Europe engages in Mercantilism. China(for the moment) engages in Mercantilism. They don't build their power through military force.
We need to keep China on this path because at the moment Russia is setting a very, very bad example to them.
Russia getting kicked off the Council of Europe again. They were booted out in 2014 as well.
There are a couple of USAF refuelling tankers flying in circles south of ukraine, they must be busy with all the spy planes around the place
this famous Churchillian quote should be tailored to Ukraine-
From Chernobyl in the North to Odessa in the South, an iron curtain has descended across the Ukraine
Protest at Russian Embassy in Dublin
If you think the Brits hate Nazis, then you've never seen the Russians talk about it.
Russia suffered the heaviest human losses of any single country in World War 2. Hitler is as close to the antichrist as anyone can be in Russia.
This is what makes it so easy for Putin to refer to anyone as Nazis to try and stir up hatred against them.
That is the first concern I had seeing that.
Weapons and artillary distributed with no control or accountability whatsoever.
What could go wrong?
Then I rememberered it's a video that poster found on social media, so it has as much credibility as a drunk rambling at a bar counter
No, the end game would be Putin backing down and wanting to talk.
It's being played on Sky News, so I assume it's a valid video.
The govt already said earlier they handing out weaponry to citizens.
Yeah but in the battle of Nazis versus the Russian state it's the Russians who are ahead for those in the east of Europe. The Germans were only a problem for 6 years, the Russians for nearly 50 and centuries in some cases.
Planning and launching a war of aggression is a war crime. It's one of the main charges that was made against the Nazis at the Nuremberg trials.
Blocking Russia from Swift network could still happen in next few days.
Apart from the effect on Russia, there's a lot of Irish based companies that would be affected, banks and fund companies that service Russian bond repayments.
Citi, state street, BNY
For example.
UK MOD update on the day.
Russia havent made much progress so far and still missing many of its many major objectives
Covney replied to lavrov
That's all assuming both sides are led by 'rational actors'...
Oh sure. But you can see it in Putin's speeches and the stuff being spouted online by Putinbots, claiming that the Ukrainian government are Nazis and planning a holocaust of Russian speakers in Ukraine. Everyone outside of Russia with two brain cells knows that it's nonsense.
It's been verified by the press.
It's also exactly what the President said he would do.
the sanctions implemented are a joke, toothless western countries wont understand what they are dealing with until its too late!
Hows the deal going for people in Karelia that wants to be part of Finland,Lavrov
Finland and Sweden both getting threatened
Technical point, it's a crime against peace.
War crimes are those committed during war, such as targeting civilians
Yep. And this is the primary reason why SWIFT hasn't blocked yet. It will hurt everyone. Tbh though, any company or individual still involved with Russian money by the end of the weekend, can get fvcked. There may not be much we can do militarily to help, but if financial and economic sacrifices on our part can inflict heavy wounds and make a difference here, then we should be willing to take it.
His isnt my favourite TD but hes bloody right here, fair play.
You do realise Ukraine isn't in NATO and therefore NATO wasn't and isn't obligated to defend it.
There is no reason to think that Xi didn't know of and approve this attack
There is also no reason to think Putin is mad, bad certainly, not mad.
He is doing what leaders have done for thousands of years of history.
The last 30 years of US hegemony were the Only reason there was mostly peaceful years and that was enforced when needed at gun point.
He and China and looking at a post Europe and US dominated world.
He couldn't give a hoot about sanctions
, He is an energy super power and between him and xi control over half of the worlds diet.
Food and energy being so passé in western Europe
It's real, and a good idea if you want to start a long protracted insurgency, bad idea if you want a united response against Russians.
Having so many untrained, plain clothes soldiers effectively opens up a can of worms for defending yourselves. Reports that the "russian saboteurs" in Ukrainian vehicles and Ukrainian uniforms may well have been just ukrainian, the people who attacked them were a civilian militia.
I dont know if I believe it, but with news of Russian saboteurs in Ukrainian uniforms doing the rounds, imagine what a nightmare that must be for actual Ukrainian soldiers. So many plain clothes civilians have been warned to look out for any saboteurs. How do they know who is a saboteur and who is just Ukrainian!
Sweden has officially responded to that threat, Snake Island style:
https://twitter.com/jensliljestrand/status/1497225959384260617
apparently ukranian government are not only nazis now backed by america they have also been elevated to status of drug addicts also charming
Im sure putin cant wait to sit down with drug addicted nazis in minsk shortly
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