US has no good options in Ukraine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Putin may be starting a war to make the US government squirm and lose support so he can help get Trump back in power in 2024. This may have been the topic of some of their secret conversations.

Hah, that's funny, thinking Americans can remember or will use what happened in 2022 to influence their voting in 2024.

You still believe the Russia collusion narrative??? Why would Putin want Trump to be president when Biden is handing everything to him on a silver platter???? Please explain.

What exactly is Biden handing to him on a silver platter? Be specific.

The only thing Joe should be handing Vlad right now is a few hundred nuclear explosions all over Russia.

So you want to end civilization over the Ukraine?

Just "Ukraine." No "the."

Maybe for a couple of days (though likely a few more hours), then the Ukraine will be a region in Russia

[Anonymous]

The depths you idiots will go to excuse Trump's vileness are endless

quoted again for truth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Putin may be starting a war to make the US government squirm and lose support so he can help get Trump back in power in 2024. This may have been the topic of some of their secret conversations.

Hah, that's funny, thinking Americans can remember or will use what happened in 2022 to influence their voting in 2024.

You still believe the Russia collusion narrative??? Why would Putin want Trump to be president when Biden is handing everything to him on a silver platter???? Please explain.

What exactly is Biden handing to him on a silver platter? Be specific.

The only thing Joe should be handing Vlad right now is a few hundred nuclear explosions all over Russia.

So you want to end civilization over the Ukraine?

the fact that you call it "the Ukraine" is a tell, traitor.

DP No rational person would call for nuclear war. Who cares about syntax?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
When Germany relies on Russian gas to make sure its citizens don't freeze to death in their homes, you can assume that any sanctions will just be for show.

That's a pretty one-dimensional view of the situation. Germans will figure out a way to survive. They are resourceful and tough.

Haha, Germans are certainly resourceful and talented, in a 19th century sort of way, but they aren't tough anymore.

They really only care about two things: exporting various tangible luxury goods, and signaling on what they consider important ES (not G) issues.

Russian gas will not flow to Europe again until a new Russian government is in power. That is a fact. No one is going to freeze. There is plenty of world supply without Russia. Sanctions will end Russia as a modern country.

This is a moment in history unlike any we have seen in generations. Europe will be up to the challenge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Putin may be starting a war to make the US government squirm and lose support so he can help get Trump back in power in 2024. This may have been the topic of some of their secret conversations.

Hah, that's funny, thinking Americans can remember or will use what happened in 2022 to influence their voting in 2024.

You still believe the Russia collusion narrative??? Why would Putin want Trump to be president when Biden is handing everything to him on a silver platter???? Please explain.

What exactly is Biden handing to him on a silver platter? Be specific.

The only thing Joe should be handing Vlad right now is a few hundred nuclear explosions all over Russia.

So you want to end civilization over the Ukraine?

the fact that you call it "the Ukraine" is a tell, traitor.

DP No rational person would call for nuclear war. Who cares about syntax?

The only way to deal with Russia is to assume nukes are off the table.

[Anonymous]

Alexander Vindman (the one who blew the whistle on Trump's corrupt withholding of Congressionally mandated military aid from Ukraine):

Russia’s first actions are hit or miss. It’s not looking as bad as I would have thought. Fewer cruise missile & air strikes. An early use of ground forces without reducing Ukraine’s military.

We will learn a great deal about the Russian military. It seems weaker than suspected.

https://twitter.com/AVindman/status/1496828413935562757

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
When Germany relies on Russian gas to make sure its citizens don't freeze to death in their homes, you can assume that any sanctions will just be for show.

That's a pretty one-dimensional view of the situation. Germans will figure out a way to survive. They are resourceful and tough.

Eh. Not really.

All of their T was used in ww2.

Germany is a car dealership with a flag. And even that is failing — Tesla and American and Japanese mfg’s are destroying them.

Germans don’t even have nice food, good westher like Southern Europe.

German stereotypes about efficiency and industry are petty inaccurate if you have spent time there. Digitization, technology etc is quite low.

It’s a country on a rapidly downward arc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Over the last 50 years, and especially in the last 30, the US has become too reliant on imports and cannot be self sufficient: from oil, to processors to micro chips, to food, to the clothes/shoes you wear, your covid tests, medicine, autos, your iPhone, computers, machinery, just absolutely everything. List all the things you use on a daily basis that are 100% made in the USA; then list the things that are at least partially made in China.

We've economically put ourselves in a horrible position of dependency on foreign everything because we LOVE cheap stuff. And the chickens have now come home to roost. Russia has us by the balls, especially if China sides with them. The US cannot sanction Russia enough to make a difference that wouldn't result in a retaliation by Russia/china that would devastate the US, and the US knows it. This isn't WWII where "We Can Do It" and women save the day.

Look at Germany Russia has threatened to shut off the gas pipeline against Germany. That would actually affect people all the way to France, as an example. No heat, no hot water, many will be unable to cook. That's just a small example.

This situation is incredibly complicated. I am not pro or anti Biden, but I am anti being so dependent on cheap foreign made goods that we have to sit on our hands while innocent people get bombed and killed. Look what we have done to ourselves.

We have China by the balls just as much as they have us. We can meaningfully sanction Russia because they have a small economy and their energy exports aren't coming here. Whether or not Europe goes along with it is an open question, but we can hit them with the kind of sanctions that we have on Iran and make their companies choose doing business with the US and doing business with Russia.

What kind of sanctions will make any difference to Russia or Putin? They’re not Iran. He won’t care. I’m sorry but I really think you’re wrong.

Europe cannot go along with this, especially re the gas pipeline. It affects way more countries than Germany. Just wait. I hate to be right about this.

The gas pipeline was not operational. They can miss it. No gas was coming through anyway. It was years away. Sanction that eliminate Russia from the modern world. Off the banking system. Anyone who deals with them -- same -- even China. Remember the world even Russia has become interconnected. They cannot take the isolation. Only countries that can survive something like this are US, Canada and Australia. No one else could. Will there be pain, sure.

Maybe it works/maybe it does not. The alternative is a war. Not a world war. Russia isn't that kid of power anymore. But a regional war involving the US. Russia will lose pretty bad. Iraq was better equipped than Russia is today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
When Germany relies on Russian gas to make sure its citizens don't freeze to death in their homes, you can assume that any sanctions will just be for show.

That's a pretty one-dimensional view of the situation. Germans will figure out a way to survive. They are resourceful and tough.

Way to oversimplify the problem.

Europe as a continent gets 20% of its natural gas from Russia (26% from the US, 24% from Quatar, etc.) The three major Russian pipelines entries are in Germany, Poland and Slovakia. Demand for natural gas has increased in Europe, meaning demand from Russia has increased. There exists a huge reliance on Russian natural gas. Russia could shut off the existing pipelines. The new proposed pipeline was definitely a calculated Russian move that has its own scandal of getting German government officials against one another (worth a read if you’re bored). This pipeline was to double the amount of natural gas to Germany.

Many other countries outside of Germany use Russian gas. Germany is getting the news focus because that’s where the new pipeline was being constructed. But ending that construction and cutting off the gas via 20% of all supply could definitely have serious consequences in many countries. I wouldnt sweep this under the rug.

[Anonymous]

My prediction: Germany announces in the next week they are re-activating the three nuclear reactors they shuttered at the end of 2021. Will not close the 3 slated to be shuttered by end of 2022. Possibly re-activate others (will take longer to become operational).

I'm long nuclear power.

[Anonymous]

Do the Russians really want to f**k with the Germans again? Germans backed by the U.S.?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Putin may be starting a war to make the US government squirm and lose support so he can help get Trump back in power in 2024. This may have been the topic of some of their secret conversations.

Hah, that's funny, thinking Americans can remember or will use what happened in 2022 to influence their voting in 2024.

You still believe the Russia collusion narrative??? Why would Putin want Trump to be president when Biden is handing everything to him on a silver platter???? Please explain.

What exactly is Biden handing to him on a silver platter? Be specific.

Oh, they can't answer that because Biden is clearly at fault for anything that goes on the world, whether it's within his control or not. They also can't answer why Russian hacked the DNC and RNC but only released info from the DNC and Hilary's campaign. They also can't explain why Trump and his family met at Trump Tower to discuss revoking the Magnitsky Act. They also can't explain why Trump went on national TV in Helsinki and claimed he trusted Putin more than his own intelligence agencies. They can't answer why exclusively Republican Senators made a trip to Russia on the 4th of July of all times (https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/395719-gop-senators-visited-moscow-on-july-4). They can't explain why Trump hired Paul Manafort as his campaign chairman and passed ultra sensitive campaign data to Russian operatives (https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/548794-there-was-trump-russia-collusion-and-trump-pardoned-the-colluder). They can't explain why Russia donated $30 million to the NRA, which just happened to be used for campaigning in the 2016 campaign. Money being fungible and all. They can't explain why Trump has never criticized Putin or held him to account or what Russia has on the RNC. But no, there's no "there, there". Wake up Republicans. You have an authoritarian regime that will gladly make you hate Democrats and democracy more than a real enemy regime.

+1. As public opinion turns against Russia, the Putin apologists in the conservative ecosphere are going to look like the anti-American assholes that they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Alexander Vindman (the one who blew the whistle on Trump's corrupt withholding of Congressionally mandated military aid from Ukraine):

Russia’s first actions are hit or miss. It’s not looking as bad as I would have thought. Fewer cruise missile & air strikes. An early use of ground forces without reducing Ukraine’s military.

We will learn a great deal about the Russian military. It seems weaker than suspected.

https://twitter.com/AVindman/status/1496828413935562757

He sounds like Bagdad Bob. Ukrainian resistance in the east has supposedly collapsed. The Russians took and currently hold an airport 15 miles from Kiev. Russian amphibious assaults aren't being contested and Russian columns are steadily advancing from the north.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Over the last 50 years, and especially in the last 30, the US has become too reliant on imports and cannot be self sufficient: from oil, to processors to micro chips, to food, to the clothes/shoes you wear, your covid tests, medicine, autos, your iPhone, computers, machinery, just absolutely everything. List all the things you use on a daily basis that are 100% made in the USA; then list the things that are at least partially made in China.

We've economically put ourselves in a horrible position of dependency on foreign everything because we LOVE cheap stuff. And the chickens have now come home to roost. Russia has us by the balls, especially if China sides with them. The US cannot sanction Russia enough to make a difference that wouldn't result in a retaliation by Russia/china that would devastate the US, and the US knows it. This isn't WWII where "We Can Do It" and women save the day.

Look at Germany Russia has threatened to shut off the gas pipeline against Germany. That would actually affect people all the way to France, as an example. No heat, no hot water, many will be unable to cook. That's just a small example.

This situation is incredibly complicated. I am not pro or anti Biden, but I am anti being so dependent on cheap foreign made goods that we have to sit on our hands while innocent people get bombed and killed. Look what we have done to ourselves.

We have China by the balls just as much as they have us. We can meaningfully sanction Russia because they have a small economy and their energy exports aren't coming here. Whether or not Europe goes along with it is an open question, but we can hit them with the kind of sanctions that we have on Iran and make their companies choose doing business with the US and doing business with Russia.

What kind of sanctions will make any difference to Russia or Putin? They’re not Iran. He won’t care. I’m sorry but I really think you’re wrong.

Europe cannot go along with this, especially re the gas pipeline. It affects way more countries than Germany. Just wait. I hate to be right about this.

The gas pipeline was not operational. They can miss it. No gas was coming through anyway. It was years away. Sanction that eliminate Russia from the modern world. Off the banking system. Anyone who deals with them -- same -- even China. Remember the world even Russia has become interconnected. They cannot take the isolation. Only countries that can survive something like this are US, Canada and Australia. No one else could. Will there be pain, sure.

Maybe it works/maybe it does not. The alternative is a war. Not a world war. Russia isn't that kid of power anymore. But a regional war involving the US. Russia will lose pretty bad. Iraq was better equipped than Russia is today.

And then Russia hits us with a cyber attack that shuts down banking or a power grid. And we are wholly unprepared for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Alexander Vindman (the one who blew the whistle on Trump's corrupt withholding of Congressionally mandated military aid from Ukraine):

Russia’s first actions are hit or miss. It’s not looking as bad as I would have thought. Fewer cruise missile & air strikes. An early use of ground forces without reducing Ukraine’s military.

We will learn a great deal about the Russian military. It seems weaker than suspected.

https://twitter.com/AVindman/status/1496828413935562757

Except for the part where Russia is now attacking Chernobyl.