Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Putin has won this round, the "West" lost once their embassies pulled out of Kiev they are not shedding bodies for Ukraine. We may be in for "interesting times" should they decide to kick Russia off the international SWIFT payment system. This would be a spectacular own goal so it's ruled out for now, as a side issue the Vatican nearly got kicked off SWIFT back in 2013. The Swiss banks also came under pressure at the same time (FATCA), they told their American customers to get lost. Kicking Russia off SWIFT would see an incredible rise in commodities and expand the shortages currently affecting production worldwide. Car production is dependent upon platinum, anyone who has had their catalytic converter cut will tell you all about it. Energy prices would rise sharply in Europe, and I really do not see how Germany can afford to turn off the gas from Russia. This is one giant mess and all Putin has to do is keep his enemies guessing while watching us in the West collapse internally post Covid.

What planet are you living on? If Russia doesn't invade Ukraine they have lost face? Russia has always said it had no intention of invading Ukraine, if anything they will lose face if they actually do invade Ukraine not the other way around.

To be fair if Putin is to invade it must be soon as the Ukrainian military will be laying more mines, making more defensive positions, training more soldiers, getting arms and munitions from America etc. The longer he waits if he is to invade the more stronger Ukraine will be and more it will cost him in both men and armaments etc. Time is more on the Ukrainian side in that regards. So I can't see him waiting if he is to do it for a few wks. If he is you would reckon it would have to be in the next few days. I know if you were the Ukrainian military you would want it not to happen but if it does longer the wait so they can get their defensive capabilities more improved, so I would reckon if nothing happens in the next wk or so more then likely an invasion won't happen.

So what's NATO'S next move, Putin isn't going to invade so will NATO engineer something blame Russia to justify a response, we know the US are good at this stuff....or will they just continue a process of destabilisation, sanctions, mess with gas projects...drag it out..Biden needs something such as been his bellicose language and the fact his first year has been a disaster and his poll numbers are in the mud and let's not even mention Harris...

More than likely its the Kremlin trying to make it look like they are fleeing with the crown jewels

Ukraine submitted a request under the osce Vienna protocol , requesting information on the unusual Russian military activity on their borders,

Under agreements military exercises have to be declared in advance and with a start and end date when forces will be returned to bases ,

So far putin has ignored the request which the Russians are required to answer with the details in 48 hours which has already passed

You're putting words in my mouth.

I never said anything about Putin being great.

I think he does have some leadership qualities that are severely lacking in many western nations, but he's far from a perfect leader. He's doing a pretty good job with taking on US/NATO aggression, but it remains to be seen how this all plays out.

I don't think he's buying the sanctions bluff one bit. There's very little they can do to hurt Russia in the pocket, without shooting themselves in the foot too. And Putin knows this. Militarily it's even more complicated.

It's not about what decision Putin makes at this point, it's about what decision the west makes. Russia will twist their nipple, until it turns purple. Europe has already shown it's hand to some degree, they cannot afford this to go on for years with no resolution. Russia can, and the last sanctions caused as much harm to the EU as they did Russia.

I think Putin may be trying to play the EU off against America here, as the threats over the gas pipeline in particular are seen as a reckless idea that potentially ruins European / US diplomatic and economic relations. Not to mention the disastrous effects on European energy.

Powerful nations have drawn those lines, largely to suit themselves throughout history though.

And the laws too.

It's very easy to play within the rules of the game, when you invented the game and set the rules. NATO is an excellent example of this. An organisation set up principally to oppose the soviet union, but if you oppose NATO "Sorry, you're breaking our rules". lol

Why not disband NATO, and stop treating the modern Russian federation as if they were no different to stalin's soviet union and pointing all your missiles at their borders? It's naked aggression, and there should be no real surprise that Russia would be inclined to respond in a reciprocal manner.

Did I say anything like that at all? All I said was that you would gauge public opinion more from the journal than you would this thread.

Wondering how the Putinbots will spin it if Russia really were to invade. My guess is blaming the West for building it up so much that it left poor Moscow with no choice but to follow through. Am open to suggestions ;)

NATO is a legacy of the cold war, it has been downgraded for years, the military industrial complex will be quite happy with cold war 2.0 as long as the stalemate continues they expand their budgets and jobs, fighting brown people in the desert is fine, fighting someone who can land actual punches, nope.

The only thing that will take Putin out is old age or loss of confidence from the oligarchs, if you study the history of Breznev and Andropov final years, the Russian ruling class likes to keep their front man in place till the end while they continue their schemes.

Meanwhile the German government has appointed American Jennifer Morgan from Greenpeace as their "climate envoy". Morgan was the key driver behind the Thunberg campaign in 2019, even writing some of her speeches.

The intention is that Morgan becomes state secretary in the German federal foreign office. She has ZERO experience in military or geopolitical affairs. She has been the head of Greenpeace since 2016. She will prepare the annual world climate conferences. Her only focus will be to restrict fossil fuel consumption in Europe. Nope Mr. Putin has nothing to fear from NATO.

I wonder how the BidenBots will spin it if Europe tells America to pi$$ off and stop messing up their economies with more brain dead sanctions that do nothing to solve anything? lol

In fairness you didn't. I don't think you can tell Irish public opinion from either, especially on this kind of issue so disagree completely with your idea of reading anonymous online comments to gauge it. The Journal might be more popular than here, but that should also mean there is more noise.

Why do multiple accounts have the Mulder icon now?

Okay. Just to be clear, if Russia were to invade the Ukraine, you think the rest of the world shouldn't react? No sanctions?

True.

You doing anything later? I'm tired of fooling around with like whores.