Europe at War

[LKB]

     Counterattack news: Russian forces on both the eastern and western pincers around Kyiv are retreating. It's probably not very far and mainly to escape heavy Ukrainian shelling.

It is reasonable to expect Ukrainian forces to make gains in local areas which have greater importance. Kyiv is not only Kyiv, it is also Zelenskyy, and the Russians have reportedly made over a dozen attempts to assassinate him. I'd expect Ukraine to exert every effort to protect the city for as long as the effort is possible.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Yes, I hope the Ukrainian troops advance further and invade Belarus. Russia won't help them.

[The new erato]

Yes, I hope the Ukrainian troops advance further and invade Belarus. Russia won't help them.

You mean can't?

[Que]

[Herman]

It is reasonable to expect Ukrainian forces to make gains in local areas which have greater importance. Kyiv is not only Kyiv, it is also Zelenskyy, and the Russians have reportedly made over a dozen attempts to assassinate him. I'd expect Ukraine to exert every effort to protect the city for as long as the effort is possible.

Hopefully this is not the way they're thinking. Zelensky is not a king or tsar, like Pute.

[LKB]

Hopefully this is not the way they're thinking. Zelensky is not a king or tsar, like Pute.

Quite so, but Zelenskyy has been running a near-perfect game, displaying wartime leadership, personal courage, a willingness to seriously negotiate, and the ability to inspire not only Ukrainians, but people and governments around the world. Such politicians are the rarest of assets for any nation, and he needs to be protected.

[Que]

'Shame on you': How President Zelensky uses speeches to get what he needs

[Que]

Belarus is preparing:

Belarus Shuts Ukrainian Consulate In Brest, Expels Several Diplomats From Minsk

[Madiel]

Quite so, but Zelenskyy has been running a near-perfect game, displaying wartime leadership, personal courage, a willingness to seriously negotiate, and the ability to inspire not only Ukrainians, but people and governments around the world. Such politicians are the rarest of assets for any nation, and he needs to be protected.

I found this commentary on Zelenskyy's media/propaganda intelligence quite interesting.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-24/vladimir-putin-pr-strategy-no-match-for-volodymyr-zelenskyy/100914172

[relm1]

That's very optimistic!  I hope it's true.

[Todd]

While Europeans continue to murder each other at scale, other powers pursue other goals:

China Eyes Two Wins on Ukraine: Ending Russia's War and NATO's Expansion

EXCLUSIVE Solomon Islands considers security cooperation with China - official

How much influence China has in whatever peace negotiations may occur is of course in doubt - and make no mistake, there are clearly a lot of people everywhere who display bloodlust, desiring continuation and escalation of the war, so peace talks may be a ways out - little watched steps like those taken with the Solomons chip away at other existing strategic arrangements.  (Of course, the US and its allies may counter with a sweeter deal.)

Oh yes, and more sanctions were levied against Russia today.  These should be the ones that make the country buckle.

[drogulus]

     Here's a view of the effect of the war on China.

     https://www.youtube.com/v/3z6IWyaO168

     

[Mirror Image]

Putin is being backed into a corner now and he's certainly not going to admit defeat, so the only thing left is nuclear warfare.

[drogulus]

     

Putin is being backed into a corner now and he's certainly not going to admit defeat, so the only thing left is nuclear warfare.

     Other Russians are admitting it, and I think they don't want a nuclear war. If Putin presses the button, it will be his last official act.

     Shoigu is "ill". I identify his illness as incipient blame. Yet according to official pronouncements there is nothing to blame anyone for, since the special operation is going according to plan.

     Now the poor defense minister has popped up. Instead of being ill he is busy.

[Florestan]

While Europeans continue to murder each other at scale,

This is an exaggeration.

One European nation, ie Russia, invaded another European nation, ie Ukraine. Consequently, Ukrainians defend themselves against the Russian invaders.

It's tragic, it's sad and it has to stop asap --- but it's very far from "Europeans [...] murder each other at scale".

Just saying.

[Florestan]

there are clearly a lot of people everywhere who display bloodlust, desiring continuation and escalation of the war,

Like for instance who?

[Florestan]

     If Putin presses the button, it will be his last official act.

Hopefully, it won't be the last official act of any head of state anywhere, anytime.

[drogulus]

     There are a couple of critiques of Biden regarding Ukraine. One is that he is deliberately sacrificing the country to pursue a NATO war against Russia and trying to block Zelensky from making a deal too soon to destroy Russia completely. The other criticism is that Biden is not doing enough to help Ukraine expel the invaders out of an excess of caution. For now I'll go with both.

[Florestan]

That's a bit like saying Flat Earthers provide a 'critique' of the global Earth model!
NATO is a defensive pact. It has once bombed a country in an attempt to secure a peace deal (Serbia, 1999), otherwise it has never been the aggressor in any conflict, nor acted without UN approval.
NATO isn't pursuing a 'war against Russia' in any way, shape or form and anything it is currently doing is by way of defending against an obviously expansionist Russia.
Anyone suggesting that NATO is waging a war against Russia is just as mind-bonkingly nutters as those espousing 'there's no curvature of the Earth, space doesn't exist and NASA is part of the Illuminati' "critiques".
Why any of us gives such people the merest whiff of the oxygen of publicity by repeating their nonsense, I have no idea.

While I wholeheartedly agree with the general gist of your post, that "little" exception actually set a dangerous precedent --- one which the scelerate Putin invoked nominally.

NATO had no business bombing Serbia back then. But heck, Serbia had no nukes. 

No, really, much of a NATO fan as I am, the Kosovo thing was a big blunder. Witness to that is that even today Spain, Romania and Greece, all NATO members, did not recognize an independent Kosovo --- and rightly so.

[drogulus]

NATO isn't pursuing a 'war against Russia' in any way, shape or form and anything it is currently doing is by way of defending against an obviously expansionist Russia.

     NATO is pursuing a war against an expansionist Russia. Of course it's a defensive war, and that's a kind of war.

     I think you might have misread the way I meant to indicate how each critique undercuts the other.