Tomás Ó Flatharta

Looking at Things from the Left

Archive for the ‘Russia’ Category

UN General Assembly condemns Russia’s imperialist invasion of Ukraine; USA and Russia Vote No : Anti-imperialist left everywhere at a fork in the road – With Ukraine or Against Ukraine?

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The Trump-Putin Imperialist and Ethnic-Cleansing attack on Ukraine is a major turning point.

The anti-imperialist left everywhere is at a fork in the road : Either With Ukraine or Against Ukraine

UN General Assembly passes resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The Financial Times reported (February 24 2025) :

The UN General Assembly has passed a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine co-sponsored by Kyiv and EU nations, despite the US voting against it and urging other states to do so.

The resolution passed with 93 votes in favour. The US and Russia were two of 18 votes against. China abstained, alongside 64 other countries.

The US had urged countries to vote against as it has its own resolution that calls for peace in the three-year long war, and does not condemn Russia’s invasion or its ongoing aggression against Ukraine.

The UN Security Council, in which the US and four other permanent members have veto rights, is likely to vote on the issue later in the day.

The General Assembly vote, which came shortly after G7 leaders failed to agree on a joint statement condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine on the third anniversary of President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, has exposed the widening gulf between the US and Europe in the early months of Donald Trump’s second term.

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Senator Bernie Sanders : Russia started the war, not Ukraine. Putin is the dictator, not Zelensky – A growing progressive Pro-Ukraine revolt is rocking the USA – One dude, Jeffrey Sachs, is not joining in

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The good news is that progressive revolt seems to be starting in the United States of America.

A leading spokesperson is Bernie Sanders, an independent Senator from the New England state of Vermont.

Bernie SandersI don’t want to hear any Republicans talk about “freedom” unless they have the guts to call out Trump for the lies that he is telling about Putin and Ukraine.It was Russia that started the war, not Ukraine.Putin is the dictator, not Zelensky#News&Politics

TLT: Lets get this 4 years over with (@ihatetrump4ever.bsky.social) 2025-02-28T18:02:44.753Z

The ignorant racist anti-Ukraine thug, Vice-President JD Vance, is not welcome in Vermont :

This makes me so happy. Thank you Vermont. This is so deserving to the POS human being vance is. He was beyond rude to a world leader and showed that he had no breadth of the ongoing war in Ukraine. http://www.politicususa.com/p/jd-vance-f…

SlavaUkraini033 (@slavaukraini033.bsky.social) 2025-03-02T03:23:30.548Z

One man is not joining the growing progressive popular pro-Ukraine in the USA.

His name is Jeffrey Sachs, a right-wing economist whose hands are very dirty ; “Sachs’ methods for stabilizing economies became known as shock therapy and were similar to successful approaches used in Germany after the two world wars”

Link :
Jeffrey Sachs, Wikipedia

The anti-Ukraine views of Dr Sachs are endorsed and shared by the ignorant imperialist thugs running the Washington White House, the convicted rapist President Donald Trump and his sidekick JD Vance, who publicly ambushed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 28 2025 in the White House.

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New “Foreceful” Anti-Immigrant Policy Issued by Sinn Féin Migration Spokesperson Matt Carthy TD

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One person who read this document wrote “shocking”.

Another observed “Galloway, Wagenknecht and now Sinn Féin. And at least one “Leftie” in Ireland moaning about the famous single unvetted male”.

The good news is that sincere anti-racist voters in Britain, Germany, and Ireland are realising that “Red-Brown” politics stink. In the Dublin Central  constituency, where one of the 4 Dáil Deputies is SF leader Mary-Lou McDonald TD, the party’s 1st preference vote went down 12.3 per cent. SF got a warning that it was losing support to its left and right.

Many SF members are anti-racists. They must speak out now, because evidence suggests that the party leadership is doubling down to promote a new suite of racist policies.


Link :


Sinn Féin to challenge asylum centres in poor areas

See also :


Facebook link; Irish republicans opposed to SF anti-immigrant policy

The party is directing its members to take a more forceful approach to blocking accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees in deprived areas.

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There will be no peace without justice: Statement of Ukrainian civil society organizations on the US-Russia negotiations

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Links :


No Peace Without Justice – Statement of ukrainian Civil Society on the US-Russia Negotiations – ESSF


No Peace Without Justice – Statement of Ukrainian Civil Society On the US-Russia Negotiations – Zmina

We, representatives of [Ukrainian] civil society and human rights organizations, decisively condemn the negotiations between the delegations of the Russian Federation and the United States regarding Ukraine, which took place in Saudi Arabia, as well as the plans to create negotiating groups without the participation of Ukraine. Any agreements about Ukraine without its direct participation are not only unacceptable, but also contradict the fundamental principles of international law, the sovereignty of states, and the right of the people of Ukraine to independently determine their future.

Such agreements are fundamentally incapable of accomplishing sustainable peace and international security, creating additional security, economic, and other threats to states that will support them. This path repeats the fatal mistake the international community made during the Munich Agreement of 1938, which, as was discovered later, did not satisfy the encroachment of the aggressor state and led to an even more destructive war.

Ukraine is not an object, but a sovereign state affected by aggression

Russia continues waging a full-scale war against Ukraine in violation of the fundamental principles of international law, including the prohibition to use force against the territorial integrity and political independence of any state enshrined in the UN Charter. This has been recognized not only by numerous decisions of international organizations, but also supported by the majority of countries in the world. The aggression committed by the Russian Federation has already resulted in numerous war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the likely genocide of the Ukrainian people.

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Peace between neofascists and war on oppressed peoples – the Trump-Putin Anti-Ukraine Summit in the land of Saudi Arabian Bloodbaths

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Convicted Rapist-President Donald Trump (USA) and wanted international war criminal President Vladimir Putin (Russia) are knifing Ukraine Palestine and Syria, hosted by the Saudi Arabia bloodbath kingdom.

Three sociopathic assassins (Putin, Trump, and Mohammed bin Salman) have form. Barcelona journalist Cristina Mas notes : “This format would have been unthinkable just five years ago, after the murder of journalist and opposition leader Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, a crime that prompted condemnation around the world and the cooling of relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia”

From the pro-Ukraine left, useful interpretations are circulating.

Links :


Understanding the Implications of US Vice President JD Vance’s Confrontational Speech at the Munich Security Conference – Daniel Tanuro

Extract :

In a highly confrontational speech delivered at the Munich Security Conference opening on 14 February, US Vice President JD Vance declared that the “internal threat” facing Europe was more serious than that posed by Russia and China. He criticised the annulment of a recent election in Romania, the prosecution of an anti-abortion protester in the United Kingdom, and the exclusion of far-right and far-left German politicians from the event itself.

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Working for Rebel Verdicts – George Blake and Luigi Mangione

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Political trials, on occasion, are not straight black-and-white events : Guilty or Not Guilty?

In the USA a shooter killed the Chief Executive of a private medical insurance company – a tsunami of mass opposition to a healthcare system which puts greed first, and healthcare second, has erupted.

On this blog Joan McKiernan reviewed this extraordinary political development, prompting Paul Hunter to send us this article
Why Most Americans Blame Insurers for UHC CEO’s Death – Paul Hunter

Hunter sings from Joan McKiernan’s hymn-sheet.

Murder is not to be taken lightly. It should be approached with extreme reverence and care. It means violating the sanctity of life, and it has the potential to cause severe heartache and trauma to those who have been left behind. For that reason, I will affirm that it is wrong. But I will not for one second shed a tear for United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and I’m not alone.

Thompson was gunned down by a masked assassin while on his way to a shareholder meeting in Midtown Manhattan on December 4. A man matching his description, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was arrested in Pennsylvania five days later.

There can be little doubt as to how Thompson died. The murder was caught on camera. But according to a new poll from  NORC at the University of Chicago, roughly 70% of Americans believe that healthcare coverage from insurance companies like UHC bears at least “a moderate amount” of responsibility for his death. It’s easy to see why.

The full article is below.

But what about the parallel to the case of George Blake? Two anti-war activists, Pat Pottle and Michael Randle, sprung Blake from a London jail in the 1960’s with the help of Seán Bourke, an Irish petty criminal who possessed a spark of pure genius.

Here is the connection with Luigi Mangione : Pottle and Randle stated openly they had organised the escape of George Blake and pleaded Not Guilty on the grounds that their action was justified. It remains to be seen if Luigi Mangione will mount a political and legal defence like this. It is a strategy that Luigi and his attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, should examine carefully.

John Meehan January 5 2025

Link : George Blake – Rebel Verdict

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On arming Ukraine and the struggle against Militarism – European Network for Solidarity with Ukraine Declaration

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The European Network for Solidarity with Ukraine (ENSU) has denounced the Russian invasion
of Ukraine from the very beginning and fully supports the Ukrainian right of self-defence.

The Ukrainian people’s armed resistance is just. It is not taking place as part of military aggression by NATO, the United States or any Western country, but as defence against the declared war aim of Russian president Vladimir Putin: to reconquer the fictitious “Russian world” supposedly lost with the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Since Ukraine’s armed resistance is legitimate, all states that regard themselves as democratic and upholders of law-governed international relations have the responsibility to help the Ukrainian people defeat the Russian invasion.

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Li Andersson MEP (Left Alliance, Finland) : “Three Weeks Ago I was Sitting on a Train from Kyiv…….. Everyone in Ukraine was telling us the same thing”

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nstead of fake doves, listen to those who care enough to actually ask people on the ground about their concerns. Pressure Putin, not us—stop trading with him, for God’s sake. Strengthen Ukraine, with arms, diplomatic efforts, grants, and by raising the voices of the unions & CSO

Li Andersson MEP, Finland, Left Alliance

At the plenary session today, we had a debate on the EU’s support to Ukraine. During our visit to Ukraine, everyone emphasized how this winter will be the hardest period since Putin started his war of aggression. That is why our support is so needed now.

Utmost importance that we stand firm in our solidarity with Ukraine

https://x.com/SocRuch/status/1861402319734104537

Li Andersson (Left) got the highest number of votes of any European election candidate in Finnish history. Image: Tiina Jutila / Yle

About Li Andersson and the Left Alliance in Finland

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“Progressing by Grassroot Networks” – Supporting Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), Palestine and Ukraine; Recent Developments in France

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This is a very stimulating interview with Catherine Samary on solidarity with Palestine and Ukraine – and also about the unstable political scene in France, where President Macron was electorally defeated by the New Popular Front (Nouveau Front Populaire) – and then made an unstable parliamentary deal with the far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

President Macron, Prime Minister Michel Barnier, Far-Right Extremist Marine Le Pen – Versus Left-Wing Resistance

Two sources :

International Viewpoint :
Palestine, Ukraine – Progressing By Grassroot Networks

Posle :
Palestine, Ukraine – Progressing By Grassroot Networks – Posle

— Before we turn to the discussion of the war in Ukraine and prospects for left internationalism, let’s talk about the recent developments in your home country. How do you analyse the current political situation in France and the role that left-wing politics might play in it?

— Michel Barnier’s new government combines two core elements: racism and attacks on social rights. The latter is evident in the ongoing parliamentary debates over the 2025 budget and social security funding. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (Rassemblement National) has played a key role in these discussions, not least due to the fact that no single party has managed to achieve a stable majority in the French parliament. Even though the result of the New Popular Front (Nouveau Front Populaire) in the recent legislative election, which followed the dissolution of the Assembly last June, was unexpectedly high — and most welcome — it is still only a minor and relative victory.

This situation is unlikely to change unless the various forces within the New Popular Front come together, consolidate their victory, and start a large-scale mobilization. This could be achieved through the creation of local political alliances across the entire country that would be focused on concrete struggles. We should not forget that mass mobilizations against attacks on the social system are still possible — and so is the collapse of the government itself.

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Written by tomasoflatharta

Nov 26, 2024 at 12:58 pm

Posted in Anti War Movements, Apartheid, Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS), Catherine Samary, Emigration and Immigration, Emmanuel Macron (President), Ensemble! (Revolutionary Left), European Network Solidarity with Ukraine and against war Basic consensus, European Union, Fortress Europe, Fourth International, France, Free Russians Ireland, French parliamentary elections July 2024, Genocide, Human Rights, International Political Analysis, Ireland, Irish Left With Ukraine, Israel, Israel Assault on Gaza, October 2023, Jean Luc Melenchon, Left Wing Opponents of Neoliberalism, Left Wing Organisations, Marine Le Pen, Migration in Europe, New Popular Front (Nouveau Front Populaire (2024), Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste (NPA) France, Political Prisoners in Russia, Posle Magazine, Racism, Rassemblement National (RN), Russia, Sotsialnyi Rukh (Social Movement), Ukraine, Ukraine Russia War 2022, War

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European Parliament adopts Nordic Left MEPs resolution against Russian ‘shadow fleet’ – Doing Everything We Can to Support Ukraine

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Source: Left Party (Sweden)

(November 14, 2024) In the EU election campaign, we promised to do everything we can to support Ukraine. We have now adopted (!) a resolution to stop the Russian shadow fleet.

The shadow fleet consists of poorly maintained, often uninsured ships with unclear ownership that export Russian oil and gas via the Baltic Sea, in violation of EU sanctions against Russia.

The proceeds from these exports fund the war in Ukraine. The shadow fleet threatens both the environment and the people of Ukraine.

With today’s resolution, which Hanna Gedin and Jonas Sjöstedt (pictured) skilfully succeeded in pushing through in the European Parliament, hard pressure is now being put on both the European Commission and the Member States to take the decisions needed to stop the shadow fleet.
This is a great victory for all of us who want to stop the war in Ukraine.

Further information:

Text of resolution adopted

Briefing on Russian shadow fleet

Why are Russian ‘shadow’ oil tankers still sailing the Baltic Sea?

by Li Andersson, Jussi Saramo, Jonas Sjöstedt, Merja Kyllönen, Per Clausen, Hanna Gedin, Jan van Aken, Maciej Konieczny, and Zofia Malisz

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