Great history lesson about a simple agreement. But, we did not blow this agreement up (pardon the pun), Putin/Russia did. And let's face it these days, Putin IS Russia.
Bless President Zelenskyy, he has hung in there, while someone threatens to murder him and his family and they are murdering his nation. Heaven knows the man has not slept…
Great history lesson about a simple agreement. But, we did not blow this agreement up (pardon the pun), Putin/Russia did. And let's face it these days, Putin IS Russia.
Bless President Zelenskyy, he has hung in there, while someone threatens to murder him and his family and they are murdering his nation. Heaven knows the man has not slept in a couple of weeks. I think it shows in what he is saying, because he should not focus on what allies are not doing, but what Putin is doing. A unified message from him going out to the Russians is more valuable than criticism of a "no-fly zone" we have already told him he is not going to get.
If he talks about the Budapest agreement, he should be talking privately to us and publicly about Putin breaking it.
The world and the UN has learned from this, and it's all about unity when facing a madman.
Each one could be his last, so I try to watch President Zelensky's daily videos as he rallies his nation and the world to fight back against Putin. You don't need to know the language to see his spirit shining through.
There has to be a way to thread the needle and provide air cover without NATO engaging Russians directly. Sure, it would be a dangerous logistical nightmare to supply heavy artillery and war planes to the Ukrainian defense forces (who would do the fighting, not us), but no more than the nightmare facing Russian generals on their side. Maybe the heavier armament can't reach the eastern and southern fronts in time, which may fall, but they could be in place to reinforce the western theatre, especially around Lviv to where Zelensky's government may have to retreat.
The bottom line: Ukraine -- and by extension, the world -- cannot allow overt fascism on such a scale ultimately to succeed. People have a right to defend themselves, and without escalating to nukes. Of course, Putin may not agree. That's the calculation and the risk.
The Polish government just threw something new into the fray, and the Pentagon is not happy about it. I don't get why the Ukrainian pilots could not get to the planes. But logistics aside, here is the position we are facing: anything and everything we do could be used as an excuse for Putin to claim it was an act of war.
When you go to sleep, don't be surprised what you wake-up to concerning Putin. The one thing people who are real experts on him and his mental illness have stated is that he is utterly unpredictable.
This is Putin saying my way or the highway, and sadly the highway is lined with nukes. NATO and the democracies have chosen to take a stand, but judging by Crimea and what was the existing protracted fight, our military expected Putin/Russia to take Ukraine. I'm guessing we thought he was all geared-up to do it quickly. So did Putin, but the lazy thieving bastard stole the money he could have used to prepare. Now he has to hire mercenaries to finish the job. All the Ukrainians are to him is an impediment to getting the job done and having what he wants.
Putin's unpredictability could be his undoing at home; whereas the solid predictability of a steady stream of conventional defensive weaponry entering Ukraine under UN authority for use by that nation's own capable military is the hard reality Putin should expect each morning he wakes up and commits atrocities and war crimes in direct violation of international law and human decency.
Drones with Hellfire missiles and artillery batteries with anti-aircraft and long-range surface-to-surface capability would effectively augment shoulder-fired projectiles in Ukraine's battle to defend her skies and prevent death from raining down on defenseless civilians. And they have their own seasoned pilots who could be trained to operate any allied aircraft lent to the effort.
There comes a point when the other kids on the block have to stand up to the bully. If Putin's plan is to commit suicide and take the world with him, he might just press the big red button over the devastating economic sanctions already imposed upon him and his cronies, which together threaten to destroy Russia quicker than pushing back on his humiliating military misadventure in another sovereign nation. Yet, he has not done so.
Sooner or later the West will have to call his bluff, or he'll keep raising the bet. The Sperm of Stalin is trying to reconstitute the old Russian empire; why would he stop at Ukraine?
Great history lesson about a simple agreement. But, we did not blow this agreement up (pardon the pun), Putin/Russia did. And let's face it these days, Putin IS Russia.
Bless President Zelenskyy, he has hung in there, while someone threatens to murder him and his family and they are murdering his nation. Heaven knows the man has not slept in a couple of weeks. I think it shows in what he is saying, because he should not focus on what allies are not doing, but what Putin is doing. A unified message from him going out to the Russians is more valuable than criticism of a "no-fly zone" we have already told him he is not going to get.
If he talks about the Budapest agreement, he should be talking privately to us and publicly about Putin breaking it.
The world and the UN has learned from this, and it's all about unity when facing a madman.
Each one could be his last, so I try to watch President Zelensky's daily videos as he rallies his nation and the world to fight back against Putin. You don't need to know the language to see his spirit shining through.
There has to be a way to thread the needle and provide air cover without NATO engaging Russians directly. Sure, it would be a dangerous logistical nightmare to supply heavy artillery and war planes to the Ukrainian defense forces (who would do the fighting, not us), but no more than the nightmare facing Russian generals on their side. Maybe the heavier armament can't reach the eastern and southern fronts in time, which may fall, but they could be in place to reinforce the western theatre, especially around Lviv to where Zelensky's government may have to retreat.
The bottom line: Ukraine -- and by extension, the world -- cannot allow overt fascism on such a scale ultimately to succeed. People have a right to defend themselves, and without escalating to nukes. Of course, Putin may not agree. That's the calculation and the risk.
The Polish government just threw something new into the fray, and the Pentagon is not happy about it. I don't get why the Ukrainian pilots could not get to the planes. But logistics aside, here is the position we are facing: anything and everything we do could be used as an excuse for Putin to claim it was an act of war.
When you go to sleep, don't be surprised what you wake-up to concerning Putin. The one thing people who are real experts on him and his mental illness have stated is that he is utterly unpredictable.
This is Putin saying my way or the highway, and sadly the highway is lined with nukes. NATO and the democracies have chosen to take a stand, but judging by Crimea and what was the existing protracted fight, our military expected Putin/Russia to take Ukraine. I'm guessing we thought he was all geared-up to do it quickly. So did Putin, but the lazy thieving bastard stole the money he could have used to prepare. Now he has to hire mercenaries to finish the job. All the Ukrainians are to him is an impediment to getting the job done and having what he wants.
Putin's unpredictability could be his undoing at home; whereas the solid predictability of a steady stream of conventional defensive weaponry entering Ukraine under UN authority for use by that nation's own capable military is the hard reality Putin should expect each morning he wakes up and commits atrocities and war crimes in direct violation of international law and human decency.
Drones with Hellfire missiles and artillery batteries with anti-aircraft and long-range surface-to-surface capability would effectively augment shoulder-fired projectiles in Ukraine's battle to defend her skies and prevent death from raining down on defenseless civilians. And they have their own seasoned pilots who could be trained to operate any allied aircraft lent to the effort.
There comes a point when the other kids on the block have to stand up to the bully. If Putin's plan is to commit suicide and take the world with him, he might just press the big red button over the devastating economic sanctions already imposed upon him and his cronies, which together threaten to destroy Russia quicker than pushing back on his humiliating military misadventure in another sovereign nation. Yet, he has not done so.
Sooner or later the West will have to call his bluff, or he'll keep raising the bet. The Sperm of Stalin is trying to reconstitute the old Russian empire; why would he stop at Ukraine?