Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

gentlemoose57 said:Fantastic—now, instead of the Ukrainians just halting right at the border with Russia once they liberate territory, I really think they should push even further.

What is the point of pushing past the border? Why should Ukrainians bother "liberating" Russians from Putin’s tyranny when those same Russians are busy fleeing their own country to avoid mobilization? Let them deal with Putin; if he serves them well, fine. He is quite possibly the greatest punishment they could face—simply because they once held a somewhat benevolent attitude toward their elections. (We are currently enduring our own version of that punishment here in the States).
Putin will eventually face his reckoning; everyone meets their judgment sooner or later.

John Ramos45 said:Ukraine has officially submitted its application to join NATO.

Ishitren move. Zelenskyy is a great animator, but a poor politician. Personally, I thought they should have just stayed the course since things were moving in the right direction.
I’m worried about whether they'll actually get the green light from the rest of the NATO alliance. We were all unified in supporting Ukraine, but this request might just create unnecessary friction within the alliance.

Midzet claims we’re going to end up hungry, stinking, and broke.
Until yesterday, he wouldn't even listen to the idea of negotiations, but apparently, his tune has changed today:
"I am calling on Ukraine to enter negotiations, but I also emphasize that the citizens of Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson made their 'choice,' and that is no longer up for discussion," stated the Russian leader.

I suspect he'll find himself backed into a corner very soon....

He’s bringing up South Korea again—claiming they're under occupation. 😁 I wonder why he doesn't bother asking the South Koreans themselves which version of Korea they actually want? You know, the one fashioned by the USSR and China, or the one built by the Americans.

Gregory Ramos3 said:The bummer is, that would probably mean giving up those territories, since they can't really get into NATO until they have full control over everything within their internationally recognized borders.

But hey, we're living in such a wild era where precedents just keep getting tossed out the window, so who actually knows what might happen ☕

True.

It would be quite something if NATO made an exception and fast-tracked Ukraine's membership. Then they could simply declare that if Russia doesn't back off within a few days, Article 5 is triggered.

Let's see how Russia reacts to that.

Elizabeth Wells2 said:True.

It would be quite something if NATO made an exception and fast-tracked Ukraine's membership. Then they could simply declare that if Russia doesn't back off within a few days, Article 5 is triggered.

Let's see how Russia reacts to that.

There's zero chance they get in with Canada and Turkey sitting right there.
Those two haven't even greenlit Finland and Sweden yet, let alone bringing Ukraine into the fold.

loneskipper3 said:He’s bringing up South Korea again—claiming they're under occupation. 😁 I wonder why he doesn't bother asking the South Koreans themselves which version of Korea they actually want? You know, the one fashioned by the USSR and China, or the one built by the Americans.

If anyone had any lingering doubts about whether The Kremlin has simply polished up those old-school USSR communists in a total Brezhnev style...

Sandra Harris2 said:

I think it’s time for me to start looking for a new job.
All that nonsense fits perfectly with his carefully branded role as the guardian of "traditional" values.
Dugin is thriving.

A twilight of the mind.

Besides... why does he even care about the West? Is he afraid that despite all that supposed "corruption and decadence," it's still more attractive than his regime?
I think it’s time for me to start looking for a new job.
All that nonsense fits perfectly with his carefully branded role as the guardian of "traditional" values.
Dugin is thriving.

A twilight of the mind.

Besides... why does he even care about the West? Is he afraid that despite all that supposed "corruption and decadence," it's still more attractive than his regime?
After this speech from Putin, I have zero doubts left. They blew up that pipeline because it fit the narrative of his speech beautifully.

The man is aiming straight for European conservatives and, most lethally, American Trump supporters. Honestly, I’m starting to believe Trump is a Russian asset. The Russians really played them—planting seeds of division within the US like nothing we've seen since the Civil War.
And now, Putin presents himself as the savior. Meanwhile, on the other side, Americans are led by a senile old man and a Vice President who can't even tell North Korea from South Korea.

President Biden on Russia's attempts to annex Ukrainian territory: "Make no mistake: those actions have zero legitimacy."

"In response to Russia's false claims regarding annexation, the United States, alongside our allies and partners, is announcing new sanctions today."

View on twitter

Terry Green3 said:Ishitren move. Zelenskyy is a great animator, but a poor politician. Personally, I thought they should have just stayed the course since things were moving in the right direction.
I’m worried about whether they'll actually get the green light from the rest of the NATO alliance. We were all unified in supporting Ukraine, but this request might just create unnecessary friction within the alliance.

Do you honestly believe this was some spontaneous, independent decision made in a vacuum? Isn't it far more likely they received a quiet signal from NATO leadership beforehand to pull this exact lever?

wearyheron5 said:Just when you think you've heard every possible nonsense under the sun, here comes someone spinning a psychotic web involving war, hygiene, Satanism, and gender reassignment surgery.

That's a diagnosis right there. Harsh.

The rhetoric is merely a symptom of massive pressure on the ground. The situation for Russia grows more dire by the hour. It seems Putin has finally realized the absolute mess he’s made of his country, and these delusions are just desperate attempts to justify his catastrophic miscalculations to the public. He knows he’s responsible, so now he resorts to sheer nonsense. It’s like a child caught in a small lie—once the parents push back with a few questions, the kid starts doubling down, spinning increasingly elaborate fabrications like a snowball gaining momentum down a hill. The difference is, this particular fool holds the levers of power and decides who lives and who dies.

Terry Green3 said:Ishitren move. Zelenskyy is a great animator, but a poor politician. Personally, I thought they should have just stayed the course since things were moving in the right direction.
I’m worried about whether they'll actually get the green light from the rest of the NATO alliance. We were all unified in supporting Ukraine, but this request might just create unnecessary friction within the alliance.

A brilliant, coordinated strategic play. A total slap to Putin during his attempt at an Anschluss.

Zelenskyy is a great motivator but a pretty lousy politician. Personally, I think they should have kept going this way since it was actually working.

And they will.

I'm worried they won't get enough support from the various NATO allies to join.

It doesn't matter if they aren't in NATO right away. Just having it on the table is enough. It’s just another nail in Putin's coffin.

We were all united for Ukraine, but now this request might cause rifts within the alliance.

There won't be any rifts. If anything, it'll just tighten the alliance against that little brat.

gentlestag15 said:There's zero chance they get in with Canada and Turkey sitting right there.
Those two haven't even greenlit Finland and Sweden yet, let alone bringing Ukraine into the fold.

Of course there isn't a chance! Even Zelenskyy knows that's a non-starter.
What they actually ought to be doing is fast-tracking their entry into the European Union through an expedited process.
If the Hun start throwing fits about it, then we should just use that exact same lightning-fast process to kick them out!

Sure, I realize we can't fix everything overnight, but wouldn't that sound great?

lp

Elizabeth Wells2 said:True.

It would be quite something if NATO made an exception and fast-tracked Ukraine's membership. Then they could simply declare that if Russia doesn't back off within a few days, Article 5 is triggered.

Let's see how Russia reacts to that.

Right? That would be classic Russian style—basically saying, "Here, have some chaos for free."

It feels like a lost war—likely just a pretext for establishing a dictatorship here at home.

Gregory Ramos3 said:The bummer is, that would probably mean giving up those territories, since they can't really get into NATO until they have full control over everything within their internationally recognized borders.

But hey, we're living in such a wild era where precedents just keep getting tossed out the window, so who actually knows what might happen ☕

It feels more like a performance for the public—and a message to the White House. Ukraine isn't joining NATO tomorrow.

Plus, there's the NATO address tonight.

gentlestag15 said:There's zero chance they get in with Canada and Turkey sitting right there.
Those two haven't even greenlit Finland and Sweden yet, let alone bringing Ukraine into the fold.

I suppose Biden will pull the necessary strings if he really has to.

It shouldn't be too hard to lean on the Canadians; after all, the USA isn't some indecisive entity like the EU is. As for the Turks, they probably realize they might be one of the next targets for Russia.
Russia has always had its eyes on Constantinople and access to warm waters. ☕

Zelenskyy is playing this perfectly—every single time Russia tries to escalate, it just triggers a fresh Ukrainian countermove. It’s almost funny watching them try to step up, only to find themselves digging their own graves instead...

gentlestag15 said:There's zero chance they get in with Canada and Turkey sitting right there.
Those two haven't even greenlit Finland and Sweden yet, let alone bringing Ukraine into the fold.

I'm aware. It was purely hypothetical; I was simply curious about how Russia might react to such a move by NATO.

😁

Terry Green3 said:Ishitren move. Zelenskyy is a great animator, but a poor politician. Personally, I thought they should have just stayed the course since things were moving in the right direction.
I’m worried about whether they'll actually get the green light from the rest of the NATO alliance. We were all unified in supporting Ukraine, but this request might just create unnecessary friction within the alliance.

I suspect Zelenskyy isn't acting as a lone wolf here. If Ukraine joins NATO, it implies the USA is planning to push Russia out of the territory much like how Saddam Hussein was forced out of Kuwait during Desert Storm. In a head-to-head conventional conflict, the Russians simply don't stand a chance against the modern machinery of NATO.