Arms supply accelerated ahead of Ukraine's counter-offensive, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamicu said, warning that the supply of weapons into any armed conflict raises significant concerns about the potential escalation of violence and the risks of diversion.
To prevent the diversion of weapons, supply chain transparency and cooperation and information exchange between importing, transit and exporting States is required,
she stressed, adding that the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms is a key instrument in this regard.
Max Blumenthal, American founder and editor-in-chief of The Grayzone news website, also addressed the meeting, saying that the US government is funding a proxy war that has become a threat to regional and international stability. Moreover, aid sent to Ukraine not only puts a heavy strain on the country's budget, but is largely decided behind the scenes without consultation, he noted.
The Grayzone recently published an independent audit of US tax dollar allocation to Ukraine throughout fiscal years 2022 and 2023. The investigation - led by Heather Kaiser, a former military intelligence officer and veteran of US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - found a $4.48 million payment from the US Social Security Administration to Kyiv, as well as $4.5 billion worth of payments to the Zelensky regime from the United States Agency for International Development to pay off Ukraine’s sovereign debt, much of which is owned by the global investment firm BlackRock.
The audit also revealed the Pentagon’s $4.5 million contract with a notoriously corrupt company called "Atlantic Diving Supply" to provide Ukraine with unspecified explosives equipment.
The US Congress has failed to ensure these shady payments and massive arms deals are properly tracked, Mr Blumenthal pointed out, adding that the Biden administration knows it is escalating a proxy war against the world’s largest nuclear power.
The American journalist recalled, that back in 2014, President Barack Obama rejected demands to send lethal offensive weaponry to Kiev because he had a concern that arming Ukraine would provoke Moscow.
When Donald Trump entered office in 2017, he attempted to hold the line on Obama’s policy, but was soon branded a Russian puppet for refusing to send missiles to the Ukrainian military.
In January 2022, the US announced a $200 million arms package to Ukraine, Mr Blumenthal recalled. By the 18th of February, observers reported a doubling in ceasefire violations, with the overwhelming majority of targeted sites being on the side of the pro-Russian separatist population in Donetsk and Luhansk. A few days later, Russia invaded Ukraine.
President Joe Biden himself said in March 2022,
The idea that we’re gonna send in offensive equipment and have planes and tanks… don’t kid yourself, no matter what you all say, that’s called World War III.
Just over a year later, Mr Biden changed his tune, backing a plan to provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Why are we tempting nuclear annihilation by flooding Ukraine with advanced weapons and sabotaging negotiations at every turn?”
the US journalist put the question, underlining that the demand by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and some members of the US House of Representatives to launch a preemptive strike against the Russian Federation violates Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Blumenthal highlighted the controversial nature of the explanation that the defense of Ukraine equals the defense of democracy itself.
So where is the democracy in Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to ban opposition parties, criminalize the media outlets of his legitimate political opponents, to jail his top political rival, round up his top deputies, raid Orthodox Churches and arrest clergymen? Where is the democracy in the Ukrainian government’s imprisonment of Gonzalo Lira, a US citizen, for questioning the official narrative of their war effort? And where is the democracy in Zelensky’s recent decision to suspend elections in 2024 on the grounds that martial law has been declared? Well, it seems that Ukraine’s democracy is harder to find these days than its military’s suddenly inconspicuous commander-in-chief, Valeriy Zaluzhny,
Blumenthal opined.
Gonzalo Lira is a dual US-Chilean citizen, who has been living in Kharkiv, Ukraine, for several years. He became a war blogger after the Russian invasion last February and has been a vocal critic of the Kiev regime. The quick reaction was that Ukrainian authorities arrested Mr Lira twice. The first time he was released after a few days, but now he is charged with "justifying Russia's armed aggression" and spreading fake news, for which he could face up to 13 years in prison.
US conservative opinion leader Tucker Carlson said in a video posted on Twitter that what happened to Lira is proof that Zelensky’s regime is suppressing opposition and silencing critical voices, and he expressed concern that in the war for democracy, authoritarian measures may be taken under the guise of protecting the state, replacing democratic debate with harsh measures against political opponents.
As we reported earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has banned all 11 pro-Kremlin Ukrainian parties on accusations of of undermining Ukraine's sovereignty, saying the Kremlin has long used them to influence Ukrainian politics.
