Europe at War

[71 dB]

Which countries are still left to ratify?

Countries that have started the ratification process, but are not done:

Belgium
Lithuania
Montenegro
North-Macedonia
France
Hungary
The United States

Countries that have not started the ratification process yet:

Spain
Italy
Greece
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Türkeya
The Czech Republic

[Florestan]

Countries that have not started the ratification process yet:

Spain
Italy
Greece
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Türkeya
The Czech Republic

Given that a Romanian proverb says "Take it easy, man, the Turks are not invading us!" --- meaning "There's really no hurry at all!" --- I wouldn't be surprised if Turkey ratified it before Romania.  .

But hey, at least we'll ratify it unanimously, I can guarantee you that. 

[71 dB]

Given that a Romanian proverb says "Take it easy, man, the Turks are not invading us!" --- meaning "There's really no hurry at all!" --- I wouldn't be surprised if Turkey ratified it before Romania.  .

But hey, at least we'll ratify it unanimously, I can guarantee you that. 

Well, we will see who ratifies before who and who ratifies last. Clearly in the South Europe the NATO memberships of Sweden and Finland are not top priority in politics while in the Nordic region it clearly was!

[Florestan]

Clearly in the South Europe the NATO memberships of Sweden and Finland are not top priority in politics while in the Nordic region it clearly was!

That is true. There's another Romanian proverb: "having one's sacks in the cart already" ---meaning one has already achieved their goals and need not care about other people's not achieving theirs --- so there. 

[Todd]

'France Has Delivered Almost Nothing'

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's former secretary-general, is not impressed by Emmanuel Macron's diplomacy with Russia over Ukraine.


The article and interview are mostly fluff (I mean, it is The Atlantic), but it mentions one potentially important item, the so-called Economic Article 5.  More info is contained here:

Memo on an "Economic Article 5" to Counter Authoritarian Coercion

Aside from a tail wagging the dog feel to the proposal, and the difficulties implementing it, it is noteworthy since it actively downplays and really dismisses the role of the WTO, thereby eroding globalization further in exchange for enhanced regionalism, which coincides with expanding reliance on Mercantalist policies across the globe.  While the think tank types who thought this up and their political frontmen present this as a tool to be used by democracies (ie, The West) against various bad actors (ie, Russia and China), formalizing and implementing such a policy option increases the probability of its use against other countries for other reasons.  It is very difficult to see senior US leaders ceding direction of economic warfare to lesser powers, though.  The US and only the US determines how and when to impose certain sanctions and to limit access to US financial markets.  Such things should never be left to Europeans.

[71 dB]

Thank you Lithuania! 
🇱🇹

[Todd]

Ukraine graft concerns resurface as Russia war goes on

[71 dB]

That is true. There's another Romanian proverb: "having one's sacks in the cart already" ---meaning one has already achieved their goals and need not care about other people's not achieving theirs --- so there. 

Some goals achieved. Thank you Romania for ratifying! 
🇷🇴

17 countries of 30 have now ratified the NATO memberships within one month! Finland is happy with the speed so far, but the question is how long will it take for the last countries to ratify?

[Karl Henning]

Not a [premature] victory lap. but not a headline I was expecting to read today:

Ukraine Is Winning

Separately: Do you still need this war?

[71 dB]

Thank you Belgium for ratifying! 
🇧🇪

60 % of the NATO countries have ratified and only 4 countries (Italy, Greece, The Czech Republic & Türkeya) haven't started the process.

[krummholz]

60 % of the NATO countries have ratified and only 4 countries (Italy, Greece, The Czech Republic & Türkeya) haven't started the process.

Rather surprising about the Czech Republic, less so about Türkiye.

In any case, congratulations!

[Florestan]

Some goals achieved. Thank you Romania for ratifying! 
🇷🇴

Cu plăcere, Poju! Bun venit în NATO, Finlanda și Suedia!

[Todd]

From the BBC: Ukraine war: Explosions rock Ukrainian port hours after grain deal

[71 dB]

Cu plăcere, Poju! Bun venit în NATO, Finlanda și Suedia!

I can guess/deduce the meaning of your post without Google translate.  0:)

[LKB]

From the BBC: Ukraine war: Explosions rock Ukrainian port hours after grain deal

Duplicitous behavior by the Russians? Shocking. 

[Que]

Duplicitous behavior by the Russians? Shocking. 

More games....Russia used highly sophisticated and accurate  (and expensive) Kalibr cruise missiles,  so the attack wasn't accidental.

Putin doesn't want a deal, any deal. He wants to win and he wants maximum leverage to achieve his goals. Holding the trigger for an international food crisis is too much power to give away.

[MusicTurner]

The Russians started by denying it, but have now admitted, that they hit two ships with the attack. The usual strategy in embarrassing attacks has been to say officially, that the Ukrainians did it themselves.

Generally, after a time with more pessimism as regards the Ukrainian options, the tide has now turned again in most media and expert reports, suggesting that Russia is indeed running further out of ressources (they've apparently started recruiting and paying prisoners, plus soldiers from areas bordering Japan, as well as using further outdated and imprecise equipment, and equipment meant for different functions). Whereas the Ukrainian, oncoming counteroffensive will likely have at least some success. HIMARS and other bombings have allegedly hit 100 major Russian installations recently, including 30 ammunition deposits far away from the front line. Also, Ukrainian daily losses have gone down a lot, by 2/3, Zelenskyi said yesterday. But the claims of a counteroffensive involving 1 million men are unrealistic, since some are needed nationwide for defense, and Ukrainian education ressources limited. Which is why more countries are now about to offer military schooling, including Denmark.

Yet, a 'Korean' stalemate somewhere, say bordering Crimea, seems likely, for the time to come.

[Todd]

More games....Russia used highly sophisticated and accurate  (and expensive) Kalibr cruise missiles,  so the attack wasn't accidental.

Putin doesn't want a deal, any deal. He wants to win and he wants maximum leverage to achieve his goals. Holding the trigger for an international food crisis is too much power to give away.

Russia has been a great power for centuries.  It is not a game so much as a successful tactic to demonstrate and exercise its power.  An agreement with a toothless international organization that was brokered by a subsidiary NATO member is no substitute for an agreement with the one power that actually matters to the Russians.

Yet, a 'Korean' stalemate somewhere, say bordering Crimea, seems likely, for the time to come.

To clarify this (inaccurate) analogy, just where would American troops be stationed, since that is the most significant aspect of the Korean Armistice Agreement?  Or will Europeans finally step up and accept their own security burden?  jk - I know that will not happen.

[Que]

Russia has been a great power for centuries.  It is not a game so much as a successful tactic to demonstrate and exercise its power.  An agreement with a toothless international organization that was brokered by a subsidiary NATO member is no substitute for an agreement with the one power that actually matters to the Russians.

Negotiations with the US, you mean? It's not hard to figure out what Putin's demands would be.
The lifting of all sanctions and for the US to surrender Ukraine to whatever fate Putin has in mind for it.
In return, he will leave the Baltic states alone. For now.... he will come back for those later.

[Que]

"Hungary's nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban Saturday called for US-Russian peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, lashing out at the European Union's strategy on the conflict. In a speech in Romania, the 59-year-old ultra-conservative leader also defended his vision of an "unmixed Hungarian race" as he criticised mixing with "non-Europeans." Orban has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, but maintains an ambiguous position on the conflict."