Russia - threadbanned users in OP

He has backed sanctions and generally gone along with the EU, even if he's been less cooperative on support. Orban suits himself. There's no real benefit to his opposing their entry and he's about to start losing access to the EU gravy train.

RIP to that Romanian protester who died ramming the gate of the Russian embassy in Bucharest. (his car caught fire and he died)

Covid. College, jobs, living at home.

Covid came along to disrupt their get-togethers. Most of them were college students with too much time on their hands and are probably either finished college or dropped out. They are now all working to survive or to pay back their student loans. Many are back home living with their Mums.

The sharp, short shock of real life is the great leveller when it comes to idealistic millennials who, upon leaving full time education, suddenly realise that people have more important things to worry about other than changing your name to "they/them", veganism, Tik-tok "small waist, big Bang" videos and buying soybean-based clothes and food online from "sustainable companies" in China on their €800 i-phones, also made in China.

* sorry. I live in a house full of teenagers. I need a holiday.

Yes, fine, drag Antifa into this as well. 🙄

Maybe want to throw "something, something libtards" in there too?

The most recent set of sanctions the US announces today (probably co-ordinated with the EU) are clearly very finely calibrated and will bear careful analysis. Looks like they are designed to force the Kremlin to make some pretty horrendous financial choices as their offshored reserves get completely frozen.

A Russian debt default looms.

Haven't the capacity and necessary air power to do that - and the 'West' haven't helped them in that regard. What did Zelensky say - shotguns and rifles are great but not much good against tanks and heavy artillery etc.

The man himself to address the great & the good of Irish politicians this morning. Apart from being diplomatic and thankful for the shelter given and political support, hopefully he'll also give them a bit of a bollicking over the fact that we haven't sent a single bullet their way and are hiding behind the skirts of supposed neutrality. Whilst we wring our hands at the sights of war crimes openly being committed.

I agree. It's a message board and you can discuss here whatever you like. Just set up a new thread and discuss, how people should behave on a war front theoretically. But if you discuss such things in this thread and attach some (unconfirmed) behaviour to real countries, then it is a different matter. We are living in extraordinary times. Ukraine needs our 100% support and in my opinion we should give at least this to them.

Why such horrible things which happened in Bucha, shouldn't be given our full respect and concern and are diminished by this whataboutery?

Majority of people here have hearts on the right side and are willing and choosing to give 100% support to Ukraine. Especially if it costs nothing. So I strongly object to call these people including me idiots* by cynics, who prefer to spread doubts and in this way keep playing into Russian propaganda. Sorry.

*they were called in that way earlier in the thread

I wonder is there an

air with these addresses. Does Zelensky really have a time to be crafting a specific messsage for each two-bit country, setting out the extensive historic links between Ukraine and New Zealand etc.

This is what ambassadors, diplomats and civil servants are for - putting all the work into getting all the information and context together and packaging it up. I don't think anyone would expect the leader of any county to do all this on their own, war raging around them or not.

Of course not. Every single politician in the world, whether it's Biden or Putin will have speech writers.

Ukraine just inflicted a serious military defeat, they are not retreating for the crack.

Exactly. This is the problem. Slowly, brutally, but surely, Russia is getting what it wants

Missed the speech -is there a link? Turned on RTE and it's some muppet TD whinging about Russia, Saudi, Yemen, USA, UK, ... I guess he didn't like Zelenskyy saying Ireland's not neutral.