2023 Presidential Captive Nations Week Proclamation Cites War in Ukraine

The 2023 Presidential Captive Nations Week Proclamation, which US presidents are mandated to issue each July, cites the russian war against Ukraine as an example of a national battle for democracy and freedom.

The first such proclamation was authorized by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1959 in support of “the peoples of the Soviet-dominated nations have been deprived of their national independence and their individual liberties.”

This year, President Biden recognizes the “Ukrainian people’s courageous defense of their sovereignty, freedom, land, and lives” again “russia’s brutal aggression.”

The full text of the 2023 Presidential Captive Nations Week Proclamation follows:

During Captive Nations Week, we reaffirm our support for brave people around the world who are standing up to oppressive rule and striving for greater freedom, greater dignity, and greater democracy.

When President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed the first Captive Nations Week in 1959, he appealed directly to the hundreds of millions living behind the Iron Curtain — firm in the knowledge that authoritarianism could never erase a people’s love of liberty.  Over the coming decades, courageous women and men joined together to demand their fundamental freedoms and human rights.  But the battle against oppression did not end with the Cold War.  The forces of autocracy continue to reassert themselves.  In Iran, belarus, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the People’s Republic of China, and elsewhere, we are seeing an all too familiar contempt for the rule of law, for democracy, for human rights, and even for the truth itself.

This is all too evident in russia’s brutal aggression against its neighbor Ukraine and in the Ukrainian people’s courageous defense of their sovereignty, freedom, land, and lives.  And around the world, countless more are working every day in their own countries to advance the essential democratic principles that unite free people everywhere:  the rule of law; free and fair elections; the freedom of the press; the freedom to speak, write, and assemble; and the freedom to worship as one chooses.  These advocates and champions of democracy are living proof that the darkness that drives autocracy can never extinguish the flame of liberty that lights the souls of free people everywhere.

The United States is proud to stand with all those who fight for freedom.  We will continue supporting democratic reformers and human rights defenders around the world, who are working for a future where women and girls can exercise their rights equally and contribute fully to society, where members of religious and ethnic minorities can live their lives without harassment, where LGBTQI+ people can live and love freely, and where citizens and the press can question and criticize their leaders without fear of reprisal. 

Two years ago, at the first Summit for Democracy, I was proud to launch the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, with more than $400 million in initiatives to defend and grow democratic resilience with partners around the globe.  This year, at our second Summit, I committed another $690 million to keep growing our work to advance democracy internationally.  Democracy — transparent and accountable government of, for, and by the people — is our most powerful tool to realize lasting peace, expand prosperity, and protect human dignity. 

The United States will continue to lead not just by the example of our power but the power of our example.  That is why, since my first day in office, my Administration has also taken decisive action to restore and strengthen democracy here at home.  I issued an Executive Order promoting access to voter registration and election information, and I signed into law the Electoral Count Reform Act, which helps preserve the will of the people against future attempts to overturn our elections.  The Department of Justice has strengthened its ability to fight unlawful voter suppression.  And I continue to call on the Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. 

During this Captive Nations Week, as we honor the bravery of democratic reformers and human rights defenders everywhere, I am reminded of the words of the philosopher Kierkegaard:  “Faith sees best in the dark.”  To those living in darkness today:  We honor your resilience.  To those who are committed to the cause of liberty:  We are your partner for a better future. 

The Congress, by joint resolution approved July 17, 1959 (73 Stat. 212), has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the third week of July of each year as “Captive Nations Week.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 16 through July 22, 2023, as Captive Nations Week.  I call upon all Americans to reaffirm our commitment to championing those around the world who are working, often at great personal risk, to secure liberty and justice for all.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

End of russian War won’t Result in Peace

Despite the displays of camaraderie, adulation, support, back slapping, respect, awe, and humanitarian and military aid at the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, the leaders of the free world’s bastion of defense stopped short of inviting Ukraine to cross the threshold into the hallowed ranks of the alliance, disappointing its President Zelenskyy and Ukrainians around the world.

In lieu of immediate membership, the alliance devised a list of its commitments to Ukraine’s military capability to defend itself and then to rebuild its country. The consensus among the NATO leaders was to develop a multi-lateral scheme that would ensure Ukraine’s future as a free independent, democratic, and sovereign nation.

“We will not waver,” Biden vowed after the summit in Lithuania ended. “I mean that. Our commitment to Ukraine will not weaken. We will stand for freedom today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes.”

That takes the sting out of rejection.

However, the leaders had enumerated a handful of reasons or excuses for their verdict but none of them hold any water. Interoperability with NATO – done, battlefield skills – done, unique combat skills and superiority versus the enemy, russia – done.

However, their complaints about Kyiv’s tardy democratic development and the prevalence of corruption and graft are bogus complaints by those who realize they can’t lob any other stones at Ukraine because they, themselves, aren’t without sins but they’re afraid of the enemy, russia.

Consequently, the leaders of the alliance made their decisions from behind a desk while Ukrainians are heroically defending their country and Europe with their proven skills, determination, blood, guts and latest weaponry against NATO’s sworn enemy, russia.

As for their concerns about Ukraine’s war with russia, I’ll address that later.

Zelenskyy, who arrived in Vilnius with chants of Ukraine will make NATO stronger, was visibly and understandably infuriated by the decision that Ukraine didn’t make the cut. After all, Ukraine’s greatest attribute for being accepted has been its singular ability to stand up to unprovoked russian aggression, which can be regarded as the historic, anticipated battle for the country’s existence. The Ukrainian president had been travelling the world over, meeting with national leaders, urging, even pleading for Ukraine’s acceptance.

That gesture would have been the political shot heard round the world.

At the end, Zelenskyy was simply told Ukraine would be invited to become a member “when allies agree and conditions are met.” The answer itself was obnoxious.

Not surprisingly, Zelenskyy justifiably hit the roof, saying it was “absurd” for NATO leaders not to reveal even so much as a timetable. The conditions, he said, were “vague,” to say the least.

President Joe Biden, who sought to shine on the global stage, and his fellow leaders, in an effort to mollify the disappointment, did unveil a substantial multifaceted show of support for Ukraine, not really a consolation prize, but rather an eternal joint declaration of support for Ukraine aimed at bolstering the war-torn country’s military capability.

Biden acknowledged that the alliance did not invite Ukraine to join during the summit as the country works on “necessary reforms,” but, he said, “We’re not waiting on that process to be finished” to boost the country’s security. Biden has emphasized that Ukraine is not ready to enter NATO, admitting earlier that russia’s war in Ukraine needs to end before the alliance can consider adding Kyiv to its ranks.

“Mr. Zelenskyy and I talked about the kind of guarantees we could make in the meantime… And so today, the long-term commitments we’re making are backed up by the notion that in the meantime, we’re going to provide security to Ukraine for its needs and against any aggression that may occur.”

However, it appears Zelenskyy heard enough to return home satisfied, saying, “The results of the summit are good” in a news conference with the alliance’s chief. Among the moves NATO took was agreeing to remove one requirement for Ukraine’s entrance to the group – a Membership Action Plan – given Kyiv’s close relationship with NATO nations.

While sitting with Biden before their meeting on the summit’s sidelines, Zelenskyy reiterated that he felt the summit was a “success” for Ukraine despite his earlier frustrations – which Biden acknowledged during his remarks.

In an event with Zelenskyy and G-7 leaders, Biden told the Ukrainian president that American support is not going anywhere. The declaration, Biden said, “starts a process by which each of our nations, and any other nation who wishes to participate, will negotiate long-term bilateral security commitments with and to Ukraine.”

“We’re going to help Ukraine build a strong defense across land, air and sea,” Biden vowed, calling it “a force of stability in the region to deter against any and all threats.”

“The Ukrainian delegation is bringing home significant security, victory for the Ukraine, for our country, for our people, for our children. It opens for us absolutely new security opportunities, and I thank everyone who made it possible,” he said.

“Today we are launching negotiations with Ukraine to formalize – through bilateral security commitments and arrangements aligned with this multilateral framework, in accordance with our respective legal and constitutional requirements – our enduring support to Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity, rebuilds its economy, protects its citizens, and pursues integration into the Euro-Atlantic community,” the declaration said, adding that those discussions will begin “immediately.”

A joint declaration issued by the G7 lays the groundwork for each nation to negotiate agreements to help Ukraine bolster its military over the long term. Zelenskyy described the initiative as a bridge toward eventual NATO membership and a deterrent against russia. The process will work on “bilateral, long-term security commitments and arrangements towards” three goals.

The first goal is “ensuring a sustainable force capable of defending Ukraine now and deterring russian aggression in the future,” through continued provision of security assistance and modern military equipment, support for Ukraine’s industrial base development, training for forces, intelligence sharing and cooperation, and support for cyber defense, security and resilience initiatives.

The second is “strengthening Ukraine’s economic stability and resilience, including through reconstruction and recovery efforts, to create the conditions conducive to promoting Ukraine’s economic prosperity, including its energy security.” And the third is “providing technical and financial support for Ukraine’s immediate needs stemming from russia’s war as well as to enable Ukraine to continue implementing the effective reform agenda that will support the good governance necessary to advance towards its Euro-Atlantic aspirations.”

The announcement will start a process of bilateral negotiations with Kyiv, National Security Council senior director for Europe Amanda Sloat told reporters.

There will be a “long-term investment in Ukraine’s future force” aimed at “ensuring Ukraine has a sustainable fighting force capable of defending Ukraine now and deterring russian aggression in the future, a strong and stable economy, and the help Ukraine needs to advance the reform agenda to support the good governance necessary to advance Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations,” she said.

“We believe the declaration we will announce today seeks to ensure Ukraine’s future as a free independent, democratic, and sovereign nation. It signals in joint long-term commitment to building a powerful defensive and deterrence force for Ukraine, of course for both stability and for peace. This multi-lateral declaration will send a significant signal to russia that time is not on its side,” Sloat said.

In turn, Zelenskyy offered heartfelt thanks to the U.S. for standing “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine from the first days of the war. He also acknowledged criticism facing the US following Biden’s controversial decision last week to send his country cluster munitions.

Defining an end to hostilities is no easy task. Officials have declined to define the goal, which could suggest a negotiated cease-fire or Ukraine reclaiming all occupied territory. Either way, putin would essentially have veto power over Ukraine’s NATO membership by prolonging the conflict.

While a firm date for Ukraine’s accession has not been set, the consent focused on an end to the war, which ironically was not defined. Does that mean a defeat of russia; a Ukrainian victory; a draw that focuses on a line of demilitarization; russia’s capitulation and withdrawal from Ukraine; russian reparations; capture and prosecution of war criminals?

After the summit, russia’s foreign minister sergei lavrov chimed in with a warning that the war won’t end until the West gives up plans to dominate and defeat russia.

The goal of the “US-led collective West” is to strengthen its global hegemony, lavrov told the Kompas newspaper. lavrov is due to attend the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum in Jakarta this week, as is U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“Why doesn’t the armed confrontation in Ukraine come to an end? The answer is very simple – it will continue until the West gives up its plans to preserve its domination and overcome its obsessive desire to inflict on russia a strategic defeat at the hands of its Kyiv puppets,” according to a transcript of the interview published on russia’s foreign ministry website. “For the time being, there are no signs of change in this position.”

All of which indicates that the war won’t end in the foreseeable future. Throughout its history, muscovy/russia has repeatedly invaded Ukraine with the goal of subjugating the country and annihilating the nation. Chances are that it will continue doing so. Does that mean that Ukraine will never join NATO so long as the war lasts because Kyiv certainly can’t throw down its weapons just to accede to the alliance? If Ukraine does become a member at some time in the future, will the NATO allies have to continue sitting on the ramparts, waiting for russia to make another move against Ukraine or the other former captive nations?

So wouldn’t it have been better to allow Ukraine to join now, when russia is weak, crumbling and in disarray? 

Was Ukraine Left at NATO’s Altar?

History is replete with stories of heroes or heroines abandoned by fair-weather friends at the threshold of a major achievement or victory. The free world, NATO, the United States, “old” Europe and surprisingly even the former captive nations failed to make history. They failed to open the door to NATO membership for Ukraine or commit to a solid timetable and strong endorsement of Ukraine’s accession to NATO that would truly symbolize its unquestionable support for the largest country in Europe that is facing an existential battle against its arch enemy russia.

The standard range of excuses was offered about why the salubrious group of defenders of democracy couldn’t yet invite Ukraine to join NATO including it wasn’t ready, it’s fighting a war with Russia and the silliest reason by far was that it’s not doing enough to stop corruption. If you would pick up any daily newspaper in any American city you’d find enough stories about lifestyle and government corruption to fill a college graduate course in how not to run a government.

Nonetheless, with platitudes, promises and compassion the NATO members turned down Ukraine. However, its leaders pointed out that Ukraine should be able to join the military alliance at some point in the future but they stopped short of offering Kyiv an immediate invitation and a definite date, infuriating Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The NATO leaders said in a declaration: “Ukraine’s future is in NATO.” But they offered no timeline for the process.

“We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met,” the declaration said, without specifying the conditions Ukraine needs to meet.

NATO did drop a requirement for Ukraine to fulfil what is called a Membership Action Plan (MAP), effectively removing a hurdle on Kyiv’s way into the alliance.

While the world waits, Ukrainians continue shedding their blood – soldiers on the front lines and civilians in their apartments or pizzerias – in defense of Ukraine and Europe against the scourge of russia.

As he arrived in Vilnius Zelenskyy assured thousands of Lithuanian well-wishers, many waving Ukrainian flags, that “NATO will make Ukraine safer, Ukraine will make NATO stronger.”

“It’s unprecedented and absurd when a timeframe is not set, neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership,” Zelenskyy said before arriving in the Lithuanian capital as a special guest. He expressed disappointment that Ukraine was not invited to join NATO.

“I travelled here today with belief in a decision, with belief in partners, with belief in a strong NATO...

“I would wish for this belief to become a certainty - certainty in decisions that all of us deserve and which our every soldier expects, our every citizen, our every mother, our every child. And is this too big of a wish?” he asked.

The NATO declaration also offered a seemingly double-sided stroke of support: “We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the government and people of Ukraine in the heroic defense of their nation, their land, and our shared values.” In strong language towards Moscow, it added: “The Russian Federation is the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.”

The alliance also had recognized Ukraine’s army was increasingly “interoperable” and more “politically integrated” with NATO forces and it would continue to support reforms to Ukraine’s democracy and security sector. NATO leaders also highlighted the creation of a new NATO-Ukraine Council, meeting tomorrow for the first time, which will give Kyiv the right to summon meetings of the whole alliance.

But the decision to give no sense of timescale will be seen as a setback for Ukraine.

Even though such detail was always unlikely, Zelenskyy’s decision to say the absence of a timetable was “absurd” only emphasized his and all Ukrainians obvious frustration.

It’s rather strange. If you can separate friends from foes, the reasons for supporting the allies, then why are you curtsying to russia, the enemy?

Lithuania’s past leaders, including former presidents Valdas Adamkus and Dalia Grybauskaitė, sent a letter imploring NATO leaders to invite Ukraine to join the alliance during the Vilnius summit, the LRT public broadcaster reported on July 10.

“Gathering in Vilnius for the NATO summit, you have the opportunity to make a historic decision and invite Ukraine to NATO, without delaying and without waiting for the end of the war,” said the statement, also signed by the first head of the restored Lithuanian state Vytautas Landsbergis and signatories of the Act of March 11, declaring the country’s independence in 1990.

“Ukraine and its people, with their lives sacrificed for the freedom of us all, deserve that we all defend every centimeter of Ukrainian land. Your decision can stop russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”

On the eve of the summit Grybauskaitė noted “The accession process must start, because waiting for a post-war situation allows putin to never ever finish this war. If we really care about the security of NATO territory, Ukraine inevitably needs to be part of it.

“It’s not just the war against Ukraine, it’s the quest against our entire civilization. If Ukraine does not achieve a definitive victory on the battlefield, the West will end up in limbo. The aggressive actions against it will last for decades to come,” she added poignantly.

Sadly their pleas fell on deaf ears.

But Zelenskyy did score wins elsewhere. French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris would start supplying long-range cruise missiles, following a similar announcement by Britain. These will allow Ukrainian forces to hit Russian troops and supplies deep behind the front lines. Germany announced new aid worth 700 million euros, including two Patriot air defense missile launchers, and more tanks and fighting vehicles.

Tomorrow, Zelenskyy will meet with President Biden so hopefully they could come to a decision that will keep the alliance from shooting itself in the foot.

Let Ukraine finally Join NATO

In 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded in Washington, DC, in order to secure peace in post-war Europe, to promote cooperation among its victorious members and to guard their freedom. Today, NATO is a security alliance consisting of 31 countries from North America and Europe. It is designed to protect European allies against missile threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area.

For decades, NATO served as an effective bulwark against soviet russia expansion. That russia has emerged as an aggressor state, leading to a destabilization of the European continent, is proof of NATO’s continued importance for both the United States and Europe as a safeguard against continued russian expansionism. In addition to the full-blown military invasion of Ukraine, the repeated serious russian provocations directed against neighboring NATO and non-NATO nations in the region and beyond endanger not only the sovereignty and territorial integrity of European allies, but the future viability of all trans-Atlantic security structures. It also disbalances the post-World War II geopolitical structure.

While russia was not openly labeled as the country that violates regional and global peace and threatens the members’ freedom, for all intents and purposes for the past seven decades and more it actually has endangered peace, security, cooperation and development throughout the region and planet.

Initially, “old” Europe and the United States and Canada became members of NATO. Then after the fall of the iron curtain, the dividing line between the righteous and dishonorable countries, the former captive nations, “new” Europe, were invited to join NATO.

Thus the stage was set for a geopolitical conundrum for the leadership of the free world.

Ukraine, since declaring independence in 1991, has been an on again, off again candidate for membership. A host of definitions and encouraging labels were devised for the process of allowing Ukraine to accede to NATO while not upsetting russia. None of them made sense considering the fact that Ukraine’s neighbors to the west were accepted as NATO members and they have been Ukraine’s staunchest supporters since their accession.

Now that russia is fulfilling its age-old mission to invade and subjugate Ukraine and imprison or annihilate the Ukrainian nation, the issue of Ukraine’s accession to NATO is once again top of mind. The russian war is killing Ukrainian men, women and children, destroying the infrastructure and ruining the environment.

The NATO members will gather in Vilnius, Lithuania, for a two-day meeting beginning tomorrow and Ukraine will be the key point on the Agenda. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, after threatening not to attend if the discussion will not be meaningful, will actually be present perhaps signaling that it won’t be a waste of time.

Undeniably, Ukraine is the most popular country on earth today. It has become the repository of the world’s latest armaments to defeat russia. And putin made it so by shedding blood across the Ukrainian landscape; by missiles strike against residential homes and pizzerias; by blowing up a dam and flooding arable land.

The loudest supporters of Ukraine’s accession to NATO are the former captive nations of russian subjugation. They know the pain of the kremlin’s captivity and they know that if Ukraine falls, they will soon fall afterward. And then “old” Europe.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, considered by her contemporaries the Margaret Thatcher of her day, on July 4 said that NATO membership “is the only security guarantee” for Ukraine and said it is important that NATO member countries agree during their summit in Vilnius on “practical steps” on how Ukraine gets into the alliance.

It is important that during the summit members “go beyond the Bucharest wording,” Kallas said, referring to the 2008 summit declaration that offered Ukraine an opportunity to join the alliance without a concrete timetable.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance will support Ukraine for as long as necessary. “We are sending a message to putin that he will not win the war,” he clarified.  

“I think all the allies realize that Ukraine is in the middle of a war, and this is not a good time to invite it to join. But all allies understand that the door remains open, and we have demonstrated that with Finland and Sweden. All the allies realize that Ukraine will become a member, and it is up to the allies to decide when Ukraine is invited to join NATO. But most importantly, the allies understand that the most important thing now is to support Ukraine. If we don’t do that, Ukraine will no longer exist as an independent country. And if it doesn’t exist as an independent country, the question of its membership becomes meaningless,” Stoltenberg.

And so on and so forth. The Lithuanians and Poles support Ukraine’s accession to NATO.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has called on NATO member states to give Kyiv a clear roadmap to joining the defense alliance. “Ukraine is waiting for an unambiguous signal regarding a clear prospect of membership in NATO,” Duda said.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is also urging NATO to give Ukraine a “clear path” to becoming a member of the alliance to deter further aggression by Russia and other “bad actors” who seek to destabilize Europe. In a letter prior to the NATO summit AJC CEO Ted Deutch and AJC President Michael Tichnor described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as posing a threat to democracy and the international order.

“Welcoming Ukraine into NATO would send a strong signal also to other bad actors, ranging from Pyongyang to Tehran,” the letter states. “If Western nations demonstrate unity and resolve by accepting Ukraine, it would help deter these actors as well and convey a clear message that any aggression or destabilizing behavior will be met with a strong response.”

“While critics argue that Ukraine’s NATO membership could further escalate tensions with Russia, potentially leading to more conflict, history has shown that the lack of strong action in the face of aggression only emboldens aggressors,” they wrote, “By embracing Ukraine and reinforcing its security, NATO can help deter further Russian aggression and provide a stable framework for dialogue and de-escalation.”

But, apparently, russia’s war against Ukraine, russian boots on Ukrainian land and Article 5 are scaring the allies, the staunch supporters of Ukraine from ushering Ukraine into their midst and an equal among equal partner.

“Of course, we understand it cannot happen when the war is going on. But we have to have a clear pathway [for] how Ukraine gets there,” Estonia’s Kallas opined.

Enough with the caution. Russia is incapable of fighting Ukraine’s accession to NATO.

NATO membership for Ukraine would send a powerful political message to the world, to russia, about the free world’s support for Ukraine and belief in its integrity and future, far beyond the ever important HIMARs, tanks and cluster bombs. It would tell the world that now Ukraine is a worthy candidate for members in NATO and it deserves to be a member. But more so NATO deserves such a shining new member as Ukraine, the only country on earth that in seven decades as accrued the military prowess to fight and hold at bay the former second biggest army in the world. And if those reasons aren’t enough, 89% of Ukrainians support their country’s membership in NATO.

So, temporarily suspend Article 5, agree that the free world won’t send its boys to fight and die in Ukraine, Ukrainians are doing that already for the benefit of their country and the free world. But give Ukraine full membership. Tell all regions of the world that Ukraine is worthy of membership that will preserve the 32-year-old independent, sovereign and democratic country. Show impotent, decrepit russia that it can’t dictate who can become a NATO member and who can’t.

This is the only righteous course of action for the free world, NATO, the x-captive nations, and Ukraine.

US Cluster Munitions en route to Ukraine

The United States has finally decided today to provide strategically invaluable cluster munitions to Ukraine and is expected to announce tomorrow that the Pentagon will send thousands as part of a new military aid package worth up to $800 million to help Ukraine defend itself and even defeat Russia, according to the Associated Press and other news media.

The decision by the Biden Administration was revealed despite widespread concerns that the controversial bombs can cause civilian casualties. Ukrainian officials have been requesting these arms for months. The Pentagon said it will provide munitions that have a reduced “dud rate,” meaning there will be far fewer unexploded rounds that can result in unintended collateral damage.

US officials said Thursday, July 6, they expect greater package of military aid to Ukraine will be announced on Friday. The weapons will come from Pentagon stocks and will also include Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles and an array of ammunition, such as rounds for howitzers and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System – HIMARS that have been successful in striking russian positions, officials said.

Long sought by Ukraine, cluster bombs are weapons that open in the air, releasing submunitions, or “bomblets,” that are dispersed over a large area and are intended to wreak destruction on multiple targets at once. Ukrainian officials have asked for the weapons to aid in pushing through lines of russian troops and make gains in the ongoing counteroffensive. Russian forces are already using cluster munitions on the battlefield and in populated civilian areas, U.S. officials have said. And as is typical of moscow, it will deny that weapon to its enemy.

Oleksandra Ustinova, a member of Ukraine’s parliament who has been advocating that Washington send more weapons, was quoted as saying that Ukrainian forces have had to disable mines from much of the territory they are winning back from Russia. As part of that process, Ukrainians will also be able to catch any unexploded ordnance from cluster munitions. “We will have to de-mine anyway, but it’s better to have this capability,” Ustinova said. She credited Congress for pushing the Administration over several months to change its position on the munitions.

It should be noted that many of these unexploded munitions pollute fields that are key in growing agricultural products for domestic and foreign consumption.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the move was long overdue. “Now is the time for the U.S. and its allies to provide Ukraine with the systems it needs from cluster munitions to F-16s to ATACMS in order to aid their critical counteroffensive. Any further delay will cost the lives of countless Ukrainians and prolong this brutal war,” said McCaul.

The Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, would give Ukraine the ability to strike russian targets from as far as about 180 miles (300 kilometers).

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week that the US has been thinking about providing the cluster munitions “for a long time.”

“The Ukrainians have asked for it, other European countries have provided some of that, the Russians are using it,” Milley said during a speech at the National Press Club.

Cluster bombs can be fired by artillery that the US has provided to Ukraine, and the Pentagon has a large stockpile of them.

The discussion of arbitrarily killing civilians or causing collateral damage by one ordinance or another is nonsense because russia has been using missiles, drones and conventional bombs that not only kill servicemen and women, but they’re also used against russia’s other feared military targets – ask the families of the four victims killed last night in Lviv or the 13 killed civilians, mostly young people, in a pizzeria in Kramatorsk.

Russian Murder of Ukrainian Civilians is Deliberate

In addition to deliberate russian acts of torture of Ukrainians in the past 17 months, United Nations investigators also found that at least 77 unarmed Ukrainian civilians were summarily executed – deliberately killed – by the invading cutthroats.

The figure is, unfortunately, likely to be much higher, because of areas still under occupation, and because the russians also carried out on-the-spot summary executions, according to the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group.

Russian forces carried out widespread and systematic torture of civilians who were detained in connection with the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, summarily executing dozens of them, the United Nations human rights office reported last week. The UN interviewed hundreds of victims and witnesses for a report detailing more than 900 cases of civilians, including children and elderly people, being arbitrarily detained in the war.

The vast majority of those interviewed said they were tortured and in some cases subjected to sexual violence during detention by russian terrorists, the head of the UN human rights office in Ukraine said. It added that Russian armed forces, law enforcement and penitentiary authorities have used torture and ill-treatment of civilian detainees on a massive scale.

“Torture was used to force victims to confess to helping Ukrainian armed forces, compel them to cooperate with the occupying authorities or intimidate those with pro-Ukrainian views,” said Matilda Bogner.

Sexual violence especially against civilians has been denounced and forbidden by international law.

The figure was reported on June 27, 2023, in the latest report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), titled “Detention of civilians in the context of the Russian armed attack, 24 February 2022 – 23 May 2023.” Since this report concentrates on all aspects of civilian detention, the authors do not go into detail and simply express grave concern over the summary executions of some hostages. 

UN monitors documented the summary execution of 72 men and 5 women whom the russians had arbitrarily detained in Ukraine and are aware of another man who died in russian custody as the result of torture or inhumane conditions. The real number of extrajudicial executions carried out by russia since it began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine is undoubtedly much higher as the fate of many victims of enforced disappearances remains unknown, and the above figure does not include those whom the russians executed on the spot. News accounts of russian terrorists executing entire families – in some cases grandparents, parents and children – in their automobiles have been reported since the start of the invasion.

An earlier report from December 2022, however, gave more detail about Russia’s summary executions in those parts of the Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions that had been occupied russia. By the end of October 2022, OHCHR had recorded the summary execution or fatal attacks on 441 civilians (341 men; 72 women; 20 boys and 8 girls). Fifty-seven of the 100 killings which the report concentrated on were assessed as summary executions (48 men; 7 women and 2 boys). Thirty victims had been killed in places of detention, with the other 27 summarily executed on the spot. The authors warned that in these three regions only, the total number of summary executions and lethal attacks against civilians by the russian military “is likely considerably higher.” This is without taking into account other parts of Ukraine already liberated from the invading forces, as well as those still under occupation. 

In February of this year, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres asserted that russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has triggered “the most massive violations of human rights” in the world today.

The State Department Human Rights Country Report for Ukraine (and an array of other governments, international organizations and NGOs) lists mass and unlawful killings, including summary executions, forced disappearances, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, interrogations with no due process, arbitrary detention, and sexual violence, among other violations. Large numbers of political prisoners and detainees languish in appalling detention centers. There are severe restrictions on political rights and civil liberties, such as freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, religion, movement and, of course, the denial of the right of citizens to vote in free and fair elections, the report concluded.

Most of these rampant human rights abuses and democracy violations have been inflicted on Ukrainian citizens by the russian occupiers since 2014, when moscow seized Crimea and then Donetsk and Luhansk immediately upon the end of 2014 Winter Olympics. However, in the ensuing months the crimes have greatly expanded, intensified and acquired new shocking features and even more terrifying practices since February 2022.

Crimes against humanity, war crimes and atrocities that occurred in places like Bucha, Irpin, Izyum, Mariupol, Kherson and elsewhere shocked the civilized world. In addition, the indiscriminate, relentless drone and missile attacks against innocent civilians and the forcible transfer of Ukrainians including the abduction of Ukrainian children to russia, and the notorious filtration system that dehumanizes by security screenings of Ukrainians who are violently interrogated and detained in concentration camps.

The latest iteration of russia’s war against Ukrainians who are subjected to arbitrary killings, torture, rape, starvation, forcible transfers, and other abuses is part of a centralized plan to break the will of Ukrainian citizens and have them submit to russia’s authority.

In a recent speech to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, U.S. Ambassador Michael Carpenter asserted: “Ukraine’s civilians in Russia-occupied territories have been unjustly detained under the flimsiest of justifications – if any at all – and under appalling conditions. These detained civilians have been sent to penal colonies or detention facilities in occupied territories or deep within Russia, many without charge, leaving their families no ability to track their whereabouts or to appeal their detention.”

Undeniably, this litany of crimes against humanity is aimed at creating a climate of fear and complete subjugation is part and parcel of russian fuhrer vladimir putin’s genocidal attempt to erase the Ukrainian nation, starting with the most vulnerable – the children of Ukraine.

In the words of Ambassador Carpenter, who was reacting to a recent OSCE report exposing russia’s war crimes against Ukraine’s children: “It is heart wrenching to think of Ukrainian children being stolen from their families and uprooted from their homes, and then subjected to systematic efforts to erase their Ukrainian identity and replace it with a Russian one. … As the report makes clear, ‘Not only has the Russian Federation manifestly violated the best interests of these children repeatedly, it has also denied their right to identity, their right to family, … as well as their right to thought, conscience and religion, right to health, and right to liberty and security.”

These children have been forced to sing the Russian national anthem and, at least in one instance, threatened to have their “lips sewn shut” if they uttered support for Ukraine. Or, as the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (KHRPG) put it: “In January, young people in the devastated city of Mariupol were forced to dance and entertain the invading forces – they were made ‘to thank the killers of their parents, relatives and their childhood [friends], to thank them and entertain them with shows. Parents were warned that anyone who was against, or who filmed it, faced [being imprisoned in] basements for the dissatisfied.’”

• Democratic and Republic incumbents and candidates to public office should reconsider their anti-Ukrainian positions in view of this survey.

Solid majorities of Americans support providing weaponry to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and believe that such aid demonstrates to China and other U.S. rivals a will to protect U.S. interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey.

The two-day poll that was concluded on Tuesday charted a sharp rise in backing for arming Ukraine, with 65% of the respondents approving of the shipments compared with 46% in a May poll.

Eighty-one percent of Democrats, 56% of Republicans and 57% of independents favor supplying U.S. weapons to Ukraine, according to the latest poll.

The survey was conducted just days after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the private Wagner mercenary company, launched and then called off a mutiny over what he charged was the Russian defense ministry's mishandling of the war in Ukraine.

The findings appeared to provide firmer backing for President Joe Biden’s policy of doing “whatever it takes” to assist Ukraine in recapturing territory that Russia seized in an initial assault in 2014 and its full-scale invasion 16 months ago.

“This definitely reinforces Biden's decision to be all-in on this,” said William Taylor, a former US ambassador to Ukraine now with the US Institute of Peace. “The Republican leadership of the House and Senate will also take heart from this.”

In other findings, the survey said large majorities of Americans - 67% and 73% - are more likely to support a candidate in next year’s US presidential election who will continue military aid to Ukraine and one who backs the NATO alliance.

• Time to pick up the pace of free world’s military aid to Ukraine.

In an interview with The Washington Post, of June 30, 2023, commander in chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Gen. Valery Zaluzhny offered emphatic ideas of what must be done to ensure Ukraine’s victory over russian invaders. The Post wrote: “So it ‘pisses me off,’ Zaluzhny said, when he hears that Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive in the country’s east and south has started slower than expected — an opinion publicly expressed by Western officials and military analysts and also by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though Zaluzhny was not referring to Zelenskyy. His troops have gained some ground — even if it’s just 500 meters — every day, he said.

‘This is not a show,’ Zaluzhny said Wednesday in his office at Ukraine’s General Staff headquarters. ‘It’s not a show the whole world is watching and betting on or anything. Every day, every meter is given by blood.’

‘Without being fully supplied, these plans are not feasible at all,’ he added. ‘But they are being carried out. Yes, maybe not as fast as the participants in the show, the observers, would like, but that is their problem.’”

• Earlier I wrote about 11 slices of death at the Kramatorsk pizzeria due to a russian missile strike. The toll has risen to 12. Rescuers retrieved another person’s body from the rubble at the site of moscow’s June 27 crime against humanity, when russian terrorists fired two soviet-era S-300 missiles at the eastern Ukrainian town of Kramatorsk. The number includes three children, two born in 2008 and one in 2011. Another 60 people were injured, including a child. The search and rescue operation is completed, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service. Viktoriya Amelina, a Ukrainian writer and member of the PEN Club, who was having dinner with Colombian journalists, became the 13th fatal victim, succumbing to her head wounds in the hospital.

11 Slices of Death

Who hasn’t been to a pizzeria? It’s a well-deserved respite at the end of day or week for the entire family. Adults love it and so do kids. We all have our favorite pizzeria, which is different from the one down the street or around the block. With an assortment of toppings or plain, the ubiquitous pizza is so popular that it can be considered America’s favorite food. It’s comfort food. It’s a safe place for family enjoyment.

It’s a culinary delight around the world, even Ukraine.

But thanks to russian terrorists, Ukrainians’ image of this food has dramatically changed. A pizzeria was the latest russian crime against humanity. It was thoroughly obliterated in the bombardment of a Ukrainian city, a non-military target frequented by civilians, a tactic russian war criminals have been using heavily in this 16-month-old war.

Russian cutthroats killed at least 11 people and injured 61 in a strike on a popular restaurant in Kramatorsk on Tuesday, June 27, thanks to the help of a Ukrainian traitor who provided exact coordinates that resulted in a direct hit on the eatery.

Three children, including twin sisters shown here along with mom and injured baby, are among the dead in the attack on the only major city in eastern Ukrainian controlled by Kyiv.

Rescuers have been digging through the rubble of the destroyed building, looking for people throughout Wednesday, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. The shocking images broadcast by BBC this morning showed a mass heap of rubble and injured patrons and passersby.

The strike destroyed the Ria Pizza restaurant in the center of the city of 158,000 residents, popular with journalists, aid workers, soldiers, families and teens. According to Ukrainian sources, the russians used S-300 missile systems to attack the city.

Ukrainian authorities have arrested a local man they accuse of helping Russia direct the missile strike.

Three Colombians, famous writer Hector Abad, politician Sergio Jaramillo and journalist Catalina Gomez were slightly injured while having dinner in the restaurant with the Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina, according to local information. Amelina was taken to a hospital with head injuries among other wounds. She is the founder of the New York Literary Festival in Donetsk region. She read Oleh Sentsov’s stories translated into English at the Frankfurt Book Fair and participated in numerous actions in support of his release from russian captivity.

The unanswered question of how long will the free world tolerate russia’s war crimes in Ukraine persists? You hear it from Ukrainians around the world. You now hear it in the hearts of the parents of the killed children. There is no excuse for hearing this question if you are human and feel the pain that has enveloped Ukrainians.

Don’t get used to that pain.

Wouldn’t it be grand if the U.S. pizza industry, independent and chain pizzerias and distributors issued a statement of support for the Ukrainian people that condemned russia for this latest war crime?