Russia says it won't start a war as Ukraine tensions mount

[TexasTowelie]

Source: AP

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s top diplomat said Friday that Moscow will not start a war but warned that it wouldn’t allow the West to trample on its security interests amid fears it is planning to invade Ukraine.

U.S. President Joe Biden warned Ukraine’s president a day earlier that there is a “distinct possibility” that Russia could take military action against its neighbor in February.

“There won’t be a war as far as it depends on the Russian Federation, we don’t want a war,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a live interview with Russian radio stations. “But we won’t let our interests be rudely trampled on and ignored.”

Tensions have soared in recent weeks, and the United States and its NATO allies worry that the concentration of about 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine heralds Moscow’s intention to attack the ex-Soviet state. Russia has repeatedly denied having any such plans, but has demanded that NATO promise Ukraine will never be allowed to join and that the alliance roll back deployments of troops and military equipment in Eastern Europe.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-joe-biden-united-states-europe-moscow-8593998c182f17caafeb57fe93f7578c

[Scrivener7]

1. But then again, Vlad is a compulsive liar.

[hlthe2b]

2. Right, as if Sergey Lavrov hasn't lied exponentially throughout his time with us

FOff, Lavrov. Your Trump buddies aren't around to deal with you or listen to your propaganda.

[Lovie777]

3. Not during the winter Olympics . . ....

China would be pissed.

[dalton99a]

12. Putin will move his tanks before March

Weather: An invasion that begins in January or February would have the advantage of frozen ground to support the cross-country movement of a large mechanized force. It would also mean operating in conditions of freezing cold and limited visibility. January is usually the coldest and snowiest month of the year in Ukraine, averaging 8.5 hours of daylight during the month and increasing to 10 hours by February.8 This would put a premium on night fighting capabilities to keep an advance moving forward. Should fighting continue into March, mechanized forces would have to deal with the infamous Rasputitsa, or thaw. In October, Rasputitsa turns firm ground into mud. In March, the frozen steppes thaw, and the land again becomes at best a bog, and at worst a sea of mud. Winter weather is also less than optimal for reliable close air support operations.

https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-possible-invasion-ukraine

[sanatanadharma]

4. It is not a war until the invaded shoot back

"But we won’t let our interests be rudely trampled on and ignored.”

Ukraine's interests, however, will be ignored by Russia.

[oldsoftie]

5. Whew! That settles it! Thank goodness. Glad that's over.

[videohead5]

6. Stinger missiles

We are sending Ukraine a bunch of stinger missiles. They will do heavy damage to the Russian military. The stinger missile is what ran the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan. This will not be a walk in the park for Putin so hopefully he will think twice.

[msfiddlestix]

7. I feel like some of us old timers have heard that line before by another wanna be world dictator

when that certain evil cretin told Chamberlin he had no intentions of going to war against Britain.

[Beastly Boy]

8. Russia never starts wars. It's the little green men with no insignia who start Russia's wars.

In related news, when Russia's top diplomat was asked if Russia will finish the war in Ukraine, his response was "No comment..."

[Midnight Writer]

9. In other words, "If Ukraine simply surrenders its sovereign power to us, we will not invade".

[dalton99a]

10. "We desire peace perhaps more than all others." - Hitler, May 1933

January 1935: "No country can feel the need for peace more profoundly than Germany."

May 1935: "Our love of peace is perhaps greater than that of the other nations."

January 1936: "There is not a single German who desires war."

March 1936: "My aim is Peace, Peace founded on an equality of rights amongst the peoples."

September 1936: "The German people has no other wish than to live in peace and friendship."

June 1937: "The German in his whole character is not only peaceable and peace-loving."

...

January 1939: "[W]e have always only one wish, that in the coming year, too, we may succeed in contributing to the general pacification of the world."

April 1939: "... the Czech people will have more freedom than the down-trodden peoples of the virtuous nations! I have thus, I believe, done a great service to the cause of peace."

etc. etc.

[rockfordfile]

11. Russia has zero credibility

[blue-wave]

13. And the Japanese Government, circa WWII

was talking the same line as Russia today. That is, right up to the moment they bombed Pearl Harbor. If the Russians don't plan on invading Ukraine again, then they should draw down their troops.

[EndlessWire]

14. Odd thinking

North Korea shoots off missiles in an effort to get our attention and end sanctions. So, they are trying to make us afraid of them by bullying.

Russia amasses thousands of troops near the Ukraine border, moves in hardware, deploys medical units, and sends ships out. They want NATO to ban Ukraine and remove weapons from wherever we have stashed them. So, they are trying to make us afraid of WWIII by bullying.

They can't be trusted. Show us you won't start war by pulling your troops back. Otherwise, what you did as opposed to what you say will be the order of the day.

.

[Behind the Aegis]

15. Neat!

I hear the Brooklyn Bridge is up for sale again.

[imavoter]

16. Biden admin Intel on this

must be good or he wouldn't warn
Ukraine.

Off topic a bit, but how does this affect
our space/science relationship with the
Russians, space station etc?
I've wondered about this...I've missed it
if it's been discussed here or main stream
media. thoughts? which DU member is
in the know?

[TexasTowelie]

17. Russia was planning on pulling out of the ISS since it has outlived the design specifications.

I haven't read anything suggesting that the space/science interests are being affected by the political situation.

[ck4829]

18. Kick

[uncle ray]

19. Why?

Not LBN anymore. Is there something about this you'd like to discuss?

[Sapient Donkey]

21. Made me scratch my head before I noticed the date

[yardwork]

20. Thanks for the reminder that Biden was on top of this.

Biden's warning to Ukraine was invaluable. Have them time to prepare.