Putin backing off (a little)

[anatta]

"The situation cannot be considered normal when against us, there is a coalition of 42 countries and when our resources, military-political and military-technical, are limited."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61484222

guy was against the war before it started.
He's wrong about "42 countries against us" that was about the same with Crimea.

The difference is the USA is sending extraordinary amounts of our most advanced weapons
in our current war against Russia
~~

I saw how JAVELIN working in Syria - it was frightenly awesome
I've been watching the drone warfare take out columns in Libyan long sad civil war -
again created (predicate) by NATO
Both javelin and drones turned the war in Ukraine in terms of armour.
~~
Right now the US military is the most destructive force on the planet due to our adventurism and Russiaphobia
Maybe China when it "reunifies" Taiwan" it will takeover that title

But the USA's casual wars , and making a Ukraine/Russian border war into a campaign of "victory"
over Russia means we are the hooligans

[Cypress]

Do you think Biden will allow the 28 MIGs be given to Ukraine. Or do you think Biden is still too scared to do it?

You want to use American financial, logistical, and technical resources to deliver outdated cold war era MiG 29 jets that are at least a generation behind Russian air frames?

The Russian aircraft are largely being held at bay by Ukraine's formidable surface-to-air missile defenses. What Biden is giving Ukraine are weapons which will actually be highly effective in defeating the Russian military, aka latest generation anti-aircraft defenses, best-in-class anti-tank missiles, high precision artillery, and fourth generation drone technology, etc

[anonymoose]

We will not say ‘yes’ to those [countries] who apply sanctions to Turkey to join security organization NATO,” Erdogan said at a news conference late Monday. He was referring to Sweden’s suspension of weapons sales to Turkey in 2019 over its military activities in Syria.

Sweden’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that it planned to send senior officials joining with officials from Finland to the Turkish capital of Ankara to address Erdogan’s objections. But the Turkish leader essentially said they’d be wasting their time.

“Will they come to persuade us? Excuse us, but they shouldn’t bother,” Erdogan said. He added that the two countries joining would make NATO “a place where representatives of terrorist organizations are concentrated.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/17/will...d-finland.html

Nato expansion won’t be stopped by Turkey, but Erdogan can use Sweden’s bid to his advantage

Significantly, though, Turkey has not said it would definitely veto the countries’ membership. As ever with the transactional Erdogan regime, world events are seen as bargaining tools.

On Sunday, Erdogan’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu laid out several conditions for it accepting the two new Nato members, including the demand that the Nordic nations end what he called support for “terrorist organisations”, primarily to the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, as well as an end to bans on arms sales to Turkey.
https://inews.co.uk/news/world/turke...-chips-1633629

[anatta]

Nato expansion won’t be stopped by Turkey, but Erdogan can use Sweden’s bid to his advantage

Significantly, though, Turkey has not said it would definitely veto the countries’ membership. As ever with the transactional Erdogan regime, world events are seen as bargaining tools.

On Sunday, Erdogan’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu laid out several conditions for it accepting the two new Nato members, including the demand that the Nordic nations end what he called support for “terrorist organisations”, primarily to the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, as well as an end to bans on arms sales to Turkey.
https://inews.co.uk/news/world/turke...-chips-1633629

yeah I know. but the PKK is a deal breaker.
Erdogan literally would have gone into Syria like he did to root them out even if Trump
had kept a contingent there
(despite all the yammering you hear about us "betraying the Kurds' -
Erdogan would have gone in anyhow and Trump knew US forces were at risk if Erdogan did)

Right now the PKK is a deal breaker, but the overwhelming support by other NATO nations is a powerful force for more NATO expansion as well

[cancel2 2022]

Does Turkei have veto power?

Yes, all 30 members have to vote to allow entry for new members.

[Althea]

Wasn't Trump writing love letters to Kim?

Lol. Yep. 'Beautiful' ones.

I think Erdogan is just positioning himself to extract the best concessions he can get from Sweden, ultimately these nations will be admitted to NATO.

Agree. Everyone profits from Putin's crimes. Putin had Manafort, and Erdogan had Flynn. They're both very unhappy with trump for ruining that.

[Farah]

As ever with the transactional Erdogan regime, world events are seen as bargaining tools.

Yes actually we like to bargain as Turks. This is our national sport.

[anonymoose]

Yes actually we like to bargain as Turks. This is our national sport.

Yes, I have visited there when living in Germany. Never pay what something is listed for or the quoted price!

[anonymoose]

But the USA's casual wars , and making a Ukraine/Russian border war into a campaign of "victory"
over Russia means we are the hooligans

Sure we are. But who's not? And who are the worser hooligans in this thing? And you certainly can't blame the Ukrainians for defending their property, their livelyhood, their wives and kids as well as their motherland.

[dukkha]

Sure we are. But who's not? And who are the worser hooligans in this thing? And you certainly can't blame the Ukrainians for defending their property, their livelyhood, their wives and kids as well as their motherland.

I dont blame the populace, but the Kyiv factions decided to throw in with the west. Poroshenko to some extent but Zelsnsky is a master salesman
(takes one to know one ) who figured Russian separatists was costing him a war-
so why not go all in with NATO weaponization/aid?

USA is not the worser hooligans?? you sure about that?
do you see any Russian expansionism ANYWHERE ELSE??
and do you recall Putin very much tried to work diplomatic channels with Biden/Blinken and they trashed his letter? (red lines) before the "massing" at the border?

[anonymoose]

I dont blame the populace, but the Kyiv factions decided to throw in with the west. Poroshenko to some extent but Zelsnsky is a master salesman
(takes one to know one ) who figured Russian separatists was costing him a war-
so why not go all in with NATO weaponization/aid?

USA is not the worser hooligans?? you sure about that?
do you see any Russian expansionism ANYWHERE ELSE??
and do you recall Putin very much tried to work diplomatic channels with Biden/Blinken and they trashed his letter? (red lines) before the "massing" at the border?

Good points. Zelenskyy was not a good choice to lead Ukraine. They needed someone to tip toe between the West and Russia.
NATO is a defensive alliance but Russia sees it as expanding Western influence which threatens his regime which in his mind threatens Russia. It's not all black and white.

[dukkha]

Good points. Zelenskyy was not a good choice to lead Ukraine. They needed someone to tip toe between the West and Russia.
NATO is a defensive alliance but Russia sees it as expanding Western influence which threatens his regime which in his mind threatens Russia. It's not all black and white.

it all started at the Maidan...
you got it it..nothing is what it seems to be on it's face . you have to look deeper

[Cypress]

I dont blame the populace, but the Kyiv factions decided to throw in with the west. Poroshenko to some extent but Zelsnsky is a master salesman
(takes one to know one ) who figured Russian separatists was costing him a war-
so why not go all in with NATO weaponization/aid?

USA is not the worser hooligans?? you sure about that?
do you see any Russian expansionism ANYWHERE ELSE??
and do you recall Putin very much tried to work diplomatic channels with Biden/Blinken and they trashed his letter? (red lines) before the "massing" at the border?

It's none of your business if the majority of Ukranian people and their elected Representatives want closer ties to European institutions.

Putin has now ensured Ukraine will be enthusiastically pro-EU for the rest of the century. Putin's invasion has guaranteed that Ukranians overwhelming will hate Russia with a burning passion for many generations to come.

[dukkha]

It's none of your business if the majority of Ukranian people and their elected Representatives want closer ties to European institutions.

Putin has now ensured Ukraine will be enthusiastically pro-EU for the rest of the century. Putin's invasion has guaranteed that Ukranians overwhelming will hate Russia with a burning passion for many generations to come.

it becomes "my business" when we use Ukraine to proxy war against Russia

I dont GAF what Ukraine wants - i jut dont want to be a part of that corrupt shithole