Invasion of Ukraine • Page 164

Russia’s Central Bank Raises Key Rate to Historic 21%, Signals Aggressive Fight to Curb Inflation

 

“Most Enterprises Will Go Bankrupt.” Rostec CEO Warns of Threat of Collapse of Russian Industry

 

it looks & sounds like he feels that enough time has passed and he can drop the bullshit excuses he was throwing around at the beginning and just speak plainly

 

wow if only there was a theory of international relations that identified that Great Powers have egos and tend to lash out when they’re humiliated. Then maybe we could’ve predicted Putin acting this way and done something about it

 

Russia is once again responsible for the strengthening of ties between the West and NATO.

S. Korea boosts cooperation with NATO, US in response to NK troops aiding Russia

 

wow Russia should know that countries take their security extremely seriously and tend to make drastic moves when they’re threatened. Then maybe they could have predicted this happening and done something about it

 

I'm sure they did, lol. No one is reporting this like it's a surprise. The post I quoted was acting like they had invented the idea of powerful countries having egos

 

So Russia will get upset if the US gives Ukraine long range missiles…what if South Korea were to give their long range missiles (Hyunmoo-4) to Ukraine?

 

I disagree. I don't think the post was acting like any of what happened was a surprise. they were pointing out that Putin is finally just saying why he did what he did in plain language, which everyone already knew in the first place, but he had been throwing out all sorts of bullshit excuses before that, such as denazifying Ukraine, etc.

also they were pointing out that the BBC is one of the last western media organizations working in Russia, but that wasn't the main point

 

If everyone knew then why is it notable lol? If everyone knew then why didn't anyone say hey, maybe doing our level best to antagonize, pillage, and immiserate one of the most powerful countries on earth might help push politics in that country toward a right wing revanchist turn, which puts its neighbors in danger. It's because NATO actually likes war.

 

as far as your first question, I think it is notable that Putin gave different reasons here than he has historically, but also I think most of what Putin says is at least notable simply given who he is

for your second question, my answer is bad and extremely foresighted leadership

 

Foresighted? So they knew what was coming and allowed it? Agree! They are evil aren't they

 

well, I personally think that they should have made actual, good faith efforts to bring Russia into any security architecture that existed a long time ago, but there was disastrous and foresighted leadership on both sides

 

Here is what ChatGPT summarized about NATO/Russia relations starting in the 90's


"Yes, NATO did discuss potential cooperation with Russia and even entertained the possibility of eventual membership at various points, particularly in the 1990s after the Soviet Union’s collapse. However, while there were invitations to collaborate, formal membership was never officially offered. Here’s a look at key moments and discussions around NATO-Russia relations:

1. Early 1990s Cooperation and Dialogue: After the Cold War, NATO’s relationship with Russia shifted significantly. In 1991, as the Soviet Union dissolved, NATO extended partnerships to former Eastern Bloc countries and aimed to build a cooperative relationship with the new Russian Federation. Russia joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994, which allowed for collaboration without formal membership.
   
   
2. 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act: NATO and Russia signed the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation, and Security in 1997, which set up the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council for regular diplomatic discussions. The act formalized cooperation and was seen as a step toward reducing hostility, though it didn’t imply NATO membership. At this time, Western leaders, including U.S. President Bill Clinton, suggested that a positive relationship with NATO could pave the way for deeper ties, though membership was not on the table.
   
   
3. Putin’s Early Presidency and Interest in NATO: In the early 2000s, Vladimir Putin expressed interest in aligning more closely with Western institutions, including NATO. He suggested in an interview with the BBC in 2000 that he did not rule out the idea of Russia potentially joining NATO if Russia were treated as an equal partner. While NATO members showed openness to dialogue and cooperation, there was hesitation about full membership for Russia, partly because of concerns about differing political values and Russia’s own interests in maintaining an independent sphere of influence.
   
   
4. Post-2002 NATO-Russia Council: In 2002, NATO and Russia established the NATO-Russia Council to work jointly on security issues. This council marked the high point of NATO-Russia relations, focusing on shared interests like counter-terrorism. However, the relationship began deteriorating due to disagreements over NATO's eastward expansion, particularly in former Soviet states, which Russia viewed as a threat to its own security.
   

Since then, NATO-Russia relations have progressively worsened, especially following the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict and Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Although NATO pursued cooperation with Russia for a period, full membership has always been politically complex and never formalized or offered outright"

 

there may have been a period of time where the two sides could have worked together in good faith, but leadership on both sides chose not to pursue that route and chose instead to go down a road that I can only see leading to another cold war at best and hot war & nuclear annihilation for all of us at worst

 

Japan to Provide Over $3 Billion to Ukraine from Frozen Russian Assets

 

Will be a huge help; good logistics helps win wars

The US will transfer 2,000 Humvee SUVs to Ukraine: Forbes told how they will help the Ukrainian Armed Forces

 

Tons of clips from the last month

 

First time in Finland: Neo-Nazi from Rusich accused of war crimes in Ukraine

 

Ukrainian troops fighting on Russian soil have an advantage they've never had in this war