Posted on 05/31/2025 5:26:32 AM PDT by tlozo
President George W. Bush famously underestimated Vladimir Putin.
Asked about his impressions of the Russian president, the then-US president claimed that he had “looked into Putin’s eyes” and “saw his soul.”
His secretary of state, Colin Powell, said that he, too, had looked into Putin’s eyes “and I saw the KGB.”
Bush found out what was behind Putin’s eyes a little too late.
Toward the end of Bush’s second term, in 2008, Putin’s Russia invaded the neighboring country of Georgia...
Ever since Putin repeated his Georgian maneuver on a much grander scale in Ukraine in 2022, there are still people who like to pretend that Ukraine is all that Vladimir Putin wants.
Speaking to the Russian people, he can be explicit about the expansion he wants — including the reconstruction of the Soviet Empire.
To others he can play a subtler game, bamboozling ignorant foreign interviewers and running rings around them.
But it is by his actions that you can really know Putin.
And just consider his actions lately.
This week he ordered some of the largest aerial assaults to date on the people of Ukraine.
President Trump, who believed that he was in the middle of a cease-fire negotiation with the Russian president, finally seemed to have lost patience.
“Absolutely crazy” was among the things that Trump labeled Putin’s latest assault on his neighbor.
Putin’s spokesman responded by dismissing Trump’s comments as “emotional.”
But Trump is right to be angry about what Putin is doing.
Because at the same time as dragging out negotiations — postponing meetings, reneging on promises — he is deliberately dragging out the war that he started...
Putin knows that with a US which doesn’t threaten him, and a Europe that can’t get its act together, the cards are largely in his hands...
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Excellent and thoughtful analysis.
And I've noticed people who cannot support their argument descend into name calling.
Have a nice day.
Right, the Lord told Putin to invade another country, Ukraine killing numerous fellow Orthodox Christians as a form of self-defense. Okay
The real problem was that this war was desired by the Biden Administration
Putin seized Crimea in 2014, during the Obama presidency with almost no repercussions.
Wow, your ascertianment of the control of the left... great catch.
It is inconvenient for the DNC to have so many memebers who are also members of the DSA (some even communist party).
When FR first started until about the year Y2K you could go to the Democratic Socalists of America and the proudly listed the senators and congressmen who were porminent members - in 1998 it was 57 members of the DNC who were fully members of the DSA.
The DSA is the Amerika chapter of the World Socialist who are in Moscow.
I believed/now do believe that the Obama agenda was in part to make Washington, DC that world HQ for the World’s Communist and Socialist Party, vice Moscow.
Back to the DSA list that is no longer available to the public. Were we to take ownership in AmeriKa of the DSA, then the DNC would be world Socialist kingpins in name; without USAID the USDs are no longer bankrolling the American brand of leftist Marxism.
Thanks for reading. I had to cut it short for the honey do it now list, but that’s the jest of this situation.
I supported it, as everyone can see. Either you have a reading comprehension problem or you are blind to anything which might contradict your beliefs (can’t handle the cognitive dissonance), or you are simply a jerk. I could post pro-Western neocon articles detailing how events unfolded, but it was obvious you lack the skills to read and comprehend them, so it would be a waste of time.
Sweet Mother of Jesus, Holy God, can someone stop the stupidy and lying by this guy.
Even the Georgians have admitted publically to firing on the Russians. They felt at the time that the US would back thm with another coup and military support.
Go ahead and google it - it’s in the western press if you put your mind to it.
Maybe you actually do know the truth, hence your LOL is just your way of posting known BS to get a rise. Personally you are insulting to the membership of FR when you post this garbage.
About that 41 million...you might want to revise that number down significantly, although millions of Ukrainians have made Russia their new home.
Its just such a shame the Western backed Banderite scum that run Kiev can't be brought down, so the country can see peace again.
Might be as high as 25M today. Western countries have taken in about 15M or so Ukrainian “Refugees” or whatever they are, migrants. Russia got about 2M and Belarus maybe s 1M of the original 42M. Some estimates have Ukraines population as low as 20M today.
The argument is WHO FIRST STARTED FIRING?
Her post is "The Georgians started it by firing on Russian peacekeepers."
Untrue.
South Ossetian forces started shelling Georgian villages on Aug 1, 2008
On 1 August 2008, the Russian-backed South Ossetian forces started shelling Georgian villages, with a sporadic response from Georgian peacekeepers in the area.[32][33][34][35][36] Intensifying artillery attacks by the South Ossetian separatists broke a 1992 ceasefire agreement.[37][38][39][40] To put an end to these attacks, Georgian army units were sent into the South Ossetian conflict zone on 7 August and took control of most of Tskhinvali, a separatist stronghold, within hours
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Georgian_War
Trump is a comprised negotiator.
His engagement with Russia or the American Re-engagement of Russia was much needed. This was his window to start the talk about getting negotiations.
Trump however you look at his is not negotiating with Russia about Ukraine, nor is NATO or Zelilnski. These are mechanisms Trump uses, Putin tolerates, as Trump negotiates with the Rinos, DNC and their legions of lawyers, and antagonistic anti-Trumper French, Brit, German, Pol, you name them the money grubbers dependent on USDs remaining in EUropean economies by way of NATO.
Trump is a patriot as is Putin. Both love their countries. Both are accusesd of the very corruption they both were elected to combat. Both are less corrupt than their opposition/opposers. Both have benefited from running their countries.
Both Trump and Putin are in their 70s, so money doesn’t drive them as primary motivations. Both live a life of splendor provided by the state.
Turmp wants to rebuild Amerika into AmeriCa. Putin has never known a period of calm coming from NATO and the Western intelligence.
Trump has to conquer that beast that has stalked him from Day One which is Ukraine; it was a campaign issue with Hillary and the Russian Hoax; it was two impeachments, the first of which was over Trump’s first phone call to Zelinski. Trump was accused of so much, but again they were going to impeach Trump if he got in the way of arming Ukraine to the teeth. This was peacetime and Trump knew if Javalins and and other weapons that could be used offensively were handed over to Ukraine the Donbas would be invaded by Ukraine, which almost happened and was only snuffed by Russia mere days or a week or two before Index with thier SMO.
Trump can only hope to save some of the western investment valuations. Trump has to end the war. Russia and Trump need to come to some agreement - the EU has stolen frozen Russian assets and interest and cannot repay it, and Russia is or will be in possession of almost 85% of the French and British investments in Ukraine. HAHA Starmer and Macron, just cut the BS and explain to your pension’ers that you put their retirements in Ukrainian investments. Kinda like 2000 all over again for the EU. 2007 is coming now to bite the EU and world financial markets in the butt. Now the rust is to BTC.
If the west were to be compensated for their holdings in Ukraine they might walk away. But Russia is just going to have to kick their A$$es and take their ASS-Sets from them.
Nobody wins, least of all Russia who already had abundant natural resources.
The idiots who believe Russia wants more “woke westerners” or more land and countries are full of western BS. They have 1/7th of the world’s landmass and over half of the known resources important to mankind.
The worst thing is the EU has now invited Russian military escort convoys of Russian Oil tankers thru their waters to protect the right of free passage. The USN is now in the business of blocking trade routes and not keeping them open - when the hell did that happen? Blockading Russia in the Black Sea or the North Sea in N. Europe was a stuipid idea. I can’t imagine Macron or Starmer is going to be happy when a Russian fleet sails off their coasts because they themselves threatened to steal Russian oil and ships. You might end up having to sink those Russian ships but that close and you have just lost the war.
The irony of Russia naval vessals sailing thru EUropean waters as escorts is now the result of Blinken’s stupid bravados’ taunting Russia by telling them we would damn well put our missiles in Ukraine and there was only the possibility that Russia could negotiate the numbers - that the US would do whatever it wanted in NATO FRIENDLY COUNTRIES. It is just lovely that free trade and Russian missiles are going to be in our neighborhood’s as the west kicks and screams like the demon possed fools they are.
Putin and Trump are power brokers and patriots—so is, to a lesser degree, Zelensky. Peace will come. Trump is good with the carrot and stick. Putin is at the end of his rope and seeks a peace legacy. He doesn’t want the old USSR, more like the Tsarists Empire. I believe we will have peace sooner than most think—maybe by summer.
The truth is the Georgian’s thought the US had their back and they started shooting at Russian Peacekeepers as far history has shown.l The Georgian’s miscalculated; they have said so. There is no ambiguity on this matter when a little country admits they made a mistake long long ago.
In fact that incident is reverberating this very moment. On June 2d Russia will, under the auspicious of handing the Ukrainians a set of terms, in actuality is telling the US that NATO Expansion must stop now, and it specifically lists the countries to include Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Serbia, etc.
Root causes = NATO EXPANSION.
The demand doc will probably also say that missiles in Poland must be withdrawn, and the plans for Romanian based missiles scrapped.
The root cause of Gerogia’s shooting war is because of mixed signaling by NATO.
Is it possible NATO backed down back then?
I think we know that answer. Georgia has admitted as much.
Unfortunately, I doubt it. Summer is when the Russians start their serious offensives(ground is dry).
Ukraine evacuates more Sumy settlements as Russian offensive looms
On Wednesday, President Volodmyr Zelenskyy said Moscow has amassed 50,000 troops near the Sumy region. Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskiy said the Sumy front is among the areas pressured by Russian troops in a Saturday update.
https://tvpworld.com/87021352/ukraine-evacuates-more-sumy-settlements-as-russian-offensive-looms
Had Putin went right to invading Ukraine, you would have valid argument. But that is not what transpired at all, so are you just being dishonest or an obtuse idiot?
You cannot isolate a single action and ignore all the other actions that were tried with the intent to avoid going into a kinetic conflict and then claim moral authority, because that is a dishonest attempt to make your point. But then that is exactly how you all frame the conflict. You never accept that that was the only option left for Putin to take to secure Russia's security.
Apparently you do not believe in the Lord, for if you did, you would not take the statement and turn it into some sick joke of a statement that I did not make.
As Americans we realize that our rights do not come from the government, but rather come from the Lord, and one of those rights is to defend ourselves from threats, but only after all attempts to remove the threat were done to avoid turning to a violent response.
Putin seized Crimea in 2014, during the Obama presidency with almost no repercussions.
Yes he did, but that was after we had executed a color revolution that required violence & eventually led to a successful coup. Which BTW, you saw that same tactic used to steal the 2020 election in the U.S.
That coup only increased Russia's fears of NATO being placed upon its border with Ukraine. NATO had always been belligerent to the Soviet Union, which is why the organization was created. But the Soviet Union had disintegrated, yet NATO remained intact, and was now turning its belligerence to Russia that had thrown off communism. In Russia's eyes the Crimea was critical to Russia's security, just as the Panama Canal is critical to the security of the U.S. It's why we also look to Greenland, and to a lesser degree Canada as well.
But taking Crimea, created the reason for Ukraine to invade eastern Ukraine to take out the Russian speaking Ukrainians, who considered themselves to be Ukrainians, because they had lived there for many generations at that point. That would be kind of like the U.S. military invading other states within the U.S. to take out perceived internal threats. Using border patrol on the other hand is legal to remove illegal invaders. But not citizens who may or may not be loyal citizens.
That led Russia & Putin to get involved to stop the hostilities in that region, a region that had been under Russian control for centuries by virtue of an agreement entered into with the Hetmen in like the mid to late 1600s that gave Russia control of the land east of the Dnieper River. Russia under Putin engaged in peace talks knowns as the Minsk Accords. We all know, thanks to Angela Merkle, that the whole exercise was only to buy time to train & arm Ukraine, which should be prove that the proxy war was the goal all along, but you still refuse to accept that as being true, because then you would have to answer the tough question as to why wasn't NATO expansion just taken off the table yo stop the invasion by Russia. The only logical answer is because the proxy war was the true goal.
Had we treated Germany, Italy & Japan in the same fashion after we defeated them, they would still be our enemies to this day.
Had we accepted Russia into NATO, Russia's fears would have evaporated as it did for the enemies we fought in WWII with fears about how we would treat them.
But Europe, along with the war hawks in the U.S. chose to keep Russia as a hated nation, even though Europe traded with Russia, and were dependent upon their resources of energy. The war hawks even convinced Trump to a degree to not trust Russia, and because of Russia, Russia, Russia in his first term he felt compelled to take on that stance.
The strange thing is that Europe welcomed Muslims with open arms, and now Europe is all but gone, but for them was Russia was the boogie man. Absolute stupidity. Europe's biggest threat is not the Muslim population, and Russia may be your only salvage.
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