Don't mention the war?

[Lacessit]

14 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

No, I meant that many Ukrainians speak actual Russian, including Zelensky.

It's a bit like 71% of Dutch people being able to speak German. IIRC, the Dutch are not particularly fond of Germans either.

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, Lacessit said:

the Dutch are not particularly fond of Germans either.

555.....under statement of the year....

 

I was always led to believe England v Germany was a crunch football match.....nope....in truth it is Nederland v Germany where the real passions lie.

[placeholder]

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

It's a bit like 71% of Dutch people being able to speak German. IIRC, the Dutch are not particularly fond of Germans either.

Not really, Russian is the first language of 29.6% of Ukrainians. 

"The official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian, an East Slavic language, which is the native language of 67.5% of Ukraine's population. Russian is the native language of 29.6% of Ukraine's population and the rest (2.9%) are native speakers of other languages."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Ukraine#:~:text=Russian is the native language,native speakers of other languages.

Actually, more Dutch people can speak English than can speak German

"Between 90%[6] and 93%[10] of the total population are able to converse in English, 71% in German, 29% in French and 5% in Spanish."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_Netherlands

[moogradod]

3 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

.....................

I was always led to believe England v Germany was a crunch football match.....nope....in truth it is Nederland v Germany where the real passions lie.

Wasn't that decades ago when the dutch had really to show something to compete against ? For the time being I am happy we give Brazilians (and English if needed) what they deserve ????

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

what is required is a serious, well armed, military force - Nato for example.

Well, I for one hope that never happens, else it's possible millions upon millions will die in a nuclear holocaust. Is that what you want?

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, ozimoron said:

Is it not public knowledge that Putin ridiculed the US for insisting that Putin intended to invade Ukraine when he claimed that his troops were only on exercises. And didn't he also pretend that he was pulling them back from Belarus to Russia? If you acknowledge that he said those things then you must also acknowledge that Putin was lying. Just apart from the war crimes denials which are totally implausible.

Did anyone actually believe him? I certainly didn't.

 

BTW, I know of a few politicians in western countries that tell porkies too.

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Did anyone actually believe him? I certainly didn't.

 

BTW, I know of a few politicians in western countries that tell porkies too.

Then you were proved wrong. He said US intelligence assessed that Russia would invade and that they were lying about only conducting exercises. The assessment was spot on. If you don't believe credible sources substantiated by other credible sources then you are often misinformed.

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, StreetCowboy said:

For many years Putin has been waging a concerted war on truth, to destroy everyone's faith in facts.
equivocating Western liberals who compare Guantanemo Bay to the atrocities committed by Russians in Syria, Chechnya and Ukraine are playing into his hands, and may be funded by him.  The fundamental principle of the war on truth is not that Putin is right, and others are wrong, but that you cannot believe anything, so invent your own reality based on soundbites from state media.

Ukraine is a casualty of that war on truth- not the first, but if NATO is true to its word, maybe the Baltic states will not be the next.
We are reliant on the Russian people to survive and win the war on truth, to take up arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them.  We could end this now.  But that would be very bad, for all of us.  Only Russians can save their brothers in Ukraine, and prevent the next step towards armageddon. 

Don't hold your breath till it happens then. IMO the last paragraph is as likely to happen as a politician keeping campaign promises. It might happen, but not very likely.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

Then you were proved wrong. He said US intelligence assessed that Russia would invade and that they were lying about only conducting exercises. The assessment was spot on. If you don't believe credible sources substantiated by other credible sources then you are often misinformed.

What on earth are you going on about? Did you not comprehend that I said Putin was lying?

Whom is the "he" you reference? The only "he" in the quote was Putin.

 

 

[ozimoron]

Just now, thaibeachlovers said:

What on earth are you going on about? Did you not comprehend that I said Putin was lying?

Whom is the "he" you reference? The only "he" in the quote was Putin.

OK, sorry, I misread your post. I got confused and thought you were talking about Biden. Trying to multitask here without much success.

[FritsSikkink]

On 3/26/2022 at 12:15 PM, smutcakes said:

The day after Russia invaded Ukraine, my [Thai] boss proudly stated that she was against me and supported Russia. I asked why and pointed out i am not Ukrainian, she said because the US had gone back on their word and documents from earlier about not expanding NATO. I thought this a little strange and odd. This is the country head of a fortune 500 company in Thailand.

She is right. Why is there no outcry about all the countries who are being bombed by Western countries for years and still is ongoing?

[thaibeachlovers]

13 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

When I talk to a Thai lady friend about the war, she has zero interest. It’s a bit strange for me, since we stayed in Kyiv a year ago for 2 weeks.

 

Maybe once she reacted to a photo of a building in Kyiv being bombed.

I'm puzzled as to why you think she should care based on a 2 week stay? It's outside Thailand and not a single Thai I ever knew asked me about anything to do with anywhere outside Thailand.

[Bkk Brian]

18 minutes ago, Saanim said:

 

However, I am quite puzzled that the same social media is not acceptable, even if showing an in-depth views of the renowned US director Oliver Stone on Ukraine. 

Renowned movie director...lol

 

Do you mean this Roger Stone, the one that also asked Putin to be a godfather for his daughter?

Oliver Stone Criticizes “Mr. Putin’s Aggression In Ukraine” After Previously Saying There Was “No Proof” Russia Intended To Invade

 

"Russia was wrong to invade. It has made too many mistakes — 1) underestimating Ukrainian resistance, 2) overestimating the military’s ability to achieve its objective, 3) underestimating Europe’s reaction, especially Germany upping its military contribution to NATO, which they’ve resisted for some 20 years; even Switzerland has joined the cause. Russia will be more isolated than ever from the West.  8 ) putting cluster and vacuum bombs into play, "

 

https://deadline.com/2022/03/oliver-stone-criticizes-putin-ukraine-1234973037/

[Rimmer]

A post discussing moderation has been removed.

 

[Danderman123]

1 hour ago, FritsSikkink said:

She is right. Why is there no outcry about all the countries who are being bombed by Western countries for years and still is ongoing?

It’s true that the US has killed many innocents via bombing. The difference with Russia is that the US bombs civilians by error, whereas the Russians do so intentionally.

[Saanim]

2 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Renowned movie director...lol

Sorry, I cannot find the post you are referring to.

 

Anyway, do you insinuate that he is not a renowned movie director? With a number of awards? 

 

But I understand that when nowadays (an not only nowadays) some does not follow exactly the narrative of the current regime, it's not really politically correct to refer to his creations. Somewhere it's even against the law.   

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, Saanim said:

Sorry, I cannot find the post you are referring to.

 

Anyway, do you insinuate that he is not a renowned movie director? With a number of awards? 

 

But I understand that when nowadays (an not only nowadays) some does not follow exactly the narrative of the current regime, it's not really politically correct to refer to his creations. Somewhere it's even against the law.   

Next time quote my full post without edit and taking out of context. It relays to you exactly what he thinks of Putin's actions now

[placeholder]

2 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

She is right. Why is there no outcry about all the countries who are being bombed by Western countries for years and still is ongoing?

You're right there is a lot of hypocrisy. But does that mean what Russia is doing is excusable? Moreover, Russia poses a direct threat to the rest of Europe. Bombing elsewhere not so much. Does acting in self-interest make it illegitimate?

[Saanim]

2 hours ago, ozimoron said:

Then you were proved wrong. He said US intelligence assessed that Russia would invade and that they were lying about only conducting exercises. The assessment was spot on. If you don't believe credible sources substantiated by other credible sources then you are often misinformed.

 

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

What on earth are you going on about? Did you not comprehend that I said Putin was lying?

Whom is the "he" you reference? The only "he" in the quote was Putin.

 

 

The problem is that we do not not know all the circumstances since we do not get all the stories. And when some are referring to anything that is not exactly with the (Western) official narrative, it's not possible to show and refer to.

 

As we know the months before the war has started there has been huge military exercises not only by Russians. Also those days were also many diplomatic discussions about Minsk treaties that were guaranteed by Western govts however, not at all adhered to.  As the shelling of the Donbass areas has not stopped, despite the repeated OECD reports, Luhansk and Donetsk Republics asked Russia to annex them what was accepted by the Russian parliament. Thus to get a protection, similarly as other countries protect themselves.    

[Saanim]

20 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Next time quote my full post without edit and taking out of context. It relays to you exactly what he thinks of Putin's actions now

I did not edit anything. And a partial quote is allowed, isn't it?  Please do not insinuate anything ad-hominem, we are here in discussion forum.  Please refer just to the matter of topic.   

[Will B Good]

3 minutes ago, Saanim said:

Any link to it?

The news?

[Saanim]

2 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Renowned movie director...lol

 

Do you mean this Roger Stone, the one that also asked Putin to be a godfather for his daughter?

???

[Bkk Brian]

Just now, Saanim said:

I did not edit anything. And a partial quote is allowed, isn't it?  Please do not insinuate anything ad-hominem, we are here in discussion forum.  Please refer just to the matter of topic.   

No when taken out of context it is against the rules. Try reading up on them you may eventually learn something, rather than off topic trolling

[Will B Good]

8 minutes ago, Saanim said:

Luhansk and Donetsk Republics asked Russia to annex them what was accepted by the Russian parliament. Thus to get a protection, similarly as other countries protect themselves.    

Like Ukraine, Sweden and Finland asking to join NATO......????

[placeholder]

13 minutes ago, Saanim said:

Any link to it?

Sweden and Finland make moves to join Nato

“When Russia invaded Ukraine, Sweden’s security position changed fundamentally,” the party said in a statement on Monday. The Social Democrat general secretary, Tobias Baudin, said the security review would be complete “before the summer”.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/11/sweden-and-finland-make-moves-to-join-nato

 

After Russia’s Ukraine Invasion, Baltics Push for Permanent NATO Presence

The small Baltic countries, whose militaries have long been dwarfed by that of neighboring Russia, are renewing their push for NATO to establish a larger and more permanent presence on their territory following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — with a combined population of only about six million people — have long been seen as some of NATO’s most vulnerable nations. The countries joined the Western military alliance in 2004 but are connected to the rest of European NATO countries by only a narrow corridor, which lies between the heavily armed Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Russia-allied Belarus

https://www.voanews.com/a/after-russia-s-ukraine-invasion-baltics-push-for-permanent-nato-presence-/6497246.html

 

After Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Moldova worries it might be next

In Moldova, the war has accelerated the drive to align fully with Europe. On Thursday, the country signed an application to join the European Union, in what its prime minister described as a vote for “freedom.” Moldova has also strained to accommodate more than 250,000 Ukrainian refugees who have crossed its borders, the prime minister noted.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/06/moldova-ukraine-war-invasion/

[Rimmer]

Post discussing moderation has been removed also a reply

[Saanim]

1 minute ago, Will B Good said:

Like Ukraine, Sweden and Finland asking to join NATO......????

I haven't known that NATO is a country. Or did I miss something?

For a better comparison you should try e.g. Kosovo that got a very good protection after many casualties. 

  

[placeholder]

10 minutes ago, Saanim said:

I did not edit anything. And a partial quote is allowed, isn't it?  Please do not insinuate anything ad-hominem, we are here in discussion forum.  Please refer just to the matter of topic.   

Here's the full quote.

"Renowned movie director...lol

 

Do you mean this Roger Stone, the one that also asked Putin to be a godfather for his daughter?

Oliver Stone Criticizes “Mr. Putin’s Aggression In Ukraine” After Previously Saying There Was “No Proof” Russia Intended To Invade

 

"Russia was wrong to invade. It has made too many mistakes — 1) underestimating Ukrainian resistance, 2) overestimating the military’s ability to achieve its objective, 3) underestimating Europe’s reaction, especially Germany upping its military contribution to NATO, which they’ve resisted for some 20 years; even Switzerland has joined the cause. Russia will be more isolated than ever from the West.  8 ) putting cluster and vacuum bombs into play, ""

https://deadline.com/2022/03/oliver-stone-criticizes-putin-ukraine-1234973037/

And it was a reply to this misleading claim of yours:

 

 

And here's the rule you clearly violated. 

6) You will not make changes to quoted material from other members posts, except for purposes of shortening the quoted post. This cannot be done in such a manner that it alters the context of the original post.

https://aseannow.com/terms/

Clearly he's challenging you on your claim about where Oliver Stone stands on the issue of the Russian invasion

 

[Jingthing]

29 minutes ago, Saanim said:

 

The problem is that we do not not know all the circumstances since we do not get all the stories. And when some are referring to anything that is not exactly with the (Western) official narrative, it's not possible to show and refer to.

 

As we know the months before the war has started there has been huge military exercises not only by Russians. Also those days were also many diplomatic discussions about Minsk treaties that were guaranteed by Western govts however, not at all adhered to.  As the shelling of the Donbass areas has not stopped, despite the repeated OECD reports, Luhansk and Donetsk Republics asked Russia to annex them what was accepted by the Russian parliament. Thus to get a protection, similarly as other countries protect themselves.    

Luhansk and Donetsk are part of Ukraine!

Enough already with the Putin propaganda.

[Nojohndoe]

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Luhansk and Donetsk are part of Ukraine!

Enough already with the Putin propaganda.

Which part is "Putin propaganda"?