Surrender hotline.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63782764
without freedom of speech, we wouldn't know who the idiots are.
That's what you get for interacting with trolls. Once you've shredded all their arguments, they're like "Yeah, but we all know you're a liar anyway so whatever. My arguments still stand." and walk away looking for a new victim. It's all such a waste of perfectly good electrons.
Last edited by AdB; 11-30-2022 at 08:18 AM.
Its been denied as Ukraine was not seen as "democratic" enough, as you are probably aware.
This from yesterday,
"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a Tuesday press briefing issued an ultra-provocative statement telling Ukraine that "NATO's door is open". He pledged that one day the eastern European country which has for nine months been under Russian invasion will become a NATO member."
Seems some "red lines" are meaningless to some people.
well, if the secretary general of nato had said such a thing in so many words a year ago, your point would be arguable, at least.
but after an actual invasion of ukraine by an actual russian army, "provocation" is kind of moot. to my understanding of the arrow of time, something said now cannot be taken as provocation for something done nine months ago.
the secretary general of nato is reacting, in other words, not provoking. and that is analogous to the behavior of the west in general with regards to this conflict; reactive, not causal.
putin is bringing nato to his doorstep. them's the breaks.
Some people here evidently are too obtuse to get it.putin is bringing nato to his doorstep. them's the breaks.
Gerard>
Albuquerque, NM
Next election, vote against EVERY Republican, for EVERY office, at EVERY level. Be patriotic, save the country.
It really is quite difficult to build an ugly wooden boat.
The power of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web
The weakness of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web.
You mean like this?
"Rasmussen: Yeah, but it would also be a clear signal that NATO's door remains open. There is hope.… You can become members of NATO, if you so wish. And that's actually what we decided back in 2008. At the NATO summit, we decided that Ukraine and Georgia will become members of NATO…
Rasmussen: What we did back in 2008 was to guarantee that Ukraine and Georgia will become members of NATO…. And then we established the NATO-Ukraine Commission and the NATO-Georgia Commission.
tbut after an actual invasion of ukraine by an actual russian army, "provocation" is kind of moot.
The rest of your post is moot, given the above. Im sure you remember Anders Fogh Rasumussen, NATO sectary general 2009-14.
From an interview with Radio Free Europe in March this year.
They are from that time. Rasmussen is quoting what he said at the time, in 2008. He was well aware of Putins position, understood the risk of conflict, and pushed for it anyway.why not go back to 2008 and 2014 and quote something public from the time?[
so, after the fact of the invasion.
why settle for him quoting himself. give us the original.
there must be minutes for these meetings in which “we agreed…”
This stuff was common knowledge to many back then, seems you was unaware as you are now, not really surprising given the complete lack or desire to knowledge by most Americans of anything happening outside their own borders.. Im sure there are online archive material, if you are really interested, you will dig it out yourself. Pretty sure Google could help you out if you can spare a minute to look. I would not want to be accused of "spoon feeding" you propaganda......
Does not excuse what has happened, just to repeat.
As an aside, China and Russia fly the friendly skies?: https://www.businessinsider.com/russ...z7gmrL0JP82tng
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian and Chinese strategic bombers on Wednesday flew a joint patrol over the western Pacific in a show of increasingly close defense ties between the two countries.The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Tu-95 bombers of the Russian air force and the Chinese H-6K bombers flew over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea during an eight-hour mission.
As part of the drills, the Russian bombers for the first time landed in China and the Chinese bombers flew to an air base in Russia, the ministry said in a statement. It noted that the joint patrols weren't directed against any other country.
There is no rational, logical, or physical description of how free will could exist. It therefore makes no sense to praise or condemn anyone on the grounds they are a free willed self that made one choice but could have chosen something else. There is no evidence that such a situation is possible in our Universe. Demonstrate otherwise and I will be thrilled.
common knowledge? i don't doubt that there were people spreading this "knowledge" then, as there are now.
i'm talking about a primary source. not an op-ed of bald assertions, insinuations of backroom negotiations, etc..
if you provide me with an actual quote, pre-invasion, from an active nato leader, explicitly saying that nato leadership was in agreement that ukraine would be a member in the future, i will conceed that such was unwise, and provocative.
if there is a written agreement from a nato meeting before the invasion in which leadership codified their position that ukraine would be a member in the future, send me a copy and i will eat it.
Damn, LW; throwin' the gauntlet!
There's a lot of things they didn't tell me when I signed on with this outfit....
It really is quite difficult to build an ugly wooden boat.
The power of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web
The weakness of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web.
Other than offering a fun target to poke, I don't believe any here take Vad or Sandy seriously.
There's a lot of things they didn't tell me when I signed on with this outfit....
Do you consider Bush an "active nato leader" back in the day?
Bush: Strong Support for Ukraine in NATO - YouTube
I wouldnt want you to eat it......reading it would suffice......
NATO - Official text: Joint Statement - Meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at the level of Heads of State and Government , 04-Apr.-2008
How can you even have a sensible discussion with someone who would justify a country invading its neighbor?
"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails."
-William A. Ward
this is their chance to dunk on me.
i am reasonably well informed, but i don't know it all.
my impression, though, is the opposite of the narrative being peddled by vadim, sandtown, hr.
putin invaded because ukraine was held at arm's length by nato. when he took crimea, and response from europe was to increase their energy dependance, that must have felt like an encouraging sign.
so, if nato provoked this invasion, perhaps we can put it down to excessive ambivalence about ukraine.
my reading does indicate that nato leaders, in response to the invasion, are firmly backing ukraine membership now.
i would add that ukraine's stiff resistance has made this position tenable. had russia rolled right into kyiv as planned the landscape would be very different. i don't believe for a minute that nato was going to start a war of liberation for ukraine.
that joint statement does read like membership was considered a foregone conclusion. maybe i can print it out on something edible. rice paper, or a thin slice of turkey.
interesting that this statement is from 2008, and crimea was taken in 2014. all that friendly talk didn't amount to much.
Of course they weren't, Ukraine was a buffer state for NATO as well. But Putin stuffed that up all by himself.
TFG seemingly was very encouraging to Vlad, as well. I expect he didn't anticipate any resistance, from Ukraine or NATO, based on that encouragement.
There's a lot of things they didn't tell me when I signed on with this outfit....
Im sure you would rather chew the cud here than read this lot:
NATO - Search
There is over 1000 entries in the search for "Ukraine+2008"......you can inform yourself if you choose, now you have the "official" resource.
As for foregone conclusion.....
By bne IntelliNews November 30, 2022
Nato members reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to the 2008 promise to eventually allow Ukraine to join the military alliance...
Russia has long complained about a commitment made in Bucharest in 2008 that Ukraine will be welcome in the military alliance, without giving any timeline or conditions for its accession.
Until internal reforms were to NATO members standards.
Its no surprise that Ukraine was/is still waiting, at least to those with actual knowledge of the country. If the installed powers stopped jailing opposition members and gave back freedom to the press, among other things, they may have become NATO members years ago.