Russia-Ukraine War (continuing)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz0rn85v5kjo

Fico - a vocal critic of the European Union's support for Kyiv in the war - said they discussed supplies of Russian gas to Slovakia - which his country relies on.

A deal with Russian gas giant Gazprom to transit energy through Ukraine to Slovakia is due to expire at the end of this year.

"Top EU officials were informed about my journey and its purpose... on Friday," Fico wrote on Facebook.

Fico said the meeting in Moscow was a reaction to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky telling EU leaders that Ukraine remains opposed to Russian gas being piped through its territory.

Seems Fico is mainly concerned about Slovakia getting its Russian gas in future, and the visit to kiss Putin's ring is about that and not "diplomacy" (lol).

I don't know what he expects Putin to do though? Invade Ukraine harder to force them to keep that gas pipe open/make new deals to suit Slovakia?

Slaughter more people? Destroy more infrastructure? I wonder has Russia come up with a teleportation device yet to send the gas?

It could be irrelevant what deal Fico does if Ukraine destroys the "meter reader" installations on the pipeline network inside Russia, which some reports say was the objective of one of the less dramatic refinery strikes last week.

Should it be true, this is Ukraine cleverly playing the "f**k around, find out" card against pro-Kremlin parties in the EU. "What? You've suddenly got no gas from your Russian supplier, and no other means of getting any? Oh dear, never mind. Maybe we'll be able to sell you some when we've cleared all your vermin friends out of our country"

After the humiliation of Assad, I'll admit I'm somewhat puzzled as to why the EU's Putin fanboy's (and Lukashenko) are seemingly making more noise lately rather than less. I would have thought that the rules of bog-standard machiavellian politicking would recommend maintaining a polite silence while sharpening knives under the table.

However, the nightmare scenario for Putin is where Ukraine don’t do a deal, and just continue fighting. 

I think that might be the nightmare scenario for Trump too, whether he realises it or not. It's conceivable that he'll give Ukraine an ultimatum: "cede territory or no more weapons" - and Urkaine will tell him to feck off. That'll put Trump in a tight spot: does he back Putin-the-Loser and hope he wins, does he U-turn and not cut off aid, making himself look weak, or does he cut off aid and push an EU-backed Urkaine into developing a battle-proven futuristic drone-based military that competes directly with the US?

I don't believe Trump has the nounce to figure any of that out on his own, and I doubt his MAGA entourage can seen beyond the horizon of the mid-term elections. My biggest worry would be that Pseudo-president Musk will use the blessing of Trump to interfere with Starlink and hobble the Ukrainian's use of it for battlefield communications.

Assuming Russia gets paid in full for it, I can't see a reason for Ukraine to continue to allow gas to flow via their country...even if they don't it might be useful to teach Orbán and Fico a lesson that they don't hold all the cards (over Ukraine), and membership of the EU/NATO + current ability to ride 2 horses at once won't shield them from Ukraine paying them back in a small way for their assistance to Russia.

These 2 countries have been opposing policies of the EU and rest of the member states (to help Ukraine, to get off Russian energy). Ukraine has tried diplomacy with them too, and gotten nowhere. It has almost 3 years now since the invasion, and they have had plenty of warning to do something.

Today on Kremlin Korner we discuss the possibility of Estonia joining our wonderful cosy Federation.

He's of no use to Putin now aside from maybe trading him back to Syria. Where did you see reports about the wealth transfer?

sarcasm or delusion, perhaps idiocy? Hes about to lose cheap gas hence the visit to his owner. Surprised hes girlfriend Orban is not with him.

Can u not take it as given . If Putin wants it he will get it. He even might have a friend that needs a dig out and he just tells Asad that a friend of him will be ‘in contact’ with him shortly

don't forget hes married to Kiev-in-3-days clownlady. Thinking is not their thing.

I don't defend the Russian government or Putin who is a thug.

I do, however, take a more considered view of this conflict which was inevitable after 2014. Russia was never going to allow NATO in Ukraine no matter who was in charge.

How many days on one hand could you count before the US took action if Mexico, for example, allowed offensive weapons to be stationed on it's territory?

It's all hypocrisy.