MicroB

Which Putin? Vladimir or Yevgeny?

It was supposed to buy Stormy Daniel's silence on the mushoom. While Nielsen won the vote, to form a government, he needs to form a coaltion. Greenland is traditionally viewed in Denmark as quite "red", which is why Nielsen's win was a surprise; he is socially liberal but business friendly. He became party leader following a 2021 election that was driven by splits over the Kvanefjeldsmine mining project. This is a uranium-rare earths project, run by an Australian company with a Chinese shareholder. Nielsen was supportive of this, but the outgoing going government was opposed to such mining activities. He has to form a coalition, likely with the Naleraq Party, which is described as the most pro-American Greenland party. Nielsen's party favours a slow road to independance, but Naleraq favours a faster route. Nalaraq favours Free Association with Denmark, and is opposed to talks with the Americans over sovereignty

Since you asked: 2017: https://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/15/politics/trump-crimea-russia-twitter-obama/index.html https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/20/ukraine-ambassador-attacks-trump-aides-secret-peace-plan https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40350065 https://theintercept.com/2017/08/03/trumps-objections-russia-sanctions-law-suggest-might-trade-crimea-away/ https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-poroshenko-ukraine-good-progress-un-russia/28749439.html https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-presented-47m-deal-arm-ukraine-russia/story?id=51235203 2018 https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fact-check-administration-actions-russia-tougher-trumps-words/story?id=53223453 https://ru.usembassy.gov/statement-by-secretary-pompeo-crimea-declaration/ https://rollcall.com/2018/08/14/trump-wont-follow-congressional-directives-on-russia-and-crimea/ https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-blames-obama-regime-for-ukraine-s-loss-of-crimea/29588249.html 2019 https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2019/09/pentagon-caught-middle-trump-ukraine-scandal/160188/ https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-10-16/as-ukraine-waited-for-u-s-assistance-death-toll-on-eastern-front-line-grew https://publicintegrity.org/national-security/trump-administration-officials-worried-ukraine-aid-halt-violated-spending-law/ 2020 https://www.courthousenews.com/independent-audit-says-trump-freeze-on-ukraine-aid-was-illegal/ https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-fire-vindman-sondland-after-impeachment-inquiry-testimony/30423541.html https://archive.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/bolton-memoir-trump-talks-profanely-about-ukraine-zelensky.html https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52885178 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/26/putin-rejects-donald-trumps-criticism-of-biden-family-business In 4 years, the 45th President's action on Ukraine appears to be authorizing a recommendation to send Javelins, then trying to block that. Then trying to get sanctions dropped against Russia as well as reversing long standing US government policy on recognition of conquered territories. A $45m transfer that included Javelins would have shipped a maximum of 200 systems, more likely 100 systems. About 50 of those would have been used in training.

If Putin agrees to a 30 day ceasefire, of course both sides will take the opportunity to re-equip. I have no doubt Putin will seek to break it. Since 2014, there have been 25 ceasefires between Ukraine and Russia, and 25 times Russia has broken those ceasefires. Details of 20 of those Ceasefires https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XdWtEbmvYH6BIQaqQ29kAhZDyQNs6HCf0uTqk7der6I/edit?pli=1&gid=0#gid=0

Nate Vance (ex-marine, JD Vance's cousin) shares his thoughts.

This is rewriting history isn't it? Don't like a hiring policy, so not only change the policy, but pretend it never happened. Burn the Books. I always thought it was ridiculous for a double amputee war veteran to get a leg up in life.

Someone on this forum suggested the US should buy aluminium from Russia as its better quality and cheaper than from Canada.

It was plagiarized. https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2025/03/09/trumps-supposedly-one-sided-support-for-russia-over-ukraine/ https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Gilbert_Doctorow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Committee_for_East–West_Accord https://molfar.com/en/foreign-propagandists

Its a skit. "He's" a chicken salesman Farm bumpkin Janitor/toilet cleaner

The "West" whatever that is, didn't want a collapse of the Russian State, with 6500 weapons falling into the hands of fruitloops we know about like Kadyrov, and fruitloops we don't know about. But it was a natural reaction to the previous 2 decades, where the same Russophile mob would have been whinging about "Neocons". The alternative was to have done nothing. I don't think that could have been an option. The result would have been Russia closer to the Nato "border", an enormous West European refugee crisis, and, given the tenacity of the Ukrainians (borne of their Grandads in WW2), Russia being involved in an increasingly brutal counter-insurgency. Clearly, Ukraine is a different kettle of fish compared to Georgia in 2008, which seemed so far away. From 2008; captured USMC Humvee being carted off by Russia (never returned to the US) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/26/georgian-region-shows-perils-of-ceding-land-to-moscow/

But the West can make sure he can't profit from it, and that the ruined occupied areas become a drag on the Russian state. Mechanisms can be put in place to make it extemely unattractive for any company to invest in it The population of Luhansk-Donetsk has declined by about 5-10% since Putin's war. Reportedly, he's been bussing in Russians, and selling them cut price new housing, and barring the people of Luhansk and Donetsk from buying property. This is obviously a hugely expensive operation to change the demographic facts on the ground. https://cepa.org/article/behind-the-lines-ethnic-cleansing-by-home-loan/

I know he likes to cake on the spray tan, but was he a heavy user of tanning beds, and this is the result. But its probably a photo with the contrast etc turned right up. The Omega Man for some reason comes to mind. Good film, mind.

NATO is, to all intents of purposes, over, in terms of a functional body that can coordinate action. I can imagine the corridors at Allied Command Operations in Belgium are now unusually quiet. Allied Command Transformation is based in Virginia. The US has now pulled out of all planning for exercises. Inter-operability will quickly degrade if troops don't train together, learn together. Putin won't be attacking NATO or the EU. He'll pick Estonia first, a lightening grab because his generals tell him they have the kit, because they have the receipts. His reading will be that his forces can swiftly take Tallin before NATO can react. Probably smash the place up. The EU will be a disorganised mess about how to react, so he thinks. He thinks NATO, without US heavy lift into Latvia and Lithuania, cannot respond. He swftly takes Latvia and Lithuania without a shot being fired, because they don't want to end up like Estonia. Simultaneously, the Slovakian and Hungarian Prime Ministers invite Russian troops to set up bases, citing security concerns, following the withdrawal of US troops, and the need to support and expand the refugee camps springing up on their Eastern borders with Ukraine. This doesn't mean how it is. But what Putin thinks. Wars start because of misunderstandings and miscalculations. He's counting on European countries being picked off one by one, or governments falling to populist wingnuts, and becoming basically ungovernable , and therefore of no interest to Russia.

They didn't win, were mistreated by Tsarist officers, were starved, and then the Tsar asked to to fire on protestors. Petrograd saw soldiers mutiny and join factory workers on strike. Within a month, Tsar had lost all authority and the Romanov dynasty was no more. It started on the front, when soldiers refused to build more trenches, started selling off clothing supplies. Order No 1 of the Petrograd Soviet established Soldiers Committees in every unit. Opposition to Putin has been growing everyyear; whatever support for him is paperthin. The Russian Army in 2021 had a significant professional element. That element has literally all gone. There are no proverbial homes fit for heroes. Even the bonuses are not being paid. Afghanistan tipped the Soviet regime. The Falklands tipped Galtieri. And Hitler was a disgruntled Corporal.

A very Glaswegian looking face. Make it a pint of 80 shilling and a wee pie.