Author: Edward Lozansky

As the drumbeats of war are sounding loud and the warmongering rhetoric has gotten shrill, a group of Russian and American activists assembled in downtown Moscow to replant once again the symbolic US-Russia friendship birch tree that was initially planted nine years ago but had to be replaced several times due to their inability to survive. Some say it is due to the severe weather, and some, with a sense of humor, believe it is due to the toxic atmosphere in the relations between the two countries when the tree, as a living organism, feels it.

The first tree was planted on April 24, 2015, on the eve of the 70th Anniversary of the historical “Elbe River” meeting of the American and Soviet military, which became a symbolic event of their joint victory over Nazi Germany. The ceremony took place with the active participation of the US Embassy in Moscow. Then Ambassador John F. Tefft was a diplomat of the old “search for compromise” school, which had since been replaced by “rules-based international order” diplomacy, meaning U.S. world leadership, another word for “hegemony.”

Continue reading “Struggling Peace Tree: In Russia and America”

Those familiar with the great Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin’s biography would assume that the connection is his birthday date, June 6, the same as the beginning of the Normandy landing. But, as will be explained later, the connection is much deeper.

Given the growing threat that the Ukrainian conflict might escalate into nuclear WWIII, those looking for ways to avoid Armageddon suggested using the celebration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day to start the dialogue in search of peace. Indeed, Russia, at the time USSR, was an ally in the Battle of Normandy, shoring up the Eastern Front. However, when French President Macron hinted in May at the possibility of inviting Russia to attend the June 6 ceremony, it was immediately rejected by Washington and London. One should recall that British PM Boris Johnson, obviously in consultation with Joe Biden, prohibited Zelensky from signing the Stambul March 2022 Peace Accords. Signing would stop the war and save hundreds of thousands of lives, homes, and infrastructure, but it was sabotaged.

Continue reading “What Does Pushkin Have To Do With D-Day?”

An unusual gathering took place in Washington on May 21, 2024. At a time when US-Russia relations hit the lowest historical level, when Washington keeps pumping tens of billions of dollars plus huge volumes of all kinds of weapons in its proxy war with Russia in Ukraine and rejects the calls for using diplomacy to end this conflict, a large group of American and Russians, some via Zoom, assembled in the Washington Times headquarters, not too far from the Capitol Hill. The subject was the construction of the global New York-London highway, a breathtaking idea with great vision that also comes with significant geopolitical challenges. Indeed, if one looks at the map, the highway’s construction would require a tunnel or bridge over the Bering Strait to connect the American state of Alaska with the Russian Peninsula of Chukotka.

Those who are ready to immediately dismiss this project as a pipe dream at best or Putin’s sinister effort to undermine American and British democracies at worst should take note that this was a bipartisan group that believes that this highway “offers a credible proposition for helping calm turbulent international waters, as it would potentially benefit every nation on earth.”  As organizers stated correctly, despite the current problems between the US and Russia, “the two countries have demonstrated the ability to work together in the International Space Station.” In historical terms, not so long ago, they were allies in the war with Nazi Germany. Given the upcoming June 6, 80th anniversary of D-Day, a celebration of its success should be combined with gratitude for the contribution of the Red Army on the Eastern fronts.

Continue reading “A Glimpse of Light in Times of Darkness”

The recent statement by the former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, “We slaughtered people in massive numbers, innocent people who had nothing to do with their government, men, women, and children,” is a rare admission by someone in his rank. At the same time, in March 2023,  still on active duty, Milley said that Ukrainians on the current battlefields are the sons and grandsons of the people who fought against Stalin and Zhukov. Not sure if he realizes that both these statements actually disparage or even betray American World War II veterans since Milley should have known that we were allies in the war with the Nazis.

Still, when it comes to the war in Ukraine which is at the center of the current crisis, one should admit that Milley’s rhetoric is less dangerous compared with the one emanating from Biden, Blinken, and Sullivan or some of their NATO and EU colleagues like Sunak, Macron, Scholz, Duda and Co. It seems there is no indication that they are prepared to listen to the sober voices calling to give a chance for diplomacy to end this conflict.

Continue reading “Time for a Change in Washington”

I am speaking about a $95-billion foreign military aid package that included $61 billion for Ukraine. Speaker Mike Johnson’s turnaround from opponent to supporter of the war in Ukraine raised many eyebrows. His meeting with Trump in advance of this announcement added intrigue and speculations about the reasons for this sudden change of heart.

Most likely both men decided that it would help Trump and the GOP to win votes in November, and how many more Ukrainians would die in the process was of no particular concern to them.  Instead, Johnson used the same Lindsey Graham and Co’s language that financing this war was the best investment ever made since no Americans were dying, and the only new element was that the Speaker added a personal touch by adding his son into the equation.  “To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys,” Johnson told reporters last week. “My son is going to begin in the Naval Academy this fall. This is a live-fire exercise for me as it is for so many American families. This is not a game; this is not a joke.”

Continue reading “Bill To Prolong Death and Destruction”

At a recent seminar sponsored by the two primary Washington think tanks, one American and another European, the subject of the war in Ukraine was discussed, as was how two upcoming significant elections in the European Parliament in June and the U.S. President in November might affect Western support for Ukraine and thus the course of the war.

The questions proposed for discussion were: What is public opinion on both sides of the Atlantic during these critical elections? Are Americans souring on the war? Are Europeans prepared to take the slack if the United States leaves the field? What will it take for both European and American leaders to continue supporting Ukraine?

Continue reading “Inside the Washington Blob There Is No Strategic Vision”