The 20,000 Ukrainian children abducted and given to Russian families to be brought up as Russians is just the start. According to the UN and the International Criminal Court, this is a war crime. Here is a list of war crimes that Russia is alleged to have engaged in in Chechnya under Putin’s control and many of them have been employed in Ukraine.
destruction of cities and villages, not justified by military necessity
shelling and bombardment of unprotected settlements
summary extrajudicial executions and killings of civilians
torture, ill-treatment and infringement of human dignity
serious bodily harm intentionally inflicted on persons not directly participating in hostilities
deliberate strikes against the civilian population, civilian and medical vehicles
illegal detentions of the civilian population and enforced disappearances
looting and destruction of civilian and public property
extortion
taking hostages for ransom
corpse trade
rapes, which, along with women, were committed against men
organ harvesting and organ trade.
Many of these sound familiar. If Putin is able to order or allow these things then what could be next ? It’s really only a matter of degree as was discovered by the allies during WW2. Putin is a very dangerous person with complete control of Russia. He is deluded into thinking that what he is doing is for the ‘glory of Russia’. Sound familiar again ? He’s basically the same sort of personality as Hitler, with the same messianic drive and ambition.
I must admit that I had a bit of a twinge when I wrote that, but what else is there available if a sizeable proportion of the population cleave towards Russia?
And @hairbear , I agree with every word of that but something has to give to stop this slaughter. Also, because of Russian unreliability, NATO mebership for Ukraine must be at the choice of that democratic country. A risk I know, but even Victor Orbans go away eventually.
I have no doubt that, should nothing come of the talks in Washington today and Trump continues to placate Putin, there will be a huge backlash over his forthcoming State visit to UK.
The government might swallow and eat humble pie, but the British people will show their abhorrence in no certain terms.
They need to be in the room where it happens, not cleaning up the mess later. I am not optimistic.
I just listened live to a totally unhinged Trump screed about writing an executive order to ban mail-in ballots so Democrats would lose everything. It was remarkable in a bad way.
It’s been clear for some time that Trump would rig the mid-terms to extend the Republican majority - whether that’s gerrymandering in Texas or attacking mail-in voting (something he’s long had in his sights).
The Democrats were lost the minute they ran with Biden for 2024 - probably before that as Trump almost certainly rigged the '24 election as well (no doubt helped by $290 million from his then friend Musk).
They weren’t in the room just before that, when Trump and Z had a private meeting. Luckily , it doesn’t appear that anything particularly binding or damaging has emerged from this comic display of flattering.
I can understand why they flatter Trump, but he does the same when it suits him. He flatters nearly everyone he introduces including his own team at his cabinet meetings. Is Trump’s flattery a form of manipulation and control?
I think they did well. They are dealing with an irrational arsehole who is on the cusp of dementia. But he’s the only game in town. I’d say each one of them, von de Leyen included, had an overwhelming desire to just smack him. The reason I’d never have made a politician or diplomat is because I would have. Not that I’m endorsing violence of any nature, just a bit appropriate corrective therapy.
They jiggled the move to peace on a bit, and Putin’s response has been more savage overnight attacks, which reaffirms he not serious. Trump’s mind only works at the deal level, everything has a price, even human lives and suffering. Probably if they had offered him the Nobel Peace prize if he got a ceasefire and a tripartite meeting by the end of the week he’d get stuck in.
No, they don’t believe him either. Sincerity isn’t a big thing for many people in the States. I was fortunate to spend the vast majority of my career with a US firm that demanded the highest level of integrity and trustworthiness from its employees. So I trusted my US colleagues totally. US cliants I didn’t trust as far as I could throw 'em, and I was often proved correct.
It’s a cultural difference. Neither side I suppose is right or wrong. One just has to know if you are dealing with somebody you can trust or a lying bullshitter like Trump. There’s a long line of companies from his property development days that made that mistake.
Yes, but I was following Meloni’s eyes. Her eye-rolling is legendary in these sorts of situations. One aspect of being a dual national is that you get two bites of the apple.
I think you said it was Intel? I was with Lockheed Martin and Loral and GE before that. It’s pretty standard in the defense industry and in any firms that deal with the USG. We’ll see if that changes due to the dotard. It may have helped Musk earlier.
