Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Correct... Especially seeing as how both parties are fractured and compromised...

dtucker300 Loc: Vista, CA

There you go again projecting. I didn't say they should move back to Russia, just as I would never suggest that a tenth-generation Mexican-American or even a first-Generation Mexican American should leave the USA. I said they are free to do so. I don't know why you have so much trouble understanding simple English. Maybe it is the Chinese influence.

When Did the Soviet Union come into being? When did I say the Soviet Union started sending ethnic Russians throughout the Evil Empire. I'll give you time to go back and look at what I said. You're welcome!

This whole war could have been avoided if Putin hadn't stuck his nose in business outside of his country. When the Soviet Union dissolved everyone could have done something about it then. Ukraine was just another part of the Soviet Union that was heavily discriminated against by the Ethnic Russian. Geez CD, we've been over this many times. Stalin starved 5 million Ukrainians in 1930s. Ukraine has always been treated as a second-class citizen of the USSR.

Take a look at your map. I don't see any part of Ukraine that was added after 1991. When empires of big states collapse suddenly, history produces a lot of flotsam and jetsam, a lot of debris that blocks not just good relations, but blocks even understanding between the countries. And when there's friction, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly intervened. There has been friction since Putin became President, long before any talk of Ukraine joining NATO, which was never going to happen because Ukraine gave up all its nuclear weapons in exchange for guarantees from Russia, Great Britain, and the USA to ensure its sovereignty.

The USA also, which no one talks about, scrapped many of its nuclear missiles in Eastern Europe. Putin knows this because Obama handed it to him on a silver platter if he would just behave until after Obama's re-election. You can't act with magnanimity (remember this word: it explains a lot about foreign policy and our dealing with others such as Iran or Xi in China) toward power-hungry dictators and expect them to react in kind. It's not in Putin's DNA. The left does not react equally to magnanimous offerings. They see it as a sign of weakness. This is why Trump was successful at not involving us in any new military campaign. Biden, on the other hand, has never been right about anything. Why do you think Putin only acted during Obama's and Biden's tenure and not Trump's?

You leave no room to accept that there are two sides to this story. You don't have to prove that you and only you are correct. You don't have nearly as complete of an understanding of history as you claim.

Once and for all, I not saying that either side is absolutely right and the other wrong. There are shades of gray and that makes things messy. But I appreciate your comments and always consider them in the bigger schema.

dtucker300 Loc: Vista, CA

Your comments are always so profound!

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

You made yourself quite clear...
Don't deflect if you find your position distasteful...
Yes, the people of the Donbas have the right yo move to Russia, and many have...They also have the right to live on their ancestral land without being discriminated against...Which you don't seem to agree with...



The Soviet Union sent Russians into western Ukraine...And starved the western Ukraine... One of the reasons that western Ukrainians hate Russians...



I agree... Which is why I'm happy that Putin is leaving the Ukraine alone and focusing on the Donbas republics...



There's been friction in the Ukraine long before Putin took office... Both the Donbas and Crimea voted to remain a part of Russia when the USSR dissolved, they were forcefully reincorporate into the Ukraine....

Yes, the Ukraine gave up its nukes to ensure sovereignty...Then outside forces led a coup and replaced its duly elected government.... Sad...



This was one of the few Obama initiatives I supported... No nation should station nuclear weapons in another nation...

Putin acted in Bush's second term, Obama's second term, and what would have been Trump's second term...



Nonsense... The difference between you and I is that I don't see the two sides as good and evil... Both have valid reasons for their actions... Both are guilty of atrocities...

You seem to feel the need to be on the side of "righteousness"...



Cheers to this

dtucker300 Loc: Vista, CA

If I made myself clear why then do you keep misinterpreting my words?
Do you think I disagree with all of this? Not even! It is difficult to be righteous when you see shades of gray.
Everything is not all or nothing.
Are you a newsperson on TV? You are really good with the soundbites.

Putin would have acted in Trump's second term. There is no possible way for you to know.

Everything was hunky-dory when Ukraine had Russian Puppets in its government.

Do you really think that if Ukraine had ceded these areas back to Russia and Western Ukraine had joined NATO then everything would be copacetic? No! Putin would not have that that go unchallenged. Because this is not the real issue. Putin can't accept the breakup of the empire. He wants to restore it and have the power.

Weasel Loc: In the Great State Of Indiana!!

I hear you but

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

My sound bites are rather superb

The past presidents of Ukraine were hardly Russian puppets...

I think if the Ukraine had kept its duly elected government, and not persecuted its Russian population, then this would all have been avoided...

As it is, the Donbas republics will secede, and Putin will keep the same borders that Russia has now...

dtucker300 Loc: Vista, CA

Some are real gems.

Quite possible. We will have to wait and see. Putin's war hasn't been going exactly as planned but then wars never do.

dtucker300 Loc: Vista, CA

NEWS
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discusses Russian invasion of Ukraine
Isa Sheikh | Thursday, April 28, 2022

Political scientist and diplomat Condoleezza Rice, the 66th U.S. secretary of state under President George W. Bush, came to campus Thursday to address members of the Notre Dame community in a wide-ranging discussion hosted by University President Fr. John Jenkins at the Jordan Auditorium in the Mendoza College of Business.

Rice, who currently directs the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, graduated with a master’s degree from Notre Dame in government and international studies in 1975. She also served on the University’s Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2001.

Evaluating the war in Ukraine
Rice, a long-time expert on the Soviet Union and Russia, said she was not surprised by Putin’s aspiration but rather that he acted upon it. She said the recent Russian moves did not have to do with security interests or NATO expansion. They were related to a more wide-ranging vision of Russia’s imperial future, she said.

“I know Putin. I’ve spent a lot of time with him over the years,” Rice said. “I knew that he had this aspiration for the restoration of the Russian Empire. It really is this kind of nostalgia for empire and it’s hard for us to understand because we thought people stopped thinking that way a hundred years ago.”

She recalled a conversation with Putin when he revealed his ambition.

“He told me once ‘Condi, you know us.’ He said ‘Russia’s only been great when it’s been ruled by great men like Peter the Great and Alexander II.’ Well, those are his heroes,’” she said.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke with University President Fr. John Jenkins on world affairs, college sports and more during a talk at the Mendoza College of Business Thursday. Rice graduated from Notre Dame with a master’s degree in government and international studies in 1975.
She said Russia had miscalculated several key factors about the decision to invade Ukraine, primarily the scale of the West’s reaction and the Ukrainian reception toward their invaders.

“You’re looking at someone who certainly miscalculated as to who the Ukrainians are. He was fond of saying Ukraine is not a real country, really believing somehow that these Russians would see them as liberators,” Rice explained. “They went with five days of fuel, five days of food and their dress uniforms for the parade. That just shows the mentality about the Ukrainians. [Russia] didn’t know they see themselves as a separate people.”

Russia overestimated the ability and competence of its military, she said.

“Most important is [Putin] actually thought his military was good. It’s been one repeated failure after another. Now to be clear, what the Russian military lacks and competence it makes up for in brutality. And that’s what you’re seeing now is just the wanton destruction of civilians since they couldn’t take Kyiv,” she said.

Rice also explained that Putin is in a paranoid state after spending two years in isolation during the pandemic.

“He’s a germaphobe. He went to his doctor and didn’t see anybody,” she said.

During this time in isolation, he began to develop a “deluded view of history,” she said.

“By many reports, he spent a lot of time with Russian mystics during this time, who kind of reinforced his notion of the importance of him as a messianic leader,” she said. “It’s a picture that would make the Romanovs and Rasputin proud. The only problem is, this is a major country with a major economy with a major military and nuclear weapons. And so it’s a different thing.”

As the war in Ukraine continues, Rice said the result of the conflict will have wide-ranging implications.

“My view a month or so ago was ‘Let’s find an off-ramp for everybody. Maybe Putin can declare a little bit of a victory here or there.’ I now think if he wins in any way, the international liberal order is done,” she said. “How long can [President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy watch the wanton execution of his people without trying to strike a deal? That is really what it comes to, but from the point of view of the international community, it is better if Putin loses.”

When addressing the response to the Russian invasion by China, Rice said China is on “a balance beam” and that although Chinese state media has been parroting Kremlin narratives, it cannot afford to sever its trade ties with the West.

Rice said she is “not that worried” about the war escalating to nuclear conflict. She argued Putin did not want to confront NATO militarily. She added that NATO has never been more united, quoting a friend who told her Putin had “managed to end Swiss neutrality and German pacifism in the matter of a month.”

dtucker300 Loc: Vista, CA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT-NX5KcLXM&feature=youtu.be
Begin at the 1:33 mark. I don't put a lot of faith in this clown because I question how close he is too actual intelligence, but he does offer some perspective that counters the Russian propaganda. Since this was on MSLSD which I never watch, I take it with a grain of skepticism which I do with all the news that comes out on this war.
'I've Run Out Of Adjectives To Describe How Horrible This War Is' Says McFaul
Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul reacts to the investigation of war crimes in Bucha and the continued atrocities against Ukrainian civilians.

and this from our leftist National Pubic Radio...

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1094970683

U.S. war aims shift in Ukraine — and bring additional risks
Updated April 27, 20221:24 PM ET
4-Minute Listen


Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the war in Ukraine should leave Russia weakened and become a, quote, "strategic defeat for Vladimir Putin." U.S. officials are spelling out those goals more clearly since Ukrainians managed to push Russian forces back from the capital, Kyiv. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: After his long train trip from Poland to Kyiv and back, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was asked this week whether U.S. goals in Ukraine are shifting.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LLOYD AUSTIN: We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.

KELEMEN: And the U.S. wants to help Ukraine win.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

AUSTIN: We believe that they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support.

KELEMEN: The U.S. is rushing in equipment, long-range artillery and ammunition as the battle shifts to the east and the south of Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told senators Tuesday that it takes just a couple of days to get approved weapon shipments into Ukrainian hands now. He also said NATO allies are united.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ANTONY BLINKEN: The challenge now is making sure that we not only sustain that, but that we build on that, and I believe we will.

KELEMEN: A former deputy secretary general of NATO, Rose Gottemoeller, says Russian President Vladimir Putin has united the alliance in a way that surprised her.

ROSE GOTTEMOELLER: Putin has created the 180-degree opposite effect of what he wanted. He wanted NATO pushed back to its 1997 lines. And instead, he has a NATO more coherent, more together, more resolved to work together to really defeat this threat to its partner, Ukraine.

KELEMEN: Speaking via Skype, Gottemoeller said that's already a loss for the Kremlin. Sweden and Finland may soon join the alliance. And with all the weapons and training that NATO is providing, Ukraine is getting closer and closer to the transatlantic alliance.

GOTTEMOELLER: If I were to bet the U.S. and NATO military industrial complex against the Russian military industrial complex, I would say that the United States and its NATO allies can stay in it for the long haul, but it will be a big investment of resources and a big investment of time.

KELEMEN: Western sanctions could also have a long-term impact, weakening Russia's economy and its military industrial base. But there are risks, says Samuel Charap of the RAND Corporation.

SAMUEL CHARAP: We don't want Russia to be a total basket case, reviving the sort of loose nukes fears of the 1990s and so on, or to become an incorrigible international spoiler because it can cause us a lot of problems everywhere else.

KELEMEN: Charap says, at some point, Ukraine might want the U.S. to ease up on sanctions if that will help them reach a negotiated settlement with Russia. He also warns that the sanctions and arms shipments could provoke a more direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.

CHARAP: Because of the lack of clarity about where the red line is - because we're, you know, operating here without any precedent - nobody knows where - what step - if there is a step that will, you know, sort of send Putin over the edge, so to speak.

KELEMEN: And that makes this moment a dangerous one. Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, says no one should underestimate the possibility of a nuclear confrontation. State Department spokesman Ned Price says those comments fit a pattern of bellicose Russian statements.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

NED PRICE: These certainly are provocative statements. We think they are deeply irresponsible. We deem them to be a continuation of the Russian government's very clear attempts to distract from its failure in Ukraine.

KELEMEN: Eventually, the U.S. and Russia have to start talking again, says Gottemoeller, who served in the Obama and Clinton administrations and negotiated with Russia.

GOTTEMOELLER: I do think, at some point, we are going to have to reopen to some discussions with Russia, at least about constraining and controlling nuclear weapons, and see where we can go from there because it's not in our interest to have a great big pariah state with nuclear weapons.

KELEMEN: But she says it's difficult to see how talks could take place now, while Russian forces continue to bombard Ukrainian cities and towns.

Michele Kelemen, NPR News, the State Department.

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

You trust Rice as an expert on Putin and Russia???

NeoCons are at the bottom of my list...

TexaCan Loc: Homeward Bound!

And how many times have you sat down with Putin and had a personal chat? 😂

If she had a pro-Putin stance would you be declaring her to have an amazing resume? LOL!

IOW……branding her a neo-con is the best you could come up with!

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

He won't return my fan mail....


I'm sorry, is Rice not a NeoCon in your opinion???

https://www.veteranstoday.com/2017/05/14/condoleezza-rice-is-still-a-liar-and-a-psychopath/

TexaCan Loc: Homeward Bound!

I realize that you are going to be shocked at this profound statement but………..No, I don’t agree with you! 🤓

I see her as a very amazing woman with a lifetime of achievements. I don’t brand her a neo-con and discount her entire life because of Iraq! I don’t discount everything she has ever said or will say in the future. I certainly don’t discount her comments on Putin because of this! You have given me an very derogatory opinion piece on her! Everyone has an opinion!

TexaCan Loc: Homeward Bound!

If only China would take your advice and not persecute the minorities in China! Perhaps you could give Xi some of your sage advice! 😉