23 Feb, 2025

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has expressed his readiness to “exchange” his position for NATO membership and step down if it is necessary to achieve peace in Ukraine.

Speaking at the ‘Ukraine. Year 2025’ forum in Kiev on Saturday, Zelensky said he does not intend to remain in power for many years. 

Zelensky confirmed he received the proposed deal, introduced by Washington after the first draft was shot down by Kiev, which involves a sum of $500 billion.

“It became clear that we are talking about a debt, that this is not an investment... If this money goes to the fund, and nothing comes from abroad, then we are paying off the debt,” Zelensky stated.

“We had 100 [billion]. I am not ready to pay off 500 [billion]. And I am not even ready to fix it at the 100 [billion mark], because I will not recognize grants as debts. We should not pay off the debt,” he added.

Paying off amounts such as this would put ten generations of Ukrainians in debt, which means the deal is completely unacceptable, Zelensky said.

Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024; critics have accused the Ukrainian leader of seeking to prolong the hostility in order to cling on power. Moscow has said it does not regard him as a legitimate representative of the country and that he lacks the power to sign any comprehensive peace deal. This week, Trump pointed to Zelensky’s shaky legal position as well, branding him a “dictator without elections” and claiming that he currently has an extremely low approval rating in his country.

ကိုးကား- RT

Photo: RNZ

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday that China and the United States should find the right way to get along.

China and the United States should follow the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and find the right way for the two major countries to get along well with each other, said Wang during a conversation with representatives of American society on the sidelines of a UN Security Council high-level meeting in New York.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that China and the United States have vast common interests and there is broad space for cooperation.

The two sides should earnestly respect each other's core interests, strengthen communication, build trust, fend off distraction and overcome obstacles so that China-U.S. relations can be improved and stabilized, said Wang. 

Source: Xinhua

U Ko Ko Gyi, Chairperson of the People's Party said that recent agreements made by the working group of political parties and the National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) will pave the way for a democratic federal union in the future. 

"The agreement to officially amend and enact the term 'federal' in the Constitution through discussions with the NSPNC is significant. It will allow the respective Chief Ministers of states and regions to be elected by their respective parliaments. Additionally, for ethnic minorities, the administrators at the district level will be appointed through elections by the local people. Therefore, it represents a form of self-governance," said U Ko Ko Gyi. 

Although U Ko Ko Gyi returned with enthusiasm to announce the agreements made through discussions, including the formation of a federal union based on democracy and the federal system, he expressed dissatisfaction with misleading reports from foreign news agencies. 

He said, “When good news for the people is being shared, unexpectedly, foreign media outlets distort the entire image of our discussions' outcomes. It’s disappointing. We had requested these facts to discuss in advance. The agreements we reached has been signed. But those do not include the facts mentioned by foreign media. Additionally, there was no representation speaking on behalf of the working group. This is unrelated to the political party group and does not reflect the NSPNC's agreements.”

Source: NP News 

Or, between a rock and a hard place; an idiom that means to be in a difficult situation where you have to choose between two equally unpleasant or inconvenient options. What could possibly reflect such a circumstance in Myanmar, especially politically?

Long before your time, in a country called Myanmar, there were elections. The popular leader who was somehow expected to win cheated in these elections. That is the most important fact (verifiable) that the West has to acknowledge. The cheating was so rampant that Myanmar has overtaken Japan in terms of population over the age of 100, in terms of number of centenarians voted. Myanmar became the country with the best healthcare in the world (despite consistently ranked among the lowest in the world, in fact, according to WHO). The elections fraud was so widespread that the total number of votes counted exceeded the eligible votes by 50% (33 million vs 22 million). Still many refused to believe provable stats and decided to follow the incorrect analogies and fake news.

Yet hind side is 20:20. We could have gotten international auditors or third parties to verify the frauds. We could have conducted press conferences in English and invited international journalists. We could have predicted that the easily gullible population and Facebook would turn the country into a mess. Well, past is in the past now.
After much back and forth, both China and India saw the truth. Thailand did not bother much since the beginning. ASEAN five points was undoable as the writer has said from day 1. EU is caught in a limbo.

The echelon governing the Union demand concrete steps to restore the power back to the fraudster. Yet the emissaries on the ground long for a negotiated solution to compete with the two giant powerhouses of Asia.

With 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Myanmar coming up next year, China is planning a bonanza of engagements to augment the increasing better relations between the two nations. India is not resting on its laurels either. Although falling behind China distinctly in terms of sponsorships, India is catching up through many think tanks and diplomatic and military exchanges. India navy officials did arrive on a friendly tour in December to travel around the country. The two navies have a very fruitful relationship that began nearly twenty years ago, resulting in the eventual acquisition of a submarine.

Trump probably does not even know where Myanmar is and $400 million obtained by the anti-establishment forces from the Biden Harris administration is no longer on the plate. But engagement with EU is an open option.

So what does EU want? You can list down from the impossible missions to the softballs. For example, talking with the NUG is a no-no for the government. Their baseline of kicking Tatmataw out of the constitution is an unworkable option. Moreover, many in the military and its supporters feel that talking to them would be worse than a stab in the heart, after NNCP terrorists killed many of their friends and kins. May be releasing one of the jailed leader of an ILO-approved union might be practical, but the government has to ensure that it can get some benefit out of this route.

Then there is the issue of Su Kyi.

Many of us believed she has to serve time for the crimes she had committed, especially on elections and financial frauds. So, she has to do time. But based on current status quo, sentencing for some of the crimes she has committed would not be begin till probably after the next election.By that time, she is already 80+ years old. From the practical standpoint, how many more years could she live? During her time in jail, she would always be a pain in the ass for the diplomatic relations between the West and Myanmar.
Even if she die while in prison, the government would still get blamed for that. Knowing how the Myanmar leaders doing good deeds, she is likely to be like released after a couple of years in jail, via presidential pardon or health reasons. Say, she is released at 82. If she is still able bodied, she would likely do a Shaun Turnell and would not keep her mouth shut. Who can realistically promise she would not cause another uprising?? However, if she is in another country, just like Turnell, the assumption is that she would not even be half as effective as being in town. So we can agree that Su Kyi being out in the open in the country, alive and kicking is bad for the stability of Myanmar. Could there possibly be another option?

What if we strike a deal with EU, to send her off to one of those European countries and let her kick the bucket over there. On the surface it seems like she is escaping justice. From the practical stand point, the end result would seem to be the same. Jail time could result in a short parole or death, both of which are bad for the country and the government. Releasing her might cause much emotional pain, but the country might gain on the diplomatic, trade and development front as a whole, with the West, provided the government knows how to demand properly. Once she is out of sight, she could be out of the minds of many. Would that not be a good thing after all? The thing of ultimate importance is that the government has to ensure that it earns enough credits, get back all the money being detained illegally in the West and trade concessions from such a deal while doing something whose result is substantially different from the other atternative. She would be forever gone. The thorn would be once and for all, removed. The talk that she is no future in Myanmar politics would become a reality. The devil and the deep blue sea are not so different after all.

The only real threat would be what if she became a liability overseas like Pan Sallo, who had become a multi millionaire in the US, from donations by the Myanmar diaspora while continuing to kill many innocent civilians back in Myanmar. It’s the risk that Myanmar is unable to take.

By Tim M Htut

Ref: https://www.myanmarinsider.com/caught-between-the-devil-and-the-deep-blue-sea/

ON Saturday, Middle Eastern nations and Hezbollah’s allies responded to the reported killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israeli airstrikes in Beirut.

Hezbollah confirmed his death, stating he had been a leader for over 30 years and was killed in a “treacherous” attack in a stronghold area of Beirut.

Israel’s military hailed Nasrallah as one of its greatest adversaries, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that his death avenged many Israeli casualties.

Iranian officials asserted that Nasrallah’s vision for Hezbollah would continue, emphasizing support for the Palestini an cause.

Palestinian group Hamas condemned the assassination, calling it a cowardly act and pledging solidarity with Hezbollah.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas expressed condolences over the attacks.

In Yemen, Huthi rebels stated that Nasrallah’s death would fuel their resolve against Israel.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned the strikes, labeling them a shameful attack, while Syrian officials criticized Israel’s actions as barbaric.

In Bahrain, the opposition movement Al-Wefaq honored Nasrallah as asymbol of resistance. The reactions underscore a unified stance among various factions against Israeli military actions. — AFP

FRENCH Prime Minister Michel Barnier delivered a comprehensive one-and-a-half-hour speech Tuesday in the National Assembly, detailing his government’s key priorities including public deficit reduction, immigration reform, and retirement policies.

Barnier set ambitious target for France’s public deficit, aiming to bring it down to five per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025 from this year’s six per cent, and further down to three per cent in 2029.

To achieve the goal, Barnier pledged to reduce public spending and introduce a more “effective” public spending scheme. He also called for an additional tax effort, under which large and very large companies that make significant profits should contribute more “without compromising the competitiveness” of France.

The wealthiest French people will also be targeted for an “exceptional contribution,” he added. Following the murder of a young student by an illegal immigrant who was supposed to be deported from France, Barnier acknowledged in the National Assembly that France’s migration and integration policies are no longer managed “in a satisfactory way”. — Xinhua