We know about blood sacrifices in this country. If the Russians are obliged to bring massive force onto Kyiv in order to subdue the army & population, we'll be in a situation of genocide. At which point surely anything is possible, including a rapidly deployed UN 'peace keeping' force in name. That has to be part of the Ukrainian game plan, key question is how far Putin and his generals are prepared to go, they've stuck their necks well & truly out.
I'm thinking out loud here but I'm just wondering could Putin's saving grace be the fast moving news cycle and western apathy once things die down a little?
Putin must be delighted with these absolute tools!! Boyd Barrett Murphy and Co need to crawl under a fûcking rock and stay there!!
If they wanted a guarantee then sign a treaty (preferably with mutual nuclear reduction - which are treaties Russia welch on regularly btw). An en passant "guarantee" to the leader of a state that is now extinct is not a treaty.
The Russian account of the "guarantee" is a sexed-up exaggeration of events designed to buttress the Russian pity-party, and a blow by blow account of why the Russian stance is bullsh*t was posted earlier on in thread. If they were so damn concerned about Eastward expansion, sign a damn treaty with iron-clad security guarantees for your neighbours. Look at the Budapest memorandum and the joke the Russians made of that - so I have zero time for the Russian state tearing up the security of Europe off the back of puffed-up account of something that was allegedly said in a private meeting to the leader of an extinct state that is not the Russian Federation.
Why are Ukraine not attacking the Russian convoy?
Interesting capsule summary of Ukrainian leaders of the Soviet Union. The article doesn't mention it but Leon Trotsky was also Ukrainian.
What an utter coward and a scutter of a man
So why is the EU seen weak? We can destroy them aswell, even if they might be quicker use them.
Is it the EUs policies and very conservative political decisions that have us looking weak ?
Also, for all the talk of the Eu being a weak bloc (from divisions of opinions and army POV), is it not possible that this could actually galvanise the eu to step up its own deterrents? Certainly Putin appears to of provided a common enemy that’s uniting more then one would of thought.
I presume the worst in this and while you are correct that there’s savage propaganda going on, Putin definitely is feeling threatened. And this would imply that he really didn’t expect this response and he’s finding it difficult to accept. He’s doubling down with his dictator rhetoric and using language nobody has ever heard.
Some people are saying “Hes been saying this all along”. When did he last threaten nuclear retaliations?
Maybe the west has really underestimated his goals and ignored him, but maybe Putin underestimated the west and this is the only way to unite west. In many cases a common foe is the best think for a cause. This could potentially lead to a stronger Europe. I know the opposite could be the case but I’m just not sure how anybody (even those who know Putin really well) could say that Putin would of honoured any deal regarding the Baltic states.
Ukraine is a decade or more from EU membership. It requires Ukraine to align with all existing EU laws and develop institutions which can and will implement them. The process of disentangling itself from EU legislation was so complicated the UK simply copy and pasted it to UK law and decided they would work on it over time. All that can be done is a symbolic gesture.
I used to not mind RBB so much, but he's making an utter clown of himself on the Ukraine crisis.
Unfortunately even in the case of hard evidence of genocide being committed, I dont think the Un or anyone else will get involved. Putin has his hand on that red button and it means he can practically do what ever he wants in Ukraine, only Russia themselves will be able to stop him.
Last week tonight did an excellent section on Ukraine, Putin etc.
Small section is on YouTube but well worth a watch of the whole thing
Is it really surprising though? Richard Boyd Barrett and his ilk would argue that water wasn't wet if it got them airtime. They are a party of protest. And when the West is so united against Russia, there's only one thing to protest...
this is an interesting take on the drama from an American living in Kyiv
I would have thought it would take a decade of effort for Germany to have the will to meet their NATO obligations, and it would have been impossible with German Greens in government
Same with Sweden and Finland seeking to Join NATO
The normal timelines no longer apply, Ukraine could find itself in the EU is some weird, exceptional form.
Wallace and Daly aren’t much better and they’re representing Ireland in the European Parliament 🤦♂️
This is because the "promise not to expand NATO" story is a half-truth which is worse than a lie. West Germany promised Gorbachev in 1990 not to deploy NATO forces in East Germany after the re-unification of Germany. The Warsaw pact was still alive, the USSR was still whole. Nobody gave assurances to Gorbachev that Eastern European countries are going to be blocked from joining NATO, as that was not considered as a possibility.
More detail here https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/russia-programs/2017-12-12/nato-expansion-what-gorbachev-heard-western-leaders-early
The EU seems pretty galvanised right now. EU has, for the first time ever, started supplying arms, Switzerland dropped it's neutrality, Germany has changed decades old policy and started rearming, most EU airspace has been blocked - pretty extraordinary stuff
I would imagine they have very good air cover over that convoy, especially towards the front. I'm surprised the Ukrainians haven't mined the road(s) in advance.
Yes correct but Yugoslavia was a strong ally of the Soviet Union from 1945 on.
I'll be steering clear of sex-tourist red-pill hot takes thank you very much.
"The Russian defence ministry is warning residents in Kyiv to leave their homes as it plans to strike targets in the Ukrainian capital, Russian state news agency Tass reports.
In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, the defence ministry says their forces are preparing to launch “high-precision strikes” against “Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the 72nd Center for Information and Psychological Operations (PSO)“ in Kyiv.
We urge Ukrainian citizens involved by Ukrainian nationalists in provocations against Russia, as well as Kiev residents living near relay stations, to leave their homes."
Translation: Russia will start shelling Kyiv indiscriminately
Anyone see this war mongers tweet earlier? Incredulous assholes!!
They're worse. Mick Wallace's political career is over come next election cycle after his revolting tenure in European parliament.
No it wasn't. Just because they weren't part of Western Europe/NATO, doesn't mean they were on "the other side".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Aligned_Movement
Thus guy doesn’t have many followers but these appear to be his own videos. He’s in Kharkiv.
Yeah, If only NATO had'nt expanded then Russia would right now be happily sitting behind her borders and the Baltics, Poland, Romania etc. would all still be independant states.
Any more pipe dreams to find?
Hastag both sides, if you like.
Just heard Lavrov address the EU and in a 1 minute speech mentioned denazifying and demilitarising Ukraine, protecting Russians in the Donbass region, Ukraine being sucked into NATO, NATO weapons flooding into Ukraine, illegitimate EU sanctions against Russia, Ukraine making territorial claims on Russian Federation and Ukraine trying to acquire nuclear weapons.
Those are the stories they're telling themselves. The resaon i mention my not having an imaginary international relations degree is because I don't pretend to know how much of the stories they tell themselves is true and how much of the stories we tell ourselves is true. It's a pity because I presume that wen my imaginary degree comes through, I can start dismissing whatever stories they tell themselves and accept the stories we tell ourselves.
In the meantime I'm just looking and seeing what stories we're telling ourselves on hashtag both sides and not pretending I know much about it. Looking around here, it seems a lot of other posters' imaginary degrees have arrived...
Looks like the bombardment is coming. Reverting to the same tactics as Georgia, Syria and Chechnya.
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