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Russia invading Ukraine (NEWS/UPDATES)

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Lonz said:
I’m not sure how well we’d be able to disrupt their economy. China has already picked a side and I’d be amazed if Putin hasn’t already calculated the economic risk involved. He won’t have expected us to do absolutely nothing.
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This is oddly overlooked. Putin will have projected to the exact rouble how much financial detriment he would suffer from potential sanctions.
 
Frijj said:
This is what I’m struggling with. People seem to be justifying action based on NATO membership. Are the lives of the people of the Ukraine worth less because their govt hasn’t joined NATO?
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Nato is a defence alliance. Nothing more.

Nato cannot get involved unless a nato member is attacked.
 
Cow said:
No, we don’t. This is between Russia and Ukraine. Nothing to do with us whatsoever. Our moral obligation as human beings would be to support any civilians who are displaced by all of this.
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Yes we do and yes it is. We're a permanent member of the UNSC, with responsibility for maintaining world peace.
 
Sweeper said:
It'll be interesting to see how meaningful the West's move away from reliance on Russian oil and gas is now. The problem with really tough sanctions - especially for the EU - is that the various countries have different levels of economic reliance on Russian energy sources. Germany may well rattle it's antique sabre, but I can't see them actually following through with a cancellation of the Nord Stream 2 project long-term, for example. It would hurt them too much. I really hope that the EU is able to reach unanimity on a sanctions package that will really hurt, but that's going to be politically difficult.

The only sensible way to contain Russian lunacy is by hobbling it economically. To do that meaningfully the West needs to insulate itself from economic blow-back. Weaning Europe off Russian energy is absolutely key.
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I guess germany are now regretting moving to close down their nuclear power plants as part of a green agenda
 
englishman abroad said:
The lad on the left can't be more than 16
You must be logged on to see media items
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it really is awful, its horrible to see on all fronts. I dread to think what the soldiers and civilian's on both sides are going through right now. Them soldiers will likely be tortured for intel. There are no winners of war for regular folk who are in the thick of it.
 
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Georgewhitt said:
Not comparable. We are founder members of NATO, therefor the US would be compelled to assist if called on, as would the rest of NATO.
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If Trump gets back in power he'll withdraw the US from NATO, he's already set about weakening it
Comments like why should I start a nuclear war for a suburb of St Petersburg (Estonia)
What's Montenegro ever done to defend us (Other than send troops to Afganistan)
 
I dont think Putin has lost his mind at all. Think he has always wanted this and has been biding his time till everything is right.

By the way they have been setting themselves up for the last decade or more, I'd say this has been part of his plan all along.
 
Lonz said:
I’m not sure how well we’d be able to disrupt their economy. China has already picked a side and I’d be amazed if Putin hasn’t already calculated the economic risk involved. He won’t have expected us to do absolutely nothing.
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I don't think he's particularly bothered about the economic fall-out, or has given it much thought at all. He's isolated from it as an autocrat, and he's not exactly going to have to account for it any time soon to the Russian public. Every time a rival politician comes to the fore, they eat or drink something nasty and/or disappear.

This smacks of of an egotistical, evil autocrat trying to write his name in to history before he runs out of road. He's almost 70 and doesn't have a lot of time left to build his mental legacy.

Sanctions need to be targeted beyond Putin, imo. They need to be strong enough to guide the hand of whoever comes next.
 
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