Madonna Backs Summit Amidst 20,000 Kidnapping Lies

If there was ever a need to reinforce a continued mistrust of the media, then the Sydney Morning Herald’s European Correspondent, Rob Harris, gives all those who struggle with the straight-up bullshit it produces fervent reason why.

It’s an example of a journalist covering a remit he understands very little of, and whose coverage of a peace summit that supposedly aims to address the Ukraine crisis is not only comical but also propaganda disguised as journalism.

Heralded by the media and endorsed by Madonna, the summit claims to focus on nuclear and food security and the safety of children, who have been purportedly kidnapped by Russian forces.

It’s a narrative peddled so far from the truth that the exclusion of Russia from the summit reveals its intention to perpetuate a biased, one-sided story that serves Western geopolitical interests.

Ninety countries will be meeting in Geneva, and without Russia’s presence, it’s hard to understand what organisers are going to achieve.

A peace summit that excludes one of the primary parties involved in the SMO is flawed. What’s even more comical is that the West continues to play the public as fools. Russia, which has repeatedly called for peace and diplomatic solutions, has been left out of these discussions.

Furthermore, its exclusion not only undermines the credibility of the summit but raises questions about its true purpose. How can there be meaningful dialogue about peace when the voices advocating for it are deliberately silenced?

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin again made overtures to Washington and Ukraine to seek peace. In his address, Putin explicitly outlined what he’s seeking, and according to former highly respected leading US and currently serving military experts, Putin’s conditions were more than reasonable and acceptable.

During Putin’s call for peace, he said: “The West is ignoring our interests and at the same time forbidding Kyiv to me, all the while hypocritically calling us to some kind of negotiations, it just seems foolish. Ukrainian troops must be fully withdrawn from Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics and from a person in the Zaporizhzhia region. And I draw your attention to the fact that it includes the entire territory of these regions within their administrative borders as they existed when they joined Ukraine. Once Kyiv declares its readiness and starts the genuine withdrawal of its troops from these areas, as well as officially notify about the abandonment of triumphs to join NATO, our side will immediately, literally at the same minute, follow the order to cease fire and start negotiations.”

Describing the summit as a sham is an understatement - it’s a smoke-and-mirrors act with all smoke and no mirrors, and Harris writes the story as though it is credible - he is a useful idiot, it seems.

The exclusion of Russia from Zelenskyy’s peace summit ensures the narrative remains unchallenged, allowing the US to push forward its agenda without opposition. It’s a strategy not about achieving peace but about controlling the narrative and maintaining a stranglehold on public perception.

Harris’s article asserts along with other media outlets who trumpet his claims that Russian forces have kidnapped 20,000 Ukrainian children. It’s a figure not only inflated but part of a strategy to demonise Russia and drum up international support for the Ukrainian cause.

Similar accusations were made two years ago when Putin facilitated the evacuation of 160 Ukrainian children to Germany for their safety, and regardless of the humanitarian nature of the act, the narrative was peddled as kidnapping and coercion.

Putin’s peace plan is a significant step towards de-escalation, highlighting his willingness to engage in constructive dialogue. Putin has been willing to negotiate a peace settlement for the past two years.

Boris Johnson famously derailed a close to secured agreement back in April 2022, when the US sent Johnson to Ukraine to convince Zelenskky not to sign, giving assurances the US and NATO would give him and Ukraine everything they needed to ensure victory.

What a hollow promise and failure that was. Ukraine, the US and NATO have been soundly defeated and with provinces Ukraine will never get back.

The April 2022 agreement was a better proposal than when Ukraine chooses to negotiate peace. NATO and the US sold the Ukrainian’s a pup.

However, the media’s reluctance to give the proposal the attention it deserves underscores the biased nature of the coverage surrounding the conflict.

Instead of acknowledging Putin’s efforts, the focus remains on perpetuating a narrative that suits the geopolitical interests of the US, NATO, and Ukraine.

The involvement of “Material Girl” Madonna endorsing the peace summit adds a layer of celebrity spectacle to the already convoluted narrative.

Her Instagram posts, filled with pleas for the protection of Ukrainian children, are an attempt to sway public opinion, and yet Madonna’s endorsement should be seen as a calculated move to lend legitimacy to a biased and exclusionary summit.

Madonna’s intervention distracts from the critical issue at hand: Russia’s exclusion from the summit, the propagation of misleading information, and an entrenchment of a one-sided narrative promoted by the US and NATO.

Sidelining Russia and promoting a skewed version of events, Zelenskyy’s peace summit not only fails to address the cause of the conflict but also exacerbates tensions. Peace is only ever achieved through inclusive dialogue that acknowledges the concerns of all parties involved.

Zelenskyy’s summit seems more focused on vilifying Russia and justifying continued US and NATO intervention in Ukraine than on wanting peace.

Ukrainians, who have borne the brunt of this conflict, deserve a resolution to a proxy war driven by the US, not dictated by geopolitical interests and media sensationalism. To address the crisis in Ukraine, there must be a desire to move beyond propaganda and biased narratives and engage with all parties involved, including Russia, to critically examine the information being presented to the public. Harris and all media have a responsibility to report accurately and impartially, rather than serving as a mouthpiece for political agendas.

Consumers of news need to be vigilant and question the narratives being fed to them. Zelenskyy’s peace summit, despite its lofty goals and celebrity endorsements, falls short of a genuine intent to resolve the Ukraine-Russian conflict. Until that’s done and the biases and exclusions are addressed, peace won’t return to Ukraine.

Harris and the subsequent endorsement by Madonna highlight the pervasive nature of propaganda in the current geopolitical landscape. By excluding Russia and promoting a one-sided narrative, the peace summit fails to provide a viable path toward resolution. It is crucial that we recognize and challenge these biases if we are to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine and beyond.