Just my opinion, but Putin wants to make Ukraine part of Russia again he wouldn't want to blow the country up first because it would alienate the population and be expensive to rebuild.
bad for Putin, bad for Shell, bad for world energy prices. Have to wonder if CNPC will not be picking up these assets on the cheap. I mean, who do you sell it to?
Really, because the bill on Russian Sanctions passed with a veto proof majority, and trump had a bit of hissy fit about signing it. I don't remember the part where Trump had a pissing match about who could be tougher, this article says Trump's objections were that he was "hand cuffed" into signing it (veto proof backing) and whined about how it took the power away from him to make deals. Some of Trump's quotes: “By limiting the executive’s flexibility, this bill makes it harder for the United States to strike good deals for the American people, and will drive China, Russia, and North Korea much closer together,” “seriously flawed” and said it contains “a number of clearly unconstitutional provisions” “The framers of our Constitution put foreign affairs in the hands of the president,” he added. “This bill will prove the wisdom of that choice.” “The bill ... encroaches on the executive branch’s authority to negotiate,” he said. “Congress could not even negotiate a healthcare bill after seven years of talking.” “I built a truly great company worth many billions of dollars. That is a big part of the reason I was elected. As president, I can make far better deals with foreign countries than Congress,” he said. Trump lashes out while signing Russia sanctions bill
I hope Zelensky has professional protection. Kill him and possibly break the Ukranian will? What is Wagner Group — shadowy Russian mercenaries 'in Kyiv to assassinate Volodymyr Zelensky' (theprint.in) New Delhi: Mercenaries from the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company recently sanctioned by the EU for alleged human rights abuses, are operating in Kyiv with orders from the Kremlin to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a report by UK newspaper The Times Monday. The group has been accused of covertly working for the Russian government to conduct combat operations in different parts of the world. It has a presence in Libya — which is at present fighting a civil war — as well as in Syria, Mozambique, Mali, Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
Israeli man killed in Ukraine, Israel's foreign ministry says | Reuters JERUSALEM, Feb 28 (Reuters) - An Israeli man was killed in Ukraine on Monday as he was driving in a convoy heading toward the border with Moldova, Israel's foreign ministry said, without identifying who shot the man. Israel has stationed representatives at border crossings with Poland, Hungary and Romania to help evacuate citizens and Jews. About 4,000 Israeli citizens have left Ukraine but thousands more remain, according to a statement from Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. About 180,000 Jews are also eligible to immigrate to Israel based on the Law of Return, he added.
Analysis: China's reaction to Ukraine could be putting its citizens in danger - CNN Interesting bit here... "Beijing, which has fostered increasingly close ties with Moscow, has so far refused to condemn Russia outright, or describe its actions as an invasion. China's state media has also adopted a pro-Russian viewpoint in its domestic coverage, while online posts in support of Ukraine and its President have been censored. Meanwhile, there has been an outpouring of pro-Russian sentiment, as well as misogyny against Ukrainian women, on China's highly restricted and censored social media, where nationalist voices typically dominate. Such "disgusting comments" were later picked up by Ukrainian media, furthering suspicions of the Chinese community, according to Sun Guang, a Chinese vlogger who has lived in Ukraine for two decades and raised his family there with his wife, who is Ukrainian." So there's 6000 Chinese citizens trapped because they didn't issue a warning to get out in order to appease Putin/blame the US. Then they bad mouth Ukranians including the women, and those comments somehow got out to Ukraine...that wasn't very smart. Guess Putin better hope no Chinese Nationals get injured/killed by the Russians.
Good. Go on a national strike & get Putin out. There's how many millions of Russians? Edit- yes it's not that simple but their people need to act and act fast.
Agreed, if they assassinate him it might galvanize countries to send troops into Ukraine and start the next World war.
Concerns mount as black people report racism while fleeing Ukraine Black immigrants report racist treatment as they try to flee Ukraine And of course racism always reveals itself during the worst of circumstances.
It almost seems like that is what Putin wants ... hard to tell if he's lost his marbles and really wants an all out (nuclear?) war, or is acting crazy to make powerful nations think twice about getting involved.
I lean more toward your take. The national leader is rarely the center of gravity when they are the elected representative. Now when an authoritarian or, worse, totalitarian dictator falls, that tends to have a greater effect on national will. Several historical case studies back that up. I think if Putin were to drop dead, then might change the momentum of the war, but if Zelensky were to die, then their VP takes over, and the people keep right on fighting.
I agree with this thought. If Russia is having this much trouble conquering Ukrainejust imagine what a nightmare its going to be to pacify and rule it.
