Russia invades Ukraine Feb 2022

[armaghniac]

Would Putin be satisfied with the 2 Separatist regions? They make up 4% of the land area and 10% of the population.
By recognising them as autonomous Countries he gives himself the pretext of being able to move troops in but he then loses the leverage he had been hoping from the earlier agreements as he no longer has a pro-Russian element within the Ukraine borders.

Essentially makes what's left of Ukraine even more Ukrainian. Probably about as short sighted as Larne and Ballymena declaring independence

That is my simplistic view on it as well. As per the above comparison I would tend to let them have Larne and Ballymena. Just don't let them take the Glens along with them.

Give them the whole of Newtownabbey as well and close all the junctions on the M2.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Putin now have moved his tanks into the breakaway areas. This is a click on the ratchet, will he try and keep on going or will he bank that for now and come again some other time.

[whitey]

Would Putin be satisfied with the 2 Separatist regions? They make up 4% of the land area and 10% of the population.
By recognising them as autonomous Countries he gives himself the pretext of being able to move troops in but he then loses the leverage he had been hoping from the earlier agreements as he no longer has a pro-Russian element within the Ukraine borders.

Essentially makes what's left of Ukraine even more Ukrainian. Probably about as short sighted as Larne and Ballymena declaring independence

That is my simplistic view on it as well. As per the above comparison I would tend to let them have Larne and Ballymena. Just don't let them take the Glens along with them.

Give them the whole of Newtownabbey as well and close all the junctions on the M2.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Putin now have moved his tanks into the breakaway areas. This is a click on the ratchet, will he try and keep on going or will he bank that for now and come again some other time.

Well Uncle Joe did say that a minor incursion was acceptable

[seafoid]

Would Putin be satisfied with the 2 Separatist regions? They make up 4% of the land area and 10% of the population.
By recognising them as autonomous Countries he gives himself the pretext of being able to move troops in but he then loses the leverage he had been hoping from the earlier agreements as he no longer has a pro-Russian element within the Ukraine borders.

Essentially makes what's left of Ukraine even more Ukrainian. Probably about as short sighted as Larne and Ballymena declaring independence

That is my simplistic view on it as well. As per the above comparison I would tend to let them have Larne and Ballymena. Just don't let them take the Glens along with them.

Give them the whole of Newtownabbey as well and close all the junctions on the M2.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Putin now have moved his tanks into the breakaway areas. This is a click on the ratchet, will he try and keep on going or will he bank that for now and come again some other time.

Would the Abbey Centre be included?

This Ukraine craic is very messy because it's post Soviet Empire. A line on a map.  NI is post British Empire. Left behind people.
Ukraine means borderlands. There is no natural border anyway 

[RedHand88]

Would Putin be satisfied with the 2 Separatist regions? They make up 4% of the land area and 10% of the population.
By recognising them as autonomous Countries he gives himself the pretext of being able to move troops in but he then loses the leverage he had been hoping from the earlier agreements as he no longer has a pro-Russian element within the Ukraine borders.

Essentially makes what's left of Ukraine even more Ukrainian. Probably about as short sighted as Larne and Ballymena declaring independence

That is my simplistic view on it as well. As per the above comparison I would tend to let them have Larne and Ballymena. Just don't let them take the Glens along with them.

Give them the whole of Newtownabbey as well and close all the junctions on the M2.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Putin now have moved his tanks into the breakaway areas. This is a click on the ratchet, will he try and keep on going or will he bank that for now and come again some other time.

Would the Abbey Centre be included?

This Ukraine craic is very messy because it's post Soviet Empire. A line on a map.  NI is post British Empire. Left behind people.
Ukraine means borderlands. There is no natural border anyway

Wouldn't be any big loss.

[Sportacus]

Europe wasn't "on the brink of war" when Crimea was annexed.  Can anyone explain what's different this time?  If he rolls into Kyiev that's different, but I still don't think it will happen.
And I hope Simon Coveney says very little about it.  Some of the things he says, you'd think Ireland was a nuclear power.

[johnnycool]

Would Putin be satisfied with the 2 Separatist regions? They make up 4% of the land area and 10% of the population.
By recognising them as autonomous Countries he gives himself the pretext of being able to move troops in but he then loses the leverage he had been hoping from the earlier agreements as he no longer has a pro-Russian element within the Ukraine borders.

Essentially makes what's left of Ukraine even more Ukrainian. Probably about as short sighted as Larne and Ballymena declaring independence

That is my simplistic view on it as well. As per the above comparison I would tend to let them have Larne and Ballymena. Just don't let them take the Glens along with them.

Give them the whole of Newtownabbey as well and close all the junctions on the M2.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Putin now have moved his tanks into the breakaway areas. This is a click on the ratchet, will he try and keep on going or will he bank that for now and come again some other time.

Would the Abbey Centre be included?

This Ukraine craic is very messy because it's post Soviet Empire. A line on a map.  NI is post British Empire. Left behind people.
Ukraine means borderlands. There is no natural border anyway

I suppose during the years of the Soviet Union there was a blurring of the lines and evidently there's been tensions along the Ukrainian Eastern borders for years which Putin is looking to exploit with his "peace keeping mission"..

Straight out of the US playbook, bringing "democracy" to various countries since WW2.

[johnnycool]

Boris will sort it! 

Ironically Boris is best placed to put the most pressure on Putin and the Russian ruling elite if he were to freeze assets held in London and the City of London of loads of Putins Oligarchs.

But he won't as they've been lining his pockets and that of the Tory party for quite a few years now.

[Tyrdub]

Would Putin be satisfied with the 2 Separatist regions? They make up 4% of the land area and 10% of the population.
By recognising them as autonomous Countries he gives himself the pretext of being able to move troops in but he then loses the leverage he had been hoping from the earlier agreements as he no longer has a pro-Russian element within the Ukraine borders.

Essentially makes what's left of Ukraine even more Ukrainian. Probably about as short sighted as Larne and Ballymena declaring independence

That is my simplistic view on it as well. As per the above comparison I would tend to let them have Larne and Ballymena. Just don't let them take the Glens along with them.

Give them the whole of Newtownabbey as well and close all the junctions on the M2.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Putin now have moved his tanks into the breakaway areas. This is a click on the ratchet, will he try and keep on going or will he bank that for now and come again some other time.

Would the Abbey Centre be included?

This Ukraine craic is very messy because it's post Soviet Empire. A line on a map.  NI is post British Empire. Left behind people.
Ukraine means borderlands. There is no natural border anyway

Wouldn't be any big loss.

Hold on a minute, I live beside it, I don't want to be a commie, leave us alone

[Keyser soze]

Putin wasn't long in sensing the weakness of the western leaders once Merkel left the scene. None of the others have a single ounce of gravitas, I'm sure Vlad is laughing to himself at their empty threats.

Anybody who thinks he is going to stop with occupying the 2 independent regions needs their head examined, he as much as said the whole of the Ukraine has no right to exist.

Reminds me really strongly of the annexations of Alsace-Lorraine and the Sudetenland, with people running round ineffectually waving bits of paper in triumph as they got their asses handed to them by a madman.

[seafoid]

Putin is running a huge culture war. He wants a block of pro Russian countries on Russia's borders and Ukraine doesn't agree.

If the Yanks declare sanctions he will say they want to destroy Russia.

If they do nothing he will drive a coach and horses through international law. 

[Keyser soze]

Putin is running a huge culture war. He wants a block of pro Russian countries on Russia's borders and Ukraine doesn't agree.

If the Yanks declare sanctions he will say they want to destroy Russia.

If they do nothing he will drive a coach and horses through international law.

WTAF?? A culture war??? With tanks and helicopters?

[seafoid]

Putin is running a huge culture war. He wants a block of pro Russian countries on Russia's borders and Ukraine doesn't agree.

If the Yanks declare sanctions he will say they want to destroy Russia.

If they do nothing he will drive a coach and horses through international law.

WTAF?? A culture war??? With tanks and helicopters?

You can't run a war without an enemy. 

[sid waddell]

Would Putin be satisfied with the 2 Separatist regions? They make up 4% of the land area and 10% of the population.
By recognising them as autonomous Countries he gives himself the pretext of being able to move troops in but he then loses the leverage he had been hoping from the earlier agreements as he no longer has a pro-Russian element within the Ukraine borders.

Essentially makes what's left of Ukraine even more Ukrainian. Probably about as short sighted as Larne and Ballymena declaring independence

That is my simplistic view on it as well. As per the above comparison I would tend to let them have Larne and Ballymena. Just don't let them take the Glens along with them.

Give them the whole of Newtownabbey as well and close all the junctions on the M2.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Putin now have moved his tanks into the breakaway areas. This is a click on the ratchet, will he try and keep on going or will he bank that for now and come again some other time.

It makes no sense for Putin to stop at the occupied DNR/LNR and Crimea.

Why would he stop there? Ukraine still exists. Ukraine is what he wants gone.

Neither will it make any sense for him to stop at Ukraine. Once you're in, you're all in.

Putin has already talked about the borders of the imperial Russian empire. That means he has his sights on the Baltic countries and Poland.

And shure why stop there, you're all in then, Russia used to occupy part of Germany, why not get that back too?

Hitlers are like sharks, they cannot stop.

If the west ever defeats Russia again, the country needs to be forcibly broken up.

The only thing that protects our freedom in the west is hard power. The last eight years have been a salutary lesson in that.

And tragically, we will probably need to use that hard power if we want to keep that freedom.

[Franko]

Would Putin be satisfied with the 2 Separatist regions? They make up 4% of the land area and 10% of the population.
By recognising them as autonomous Countries he gives himself the pretext of being able to move troops in but he then loses the leverage he had been hoping from the earlier agreements as he no longer has a pro-Russian element within the Ukraine borders.

Essentially makes what's left of Ukraine even more Ukrainian. Probably about as short sighted as Larne and Ballymena declaring independence

That is my simplistic view on it as well. As per the above comparison I would tend to let them have Larne and Ballymena. Just don't let them take the Glens along with them.

Give them the whole of Newtownabbey as well and close all the junctions on the M2.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Putin now have moved his tanks into the breakaway areas. This is a click on the ratchet, will he try and keep on going or will he bank that for now and come again some other time.

It makes no sense for Putin to stop at the occupied DNR/LNR and Crimea.

Why would he stop there? Ukraine still exists. Ukraine is what he wants gone.

Neither will it make any sense for him to stop at Ukraine. Once you're in, you're all in.

Putin has already talked about the borders of the imperial Russian empire. That means he has his sights on the Baltic countries and Poland.

And shure why stop there, you're all in then, Russia used to occupy part of Germany, why not get that back too?

Hitlers are like sharks, they cannot stop.

If the west ever defeats Russia again, the country needs to be forcibly broken up.

The only thing that protects our freedom in the west is hard power. The last eight years have been a salutary lesson in that.

And tragically, we will probably need to use that hard power if we want to keep that freedom.

I don't disagree with a lot of what you are saying

But if there's one thing that hasn't worked out well historically, it's western powers taking over countries and arbitrarily placing borders within them to suit their own ends

[imtommygunn]

Johnson just walked out of parliament. He said that there were sanctions on Roman Abramovich and some boy pulled him on it being a lie so he walked out 

Good enough for him.