Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Respectfully disagree. You do your talking with him via the end of an anti tank missile. There’s no talking to be done woth Russia. Cut them out and isolate them from the world north Korea style. They can come to the table some time if they change their tune and want to actually change. But that’s up to them.

Oh, right. Unfortunately for you, I remember the last negotiations with Putrid, which resulted in: 'Don't worry lads, I promise Russia will not invade Ukraine.'

We don't have to negotiate with him because he doesn't meet the basic criteria that process requires.

There will be no negotiations at the end of this.

If the rumours are true, they have used chemical weapons already. Maybe its time for NATO to kick butt.

Over 60% support for intervention in that eventuality. American should at the very least be lavishing Ukraine with the very best equipment it has. The Russians couldn’t compete with it

The idea of Putin being deposed in some sort of internal coup has been punted about a good bit. It's a possibility to be considered, and more so if Russian becomes further economically isolated. Therefore it could be the case that although Putin cannot be reasoned with, a more reasonable successor could be.

And I agree with those who say that Western leaders should stop even trying with Putin. He just sees their overtures as supplication.

Putin is trying , in vain so far, to get the West and Nato to respond, so that he has the '' I told you so moment' . That is why he's attacking schools, hospitals, train stations, civilians , kids, women, he wants a reason to go all in with nukes.

Full oil embargo is next step, do it, cut Russia off from the rest of the world.

Yeah, That’s me as well. First Generation diaspora or whatever you wanna call it. So I consume twice the regional news, twice the political content, even twice the celeb gossip when I feel like it - from two culturally rather different countries (in EU terms). This duality means that there is hardly ever a boring day in European politics or current affairs for me, and makes for a rich enough interwebz perusal experience, fwiw.

The last time Germany sided with Russia - it certainly didn't work out the best

You'd think the feckers would understand this by now.

That said Germany has been a instigator in no less than three potentially civilisation ending events - including the end of the Roman empire and much later the first and second World Wars. Here's hoping they're not in on the third fourth.

CNN had a report on the Russian media just now. The level of gaslighting is off the scale - viewers are told the 'special operation' is going brilliantly and to plan, Russia has had very few troop losses, the soldiers are behaving impeccably and the only people carrying out atrocities are the Ukrainians (it actually sounds worse than Nazi propaganda in WW2).

I don’t think anyone is arguing that Ukraine couldn’t field or operate an Abrams; the argument is that it is too different for them to be able to do it in any kind of reasonable timeframe with any kind of reasonable efficiency. The same argument would hold for any military which doesn’t already operate turbine driven 4-man tanks.

As a longer term initiative it would be great; but I don’t see how it would help them over the coming weeks and months. That’s where more standard combustion engined tanks might come in such as the Leopard. Also any and all Soviet era tanks should be supplied even if only in small quantities to start with.

In any case I think the focus on tanks is a bit of a distraction; what they really need are long range artillery systems and guided munitions of whatever type might be available. Or armoured vehicles which offer simple point and shoot weapons systems to support dismounted troops and provide transport. Also anti-air and anti-drone systems etc.

A few hundred extra howitzers and trucks to tow them I suspect Ukraine would make excellent use out of; and they ain’t that complicated to use especially when everyone and their dog has a drone to adjust fire and vast tracts of open country with low likelihoods of collateral damage.

Whether it stays conventional or not a conflict between Russia and the USA is an international conflict. The idea that the US would roll tanks and troops into Ukraine and just allow Russian assets in the Black Sea/Belarus/Russia to attack them uncontested is kinda silly.

One exception might be small numbers of special forces engaging in small unit operations with only US intelligence support. Which could be happening right now for all we know (although I don't believe it is); it was certainly happening in the Donbass before the invasion.