Posted on 03/04/2022 11:10:30 AM PST by billorites
NATO nations will not impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, despite pleas from some in Ukraine.
Secretary Jens Stoltenberg called it a "painful decision," saying that NATO has a responsibility not to escalate the conflict by engaging Russian forces directly in Ukraine, either on the ground or in the air.
Enforcing a no-fly zone would involve NATO planes in Ukraine potentially shooting down Russian planes, Stoltenberg said Friday. President Biden's administration has likewise ruled out such a move, saying it is "not going to happen."
RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES
"We understand the desperation, but we also believe that if we did that, would end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering," he said.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that the West should consider a no-fly zone, and Ukrainian member of Parliament Lesia Vasylenko said Friday that a no-fly zone is "the only thing we need right NOW."
The war in Ukraine will likely be "worse" in the coming days, "with more death, more suffering, and more destruction, as the Russian armed forces bring in heavier weaponry and continue their attacks across the country," Stoltenberg said.
NATO is strengthening its ties with non-member nations Finland and Sweden, Stoltenberg said. He condemned the Russian attack on a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, calling it "reckless."
The head of the International Atomic Energy Administration said that no radiation was released in the attack, and that a fire at the plant was extinguished.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I find your post interesting. I remember seeing a graph at the beginning of this mess that showed Russia had way more of everything (jets, tanks, soldiers, etc) than Ukraine did. On paper it looked like Russia could just swoop in and take over rather quickly. But they haven’t. Why? Maybe their military capabilities aren’t as good as they want us to think. Maybe they are holding back so as to not have the casualties expected so they don’t look as bad on the world stage. I don’t know.
The WORLD (ever hear of it?) exists independently of Vindman and the cast of characters you think equal the country of Ukraine and your conspiracy views.
V Putin constantly threatens us with nuclear attack, and develops the hypersonic missiles to do it with. Those are aimed at US and no one else.
He harasses our ships and planes, he is demanding we withdraw from half of NATO. And he is militarily aligned with China.
Putin is a direct threat to America and support of his actions is UnAmerican.
Agree.
Exactly my sentiments. I discount about 50% of what I get from the media as hype/propaganda. BUT, there is no battleplan that says, let's gear up with a massive force and then tiptoe in and use a B.C. style castle siege strategy. I have been contemplating this and have begun to wonder if Russia's build up was a calculation that would intimidate Ukraine enough to "not fight"? Based on some things I've seen that seem plausible, the Russian soldiers and officers might not be committed to this objective. I don't know.
But sooner or later Russia will start threatening NATO members shipping weapons to Ukraine or being used as transits like Poland.
Plus I don't know how much longer Poland can sit by and absorb refugees. They are at almost 2% of the Polish population by now counting those from 2014.
My guess is a rump Ukrainian state will be formed with Poland along what were Poland's 1939 borders in the East.
If the Ukrainians accept it, Poland could just announce union with western Ukraine and Shazzam! they're in NATO.
The Biden junta has all this about as under control as anything else these idiots are doing, and pressures may develop along the eastern flank of NATO that force the member states there to drag NATO in for their own interests.
The same is true regarding Romania and Moldova should Putler decide Moldova is next.
Thanks
I’d propose a no-post zone for a few people around here, but I don’t think Jim Robinson would go for it!
Ukraine is huge, especially given how long Russian armor can drive without fuel or a breakdown. The Ukrainians have also had a lot of training and preparation for another invasion, though not as much as they needed. They wait patiently for the Russians to enter a city, then whack them there instead of trying to defend too big of a perimeter, then do it again. Smart and making the Russians pay a high price, including destroying most of the infrastructure of any city they capture. The resulting humanitarian catastrophe is then Russia's burden, and if they conquer most of the country, it's an economic corpse.
The Ukrainians fought for years after 1945 against NKVD troops, and Putin doesn't have Stalin's resources.
You happen to be incorrect.
Each member of (Russia, China, United States) is uneasily wary of the other two.
The key is not to let any two get too close to cooperate in ganging up on the third.
The other key is to realize how much of our economy was shipped lock, stock, and barrel to China;
and how many of our politicians are owned by the Chicoms.
China is a far greater threat to Russia as well because they have 3 times our population, and have polluted the living hell out of their land and water; and are right next door to resource rich and sparsely populated Siberia.
They have the common interest of not wanting to be held in thrall to the petrodollar, though.
Wars make very strange bed-fellows. Just because they may not see eye-to-eye, they main join forces in order to split the spoils of war. I can see a China, North Korea, Iran and Russian alliance if things really get testy for Russia and NATO decides to do something.
No. Ukraine.
No. Ukraine.
Yes. Unless NATO commits to military intervention Russia has won. This is not pro- or anit-Putin. The situation now is that this is a fact.
The U.S. and Western Europe did not take the Russian position opposing Ukraine joining NATO seriously. There was no plan in place to prevent or a Russian invasion. It is too late to for the west to achieve anything now, because their best and only option was to prevent a invasion.
In a few weeks Putin will take the entire country or what he wants and negotiates over the rest.
Bkmk
I’m sure they regret THAT decision right about now.
Russia INVADED a sovereign country. How is that a civil war?
It AINT. So why do you say that it is? What was the asinine reasoning that led you to such a ridiculous claim?
You have to put everything in context of events at the time. The big concern then was that nuclear weapons and materials in the new Ukraine would be outside of treaties, monitoring, and adequate safety controls of the day. Rational people looked at Russia as still being a rational actor and able to absorb those weapons and be accountable for them. Russia already still had several thousand themselves so what’s a few more, as opposed to another independent nuclear power with no track record, and lots of bad actors like Arabs and Norks looking for access to nukes.
The concept of MAD only works when actors are rational. Putin has exploited weakness with threats he isn’t afraid to use them for other than national deterrence.
Russia wants a buffer from the West
***People in hell want ice water. So then why didn’t Russia invade Estonia? Much smaller military, easier pickens. The reason is because Estonia is in NATO and Ukraine aint. There’s such a gigantic duhh factor to all this.
Also for the last 8 years, Nazis(*)
have been shelling Russian- speaking regions in the Eastern Ukraine.
***Sounds like an internal Uke problem to me. Assuming it’s even true, which I doubt.
Yeah huh, the axe would probably fall on RINOs, GOPes, Assistant Democraps, fauxConservatives like you just like the original bugzapper thread did.
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