Ukrainian leaders: Stay calm, Russian invasion not imminent

[FakeNoose]

Source: Associated Press APNews

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s leaders sought Tuesday to reassure the nation that an invasion from neighboring Russia was not imminent, even as they acknowledged the threat is real and received a shipment of U.S. military equipment to shore up their defenses.

Moscow has denied it is planning an assault, but it has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine in recent weeks and is holding military drills at multiple locations in Russia. That has led the United States and its NATO allies to rush to prepare for a possible war.

Several rounds of high stakes diplomacy have failed to yield any breakthroughs, and tensions escalated further this week. NATO said it was bolstering its deterrence in the Baltic Sea region, and the U.S. ordered 8,500 troops on higher alert for potential deployment to Europe as part of an alliance “response force” if necessary. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said he is prepared to send troops to protect NATO allies in Europe.

In a show of European unity in Berlin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron called for an easing of the crisis. “We ... expect clear steps from Russia that will contribute to a de-escalation of the situation,” Scholz said.

Macron, who said he would talk with President Vladimir Putin by phone Friday, added: “If there is aggression, there will be retaliation and the cost will be very high.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-russia-diplomacy-europe-baltic-sea-44821c52f54b5e927d86ea28420cb2cf

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In the latest standoff, Russia wants guarantees from the West that NATO will never admit Ukraine as a member and that the alliance would curtail other actions, such as stationing troops in former Soviet bloc countries. Some of these, like the membership pledge, are nonstarters for NATO, creating a seemingly intractable stalemate that many fear can only end in a war.

Moscow has accused Ukraine of massing troops near rebel-controlled regions in the east, aiming to retake them by force — accusations Kyiv has rejected. Analysts say Ukraine’s leaders are caught between trying to calm the nation and ensuring it gets sufficient assistance from the West in case of an invasion.

- more at link -



I believe Joe Biden when he says that committing US troops into battle is NOT his objective. Let's try to remain calm while our leaders deal with the Russian weasel (Putin). There will be a way to work this out, and Joe Biden will find the way.

[PortTack]

1. Another opinion I saw last night on you tube...this is midterm election interference

Hurt President Biden, get more russian sympathizers in place in the government in ‘22. Then in ‘24 when pootie “thinks” he can have a gqp crony as president he can then just walk in and take over Ukraine with no push back from the US.

[OnDoutside]

2. I don't think that is likely the case.

[PortTack]

6. Well..I sure hope you are right!!

[OnDoutside]

18. I just think it's too far out from that to be what's behind this. I think

certainly he has calculated that the US may be less likely to push back because they've only just exited Afghanistan. Coupled with the Germans cowering due to their energy reliance on Russia, and thus reluctant to galvanize the EU response....now is Putin's time to push it.

[sarisataka]

5. "Another opinion I saw last night on you tube"

'Nuff said.

[PortTack]

7. There are reputable posters on YouTube, and not so reputable. I don't even watch those that aren't

Nuff said!!

[Alexander Of Assyria]

10. Incredible isn't it what people think is news? It's criminal.

[Lancero]

19. Given how many people here lambaste the media as being anti-Democrat, is it much of a surprise...

That people are turning to alternative news sources?

...Now that I think about it, didn't we lambaste Trump for proclaiming the media as a enemy, and pushing alt sources? Guess we've come full circle.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

20. The mass media IS the enemy of the facts, some things aren't political. Not full circle,

cause nothings changed. Mass media is enemy of the facts, master of not reporting and distorting as much as reporting, so then enemy of everything factual…remember Iran?

Trump just used the phrase in a time worn fascist sense, not in the same sense of being an enemy of truth as we and democrats allege, correctly..

[dchill]

3. Ukrainian leadership doesn't include anyone named...

... Chamberlain, does it?

[yaesu]

8. Maybe after the war games putin will just pack up and go home blaming the West for over reacting

if he was smart that is what he would do but he's a monster wanting to create a crisis to hide what a dismal leader he is & how crappy his economy is.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

9. What!! Stay calm! Wait, American media and military are clamouring for war, r they lying

to us…again?

Greatest pro war propaganda operation ever, mass media and Pentagon.

[TheBlackAdder]

11. Perhaps Putin is running interference for China & Taiwan, and if that happens then Russia invades.

.

Putin distracts from Taiwan.
China moves against Taiwan while we're distracted.
When the focus on Taiwan, Putin starts a move against Ukraine.

.

[FakeNoose]

12. Wow, you should write James Bond movie scripts

Seriously that would make a great movie.

No I think Pootie just wants to make sure the Ukrainians don't get accepted into NATO. I'm pretty sure that's what this is all about. Oh, and he's keeping the Crimea because ... Chump told him he could have it. But we already knew that.

[oldsoftie]

13. He's had Crimea since '14. What were we EVER going to do about it?

Of course Trump was never going to do anything. But Obama did nothing & HRC didn't discuss it either. we were caught flat footed & didn't turn the screws tight enough on Putin.

[maxsolomon]

22. We did something about it: sanctions.

Relations with Putin's Kakistocracy have been shit since. He's out of the G8 or whatever it is called now. He's willing to take the hit because he's reassembling the Russian Empire and bringing ethnic Russians back in to the fold.

Amazing we've maintained access to the ISS. We're not going to do anything more about it - there's not much left to do when he heats most of W. Europe.

Like China's annexation of Tibet, it is a fait accompli.

[oldsoftie]

24. We could use sanctions that actually hurt HIM & his cronies.

Cut off access to the World Bank. Cut off energy sales. Get the EU to restart their nuke plants & sell them more LNG. Get the ME involved by supplying more energy products to the EU. Their only real money comes from energy because they don't make any products worth a shit. The Russian people are not onboard for an invasion. Ukraine needs to inflict maximum casualties as soon as possible if there IS an invasion. The Russians will get more vocal against it
Tossing him out of the G8 was certainly the right move. China should be removed from similar positions. And of course, we should get as much mfg OUT of china as possible. Even if its just right next door to Vietnam. Certainly our MEDICINES should be brought back. But its gotten to where new laws are going to be the only way to do that. And neither the GOP or Dems seem wiling to piss off their corporate donors.

[roamer65]

17. Putin is Xi's poodle.

Very possible scenario.

[doc03]

14. Why is it the MSM and the west

have their hair on fire over Ukraine and Ukraine says stay calm not to worry? Is Bagdad Bob running the Ukraine now?

[maxsolomon]

23. Ukraine could be putting on a brave front.

Putin is not poised to take all of Ukraine with 100K troops. It's a nation of 43 million.

He is probably poised to carve out a chunk of it, but he'll wait till winter is over.

[oldsoftie]

25. They can't bring their heavy weapons; tanks, unless the ground is frozen.

The invasion is more feared in the dead of winter because of that

[maxsolomon]

27. valid point.

maybe ukraine could cede all the contaminated chernobyl territory preemptively!

[oldsoftie]

28. Yeah, give it to Belarus. They seem to be a good place for it!

[forgotmylogin]

15. So was this a bit of shrewd and creative diplomacy by Biden?

Putin's day-to-day recently seems largely ignored by the press and he's used to flying under the radar. So Biden calling him out publicly in the press conference non-confrontationally: "Yeah, this is probably what he's doing and his next move is up to him..." basically just turns on the lights so now everyone is aware and watching what Russia does next.

[The Jungle 1]

21. Send them stinger missiles

If Ukraine can shoot the russian aircraft out of the sky from the ground there will not be a war.
Actually we probably have even better anti aircraft weapons these days.

[oldsoftie]

26. I believe we have. As well as Javelin anti tank weapons.

Which would be highly useful.