I get the racial bias in the reporting, but I think the distinction the reporters failed in explaining is Ukraine isn't some 3rd world country dominated by military dictators, fanatical mullahs and suicide bombers. Ukraine is a modern democratic European country and to European reporters, it looks strange to see one European country invading another. Bottom line, if Ukrainians weren't white, they'd get the same media attention as the Syrians and Iraqis.
I can’t put in words how upsetting the situation is for us Europeans. The first time since WW2 one country is invading another, one with nuclear weapons for that matter. Ukraine is just 2 hours flight from here. How would you guys feel if Russia is bombing 2 hours away from you. All treaties and conventions after WW2 are being disregarded. NATO is patrolling the borders of NATO territories. The moment a shot is fired across the border into NATO territory this is your business too, as Americans, so you better be praying. And yes, I heard about foreign students (Indians and Africans) being treated badly by Polish border patrol. Of course that is abhorrent and has been widely criticised by other European countries.
Unless Putin is insane, I think he's bluffing about using nukes. I think The U.S. should roll into Ukraine and provide more direct military support, meaning soldiers on the ground. This is a fight the Russian soldiers don't want and if they were under a more heavy military assault, I think most of them would surrender. I hate to say this, but the only way to really end this war is for Putin to be assassinated, or for U.S./NATO forces to get involved in the war. I know how you feel. I live right outside Washington, D.C. and if nukes start flying, we are ground zero. THere's something cognitively wrong with Putin for him to believe he could simply invade Ukraine without any justification or consequence.
Germany and much of Europe is too dependent on Russian oil and gas. We are sanctioning with one hand and buying his stuff with the other. They say Putin is isolating himself from almost everyone these days. Only few people have access to him. I want to believe he is still a rational actor. Someone asked him after the Crimea annexation what he thought how it went. He said he was surprised how smoothly it went. That was the problem. If we had confronted him seriously back then he’d have thought twice this time.
It looks like the only way we're going to defeat Putin is direct war with him in Ukraine. The problem is, how do you fight someone willing to retaliate using nukes?? Hopefully one of his generals assassinates him. It's tragic that the rest of the world is going to stand by and watch Putin kill millions of Ukrainians in order to take over Ukraine.
My worry a week ago was that Ukraine was going to get absolutely crushed, and by the time we could even start to respond / impose sanctions / etc. that it would be over and there was nothing we could do about it. But now that Ukraine has really stuck up for itself and Russia looks foolish, the worry has shifted to the opposite end; what will Putin do if he feels humiliated, backed into a corner, etc? A dictator with a grudge and something to prove -- and also nukes -- is scary to me. I suppose we're still a long way off from that eventuality, though. For what it's worth, my understanding is that this sort of posturing was really common during the Cold War. Veiled threats of nukes, flying every so slightly into enemy airspace in random places just to test nerves, etc. That doesn't mean it's a good thing, but it does mean we've been here before. Putin could be a different animal, of course.
That’s why NATO says no troops in Ukraine. Only weapons and equipment. We have to cut off the oil and dry up his war chest. Continue to go after the oligarchs and hope his fortress will start to crumble from within. Meanwhile by all means keep diplomatic channels open so he doesn’t feel there’s no other way out.
You are forgetting about the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus. And Turkey is a NATO member. They bombed Cypriot towns and massacared civilians and expulses the people. They still occupy part of the country with 30,000 troops. These Cypriot refugees never returned to their homes. Google Varosha ghost town. But do we apply sanctions on Turkey ??? Of course not. Turkey is a "friend" of America.
Of course not. Just making the point that we dont see all invasions as bad. Why do we equally protest and apply sanctions against Turkey? Turkey also claims several Greek islands as part of Turkeys "Blue Homeland"
All invasions are human catastrophes but not all invasions have the same potential to blow up into something much bigger. There are different geopolitical dimensions.
It's Turkey who gave Ukraine the drones to fight Russia. Ukraine has a long history of nationalistic pride. They were independent from the Tzars in 1918 only to be took over by the Soviets in 1922.
True. And to Azerbijan. But Turkey did not allow America to use its airbases when they needed them to fight in Iraq or Syria.
He's still active on YouTube & social media. His current YouTube channel is called "Ice Girls" & his Twitter handle is @Mrpawgs
The bases in Turkey are no longer needed since Poland, the Baltic nations, and Bulgaria are used for defensive purposes.
That's what the US government does all around the world. It destroys the countries that are a "thread" to her. They steal all the resources from those countries. And that's what they want to do with Russia now, China is obviously next. Americans and most of the world don't see this, unfortunately (because of the US bluffing, I suppose) Russia is forced to act this way now. The war with Ukraine was inevitable. It was the US that initiated it.
Exactly how did the U.S. force Russia to invade Ukraine?? Remember, Putin is telling his own people he invaded Ukraine to fight Nazis. Don't be an apologist for this monster. Of course the USA's foreign policy isn't perfect, but Putin is a different animal. You're off your nut if you think the U.S. really wants to take over Russia.
