US embassy in Beirut on Twitter

A massive new US embassy complex in a tiny Middle East nation is raising eyebrows

Sprawling over a 43-acre site, the complex in the Beirut suburb of Awkar is almost two-and-a-half times the size of the land the White House sits on and more than 21 soccer fields.

…

Plans for the embassy complex were announced in 2015 and it is reported to have cost $1 billion.

Lebanon is part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Thousands in Italy protest West’s weapons supplies to Ukraine as war enters 2nd year

Ms. Cat

Thousands of Italians have demonstrated across the country in Rome, Florence and Genoa against Western sanctions imposed on Russia and transfer of lethal military hardware to Ukraine, a day after the first anniversary of the Ukraine-Russia war.

Thousands in Italy protest West’s weapons supplies to Ukraine as war enters 2nd year

Video via World Politics

Related:

Anti-NATO, Anti-EU, Anti-War, Protest Rallies Hit Germany, France, Italy

Colombia’s First Leftist President Charts a New Path on Venezuela + Government of Venezuela and Opposition Resume Mexico Talks

Ms. Cat

Colombia’s First Leftist President Charts a New Path on Venezuela

While critics derided the meeting as just another propaganda spectacle for Maduro, Petro has sent a signal to opposition parties in Colombia and the international community, particularly the United States, to rethink its approach if they hope to improve relations and achieve a successful political transition in Venezuela.

Related:

The recognition of Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela will end in 2023, according to two sources close to the opposition

Guaidó’s possible change of status occurs just as the opposition coalition establishes the rules to select the unitary candidate who will compete in the next presidential elections in 2024.

So Biden can support a new interim president for Venezuela.

Government of Venezuela and Opposition Resume Mexico Talks: What Is on the Table? (+Alex Saab)

Still skeptical of Gustavo Petro.

Egypt-Palestinian Authority Deal on Gaza Gas Fields Likely Won’t Serve Palestinians, but Israel Instead

Ms. Cat

Reports have emerged indicating that a deal between the Palestinian Authority and Egypt, over the extraction of natural gas that is located off the coast of the besieged Gaza Strip, could be within reach. Although this has been hailed as a positive development by Ramallah and Cairo, the issue could cause more harm than good and amount to the theft of Palestinian resources.

Egypt-Palestinian Authority Deal on Gaza Gas Fields Likely Won’t Serve Palestinians, but Israel Instead