There has been a powerful information cover-up on this topic. But as we know, you can't hide an awl in a sack. And before blaming the Republican Party for anything, read this article. It may come as a surprise to you. In early November 2021, when Russian troops were already massing near Ukraine's borders, CIA Director William Burns made a lightning visit to Moscow. The White House's official version: to warn the Kremlin about the consequences of an invasion. Yet analysts suspected otherwise even then. Andrei Illarionov, a former adviser to Putin, was the first to introduce the tag "Munich-2021" in his blog, drawing a direct parallel with the partition of Czechoslovakia in 1938 (the blog is now deleted https://aillarionov.livejournal.com). The essence of the deal, in his view, was not to prevent war, but to agree on its "rules." The key source - a Newsweek article from July 5, 2023, titled "Exclusive: The CIA's Blind Spot about the Ukraine War" (https://shorturl.at/PiSMi). Citing senior intelligence sources, it states: "Ironically, the meeting went very well." The success lay in the fact that Burns and Putin struck an unspoken deal - "proven rules of the road." The Biden administration promised: the U.S. would not fight directly, would not seek regime change in Moscow, and would limit its retaliatory measures to the territory of Ukraine. Russia, in turn, committed not to attack U.S. leadership and diplomats, and to observe "invisible red lines" in the realm of espionage. This, in effect, legalized aggression, turning the war into a controlled conflict with pre-agreed limitations - in other words, a pact to divide the country. Commenting on the publication, Illarionov called Burns' visit a "pact" that "future historians will place alongside Ribbentrop's visit to Moscow in 1939." Parallel to official channels, a mechanism of informal diplomacy operated. As Professor Andrei Piontkovsky writes (https://shorturl.at/BpuRY), the Kremlin masterfully used "2nd Track" - negotiations involving former officials and experts close to decision-making centers. The most striking example is the meeting on April 25, 2023, in New York. The Russian delegation was effectively led by Sergei Lavrov. The American side was led by Thomas Graham, former director for Russia at the U.S. National Security Council, whom Piontkovsky calls a "100% Kremlin agent." He was joined by Richard Haass and Charles Kupchan. Three months later, on July 27, the Moscow Times RU (now blocked and removed from the web archive) published an interview with an anonymous leader of the American group (https://shorturl.at/zyqFq). It turned out to be Graham himself. He stated directly: "We made it clear to the Russians that we are ready to discuss their concerns. The Ukrainians' chances of regaining all territories are minuscule. If there is a threat of losing Crimea, Russia will use nuclear weapons." Washington, according to Graham, proposed holding referendums in the occupied territories under UN auspices - effectively recognizing the annexation. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan categorically denied the existence of such negotiations: "Our position remains unchanged - nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine." However, as Piontkovsky notes, Sullivan and CIA Director Burns were the main conduits of this strategy. Neither ever used the phrase "victory for Ukraine"; their goal was "non-defeat of Russia." It was they who delayed the delivery of weapons needed for a decisive counteroffensive, and it was with their tacit consent that Graham operated. Piontkovsky concludes: "Two simultaneous scandals - Burnsgate and Sullivangate - give the pro-Ukraine majority in Congress the opportunity to convene hearings on the secret oral pact between Burns and Naryshkin from November 2, 2021." The leak of materials from Newsweek and Illarionov's testimony only confirm: the partition of Ukraine was agreed upon in Moscow and Washington even before the full-scale war began. A war that was supposed to be "controlled" - but spiraled out of control precisely because of Ukraine's resistance, which violated the "rules of the road" written behind its people's backs.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Shipwrecks & Shibboleths [San Francisco, CA - USA] (700:100/72)