Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Sacking managers when things are going wrong is his primary tactic in that role. Not sure he has quite enough clout to do that here...

I remember Season 1 of your post: 'they are all rag-head sand-dune people anyway, let them blow themselves up'.

The contrarians are really out in force today, "Putin is bad and the invasion is terrible but"

It's a very long process and they would not tick a lot of boxes yet at all, especially on corruption but it's the principle of the EU saying they are open to it.

Do the EU admit countries not in full control of their own territory?

Seems like a can of worms - and a pretext for greater warring. And if it does succeed, maybe Turkey will go to war to get their membership approved too

This is not the goal, it is the EU re-affirming that they accept the sovereignty of Ukraine. If Putin does succeed and installs a puppet government then the rapid withdrawal of any application for EU membership will lay that completely bare. If the majority of the Ukrainian citizens want to join the EU and the puppet government refuses, it exposes them as illegitimate.

And for the EU expansionists, how do you propose dealing with the ethnic Russians in Eastern and Southern Ukraine?

Were in it and we dont have control of our own territory

Are symbols more important than the rule of law? Because fast tracking Ukraine into the EU without the proper approvals and safeguards put in place in their country would be an affront to the rule of law. It would make a mockery of EU citizenship.

No it isn't. Please don't transfer your savings into a foreign bank account. There is just no way your money won't get stolen by middle-men.

I always say that Irish people/boardsies are naive and it always gets taken as an insult, which it isn't intended to be, but I hope people listen to me just this once.

Pray for the Ukrainian forces. Stage morale-boosting gestures, like protests and photos with flags. Don't transfer money into a void.

Indeed, the Russian central bank is almost fully blocked in that regard, it also covers millions in currencies like CNY they receive from redemptions and so on

Unfortunately NI is not officially recognised as Irish sovereign territory.

Donbas in Ukraine (and now much more of it than that) are Ukrainian territories they have lost control of.

I've already told you what I think the endgame is, and you conveniently ignore it because it doesnt suit your narrow view of the world.

Putin will besiege Kiev and the rest of Ukraine if need be, until the current Ukrainian government agree to his terms which will be something like "No NATO, No EU, Demilitarisation, No discrimination against russian language, recognition of Donbas and Crimea".

I think current round of talks will fail, and maybe in another week or two they will come to an agreement similar to the above. Putin will withdraw mostly as being a hostile occupying force is a bad and costly move.