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Pretty sure the very worst thing we could do right now is worry about Putin's "red lines".It will be a contentious issue in the EU's top 3, Germany, France & Italy and the rest as well
Some will see it as a Russian red line. It will be much more of an issue than sending tanks was
Not sure on numbers but a substantial number support giving Ukrainian lands away, negotiated peace Chamberlain style, and stupid enough to think Russia will not come back for more of Ukraine.
Time permitting I will check out EU polls on some issues
Given that he has taken almost all of the ground he intended, it does not seem as idiotic as the US giving away 12-million-dollar tanks to a country that is entirely unable to use and support them. Remember when Russia launched a hypersonic missile against the ammo depot near the Polish border? That was a message to the west about arms deliveries. The west could not detect this missile at all. Russia is saving these missiles for important targets. Any M1 going over the Polish border will be targeted.The dumbest idea so far was Putin's idiotic decision to try and invade Ukraine.
Nobody is scared of the Russians. Once the tanks arrive, the Russians will be shifted.Given that he has taken almost all of the ground he intended, it does not seem as idiotic as the US giving away 12-million-dollar tanks to a country that is entirely unable to use and support them. Remember when Russia launched a hypersonic missile against the ammo depot near the Polish border? That was a message to the west about arms deliveries. The west could not detect this missile at all. Russia is saving these missiles for important targets. Any M1 going over the Polish border will be targeted.
Prior to the war I did not read anything aside from Ukraine split in half, fighting a guerrilla war. The experts were wrong, but Russian prep/planning was a huge gift for Ukraine
Lots of people wrong on this issue.
Nearing the 1 year mark who predicted that? No one
yeah riiiight.Nobody is scared of the Russians. Once the tanks arrive, the Russians will be shifted.
And we have 2500 spare M1s sitting around and doing nothing.
All in the future, 1st they have to get therePretty sure the very worst thing we could do right now is worry about Putin's "red lines".
All in the future, 1st they have to get there
I have a nephew that was trained in them.Hot damn! But why stop at 30? We have those things lying around all over the place.
I distinctly remember Zelenskyy initially not believing they would invade either. The U.S. had to convince him the build up was leading to an invasion.In February of 2022, before the war started, Illia Ponomarenko, perhaps the most-followed Ukrainian journalist, predicted something other than a quick defeat.
I continue to believe that even from the beginning western predictions and Ukrainian predictions about the outcome of this war differed greatly.
Illia Ponomarenko: Even if Russia attacks, Ukraine’s fall is not predestined - Ukraine Today .org
February 15, 2022 by Illia Ponomarenko A reservist with Ukraine’s 130th Territorial Battalion takes aim during drills in Kyiv on Feb. 12, 2022 (The Kyiv Independent) Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors. It’s important not to lose the battle before...ukrainetoday.org
I also think that many Ukrainians believed that a russian attack simply would not happen.
Other trivia: in early February of 2022, Zelensky's approval ratings hovered somewhere around 20 percent. Now he's a national hero. That switch alone might be a bigger surprise to Ukrainians than Ukraine's impressive resistance to russia.
Yes maintenance and logistical nightmare for Ukraine. It is only going to hinder the Ukrainian army. I forget who said it. Maybe it was general Miley. The tank is innapropriate to give to Ukraine. That was the consensus. Suddenly it's a good idea? Another multi billion dollar waste of money.
I distinctly remember Zelenskyy initially not believing they would invade either. The U.S. had to convince him the build up was leading to an invasion.
If they're that much of a hindrance, they simply won't use them.Yes maintenance and logistical nightmare for Ukraine. It is only going to hinder the Ukrainian army. I forget who said it. Maybe it was general Miley. The tank is innapropriate to give to Ukraine. That was the consensus. Suddenly it's a good idea? Another multi billion dollar waste of money.
ANOTHER Ka-52 & 2 Su-25s?
Damn. Those things are death traps.
The Ukrainian defence minister is facing accusations of paying double or triple ordinary prices for food for the troops. It is in the early stages, so it is unclear how that will shake out.
Of course, corruption has been ingrained in all of the post-Soviet countries for generations.
The question is how well--and how publicly--it gets rooted out.
They have some incentive to root it out right now, their survival depends on it.
Well, we haven't seen the response, so that much was true...We've crossed putin's red lines numerous times already.
he claimed that Kherson would belong to russia "forever" and that any attack on russian territory would lead to a response that the world has never seen.
Here I disagree. Yes, they were saying that Russia wouldn't invade, because they were hoping Russia wouldn't invade and that by downplaying the prospect they might convince Putin not to invade. But I think they took the US warnings seriously and were prepared. That is why they were able to blunt the Russian attacks so thoroughly. Where did Russia succeed, really? They didn't take Kiyv, they got decimated in the north, they never even entered the west of Ukraine. They did take the southern coast, but they could not take Odesa. The only major city they took was Kherson.That's right. The year before the buildup preceding this invasion, there was a similar russian troop buildup on the eastern Ukrainian border, not far from Kharkiv. Nothing ever came of it.
I think that's part of the reason why Ukraine downplayed a similar buildup this time around. Ukraine definitely let its guard down.
Here I disagree. Yes, they were saying that Russia wouldn't invade, because they were hoping Russia wouldn't invade and that by downplaying the prospect they might convince Putin not to invade. But I think they took the US warnings seriously and were prepared. That is why they were able to blunt the Russian attacks so thoroughly. Where did Russia succeed, really? They didn't take Kiyv, they got decimated in the north, they never even entered the west of Ukraine. They did take the southern coast, but they could not take Odesa. The only major city they took was Kherson.
Yes, they took a lot of territory, but they couldn't hold it, which is "success", and in the process destroyed the core of their elite forces. They never got air superiority. They never got sea control. What they managed was to destroy a lot of Ukrainian property, kill a lot of civilians, and lose a third of their equipment in short order.
I didn't see all of that happening, personally, but I am betting the Ukrainian command staff did. And they see a way for Putin's overreach to be an opportunity to take back the Donbas and Crimea. Things could still swing either way, but Putin has already lost.
Wow, surprise, surprise, a wartime president leading the defense of the homeland enjoys high approval ratings. There's a reason Zelensky's approval ratings were 20% before the war...because he's a corrupt pile of shit that's covering for his billionaire backer.In February of 2022, before the war started, Illia Ponomarenko, perhaps the most-followed Ukrainian journalist, predicted something other than a quick defeat.
I continue to believe that even from the beginning western predictions and Ukrainian predictions about the outcome of this war differed greatly.
Illia Ponomarenko: Even if Russia attacks, Ukraine’s fall is not predestined - Ukraine Today .org
February 15, 2022 by Illia Ponomarenko A reservist with Ukraine’s 130th Territorial Battalion takes aim during drills in Kyiv on Feb. 12, 2022 (The Kyiv Independent) Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors. It’s important not to lose the battle before...ukrainetoday.org
I also think that many Ukrainians believed that a russian attack simply would not happen.
Other trivia: in early February of 2022, Zelensky's approval ratings hovered somewhere around 20 percent. Now he's a national hero. That switch alone might be a bigger surprise to Ukrainians than Ukraine's impressive resistance to russia.