Current Affairs

[screwy]

It’s like outside number 10 when reporters shout out,as if they’re going to get an answer.

[Stephen]

I thought the best one was when he was asked about a wealthy Russian getting a peerage because of his donations. What's that got to do with the current situation.
And yes, that annoys me when the interviewer doesn't allow the person to finish answering the question but keep cutting him off.

[david63]

And they are even worse if the interviewee is not giving the answer that they want!

[Mervyn and Trish]

So we now have Labour banging on that Boris has not done enough soon enough over the Russia/Ukraine war. If I recall correctly didn't Boris want to talk about Ukraine when all Labour wanted to do was talk about cakegate?

Sir Hiindsight trying to score political points in an international crisis. Plain despicable. Nothing less. The only thing that has a hope of stopping Putin is Western unity with not even a crack big enough for a cigarette paper. And so Sir H hands him a glimpse of disunity. What an idiot. Whose side is he on? As bad as Comrade Corbyn.

[david63]

Do I detect that there may be a softening coming out of Moscow?

Russia has said that it can stop operations at "any moment" if Ukraine meets Russian conditions.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Ukraine must recognise Crimea as Russian, and Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states.

In addition to this, Peskov says Ukraine must amend its constitution and reject claims to enter any bloc (like Nato, for example).

He adds that Russia will finish the "demilitarisation" of Ukraine, and if these conditions are met Russian military action will "stop in a moment".

The Kremlin spokesman insists that Russia is not seeking to make any further territorial claims on Ukraine.

If that is what it seems then it would be a small price for Ukraine to pay to stop the "war".

• Crimea is in effect Russian anyway.
• Those two states have been in conflict for years.
• As NATO have said that Ukraine would not be able join for several years then changing the constitution would not appear to be such a big deal - especially as it could be changed again once Putin has gone.

Obviously there would also need to be some reciprocation from the Russian side.

[screwy]

Although I can agree with Crimea and the 2 states, No way should Ukraine be de- militarised, every nation has the right to arm and defend itself.Ukraine should be the buffer between east and west but the west should have the automatic right to help defend her from further Russian aggression.

[towny44]

After suffering the devastation to some of the major cities, I doubt that Ukraine is likely to sign anything, which cedes any of their existing territory. It is likely that Russia will be left with a totally devastated large empty state whose population, what's left of it, has left for western europe, and due to sanctions totally lacking the necessary finance to rebuild the infrastructure

[david63]

After suffering the devastation to some of the major cities, I doubt that Ukraine is likely to sign anything, which cedes any of their existing territory.

Yes - but there has to be a compromise somewhere and giving up some territory that they have basically lost for several years may be the least worst option.

[barney]

Russia will be absolutely crippled financially and it will stay in place until Putin is gone.
Every major corporation in the West is in on the deal.
It’s the end of Russia as we know it.

[towny44]

After suffering the devastation to some of the major cities, I doubt that Ukraine is likely to sign anything, which cedes any of their existing territory.

Yes - but there has to be a compromise somewhere and giving up some territory that they have basically lost for several years may be the least worst option.

What Putin is offering is exactly the same that was offered before the invasion, so I doubt that Zelensky is going to accept that after all the pain Ukraine has suffered. I believe he will want to fight to the bitter end, so it depends when the head of his armed forces feels that surrender is needed.

[screwy]

How embarrassing is our Home Office response to granting visas to Ukrainians,watching the news I felt ashamed.

[towny44]

How embarrassing is our Home Office response to granting visas to Ukrainians,watching the news I felt ashamed.

Agreed it's very disheartening to see our pitiful presence at Calais, we need to be where the demand is instead of directing them to Paris.

[Onelife]

Seeing those two children + father dead in the street has done it for me…the West should impose a NFZ and call Putin’s bluff. If we are to live under the fear of him pressing a button every time he doesn’t get his way then that is too much of a price to pay in my book. At the very least we should be threatening an NFZ and be prepared to use it if he is not prepared to stop this slaughter of innocent people.

No need to remined me of the consequences but better to take the chance now than to wait until the sanctions cripple his country and he becoming even more likely/unpredictable/unstable to press a button.

[Manoverboard]

You could go down to the County Hospital and book 1000 sessions on a Linear Accelerator just to get the overall feel of radiation ... praps

[Stephen]

When are we going to finally get a set of balls and help make a stand against this nutter, when it’s too late and he’s one day knocking on our doors. The time for talking and pussy footing about is over, give him a taste of his own medicine in spades.


Newspaper headlines: Putin's refugee offer rejected and UK urged to do more https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-60656293

[Onelife]

You could go down to the County Hospital and book 1000 sessions on a Linear Accelerator just to get the overall feel of radiation ... praps

Sod the radiation Mob I’ll settle for the carbon option and be done with it.

[Onelife]

He will never win the minds of patriotic people Stephen no matter how many of them he slaughters.

Long live Ukraine

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'm afraid I'm against the NFZ for two reasons. First I'm a coward and I believe it would give him the excuse to widen the war. Secondly it would give him the PR coup he's desperate for at home. "Look I told you, NATO aggression." It would strengthen not weaken his position.

[towny44]

We can argue the pros and cons of Putins reaction to the west being more proactive with our military aid forever. No one, probably not even Putin, knows the answer, but I am coming round to Onelifes view, if not then Ukraine will become a wasteland. If he then chickens out of using the nuclear option and we are able to force a ceasefire, we are in the driving seat and can force Russia to get rid of Putin or we continue with more and more sanctions until they capitulate.

[Manoverboard]

One thing is for sure ' we ' cannot force Putin to do anything ... no chance.

[barney]

One thing is for sure ' we ' cannot force Putin to do anything ... no chance.

World wide sanctions will inevitably lead to Putins demise.
It’s just a matter of when and also what is left of Ukraine and the Russian economy by the time he goes.
The Russians who have enjoyed their western lifestyle will be the first to question, followed by the others as the cupboards run bare.
It’s the only way without going all in.

[Onelife]

I'm afraid I'm against the NFZ for two reasons. First I'm a coward and I believe it would give him the excuse to widen the war. Secondly it would give him the PR coup he's desperate for at home. "Look I told you, NATO aggression." It would strengthen not weaken his position.

The war has already been widened. When you become subservient to another county by way of what they might do to your country you have already lost the war of perceived weakness.
Putin may be all the things we think he is but he isn’t stupid and it is for that reason I would be in favour of supplying Ukraine with the air power to defend themselves and not wait until there is nothing left for them to defend.

Long live Ukraine

[Mervyn and Trish]

Supplying air power is one thing, that I think is being considered with Polish planes. Supplying pilots is another. There is a third reason I'm against a NFZ. What would it achieve? Putin is pounding Ukrainian cities with artillery shells and missiles. A NFZ wouldn't stop that.

And I disagree about Putin. I think he is stupid enough to do anything and that includes pushing the nuclear button. I doubt he'd strike Washington, maybe not even London, as he knows what the result would be. But he has tactical battlefield nuclear weapons. I believe he'd use those at the slightest excuse.

[oldbluefox]

I believe Putin has made a big mistake and is now between a rock and a hard place. The war with Ukraine is not going as smoothly as he thought it would. Troops on the ground are getting bogged down in fighting the Ukrainians who are responding with weapons supplies from the West. Most of his fighters are young conscripts who have already spent weeks camped out on the border in what was to all intents and purposes a military exercise and no doubt the propaganda machine would have told them how easy it would be to wander over the border and be well received by their comrades in the Ukraine. Putin's main weapons at the moment are bombs and shells most of which are launched from miles away.
And what happens if he wins this war? Do you think the Ukrainian people will accept a regime imposed by Russia? I believe a guerilla war with the authorities would go on for years to come.
Meanwhile sanctions in Russia are crippling the country and I wonder how long the Russian people will tolerate that as their economy becomes ever more strangled. How long will the military generals tolerate this crazy war which Russia can never win? Could there be a military coup to depose him?
As for the NFZ I agree with Merv. I doubt he would use them on any of the NATO nations as he knows what the consequences would be but he mught press the trigger on the Ukraine. That is not something I would wish on anybody and in that respect a NFZ would significantly make matters a whole lot worse.

[oldbluefox]

Barney
Pleased to see a significant donation has been given to the Red Cross by a certain organisation. SMIB