Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Yeah, because he has time to analyse situation in each country in full detail. He needs to focus on this war at hand and needs weapons urgently. I fully support his efforts. He is fighting for the whole world peace. Your rant is no better than criticising him for wearing a T-shirt in video calls. Get your priorities right!

Boom

What a sexist post!

Zelensky is using his brand (which is, right now, 100% the biggest and most powerful brand in the Western world) as leverage. He's looking to the consumers of his brand (us) to force our governments into more and deeper support for Ukraine on all levels - sanctions, humanitarian, military aid, financial, EU membership.

And fair play to him. He is doing exactly the right thing for his country. If any people listening to his message don't like it, tough luck.

Tony Connelly was saying on the News at One that Irish foreign affairs officials are not even entirely clear about what aspect of help Zelensky might have been referring to, but overall nobody seems too put out.

If Fallout 3 had driving it would look like this.

Sometimes translations can be helpful. I was so embarrassed with Walesa's speeches back then, yet translated they didn't sound that bad. But we were always waiting in front of TV in anguish for his next gaffe in live speech.

Russia have now updated their official statistics

The Russian army says 1,351 soldiers killed in Ukraine — AFP

Up from around 530 when they last reported.

The Ukrainian media inform about the death of the Russian commander from the Southern Military District, Gen. Yakov Rezancew

Mariupol; Aleppo, Mosul, Sarajevo, the list if cities destroyed like this in the last 30 years is very very long.

Hard to think of all the technological advances made in that time at the same time as listening to stunted minds like Putin's whine about JKRowling and Hollywood not recognising the Red Armies contribution to defeating Nazi Germany.

Post this conflict, anyone with a hint of thinking along the Trump, Putin, Erdoğan lines, off with their heads immediately, no second chances. One incorrectly avoided dictator is far better than 1000s of bodies in mass graves in Ukraine.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Providing weapons is orders of magnitude more useful than providing ambulances. The body armour is probably the most useful thing Irealnd has done in concrete terms. Looking for lashings of praise from Zelenskyy for hosting a tiny handful of refugees is unreasonable. his priority is to stop people from dying or becoming refugees in the first place.

Were I in his position I would be thinking exactly the same; Irealnd has been minimally helpful, whereas the UK, irrespective of its faults and guilt, has made a massive difference to Ukraine regarding their ability to defend their country and fight back. It shouldn't be lost on people what the implications of them currently training Ukrainians in Poland to operate the Star Sabre leading edge air defence system are. Once they are up to speed, Ukraine looks to get some very sharp air defence teeeth, something more usefull than 10,000 ambulances.

When I donated to Ukraine, it was for bullets, not bandages, because offensive weaponry has a huge multiplier way above it's cost in terms of preventing or eliminating the need for bandages. Every single anti tank round likely has the potential to prevent a large number of refugees from being created.

Ireland should have handed over offensive weaponry, in preference to ambulances and a few beds and hot cuppas. My opinion is that neutrality is a cute way of spelling moral cowardice. I am sure it's an unpopular opinion in Ireland, but I don't have a problem with people disliking me or my opinions.

This all reminds me I really should dig a bit deeper and send more bullets.

We haven't really did much for them other than sending ten tons of MREs and some body armor