Current Affairs Ukraine

[Cecil]

Medvedev is a gob (what kopites are before I get another warning for bad language). But that is reporting what he said in July last year according to the article.

I'm going a bit conspiracy theorist on this but after Putin's interview by Tucker, the death of Navalny and the swing to a Russian advantage in the war, we will be seeing a lot more of this type of article.

Then again, Russia has enough bs spouters to fill several newspapers worth of stories that makes them look like idiots.

Where is Kev these days?

 

[tsubaki]

The U.K. is already in a position of strategic independence. Russia cannot invade the U.K. We have our own nuclear deterrent. I’m sure the EU will keep pushing for the U.K. to join a European army/defence force or whatever, but we should stick with NATO, we pay our way and work well with the USA….

No it isn't, yes it could, no we don't and we absolutely should have deep defence ties with the EU.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

I'll stick this in here because it fits under Putin's planning.

In unusual move, China offers to back Hungary in security matters​

By Liz Lee and Ryan Woo
February 19, 20244:53 AM GMTUpdated 11 hours ago

Loading…

www.reuters.com

And the another part of Putin's puzzle.

Hungary's government declines offer to meet US senators seeking approval for Sweden's NATO bid

A bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators has made an official visit to Hungary’s capital to call on the nationalist government to immediately approve Sweden’s request to join NATO

abcnews.go.com

 

[peteblue]

No it isn't, yes it could, no we don't and we absolutely should have deep defence ties with the EU.

Would you like to explain exactly how Russia could invade the U.K…asking for a mate in the Kremlin……

 

[Yarrgh]

Where is Kev these days?

In the North.

Or maybe the South.




Or could be the East.

 

[Drico]

The U.K. is already in a position of strategic independence. Russia cannot invade the U.K. We have our own nuclear deterrent. I’m sure the EU will keep pushing for the U.K. to join a European army/defence force or whatever, but we should stick with NATO, we pay our way and work well with the USA….

Yes, we need to do this ourselves in the EU. We don't want to be relying on the Tories.

 

[tsubaki]

Would you like to explain exactly how Russia could invade the U.K…asking for a mate in the Kremlin……

Pete - these are no longer the days when we have the largest navy in the world, a strong air force and a large army with a larger pool of reservists. We have, at least publicly, no long range air defences apart from the RAF (no significant SAM net). We no longer have much defence production, nor do we have much of an industrial base that could be turned into defence production. Our political leadership has the unfortunate habit of being both belligerent and clueless, and even worse they are actively rigging the system so that it would be very difficult to remove them in an emergency (unless there was action by the military or security services). Our populace is both unarmed and untrained in arms for the most part, with a low level of general fitness and whilst there is a lot of social cohesion still, a lot of the effort of the current rulers is aimed directly at undermining that. The country is in a large amount of debt, much of it to the people who have caused the debt and who now profit by it.

If NATO were to collapse and the EU encouraged to stay out of it, we'd be left utterly exposed - far more so than in June 1940.

If that fact didn't itself cause a government to collapse in the face of Russian aggression, I would imagine any invasion would start with some shocking act that we couldn't respond to - a tactical nuke or maybe just a massive conventional missile attack on RAF bases away from cities, something below the line of the "deterrent" being used (which would of course mean the deaths of nearly everyone on these islands) but enough to make it obvious what further resistance would involve.

Then they'd probably be happy with some compliant regime doing their bidding - perhaps with "advisors" who would fly in and have a very comfortable time at our expense whilst protecting them from the resistance-Nazis who would spring up. I would imagine you would recognise many of the people making up that regime.

 

[Rita_Poon]

Would you like to explain exactly how Russia could invade the U.K…asking for a mate in the Kremlin……

Still got that hotline eh comrade, where there's a will there's a ruble...

 

[Drico]

This is a more toned downed rhetoric. I understand a little clearer what you are trying to say but the Putin energy weapon put everyone in harms way. I would hope whatever happens during this conflict that if any EU country wants to reintroduce this madness again that is up to their Nations hierarchy not any US Corporation plot. It's just too easy to get into a blame game. I agree EU needs to up their game in security if they believe Putin is on the rampage again that is up to them. Cost of living has been impacted greatly due to weaning of Russian energy.
As I have said before Trump is a nutter should be in jail and is a wildcard for the future. MAGA republicans do not understand the risks associated in not helping Ukraine as quickly as possible they will when American boots are on the ground because of dithering.
Ukraine has been Steller in stopping the Russian Empire but they do need help. But having the comment putting Ukraine under the bus by the US was totally misleading to this thread and won't go not called out on.

Get over yourself. The US IS throwing Ukraine under a bus - or are you going to defend the MAGA Republicans now? Pointing out this reality in the Ukraine thread is perfectly appropriate.

Accusing somebody of "spewing hate" for pointing out the obvious beggars belief. Now would be a good to climb down with a bit of dignity.

 

[Drico]

Hungary's government declines offer to meet US senators seeking approval for Sweden's NATO bid

A bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators has made an official visit to Hungary’s capital to call on the nationalist government to immediately approve Sweden’s request to join NATO

abcnews.go.com

And here you see the fatal flaw of the EU. Too many in positions of power in the EU don't really believe in it enough to make it truly effective in foreign policy. Cuckoos like Orban are allowed to play games instead of being ejected. It's no wonder expansion ground to a halt years ago.

 

[tsubaki]

And here you see the fatal flaw of the EU. Too many in positions of power in the EU don't really believe in it enough to make it truly effective in foreign policy. Cuckoos like Orban are allowed to play games instead of being ejected. It's no wonder expansion ground to a halt years ago.

As an aside, I really despise the way members of Congress have started over the past few decades to adopt a foreign policy role. It was reasonable when a President would send a senior person to a place to convey a certain message but a lot of this nowadays is nakedly political.

That visit to Budapest was not as idiotic as Pelosi's visit to Taiwan was, but why on earth are they surprised that the Hungarian government refused to meet with them when they had prepared a joint statement beforehand attacking the Hungarian government? If they did that to our government I would hope we'd tell them to get bent also.

 

[Tennessee Blue Mike]

Get over yourself. The US IS throwing Ukraine under a bus - or are you going to defend the MAGA Republicans now? Pointing out this reality in the Ukraine thread is perfectly appropriate.

Accusing somebody of "spewing hate" for pointing out the obvious beggars belief. Now would be a good to climb down with a bit of dignity.

Thank you proves my point perfectly.

 

[peteblue]

Pete - these are no longer the days when we have the largest navy in the world, a strong air force and a large army with a larger pool of reservists. We have, at least publicly, no long range air defences apart from the RAF (no significant SAM net). We no longer have much defence production, nor do we have much of an industrial base that could be turned into defence production. Our political leadership has the unfortunate habit of being both belligerent and clueless, and even worse they are actively rigging the system so that it would be very difficult to remove them in an emergency (unless there was action by the military or security services). Our populace is both unarmed and untrained in arms for the most part, with a low level of general fitness and whilst there is a lot of social cohesion still, a lot of the effort of the current rulers is aimed directly at undermining that. The country is in a large amount of debt, much of it to the people who have caused the debt and who now profit by it.

If NATO were to collapse and the EU encouraged to stay out of it, we'd be left utterly exposed - far more so than in June 1940.

If that fact didn't itself cause a government to collapse in the face of Russian aggression, I would imagine any invasion would start with some shocking act that we couldn't respond to - a tactical nuke or maybe just a massive conventional missile attack on RAF bases away from cities, something below the line of the "deterrent" being used (which would of course mean the deaths of nearly everyone on these islands) but enough to make it obvious what further resistance would involve.

Then they'd probably be happy with some compliant regime doing their bidding - perhaps with "advisors" who would fly in and have a very comfortable time at our expense whilst protecting them from the resistance-Nazis who would spring up. I would imagine you would recognise many of the people making up that regime.

Well, apart from the fact you haven’t a clue about about our defence production. No problem you can admit it. You do realise that we too have a nuclear capability to remove most of Western Russia on our own, without the USA, somehow you cannot admit that we we have this capability. Now for my sins, having worked in the manufacturing of these systems, and working with the MoD, I do happen to know our capabilities, not all of whom are declared btw, and it’s not WW2 where we need a large Navy to protect the channel, we do have a very capable Air Force with planes way in advance of anything Russia has. So unless they come over on rubber boats dressed as Asylum seekers, exactly how do they invade…

 

[Rita_Poon]

tsubaki was pointing out that british trident deterrent is actually an american system. might be splitting heirs but twas ever thus.

 

[tsubaki]

Well, apart from the fact you haven’t a clue about about our defence production. No problem you can admit it. You do realise that we too have a nuclear capability to remove most of Western Russia on our own, without the USA, somehow you cannot admit that we we have this capability. Now for my sins, having worked in the manufacturing of these systems, and working with the MoD, I do happen to know our capabilities, not all of whom are declared btw, and it’s not WW2 where we need a large Navy to protect the channel, we do have a very capable Air Force with planes way in advance of anything Russia has. So unless they come over on rubber boats dressed as Asylum seekers, exactly how do they invade…

Pete we have a nuclear capability, but the Russians would have to be barking mad to put us in a situation where we'd use it. Still the best explanation of this is here:



I'd have thought someone who knew this would have known it, to be honest.