#221 ·
Mexicans are playing both sides of the fence here. It’s become pretty obvious to them that Russia just doesn't have the kind of conventional military muscle required to sustain this type of warfare.
The start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (Part 1)
Started by Matthew Rodriguez9 · · 👁 56 views · 2K replies
Participants
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#222 ·
It looks like the EU is losing its way—or maybe they’re just messing with us... 😵
So, the EU is "implementing sanctions" ('personal ones') against Russian President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov.... 😁
According to the EU website https://www.euractiv.com/section/eur...ine-continues/
But honestly, this isn't even much of a joke compared to this statement from some "minister" out of Germany https://www.euractiv.com/section/pol...champs-elysee/
'German minister: Putin should not go shopping on Champs Elysées'
— basically saying we should "ban" Putin from "shopping" in Paris
The level of idiocy inherited by whoever took over for Ms. Merkel is truly unbelievable.... 😵
So, the EU is "implementing sanctions" ('personal ones') against Russian President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov.... 😁
According to the EU website https://www.euractiv.com/section/eur...ine-continues/
But honestly, this isn't even much of a joke compared to this statement from some "minister" out of Germany https://www.euractiv.com/section/pol...champs-elysee/
'German minister: Putin should not go shopping on Champs Elysées'
— basically saying we should "ban" Putin from "shopping" in Paris
The level of idiocy inherited by whoever took over for Ms. Merkel is truly unbelievable.... 😵
#223 ·
Jason Fox2 said:Wait, where did I even say that? I was just reacting to the idea that Ukraine might end up following the Chechnya route, honestly. I highly doubt Americans would prefer living under those conditions compared to how things are now.
Not everyone enjoys living in a backward, pro-Russian mess.
#224 ·
Paul Wright7 said:Then there's the dominance in chess. 😁
Bobby Fischer would totally disagree with this
#225 ·
Paul Wright7 said:Then there's the dominance in chess. 😁
A FEROCIOUS CRITIC OF THE RUSSIAN RULER
Garry Kasparov: 'Putin is a madman. Is this the start of World War III? You could certainly say so.'
#226 ·
William Anderson5 said:View on twitter
Italy and Germany were pushing back against kicking Russia out of SWIFT. Now, it looks like Italy is folding...
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if we see them cut off the Russians by tomorrow...
Interesting. Will Europe actually be able to keep paying for gas?
Russia is still sending it—actually, they never stopped. Even during the worst crises, they always stuck to their contracts.
But if Europe stops paying, then they aren't holding up their end of the deal, which means Russia can't keep shipping it, right?
Fuel $13?
#227 ·
Keith Williams3 said:Interesting. Will Europe actually be able to keep paying for gas?
Russia is still sending it—actually, they never stopped. Even during the worst crises, they always stuck to their contracts.
But if Europe stops paying, then they aren't holding up their end of the deal, which means Russia can't keep shipping it, right?
Fuel $13?
I don't know. I don't see anything wrong with refusing to pay the Russians...
#228 ·
Richard Wilson4 said:Romanians have a 50% higher GDP per capita than Belarusians, and even Bulgarians are ahead by 30%.
Well, if I'm reading the data on Trading Economics correctly, their average salaries have only just started to level out with the others in the last few years; historically, Belarusians actually fared better, though when it comes to unemployment rates, they're still miles ahead...
#229 ·
Sam Wright21 said:It's also true that the USA has little interest in seeing a powerhouse European Union emerge.
Russia doesn't want a strong EU, and frankly, neither does the EU.
And then there's NATO—what is its actual purpose, and will it even bother to act?
Seen this before. It's Putin's tactic, straight out of Hitler's playbook: 1. mass the troops, 2. gaslight everyone about your motives, 3. strike.
NATO mobilized 40,000 soldiers today to be on standby in countries bordering the conflict. This probably doesn't count the NATO troops already stationed at current bases (like those 8k in the Baltics) or the national militaries. The USA has also prepared a NATO strike force of about 5-8k to deploy in Europe.
According to the "official script," Ukraine gets armed while Russia pretends it's fighting an "invisible enemy" against its own roots. NATO will likely just sit around waiting for Kyiv to fall or for some even bigger disaster to hit. And then what? Another summit, another meeting, another bunch of empty statements that’ll probably just lead to everyone sitting at a negotiating table for another ten years... yeah, democracy.
#230 ·
Keith Williams3 said:Interesting. Will Europe actually be able to keep paying for gas?
Russia is still sending it—actually, they never stopped. Even during the worst crises, they always stuck to their contracts.
But if Europe stops paying, then they aren't holding up their end of the deal, which means Russia can't keep shipping it, right?
Fuel $13?
We'll make it through.
#231 ·
crimsonwolf26 said:Let's say, hypothetically, Kyiv falls and the Russians move in, but the Government stays intact—maybe they relocate to somewhere like Uzhhorod. It feels like...
It’s not like the military necessarily has to surrender or stop following the President's orders. As long as most of the territory remains in Ukrainian hands, the real question is how the Russians would actually treat the people living in Kyiv....
If you look at a physical map and overlay it with a political one—looking at election results in Ukraine, whether parliamentary or local, showing those pro-Ukrainian versus pro-Russian splits—it seems Putin's goal is to reach the Dniester and the Russian minority over in Moldova. As for the western part, that mountainous region where resistance might be tougher—the area he himself claimed Stalin likely added to Ukraine—he might just leave that to its own devices. The sense of Ukrainian nationalism is much stronger there. It isn't as pronounced in the rest of the country, or even in Kyiv itself. Unless the government organizes a formal resistance, the people in Kyiv might not fight back against the Russians on their own. Ukraine could end up split into a smaller western portion (even the Americans suggested to Zelenskyy that he retreat to Lviv) and a larger section under Russian control.
The Russian movement feels a bit like our version of Operation Storm when we took Knin from Canada; that's how the Russians pushed toward Kyiv from Belarus, even though everyone expected an attack on eastern Ukraine. Because of that, the fall of Kyiv would carry massive psychological weight for both sides. Given everything I've mentioned, Odessa could fall to the Russians tomorrow.
#232 ·
Jason Fox2 said:Wait, where did I even say that? I was just reacting to the idea that Ukraine might end up following the Chechnya route, honestly. I highly doubt Americans would prefer living under those conditions compared to how things are now.
Total misunderstanding of the situation.
The Chechens live how they want. It wasn't the Russians who forced Sharia on them; if anything, they were given actual autonomy, and the Chechens chose their own path. Sure, the Russians crushed the separatism, but they also granted them autonomy and stepped back from the region. Back in '89, Chechens made up maybe 60-70% of the population, but today they’re over 90% and live in an ethnically homogenous area.
Ukrainians will get that same choice eventually.
#233 ·
Betty Murphy3 said:Americans tend to focus on their own history—plus, they realize it’s better to see the Russians broken in Ukraine than in their own backyard. So, this isn't surprising; in my view, this is exactly how all European nations should act: funnel weapons into Ukraine via Western channels. Putin isn't going to stop. He wants to trigger a global conflict—if you can't see that, you're clearly missing the point.
At the end of the day, even if he claims he doesn't want a world war—though I suspect he does—he launched an aggression against a sovereign state. Honestly, I couldn't care less about the excuses used to justify it. There is no justification—not Zelenskyy, not the US, not NATO, not the EU, not gas supplies, nor a warm winter. Absolutely nothing works except his own madness.
Man, give me a break...
The excuses being thrown around here are basically toddler-level logic:
Auntie: Why did you pick on Zelenskyy, you naughty little Putin?
Putin: Because otherwise, he would've come for me first!
Auntie: But where'd you get that idea? He's practically half your age and size!
Putin: Oh, please, Biden has been egging him on against me for days, and he’s actually way meaner than I am. It all started when he bragged that his car was bigger than mine!
BTJ 🤦
#234 ·
Amy Diaz222 said:It looks like the EU is losing its way—or maybe they’re just messing with us... 😵
So, the EU is "implementing sanctions" ('personal ones') against Russian President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov.... 😁
According to the EU website https://www.euractiv.com/section/eur...ine-continues/
But honestly, this isn't even much of a joke compared to this statement from some "minister" out of Germany https://www.euractiv.com/section/pol...champs-elysee/
'German minister: Putin should not go shopping on Champs Elysées'
— basically saying we should "ban" Putin from "shopping" in Paris
The level of idiocy inherited by whoever took over for Ms. Merkel is truly unbelievable.... 😵
Imagine if Russians were actual residents of the EU—where would it end? 🤣
#235 ·
Is China shifting how they fund trade with Russia?
JPMorgan Chase offshore branches have stopped issuing US dollar letters of credit for buying physical Russian goods ready for export. Some clients can still access yuan-denominated credits, though those require high-level management approval, according to sources who asked to remain anonymous while discussing private business matters.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...an-commodities
JPMorgan Chase offshore branches have stopped issuing US dollar letters of credit for buying physical Russian goods ready for export. Some clients can still access yuan-denominated credits, though those require high-level management approval, according to sources who asked to remain anonymous while discussing private business matters.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...an-commodities
#236 ·
Christian Myers said:The Canadians have—not sure about the rest.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...ry-2022-02-22/
The Canadian military is already at the border...
It honestly looks like Viktor Orbán is operating on a completely different level than the rest of those "ministers" and "political leaders" in the EU... 👍
Orbán has managed to secure cheap gas from Russia for his country for the next 14 years—
—and he’s also cut a deal (maybe he even played them 😁) to have Rosatom build him a nuclear plant using Russian money. 👍
#237 ·
Benjamin Taylor6 said:It’s a bit premature to be shipping those transport units toward Moscow right now.
Just some footage clipped from a video three years back.
#238 ·
Christian Torres3 said:Bobby Fischer would totally disagree with this
👍
He completely dominated them when he showed up, but that was just a short-term anomaly... yeah... Kasparov.
#239 ·
William Anderson5 said:View on twitter
Italy and Germany were pushing back against kicking Russia out of SWIFT. Now, it looks like Italy is folding...
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if we see them cut off the Russians by tomorrow...
That won't happen tomorrow. It’s all about escalation. Sanctions have to be structured so there's always room to tighten the screws; SWIFT is just a massive lever to hold in reserve. You always have to leave them wondering how much more they can lose if they don't change their tune. That said, it feels like we've passed the point where rational logic applies. He doesn't care. He won't blink just because he sees a military advantage. Perhaps the only thing that might deter Putin is actual defeat or massive losses in Ukraine. And achieving that requires a decisive response on the ground—and time.
#240 ·
William Anderson5 said:View on twitter
Italy and Germany were pushing back against kicking Russia out of SWIFT. Now, it looks like Italy is folding...
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if we see them cut off the Russians by tomorrow...
I think Cyprus was on board too, maybe even Denmark, but look—if Germany gives the green light, nobody's really going to care what Cyprus thinks.
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