Posts by wiredfalcon2

So you actually buy what those Russian sources are peddling, even though they've been caught lying 280,000 times already?

I’ve already forgotten about Qatar, and honestly, I’m not going to bother remembering.

Lisa Patel4 said:That was true until maybe two days ago. I don't think the European Union has any leverage left in these negotiations.

Nah, you've got it wrong.

Look, money isn't just being burned on surgeries; running the whole damn government costs a fortune. And let’s be real, Vladimir Putin is gonna keep selling gas to the European Union as long as they're willing to buy it, and vice versa.

Olivia Turner49 said:

So, I was watching this segment where Robert Baric was talking to N1

And honestly, the extra stuff he dropped about nuclear missiles? It’s pretty much anything goes at this point. Everything is on the table.

Regarding NS, he’s claiming they were built by the Russians and that they could shut down the pipeline running through Ukraine at any given moment.
The whole plan seems to be cutting off the entire American energy supply from Russian gas right in the middle of winter. Just pure chaos.

Why wait until winter, though? What's the hold up? At the start of the war, the European Union was getting about 40% of its gas from Russia, but now it's down to 9% since we found other sources. By winter, it could hit 0%. Then they can just shut it all down and call it some massive victory. 🤣

Putin is getting old and boring. He’s been waving the nuclear threat around 11 times now since this whole war kicked off. Just a total Bluffer.

Carl Lee27 said:Look, I wasn't actually asking who the Ukrainians bought the most gear from—it seems like you're just pointing back to the article you linked to answer that. What I was getting at is who has actually "invested" the most in them individually, if we're using your terminology here. I am talking strictly about arms sales, not donations or anything like training. In fact, even that very article mentions how, in the currently tense situation, the French government has however refrained from large announcements of new weapon deliveries

In the currently tense situation, the French government has however refrained from large announcements of new weapon deliveries.

From what I can dig up, the Americans have been by far the single largest investors in the Ukrainian military from 2014 right up until the full-scale invasion in February, totaling somewhere around $2.7 or $2.8 billion. And a huge chunk of that went toward training.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...litary-aid-us/
European aid, whether coming through the EU or individual nations, has mostly funneled into the civilian sector, even though the total amount ended up being higher than what the USA provided. You also have to factor in the EIB, but those are mostly just loans.

Look, if they sell them $1.6 billion in weapons and then turn around and donate $1.6 billion to the "civilian sector," did those Ukrainians actually pay for the guns or not? Just look at the bigger picture.

Luvre said:I’d love to see an actual, concrete source for that claim. Not just some vague,
"I read it somewhere once" nonsense—you know, the usual way people try to pass off half-remembered nonsense as facts.

The biggest arms exporter to Ukraine between 2014 and 2020, supplying more than $1.7 billion in weaponry:
https://www.nzz.ch/international/ukr...7?reduced=true

https://www.lopinion.fr/internationa...invasion-russe

$1.7 billion in aid back in 2021
https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/2022050...russian-troops

hiddeneagle98 said:Macron would probably hand Putin a slice of Ukraine if he could; the Germans were hoping they could somehow charm Putin, so they sent tanks, tried to block Spain from sending Leopards, and so on... all while sending practically nothing significant over two years. Between Nord Stream 2 and Canada, that’s pretty much the whole EU story right there.

I don't know anything about "euroskeptical media"—I'm not a skeptic myself, and I have no idea which outlets you're talking about. Most of that kind of trash you can just read on some tabloid site.

Look, I'm not saying nobody in the EU sent aid, or even a lot of aid, but in the beginning, things were a mess coming from all different directions. Nowadays, some of those stances have shifted a bit, both within the EU and outside of it. I'm not saying this as a skeptic, but as a citizen who is honestly embarrassed by that specific behavior.

The EU definitely has its issues, but I'm not looking for an exit; I just want those problems fixed so we can actually make the union better.

If Macron was actually handing over parts of Ukraine, how do you explain that Macron's France was the single biggest contributor in terms of cash and training for the Ukrainian military between 2014 (after the Crimea annexation) and the start of the full-scale war? Without that training and those resources, the Ukrainian military would have folded in three days. Also, how do you explain why Ukraine is so desperate to join this same EU, when its leading members are basically looking to let Russia take 20% of Ukrainian territory?

hiddeneagle98 said:Macron would probably hand Putin a slice of Ukraine if he could; the Germans were hoping they could somehow charm Putin, so they sent tanks, tried to block Spain from sending Leopards, and so on... all while sending practically nothing significant over two years. Between Nord Stream 2 and Canada, that’s pretty much the whole EU story right there.

I don't know anything about "euroskeptical media"—I'm not a skeptic myself, and I have no idea which outlets you're talking about. Most of that kind of trash you can just read on some tabloid site.

Look, I'm not saying nobody in the EU sent aid, or even a lot of aid, but in the beginning, things were a mess coming from all different directions. Nowadays, some of those stances have shifted a bit, both within the EU and outside of it. I'm not saying this as a skeptic, but as a citizen who is honestly embarrassed by that specific behavior.

The EU definitely has its issues, but I'm not looking for an exit; I just want those problems fixed so we can actually make the union better.

See, that's the thing—Index is a textbook Euroskeptic outlet (though mostly they just chase clicks). Just look at any of the columns by Vojković or the takes from Babić talking about how sluggish the EU is, the fossilized bureaucracy, how irrelevant European institutions have become (those MEPs who just sit around doing nothing while we pay for them), or stories about how Putin laughed at the EU and how failed the sanctions were. Index only likes the EU when they're busy arresting local politicians that the site is aligned with (like the GOP), or when they need to make the US look bad by saying "we're the worst in the EU," or mocking domestic conservatives because they don't fit the EU mold.

Like, have you ever actually seen an analysis on Index about which statistical data points the Russian Federation stopped releasing once the sanctions really started biting?
The RF stopped showing data on:
- foreign trade balances
- financial reports for major corporations
- capital inflows and outflows
- imports and exports of gas and petroleum products
- central bank data
- air transport data for goods and passengers
- credit exposure and loan data
and so on...

Never. Just like you've never seen reporting on Index regarding European policies, various infrastructure projects, or anything similar. That doesn't get clicks. Instead, you get some "analysis" of French elections written by a 22-year-old student who clearly hasn't a clue about the French political scene and has probably never even set foot in France.

Just because Index is against the "right wing" doesn't mean they aren't pumping out total bullshit regarding what's happening in the EU—which is exactly what matters here, specifically what's going on with the sanctions.

hiddeneagle98 said:The Americans really stepped up and handled business here... the UK did their part too, I guess. Honestly, the European Union has been nothing but an embarrassment lately... except for the Poles and a few others who actually seem to have a backbone.

Is that what your local euroskeptic news outlets drilled into your head? Seriously, just look at which single country poured the most money into training Ukrainians between 2014 and 2022—before the war even started. Or better yet, check the reports on how much weaponry has been shipped to Ukraine from EU soil while leaders kept quiet about the specifics for security reasons or to maintain a strategic edge.

The EU is basically a punching bag for every euroskeptic bully out there because everything is happening "so far away." Since those stories don't reach every backwater corner of the states, people can just feed their own sense of self-importance and nationalism by attacking an opponent that isn't fighting back. Most people aren't even following the details, and the local media loves feeding them sensationalist headlines like "Putin mocked the EU," while the local useful idiots push nonsense like "sanctions hurt the EU more than Russia." It's all total nonsense.

Since this whole conflict kicked off in February 2022, the EU hasn't been anything but solid.

Look, you gotta realize the Russian economy is actually smaller than Italy's. It’s hardly an economic superpower, even with all those resources they claim to have. Just look at the car industry—because of the sanctions, they've produced 97% fewer vehicles this year compared to last year in Russia.

jadegull15, you're posting on a private forum here. There’s zero democracy in this place, and there never will be. You don't have any right to it.

Kyle Campbell4 said:The media outlets are reporting that Jade was involved in an affair with her own son's boyfriend, among other scandals.🙏 What an absolutely chaotic family dynamic.🙏🙏

p.s. Abramovich was poisoned.😲

Look, I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking but is too scared to type out. Putin's actually a decent guy. People love to act shocked, but if you look at the reality of things, he's doing what needs to be done. It’s all just noise anyway. ☕

So, I found out the other day that there’s this weird slang thing going on. You know how some people here call certain groups "watermelons"? Well, apparently, in the UK, some Asian communities use the term "chickens" to describe other Asians living there. It’s all about being brown on the outside but acting totally white on the inside—mostly targeting the ones who don't really grasp the local language or the culture of where their parents actually came from. Just another layer to the whole mess.

Look, it’s not even about the taxes.

Honestly, Get Out was a total directorial flex on my part—really nailed it for a debut.

Anyone watching Get Out? If you are, man, what a freaking masterpiece.

Kyle Campbell4 said:I would love to hear your recommendations on which facial creams you use; please feel free to share them.👍

🤣

Kyle Campbell4 said:Only occasionally, typically when I find myself under significant stress.

Look, you're the one living it, so you know how often it happens, but honestly? A lot of people let this stuff get out of hand and it absolutely wrecks your skin. Plus, there's the whole sleep deprivation thing, which is just straight-up garbage for your health and looking decent.

Kyle Campbell4 said:I have officially lost my mind. Every single day, without fail, I am haunted by these new ideas about how things ought to be. This morning, while standing in my bathroom, I caught sight of the first signs of aging. I stared at those gray hairs, the deepening lines around my eyes, and the dark circles under my lids from a lack of sleep. A few hours later, I found myself deep in a Google search for high-end men's facial moisturizers. It is truly pathetic; I, who once held such utter contempt for vanity and all its superficial nonsense, have reached a point where wrinkles actually bother me. Even the prospect of moving to Ukraine is starting to look more appealing, and that is saying something when the first Russian tank is already rolling into view.

You smoke?

Patrick Newman5 said:I know this thread has already gone deep on the whole cycling thing.
I’m talking about hitting those 70-100 kilometer rides out in the Midwest during the summer heat, so I'm thinking it might be time to pick up a new bike. I really want something road-focused—something that can actually pick up speed because, honestly, I just love to fly. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has leads for a max of $1333 (is that way too low?)

New or used? For $1333, if you want a real road bike (what people call a "special"), you're only looking at entry-level stuff if you buy new.