So who is laughing now

[James Curry]

There was a suggestion a couple of years ago about the formation of a European Army. Merkel & Macron along with others supported this. Yes there were those who oppsed it .
The Uk said it could create problems with NATO.
Well Trump has basically said Europe and it;s security are not his concern.

I want to build a real security dialogue with Russia, which is a country I respect, a European country - but we must have a Europe that can defend itself on its own without relying only on the United States."

Speaking about cyber security, he also said: "We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America."

President Macron 2018.

Ukraine looks as if it will be forced into a deal with Putin, apparently the deal will involve Ukraine.
Well I wonder were the next move will come by Russia , Latvia Estonia Lithuania or will he have a pop at Poland again?

[Des Taff Jenkins]

As you should know James that is all rubbish, if not for that clown in the Ukraine tearing up the 2014 agreement with Russia none of this would have happened , As for Russia wanting to take over those Baltic Countries, why would they give themselves the problems, they have ll the resourses they want, and of course what everyone else would like to get their hands on.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Not so sure about that Des.
Spoke with a Ukraine crew member on a cruise last year.
His comment, "Russia is in trouble and needs the land of Ukraine for food production"

How true, not sure but have read that the supermarkets in Russia are fast running out of food.

[j.sabourn]

Hitler made the same mistake in the last war when he invaded the Ukraine as needed it for its factory produce and invaded it probably breaking the pact he had with Stalin. The time lost in taken over the Ukraine lost him valuable time on carrying on and invading Russia and like Napoleon before him was caught with his pants down in a Russian winter. If he hadn’t broken his pact with Russia maybe today the two leading powers in the world would be Russia and Germany. Who knows. Those who read history as it was really , will have a more acceptable argument . It probably still sits in the craw of the Russian Bueocracy to this day.Russian history probably has a different idea of how Europe was carved up after the war than what others have. JS.

[j.sabourn]

I see the Ukraine problem as unfinished political business. The Ukraine like it or not has Russian people of ethnic backgrounds still living there apart from it having a fairly new German ethnic background of 1942 onwards. On a Russian ship out here to meet Australian law at the time myself and 8 Australian crew were the official manning of a Russian survey vessel on the coast out here for approx 5 weeks, the full Russian crew of 42 still onboard, it was just like old times. Most of the crew were from the Ukraine but all considered themselves Russian, and most had received Russian naval training. The other ship I was on was a British survey vessel sold to the Malaysians and I was there to relieve the British master on her arrival Singapore where she was remanned by an Indonesian crew and the Chief Engineer was employed then who was also Ukrainian I was there for 3 months for various reasons so learned quite a lot about the Ukraine from the chief who also considered himself Russian. People’s views on the Ukraine who have never met some of the problems this country obviously has , should maybe take a step back and not jump to too many conclusions. Maybe Trump has more idea about the problems there than any of us hopefully. JS

[James Curry]

What is the difference between a Russian seperatist and a Russian soldier, they both wear a Russian uniform and also use the same weapons as supplied to the Russian Armed forces.
The Minsk 1 agreement was broken by Russia. Russia continued to arm the so called seperatists, who continued to attack the Dobas region. Ukraine has the right to defend it's own borders.
Minsk 2 was an accord brokered by France & Germany , Russia & Ukraine.

The Minsk II deal set out military and political steps that remain unimplemented.

A major blockage has been Russia’s insistence that it is not a party to the conflict and therefore is not bound by its terms.

So who tore up which agreement? Russia is hell bent on the return of it's former Soviet controlled States especially those states that left the Soviet block.




The Trump Administration has a historic opportunity to break Russia’s cycle of overt war and war through “peace” in Ukraine. To do so, the United States must learn the lessons from the Minsk deal:

Russia will seek to transfer the responsibility and cost for its war onto someone else’s balance sheet.
Putin’s demands are stand-ins for his goals – controlling Ukraine and making the United States bend to Putin’s demands to create a world order that favors Russia.
Putin will fight as long as he believes he can outlast the West and Ukraine. Ending the war requires stripping Putin of hope that he can destroy Ukraine as a state in his lifetime — militarily or through a “peace deal.

Well it would appear Putin has just achieved his goals.

The west will hang Ukraine out to dry.
Trump has said about Europe upping it's contributions to NATO. I think Europe needs to spend it's defence budget on it's own defence forces and become more reliant on it's own arms industry.
I am convinced the current USA & Russian Presidents are in cahoots to carve up Europe between them.
One thing for sure the UK is certainly well on the Russian radar. Putin will not make Hitlers mistake.

[j.sabourn]

It would be interesting to know the President of the Ukraines ethnic background Des, he is certainly too young to have any memories of the last war, just maybe he has the same habit of tearing up agreements and runs in the family, also maybe why Putin persists in calling him,names. Cheers JS.

[Ivan Cloherty]

I know Des doesn't like him, but you've got to give him his due, he went from a comedian to President of a very large country and did not let a bully walk all over him. Wish we had someone like him, instead of the wishy-washy lot that presides over us.

Not politics, just facts

[Johnny Kieran]

Most important thing is, that the people voted him in. They got who the majority wanted, and so be it. No different to us really.

[James Curry]

Just as these two were, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin.