Windows are dangerous in Russia 
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It is also interesting to see how very much disinformation is fed to the Russian public by state media. It isn’t surprising they think the Ukrainians* are a bunch of Nazis and everyone is out to destroy Russia because that’s what they are told, all the time.
*Moldovans, Poles, Bulgarians,Romanians…
Unfortunately, the Russian population has never really had much freedom in it’s history. From serfdom to supposed emancipation in the 1860’s, which didn’t really do a great lot to change the lot of most ordinary people, to communism and then onto Putin. There is really no history of the people successfully overthrowing the status quo, or even really trying. And if you think that is what happened during the Bolshevik ‘revolution’ then you need to read more history.
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If nothing else already does, this ought to send shivers down the collective spine
Xi Jinping said China was ready with Russia “to stand guard over the world order based on international law”
I see the tellytubby is now making nuclear threats against more or less everyone he dislikes. He is a real menace but how much is just hot air or real?? Scary times we all live in what with the orange toilet brush also sounding off once more.
I think it has done. This is the stuff of nightmare escalation: not Putin threatening with nukes that are probably defective from lack of maintenance and the plutonium having been robbed & sold off, but China with it’s effective industry and hi tech robbed from the greedy west, bankrolled by consumerism.
The likely scenario IF China sides with Russia and provides hardware & support is that Chinese goods and services are boycotted by the west. That will eventually cause considerable hardship there with idle factories and unemployment - I doubt Africa is wealthy enough to support the Chinese economy and Russia isn’t in great shape either. I could well imagine China ‘outsourcing’ their unrest supporting a proxy war in Europe and their own war in Taiwan.
Not really a post I can ‘like’.
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While we have all eyes on Ukraine and the worrying bromance between Russia and China, we are missing something else that could seriously destabilise peace
I don’t want, and sincerely hope there is no need to start another thread for another war.
And of course Iran and Saudi are now suddenly best friends due to the Chinese brokered rapprochement. There’s trouble brewing but that’s if there isn’t a civil war first given what the slippery crook Netanyahu and his new fascist cronies are trying to do to the judiciary. Meanwhile the apartheid regime continues. BDS.
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Russia is too far down that rabbit hole for anything to change - what worries me is that it is happening in the West as well, especially the UK.
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The impression I have is that the US has been like this a long time and we’re gradually catching up. It would be no surprise at all to find it’s also true for the other European nations as well, but much harder to know.
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Another interesting opinion piece from Al Jazeera.
I’ve read various opinions about the Maidan revolution, but it seems highly likely to me that it was started by Russia and went wrong, probably because this ploy with threats of military intervention, loans and debt didn’t work out beforehand.
This again convinces me that Putin had an expansionist plan, though had hoped it would be possible without military force.
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So, a long term Russian strategy, not a US domination plot? Who’d believe?
It could be both at the same time. 
While the US is two-faced, greedy, self-absorbed and often brutal in its foreign policies, it don’t think Ukraine was in its plans like this at that point in time.
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As the only ones talking about peace I’m not sure that China couldn’t pull off a bit of a diplomatic coup. In fact, I think the US has painted itself into a bit of a corner. While continuing to support Ukraine’s defence efforts it should now also be pushing for peace.
I don’t think Paris or Berlin are necessarily bought into this “we’ll push Russia out of Crimea and Donbas at any cost” rhetoric from Kyiv. The US is safely thousands of kilometres away and Paris and Berlin are probably wondering at any cost to who?
Meanwhile the US has Saudi and Iran to think about, complicated by the Israel situation. Taiwan is also a worry and North Korea keeps pushing ahead with its missile programme.
We may be far wide if the mark here but I do think China does want an end to this war in Ukraine so that the world can go back to shopping big time. Xi can definitely convince Putin to the negotiating table by using the time proven tactic if saying whatever it takes and buying time until you strike back harder.
A negotiated peace may benefit China and the rest of the world but it will be a slow poison for Ukraine. Outright defeat of Russia or complete surrender of Ukraine are really its only choices.
First rule of war - Never find yourself fighting on multiple fronts!
I can’t quite see a scenario where one challenger can be goaded/tricked/enticed into cancelling another but in the old days that was part of the Great Game.
For example, if China can actually persuades Putin to leave most, if not all, of the Ukraine he has already effectively reduced to rubble, then maybe US will accept a quick and clean China ‘takeover’ of Taiwan. US quietly agrees to not further extend Nato and sets up some multibillion Russia friendly financial links, some of which go towards repairs of the (smaller) New Ukraine.
Most of the players can find some satisfaction in the ensuing peace. Except, and there is always a little collateral loss, poor Taiwan. But really, it’s Chinese isn’t it? Look how Hong Kong survives.
Maybe we should ask Chatgpt to work something out.
I was going to write that but then I remembered the US in WWII. They did well in Europe and the Pacific.
Maybe there is more afoot in Taiwan than is apparent.
It will be interesting to see if - like the one-time president of Lebanon, Saad Hariri - they don’t make it back home.
I’m not talking about peace in Ukraine because until Russia is convinced that it cannot gain anything there will only be a temporary lull in hostilities. The ball is completely in their court, but I can’t see any way Russia would return land they have taken to Ukraine, let alone make reparations for damage caused. If they would not do those things then Ukraine can only lose by negotiating away what they had - a few thousand Ukrainian lives may be spared temporarily until Russia decides to expand control again, but this isn’t a nation with integrity and good will they would be negotiating with and no settlement could ever be relied upon.
If Russia and Ukraine were individual people, the only way Ukraine would be safe was if Russia were in prison, locked up for murder.
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I think this is the crux. The question is, would a successor still want to reclaim all bits of the good ‘ole USSR or might one be magicked up that has a more ‘democratic’ westernised vision? Poisons + puppets. All in play.
Likely. I imagine Taipei about now is feeling a bit like Ukraine, and wanting to avoid the atrocities. ‘Better red than dead!’
Thing is, by hook or by crook, China will get back the land now calling itself Taiwan. There is already jostling for who will be the new puppet.
Meanwhile, because of one crazy Putin, so many people continue to suffer, including sime Russian
Just been reading about the latest tactics by one of Pootines mate about destroying the west completely to enable Russia to control Europe and beyond. Lots of talk about deadly missiles taking us all out etc. I don’t know about anyone else on here but do you think this is all bluster because things are not going to plan in Ukraine or do they actually mean it and have the hardware to do so? Scary times ahead I think unless the despot and his minions are put down for good.
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