What is not mentioned is NATO soyboys including, Macron will be begging Vladimir Putin if they were stupid enough to sanction him and other Russian officials. All Vladimir Putin has to do is raise the prices of natural gas, of which Russia supplies Europe with 35% of its needs. This is why Germany is very quiet and not going along with the US. Say, he tells them, effective immediately, the natural gas price you will pay Russia is 200% more. Guess what happens? Europe's economy destroyed and in shambles. If they refuse, there will be huge shortages and the US cannot supply all their natural gas needs aside from being more expensive shipping it to Europe? Good luck with that soyboys. And if they intervene and send NATO forces in, all gloves will be off? Putin would not like anything better than give NATO a lot of body bags to worry about and he knows it will divide the NATO alliance and lessen the appetite for armed conflict among NATO member states. As for the US, Putin will just go along with OPEC to keep oil prices up, the higher the better. He knows the US economy will suffer greatly, with high oil prices. Extreme liberal Democrats are all dumb idiots thinking Vladimir Putin will tolerate them sanctioning him without going after the US to give us pain in turn?
Well it’s common knowledge Ukraine isn’t becoming a NATO member anytime soon so if Putin is worried about that he needs better intelligence. What I will say is you do make a good point that the Russians do see Russian speaking populations scattered throughout their former bloc states as an opportunity to expand Russia itself. As with Ukraine, gobbling up the land they occupy and making them Russians actually weakens Russian sympathetic populations in those countries. That undermines their goal of having influence in those countries. But, if they see the game as lost then that is a last ditch move they can throw out there. Then of course they have to maintain those areas which is an administrative headache and almost will always start to look like east west Germany scenario with the Russian side poor/poorer.
Yup. The Germans are worried about keeping their arses warm in the winter. So they have not only been quiet- but unlike many other countries- they have refused to send the Ukraine any weaponry, supplies, or "advisors." If you think about it, Germany is actually in a tough spot if Putin decided to take all of the Ukraine- not saying he will- just saying if he did. Because if you think it through, the Europeans would lose the input from two pipelines- not just one. If Putin took all of the Ukraine, he would then control not only NordStream but also the existing old pipeline that runs straight through the Ukraine. Not good. Yeh, coal fired plants look pretty good in Germany if it is winter and its all you got. If some penquin in Antartica start bitching about it getting too warm, I can see them overlooking it VERY easily.
I would rephrase that then to say that the result would be the loss of flow from two pipelines, rather than just one if there is an full takeover.
Hitler Kicks Off 'Minor Incursion' Into Poland World leaders and political analysts all agreed that there was little cause for concern from the small activities that Hitler may or may not be doing on, around, or across the Polish border. "This is just a minor incursion," said UK Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. "There's nothing to worry about here, and no further response is required. Sure, if this were a large-scale invasion that could develop into a big, worldwide war, we might be concerned. But it's just a minor incursion, so it's fine." "This is fine. This is all fine," he added before sipping a tea and going off to his morning cricket match or game or whatever you call a cricket thing. Hitler was incredibly grateful for Chamberlain's understanding and says he's planning a few special surprises to show his gratitude.
Former Obama-Biden administration guy does an olympic-level, clinical-level, dumpster fire-level trashing of Biden for giving Putin a great strategic gift. Russia-Ukraine tensions need a unified NATO response. But Biden shook the alliance. The president's words will embolden Vladimir Putin to be even more aggressive and accelerate his asymmetric attacks on other neighboring nations. Jan. 22, 2022, 10:19 AM PST By Brett Bruen, former director of global engagement in the Obama White House Russian President Vladimir Putin won a major victory this past week, and it didn’t require him to move a single soldier or weapon into Ukraine. During a news conference at the White House Wednesday, President Joe Biden made several considerable concessions. These rhetorical retreats would not only damage and further destabilize the government in Kyiv. They also reverberated in capitals across eastern and central Europe, leaving leaders there feeling even more vulnerable to Moscow’s meddling. What should Biden have said? He needed to channel Winston Churchill: Describe in stark terms the gravity of our present predicament. In diplomacy, the messaging really matters. Having served in numerous embassies overseas, I’ve seen how the right message can help secure peace. But the wrong message can lead to conflict. What Biden said about a potential Russian invasion and NATO’s response falls squarely into the latter category. His words will embolden Putin to be even more aggressive and accelerate his asymmetric attacks on other neighboring nations. The president recklessly remarked that the price for Russia invading Ukraine “depends on what it does. It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not do” — the “we” apparently referring to NATO. This clumsy, cringe-worthy attempt to distinguish between minor and major invasions sent a clear signal to the Kremlin that if troops stopped short of a full-scale military operation, they might avoid a serious response from the West. This is an ideal outcome for Russia. In fact, it is its preferred path forward. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opini...ato-response-biden-shook-alliance-ncna1287877
Joni Ernst sounds battlecry to 'fight for Democracy' in Ukraine after opposing voting rights in America Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) on Sunday called on the United States to "fight for Democracy" in Ukraine even though she voted against protecting voting rights in America. The remarks were made just days after Ernst joined every Republican in the Senate to obstruct an attempt by Democrats to protect voting rights. "We do need to fight for democracy," Ernst opined.
Russia's purported plan to install pro-Kremlin leadership in Ukraine 'deeply concerning,' White House says The Ukrainian people have the sovereign right to determine their own future, a U.S. official told Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/world/russi...in-ukraine-deeply-concerning-white-house-says