Ukraine

[sandtown]

Re: Ukraine

Tony Blinken makes it clear who is in charge of war policy . . and it is not Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on June 2 that calls for a ceasefire are unacceptable because they will freeze the current lines in place and enable Putin to consolidate control of occupied areas and prepare for future attacks on Ukraine.

[ERGR]

Re: Ukraine

When Tony Blinken states that freezing the current lines in Ukraine is unacceptable, he's just repeating Ukraine's position and voicing support. He doesn't bother to please Russian trolls.
/Erik

[Edward Pearson]

Re: Ukraine

If I was a Russian general, I’d act now to remove Putin. If they do it now, they can take or transition power while there’s still a few hundred billion still in the Wealth Fund, quickly withdraw and delist the troops and get spending down a bit to stabilise the economy with less income now Europe’s off Russian gas. They could ignore the West’s calls for war crime punishments etc. Put Putin out to grass somewhere.

If they don’t and wait till the money’s gone in 6 months-1 year then they’re going to do all the same things while there’s no money to pay pensions etc and have alot more destsbilising civil strife. It will also be hard to maintain order when your not paying the police etc. They’ll be more pressure to give in to western demands for full retreat, hand over of war criminals and full compensation in return for immediate sanctions lifting. Putin will then be an object for barter by the next guy (he’s going to be worth something alive). All in it will make Russia look weaker because they will be weaker if the Generals/ FSB wait.

Just saying, it makes more sense to move on Putin now for ultra nationalist Russians or the next autocrat (Prighozin?).

[sandtown]

Re: Ukraine

When Tony Blinken states that freezing the current lines in Ukraine is unacceptable, he's just repeating Ukraine's position and voicing support. He doesn't bother to please Russian trolls.
/Erik

You should know that the US blocked ongoing negotiations a year ago.

The hyper-power gets to decide when the killing ends.

Blinken could have declared that the US supports the decisions that Ukraine makes about its future.

But he did not do that, did he ??

[Edward Pearson]

Re: Ukraine

Twisting the truth in order to play the victim. How Russian.

[skuthorp]

Re: Ukraine

I can imagine that America is trying to play catch up here……… Yes they are supplying hardware, but it's the Ukrainians that are doing the fighting, dying and the winning. Of course Russia will not be 'defeated' in that it's too big, but an awful lot of old tactical ideas have been thrown out.

[WX]

Re: Ukraine

I came across this, personally I would have used Stalin's image.
FB_IMG_1685794628652.jpg

[Edward Pearson]

Re: Ukraine

The perversity is that Putin is doing to Ukranian families what Hitler did to his own parents at Leningrad. He directly understands the suffering. Both dictators and Mao had childhood trauma. But then so do many others.

Radicalisation can take many forms.

[Nicholas Carey]

Re: Ukraine

to be fair, in the "negotiations" of spring 2022, putin did offer to not assasinate president zelenskyy.

no kidding. that was one of the offers put on the table.

Be still my beating heart

[epoxyboy]

Re: Ukraine

You should know that the US blocked ongoing negotiations a year ago.

No. Why do you keep repeating this tripe?

https://www.thebulwark.com/no-the-united-states-and-its-allies-did-not-blow-up-a-ukraine-russia-peace-deal/

Pete

[Jim Mahan]

Re: Ukraine

One trick peonie.

[gypsie]

Re: Ukraine

Once you've practised something over and over, you've got a lot invested in it. It's hard to admit that you've been sucking down a dictators propaganda.

What I can't quite square is why this particular hymn club denies Russia any agency. They are entirely of one voice that Russia acts at the whim of the USA. They invaded because of the US and they can't stop because of the US. They have alternatives. It's a weird combination of hating the US while simultaneously giving it God like powers over the rest of the globe.

That last link he posted, the writer does everything to avoid giving Russia any portion of blame. He sights an article but avoids the mention of the ongoing atrocities committed by Russian soldier on Ukrainian soldiers in that piece. He even calls the war a Russian Intervention - it was a freakin invasion! The writer also appears to imply those Ukrainian soldiers are not fighting for their lives, the lives of their family and for their country. The Russians appear to be shooting at them for no other reason than they are there. If they put down their arms and walked away so would the Russians. Blinkered bias opinions.

[Osborne Russell]

Re: Ukraine

The Nazi Ukrainians keep oppressing the Jews (because the Ukrainians are Nazis) and it naturally follows that Russia must intervene by firing missiles into Ukrainian apartment buildings; protecting the Jews as Russia has always done. The history constrains the agency of Russia. They cannot do otherwise! They are anti-Nazi! Aren't you, for God's sake?

In America, "Veterans For Peace" urges negotiation . . . as the missiles fly. The Roosians can't help themselves; could you?

[Garth Jones]

Re: Ukraine

Once you've practised something over and over, you've got a lot invested in it. It's hard to admit that you've been sucking down a dictators propaganda.

What I can't quite square is why this particular hymn club denies Russia any agency. They are entirely of one voice that Russia acts at the whim of the USA. They invaded because of the US and they can't stop because of the US. They have alternatives. It's a weird combination of hating the US while simultaneously giving it God like powers over the rest of the globe.

That last link he posted, the writer does everything to avoid giving Russia any portion of blame. He sights an article but avoids the mention of the ongoing atrocities committed by Russian soldier on Ukrainian soldiers in that piece. He even calls the war a Russian Intervention - it was a freakin invasion! The writer also appears to imply those Ukrainian soldiers are not fighting for their lives, the lives of their family and for their country. The Russians appear to be shooting at them for no other reason than they are there. If they put down their arms and walked away so would the Russians. Blinkered bias opinions.

It is a weird combination. My off the cuff reaction, as somebody living in the US, is:

1. The media here is really terrible at covering what people in other countries think of anything. The reactions of our politicians, celebrities, influencers, etc. get covered to death, but the perspective of say, the Poles or their government? Not much. And so it's really hard, I think for Americans to appreciate that folks from other parts of the world might see things VERY differently than they do. This blinkered gaze often negatively affects our government's decisions as well, which is unfortunate.

2. There seems to be a pervasive fear and loathing of the government that runs through American society. Some people seem to feel that the government is an all powerful, all seeing malevolent entity that is seconds away from taking away everything we hold dear. The more paranoid seem to think that there is a secret complicated plan behind all of what the government does. Perhaps it's our Puritan roots, that we are 'sinners in the hands of an angry god.' I don't know. Anyway, if the evil cabal in the White House is pulling all our strings, it must be pulling the world's strings as well. The irony is that the people in the US who are most under threat - minorities, LGBGTQ folks, and women - are most threatened by the far right who spends their time trying to take their rights away while telling us how awful government is.

I'm sure there is more going on, but this is what I've got right now....

[C. Ross]

Re: Ukraine

Oh yeah, knock the stuffing out of that messenger !!

And don't forget that other guy too !! . . . you know, that commie prof that De Satin has lined up !!!

Kovalik ?? Yeah, that Univ of Pitt law school guy . . . .

Total evilosity !!

I made no comments about the other author. I have nothing to say about him.

I believe that I was honest and fair about what Mr. Sterling posted on his Twitter feed.

To be fair, I did not find any tweets or retweets where he explicitly says he is not anti-war, but I did not find any anti-war tweets or retweets. But I did see repeated postings that were “pro” the other people I listed. If I am incorrect please post why.