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Or Russia could simply withdraw from all sovereign Ukrainian territory and this would all be over. But Putin's ego won't allow for that.
He won't do that. He stated a while ago that Ukraine will not align itself with NATO/EU which was what Zelensky was trying to do. Yes countries have the right to align themselves with any nation they want and create defense pacts with any nation they want (though we didn't seem to let Cuba do that with the Soviets). but in Putin's mind Ukraine is historically Russian and should always remain under Russian sphere of influence. Even our former ambassador to the Soviet Union said a few years ago that he believed NATO encroachment on Russia would lead to future problems and that James Baker once gave Gorbachev a verbal agreement that we wouldn't expand east. None of this justifies Putin's actions, just showing that there is more than one perspective here
US Ambassador Matlock in 2020 explains around 19 minutes
What we can only hope for now is that the Russian people rise up and challenge Putin and his policies either overthrowing him (unlikely) or making him change course (hopefully). If they won't or can't then this war will go on and escalate. Not a good scenario.
Have you noticed the tone of disgust creeping into ISW's reports? They seem to be revolted that Russia is just throwing their troops in to be slaughtered and causing needless deaths on the other side as well.
Yup...these guys are professional analyst and are literally just shaking their heads. They showed the same disgust along with Russian milbloggers in the amount of resources Russia used to take Severodonetsk and Lysychansk...which really have little military value...and predicted that Russian problems with force generation and logistics combined with the massive resources they were using along with the heavy losses risked them culminating in the field (which happened) making things like Ukraine's Kharkiv Offensive possible. Maybe Putin should read their reports...I've heard rumors he does.
He won't do that. He stated a while ago that Ukraine will not align itself with NATO/EU which was what Zelensky was trying to do. Yes countries have the right to align themselves with any nation they want and create defense pacts with any nation they want (though we didn't seem to let Cuba do that with the Soviets). but in Putin's mind Ukraine is historically Russian and should always remain under Russian sphere of influence. Even our former ambassador to the Soviet Union said a few years ago that he believed NATO encroachment on Russia would lead to future problems and that James Baker once gave Gorbachev a verbal agreement that we wouldn't expand east. None of this justifies Putin's actions, just showing that there is more than one perspective here
US Ambassador Matlock in 2020 explains around 19 minutes
What we can only hope for now is that the Russian people rise up and challenge Putin and his policies either overthrowing him (unlikely) or making him change course (hopefully). If they won't or can't then this war will go on and escalate. Not a good scenario.
Good interview.
On the question of Putin's popularity in Russia, being popular is fine but what if Putin is popular only because people don't know the truth about him? Going back to a video I posted on Crimea, Russia won great support among Crimeans, but once they realized what he was doing they changed their minds.
It has to remind us that Nixon won by a landslide before he was drummed out of office and Bush's popularity hit 80% or so after 9/11.
Russia and Putin have been creating problems world wide for many years. The world will be safer with an impoverished Russia which is unable to field an army and with a navy which is rotting in port.
He won't do that. He stated a while ago that Ukraine will not align itself with NATO/EU which was what Zelensky was trying to do. Yes countries have the right to align themselves with any nation they want and create defense pacts with any nation they want (though we didn't seem to let Cuba do that with the Soviets). but in Putin's mind Ukraine is historically Russian and should always remain under Russian sphere of influence. Even our former ambassador to the Soviet Union said a few years ago that he believed NATO encroachment on Russia would lead to future problems and that James Baker once gave Gorbachev a verbal agreement that we wouldn't expand east. None of this justifies Putin's actions, just showing that there is more than one perspective here
US Ambassador Matlock in 2020 explains around 19 minutes
What we can only hope for now is that the Russian people rise up and challenge Putin and his policies either overthrowing him (unlikely) or making him change course (hopefully). If they won't or can't then this war will go on and escalate. Not a good scenario.
Ukraine agreed not to seek NATO membership in the early days of the war. Russia basically agreed that Ukraine could join the EU. I find it hard to believe that Ukraine wouldn't have given in on Crimea at that point. Russia could have had that months ago. That isn't what Putin wants.
Or Russia could simply withdraw from all sovereign Ukrainian territory and this would all be over. But Putin's ego won't allow for that.
With the reserves being called up, I fear Putin will just grind them down even if it takes 20 years. he is already ethnic cleansing the areas under control and repopulating with Russians.
Sometimes bad people like Putin win. The world is not a Lifetime TV movie.
You’re so very wrong on that point. Russia holds the keys to Europe’s near future, economically, and because of it, an immense influence on global economics. We here in the United States have already been impacted by the sanctions placed on Russia …. and in the coming winter months, the true impact will be suffered across Europe, when/if Russia chooses to keep the flow of oil and gas turned off to the EU nations sanctioning them now, and supporting Ukraine. Many have already suffered the consequences, and it’s only the beginning.
There are two ways this can go … escalating the war, with more severe global consequences, or negotiating an end to it, and restoring a measure of sanity. Russia’s nuclear capability, along with the EU’s reliance on Russian oil and gas, puts Russia in a strategically powerful place at the table, and the global energy market is extremely vulnerable to continuing on the current trajectory.
Think global depression, because that’s what is looming on the horizon, if this continues much longer, or escalates.
The only part of the above that I agree with is this:
"There are two ways this can go … escalating the war, with more severe global consequences, or negotiating an end to it, and restoring a measure of sanity."
The negotiation MUST result in Russia removing its forces from the majority of occupied territory in Ukraine. If there is any justice, it would also entail Russia paying $billions in reparations for all the destruction they have inflicted on civilian areas. "Restoring a measure of sanity" is difficult when Putin shows no hint of it.
With the reserves being called up, I fear Putin will just grind them down even if it takes 20 years. he is already ethnic cleansing the areas under control and repopulating with Russians.
Sometimes bad people like Putin win. The world is not a Lifetime TV movie.
PS I hope I am wrong.
After the referendum, Russia will declare Donetsk and Luhansk to be Russian territory. Any shell fired into those areas will have been fired into Russian territory.
Putin does, indeed, intend to repopulate those areas with Russians. He may even instantly turn soldiers into civilians so that civilians casualties appear to escalate.
But Putin doesn't have 20 years or anything like that. His country is on the ropes with manufacturing capability way down and more shut downs on the horizon. Automobile, aircraft, railroad - they are all coming to a full stop, and Russia cannot function without them.
All you know is what you are told to believe. But you can’t even figure out what is happening in your own damned country, so don’t even try to explain what is happening over there. You have no clue.
Relax Putin, while it may seem like we’re surrounding you, trust us, we mean you no harm. Our military bases and nuclear missile installations are strictly for self defense against Russian aggression.
And, pay no attention to President Biden saying we need a regime change in Russia, he’s just a bit senile, and he says a lot of strange things. He probably got Russia confused with Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and other places we’ve facilitated a change in regimes. Oh yes, Ukraine? That color revolution was purely organic, and we had nothing to do with overthrowing Ukraine’s democratically elected government a few years back.
And pay no attention to NATO war games being conducted near Russia’s border … just exercises, and nothing to be concerned about.
And so it's okay to go an invade Ukraine, a smaller country who didn't do anything, and attack civilians and bomb hospitals, etc because the Russian army is so weak? Because they don't know how to win a war otherwise?
With the reserves being called up, I fear Putin will just grind them down even if it takes 20 years. he is already ethnic cleansing the areas under control and repopulating with Russians.
Sometimes bad people like Putin win. The world is not a Lifetime TV movie.
PS I hope I am wrong.
Well, it took us 20 years to lose the war in Afghanistan. I think the pundits are right that Russia will lose this war. It's just not certain how long that will take.
All you know is what you are told to believe. But you can’t even figure out what is happening in your own damned country, so don’t even try to explain what is happening over there. You have no clue.
Relax Putin, while it may seem like we’re surrounding you, trust us, we mean you no harm. Our military bases and nuclear missile installations are strictly for self defense against Russian aggression.
And, pay no attention to President Biden saying we need a regime change in Russia, he’s just a bit senile, and he says a lot of strange things. He probably got Russia confused with Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and other places we’ve facilitated a change in regimes. Oh yes, Ukraine? That color revolution was purely organic, and we had nothing to do with overthrowing Ukraine’s democratically elected government a few years back.
And pay no attention to NATO war games being conducted near Russia’s border … just exercises, and nothing to be concerned about.
Those bases have been there for decades ....probably before you were born....
now all of a sudden Russia feels surrounded and is worried/scared of these US bases...
and that's why they invaded Ukraine....
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