Posted on 01/06/2022 5:08:27 AM PST by tlozo
The White House is writing off an ally to appease an enemy. The situation in Ukraine has become very grave.
On December 17, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin sent U.S. president Joe Biden an ultimatum, effectively demanding that NATO abandon Eastern Europe or face military action. Biden agreed to a phone conversation with Putin to talk it over, giving the Kremlin what it sought: The affected countries were now on the table instead of at the table. When the two then talked on December 30, according to the White House, Biden rejected the ultimatum and informed Putin that if he proceeded to invade Ukraine, he would face strong economic sanctions from the U.S. and its European partners. Putin then countered by saying that such sanctions would result in a “complete rupture in relations” between Russia and the U.S.
The Russian ultimatum was outrageous, so much so that it is clear that it was designed to be rejected, giving Russia a pretext for war. Furthermore, in promising to cut off relations in response to any new Western sanctions, Putin was threatening retaliation for Western actions that would only occur in the event of an invasion.
In other words: The invasion is on. Putin is planning to take Ukraine, or the bulk of it, because he thinks he can.
Putin looks at Biden and his European counterparts and sees weakness. And why wouldn’t he? In July 2014, when Russia-backed fighters shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew aboard, the Obama–Biden administration refused to hold them responsible for it; instead, the White House called for a prolonged “investigation” to defuse the issue. A month later, when Ukrainian forces were advancing into Donetsk to retake the city from Russian-backed separatists, Russia massed armored forces on the Ukrainians’ flanks. These tank concentrations could not have escaped observation by U.S. reconnaissance satellites. But rather than “provoke” Russia by warning the Ukrainians of the impending envelopment, the Obama–Biden administration shamefully kept quiet, allowing the Ukrainian forces to be surprised, surrounded, and defeated. The economic sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its seizure of Ukrainian territory and its killing of over 14,000 Ukrainian citizens were a joke, limited to reducing a few secondary Kremlin figures’ opportunities to shop and enjoy the sites in Western countries. Meanwhile, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project was allowed to proceed apace.
More than five years later, Russia is mobilizing troops on the Ukrainian border, and the Biden administration seems to be taking the Russian seizure of Ukraine as a fait accompli. Rather than warn Putin that he will be held responsible for any harm that might come to the 15,000 American citizens currently in Ukraine, the administration has announced that it is developing plans for their evacuation. Biden has threatened to impose more serious sanctions in the event of an invasion, but Putin is betting that any sanctions with real teeth will be temporary in nature, and well worth the pain if he can take Ukraine and discredit the Western alliance in the bargain...
Putin invaded in 2014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_War
war with the russians in the winter is a bad idea. My fear is that since we have never known war, except as entertainment on cnn (and one percent of population that served in war zones). We don’t understand the consequences of “real” war. Going up against a near peer military power that can match us with air support and artillery. We believe our technology is superior to the russians. What if we’re wrong? The t-34 was a big f^cking surprise to the nazis! What about logistics? The russians could easily resupply forces and ours would have to travel how far?
“The call for all foreign troops out of Ukraine is like the tenth step of the Minsk Accords and applies to BOTH sides.”
It’s not the tenth step, it is one of several mandates. It does not apply to BOTH sides, as only Russians are in Ukraine.
And, yes, he is a rocket scientist.
In 2014 the Ukrainians foolishly threatened not renewing the lease on Putin’s military port on the Black Sea. Something he pretty much can’t live without. Add that to the fact that most people in the Crimea wanted to break from the Ukraine so he annexed it.
Putin has not invaded and occupied the Ukraine and likely won’t try because he has the same GDP as Texas and cannot afford it. He would have a terrible time holding it as the Ukrainians hate the Russians guts. And the EU is just itching to bet it on with Putin and try to drag the US into it. No, Putin is not going to get dragged into that.
Author Robert Zubrin with Musk
Inform yourself. Battle of Ilovaisk, inside Ukraine was between Ukrainian forces and regular Russian troops:Russian 6th Tank Brigade, 8th Motor Rifle Brigade, 18th Motor Rifle Brigade, 21st Motor Rifle Brigade, 31st Air Assault Brigade, 137th Airborne Regiment, 247th Air Assault Regiment, 331st Airborne Regiment and 1065th Artillery Regiment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ilovaisk
Biden and his white liberal ‘elites’ can’t protect American borders... NOW THEY - - - AND THEIR PENTAGON THUGS - - WANT ADVENTURE IN UKRAINE?
Fun like we had in Afghanistan? Can’t hold a third world hellhole but we’re ready to ‘show our stuff’ in Ukraine? Gimme a break. Biden’s not the man to do the job. And his ‘brass’ is better at protecting sexual weirdo than protecting our country.
If we must fight - then wait for a better quality Administration. This one can’t handle the pandemic, inflation, Afghanistan, China, Supply Chains, etc etc etc.
Let’s not have a new disaster for Biden and his press thugs to wallow in then cover up.
Until they can they need to shut up about defending the borders of countries half way across the world that have nothing to do with us... Ukraine paid off Hunter but that’s not a good enough reason for thousands or even millions of Americans to die in some stupid war.
If Hunter wants to kick back some of the millions he collected from Ukraine or he and his ‘on the take’ family want to suit up and go fight the Russians - fine. They took the cash they can ‘pay the price’/.
But NOT us - not Americans. WE WANT OUR BORDERS DEFENDED.
Sorry - must re-read before posting...
Putin’s words contained some crucial factual inaccuracies, but Russia’s engagement was not one of them, and here he seemed quite clear. He stated that: “We were forced to defend the Russian-speaking population of Donbas, forced to react to the desire of people living in Crimea to return to the Russian Federation".
This was not the first time Putin has admitted a military role in Donbas. On Dec 17, 2015, he acknowledged that “Russian military personnel were “resolving various issues" in Donbas. He had been asked by Ukrainian journalist, Roman Tsymbalyuk about possible compliance with the Minsk agreement by releasing all Ukrainian political prisoners like Nadiya Savchenko and Oleg Sentsov, exchanging them for two Russian military intelligence officers captured in the Luhansk oblast. Putin began by claiming that Russia had never said that they did not have people in Donbas engaged in various activities, including in the military sphere.
Moscow has always admitted that Russian nationals were fighting in Donbas, but has assiduously pushed the narrative that they are prompted, as Putin once claimed, “by the call of the heart”, and in no way Russian soldiers or mercenaries.
There is enormous satellite, video, witness and other evidence giving the lie to these claims. There are also the graves of Russian soldiers who are known to have been killed in Donbas.
https://khpg.org/en/1476316494
No US troops were EVER mentioned.
Weak...Straw man argument.
I know how democrats blunder things.
Inflation’s only temporary right? And we’ll get all our people out of Afghanistan.... right?
And there won’t be any ‘boots on the ground’... right. And shutting down the Keystone won’t effect gas prices... and giving Germany the go to import Russian oil while we’re still paying to protect Germany from Russians is logical? RIGHT?
And Blinken’s a great negotiator - just ask the Chinese who totally walked all over him.
I don’t trust the Biden Administration to handle this situation because they HAVE A TRACK RECORD A YEAR LONG TRACK RECORD TAT SCREAMS THEY CAN’T BE TRUSTED.
I just stated the basic facts. It is what it is. Putin is not going to invade the Ukraine and China is not going to try to take back Taiwan.
Poles would never let that happen under Russian domination. Kievan Rus’ are Russian speakers, while Poland etc are not. There is no will to recreate the USSR in Russia
Old East Slavic (traditionally also: Old Russian, Belarusian: старажытнаруская мова; Russian: древнерусский язык; Ukrainian: давньоруська мова) was a language used during the 10th–15th centuries by East Slavs in Kievan Rus' and its successor states, from which the Belarusian, Russian, Rusyn, and Ukrainian languages later evolved.
With time, it evolved into several more diversified forms, which were the predecessors of the modern Belarusian, Russian, Rusyn and Ukrainian languages. The regional languages were distinguishable starting in the 12th or 13th century. Thus different variations evolved of the Russian language in the regions of Novgorod, Moscow, South Russia and meanwhile the Ukrainian language was also formed. Each of these languages preserves much of the Old East Slavic grammar and vocabulary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_East_Slavic
I hate these effin’ neocons.
They have nearly completely ruined this great republic.
I wish them ALL miserable death.
“and I would allow them to join NATO”
NEVER!!!
NATO is too big already and the US has no interests in any part of Ukraine.
Of the 15,000 US citizens, how many are Ukrainians who acquired US citizenship?? - dual-citizenship??
I don’t know, but suspect, our laws for granting US citizenship have become too loosely-goosy.
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