This world is… most politicians, they have double standards. That’s why recently there was a big protest, a big rally supporting the opposition leader. (Oh, OK.) They are not all clean. I hope some are clean. Otherwise, the world is all corrupt.
Good news. I saw that also and I’m happy. Some part of me is happy. But there are many more suffering still. Mariupol, I hope the Ukrainian soldiers will reclaim it soon. Just as they reclaimed Kharkiv. (Yes.) Maybe slowly, but I think they will. They just cannot protect many points at the same time. (Yes, Master.)
So maybe temporarily they let the soldiers come up. The soldiers did not want to. Their family wanted them to. (Yes.) And none wanted to. But maybe President Zelenskyy wanted to save their lives. (Yes.) That’s why he probably ordered them to come out. Even though there are Russians outside.
Otherwise, they did not want. They said they wanted to fight till the end, even if they’re agonizingly wounded or having injuries without medicine, losing arms and legs without any help. (Yes, Master.) It’s just that President Zelenskyy didn’t want them to continue to die in such an agonizing way like that. (Yes, Master.) So, probably he ordered them to come out.
Not to surrender, just told them to come out to save them. Because if they are prisoners, they’re still alive. (Yes, Master.) And later, they already plan to swap prisoners. (Yes.) Or just kick the Russians out altogether, then no need to swap anything. (Yes, Master.)
Because their family requests. (Yes.) I saw some family members even went to p. Francis to beg him to help their husbands who are the defenders, the soldiers in this steel plant down there. (Yes. Yes, that’s right.)
So maybe there was pressure from all sides. So they both, President Zelenskyy and the soldiers down there were also thinking, “We better just ease it off for now. And we take it back later. Or we swap the prisoners, so at least the wounded will be treated.” Even treated under the Russian control, it’s still better than losing their lives or dying in such a painful, agonizing, undignified way. (Yes, Master.) Otherwise, they wouldn’t want to go. (Yes. Right.) If they wanted to, they would have gone a long time ago. Or when they were wounded, they would go and surrender for treatment. They didn’t. (That’s right.) They didn’t care about treatment even. They were buried in there for months already. (Yes, Master.)
“Media Report from PBS Newshour - May 18, 2022 Reporter (m): They held out for nearly three months, living and fighting from tunnels designed to withstand nuclear attacks. Their resistance prevented Russia from consolidating its gains, and today Ukrainian officials called them heroes.”
“Media Report from NBC News - May 17, 2022 Reporter (m): They’d fought, even though they were outnumbered and surrounded. The steel factory was their last holdout, their Alamo. But it couldn’t last forever.”
“Media Report Channel 4 News - May 17, 2022 Reporter (m): Footage released by pro-Russian separatists proports to show some of the wounded, who’d been holed up in (the) Mariupol steelworks for months. Late on Monday, (the) Ukrainian forces that occupied it, ordered by President Zelenskyy to leave. The last remaining stronghold in the southern port city. More than 50 of the most severely wounded were transferred to a hospital in a nearby town. Those who could walk out themselves were sent to another. Both towns controlled by Russian-backed separatists. Ukrainians insist that this is the start of a prisoner swap.
Ukrainian: Glory save Azov!
Reporter (m): The wives of the soldiers inside had begged the Ukrainian president to save their husbands. And this from the Ukrainian president himself, a carefully worded message, a demonstration of the tightrope he is walking here, by way of a deal.
President Zelenskyy (m): I want to stress that Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes alive. That’s our principle. I think that any reasonable person will understand these words. The operation to save the defenders of Mariupol has been started by our military intelligence. The work continues to return guys home. And this work requires delicacy and time.”
Next. Anything else? (Yes, next good news. The world’s most powerful industrialized nations have announced Russia’s territorial claims in Ukraine have no legitimacy. In a statement, the G7 [Group of Seven] said: “We will never recognize borders Russia has attempted to change by military aggression, and will uphold our engagement in the support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, and all states.”)
Bravo! That’s what I said – don’t give them anything, not even one inch. Because give them this, they want that. (Right. Yes.) Give them an arm, they want a leg. This type of mentality has no shame, no morals, no reason, no logic, nothing. Just go and kill and kill. (Yes.) And take their land and then submit them to you, because of terrorizing tactics, just like they did in Finland some decades ago.
At that time, the Finnish people, they were also very gentle and they just gave in to save people’s lives. (Yes, Master.) That’s why this time they didn’t wait, to join NATO. (Right.) They already officially submitted, and NATO already accepted their submission. But protocols, must discuss and all that. And the Finnish government even said to their citizens to brace themselves, and their soldiers all ready. (Yes.) Because, they say, “In the waiting period, we are vulnerable.” It is like that. Because they’re not officially a NATO member. (Yes.) So, Russia could just come in and attack them.
But when the President of Finland talked to Putin, he was supposed to have said, “Why? We don’t threaten you. It’s a mistake that you join NATO.” But very calm. (Oh.) Not threatening or anything. Yeah, yeah, but cut electricity first. My God. Not threatening. Don’t have to threaten, just do it. (Yes, Master.) One way or another. Who knows what he’ll do next? So, Finland was rushing, said, “We join, don’t wait further.” And the whole nation supports it. Parliament and everybody support that decision. First, they have to talk to each other within the country, their own government. And if they’re all OK, then they join NATO. (Yes.) They already gave the application. It’s official.
“Media Report from PBS Newshour - May 16, 2022 Judy Woodruff (f): As we’ve reported, Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson today announced that her country would join NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, ending more than 200 years of military nonalignment. The announcement follows a similar one this weekend from neighboring Finland.”
“Media Report from Guardian News - May 20, 2022 Jon Henley (m): Finland and Sweden's decision to apply to join NATO really does represent a historic shift. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has really proven it to be a really unreliable and positively dangerous neighbor. It's caused Finland and Sweden to perform a really dramatic U-turn on decades of previously nonaligned security policy.
Sauli Niinistö (m): They (Russia) are ready to attack a neighboring country.
(In Swedish) Magdalena Andersson (f): Should Sweden be the only country in the Baltic Sea region that was not a member of NATO, we would be in a very vulnerable position.”
“Media Report from PBS Newshour - May 16, 2022 Nick Schifrin (m): The invasion of Ukraine has changed everything. In 2017, 22% of Finns and 32% of Swedes supported joining NATO. Today, those numbers are 76% in Finland and 53% in Sweden.”
“Media Report from Guardian News - May 20, 2022 (In Swedish) Woman: It feels like we have to pick a side, and in that case, I choose NATO every day of the week ahead of Russia.
Man: I used to be against it, but after the war in Ukraine, I’m very much for it.
Woman2: I’m afraid that they would kill everyone and that they would change everything.
(In English) Jon Henley (m): This really shows that actions have consequences and that they sometimes have quite the opposite consequences of what might be intended. Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine partly on the pretext that Ukraine was about to join NATO, and so there's a quite remarkable irony – the very expansion of NATO that Putin was seeking to prevent, he has actually caused.
Journalist (m): Do you fear it could be seen as a provocative gesture by Vladimir Putin?
Sauli Niinistö (m): Well, my response would be that ‘You [Putin] caused this. Look at the mirror.’”
“Media Report Channel 4 News - May 17, 2022 Reporter (m): In an extraordinary move, a Russian military analyst and retired general told Russian state TV that the war saw no good outcome for Russia.
(In Russian) Mikhail Khodaryonok (m): In a way, we are in full geopolitical isolation. And however much we would hate to admit this, virtually the entire world is against us.”
It’s not like, OK, if you want to join NATO, you just jump in. It’s not like that. There are many conditions, many requirements, on whether you can join NATO or not.
(At the moment Turkey’s president Erdoğan said they opposed it.) Yeah. Perhaps Turkey is somehow pro-Russia. Because I read it in the news that the oligarchs’ ships, which were supposed to be already sanctioned by the West, but some of them are docking in Turkey’s sea. (Oh, yes.) Turkey’s water. And also, there are many homes bought by Russians there, Russia’s rich. (Ah, OK.) Recently, more than before. Recently, there is a rush in property buying in Turkey. (Trying to avoid the sanctions.) Yeah!
So, what about that? On one side, one foot is in NATO, and another foot is in Russia. (Yes, Master.) So, what right or for what reason should Erdoğan prevent or try to obstruct Finland and Sweden from joining NATO? (Understand, Master.) I hope that’s a good answer to your question? (Yes, Master. Thank You, Master.)
This world is… most politicians, they have double standards. That’s why recently there was a big protest, a big rally supporting the opposition leader. (Oh, OK.) They are not all clean. I hope some are clean. Otherwise, the world is all corrupt.
What can Turkey do anyway? I mean, it’s just because there are some conditions in the NATO policy. They ask many questions. Whether or not the country can join, according to this and that requirement. (Yes.) And maybe one of the requirements is that, whether or not in your country, your government ever oppressed any minority, or was aggressive, or anything like that. (Yes, Master.) Or maybe tendency, or siding with terrorist groups, things like that. (Yes.)
And Finland is supposed to be reportedly siding with the Kurds. (Yes, that’s right.) And the Kurdish people are the so-called enemy of Turkey, or President Erdoğan. (Yes.) So, they use that, trying to split hairs. (Yes, Master.)
