Russia - threadbanned users in OP

you twist the conversation to suit yourself? With childish retorts all the time, introduce stuff in your replies to deflect from that actual post you quoted.

The US removed military personnel from Ukraine they have said it themselves.

160 national guardmen .

You have claimed every who encouraged Ukraine has left them which is completely made up .

It's that simple

Your words

"Russia has decided to annex part of the country and is in position to invade the rest, and everybody that has encouraged Ukraine to do so has left them"

Everyone that has encouraged Ukraine to do so left them ..

There never were 130 thousand Russian troops on Ukraine's border. That was just wild exaggeration of numbers by Washington to hype things up. Swallowed hook line and sinker by a willing corporate media and an un-skeptical public.

Real number was probably closer to 10k.

Absolutely, but logistics, supplies, intelligence can help Ukraine defend itself better if Russia do invade. It's the best that can be done in the circumstances. Ukraine can always turn down this support any time it wants, it has a choice in that.

"Surely a less antagonistic way" - Appeasement doesn't work as we've seen, Moscow has already taken slices of the country, and if you think the Ukrainians should bend and bow and scrape to the Kremlin in order to try and prolong the inevitable with a gun to their head, Okay.

Maybe Taiwan will go down the same road and worse, which is why it's important that the world shows it's willing to stand up in some way to this aggression. Unless of course you think Taiwan should behave like a subservient province and do nothing to antagonise it's aggressive neighbour, like I don't know, making basic preparations to defend itself or receive outside logistics?

It looks like the UK are going after Russian money held in the UK banks , businesses and property.

Lavrov has threatened consequences ...

Wonder who has property and money stashed in the UK , Roman Abramovich comes to mind

What we're doing is targeting particular Russian banks, Russian companies, and making sure that we take steps, take even more steps, to unseal the facade of Russian property holdings... whether in London or elsewhere," Mr Johnson said on Tuesday.

"Unpeel the facade of Russian ownership of companies. And also take steps to take Russian companies from raising capital on London financial markets."

The Foreign Office said legislation laid in parliament last week would allow the UK to sanction those linked directly to Russia's agitation over Ukraine, as well as Kremlin-linked organisations and businesses of "economic and strategic significance" to the Russian government.

This includes their owners, directors and trustees

Is it somehow in doubt that Ukraine has lost Crimea to Russia, and has ethnic Russian militias holding Donbass? If I recall correctly Ukraine got itself in that terrible position by overthrowing a democratically elected government and taking an adversarial role to Russia. That turned out to be a mistake.

And your advice is Ukraine should double down on that mistake and see how much worse things can get? Trying the same thing again and again and expecting different results is a sign of madness. With friends like yourself, the Ukrainians hardly need the Russians as enemies.

As I said - I'm realistic. Russia is never going to give Crimea back. Ever. Ukraine is never going to be able to militarily defeat the Donbass militias because Russia will intervene. Ukraine is never going to be invited to join NATO whilst the conflict with Russia is unresolved. The US is not going to fight Russia for Ukraine. After eliminating all those impossibilities, the only conclusion that can be drawn - bitter as it might be for you - is that Ukraine needs to negotiate with Russia and address its concerns.

US Airforce Global Hawk drone currently keeping a good eye on things. Taken 5 mins ago.

Uuuhh, Russia is not denying they have a large troop build up around Ukraine..

But here it's been denied ......

Comical ali is alive on on boards

"The writer overall made the point - a good one - that Russia only seeks a relationship with Ukraine that is comparable to the relationship between the US and Canada"

Ah yes, well I hope Trudeau doesn't get deposed or I guess the us will send troops in to help with the uprising in Manitoba.

Then why is there a US Airforce Drone doing laps along the border as we speak...

If you think the US would sit on its hands and do nothing whilst a friendly government was violently overthrown and replaced by a hostile faction which immediately took an adversarial stance against them then you really haven't been paying attention to US policymaking throughout the Americas. Christ, its usually the Americans overthrowing the governments.

Where did you get the aerial images, I assume they are recent if not live?

And nobody starts a war on Wednesday!