US and NATO escalation of conflict with Russia is leading to war

[etienne_marais]

Trump praises Putin's move in Ukraine as 'genius'​

Former President Donald Trump praised Putin's aggressive moves against Ukraine as "genius" and "very savvy" in a podcast interview Tuesday.

"I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, 'This is genius.' Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful," Trump told conservative podcaster Buck Sexton.

"I said, 'How smart is that?' And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s strongest peace force... We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re gonna keep peace all right," Trump continued. "Here’s a guy who’s very savvy... I know him very well. Very, very well."

Trump went on to criticize Biden's handling of the crisis and claim Russia's invasion of Ukraine would not have happened while he was in office. He did not offer any explanation or evidence for the claim, nor did he explain what he would do differently now.

"You gotta say that’s pretty savvy. And you know what the response was from Biden? There was no response. They didn’t have one for that. No, it’s very sad. Very sad," Trump added. "I knew Putin very well. I got along with him great. He liked me. I liked him. I mean, you know, he’s a tough cookie, got a lot of the great charm and a lot of pride. But the way he — and he loves his country, you know? He loves his country."

Russia-Ukraine crisis live updates: Biden unveils sanctions as Putin steps up aggressions

The Russian president ordered troops into Ukraine after he formally recognized two Moscow-backed breakaway regions in the eastern part of the country.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[etienne_marais]

2 min ago

Ukraine's president: Reservists will be called up but there won't be a general mobilization of armed forces​

From CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine announced Tuesday that reservists would be called up for military training but said there would be no general mobilization of the armed forces, following Russia's recognition of areas in eastern Ukraine held by separatists as independent states.

In a national address, Zelensky said he was still pursuing diplomacy as a way out of the crisis, and welcomed the offer by Turkey to broker talks between Ukraine and Russia. He also called for a summit of all permanent members of the UN Security Council along with Germany and Turkey.

Zelensky also referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement that the Minsk Agreements designed to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine no longer applied, saying that Ukraine remained committed to seeking its sovereignty and integrity.

Zelensky welcomed the sanctions announced by western governments against Russia and referenced German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's decision to suspend certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which would bring Russian liquid natural gas to Germany and other European markets.

Zelensky also announced what he called a program of economic patriotism that would include reducing sales tax on gasoline and incentives for investment. He acknowledged that the crisis had caused economic contraction and said the government's goal was to ensure the country's economic independence, especially in the energy sector. The president said he would meet 150 major Ukrainian businesses on Wednesday to persuade them to stay in Ukraine.

He ended his address by saying, "We desire peace and calm but if we are quiet today then tomorrow we will disappear."

 

[TEXTILE GUY]

Another aspect on this is China....

China's Support for Russian Aggression Toward Ukraine Confirms the West's Worst Fears​

What is clear is that China, as the ultimate geopolitical pragmatist, doesn’t really care what happens to Ukraine’s 44 million people as long as its own interests are protected. A quick assault and pro-Kremlin regime installed in Kyiv isn’t, ultimately, a bad outcome for Beijing. “But were Ukraine to descend into chaos, Chinese interests are not being looked after,” says Tsang. (China is the biggest trading partner of Ukraine, which sells Beijing strategically important military hardware including parts for advanced weapons systems.)

So, what does Xi get out of chaos? A distracted U.S. may be a net positive given the tenor and trajectory of recent Sino-U.S. relations. “If there is a major war in Europe … it still will steal a lot of oxygen in any war room,” says Alexander Gabuev, chair of the Russia in the Asia-Pacific Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center. “And that means that there will be diversion from the China challenge.”

https://time.com/6150027/china-russia-ukraine-xi-jinping-putin/

 

[etienne_marais]

^^ At the present situation this seems like an odd response. (post #119)

 

[Tun@]

To me these sanctions seem a bit like musical chairs with Germany finding itself no seat giving up NS2 ?.
All the others Russia will likely just get what it needs via China no?, so mostly its just Europe hurting Europe.
US imports Russian oil - i didn't hear no mention of that getting turned off.

 

[TEXTILE GUY]

^^ At the present situation this seems like an odd response. (post #119)

To me, it sounds like the Ukraine is saying two things
1. We would prefer a peaceful resolution
2. If we cant resolve this peacefully, we are preparing troops

A lot of posturing and threatening going on at the moment ....... and I would guess a lot of what / if scenarios being discussed behind the scenes.

 

[TEXTILE GUY]

To me these sanctions seem a bit like musical chairs with Germany finding itself no seat giving up NS2 ?.
All the others Russia will likely just get what it needs via China no?, so mostly its just Europe hurting Europe.
US imports Russian oil - i didn't hear no mention of that getting turned off.

Well, China is somewhat in bed with Ukraine ..... so .... does China keep in with Russia or its tech partner?

In addition, since 1991, Ukraine has built quite strong trade relations with China in, as well as cooperation in the military-technical domain and in the space industry.

China has been Ukraine’s major trading partner for several years now, with a trade turnover of USD 15.4 billion in 2020, of which Ukrainian exports account for USD 7.1 billion. Trade with China amounted to 10.9% of GDP in 2020 and 15.1% of the total foreign trade turnover of Ukraine. 20 years ago, these stood at 1.9% and 2.3%, respectively.

In the defense industry, some of the most famous bilateral projects include the Ukrainian aircraft-carrier Varyag purchased by China in 1998, which was later upgraded and introduced into the PLA Navy under the name Liaoning; the acquisition of UGT 25000 gas turbine engines along with full technical documentation, which became the basis for QC 280 gas turbines, which were delivered to the new Type 055 destroyers; amphibious Bison air-cushioned landing crafts, specifically built for China, which it requires for any landing operation on the islands in the East and South China Sea.

https://www.institutmontaigne.org/e...surviving-deteriorating-strategic-environment

 

[Tun@]

Well, China is somewhat in bed with Ukraine ..... so .... does China keep in with Russia or its tech partner?


https://www.institutmontaigne.org/e...surviving-deteriorating-strategic-environment

China could do both no doubt but I would expect China is likely as keen as Russia to having NATO any closer.

 

[RonSwanson]

View attachment 1251942

It would be interesting if Global Firepower had a view on South Africa on 16 December 1838.

 

[MagNorthDigital]

SA working on easing tension between Ukraine and Russia, says Naledi Pandor​

Ms Pandor you can take the knee pads off, that might have worked locally, but the Russians know better.

 

[surface]

moenie worry nie. @Cosmik Debris & his son deployed by NATO - Putin's forces have no chance.

 

[IndigoIdentity]

Ms Pandor you can take the knee pads off, that might have worked locally, but the Russians know better.

Tell that to the long line of Datsun bakkies lined up at the Republic of Cape Town border when the Russian sub pops out to deploy some missiles onto their heads.

 

[Speedster]

moenie worry nie. @Cosmik Debris & his son deployed by NATO - Putin's forces have no chance.

What happened to this guy? Haven't seen him around in ages

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

Weird how you disregard the election that happened in 2019? So even if you accept the coup nonsense, that guy was voted out.. Or do you dispute the 2019 election too?

you think any election after a coup is free and fair?

weird indeed

 

[surface]

What happened to this guy? Haven't seen him around in ages

Tshwane on a rampage - cutting utilities to Sheraton, SANDF, and SAPS

Cosmic Debris is alive and well lol:

mybroadband.co.za

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

Don't confuse the Kiev Rus with Russia. What is Russia today was originally the Grand Duchy of Moscow. The state was renamed Russia when Ivan the terrible was crown Tsar.

which stems from the Kievan Rus

no confusion, the Rus are the forefathers of modern Russia, just like Novgorod (still in Russia) came before Kiev

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

Those structures you claim as Russian where built under the rulership of the Czars, you know, the rulers your beloved country executed in 1917?

and? that doesn't make the structures any less Russian, or are you here claiming the Russian Empire wasn't Russian?

 

[Cray]

you think any election after a coup is free and fair?

Some are some aren't... Why do you think that the Ukrainian one, one that was monitored by international observers, was not free and fair?

 

[Cray]

and? that doesn't make the structures any less Russian, or are you here claiming the Russian Empire wasn't Russian?

All good, it's not many people that will own all of a country's history both good and bad.

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

What does one have to do with the other?

when you overthrow a government by force and install a puppet and proceed to control all laws and propaganda for the next x years the election that follows is not free or fair, simple as that

unless, you know, it gets widely published and shown that there was in fact a western instigated coup, in which case people would be more likely to not vote for the next western friendly puppet

you might as well say Iraq's democracy is real, Sadam was removed ages ago ... and yet ...