Russia - threadbanned users in OP

An advertisement for the Russian armed forces. The sign says 'Meat Farm'

Utterances from the Russians now too.

And still more claims are coming out against him and classified documents,if he gets re-elected America will be a lost cause

America is in a sad state of affairs. The choices for president are comical.

A geriatric with one foot in the grave ,the opposite is a full on highly unstable basket case,and the other wants to make woke go broke , banning being gay and burning books ,

It's like a comedy show

Theres 3 1/2 years between them so they certainly are both geriatric! I really can't see Trump getting the Republican party nomination with all those criminal charges over his head. He might well still stand as an independent candidate, if there's no legal obstacles against him?

I'm not sure that either of the USA parties are prepared to back other more suitable candidates for the next presidential election. Betting odds have the two auld 'uns way out in front as favourites. WTF?

A very sad state of affairs in this time of world crisis.

“He might well still stand as an independent candidate”

that’s exactly why he will get it, and why he got it first time round too. If he runs as an independent, the GOP lose a large percentage of their vote to him, effectively handing the election to the democrats

as long as there’s no legal barrier to him running, I think 100% he’ll get the nomination, he’s just too ‘popular’ with enough of the republicans voter base

It is certainly possible but I would also think that Germany's main concern was energy supply for German industry not be interrupted by the Ukraine cutting off supply through their country.

Germany have had a fairly detached view of the more recent full scale invasion of Ukraine. It was really only when the pipeline was blown up that proper support for Ukraine against Russia materialized.

No doubt, and if the West, NATO etc knew 2 years ago what they know now, they would have done something. But the general consensus at that time was Ukraine didn't have chance of a snowball in hell of withstanding an invasion by the 2nd most powerful military in the world, and a nuclear superpower to boot. Remember all the military "experts"? 2 week's maybe, but 3 weeks max, no longer. Basically it would be a re-run of Crimea. But Ukraine turned that plan on its head, as we have seen. So it was only after Ukraine proved to the world that they were not prepared to fold in the face of Putin's aggression that the military and other help started to flow. Had Ukraine the gear back then that they have now, Putin's invasion would have been stopped dead in it's track's. Unfortunately that did not happen.

Biden could only do so much to keep things locked in, Obama did the same, Trump did the same with the pull out yeah and the US Taliban Treaty, Obama/Congress did it with Russian sanctions, it completely neutered his naked effort to appoint Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson to Secretary of State to grease the wheels of a Russia-Exxon deal worth at least $500 Bn. It won't stop Trump from calling Russia and giving away intel though, or taking executive actions to stand down any movement of materiel.

Not how I remember it.

I recall it being suggested that Russia would be well advised against a full invasion as it was a big country and well up for resisting .

The question seemed to be whether they would create a land corridor to Crimea plus take the Dombass and other regions near the border or whether they would go for Kiev.

As far as I remember it was not seriously thought that they would try to take the whole country but (if they took Kiev) they would seek to leave a Western rump .

When they went for the jugular it was a very unwelcome surprise but as you say expected to be very quickly accomplished and a puppet regime installed in Kiev but with resistance around the country and a heartland in the West.

I think the West/Nato expected a quick capitulation in Kiev (hence the offer of the chopper) but that this move by Moscow would turn out to be a dreadful strategic mistake as the whole country would be impossible to take.

When Moscow pounced there were questions as to Putin's mental health. Not a rational play.

(He seems to be bad not mad now)

"A geriatric with one foot in the grave"

He's the same age as my partners mother, and if someone used that kind of language to describe her they would recieve a well deserved punch to the face.😡

There are people of that age who read this site, and I know of at least one regular poster who is also around that age, get a Fuc*ing grip.

Biden is definitely a bad candidate from the perspective of looking and sounding old as fucckk, but has he and is administration done a bad job ? Seems like they have turned the economy around, managed to get some deals done with an insane Republican Party in order to stop the shutdown(s) and have helped Ukraine/reaffirmed their membership of NATO… though I would fear he has a game changing senior moment during the election

Biden has created the instability because he hasn't groomed a successor. If anything incapacitates Biden Kamala will lose to Trump.

That statement is like “ on the one hand and then on the other hand”. It’s the kind of statement that one would expect from AI. Thanks be to GOD. That it is only an OPINION