Gut feeling........will Putin attack Ukraine ?

[ConstitutionCowboy]

I think all Putin will do - if anything at all - will be to simply roll on into Ukraine, claim it as his own, and wont be the first to fire a shot. That way, he can claim "defense" when he fires back. The first shot will be just another one of many a shot heard around the world.

Woody

 

[ratski]

And while all this is going on, nobody is really looking at what China wants to do with Taiwan.
Or what they will send out to the world with the Olympic athletes to their home countries.

 

[RickN]

Putin will invade. He wants complete control over the Russian gas pipeline that runs thru Ukraine and the shipyards to build his next aircraft carriers.

"Although the creation of a new aircraft carrier, along with the Lider-class destroyers, has been postponed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, it is still mentioned in the Russia's State Armament Programme for 2018–2027 released in May 2017.[7] According to Russian officials, a new heavy aircraft carrier should be laid down between 2025 and 2030."

The Lider class destroyer is really a heavy cruiser. I do not think Russia has ant other ship yards able to handle ships this size. I know Ukraine ship yards built most if not all of the Soviets previous carriers.

 

[RickN]

And while all this is going on, nobody is really looking at what China wants to do with Taiwan.
Or what they will send out to the world with the Olympic athletes to their home countries.

Agreed, or what Iran will do at the same time. Conditions are bad enough in the mid-east that the Saudi's, Egypt, UAE and others are talking to Israel about buying Iron Dome AA for protection against Iran's missiles which can now hit almost all of the mid-east including Israel.

 

[Frederick]

I don’t like Biden anymore than anyone else…but Biden is just a front for the DNC…he’s going to follow the orders of the democrat establishment….people keep shitting on Biden but the poor old fool doesn’t have any say…

i think the Germans and those Europeans should foot the freedom bill this time…tired of wasting American lives and $$$ for ungrateful European Allies who won’t even defend their own interests… Ukraine is in Europes backyard not ours…it’s time we get to sit around sipping coffee here in the USA and ***** and moan about the Europeans while Germans die for once…

 

[Snattlerake]

I don’t like Biden anymore than anyone else…but Biden is just a front for the DNC…he’s going to follow the orders of the democrat establishment….people keep shitting on Biden but the poor old fool doesn’t have any say…

i think the Germans and those Europeans should foot the freedom bill this time…tired of wasting American lives and $$$ for ungrateful European Allies who won’t even defend their own interests… Ukraine is in Europes backyard not ours…it’s time we get to sit around sipping coffee here in the USA and ***** and moan about the Europeans while Germans die for once…

That'l last a few months anyqway.

 

[SlugSlinger]

And here we go!


Biden Tells Putin Ukraine Invasion Would Bring Swift, Decisive Response

U.S. President Joe Biden told Russia's Vladimir Putin during an hour-long call on Saturday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would bring a decisive and swift response from the West, as well as produce widespread suffering and diminish Russia's standing in the world.

In the latest effort to avert hostilities, the two men spoke by phone a day after Washington and its allies warned Russian forces massed near Ukraine could invade at any moment. A senior Biden administration official said the call was professional and substantive, but said there was no fundamental change.

Russia's military buildup near Ukraine and a surge of military activity has fueled fears that Russia could invade. Russia denies having any such plans.

Biden told Putin that the United States is prepared for diplomacy and "other scenarios," the White House said.

The senior Biden administration official said the pair had a direct conversation touching on all the issues the United States has raised in public. The official said it remains unclear whether Putin is willing to pursue a diplomatic path.

Earlier on Saturday, the U.S. State Department ordered most of its embassy staff to leave U.S. pulls out most staff from Ukraine embassy over invasion fears Ukraine, adding to its call on Friday for private citizens to get out of the country within 48 hours. The Pentagon said it was withdrawing about 150 military trainers.

More countries told their citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately, with Israel, Portugal and Bulgaria joining the list on Saturday.

In a separate call on Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron told Putin that sincere negotiations were incompatible with an escalation in tensions over Ukraine, France said.

Biden and Macron are due to speak later on Saturday, according to a French presidency official. The official said there were no indications from what Putin told Macron that Russia is preparing an offensive against Ukraine.

Washington said on Friday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine, likely beginning with an air assault, could occur at any time.

Moscow has repeatedly disputed Washington's version of events, saying it has massed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border to maintain its own security against aggression by NATO allies.

Russia, which has accused Western nations of spreading lies to distract from their own acts, meanwhile said on Saturday that it had decided to "optimize" its diplomatic staff numbers in Ukraine, fearing "provocations" by Kyiv or others.

It said its embassy and consulates in Ukraine continued to perform their key functions.

PATHS OF AGGRESSION, DIPLOMACY

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would impose swift economic sanctions if Putin decides to invade.

"I continue to hope that he will not choose the path of renewed aggression and he'll chose the path of diplomacy and dialog," Blinken told reporters after a meeting with Pacific leaders in Fiji. "But if he doesn't, we're prepared."

In a phone call later with Blinken, Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov accused the United States and its allies of waging a "propaganda campaign" about Russian aggression towards Ukraine, the Russian foreign ministry said.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin also talked by phone on Saturday, Interfax news agency and the Pentagon said.

Also on Saturday, the Russian military said it had used "appropriate means" to make a U.S. submarine depart from Russian waters in the far east after the vessel ignored a Russian request to leave, Interfax news agency reported.

The submarine was detected near the Pacific Kuril islands in Russia's waters as Russia conducted naval exercises, the military was quoted as saying.

Putin, jostling for influence in post-Cold War Europe, is seeking security guarantees from Biden to block Kyiv's entry into NATO and missile deployments near Russia's borders.

Washington regards many of the proposals as non-starters but has pushed the Kremlin to discuss them jointly with Washington and its European allies.

Still, Biden has long believed that one-on-one engagement with Putin may be the best chance at a resolution. Two calls in December between Biden and Putin produced no breakthroughs but set the stage for diplomacy between their aides. The two leaders have not spoken since, and diplomats from both sides have struggled to find common ground.

Four-way talks in Berlin between Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France on Thursday made no progress.

Several thousand Ukrainians rallied in Kyiv on Saturday to show unity amid fears of an invasion, as Ukraine's leader told people not to panic and pushed back against what he said was a glut of bleak war predictions being reported in the media.

 

[SlugSlinger]

State Dept Issues New Alert: Embassy Staff Ordered to Depart, Embassy Closing on Sunday

State Dept Issues New Alert: Embassy Staff Ordered to Depart, Embassy Closing on Sunday
The U.S. State Department on Saturday issued a "do not" travel advisory, warning travelers to either exit Ukraine "immediately" or "exercise increased caution" if they choose to stay, in light of a State Department order calling for "most U.S. direct hire employees" to depart from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on Sunday.

"On February 12, 2022, the Department of State ordered the departure of most U.S. direct hire employees from Embassy Kyiv due to the continued threat of Russian military action. U.S. citizens should not travel to Ukraine, and those in Ukraine should depart immediately using commercial or other privately available transportation options," an official statement read.

The report adds that those in Ukraine should have "contingency plan in place that does not rely on U.S. government assistance."

On Thursday, President Joe Biden told NBC that "American citizens should leave now. "It's not like we're dealing with a terrorist organization. We're dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It's a very different situation, and things could go crazy quickly."

Also, on Thursday, Russia kicked off its military exercises in Belarus, spurring NATO to increase its own forces in the region, CBS reported.

 

[Seadog]

Even with being threatened with severe sanctions and knowing that the NATO countries will come to the aid of Ukraine world news just said that Putin is still steadily moving more and more equipment and troops (estimated at 200,000+ now) to the Ukraine border.

At this point do you think that the (arguably) 2nd most powerful leader in the world is going to bow down to world pressure and tuck his tail between his legs and pull back or is he going to launch an attack ?

Naturally I don't want to see a war and thousands of lives lost on both sides but at this point I don't see how he can now gracefully pull back without it looking like he is weak /afraid.

NATO countries? Unless America is there with our 95% of everything I don’t see those nutless wonders doing anything.
Russia second most powerful? I’d put China at second. I’m not sure if Russia is in the top five or if it even makes it into the top 10. After the collapse of the USSR they’ve been financially strapped for a long time. They are dependent on their export of oil and vodka.

 

[Seadog]

And here we go!


Biden Tells Putin Ukraine Invasion Would Bring Swift, Decisive Response

U.S. President Joe Biden told Russia's Vladimir Putin during an hour-long call on Saturday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would bring a decisive and swift response from the West, as well as produce widespread suffering and diminish Russia's standing in the world.

In the latest effort to avert hostilities, the two men spoke by phone a day after Washington and its allies warned Russian forces massed near Ukraine could invade at any moment. A senior Biden administration official said the call was professional and substantive, but said there was no fundamental change.

Russia's military buildup near Ukraine and a surge of military activity has fueled fears that Russia could invade. Russia denies having any such plans.

Biden told Putin that the United States is prepared for diplomacy and "other scenarios," the White House said.

The senior Biden administration official said the pair had a direct conversation touching on all the issues the United States has raised in public. The official said it remains unclear whether Putin is willing to pursue a diplomatic path.

Earlier on Saturday, the U.S. State Department ordered most of its embassy staff to leave U.S. pulls out most staff from Ukraine embassy over invasion fears Ukraine, adding to its call on Friday for private citizens to get out of the country within 48 hours. The Pentagon said it was withdrawing about 150 military trainers.

More countries told their citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately, with Israel, Portugal and Bulgaria joining the list on Saturday.

In a separate call on Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron told Putin that sincere negotiations were incompatible with an escalation in tensions over Ukraine, France said.

Biden and Macron are due to speak later on Saturday, according to a French presidency official. The official said there were no indications from what Putin told Macron that Russia is preparing an offensive against Ukraine.

Washington said on Friday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine, likely beginning with an air assault, could occur at any time.

Moscow has repeatedly disputed Washington's version of events, saying it has massed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border to maintain its own security against aggression by NATO allies.

Russia, which has accused Western nations of spreading lies to distract from their own acts, meanwhile said on Saturday that it had decided to "optimize" its diplomatic staff numbers in Ukraine, fearing "provocations" by Kyiv or others.

It said its embassy and consulates in Ukraine continued to perform their key functions.

PATHS OF AGGRESSION, DIPLOMACY

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would impose swift economic sanctions if Putin decides to invade.

"I continue to hope that he will not choose the path of renewed aggression and he'll chose the path of diplomacy and dialog," Blinken told reporters after a meeting with Pacific leaders in Fiji. "But if he doesn't, we're prepared."

In a phone call later with Blinken, Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov accused the United States and its allies of waging a "propaganda campaign" about Russian aggression towards Ukraine, the Russian foreign ministry said.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin also talked by phone on Saturday, Interfax news agency and the Pentagon said.

Also on Saturday, the Russian military said it had used "appropriate means" to make a U.S. submarine depart from Russian waters in the far east after the vessel ignored a Russian request to leave, Interfax news agency reported.

The submarine was detected near the Pacific Kuril islands in Russia's waters as Russia conducted naval exercises, the military was quoted as saying.

Putin, jostling for influence in post-Cold War Europe, is seeking security guarantees from Biden to block Kyiv's entry into NATO and missile deployments near Russia's borders.

Washington regards many of the proposals as non-starters but has pushed the Kremlin to discuss them jointly with Washington and its European allies.

Still, Biden has long believed that one-on-one engagement with Putin may be the best chance at a resolution. Two calls in December between Biden and Putin produced no breakthroughs but set the stage for diplomacy between their aides. The two leaders have not spoken since, and diplomats from both sides have struggled to find common ground.

Four-way talks in Berlin between Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France on Thursday made no progress.

Several thousand Ukrainians rallied in Kyiv on Saturday to show unity amid fears of an invasion, as Ukraine's leader told people not to panic and pushed back against what he said was a glut of bleak war predictions being reported in the media.

Biden is prepared to talk tough and saber rattle. That’s the extent of what this senile old fraud is capable of. He’s a puppet with somebody’s hand up his backside. I don’t believe we’re going to get involved at all. It’ll be tough talk and sanctions. That’s about all I see coming out of this administration