Putin will continue as long as he has the funds from selling oil to all and backing of N Korea and other suppliers..
Perhaps to detail to Scoltz the gravity of the situation and the time for apeasement and dilly dallying is now over?
Good. Scholz again saying this week no Taurus deliveries, a year ago Germany was upping its game and Macron seemed to be the appeaser, how times have changed, don't know what Macron has been eating for lunch but it's made a difference to his words at least.
Let's hope so but if that is the case is it really wise to advertise in advance surely an element of surprise is better?
Well done once again on Denmark there. I know we have made some noises about increasing defense spending but given we do pretty much nothing at the moment and have done very little for a long time when it comes to defense and security capabilities we really need to wake up and get serious and do our part as well. We benefit enormously from being part of the collective that is the EU we need to step up and build a creditable and targeted defense force and intelligence capability.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi was fired because of the disastrous spring offensive which ignored American advice. Also they refused to share their plans with the Americans because they felt their plans would be leaked.
APPARENTLY …..
Really feels like a huge gear shift now .. Lets see how rest of Europe responds ( and Ireland so far behind now it really isnt funny any more
Macron on French TV this evening :
The war in Ukraine is “existential…” If Russia were to win, life for the French would change. We would no longer have security in Europe. Who can seriously believe that Putin, who has respected no limits, would stop there?”
Good point this from Philip O Brien:
The importance of Macron's comments is their natural conclusion. Either Europe must do everything possible to guarantee Ukrainian victory, or Europe must intervene. Many wont want to do the latter, so they must opt for the former. Ukraine needs to be aided to win.
So in a way Macron is forcing Europes hand .. its one or the other
https://twitter.com/PhillipsPOBrien/status/1768380427293667602
Are you on the new russia sanction list?
https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1938555/
Tusk calling out Magic Mike in the US for holding up funds to Ukraine
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is personally responsible for the failure to agree on the extension of aid to Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said
Doesn’t make sense.
I think I remember it was Zaluzhyi who didn’t want to proceed with the counter offensive as he didn’t think it would work but his hand was forced.
Makes me think of the phrase "talk is cheap". France has only pledged a fraction of the military support to Ukraine that even some smaller countries have. The source linked below claims French military aid committed to Ukraine amounts to 600million euro while in the same time frame figures pledges from Denmark amount to 8.4 billion euro. In this same time frame even Slovakia has committed more than France with 700million euros worth of military support.
Delighted to see Putins friend Orban being called out by THE US no less ..
US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman criticized the country’s “dangerously unhinged anti-American messaging” and its “expanding relationship with Russia”.
Another one bites the dust
BREAKING: Vitaly Robertus, the Deputy CEO of Russia’s largest oil company Lukoil has suddenly died. He was 53 years old.
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1768073545941229776
i said previously that sacks is a kremlin troll, this has been pointed out to you on another site you troll for russia
you are on several sites posting the kremlins viewpoint
Seeing Orban is why I'm not in favor of more EU members. They are nothing but a headache.
When the counter offensive was being talked about it was wall to wall Zelenskii was a bollox for pushing it while Zaluzhni was being more cautious. Now it's the opposite.
Must be a link between the oilmen dying and the refineries going up in smoke..
Another one hit…. Another oligarch dead…. I wonder if the oligarchs might start thinking they are better off without putin
another mobilisation will have to be announced. I wonder how the middle class are going to like dying in a cold mud field.
What a great place
this will be a historical photo one day after this mafia falls. This photo will be in every history book in every school to demonstrate how perverted was the meaning of human rights, democracy, freedom of speech etc. in nazi ruSSia. Putinbots, local ruSSia fascists, and their drunken idiot alcoholics love to refer to Ukraine as 404. I hope they suspect, its ruSSia who is becoming 404 fast.
I'd say that their thinking hasn't changed since Putin invaded and they started seeing their assets being whittled away, but they are powerless to do anything about it. It's when the Silovicki start getting hurt financially that you might see something happening to Putin. Until then, Putin is well protected by layers of intermediaries whose health and wellbeing is directly linked to Putin's health and wellbeing.
Even has the swastika on the front of the soldiers battle gear.
"We were just following orders".
For those wondering what this Siloviki is .. Putins INNER CIRCLE - the security men around Putin, most of whom rose up through the ranks of the KGB as he did and have a hawkish, Cold War mindset.
Who are they? Article has picture an bio of each Siloviki member ( this article is from 2022 but I would say much has not changed )
With the "election" afoot .. interesting read
https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/91955
Eroding Consolidation: Putin’s Regime Ahead of the 2024 “Election”
While there is no doubt over the election’s outcome, the presidential campaign is already exposing the myth of complete consolidation around an irreplaceable president. Vladimir Putin may be winning in the short term, but he is strewing mines beneath the country’s future.
Interesting WHAT IF article describing what happens IF Putin leaves this world. The system in place in russia should this happen;
Should the 69-year-old die or otherwise leave office suddenly, the Federation Council has 14 days to call presidential elections, and if it does not, the Central Election Commission would.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin would become acting president. However, Mishustin is not seen as being particularly close to Putin, nor a credible candidate for any election.
Instead, Stanovaya believes Putin’s departure will leave a power vacuum between business interests, security officials such as Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu and other factions of the elite.
IE, a coup. Military or otherwise & it could get ugly in the absence of any powerful moderate voices these days.
@pixelburp And you would wonder IF A COUP from within the Siloviki most likely .. What would the attitude be toward the war in Ukraine? Same, worse or the new top person ( most likely man ) stops this war as could have a different mandate
As that article mentions:
According to reports in independent Russian media outlets, members of the Russian elite were surprised and felt anxious when Putin announced the Ukraine invasion on February 24, declaring the “special military operation” a necessary step.
.... Nevertheless, Putin’s refusal to acknowledge a link between economic woes and sanctions is reportedly alienating business-minded officials, while others criticise him for not waging war actively enough.
According to some reports, a few Kremlin insiders are quietly discussing who may come after Putin.
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/v2/e050b53be62f0ae2404c620976170938.svg)
