Merkel Apparently Fears Devastating Defeat of the Ukrainian Army

Oh no- How will I ever be able to live with the shame and disgrace I've visited on my family?!
*Puts down glass of port and picks up loaded revolver*

 

Got a >@&^$<* problem with that?!

 

Gordon, you bought a pistol- what kind.

 

And here's me, worried about the potential waste of a perfectly good Port....

 

His stance on the EU is a farce. It's manipulative, and incorrect.

He wants "..to end our costly membership of the EU." Making the UK out to be hard done by.

While the UK is the fourth largest net contributor in absolute terms, because of the size of it's population and economy, it amounts to an amazing 0.24% of the British GDP, or less than one quarter of one percent. If you want to examine "costly" in the UK budget, membership in the EU aint it. Based on proportion of GDP, the UK Net contribution is less than Finland, or Italy. Or you could slice it per capita, and then too, the British really don't have anything to whine about.

Europe will suffer without EU, and if it gets dismantled or made irrelevant, Europe as a whole will notice.

Once again, your "proof" is nothing of the sort. It's just your opinion, with no facts.

Here's some facts:
Sweden just today lowered the Central Bank interest rate to -0.10% and started a process of buying back bonds to the tune of 10 Billion SEK.

Here's an opinion:
So Sweden, a country without the Euro, is not really "doing good".

 

This thread has been very entertaining to follow, I must say that. However, to your question I only have one answer. His "opinions" and "statements" follows very closely Russian propaganda that we hear all the time from Russian sources. That alone makes his credibility in my eyes non existing. I'm sorry to say this and I don't mean any disrespect.

Are we dealing here with one of the Russian internet trolls? Who knows. This whole debate is absurd as whole world and his dog can see what is happening in Ukraine. Is Russia involved in the war in Ukraine? Well, why is Putin in Misk to negotiate the peace terms and where are the separatist leaders? Shouldn't they be the ones to be there? How is it possible that inside independent nation one group of peasants can suddenly get their hands on all that weaponry to be able to go into full scale war?

 

Not only get there hands on them but start using them effectivly enough to turn around the course of the war. You don't learn how to use modern heavy weapons overnight. Using them effectivly in a combined arms format takes even longer. Unless of course troops are supplied along with the weapons.

 

Thinking about this a bit more.

It is interesting to note that someone who posts things like:

and

and

Then acknowledges the problem with posted opinions especially from politicians in posts like:

and

Yet seems to believe completely in the positon of Russian polliticans and any who support his view of things. In the mean time he ignores not just contrary opinions but more importantly facts especially those that have pointed to fallacies in his posts.

Also note in some of his posts how he decried the possiblility of Westerners fighting for the Ukraine yet when the shoe is on the other foot he seems to consider it a positive thing. Look at although you may have to go to the post to get the full context:

And of course he's also posted things like:

and

Yet what does he do? He ignores many who have made substansive critisisms of his position and sources and continues to post opions (both his own and those in agreement with him) with little or nothing substansive (i.e. little or no fact or logic).

A real piece of work we have here.

 

Alas, merely metaphorical, old boy,

At last, another culture vulture.

 

I am sure Putin would love to see another Bush as a president...They say he´s the Bush that reads books unlike George W. We´ll see.

 

Exactly! And we are not talking about simple rifles here, we are talking about modern anti aircraft missiles and such.

 

I think that's the strategy in effective internet propaganda. Question or deny everything that is put in front of you and give very little or nothing out yourself. Just repeat the same mantra over and over again from written scripts.

 

Interesting that Putin demands that the new border would be the same as today, not the line that was there when the Minsk peace treaty was done. What does he win with this? Would he demand the Minsk treaty lines if the separatists had lost land since then? Sure! No wonder he had his face operated, he looks better as a Terminator.

I bet Putin had to come because Lavrov was making a mess of it. Otherwise he would not have bothered. BTW, did he already send the ex-wife to Siberia? have not heard of her for a long time. In the free western press the wife would get loads of interviews in magazines and would make a book, in Russia---> nobody knows you anymore because they might end in the gutter with you. Nice new world. that´s why originally the Finnish communists decided to fight the USSR because they knew they would get a bullet in the back of the head if they were "saved" by the USSR machine. That´s why Tito did not go to Moscow when asked for a visit. Clever boy...

 

I wouldn't hold my breath about the ceasefire to last very long. This is again one of Putin's plays to give something to the world and reorganize their troops. Probably they will come out and bitch and moan how Ukrainian forces doesn't respect the ceasefire and start the fighting again. They will take the Eastern Ukraine and establish land connection to Crimea and there is absolutely nothing rest of the world can do about it. What happens after that is just anybody's guess. EU and Nato are shaking as they fear to interfere too much so that this crisis wouldn't escalate too far.

Ukraine is taking the punishment now because they chose to go closer to the EU instead of Russia. It's very interested and bit frightening to see what US does next, will they send weaponry help or not. But we'll see, I'm really hoping for the best.

 

The EU are being sensible and that does not seem to go down too well with posters far away from the firing line.
Truth is there is blame on both sides and attempts to portray the Ukraine as some democratic utopia arerisable.

 

German & French payback perhaps?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2553509/US-officials-four-letter-tirade-against-EU-Diplomat-caught-tape-letting-rip-discussing-Ukraine-crisis.html

 

Are they really being sensable though? Historically appeasing those with territorial ambitions doesn't work in the long run. Usually it's better to confront and blunt such efforts early on. Of course for a politician as long as it's delayed until they are no longer in office it might be good enough.

That's a starwman. No one here has claimed that the Ukraine is any sort of utopia much less a democratic one.

 

Yes they are being sensible. If Russia is determined to take chunks of Ukraine then she can. Nothing can be done to stop that. Might is always right. Violence always works.

 

I really don't know which is more sensible, let Putin do his tricks and just wait and hope for the best or hit him as hard as possible right away with more economic and financial sanctions, or even military assistance?. Now they have agreed some sort of ceasefire which is absolutely great news, but does it hold? History tells us too many examples of similar events. Chamberlain came from Germany as a national hero waving the treaty paper he and Hitler signed. Did that stop Hitler to use same excuse again to gain more territories? No it didn't and I'm afraid we might be proving here similar strategy used by Mr. Putin.

No, me or anyone else has claimed that Ukraine is any kind of democratic Utopia. Maybe they wanted to drift more towards democracy and got severely punished because of that?