Breedlove's Bellicosity: Berlin Alarmed by Aggressive NATO Stance on Ukraine

[newthinking]

Breedlove's Bellicosity: Berlin Alarmed by Aggressive NATO Stance on Ukraine

By SPIEGEL Staff


Top NATO commander General Philip Breedlove has raised hackles in Germany with his public statements about the Ukraine crisis.

US President Obama supports Chancellor Merkel's efforts at finding a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis. But hawks in Washington seem determined to torpedo Berlin's approach. And NATO's top commander in Europe hasn't been helping either.

It was quiet in eastern Ukraine last Wednesday. Indeed, it was another quiet day in an extended stretch of relative calm. The battles between the Ukrainian army and the pro-Russian separatists had largely stopped and heavy weaponry was being withdrawn. The Minsk cease-fire wasn't holding perfectly, but it was holding.

On that same day, General Philip Breedlove, the top NATO commander in Europe, stepped before the press in Washington. Putin, the 59-year-old said, had once again "upped the ante" in eastern Ukraine -- with "well over a thousand combat vehicles, Russian combat forces, some of their most sophisticated air defense, battalions of artillery" having been sent to the Donbass. "What is clear," Breedlove said, "is that right now, it is not getting better. It is getting worse every day."

German leaders in Berlin were stunned. They didn't understand what Breedlove was talking about. And it wasn't the first time. Once again, the German government, supported by intelligence gathered by the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Germany's foreign intelligence agency, did not share the view of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).

The pattern has become a familiar one. For months, Breedlove has been commenting on Russian activities in eastern Ukraine, speaking of troop advances on the border, the amassing of munitions and alleged columns of Russian tanks. Over and over again, Breedlove's numbers have been significantly higher than those in the possession of America's NATO allies in Europe. As such, he is playing directly into the hands of the hardliners in the US Congress and in NATO.

Continued:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/germany-concerned-about-aggressive-nato-stance-on-ukraine-a-1022193.html

[Purveyor]

1. "But hawks in Washington seem determined to torpedo Berlin's approach."

Well certainly do have our share of 'Breedlovians' here on DU, indeed.

Thanks for posting.

[newthinking]

2. And

They are awfully quiet on this story.

[uhnope]

3. not sure about "Breedlovians" but we have supporters of fascist Putin

on DU, and some are so lost they do things like spread Kremlin talking points direct from Russian government websites and they even link to Hezbollah terrorist websites if it will serve their demented anti-west worldview. Here's what they have as their screensaver:

[KoKo]

4. Interesting article from Germany's "Der SPIEGEL" well worth the read....

[newthinking]

5. The truth is slowly coming out. This article is saying that NATO was propagandizing.

Something that some of us have been trying to explain.

[KoKo]

6. K&R...

and "WHY" would NATO Propagandize?

More money for weapons and high tech surveillance and the rest that goes with perpetual war...War Without End...because of the Profits.

It's what it is when Military are Considered an Utmost Participant in Global Ecomics and their stocks rise when "ordinary folk" can't get a decent return on their Savings.