by Stephen Lendman
The US-installed, Nazi-infested, Kiev regime represents militant fascist extremism in Europe's heartland - supported by Brussels instead of denouncing its illegitimacy and threat to European and world peace.
The Obama regime transformed democratic Ukraine into a US vassal state, supported by Trump regime hardliners, using the country as dagger aimed at Russia's heartland.
Flashpoint conditions are hugely dangerous. On Monday, Sergey Lavrov warned that US-installed puppet president Poroshenko "is planning an armed provocation on the border with Russia, on the border with Crimea, during the last ten days of December."
What's likely coming follows the Kiev regime's hostile November 25 made-in-the-USA Kerch Strait provocation in Russia waters. The same holds for what Lavrov warned about.
Kiev is a proxy for US imperial interests, its actions directed by Washington, including earlier war on Donbass, followed by repeated provocations, likely heading toward resuming full-scale hostilities, its US/UK armed and trained troops mobilized along its border for war.
A belligerent act along Russia's border risks East/West confrontation. Lavrov said Moscow has no intention of attacking Ukraine.
Russian forces aren't mobilized along its border to invade. No "Russian aggression" against the country occurred earlier or is planned now.
Poroshenko lied claiming otherwise. He has virtually no chance to be reelected in next March's presidential election, his public support less than 10%.
His declaration of martial law in areas along Russia's border, and phony threat of an invasion by its forces, is a scheme aiming to help him retain power, likely what's behind the Kerch Strait incident and threat Lavrov warned about.
Maybe other provocations will follow - everything ongoing and planned directed and supported by the Trump regime, part of its unrelenting anti-Russia hostility.
While Moscow has no intention to attack Ukraine, it'll respond defensively if Kiev stages a provocation on its border, Lavrov explained, adding:
"They will regret it. This is our country. This is our border. We will not allow (Poroshenko) to try to somehow protect his interests, the way he sees it, and violate those rights...Crimeans (will be) protected in full accordance with international law."
Poroshenko's sponsors in Washington and Brussels "advise him to keep low intens(ive) combat actions to enable them to go ahead with propaganda that Russians are carrying out an offensive against Ukraine and that's why Russia needs to be hit by sanctions, but military actions should never switch into a phase that will be followed by full-scale responses."
His US-orchestrated scheme won't work. "Our respective services are making all necessary efforts to thwart" his actions.
Separately, Lavrov said the Kremlin won't recognize the anti-fascist/democratic republics of Donetsk and Lugansk because it would "lose the rest of Ukraine" to its Nazi-infested regime.
It was lost after the Obama regime's February 2014 coup. Russia showed weakness by not contesting events as they unfolded from late 2013 through the toppling of Ukraine's democratically elected government, replacing it with illegitimate fascist tyranny.
Putin showed strength by recognizing the right of Crimeans to rejoin Russia, wanting a historic mistake corrected.
He showed weakness by refusing to recognize the breakaway Donetsk and Lugansk republics, refusing to accept tyrannical rule.
He should have been willing earlier and now to let these bordering states join Russia. Failure let war and related violence fester endlessly for over four years, no end of it in prospect.
It could have been prevented if Putin did the right thing. Lavrov was wrong saying there's "no alternative to the Minsk (peace) agreements."
They failed because Washington rejected them, rendering them exercises in futility. The same goes for peace talks in other US-initiated conflict theaters.
Republicans and Dems consider peace, stability, rule of law principles, and democratic governance abhorrent, notions they reject at home and abroad.
It's why diplomatic outreach to Washington is counterproductive, accomplishing nothing, showing weakness, not strength.
The only language the US understands is toughness. Diplomacy with hegemons doesn't work.
The US is as hostile to peace, equity and just governance as other rogue states. Challenging its hostile agenda is the only effective strategy.
Nothing else can work, a lesson China understands, not Russia, pretending a nonexistent partnership with hegemonic Washington exists.
Its ruling authorities are hellbent for conquering and colonizing the Russian Federation.
Challenging its imperial agenda is the only viable option. No others can work. They haven't for over a century since the 1917 Russian revolution - nor will they going forward.