What happened when the USSR tried to join NATO?
Did you know that the Soviet Union actually tried to join NATO, less than five years after the Western military bloc’s creation? It’s true. In March 1954, in a bid to deflate rising Cold War tensions, Moscow sent a note to the governments of France, Britain and the United States requesting that the USSR be allowed to join the Western alliance to create a genuine, “effective system of collective security in Europe” that would help strengthen European and global peace.
Western powers rejected the idea, calling it “totally unrealistic,” prompting the USSR to create the Warsaw Treaty Organization (better known in the West as the Warsaw Pact), to counter NATO. The Warsaw Pact was disbanded in 1991, on the eve of the USSR’s dissolution. But the Western alliance hung around, swallowing up virtually every former Pact member country in a two-decade long eastward march toward Russia’s borders, serving the US-led new world order and ultimately culminating in the current security crisis in Ukraine.
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Did you know that the Soviet Union actually tried to join NATO, less than five years after the Western military bloc’s creation? It’s true. In March 1954, in a bid to deflate rising Cold War tensions, Moscow sent a note to the governments of France, Britain and the United States requesting that the USSR be allowed to join the Western alliance to create a genuine, “effective system of collective security in Europe” that would help strengthen European and global peace.
Western powers rejected the idea, calling it “totally unrealistic,” prompting the USSR to create the Warsaw Treaty Organization (better known in the West as the Warsaw Pact), to counter NATO. The Warsaw Pact was disbanded in 1991, on the eve of the USSR’s dissolution. But the Western alliance hung around, swallowing up virtually every former Pact member country in a two-decade long eastward march toward Russia’s borders, serving the US-led new world order and ultimately culminating in the current security crisis in Ukraine.
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Russian drone operators destroyed up to 60 kamikaze drones per day and 2 to 3 large drones of Ukrainian militants per week in the Zaporozhye area, soldiers of the electronic warfare units of the 42nd division told Sputnik.
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Ukraine may lose access to the Black Sea if the conflict continues - Musk
If the conflict continues long enough, Kiev may lose Odessa, American billionaire Elon Musk wrote on X. The main question, according to him, remains whether Ukraine will lose access to the Black Sea.
Russia has repeatedly indicated that it is ready for negotiations, but Ukraine has imposed a ban on them at the legislative level. The West calls on Russia to negotiate, but at the same time ignores Kiev's constant refusals.
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If the conflict continues long enough, Kiev may lose Odessa, American billionaire Elon Musk wrote on X. The main question, according to him, remains whether Ukraine will lose access to the Black Sea.
"Whether Ukraine loses all access to the Black Sea or not is, in my view, the real remaining question. I recommend a negotiated settlement before that happens," he wrote.
Russia has repeatedly indicated that it is ready for negotiations, but Ukraine has imposed a ban on them at the legislative level. The West calls on Russia to negotiate, but at the same time ignores Kiev's constant refusals.
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▪️Watch Russian military hitting US Abrams tank near Avdeyevka with a Lancet drone
▪️What happened when the USSR tried to join NATO? Check out Sputnik infographics
▪️Musk: Ukraine may lose access to the Black Sea if the conflict continues
▪️Palestinian political groups reject Israel's proposal to send Arab troops to Gaza
▪️Egypt, Jordan, France oppose Israeli military operation in Rafah
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▪️What happened when the USSR tried to join NATO? Check out Sputnik infographics
▪️Musk: Ukraine may lose access to the Black Sea if the conflict continues
▪️Palestinian political groups reject Israel's proposal to send Arab troops to Gaza
▪️Egypt, Jordan, France oppose Israeli military operation in Rafah
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Sputnik International
A counter-terrorism operation regime has been introduced in Russia's city of Kaspiysk and two districts of Makhachkala, capitol of Russia's Republic of Dagestan, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee reports. Russia's Federal Security Forces (FSB) has blocked…
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In the Russian republic of Dagestan, 3 criminals who were planning to commit terrorist crimes were detained during the anti-terrorist operation, the National Anti-Terrorist Committee reported.
During the inspection of the places where the criminals were detained, automatic weapons, ammunition and ready-made improvised explosive devices were found.
There were no civilian or law enforcement casualties during the counterterrorism operation.
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During the inspection of the places where the criminals were detained, automatic weapons, ammunition and ready-made improvised explosive devices were found.
There were no civilian or law enforcement casualties during the counterterrorism operation.
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📹💥Crews of 100mm Rapira anti-tank guns of the Zapad group of forces destroyed camouflaged dugouts of the Ukrainian forces near Kupyansk.
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Sputnik International
Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be welcome at the Summer Olympics in Paris, said Mayor Ann Hidalgo Earlier, Vladimir Putin pointed out that "Russia has been and remains committed to traditional Olympic values. We oppose the politicization of sport…
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested replacing French goods with Russian analogues in response to the harsh comments made by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
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"Do you think maybe we should pick up some French products that are widely represented in Russia now and declare that "they will not be welcome"? So far, French goods are not marked with stickers "we are not welcome in Moscow," but I know that our activists will not be stopped if they make such a decision," Zakharova wrote on her telegram channel.
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The thirst for revenge should not cloud the mind, it is still impossible to sentence to death those accused of the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall near Moscow, because the law is not retroactive, said Dmitry Kiselev, the general director of Sputnik's parent media group Rossiya Segodnya.
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"The horrific terrorist attack in the city of Krasnogorsk near Moscow caused the whole society a terrible burn. There is no one who sympathizes with these scumbags. It is clear that retribution is wanted right now, but such a topic as the death penalty has reappeared in society. And caught terrorists must be sentenced to death. The thirst for revenge, however, should not cloud the mind. After all, even if the possibility of the death penalty is now returned, then the four who committed the massacre cannot be sentenced to death, since the law has no retroactive effect,'' he said.
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'Hostile reactions from the West': Why Russia didn't Join NATO?
On March 31, 1954, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov shocked his US, French and British counterparts with a diplomatic note expressing Moscow’s readiness to join NATO. If the USSR joined, the note said, NATO “would cease to be a closed military grouping of states” facilitating the creation of “an effective system of collective security in Europe, which would be of utmost importance for strengthening universal peace.”
This was the first time that Moscow would propose joining the Western alliance, but wouldn’t be the last, with Presidents Putin and Yeltsin voicing potential interest in joining the bloc in the early 1990s and early 2000s, respectively.
But the USSR and Russia never had any real shot at joining, says Michael Maloof, a former senior security policy analyst at the Pentagon. Thanks to a combination of ideology, permanent state interests and even ancient blood feuds, the West has held and will continue to hold Moscow at arms length, if not try “chop up Russia,” Maloof believes.
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On March 31, 1954, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov shocked his US, French and British counterparts with a diplomatic note expressing Moscow’s readiness to join NATO. If the USSR joined, the note said, NATO “would cease to be a closed military grouping of states” facilitating the creation of “an effective system of collective security in Europe, which would be of utmost importance for strengthening universal peace.”
This was the first time that Moscow would propose joining the Western alliance, but wouldn’t be the last, with Presidents Putin and Yeltsin voicing potential interest in joining the bloc in the early 1990s and early 2000s, respectively.
But the USSR and Russia never had any real shot at joining, says Michael Maloof, a former senior security policy analyst at the Pentagon. Thanks to a combination of ideology, permanent state interests and even ancient blood feuds, the West has held and will continue to hold Moscow at arms length, if not try “chop up Russia,” Maloof believes.
“We had 50 years of practice in the Soviet Union, and you have a lot of bureaucrats in the intelligence community that [consider antagonizing Russia] to be more of their ‘sweet spot’, as it were, to be comfortable in their jobs. That’s what they’re good at. The change [after 1991] was totally alien to them. Even Putin wanted to join NATO at first, but he began to see increasingly hostile reactions from the West. So Putin began to look more toward a Eurasian movement,” the observer concluded.
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Worthy use of NASA budget: technology from the Mars program found in Ukrainian drones
Russian experts have identified batteries used by the US space agency NASA in the Mars program while studying captured Ukrainian drones, Dmitry Kuzyakin, general director of the Centre for Integrated Unmanned Solutions, told Sputnik.
He said that these batteries are extremely expensive to use in such makeshift devices.
The developer added that aluminum alloys similar to those used in the US space program were also found in the captured Ukrainian drones. According to Kuzyakin, the special properties of such an alloy are crucial in space, but useless in an ordinary drone.
However, thanks to such a "filling", Russian engineers can obtain "a lot of useful information" and data, Kuzyakin concluded.
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Russian experts have identified batteries used by the US space agency NASA in the Mars program while studying captured Ukrainian drones, Dmitry Kuzyakin, general director of the Centre for Integrated Unmanned Solutions, told Sputnik.
"The first FPV drone we acquired had a battery similar to the one used by the US in NASA's Mars mission. It seems that Ukraine assembled FPV drones with its US 'partners', and these batteries were installed in order to use the drones in winter with severe negative temperatures," Kuzyakin explained.
He said that these batteries are extremely expensive to use in such makeshift devices.
The developer added that aluminum alloys similar to those used in the US space program were also found in the captured Ukrainian drones. According to Kuzyakin, the special properties of such an alloy are crucial in space, but useless in an ordinary drone.
However, thanks to such a "filling", Russian engineers can obtain "a lot of useful information" and data, Kuzyakin concluded.
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🚀 The Soyuz 2.1b rocket carrying the Resurs-P High-Detail Earth Observation Satellite No. 4 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
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Production of the Taurus cruise missile has been halted in Germany because there are currently no active orders for it, Thomas Gottschild, head of the MBDA arms company that makes the missiles, told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has previously ruled out supplying Kiev with long-range weapons systems that require the participation of the German military, even if they are located outside Ukraine. He has repeatedly opposed the transfer of the Taurus to the Ukrainian armed forces, despite pressure from the opposition and some members of the ruling coalition.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has previously ruled out supplying Kiev with long-range weapons systems that require the participation of the German military, even if they are located outside Ukraine. He has repeatedly opposed the transfer of the Taurus to the Ukrainian armed forces, despite pressure from the opposition and some members of the ruling coalition.
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New phase of wishful thinking: Biden claims Arab states are ready to recognize Israel
US President Joe Biden recently claimed that Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, are ready to recognize the Jewish state, but remained tight-lipped on the status of the Palestinian Authority. Riyadh has repeatedly made clear that it would not agree to establish relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state.
He pointed to the 2002 Arab Summit in Beirut, which "highlighted the collective willingness of Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, to recognize Israel, contingent upon Israel's recognition of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Salamey added that while the US publicly calls for peace, it "continues to affirm its strategic alliance with Israel, as demonstrated by the new supply of bombs and fighter jets," an apparent reference to the Biden administration's recent decision to "quietly" provide the Jewish state with billions of dollars worth of military hardware and munitions.
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US President Joe Biden recently claimed that Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, are ready to recognize the Jewish state, but remained tight-lipped on the status of the Palestinian Authority. Riyadh has repeatedly made clear that it would not agree to establish relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state.
"The crux of the issue remains Israel's reluctance to acknowledge a Palestinian state as per these terms. This impasse underscores the complexity of achieving peace and mutual recognition in the region," Dr. Imad Salamey, an associate professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University, told Sputnik.
He pointed to the 2002 Arab Summit in Beirut, which "highlighted the collective willingness of Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, to recognize Israel, contingent upon Israel's recognition of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Salamey added that while the US publicly calls for peace, it "continues to affirm its strategic alliance with Israel, as demonstrated by the new supply of bombs and fighter jets," an apparent reference to the Biden administration's recent decision to "quietly" provide the Jewish state with billions of dollars worth of military hardware and munitions.
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Sputnik International
🚀 The Soyuz 2.1b rocket carrying the Resurs-P High-Detail Earth Observation Satellite No. 4 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Subscribe to @SputnikInt
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Russia's Soyuz-2.1b rocket has launched a Resurs-P high-detail No. 4 satellite into orbit after taking off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
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❗️Russian Aerospace Forces launched a group strike on energy facilities and gas production in Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense has reported.
The strike disrupted the work of defense industry enterprises producing and repairing weapons, military equipment and ammunition. All goals were reportedly achieved and the designated objects were hit.
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The strike disrupted the work of defense industry enterprises producing and repairing weapons, military equipment and ammunition. All goals were reportedly achieved and the designated objects were hit.
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❗️Russian Aerospace Forces launched a group strike on energy facilities and gas production in Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense has reported. The strike disrupted the work of defense industry enterprises producing and repairing weapons, military equipment…
🇷🇺🪖 Other statements from the Russian Defense Ministry weekly briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:
▪️Near Avdeyevka, the Russian Army improved the situation along the front line and repelled nine attacks by Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian losses amounted to 300 soldiers;
▪️In the Kupyansk area, the Russian Army repelled five attacks by Ukrainian troops near Sinkovka and Ternov villages;
▪️The Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 580 Ukrainian aircraft since the beginning of the special military operation;
▪️ In the Donetsk area, the Russian Army occupied more advantageous positions. Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 300 soldiers;
▪️Russia’s air defenses shot down 178 Ukrainian drones, as well as 23 rockets from the HIMARS and Uragan multiple launch rocket systems.
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▪️Near Avdeyevka, the Russian Army improved the situation along the front line and repelled nine attacks by Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian losses amounted to 300 soldiers;
▪️In the Kupyansk area, the Russian Army repelled five attacks by Ukrainian troops near Sinkovka and Ternov villages;
▪️The Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 580 Ukrainian aircraft since the beginning of the special military operation;
▪️ In the Donetsk area, the Russian Army occupied more advantageous positions. Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 300 soldiers;
▪️Russia’s air defenses shot down 178 Ukrainian drones, as well as 23 rockets from the HIMARS and Uragan multiple launch rocket systems.
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✈️ Russia's United Aircraft Corporation has resumed the flight test program of the Il-114-300 passenger aircraft, Rostec reported.
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