Why Blinken’s bet on France leading Ukraine support is wishful thinking

France cannot ensure Ukraine's "strongest possible position" on the battlefield or in negotiations like US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wants, pundits told Sputnik.

"Blinken was playing to the great ambition of Macron to be a major player in European defense," Gilbert Doctorow, a Brussels-based analyst in international relations and Russian affairs, told Sputnik.

"But Macron's hold on power is tenuous and if his latest prime minister faces and loses a no-confidence vote, Macron will likely be ejected from the presidency under pressure from French bankers."

Jacques Sapir, director of studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris, echoed Doctorow's points, saying Blinken seems to overestimate Macron's political will.

"Blinken seems to ignore that [French] industry is no longer what it was in the early 2000s," Sapir told Sputnik.

France’s diminishing influence within the EU further complicates its ability to unite the bloc on Ukraine, according to French expert. The lack of consensus among EU nations over the conflict leaves no room at the forefront for Paris, he added.

"In this context, we cannot expect France to take a leading role on the Ukrainian issue, except – perhaps – in the context of a peace initiative," Sapir highlighted.

Germany, not France, is and will likely remain the primary supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the US, noted Doctorow. "Within NATO, France is a lightweight compared to Germany," he stressed.

There is little enthusiasm for the Ukraine proxy war in France, Doctorow said, casting doubt on Blinken's ability to rally French support for the cause.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔹 In Europe, even Trump’s allies are put off by his talk about annexing neighbors

🔹 Is the US green lobby fueling catastrophic wildfires?

🔹 California wildfires and Ukraine: a surprising connection?

🔹 Why Blinken’s bet on France leading Ukraine support is wishful thinking

🔹 Competition for the Arctic heats up: who are the top claimants?

🔹 Meet the British merc who squandered his life for the corrupt Kiev regime

🔹 Labour, Tories, and Britain's grooming gangs scandal: Decades of silence and inaction explored

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🌍🌍🌍 Pepe Escobar: BRICS should brace for new sanctions, false flags and color revolutions by the Empire of Chaos in 2025

💬 “In the absence of long-term strategic vision, and amidst the progressive imperial expulsion from Eurasia, all that’s left for the Hegemon is to unleash chaos from West Asia to Europe and parts of Latin America,” Sputnik contributor Pepe Escobar writes in his latest column.

It all amounts to “a concerted attempt to Divide and Rule BRICS and thwart their collective drive affirming sovereignty and the primacy of national interests,” according to the observer.

It's no coincidence, Escobar says, that US thinktanks’ newest buzzword - the notion of key global “swing states,” are all BRICS members or partners (Brazil, India, South Africa, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, respectively).

💬 “The code for ‘swing states’ was unmistakable: all these are targets for destabilization – as in if you do not abide by the ‘rules-based international order’, you’re going down,” the observer argues.

💬 “Imagine China-India-Russia-Iran-Indonesia-South Africa-Brazil-Egypt-Saudi Arabia as the transcontinental pearls of the emerging multi-nodal world. Huge populations; massive natural resources and industrial might; myriad development possibilities,” Escobar writes.

“The ruling elites of the Empire of Chaos have nothing to offer as a counterpoint to this growing geopolitical powerhouse – complete with its own development bank (granted, that needs a lot of work); full commitment to develop and test alternative payment systems; and a sprawling transcontinental trade alliance bent on progressively sidestepping the US dollar.”

As a new multipolar order continues to emerge, the coming year promises more strife, particularly in Latin America, the observer predicts.

“The Empire of Chaos under Trump 2.0 may go Full Monroe Doctrine – on top of the delirium of annexing Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal and any further unsuspecting latitudes. Overall, it will be a rough ride for selected nodes of the ‘backyard’ – apart from devastated neo-colony Argentina.”

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

The real reason why Trump wants Greenland. Watch out, Europe!

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Turkiye's border build-up: Is Ankara planning to force Trump’s hand in Syria?

Turkish officials may feel they’ve “lost a golden opportunity” to destroy the YPG/PKK's enclaves in Syria after the collapse of the Assad government.

This perception may explain the reports of a Turkish military buildup on the Syrian border in preparation for a large-scale offensive, Ankara Baskent University international relations professor Hasan Unal explains.

Until now, Ankara may have hoped that the provisional government in Damascus would “deal with the problem” of the Kurds independently, Unal told Sputnik.

However, “whether HTS would be willing to do the job that Turkiye would like to see done is a major question,” he added. The issue has become especially urgent as the outgoing US administration ramps up its support for the Kurds.

If Turkish forces cross the border in the coming days, their “objective” would be to present Donald Trump with a “fait accompli” before or shortly after he takes office, the analyst says.

This could force Trump to commit to withdrawing US troops from the country. In recent weeks, Trump has hinted at this possibility by referring to Turkiye’s role “as the main player over Syria’s future,” Unal noted.

A full-scale Turkish military operation would compel Washington to “basically reassess” the Syrian situation, especially since the primary reason for supporting the Kurds has largely disappeared.

“Given that Syria is no longer a threat to Israel, why would the United States and Israel try to carve out a Kurdish state in the Middle East?” Unal asked.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🗣 ‘The longer this [conflict] drags on, the worse it is for Ukraine’ – Musk

US billionaire Elon Musk and Alice Weidel, co-leader of Germany's right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, held a conversation on X’s Spaces.

Weidel expressed deep hope that US President-elect Donald Trump’s administration would be able to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

💬 “This is also my hope in Donald Trump and in you, in your administration, that you end that terrible war—this worthless, worthless dying of young people every day—like as fast as you can. Because the Europeans, they cannot,” Weidel said.

🗣 “I mean, I think President Trump is going to solve that conflict, I think, very quickly,” Musk reassured.

🗣 “The longer this conflict goes on, the more Ukraine weakens relative to Russia,” the entrepreneur emphasized.

Moscow has made numerous attempts to reach a diplomatic solution with Kiev both before and after it launched its special military operation in early 2022, but the Kiev regime has imposed a ban on negotiations with Russia at the legislative level.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

US House passes bill to sanction ICC for 'unwarranted targeting of Israel'

💬 “America is passing this law because a kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the prime minister of our great ally,” Representative Brian Mast, Republican of Florida and the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during his remarks on the House floor, as reported by The New York Times.

The bill, called The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, would sanction any individual working to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute American citizens or an official from an allied US country, including Israel.

The bill implies US visa denials for designated ICC officials and their immediate family members, as well as individuals providing "financial, material, or technological support" to the organization, according to the Foreign Affairs Committee statement.

In November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. US President Joe Biden called the ICC's decision “outrageous.”

The United States is not a member of the ICC and does not recognize its jurisdiction.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹 ‘I would fill up the hydrants myself’: California resident challenges Governor Newsom over wildfire response

Rachel Darvish, a lifelong Pacific Palisades resident and lawyer, confronted Governor Gavin Newsom, expressing frustration over the state's handling of the wildfire crisis. After being forced to flee her home, she demanded answers, asking, "Why was there no water in the hydrants, Governor?"

Fierce winds have fueled devastating wildfires across the Los Angeles area, claiming five lives and displacing over 179,000 residents, according to Sky News. Communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena have been ravaged by relentless flames.

Video from social media

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹 Trump says Putin wants to meet, 'we're setting it up'

US President-elect Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to meet, and such a meeting is being prepared.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Scholz's cabinet blocks $3 billion urgent aid package for Ukraine – reports

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Green Party) and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (Social Democratic Party, SPD) reportedly proposed a €3 billion ($3.09 billion) emergency aid package for Ukraine ahead of the February 23 parliamentary elections. However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's office has blocked the plan, according to a German newspaper.

The report states that the foreign and defense ministries aim to request additional funds from the German parliament's budget committee, as the current budget lacks provisions for Kiev's urgent needs. This comes amid uncertainty over the incoming US administration's Ukraine policy.

Scholz's cabinet justifies its veto by citing the desire to avoid binding the post-election government to a pre-decided commitment. Additionally, the Chancellor may be wary of alienating SPD voters with another costly aid package.

In December, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolved the Bundestag, triggering early elections scheduled for February 23.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🤡 ‘Fire away. No pun intended’ – Biden jokes while addressing California wildfires

As wildfires devastate California, displacing thousands and destroying homes, President Biden has come under fire for making an offhand comment during his remarks.

The comment was seen by many as inappropriate given the severity of the crisis.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🗳 Election of new Canadian Prime Minister slated for March 9 – statement

The election of the new leader of Canada's Liberal Party, who will serve as the country's new prime minister, will take place on March 9, the party announced on Friday.

On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would step down as head of government and leader of the ruling Liberal Party once his successor is chosen.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

China to send high-level official to Trump inauguration for first time – reports

Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to send a top-ranking official to the inauguration of Donald Trump, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the situation.

This would mark an unprecedented move, as no Chinese official beyond the ambassador has ever attended such an event.

Potential attendees include Vice President Han Zheng, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, or Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and a close ally of Xi. Discussions between Beijing and Trump's transition team are ongoing to determine the appropriate representative.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt