All true! And an East-West polarisation within the EU nations that will hamper sanctions agreement and implementation.
China has apparently already said that it “understands” Russia’s justified security concerns…Easier to move forward with China watching your back…
No doubt China told Putin they would be discretely supportive - but to please wait until the Winter Olympics had ended.
Exactly. Oil purchases and help with minimizing any problems that getting kicked out of the SWIFT brings with it probably made the decision easier.
Can’t really see Putin going for more, beyond Ukrainian borders, as that would truly activate a NATO military response.
Some think Kaliningrad is a target but I can’t see Putin going after that without invading Lithuania. Invading Poland would be crazy.
Agreed.
But he could divide NATO so badly on Ukraine that the Baltic states lose faith in NATO or they feel forced to stand alone or their governments lose credibility and pro-Russian leaders gain prestige. After that Poland. After that…
Dreading the Chinese declaration of support to be honest.
Just posted this over in the Political Opinion thread.
Released 3 weeks before the invasion but certainly look very cozy don’t they. I assume China knew of Putin’s intentions back then.
Sergey Lavrov says that
3 percent of Ukrainians are nazis
How stupid is he to make this ridiculous statement and have this delusion? He must be ashamed of himself.
I condemn completely what Putin has done . That been said everyone knew he didn’t want NATO on his front door so to speak .
It was always going to be a possibility when NATO expansion was threatened to arrive so close to Russia
Yes. NATO has been arrogant and clumsy, and Ukraine is paying the price for being so stupidly led.
Stop blaming them. NATO is a purely defensive alliance, designed to prevent another world war, it has nothing to do with Ukraine,Ukraine are an innocent democratic sovereign nation invaded by an aggressor without any excuse. The baltic members joined the alliance because they felt threatened by Russia. And Russia knows it even has nothing to do with NATO, it intended to invade its neighbour all along for its delusional empire building.
Yes, NATO is purely a defensive treaty organisation. I don’t believe NATO would ever be the aggressor v’s Russia.
But the must have seen that for Putin to maintain respect and his position he would have to respond to eastwards expansion of NATO membership. They put Putin in a corner from where he has doubtless convinced his rich and powerful supporters and supporting bodies within Russia that they need to keep together and do something decisive. This of course is not to protect Russia from invasion, its to protect themselves from being deposed. NATO has pushed Putin’s internal allies to support him.
I have been glued to the news for the past three days. I cannot comprehend the suffering of the Ukrainian citzens right now, especially the civilians.
Me too. The news is slowing down my progress of doing my game programming work… I have been struggling to sleep as well. And OP, please change the title to “Russia Invades Ukraine”, because it is an invasion.
What do we think is the end game for Putin?
If he presses ahead and conquers the whole of Ukraine, he will end up with NATO tanks along his own border. Which is what he must have told his generals, cronies and party leaders he wanted to avoid. Sure, the border will be several hundred miles further west but with a troublesome Ukrainian population of 40 million behind it, will gaining Ukraine’s farm-land be worth the long-term effort?
Isn’t it more likely he takes Kiev and then calls a halt? So Ukraine becomes East Ukraine and West Ukraine, two buffer states between Russia and NATO. Seems familiar - like the old West Germany and East Germany status of past times. On that point, will he accede to Kiev remaining part of West Ukraine, as berlin was to West Germany? Perhaps a divided city, with a new Checkpoint Charlie and a new Kiev Wall?
Following a war on social media is so strange. But I’m feeling the same way.
In other news
EU membership talks right now seems like poking the bear, but it might be the time when EU members finally agree. The proposal was introduced by the Republic of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Poland, the Slovak Republic, and the Republic of Slovenia.
Just had a look at the USD/RUB chart. I have never seen a forex price chart that looks like that. That’s quite a unique achievement for Putin.
Hey lad 
Calm down now - “This too shall pass !” - have you noticed yet how there is ALWAYS another bright and shiny “Threat to humanity” presented by the hierarchy and the media to panic the Plebs into believing that “those in charge know best” ?
Ukraine was always part of the old Russian Empire and under Stalin 5,000,000 or more peasants were starved to death by Socialism in a very few years.
I have been watching the demise of the Western Civilisation from within through the mechanisms of Stupidity, “Equity” and Woke Culture which combined with our hysteria about “Poisonous Plant food” was always destined to show those from other places (Russia, China, Islaam) that we were ripe for invasion in one way or another and arguably China nad Islam have already commenced their takeovers. Why should we feel worried about Russia wanting a piece of the action ? - There’s nothing we can do about it and personally I’m not sure I’d rather be ruled by stupid woke weakling Control freaks of limited intellect, than by a guy who is clearly highly intelligent even if he too is something of a Control freak.
Furthermore we actually have no idea as to what is actually happening out there. The behaviour of the “Legacy Media” in it’s protection of Trudeau from worldwide denunciation over the reasonable protests in Canada, shows that we have no real way of knwing what is the truth and what is just “Good for us” to “know” !
I don’t know what you’re rambling about but you seem to be insensitive to the horrendous situation happening before us.
Mate I was about 8 when our teachers were teaching us to hide under the desks - during the Cuba Missile crisis
And every day since there has been some existential crisis or another - you’ll understand eventually - or not