NATO Counts: the Alliance Prepared for Ukraine War for Years: CIA?

Stoltenberg: Making thr case for NATO.

Re: Ukraine War: NATO and NATO Allies are providing concrete support. First of all, we have supported them for many years since 2014 (Obama/Biden Administration) with equipment, but not least. Many Allies have trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian forces. And this proves extremely important now because so many of these troops are on the frontlines fighting invading Russian forces……..The support that NATO Allies have provided with training and equipment since 2014 has proven to be extremely important in support for those efforts.

(NOTE: CIA, as it was in many other preconflict zones was also involved

Yahoo News reported in January on the CIA’s secret U.S.-based training initiative for Ukrainian special operations forces and other intelligence personnel. That program, which began in 2015, also included instruction in firearms, camouflage techniques and covert communications. Yahoo News’ prior report also revealed that CIA paramilitaries had traveled to eastern Ukraine to assist forces loyal to Kyiv in their fight against Russia and its separatist allies.

U.S. officials previously denied to Yahoo News that the CIA training programs were ever offensively oriented. “The purpose of the training, and the training that was delivered, was to assist in the collection of intelligence,” said a senior intelligence official.

Until now, however, the details of the CIA’s paramilitary training program on Ukraine’s eastern frontlines have never been revealed. This initiative, say former agency officials, has helped battle-hardened Ukrainian special operations forces for the current Russian assault, which has plunged Europe into its worst conflict in decades. (The CIA declined to comment. The National Security Council referred queries to the CIA. The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not return a request for comment.) See Full Report.

NATO interview resumes: Moderator Ghida Fakhry: But what do you say to those who believe that NATO, in fact, should take a large part of responsibility, of the blame and letting the situation get to what it is today?

In pursuing the Alliance’s provocative – many people would argue – so-called ‘Open Door Policy’, bringing in more and more countries from Eastern Europe, the Russians have had it as a red line for a long time preceding President Putin. You call this his war, but we know it has been well documented, senior US officials and others have said that the rationale in Russia has been – and in the Soviet Union proceeding that – that Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO was a major issue, that it could lead to this major conflagration and here we are today. Don’t you take part of the blame, in fact a large part of the blame?

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:
No, not at all. And just the idea that it is provocative that certain nations do what they want, just demonstrates the kind of completely wrong worldview that reflects.
I’m coming from a small country, Norway, bordering Russia. And when we joined NATO back in 1949, Stalin and Russia and the Soviet Union said that was a provocation. But I’m very glad that London, Paris and Washington said, “Well, that’s for Norway to decide”. And we applied and they accepted us. So this idea that big powers can decide what small neighbours can do, and if they do something they don’t like that’s a provocation – you know, that’s a world I don’t want to live in.

Moderator Ghida Fakhry:
But let’s face it, this is the world we live in. Many see Ukraine as a pawn in a big power struggle between the United States and Russia, let’s face it. Is it a wise policy to continue–?

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:
You speak as if NATO is moving east. No, it is independent… 

Moderator Ghida Fakhry: 
It’s about respecting freedom and the sovereignty of nations.
There’s something called the Monroe Doctrine, are you suggesting that the 200 year old doctrine has ended, but the sphere of influence of the US had in the world does not exist anymore? Because let’s imagine for a second that missiles were positioned, Russian or Chinese missiles were placed in Cuba or Mexico or Venezuela.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:
I’m not defending everything United States have done throughout 200 years. I have actually been going on the streets also protesting against some of these wars. But the fact that one nation does something wrong in decades, it doesn’t in a way excuse the severe mistakes of another. So the whole thinking again, that… you have to start at the basics. The basic is: does an independent, sovereign nation has the right to choose its own path? Yes or no. If you start to question that, you move into a world, which Russia now tries to re-establish by using force. The Ukrainians have [been] standing up against that. They deserve our support. We are supporting that. And it’s really impressive to see the strength and the courage they are now demonstrating in the fight against this [inaudible].

Moderator Ghida Fakhry: 
The Russians have been more specific here in the case of Ukraine. They’re asking for Ukraine to abide to the principle of neutrality? Just like Austria was forced to after World War II. Would that be a good idea?

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:
But you said it forced to…Do you want to live in a world where big powers force small countries to do what they don’t want to do? Because that’s not the world that I could live in. So the whole idea that it is a provocation for Russia that Ukraine does what they want to do is to turn the worlds upside down, and violate the fundamental principles, which also Russia and subscribe to. So it is for Ukraine to decide whether they want to aspire for membership. And then there’s of course for 30 NATO Allies to decide whether Ukraine is ready for membership. And it has been clear for a long time that membership for Ukraine was not something that was imminent, not something which is relevant in the near future.