Kismet wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 5:21 pm
old salt wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 4:18 pm
a fan wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 2:43 pm
You're still missing the big picture, OS. If Putin want's this headache?
Go right ahead.
How'd Afghanistan work out for both the US and the Soviets, OS?
Ukraine does NOTHING to move the ball forward for Putin.
old salt wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 1:58 pm
Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said in a recent interview that despite the roughly 127,000 Russian forces encircling the nation, Moscow would need a million troops to occupy and hold a country as big as Ukraine.
Hodges said he was skeptical of the Russian military’s ability to sustain operations in a full-blown war against Ukraine, with the demands of fuel and ammunition, and a possible insurgent pushback by large numbers of Ukrainians.
Best of luck, Putin. You have my blessing if you're this stupid.
And Ukraine's already ruined economy? What the F does Putin think will happen if he starts throwing bombs around?
....so what are you arguing about ? Putin is going to win. It's just a matter of how much of Ukraine he seizes &/or how much he can extract in concessions from NATO/EU/US.
I'd happily trade corrupt, faux democratic Ukraine for a viable Finland-ized neutral DMZ buffer between EU/NATO & Russia restored to it's historic borders, IF it allows us to draw down our NATO commitment, maintain our critical NATO bases & convinces our NATO allies to join us in containing China.
Pretty rich.
Finland wants to join NATO now (along with Sweden) so they're not up for being a DMZ.
Pretty amazing that you seem to hate the Europeans more than the Russians. You sound like Tuckeryo Rose over at Faux News.
In addition, why should Putin stop at Ukraine in terms of a land grab in Eastern Europe?
Sure, draw down the NATO commitment and see what happens. Putin is already in bed with China - he's not about to join the West in an alliance against the Chinese at this point.
Tuckeryo (sic) Rose ? OK Olbermann wannabe...
Are you predicting that Finland & Sweden will ask to join NATO or that NATO will now accept 2 more members next door to Russia, in the contested Baltic region ?
Are you in favor of the US fighting to defend Ukraine, or sending more US forces to NATO's E front to deter Russia when our NATO allies won't join us, or even let us transit their airspace ?
Ukraine is not a NATO member
or a formal US ally. We're already doing more for them than the rest of NATO combined.
Our EU allies are trying to find a way to resolve this diplomatically. Good for them. It's their neighborhood, they have the leverage.
We just put 8500 troops in the US on alert & flew 6 of our most potent strike fighters from NC to Estonia. They're not there to do air policing.
If we get sucked into a war with Russia, can we still rely on Germany to allow us to operate from our bases there, use their ports & RR's, or transit their territory or airspace ? They won't even allow Estonia to give Ukraine old Soviet designed E German assembled artillery, which the greedy Germans sold rather than gave to their new NATO ally.
I support the EUropeans who are willing to help defend themselves against Russia, like the ones I served with. Finland & Sweden have done a good job of that. They are already a valuable neutral armed buffer, using our weapons or compatible ones of their own design. They already operate effectively alongside us, without NATO membership. Thanks to their own resolve & resources, they have not needed NATO to protect them & have not been obligated to defend their free-riding neighbors. They've successfully defended themselves since WW II. If Germany & the other former Warsaw Pact NATO members (except Poland recently) invested in their own defense & diplomacy as effectively as Finland & Sweden have, NATO would still be as strong & effective as the NATO which won the Cold War.
Where did I say anything about Putin joining the West in an alliance against China ?
I've been getting & posting my news from DW, BBC & France24, then you call me Tucker 1 hr after Nicole Wallace did an unhinged hit piece on Carlson. Nice job with
your talking points.
Russians are Europeans. We are not. I don't hate either, unless they drag us into another of their stupid wars.