Ukraine

[Willie Dog]

Mar 10, 2022 21:43:29 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Let me know if anyone thinks we in the West are in smart hands....

This is so convoluted, bring a notepad and try not to laugh over the brilliance....and confirms that Biden administration is run by political committee that is in boot shaking fear of Putin.

Shot down: How Biden scuttled the deal to get MiGs to Ukraine

A three-way fighter-jet deal to bolster Ukraine’s defenses against Russia is dead — just five days after the White House first revealed an openness to making it work.

With Kyiv begging U.S. officials for more military support, the prospect of Ukraine reaping a windfall of MiG fighter jets caught the world’s attention this past week as the country fights back Russia’s invading forces. But after a dizzying series of public statements, diplomatic messaging and blunt offers to swap the Russian-made planes for American aircraft, it all fell apart.

The saga that started 11 days ago with an errant comment by a top European Union diplomat ended unceremoniously when the chief Pentagon spokesperson and the head of the U.S. European Command separately declared Wednesday that the U.S. wouldn’t take part in an agreement to give warplanes to Poland after it sends its fleet to Ukraine.

“We do not support the transfer of the fighters to the Ukrainian air force at this time and have no desire to see them in our custody either,” John Kirby told reporters, conveying the main sentiment of a Wednesday phone call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Polish counterpart. He added that the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence community assessed the warplanes wouldn’t materially improve Ukraine’s chances, but instead would escalate the prospects of drawing NATO directly into the fight.

Officials in Kyiv, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a weekend Zoom call with U.S. lawmakers, have pressed hard to acquire European fighter jets, claiming the enhanced airpower would help them inflict further damage on Russian forces. Videos posted to social media during the two weeks of fighting have shown the invading army massed in large, slow columns bottlenecked on roads, where Ukrainian-operated Turkish drones and ground troops with Javelin missiles have turned hundreds of Russian vehicles into burning husks.

But skeptics inside the Biden administration pushed back on the idea of green-lighting the transfer of Poland’s MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, and President Joe Biden sided with those skeptics, three U.S. officials said.


A lot more....

www.politico.com/news/2022/03/10/poland-fighter-jet-deal-ukraine-russia-00016038

This is bullSaperlipopette... what a bunch of nancies

[Cranky]

Just watching CTV and I'm starting to be convinced that the Russian military is a newer, better equipped version of Iraqi military.....but no better run.

Their tanks got ambushed so badly that I wonder if they know the word "scouts" and NOT walking into what would be a generic urban trap. Single column down a highway, no infantry support, no air support, just a bunch of guys in steel cans getting slaughtered.

They should thank their stars that they are just meeting a bunch of brave man and not a first world military that would chew them up like the roaches they are. Predators would be raining down JDAMS (guided bombs) front and back, taking out SAM vehicles and A-10/Apaches would be going up and down that column, turning into a twisted pile of metal and bodies.

That was great to see. I'm sleeping better tonight.

Dis, comment?



BTW...remember this?

www.google.com/search?q=highway+of+death&client=tablet-android-samsung-nf-rev1&hl=en&tbm=isch&prmd=ivmn&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjc-Ln_yL32AhXUZc0KHUNHDLoQ_AUIFigB&biw=712&bih=1138&dpr=2.25

[jkr]

Your link, was that the war in Kuwait?

I think the Americans used a plane they dubbed the Warthog to great effect.

[Cranky]

Mar 11, 2022 6:51:38 GMT -5 jkr said:

Your link, was that the war in Kuwait?

I think the Americans used a plane they dubbed the Warthog to great effect.

Yup. The A-10.

If only this was true....and talking about chewing up a column....



The Americans are thinking of retiring this monster. A few can escape into the wilds of Ukraine! Not. Like all military hardware, it needs support. There isn't a Walmart there with depleted uranium shells...

[Cranky]

There is a YouTube channel called "WarLeaks", in it you will find the latest combat videos from Ukraine. I don't know how to link the videos.

Those guys are fighting what is the ultimate gorilla war against mostly armour. Kudos to them for their courage and sacrifice.

Not in the same planet as far what we see from American troops and their more integrated/supported battlefields.

When you get there, hit videos and it's all the latest Ukraine war footage.

www.google.com/search?q=warleaks&oq=warleaks&aqs=chrome..69i57.4579j0j8&client=tablet-android-samsung-nf-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

[Willie Dog]

The guy describing how they took out the column is awesome

[Willie Dog]

Shows how the nlaw and javelin work



Well done UK.

[Willie Dog]

I was listening to CFRA this morning and they had on Christian Leuprecht a professor at RMC and Queens and he basically said Canada has no choice but to do what Germany did and that is to dump a ton of money into the military. Germany dropped 100 billion and Canada needs to do the same...

We can no longer rely on the US to protect us, especially in the north... We need advanced fighters and pilots properly trained, we need anti tank and anti aircraft systems and we need drones... other than the aircraft, there is no reason why these armaments cannot be built in canada... just my 2 cents

[Polarice]

Mar 11, 2022 12:41:43 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

I was listening to CFRA this morning and they had on Christian Leuprecht a professor at RMC and Queens and he basically said Canada has no choice but to do what Germany did and that is to dump a ton of money into the military. Germany dropped 100 billion and Canada needs to do the same...

We can no longer rely on the US to protect us, especially in the north... We need advanced fighters and pilots properly trained, we need anti tank and anti aircraft systems and we need drones... other than the aircraft, there is no reason why these armaments cannot be built in canada... just my 2 cents

I'm sure there is a famous Canadian that might help design some engines for a good cause.

[Cranky]

Mar 11, 2022 13:43:54 GMT -5 Polarice said:

Mar 11, 2022 12:41:43 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

I was listening to CFRA this morning and they had on Christian Leuprecht a professor at RMC and Queens and he basically said Canada has no choice but to do what Germany did and that is to dump a ton of money into the military. Germany dropped 100 billion and Canada needs to do the same...

We can no longer rely on the US to protect us, especially in the north... We need advanced fighters and pilots properly trained, we need anti tank and anti aircraft systems and we need drones... other than the aircraft, there is no reason why these armaments cannot be built in canada... just my 2 cents

I'm sure there is a famous Canadian that might help design some engines for a good cause.

Would his alias be Polarice?

I got nothing better to do...and i may know a few things about making stuff....for a good cause.

[Cranky]

Mar 11, 2022 12:41:43 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

I was listening to CFRA this morning and they had on Christian Leuprecht a professor at RMC and Queens and he basically said Canada has no choice but to do what Germany did and that is to dump a ton of money into the military. Germany dropped 100 billion and Canada needs to do the same...

We can no longer rely on the US to protect us, especially in the north... We need advanced fighters and pilots properly trained, we need anti tank and anti aircraft systems and we need drones... other than the aircraft, there is no reason why these armaments cannot be built in canada... just my 2 cents

Abso-freaken-lutely. Even aircraft but the tech curve is extremely steep.

Everything elsecan be done by domestic production.

Freaken two bit Turkey developed their own military industry but we can't?

[Willie Dog]

Mar 11, 2022 14:49:59 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Mar 11, 2022 12:41:43 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

I was listening to CFRA this morning and they had on Christian Leuprecht a professor at RMC and Queens and he basically said Canada has no choice but to do what Germany did and that is to dump a ton of money into the military. Germany dropped 100 billion and Canada needs to do the same...

We can no longer rely on the US to protect us, especially in the north... We need advanced fighters and pilots properly trained, we need anti tank and anti aircraft systems and we need drones... other than the aircraft, there is no reason why these armaments cannot be built in canada... just my 2 cents

Abso-freaken-lutely. Even aircraft but the tech curve is extremely steep.

Everything elsecan be done by domestic production.

Freaken two bit Turkey developed their own military industry but we can't?

And those Turkish drones are kicking ass

But Jussie keeps talking about carbon tax and ecology and social justice....

[Cranky]

Mar 11, 2022 15:10:05 GMT -5 Willie Dog said:

Mar 11, 2022 14:49:59 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Abso-freaken-lutely. Even aircraft but the tech curve is extremely steep.

Everything elsecan be done by domestic production.

Freaken two bit Turkey developed their own military industry but we can't?

And those Turkish drones are kicking ass

But Jussie keeps talking about carbon tax and ecology and social justice....

Why do you think Greece is so concerned? They have damn good heavy armour and those drones are making it useless. Greece has asked their "military partner" Israel, yes, ISRAEL for help to counter them. Those drones control is land based to technically, in time of war, you can follow it back to the transmitter, but, then you can have multiple transmitters so that becomes hard. It's almost back to Sopwith Camels where you need low powered, low cost propeller craft to take them out. OR your own drones to counter their armour. A mutual destruction....by drone.

There is no good cheap way of taking SAM sites like the S-400 unless you have a ton of cruise missiles or.....self directed drones on a suicide mission. The magic word here is......"swarming". Lot's of cheap and disposable drones. Cruise missile cost about 2 million a piece, Reaper drones run into hundreds of million because they need satellite to run them, those Turkish drones are about $150K. Base station is a 5 ton truck and probalby can have an operational system for the cost of one cruise missile.

Drones are the future...death machines. From the comfort of ones easy chair, one can kill half way around the world. Isn't that great? (Do I have to say that was sarcasm?)

We can absolutely make our own drones here. The tech to make the body is more WW2 then 2022. Actually, with hydroforming aluminum, press and glue, like 10 year olds making kit planes. Those engines are used in home made kit planes and the electronics tech is already here.

As for your last sentence, don't get me started....

Here is a picture of the actual size....looks like an oversized kids remote control plane.....except it kills.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baykar_Bayraktar_TB2#/media/File:Bayraktar_TB2_at_2020_Victory_Parade_in_Baku.jpg

[Cranky]

Interesting video on all the various anti-armour weapons they are getting. Also interesting is the use of RPG-7 which are now dating back 65 years. Still great at taking out tank tracks but useless in actually penetratingly armour. It's the "standard" level of protection on any armoured vehicle.

Interesting video in terms of fighting on a "peoples militia" level and their various weapons. It would of been interesting if we knew what they did before the roaches invaded. Make no mistake, they are losing a lot of people, but, I can't see any other way unless we, as in the US first and then the rest of NATO are ready to turn Russians and their armour into scrap and body bags.

[Cranky]

Here is a question of how far are we prepared to go if Russia uses chemical weapons?

I'm undecided. I don't want to glow in the dark....but I'm also not prepared to give Putin the keys to our economy and/or our existence.

I keep saying 1938.....and it's becoming very real.

Comment?

[Willie Dog]

China will keep putin going because they'll buy his oil from him... among others

That's another snake that needs its head cut off

[Cranky]

Good luck.....

There is no appetite from the harder left to spend money on anything but saving mommy Gia and social justice, which is hilarious since one nuke will send back every ounce of their efforts and future efforts back to the stone age. There is no such thing as social justice, never mind social cohesion when everybody is in survival mode.

We had Harper who I thought was pro military and was going to order the F-35. My mistake. Big mistake. The "pro military" guy was more interest in the extra few thousand votes of a balance budget then keeping Canada safe.

As for Trudeau.....better say less then I want too. I don't see him pivoting unless there are lots of votes in it. The NDP will NOT support him but obviously the Conservatives will. I think he will announce some spending, after all, he has that endless tax payers credit card which is his own personal pot of gold, but I don't think it's going to make a big difference because that will be taken over by politicians and favoritism. As usual for Trudeau, Quebec companies will come first, after all, votes baby, but this requires hard core bipartisan politicians who know what they are talking about in military matters, grounded in knowledge and practicality.....good luck with that.

This is a video addressing some of my points....

[Cranky]

Full disclosure on Biden? I never had to declare it because I made my views clear about him.

One doesn't have to agree with a party or their politics because in time of extreme circumstances we all have to come together. Great, but....really? A threat that Putin will take seriously?

Any time one makes a threat, it never ever starts with...I wont do this or that. The threat of "severe price" has meant what? The ruble dropped and now is somewhat stable. Germany and Europe are putting just as much money in Putins coffers as they ever did and what else? Oh yeah, supplying lots of arms, which is a good thing but it's slowing down the inevitable, not stopping it.

So what the hell is that "severe price" when Biden personally stopped the Mig transfer and his advisors make it clear on daily basis the "concern" about "nukes" and "widening the war".

Look, I don't want to glow in the dark, none of us do, but there has to be a more powerful message with some unspecified, un-worrisome "severe price". Something as simple as the transfer of an air wing to Poland. A threat to send used aircraft like A-10's. A threat to supply Patriot missiles systems. Make Putin calculate the consequences and the actual "price" instead of calculating the next daily billion Euro collection.

Right now, all Putin hears is that if he gasses the Ukrainians, Biden will get more madder. Wow, that's a deterrence...

[jkr]

Mar 11, 2022 16:41:48 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Here is a question of how far are we prepared to go if Russia uses chemical weapons?

I'm undecided. I don't want to glow in the dark....but I'm also not prepared to give Putin the keys to our economy and/or our existence.

I keep saying 1938.....and it's becoming very real.

Comment?

Putin keeps pushing and no one pushes back. He has no reservations about sacrificing lives on either side. We saw that in Chechnya in 2008, in Crimea in 2014. Hell, they shot down a commercial jetliner and there were absolutely no consequences. A year or so later and Russia is supporting another brutal dictator by bombing the hell out of Syria. No wonder he feels like there will be no significant pushback because there never is.

But if it comes to chemical weapons there has to be a significant military response. I cant be specific because I dont have the knowledge of weapons and tactics. But if that is allowed to go unpunished who knows how far he will go.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Mar 11, 2022 2:47:54 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Just watching CTV and I'm starting to be convinced that the Russian military is a newer, better equipped version of Iraqi military.....but no better run.

Their tanks got ambushed so badly that I wonder if they know the word "scouts" and NOT walking into what would be a generic urban trap. Single column down a highway, no infantry support, no air support, just a bunch of guys in steel cans getting slaughtered.

They should thank their stars that they are just meeting a bunch of brave man and not a first world military that would chew them up like the roaches they are. Predators would be raining down JDAMS (guided bombs) front and back, taking out SAM vehicles and A-10/Apaches would be going up and down that column, turning into a twisted pile of metal and bodies.

That was great to see. I'm sleeping better tonight.

Dis, comment?



BTW...remember this?

www.google.com/search?q=highway+of+death&client=tablet-android-samsung-nf-rev1&hl=en&tbm=isch&prmd=ivmn&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjc-Ln_yL32AhXUZc0KHUNHDLoQ_AUIFigB&biw=712&bih=1138&dpr=2.25

Hi HA, I won't get into tactics, but I will opine on what I think is preventing Putin from winning this war ... first, it's totally Putin's show ... this isn't about Russia/Ukraine, this war is about Tsar Putin ... as with Hitler, he is surrounded with advisors (military and governmental) who's job it is to provide him with as much information, and solutions, as they can ... however, also as with Hitler, Putin runs the show ... he dismisses everything that doesn't support his plan, and as a result, things get dropped ... secondly, Putin also controls the Russian media ... ordinary Russians will only see and hear what Putin wants them to, so he controls the information his people are getting ... whether factual or not, they'll hear of the successes, but they won't hear of the failures or deaths, which are many ... once that happens, Putin will have more domestic problems than he'll know what to do with (I wonder if they've hit that mark already) ... thirdly, Russian leadership at all levels, has been borderline incompetent, and it starts at the top ... Putin refusing to examine all the options resulted in no Plan B ... so, what do you tell the troops now ... no Plan B, and all of a sudden the beans get eaten, and the gas dries up, and the only orders they've received are "go that way" ... that's a combination of incompetence, and extremely poor leadership ... as an aside, the more his people learn the truth, the worse it is for Putin ... I mean, where does he go from here ... his future entails having a 24/7-armed escort wherever he goes, and forever checking his back ... forget visiting any western countries, he won't be welcome anywhere ... all that said, the war isn't about Ukraine, it's about Putin, and that's the biggest reason Russia is failing ... just opinions, man ... 

Cheers. 

[Cranky]

Mar 12, 2022 0:09:33 GMT -5 Disgruntled70sHab said:

Hi HA, I won't get into tactics, but I will opine on what I think is preventing Putin from winning this war ... first, it's totally Putin's show ... this isn't about Russia/Ukraine, this war is about Tsar Putin ... as with Hitler, he is surrounded with advisors (military and governmental) who's job it is to provide him with as much information, and solutions, as they can ... however, also as with Hitler, Putin runs the show ... he dismisses everything that doesn't support his plan, and as a result, things get dropped ... secondly, Putin also controls the Russian media ... ordinary Russians will only see and hear what Putin wants them to, so he controls the information his people are getting ... whether factual or not, they'll hear of the successes, but they won't hear of the failures or deaths, which are many ... once that happens, Putin will have more domestic problems than he'll know what to do with (I wonder if they've hit that mark already) ... thirdly, Russian leadership at all levels, has been borderline incompetent, and it starts at the top ... Putin refusing to examine all the options resulted in no Plan B ... so, what do you tell the troops now ... no Plan B, and all of a sudden the beans get eaten, and the gas dries up, and the only orders they've received are "go that way" ... that's a combination of incompetence, and extremely poor leadership ... as an aside, the more his people learn the truth, the worse it is for Putin ... I mean, where does he go from here ... his future entails having a 24/7-armed escort wherever he goes, and forever checking his back ... forget visiting any western countries, he won't be welcome anywhere ... all that said, the war isn't about Ukraine, it's about Putin, and that's the biggest reason Russia is failing ... just opinions, man ... 

Cheers. 

Absolutely agree with everything you say.

When I hear that he's recruiting 16,000 Syrians, which are not much more then organized suicide squads, that tells me that Putin is scared of the body bags. Too many body bags. And too many body bags can lead to too much anger at home.

So we capitalize on that? Nope. Do we keep him sleepless by building up his border that he can't possibly defend? It's not like he doesn't see a civilian militia humiliate his mighty army. It's not like the entire planet has seen his mighty army...and amazed at the reverse gear of his tanks.

I don't know about you but I thought that this was a far more professional army then the clown show we see. Unfortunately, those clowns have overwhelming firepower.

[Cranky]

Mar 11, 2022 20:49:15 GMT -5 jkr said:

Putin keeps pushing and no one pushes back. He has no reservations about sacrificing lives on either side. We saw that in Chechnya in 2008, in Crimea in 2014. Hell, they shot down a commercial jetliner and there were absolutely no consequences. A year or so later and Russia is supporting another brutal dictator by bombing the hell out of Syria. No wonder he feels like there will be no significant pushback because there never is.

But if it comes to chemical weapons there has to be a significant military response. I cant be specific because I dont have the knowledge of weapons and tactics. But if that is allowed to go unpunished who knows how far he will go.

We have Biden making absolutely clear he's scared. Literally scared. He actually went word by word... this... can..lead...to...www3. This isn't a foil to Putin and Western leadership, it's a scared servant fearing the whip.

Where are you John Kennedy?

Where are you Winston Churchill?

Where are you Harry Truman?

I don't want war...never did...but I don't want the western leadership to bend over and just make loud noises. I don't want Putin to control our food and energy. I don't want to face him again in a few years doing exactly the same warmongering thing he has done the last decade and having to fight him with crippled economies and empty gas tanks.

Have you ever tried to get a herd of sheep to move? You literally have to push it with your foot and meekly, it will go where you push it. Bleating all the way. In fear but never defending itself. Maybe a few a few running off, but certainly no fear of any bite back. Sheep being sheep. All noise, no bite.

Welcome to the West.

[Cranky]

Mar 9, 2022 20:57:54 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Putin is winning....and that is the biggest mistake possible since 1938. Including Ukraines resources, we will be handing him the power to spin us around his little finger in terms of energy and food. He will literally be able to create havoc for the entire planet in energy and food markets at will. AT WILL. He will achieve the unimaginable. Think about the price of wheat when he and only HE decides to not supply grain to the world. $20 for a loaf of bread. Fuel shut down? $10 a liter. Destroying western economies at his whim and fancy.

Yes, it's that bad if he wins. But right now, we're busy looking at our tv's and whining about gas prices, worried about "escalation" but totally oblivious to the much larger, far grimmer picture that awaits us.

Good thing the media figured it out. Good thing that they finally figured out that Ukraine is a huge wheat producer. And amazingly what no wheat from Ukraine will result to.

They bring in newly minted "food sdcurity experts" to tell us what no wheat production means. I mean, who knew that desperately hungry people could result in civil unrest.

In two weeks, give or take a month, the media will figure out the real intent of Putins actions.

I tell'ya, impressive minds in them media circus shows....

'People will fight for whatever's left': Ukraine conflict could lead to global wheat shortages

Russia and Ukraine are among the world’s top wheat exporters. With one ravaged by war and the other shackled by sanctions, there are fears the conflict will have a large impact on global food supply.

People will fight for whatever’s left,” Dalhousie University food security expert Sylvain Charlebois told CTV News. “In some parts of the world, you’re likely going to see some civil unrest.”

www.ctvnews.ca/world/people-will-fight-for-whatever-s-left-ukraine-conflict-could-lead-to-global-wheat-shortages-1.5816626

[Cranky]

This is a hard assessment of reality. Nothing good to take away from this article le.

What I'm getting angry about is the total fear and capitulation of Western leadership. Not even a token threat that if he does this or that, he's risking WW3. The "big news" is that we took some toys from one of the oligarchs and they won't be able to shop because irrelevant Western capitalist companies suspended business. That's just pure comedy for a murderous tyrant.

Further down...the most important paragraph in red...

As West tries to force Russia from Ukraine, endgame elusive

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Western leaders congratulate themselves for their speedy and severe responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they’re also scratching their heads with uncertainty about what their actions will accomplish.

The U.S., NATO and the European Union have focused on strangling Russia’s economy and arming Ukrainian fighters. But it’s unclear how this will stop the war. No one knows what President Vladimir Putin is thinking, but there’s no reason to believe that even the toughest measures will shatter his determination to force the Western-leaning former Soviet republic back into Moscow’s orbit.

They may not say it publicly, but U.S. officials and their NATO allies don’t see a breaking point for Putin — either an economic toll so severe or battlefield losses so devastating — that would convince him to order his troops home and allow Ukraine’s leaders to govern in peace.

“Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin,” Biden said as he announced a U.S. ban on Russian energy imports on Tuesday. But Ukraine might not be a complete defeat for Putin either.

The sanctions and military aid may have been effective in slowing the Russian advance in Ukraine and perhaps discouraging Putin from targeting other countries. They may serve as a warning for other powerful countries tempted to target weaker neighbors. But Western officials have been vague about how the actions will end the fighting.

One of the most direct answers came from the third-ranking U.S. diplomat, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland. She said Tuesday that internal, rather than external, pressure on Putin will be more effective.

“The way this conflict will end is when Putin realizes that this adventure has put his own leadership standing at risk with his own military, with his own people,” she testified before Congress. “He will have to change course, or the Russian people take matters into their own hands.”

A more provocative remark came from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who called for the Russian people to assassinate Putin. The White House quickly distanced itself from that comment.

In fact, there is no sign yet that his grip on power has loosened. There’s also the frightening uncertainty about how a nuclear-armed Putin, if cornered, would respond to a genuine threat to his power if one were to arise.

And no one is counting on an outright military victory by Ukraine. While Ukrainian fighters have put up a remarkable defense and are determined to fight for as long as Russian forces remain on their soil, they are badly outgunned and would be hard-pressed to push Russian troops back across the border. Meanwhile, NATO nations aren’t about to risk triggering World War III by joining the fight in defense of a non-member state.

Against this backdrop, a diplomatic solution appears unlikely. Russia has only hardened its demands since launching the invasion last month and attempts at diplomacy by French, Israeli and Turkish leaders have thus far proven fruitless. The top U.S. and Russian diplomats aren’t even talking to each other and recent lower-level communications have focused almost entirely on the expulsions of diplomats from their two countries.

“Nobody knows how this is going to end and it’s going to take some time to see how the Russians decide to react to the obvious dead-end that they’ve got themselves into,” said Jeff Rathke, a European expert and president of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

“Until the Russians are ready to negotiate something serious and real, there’s not much you can do,” he said. He added that the U.S. and Europe should resist the temptation to negotiate themselves with Putin over Ukraine, especially as the economic costs of isolating Moscow mount, particularly in Europe. “The endgame has to be decided by the Ukrainians in terms of what they will accept,” he said.

“I can’t see this ending in any way good for Ukraine as long as Putin is in power,” said Ian Kelly, a retired U.S. diplomat and former ambassador to Georgia who now teaches international relations at Northwestern University. “He’s put out his maximalist goal, which is basically surrender, and that’s something the Ukrainians aren’t going to be able to accept and the Russians are not going to be able to implement.”

“Withdrawal for him is death. It’s too weak,” Kelly said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged the limits of the West’s ability to end the conflict.

“What we’re looking at is whether or not President Putin will decide to try to finally cut the losses that he’s inflicted on himself and inflicted on the Russian people. We can’t decide that for him,” he said Wednesday.

Appearing beside Blinken, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss suggested the Western response may go beyond hopes of getting Russia out of Ukraine.

“Putin must fail,” she said. “We know from history that aggressors only understand one thing, and that is strength. We know that if we don’t do enough now, other aggressors around the world will be emboldened. And we know that if Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, there will be terrible implications for European and global security.”

With the uncertainty, U.S. officials have said they are convinced of only one thing: that an angry and frustrated Putin will pour more troops and firepower into Ukraine and the bloodshed will get worse before the situation approaches any return to normalcy.

CIA Director William Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, told lawmakers this week he believes Putin has profoundly miscalculated the resistance and determination that his forces would meet from Ukrainians. He also said it may soon dawn on Putin that he will not be able to occupy Ukraine or impose a Russia-friendly regime there without facing years, if not decades, of fierce and bloody opposition.

“Where that leads, I think, is for an ugly next few weeks in which he doubles down with scant regard for civilian casualties, in which urban fighting can get even uglier,” Burns said.

apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-nato-european-union-europe-aca0de34f3644058256f1fc700e2da54

[Cranky]

To me, TikTok is childish entertainment...but they have some interesting war footage.

So reluctantly say...check it out. But be quick with a finger scroll, way too much junk....and unverified footage.

[jkr]

Mar 11, 2022 20:49:15 GMT -5 jkr said:

Mar 11, 2022 16:41:48 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Here is a question of how far are we prepared to go if Russia uses chemical weapons?

I'm undecided. I don't want to glow in the dark....but I'm also not prepared to give Putin the keys to our economy and/or our existence.

I keep saying 1938.....and it's becoming very real.

Comment?

Putin keeps pushing and no one pushes back. He has no reservations about sacrificing lives on either side. We saw that in Chechnya in 2008, in Crimea in 2014. Hell, they shot down a commercial jetliner and there were absolutely no consequences. A year or so later and Russia is supporting another brutal dictator by bombing the hell out of Syria. No wonder he feels like there will be no significant pushback because there never is.

But if it comes to chemical weapons there has to be a significant military response. I cant be specific because I dont have the knowledge of weapons and tactics. But if that is allowed to go unpunished who knows how far he will go.

What I failed to state when I posted this about the "severe consequences" was that they have to be immediate. They have to know now how they will respond. None of this meeting crap where they sit around a table and argue for days while a war is going on. IMO consequences dont seem so severe when they happen a week or two after the fact.

[Cranky]

Mar 12, 2022 8:20:40 GMT -5 jkr said:

What I failed to state when I posted this about the "severe consequences" was that they have to be immediate. They have to know now how they will respond. None of this meeting crap where they sit around a table and argue for days while a war is going on. IMO consequences dont seem so severe when they happen a week or two after the fact.

It's pretty simple....two bit politicians need time to agree how their self interests align.

In the US, you have the far right screaming "It's not our war" and some even excusing Puta, the far left and deeply embedded in the Democratic party that think this is a great thing for the enviroment oops, too sad for the Ukranians body bags. The Germans want no part of anything that affects their mighty industries or energy self interests. Ditto for half the EU to a lesser degree. Turkey wants no part of anything that harms comrade Putin. I don't even know why they are in NATO. Then it circles back to America and if the EU doesn't want to suffer, why should we. That's why there is no ban on Russian imports like steel.

What we are getting is a steady stream of lollipops to ease our anger. This company or that company is pulling out of Russia. Wow, no more Big Macs for Russia, that will show them how tough we are. Or some Russian billionaire who can't run his fooootbaaall team. Wow, more suffering.

Have you checked out the ruble? It's almost back to it's pre-war level in Canada. How about those Russian gas exports to the EU. They're fine, thanks for asking. Putin is personally thanking them for financing his war. Flowers to follow.

But..the garbage media is telling us the Russian economy is collapsing. Like we can't look at the exchange rate or know the irrelevance of Big Macs.

The West is a joke....and Putin knows this. Meanwhile, your savings are getting evaporated, your life is getting ever more expensive and all we have to show for the masses economic sacrifice is zip f a on the body bags...but on the economic front, lots of political posturing and lollipop action. In fact, the Western masses are paying a higher economic price then the average Russian...and the war is getting worse.

BTW...I heard on the radio by some liberal politician that Canada is in the forefront of sanctions and bans. Yeah...they amounted to a butt scratch to Russia. Way to go for our hero politician.

[Cranky]

Here is an sample of how we are getting played by the politicians and media...both that are garbage to my eyes.

Russia says China refuses to supply aircraft parts after sanctions.


https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/russia-says-china-refuses-supply-aircraft-parts-after-sanctions-2022-03-10/


Really? Wow, those Chinese are on our side. Hugs and kisses.

Except....

All the Russian commercial planes are either American or European. And wonders of wonders, so are the spare parts.

So Reuters essentially pushed backdoor Russian propaganda.

Lollipops anyone?

.

[Cranky]

It's extremely rare that I read The Gaurdian and not have to throw up from the headache caused by the far left spin....but for once, they got it right in this article...mostly.

How Ukraine has become the crucible of the new world order

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been described by politicians and commentators as a watershed moment in modern history, a turning point comparable in importance to the 9/11 attacks in the US in 2001, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and even the assassination of John F Kennedy in 1963.

www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/12/how-ukraine-has-become-the-crucible-of-the-new-world-order

[jkr]

Disappointung but not surprising to see places like the U.K., Turkey, France and Israel seeing political benefits in this war. I don't really get Israel's position. They have been closely aligned with the U.S. for so long. What do they owe Russia?

I'd really like to see Saudi Arabia pay for their stance but it's not going to happen. What can you say about a regime that just executed 81 people in a single day? There are so many bad actors around the globe, it's like playing whack a mole.