[Politics] Russia invades Ukraine (24/02/2022)

[raymondo]

Wow. Trump has just appointed his defence minister who will head up the Pentagon.

Pete Hegseth, a Fox news show host.

He does have some previous combat experience, but no political or DOD experience, shirley he ain't getting confirmed by the senate?

Blimey...now I'm very confused . Was this the only role he could appoint a Fox news rep to, to say thanks for your support?!
And how does this sit with a hawkish Waltz as national security advisor?

I think I'll go away for a couple of months allotment work and then check back on how everything's going .

 

[Triggaaar]

Two snippets for this morning:

1. Times Radio report that Trump has said 'if Russia doesn't compromise, he'll arm Ukraine to the teeth'. (Let's hope Russia doesn't compromise then).

Although on the face of it that sounds good, the problem is that Trump doesn't care how good or bad the deal is, he just wants a deal so he can claim personal victory. So although the deal won't be what Russia wants, it'll also be unacceptable for Ukraine, so Putin just needs to let Zelenskyy reject it, and Trump will blame them.

 

[raymondo]

Gets worse. Hegseth was forced out of the military (revenge,/axe to grind)

And this is the proposed head of the worlds most powerful military with zero executive or management experience.



What this means for who knows, but it's frightening.

I have no words...

 

[raymondo]

Although on the face of it that sounds good, the problem is that Trump didn't care how good it bad the deal is, he just wants a deal so he can claim personal victory. So although the deal won't be what Russia wants, it'll also be unacceptable for Ukraine, so Putin just needs to let Zelenskyy reject it, and Trump will blame them.

Quite possibly, yes

 

[Triggaaar]

Blimey...now I'm very confused . Was this the only role he could appoint a Fox news rep to, to say thanks for your support?!
And how does this sit with a hawkish Waltz as national security advisor?

I think I'll go away for a couple of months allotment work and then check back on how everything's going .

Don't look up

 

[Eric the meek]

Blimey...now I'm very confused . Was this the only role he could appoint a Fox news rep to, to say thanks for your support?!
And how does this sit with a hawkish Waltz as national security advisor?

I think I'll go away for a couple of months allotment work and then check back on how everything's going .

Get your turnips in quickly, build a bunker and stockpile tinfoil.

 

[peterward]

Get your turnips in quickly, build a bunker and stockpile tinfoil.

Might need some vinegar too. Pickled turnips for the winter!

 

[Eric the meek]

Gets worse. Hegseth was forced out of the military (revenge,/axe to grind)

And this is the proposed head of the worlds most powerful military with zero executive or management experience.



What this means for who knows, but it's frightening.

I think that's an automatic rifle tattooed on his arm.

 

[Eric the meek]

Although on the face of it that sounds good, the problem is that Trump doesn't care how good it bad the deal is, he just wants a deal so he can claim personal victory. So although the deal won't be what Russia wants, it'll also be unacceptable for Ukraine, so Putin just needs to let Zelenskyy reject it, and Trump will blame them.

Zelenskyy is a smart operator. All he needs to do is make sure he doesn't reject anything before he knows that Putin has already rejected it.

Or hack Russian state TV with more nudey pics of Melania. Job's a good'un

 

[sparkie]

As things happen, leak, I'm thinking it's less likely Putin has kompromat on Trump

I think Trump is less bothered about kompromat now.

He can spin anything as Deep Fake News and with his immunity from the law will be King Donald I rather than President Trump anyway.

 

[Binney on acid]

Exactly as many of us have said on here from the start;

This war will not end until the West gets real and acknowledges there will either be allied troops on the ground or we give means and consent to rain hellfire down upon the Kremlin.

Putin will not stop unless he is stopped.

We are wasting lives and time putting off the inevitable.

Britain will be at war with Russia. Let’s get on with it.

Britain has been at war with Russia for eons, apart from the Mikhail Gorbachev era, that Mr Genocide has been so desperate to erase all evidence of.

 

[raymondo]

Might need some vinegar too. Pickled turnips for the winter!

Mrs Raymondo is good at that stuff...some mackerel was pickled only last week, and a friend in the village makes the best sauerkraut by the bucket load

 

[raymondo]

I think Trump is less bothered about kompromat now.

He can spin anything as Deep Fake News and with his immunity from the law will be King Donald I rather than President Trump anyway.

Very true.

 

[raymondo]

Zelenskyy is a smart operator. All he needs to do is make sure he doesn't reject anything before he knows that Putin has already rejected it.

Or hack Russian state TV with more nudey pics of Melania. Job's a good'un

Or pictures of Putin having a bit of fun time with a donkey and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church...just to show the population they are regular guys.

 

[Brovion]

As things happen, leak, I'm thinking it's less likely Putin has kompromat on Trump

Even if he has, I really can't believe Trump is in the slightest bit worried. Off the top of my head he's a convicted felon, he's had two impeachment attempts, is a known sex pest and he incited an insurrection against the US government (which resulted in loss of life). That is an unbelievable rap sheet and all of it he's just shrugged off like it was dust on his coat. He doesn't care, and more importantly his supporters care even less. So what if Putin has pictures/recordings of him doing 'things' with prostitutes? He'll either embrace it and say "Yeah that's me, what a dog I am eh?" Or he'll deny it and say it's 'Fake news'. Either way his supporters will just go "Yeah, go Trump!"

 

[Pavilionaire]

But Crimea doesn't belong to the west, so it is not relevant if the west would be prepared to give it up in any peace deal. It belongs to Ukraine.

In addition, be careful about offering to give away other countries' territory, based on the ethnic populations. While you may be correct in the officially published percentage of Russians in Crimea, how do you know that the Russian propaganda machine hasn't been integrated into the demographics? Have you asked them if they want to be a part of Russia? Russia didn't ask them when it annexed Crimea. Since then, Russia has shipped out Crimean Tatars, and shipped in Siberians.

That's what Russia does. Ethnic cleansing.

And without the assistance of NATO countries Ukraine would lose this war, eventually. How realistic it is to regain all lost territory, obtain NATO and EU membership and rebuild your country without paying some sort of price remains to be seen.

It is not unusual for territorial borders to change at the conclusion of a war. It has to be considered, if even at Plan C or D level because Putin is running out of options, making use of a tactical nuclear weapon more likely. The FT carried a story in Feb 24 about leaked Russian military documents re war gaming China that show a relatively low threshold for engagement of tactical nuclear weapons.

Although that would be unthinkable to most, he has no regard for human life, and if he thought Russia was going to lose this war and he was going to be lynched then it is conceivable he would press the button in an act of defiance.

 

[Commander]

And without the assistance of NATO countries Ukraine would lose this war, eventually. How realistic it is to regain all lost territory, obtain NATO and EU membership and rebuild your country without paying some sort of price remains to be seen.

It is not unusual for territorial borders to change at the conclusion of a war. It has to be considered, if even at Plan C or D level because Putin is running out of options, making use of a tactical nuclear weapon more likely. The FT carried a story in Feb 24 about leaked Russian military documents re war gaming China that show a relatively low threshold for engagement of tactical nuclear weapons.

Although that would be unthinkable to most, he has no regard for human life, and if he thought Russia was going to lose this war and he was going to be lynched then it is conceivable he would press the button in an act of defiance.

It's not as simple as just pressing a button though, is it? He doesn't have the power to just push a button on his desk.

 

[Triggaaar]

It is not unusual for territorial borders to change at the conclusion of a war. It has to be considered, if even at Plan C or D level because Putin is running out of options, making use of a tactical nuclear weapon more likely.

A Tactical nuke wouldn't help Russia. It would kill a small number of soldiers and the rest of the works would have to get involved.

 

[US Seagull]

Even if he has, I really can't believe Trump is in the slightest bit worried. Off the top of my head he's a convicted felon, he's had two impeachment attempts, is a known sex pest and he incited an insurrection against the US government (which resulted in loss of life). That is an unbelievable rap sheet and all of it he's just shrugged off like it was dust on his coat. He doesn't care, and more importantly his supporters care even less. So what if Putin has pictures/recordings of him doing 'things' with prostitutes? He'll either embrace it and say "Yeah that's me, what a dog I am eh?" Or he'll deny it and say it's 'Fake news'. Either way his supporters will just go "Yeah, go Trump!"

Exactly this. Anything short of Trump literally murdering a prostitute isn't likely to move the needle. It won't be anything worse that anything else he's already done.

And I'm thinking murder would be, at best, 50-50 to actually move his supporters.

 

[Eric the meek]

It's not as simple as just pressing a button though, is it? He doesn't have the power to just push a button on his desk.

I saw a clip of him talking to Shoigu at a small desk, and I'm pretty sure there were at least two buttons within his reach.