Would also put an interesting spin on the Kyiv attacks yesterday; since it might be more likely Putin personally ordered it to coincide with the UN visit. Not that Putin or the Kremlin ever gave a hoot about the UN or any other international bodies; but it would be a very clear response to any notion of a humanitarian mission to Mariupol for example.
Yep, totally reminiscent of the Fuhrer. He fancied himself as a supreme military commander, despite no experience in the role, never attended military college and had been a mere corporal in the trenches in WW1.
Lots of attention on Naval assets off Crimea at the moment. An RC-135 flying relatively close and, about 20,000 feet above it and to the left, a USAF Global Hawk UAV.
He doesn't have sole authority to launch nuclear weapons, thankfully. I think there's himself and 2 or 3 others that need to sign off on it.
The Ukrainian journalist killed in the Kyiv airstrike worked for Radio Free Europe, a US State Department funded news outlet.
One must wonder was her apartment deliberately targetted.
Strange coincidence
At this stage in Russia - no one knows that for certain. What Putin wants - Putin has been given or taken
It will never happen as each member state has a veto to stop it, do you see the problem here :-)
Theres every reason to believe them lads are just as nuts. I don't think that will be a problem.
Well, we might have had slightly more chance of those EU Russian oil and gas embargos you think should be done immediately, if there were no vetos.
Maybe not though on consideration (!?). I suppose Germany + Hungary are quite pubic in opposition to it, but there are I expect others who have not had as much light shone on them, and would be smoked from cover if they had to vote on it, and be enough to block.
People are going to have to decide what they want out of the EU.
The EU just won't function well with so many vetos IMO as membership expands even further (expectation of some Balkan states to join up, maybe Ukraine too) and members expect it to do even more (and so deal with more "sensitive" areas perhaps as regards sovereignty of members).
If the veto stays it will become more of a UN style talking shop where there is a gridlock on tackling anything new, due to regular use of the veto by someone (from the 30+ members) on a given issue for selfish reasons, or it will fragment into blocs under pressure of some future crisis.
Indonesia has invited Putin to the G20 and he has accepted. Surely if he ends up anywhere outside Russia he gets arrested or the whole world will see that no one from large countries are ever held accountable for anything. Its a licence to do as you please and another nail in the coffin of international organisations such as the UN and the ICC.
Jaysus, that's gonna be awkward.
No nukes til then I guess.
arrested by who though? And under what authority?
If that were to happen, someone as, if not more radical than Putin steps into the driving seat from FSB or army and continues the war, with the threat of nuclear retaliation for someone having detained the Russian President. Same goes for any assassination attempts, it will not defuse things, it will only make things worse.
He hasn't been charged with anything yet. Still at the evidence gathering stage but given his paranoia I'm sure he won't attend.
Of course he'd say he's going and then not go. That's just simply the way Russia works now.
Basically I don't expect to see him anywhere near it.
Time for a Ukrainian special operation
Fair enough, we just have a fundamental disagreement about this embargo at least and significance of Germany's opposition to it.
I think your "greed" framing is slightly unfair. I believe this is about stability, people in the EU are going to be poorer and have their life disrupted because of this war (and already are), just a question of how much and how severely.
Maybe they should do it, & level with citizens that they are in a war now with Russia in all ways short of sending troops, this has to be done straight away to damage them and disrupt their economy as much as possible and sacrifices are demanded. I really don't know, and am glad I don't have to make such a decision.
I think you may expect too much. The EU (and predecessors) were founded I think to ensure lasting peace between the members, not to bring about world peace or even enforce the peace in Europe which is what you are pretty much demanding, by saying "it is going against fundamental values" by not going further in opposing Russia.
Protecting the members from the big bad world and projecting force (and responding to events like this invasion in a military way) was NATOs (and the USs) job and still is today. The European countries would be in worse trouble if there was an isolationist Republican preseident in the US
lol, yer man just kept walking away without looking back
Man the Poles have everyone's backs. Trust them more to safeguard Europe than the Germans.
these drones having giving some of the best combat footage ever seen
that would be the game changer if they can get enough artillery like this. Russian moral is already low as it is
Question is, how much is the war costing him? Has the 66 billion covered it so far, or not? Bearing in mind that Russian is a huge Country to run, and that does not come cheap either ( even by Putin's standards,,where the ordinary citizens are concerned....)
Zelensky’s attendance at the summit on the island of Bali would “depend mainly on the situation in the battlefield”, Vysotskyi Taras, a senior Ukrainian government official, said on Thursday.
While Jokowi said Putin intended to join the event, a Kremlin spokesperson on Friday said the Russian leader had not yet decided whether to attend virtually or in person.
Ukraine is not a member of the G20, but chairs of the grouping have previously invited guest countries.
Time to start worrying so.....
On 1, yes you are right there.
On 2, I don't know - does anyone until it is tested?
However as you said there are differences to what is happening now. Ukraine is not an EU member, it is not a NATO member and it is also unfortunately under attack by a nuclear power on the UN security council (even if their conventional military is not as good as was feared). Russia is not as easy put back in its box as likes of Sebia or Saddam's Iraq when it assaults a neighbouring country and commits war crimes & potentially a genocide.
Ironically it was Ireland that I think had a large hand in weakening and undermining the mutual defence guarantees between EU members, and going by recent polls etc., I don't think public opinion here has changed much despite current events.
It was the UN + the Security Council (not the EU, or predecessors) that post WW2 was supposed to punish countries for conquering neighbours and committing abuses like we see Russia doing but what happens one of the UN Secuity Council permanent members itself goes rogue, and it's really only the West and some allies that are willing to take action to face them down...?
edit: typos etc.
If Russia declares war on Ukraine they can send millions of soldiers. So, plans need to be made to bring Ukraine into NATO instantly if Russia declares war.
Oh dear... https://twitter.com/CanadianUkrain1/status/1520039182294466562?s=20&t=CiojaDDqDisanL2xg-A0hA
I don't think Ukraine are going to start firing those things into Russia. If one of those hit a civilian area, Putin would use it as a pretext for retaliation against Ukraine.
It sure is,when Russians say they dont intend to do something,they usually will,like Invading Ukraine.
One would have to wonder what would have happened had they had a few thousand of those little consumer drones rigged up with explosive and flying when that 30km convoy was stuck near Kyiv for a week or so. They would have been sitting ducks. I'm sure they took out plenty as it was
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/v2/e050b53be62f0ae2404c620976170938.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://w9.vanillicon.com/v2/9429a6e87ca90295fb14e1083556c0c3.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://w6.vanillicon.com/v2/62b46f6e38eb602cce4522002caf2975.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://wc.vanillicon.com/v2/c635d680d76ce16e490d61f21d7a1353.svg)
