Putin could now defeat Ukraine within months

The Telegraph ^ | 15 May 2024 | HAMISH DE BRETTON-GORDON

[Rockingham]

My reference was to the recent accession to NATO of Finland and Sweden. Otherwise, NATO expansion after the end of the Cold War was a slow process of individual countries petitioning for admission as part of their security needs. Indeed, even Russia affiliated with NATO and sought full membership at one point, provided that they were given preferred status. That was a non-starter due to mistrust of Russian intentions.

[Rockingham]

Potshots do not an argument make. Sweden and Finland are formidable modern countries close to Russia and are far more consequential in military terms than the small country NATO members in the Balkans who joined as a way to get security assistance against Serbian revanchism after the collapse of Yugoslavia.

Current Russian grumbling about "the NATO threat" is best understood as an expression of the fears of Putin and his gangster pals at the prospect of Western ideas about rule of law and democracy seducing the long-suffering Russian people. Again and again, Putin and his circle go to great lengths to kill off and intimidate defectors, exiles, and political opponents.

A free and prosperous Ukraine with rule of law and democratic governance would be a highly provocative example for ordinary Russians. And so Ukraine had to be attacked lest it endanger Putin's rule.

[Captain Walker]

Otherwise, NATO expansion after the end of the Cold War was a slow process of individual countries petitioning for admission as part of their security needs.

The US was hardly "disinclined" to increase the size of NATO; it's no secret that NATO countries have to line up their military hardware with NATO requirements, which is a boon to the Military-Congressional Industrial Complex.

[Rockingham]

My point was as to NATO expansion that would include Ukraine, not the prior series of expansions in the Balkans. As to Ukraine, Russia’s concern is not military security but the risk of contagion as Western ideas and practices take root and inspire a desire for the same in Russia.

[dforest]

Yawn

That one is old and made up. It is also a joke. Putin knew Kiev is huge and when the Russians went into Ukraine, they did not invade with enough troops to take Kiev.

The idea was to get Zelensky into talks. Obviously that didn’t work.

[dforest]

Hah hah. At this point in time, the west has nothing to offer that anyone would want other than poop filled graffiti cities abandoned and crumbling, transgender butchery, homelessness, homo worship, abortion worship, race wars etc.

What idiots would desire that?

[unread]

"Blinken hopes you won’t find out that Ukrainian officials got rich using our tax dollars to invest in fake companies.

Yeah, one of the biggest heist in the history of of mankind.. The O’Biden gang skinned the American people like squirrels.!

[Rockingham]

Your description is a malignant fantasy. I am in excellent health and live in a low crime Red State, in a nice suburban house on a lake. The greatest things I have to fear are if the AC goes out or a hurricane hits.

[mac_truck]

As to Ukraine, Russia’s concern is not military security but the risk of contagion as Western ideas and practices take root and inspire a desire for the same in Russia.

You sound like Anthony BLinkin...do you play guitar?

[icclearly]

So apparently neither side was right.

That's quite a crazy comment!

Putin was correct, US/NATO/UKIE was absolutely wrong.

For the US, "wrong" seems to be quite a consistent and repeating theme over the last 50 or so years.

Wrong is destroying our country (you and me). Wrong will kill you "dead."

[Rockingham]

I am offended. That is a weak insult. Surely I deserve better.

[MinorityRepublican]

The idea was to get Zelensky into talks. Obviously that didn’t work.

Shock and awe. Get Zelensky government to fall. Install pro-Russian puppet in Kyiv. Then withdraw Russian troops.

[FreedomForce]

If it got to the point Russia felt like they need to to use nukes, do you really think they would give a sh!t if they got charged with genocide? Anyway, they wouldn’t be charged with genocide if they used tactical nukes on certain targets.

[Armscor38]

“Duh !

That’s the point. The terrain makes it easily defensible in both directions.”

Leningrad was surrounded on land and only could be supplied over the lake. The Baltic Fleet was neutralized. Same thing will likely happen in a future conflict with the addition of the large Russian Northern Fleet being confined to port because of lack of supplies or even destroyed in port . If you look at a map, the railroads and highways to Murmansk where the Northern Fleet is based run parallel with the long border with Finland.

[Armscor38]

“Duh !

That’s the point. The terrain makes it easily defensible in both directions.”

Leningrad was surrounded on land and only could be supplied over the lake. The Baltic Fleet was neutralized. Same thing will likely happen in a future conflict with the addition of the large Russian Northern Fleet being confined to port because of lack of supplies or even destroyed in port . If you look at a map, the railroads and highways to Murmansk where the Northern Fleet is based run parallel with the long border with Finland.