Tomás Ó Flatharta

Looking at Things from the Left

Posts Tagged ‘Vladimir Putin

Support Ukrainian Resistance – Not Monstrous Rearmament Plans – Simon Pirani, People and Nature

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An important left-wing conference in solidarity with Ukraine took place in Brussels on March 26 and 27 2025. We will present a number of reports from this conference in the next few days. Here is the first item – written by Simon Pirani who publishes a People and Nature blog.


Support Ukrainian Resistance – Not Monstrous Rearmament Plans – Simon Pirani, People and Nature

By Simon Pirani. Based on a talk given at a panel, “What peace?”, at the Solidarity with Ukraine event this week in Brussels

“What peace?” is a wide question. To narrow it down, we can ask: what sort of peace is being discussed among Ukrainians?

In an interview about the Trump-Putin talks, and the prospects for any agreement, our comrade Denis Pilash, a member of Sotsialnyi Rukh, said that “Ukrainians have two things in mind when thinking about any deal: the fate of people in the occupied territories, and how to prevent Russia from restarting the war.”

The photo is courtesy of a Ukrainian anarchist group that provides soldiers at the front with “all the necessary equipment that can increase their safety and efficiency in resisting the imperial onslaught of the Russians”.  

These points could frame areas for agreements, he argued. He pointed to the Ukrainian government’s position that it will not recognise illegal annexations, but would accept a ceasefire followed by negotiations.

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Trump backs Putin against Ukraine. History turns darker – Simon Pirani

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The Trump-Putin anti-Ukraine alliance is a signal to the left everywhere – we are at a fork in the road :

The good road : The Pro-Ukraine Left

The bad road : The anti-Ukraine Left

What does the pro-Ukraine Left look like? What do we do? – Read on.

Link :
Trump Backs Putin Against Ukraine – History Turns Darker

Trump backs Putin against Ukraine. History turns darker

How bad can it get? When we strip away US president Donald Trump’s insults and temper fits, what can he actually do?

First, he can withdraw US military aid to Ukraine – which he has been talking about doing since long before the US presidential election. If the European states got their act together, which is possible, the effects of this would be constrained.

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‘Trump likes what Putin does,’ Bernie Sanders says in exclusive interview (Kyiv Independent)

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All of the left needs to stand on the ground occupied by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont in the USA.

Get Involved :
Solidarity With Ukraine Conference Brussels March 26 and 27 2025
Solidarity With Ukraine Conference – Left MEPs – Brussels March 26 and 27 2025


Link to Bernie Sanders Interview :
Trump Likes What Putin Does – Senator Bernie Sanders

As Ukraine enters the fourth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, shifting political dynamics in the U.S. threaten to influence the course of the war. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly misrepresented the war’s origins, excluded Ukraine from initial negotiations, and advocated for what many see as an exploitative deal that would force Ukraine to surrender national resources as “repayment” for U.S. aid.

Trump’s rhetoric raises urgent questions about America’s long-term commitment to aiding Ukraine.

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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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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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Elon Musk, Nigel Farage, and the Gruesome Twosome of the British Tory Party

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On the western and eastern sides of the Atlantic Ocean a ferocious viper war has erupted.

US President-elect Donald Trump’s favourite attack-dog Elon Musk is trying to remote-control British politics.

Reform leader Nigel Farage’s typically British stiff upper-lip response is described below : it is like the Fawlty Towers episode when Basil Fawlty failed to produce a Waldorf Salad for a tyrannical American diner who had paid the bungling guest-house owner a generous bribe :

Financial Times, January 6 2025

Before long Trump will dispose of Musk, just as Russian strongman Putin bumped off Mr Prigozhin.

Musk might, at some point, jangle some of his loose change in the direction of far-right Irish political operators. The nearest Irish equivalent to Musk’s suggested Nigel Farage – Tommy Robinson marriage is a direct link between the beggar-gombeens of the Dublin Dáil and the convicted kick boxer/rapist Conor McGregor. The Independent Ireland (II) party had to dump a McGregor associate, Phil Sutcliffe, from its candidate list after Nikita Hand won a court victory over the kick-boxing rapist.

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As 2024 dust settles : A Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Beggar-Gombeen (FFFGBG) Dublin Government slouches forward

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The result of the November 29 General Election in Ireland was a victory for the outgoing government. The two leading conservative parties – Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael (FFFG) won 86 out of 174 seats, only two seats short of an overall majority. Their previous administration needed a mudguard, provided by the Green party (GP), which lost 11 of its 12 seats.

This time the mudguard is likely to come from right-wing gombeens (The Irish mainstream media calls them “gene-pool independents” as most come from FFFG). In the previous Dáil “independent” deputies from this swamp regularly voted confidence in the government, without formally participating in the cabinet. Since the election result was announced, these gombeens have brazenly begged for perks and freebies in exchange for their Dáil votes.

Green or Moderate Left Mudguard Unavailable?

FFFG is in the market for a Green or moderate-left mudguard. Possible partners – (the Labour party [LP] and the Social Democrats [SDs]) – seem unwilling to perform political suicide.

In the words of one source :

I get the feeling the GP example is terrifying them!

FFFG shoppers in the mudguard supermarket may be seeking unavailable bargains :

Labour sources expect that the party will today rule out continuing discussions about entering government with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, effectively shutting down that coalition option for the two larger parties.

The party’s TDs will meet at Leinster House at lunchtime where leader Ivana Bacik is expected to propose the move, which is likely to be backed overwhelmingly by those present.

Labour sources were careful not to get ahead of today’s decision, but there is little expectation in the party that its engagement on government will continue. This will draw a distinction with the Social Democrats, who yesterday said they would continue discussions.

But after meetings with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil this week, there is similarly little expectation in the outgoing government that the Social Democrats are serious about entering coalition.

Source : Jack Horgan-Jones, Election 2024: Labour set ‘to exit coalition talks’ with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, Irish Times December 13 2024

On Friday December 13 expectation cruised a little bit closer to certainty, but the Titanic option has not been ruled out :

NEW: Labour leader Ivana Bacik has said that it is “unlikely” that her party will go into Government, as they prepare for one final round of meetings with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael

https://twitter.com/TadghMcN/status/1867600549979304410

We await the final whistle.

Once the post-election dust settles we may see a government composed of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Beggar-Gombeens (BGs) (FFFGBG) on one side, and a parliamentary opposition operating within a left-wing and ecological spectrum.

A FFFGBG coalition would be composed of Team FFFG (86 TDs) plus enough BG deputies to guarantee a workable Dáil majority.

Some BGs will oppose the government from the right.

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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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9000 Days of Putin’s Régime in the Russian Federation, 1000 Days of War – Protest, The Spire, O’Connell Street, Dublin 1, Sunday November 17 3-5pm

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Free Russians Ireland has organised a protest in Dublin :

Link :


Free Russians Ireland – 9000 Days of Putin’s Régime in Russia

Sunday November 17, 15:00 – 17:00

1,000 Days of War, 9,000 Days of Putin’s Regime 

Location: The Spire, O’Connell Street, Dublin

Hello everyone! 

You’ve probably seen the call to join the big rally in Berlin on November 17. 

November 20 will mark 1,000 days since February 24, 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, cities have been bombed, and over a million civilians have been killed or injured, according to “The Wall Street Journal”. 

Our message in Dublin is the same as in London and other cities around the world holding actions: stop the war in Ukraine, withdraw the troops, provide reparations, and free political prisoners!

There are currently around 5,000 political prisoners in Russia, according to OVD-Info, including minors, people with health issues, and those facing ethnic and religious persecution. In the past year alone, over five people have reportedly been killed in prison.

We are taking to the streets this November for an important reason — cold weather is setting in for Ukraine, and its infrastructure has been severely damaged. Together with the London-based Russian Democracy Society, we are raising funds for generators and informing the Irish public about what is happening in Ukraine and Russia and why we demand an end to the war.

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