Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Protein Junkie]

I think some of the “Oh please, make this stop!” ideas are simple wishing.

Putin wants ALL of Ukraine. He wants a puppet in place, just like in Belarus, so he has an eastern buffer of “independent” dependencies that he fills with Russian military bases.

He wants ALL of the northern coast of the Black Sea, so his Med/MidEast fleet has unfettered access and US warships, etc. have to steer much clearer of Sevastopol and Odessa.

And, while he’s at it, he’d like the Baltic ELL states back as dependencies, so he has a land bridge to Kaliningrad, his only year round ice free port in N. Europe, and their coastlines.

This is not his endgame, it’s his opening gambit!

I think we all know by now that what he would like with the Baltic states is not going to happen CB.
He knows where the red lines are and any attempt to breach them puts a whole different slant on the current problems.
Biden has indicated this yesterday.

 

[meltonblue]

Depends if all 25 operate in all EU countries.

They’re still sanctioned though.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

If you've got a direct line to his office would you be able to ask him to stop?

YouTube…The Putin Tapes…Frontline.

Discussed by all and sundry Putin experts back in 2017, and here we sit!

 

[ChicagoBlue]

When you put it like that it all sounds fairly reasonable from a strategic/national security perspective!

I believe in SELF determination, not dancing to the whims of a paranoid psychopath.

But, hey, that’s just me!

Seems like some here believe the paranoid psychopath is “reasonable”….from a strategic or national security perspective!

 

[Mid Wales blue]

How can we, and the rest of Europe sanction Russia, but still buy their oil and gas.
This should not happen!
The very first thing that should have been sanctioned is the oil and gas.
I know that most of Europe depends on a certain % of the fuel coming out of Russia, but at times like these we need to stand together, to stand up as one, and pull out of anymore purchases of fuel, from Putin.
It will be a struggle, It’ll land some countries in fuel poverty, but unless this action is taken Russia will keep destroying the Ukrain.

Europe are now starting to come out of the winter, our reliance on these fuels will decrease over the next few weeks, and months as the days draw out and temperatures rise.
Our government’s, need to find a short term solution, and put into place a long term plan that negates the need for future procurement of any fuels from Russia.

How can it be, that so many NATO countries, are reliant on Russia producing the fuels they need for their economies and population to function on a daily basis?

 

[SamBlue]

....
Give him is small victory which allows him to save face. (But in reality he knows he lost and would not dare try it again). And is allowing to return to Russia, regions which actually if allowed a democratic vote of their own, might very well wish to be part of Russia, so terribly bad? If for example Luhansk and Donetsk actually WANT to be part of Russia?

Give him a bloody nose, that is the only thing a psychopath like him understands. He is afraid of the west, because he knows he cannot compete neither militarily nor economically with us. Everything he said he wanted to achieve, he has been doing for the past twenty years. The whole of Caucasus, Transdnestria, Syria, Ukraine. And he said he wants NATO out of Baltic states and Eastern Europe. So, what is going to happen once Ukraine is gone and his troops end up on Polish, Hungaran and Romanian border and he feels emboldened. And he starts stoking up fire between ethnic Hungarians in Romania, or borderline region between Poland and Ukraine. What do we do then? And with regard to some random regions right to sedition is bonkers.

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

I believe in SELF determination, not dancing to the whims of a paranoid psychopath.

But, hey, that’s just me!

Seems like some here believe the paranoid psychopath is “reasonable”….from a strategic or national security perspective!

Thought you'd like this - one of your Chicago brethren!

 

[bluemoon32]

I believe in SELF determination, not dancing to the whims of a paranoid psychopath.

But, hey, that’s just me!

Seems like some here believe the paranoid psychopath is “reasonable”….from a strategic or national security perspective!

Anyone backing Putin & Russia, making excuses for them or saying they've got a point, is a massive ****

 

[KS55]

Didn't Merkel mothball umpteen nuclear reactors that are just ticking over, ready for further use!

Yes. How easy it is to restart the programme, I don't know.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

I think we all know by now that what he would like with the Baltic states is not going to happen CB.
He knows where the red lines are and any attempt to breach them puts a whole different slant on the current problems.
Biden has indicated this yesterday.

Words were said, I agree.

If Putin amassed troops on their borders and ships in the Baltic, it would make for an interesting historical case study of who is willing to do what, and for whom, when the rubber meets the road.