beautifulthailand99

FT news articles on the war are beginning to be scripted with more openness and honesty which seems a prelude to negotiations, though these will remain a slow process as Russia will be able to remain poorer for longer than Ukraine will be able to endure colder and darker. Expect a winter thaw. https://archive.ph/l1AwJ One Ukrainian government official described Saturday’s assault as “devastating” while another said it was likely to mean that by winter residents would be spending a vast majority of their day without electricity. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press. One of the officials said 1.2GW of power generation was lost in Saturday’s bombardment alone, while infrastructure critical for transporting gas from underground storage facilities in western Ukraine was badly damaged. Asked what the damage would mean for the months ahead, one of the officials put it bluntly: “We should prepare for life in the cold and the dark.”

Escalation means Europe on a path to total war footing and possibility of nukes. China won't let Russia lose either or they know it's them next. Stalemate. No thanks. 6 million folks have died in the Congo and no one cares or comments about it so why should I care about this sad and tragic affair in a country far away unfair as it no doubt is ? The west walked away from Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya amongst others and they will walk away from Ukraine with crocodile tears and Zelenskiy will get that ride out of Dodge in the end.

Well I stand by my interpretations given that his gibberish was largely that one can read almost anything into his deliberations. He says peace is when Russia leaves Urainian territory which isn't happening on the battlefield so it's escalation or bust. The Ukrainians get just enough not to lose but not enough to win. But they are losing , and we are out of ammo , kit and manpower. Looks like Putin has bought off the FT now. Nato has just 5% of air defences needed to protect eastern flank Lack of systems required in case of war lays bare vulnerabilities, according to alliance’s own assessments https://archive.ph/kimKW Russia sources ammunition faster than west, says Prague Czech government warns that payment delays to international arms makers could deprive Kyiv of millions of shells https://archive.ph/xgjqo Why EU countries are nervous about funding a US loan to Ukraine https://archive.ph/zNe28#selection-1589.0-1589.63

She is basically calling for kicking the Baltics and Poland out of NATO and dont invite Ukraine in NATO. Otherwise Germany is in danger, which is her job to avoid. Its the logical conclusion of her nonsense statement. Who Rabas has anoited her as to the fount of all wisdom !

Oh I forgot your nephew pays tax or something. Why would he listen to me, I'm just some ageing western random wasting time on a niche asian expat forum whilst always threatening to leave.

That lady definatley lost her grandpa to the "Reds" in WW2 ! She then goes on to make a nonsensical statment about Russia on the borders of NATO. But isn’t Russia already bordering the Baltics? And aren’t they also bordering Poland in Kaliningrad? They’re also bordering Finland which is in NATO!? So what is it about western Ukraine that will suddenly make Russian troops confront NATO borders in Poland? Is she realizing that she’s making zero sense?

Of course if Europe goes up in flames for the 3rd time in a 100 years you ageing expats in Thailand, egging it on from afar will be sitting pretty. All the bluster but none of the brass and the blood.

And we should all follow Jesus, Halleijah and pass the ammunition.

I don't really buy into the "Biden is going senile" party but he managed to say so many words and say a whole lot of nothing. The first sentence; And it doesn't mean NATO they are part NATO.....I was the one - and you guys did report it at TIME - the one that I was saying that I am not prepared to support NATOization of Ukraine He doesn't really clarify if there is a true path for Ukraine to join NATO and in my opinion is concerning. As I understand from his position, he wants to take a hard-line approach against Russia. If he's going to do that, he needs to tell Russia that Ukraine will join NATO once they are defeated. Peace looks like making sure Russia never, never, never, never occupies Ukraine. That's what peace looks like. I interpret this as the goal in Ukraine is total victory. I wonder if he is waiting for any major policy changes until after the election because at the moment, Ukraine is in no place to recapture territory and struggling to maintain the frontline. As many experts have noted, pretty much direct NATO intervention is the only thing that will change the trajectory of the war. US boots on the ground possibly or NATO trooops? In the original article, he responds to the interviewer saying the war is stalled No, it's not. And by the way, I don't know why you skip over all that’s happened in the meantime. The Russian military has been decimated. You don’t write about that. It’s been freaking decimated. Number one Proof right here what the whole purpose of this operation is, to degrade Russia's military. And the war is stalled, not sure why he is denying that; if it wasn't we would see massive gains. But I find the lack of regard of Ukrainian men on the front line as callous; we talk about degrading Russia's military but at what cost? How many men have died to obtain this decimation? Biden is a career politician and this interview read as such. Then I lost the will to live and besides which he will lose the election. Oh and let's not forget his son Hunter made mega bucks from his involvement with Burisma in Ukraine - so when he talks about corruption - he knows.

I imagine in another era you would cheering on General Petraus's Surge - one final push,or Vietnam stop the commies in SE Asia. For the record I was against Iraq War 2 - turns out history proved me right.

I made an exception for you.

Just ignore them I do they are of no consequence. I would be ashamed to use one personally.

https://kyivindependent.com/us-embassy-in-ukraine-men-with-dual-citizenship-will-no-longer-be-able-to-leave-the-country/ Here is the official U.S. Government statement saying it does not have enough influence: "The U.S. Embassy is limited in our ability to influence Ukrainian law, including the application of martial law and the mobilization law to Ukrainian citizens. If you are in Ukraine and cannot leave the country, shelter in place and obey all local orders. If you are not currently in Ukraine, we strongly recommend against all travel to Ukraine by U.S. citizen males aged 18 to 60 who also have Ukrainian citizenship or a claim to Ukrainian citizenship and who do not wish to stay in Ukraine indefinitely. There is an extremely high risk you will not be allowed to depart, even with a U.S. passport."

Betrayal , what betrayal ? Oh and shift the narrative to prep the ground for that betrayal. Putin has said he would prefer Biden to win the election and I beleive him - Trump is just too much of a wild card. Mr Biden said: “I am not prepared to support the Nato-isation of Ukraine,” adding he had seen “significant corruption” in Ukraine when he visited as vice president. Joe Biden has ruled out Ukraine joining Nato in the aftermath of a ceasefire with Russia in a major blow to Volodymyr Zelensky. Ahead of Nato’s annual summit on July 9, the US president said Ukraine would have to rely on supplies of Western weapons to ward off a second Russian offensive. Peace, he said, “doesn’t mean Nato.” “It means we have a relationship with them like we do with other countries, where we supply weapons so they can defend themselves in future,” he told Time magazine. https://archive.ph/0oRKa

The barroom lawyers and excessive rules are why I spend little time here. Context is everything in understanding the totality of the situation and since we can't do that what's the point of endlessly posting links from one side or the other. Putin is not Hitler and beyond the Russian dominated regions of Ukraine he has little appetite or ability to take more. Besides which he has nukes. The pushing of Russia into China's arms, which was never a given, will, in the annals of history be seen as the biggest foreign policy mistep of the 21st century and a further step on the road to the ruin of the west.

Time to talk - an eye for an eye will make everyone blind. https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA2510-1.html "Since avoiding a long war is the highest priority after minimizing escalation risks, the United States should take steps that make an end to the conflict over the medium term more likely." President Biden has said that this war will end at the negotiating table.[74] But the administration has not yet made any moves to push the parties toward talks. Although it is far from certain that a change in U.S. policy can spark negotiations, adopting one or more of the policies described in this Perspective could make talks more likely. We identify reasons why Russia and Ukraine may have mutual optimism about war and pessimism about peace. The literature on war termination suggests that such perceptions can lead to protracted conflict. Therefore, we highlight four options the United States has for shifting these dynamics: clarifying its plans for future support to Ukraine, making commitments to Ukraine's security, issuing assurances regarding the country's neutrality, and setting conditions for sanctions relief for Russia. A dramatic, overnight shift in U.S. policy is politically impossible—both domestically and with allies—and would be unwise in any case. But developing these instruments now and socializing them with Ukraine and with U.S. allies might help catalyze the eventual start of a process that could bring this war to a negotiated end in a time frame that would serve U.S. interests. The alternative is a long war that poses major challenges for the United States, Ukraine, and the rest of the world.

All you people who cheer for a neverending war, take a good look.Imagine another 2.5 years of this.

Well then if you have - that underlines my point that war brutalises mostly men of whatever stripe and in Russia a brutalised country to start with it's nasty brutal business. Also when I see all this Orc, Mordor nonsense labelling then I know the poster is a one-sided propagandist. You would have been, no dount , big on the shovels, washing machines, no toilets in Russia, will be deposed in a coup , running out of missiles, Putin is dying / has cancer tropes that were common way back which seem notably absence from current discourse.

This is a one sided debate though as I suspect your post will stand. I can show X videos of Ukrainian prisoners back in Ukraine reporting they were treated well and videos of Russian prisoners being mistreated by Ukrainains. But they will get deleted under the acceptable sources rule. So I won't. I want this war to stop and the brutality and suffering to stop with it , a war that Ukraine is losing and a war that is damaging the long term survival of the west whilst purporting to do the opposite. That's my line , period , that and the thought of an old man , me, sitting comfortably cheerleading a war far away where youing men are dying in their thousands just doesn't feel right. Sorry about that.

The Russians are nasty mfeckers to nobodies surprise as are nearly all armies in war it brutalises people and nations. Remember My Lai or Abu Ghraib or the treatment of Palestinian prisonsers in Israel? Good job the International Criminal Court exists to try these crimes , indeed it has indicted Putin amongst others Brian. I'm sure you are in full agreement with that august body ? If not then I'm not listening. And the Express , really ? Let's stick to the broadsheets lest we descend into imbelic progandising.

The general committed a faux pas and as someone of his rank he should've known better. During wartime, both military and civilian leadership must show unwavering trust in the system, and any complains or grievances must be discussed privately, going public with inflammatory comments could lead to decline in morals or even panic among soldiers. The majority of militaries has rule against such behavior, and If an active-duty US general openly and harshly criticized the army during the Iraq invasion or the Vietnam war he would've been removed from his post immediately although I doubt he would be jailed.

WAPO is increasingly bearish on the war or more likely simply acknowleging the real polotik of events on the ground. Sadly it's all about weakening Russia. Few people really care about Ukraine it's just collateral damage in the "Great Game". They aren't even an ally in the traditional sense and probably never will be. The west is already walking back the "as long as it takes" for "as long as we can" and Zelenskiy is right to talk about betrayal. https://archive.ph/pybQR This spiral dynamic — of unrelenting Russian aggression and ever-increasing Western military support for Ukraine to counter Moscow’s momentum — has been ratcheting up nearly 2½ years. Without a bargaining process, it might continue for years to come. And someday, one side or the other might finally stumble over an actual red line, which could lead to exactly the major escalation the Biden administration has been trying to avoid. In the meantime, Ukraine will continue to suffer and the costs of the war to the West will continue to mount. There has to be a better way to manage the most consequential military conflict in a generation.

The none western autocratic world is worried about their wealth residing in dollar juristdictions and the fact that the US is losing it's pole position with the rise of China. When you have record debt and there is an alternative financial world coming into being your bark doesn't seem so loud nor does your bite. Israel was the final shoe dropping in the international so called rules based order. Welcome to the 21st Century.

All countries are doing that you may have heard about Thailands plan - shakedown all those draft dodging Russians enjoying the sun.

There's a lengthy video on my Redditt channels of a larger group of Hare Krishna followers at an ashram in Ukraine trying to 'peacefully' fight off recruitment soldiers who are arremtping to drag away potential conscripts. No wonder hundreds are dying in the rivers and forests as they try to flee Ukraine. Any sane person would. https://archive.ph/AtE1o Matviy is now in another European country, chasing an engineering career that he says would have been cut short in Ukraine. He understands other Ukrainians may criticise him, but says he was driven by a survival instinct. He had seen enough of the “safari” in his own city in western Ukraine, where draft officers scour the streets for potential recruits. He still believes in his country, he insists. Ukraine will continue fighting for its freedom and independence. It could rise again after the war. But it will be without him. “The country does not exist for me any more. There’s no way back.