[Wooden Spoon]

Mr Mercury, on 27 November 2023 - 11:15 AM, said:

Zelensky was seen with Cameron last week but that was in Ukraine, regarding Putin, didn’t he address a world leaders summit last week, albeit by video link, where he was seen as being more conciliatory than previously regarding peace talks?

G20 via video link yes.


He’s basically saying “freeze the front lines, accept the lost territories are now Russian and we can end the war”………(for 10 years while we rebuild our depleted military capacity)

[Wooden Spoon]

Ukrainian military officials have been selling food destined for the military’s use to restaurants, shops and bars an internal investigation found. Up to 30% of this was found to have made its way into commercial enterprises


Corruption still alive and well in Ukraine

[Wooden Spoon]

Parts of Avdiivka factory district captured by Russian forces after heavy assaults with armoured brigades despite heavy losses.


It puts Ukrainians who are well dug in and inflicting heavy casualties on the Russians at risk of encirclement

[Mr Mercury]

Maybe the only chance, apart from death from illness, is overthrowing from within Russia..

Putin 'really needs elections' and 'permanent' confrontation with the West, expert says
Following on from earlier posts about polls that show waning support for the war from the Russian public, an interesting piece by Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, has been published today.
In it, he suggests Vladimir Putin "really needs elections, at least in theory", in reference to the scheduled Russian presidential election in March next year.
"In addition to refreshing his legitimacy, they serve as a way to show that the opposition—through the predictable landslide outcome—remains a tiny minority and cannot go against the overwhelming will of the Russian people," he writes in the Foreign Affairs magazine.
"Moreover, by voting for Putin in 2024, Russians will legitimise his war. Even if the active phase of that war ends someday, it will still need to continue through permanent confrontation with the West and as a rationale for unrelenting repression, suppression, and censorship at home."
He says it "is essential for Putin to consolidate his narrative about the war".
"Rather than elections, then, the March vote should be thought of as a kind of acclamation for the leader: they are simply voting yes to the only real choice available."
Mr Kolesnikov concludes that most Russians want to end the war "as quickly as possible and begin to live better, more safely, and more peacefully".
"But it is unlikely that this will happen without regime change," he says.

[Wooden Spoon]

Mr Mercury, on 01 December 2023 - 06:51 PM, said:

Maybe the only chance, apart from death from illness, is overthrowing from within Russia..

Putin 'really needs elections' and 'permanent' confrontation with the West, expert says
Following on from earlier posts about polls that show waning support for the war from the Russian public, an interesting piece by Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, has been published today.
In it, he suggests Vladimir Putin "really needs elections, at least in theory", in reference to the scheduled Russian presidential election in March next year.
"In addition to refreshing his legitimacy, they serve as a way to show that the opposition—through the predictable landslide outcome—remains a tiny minority and cannot go against the overwhelming will of the Russian people," he writes in the Foreign Affairs magazine.
"Moreover, by voting for Putin in 2024, Russians will legitimise his war. Even if the active phase of that war ends someday, it will still need to continue through permanent confrontation with the West and as a rationale for unrelenting repression, suppression, and censorship at home."
He says it "is essential for Putin to consolidate his narrative about the war".
"Rather than elections, then, the March vote should be thought of as a kind of acclamation for the leader: they are simply voting yes to the only real choice available."
Mr Kolesnikov concludes that most Russians want to end the war "as quickly as possible and begin to live better, more safely, and more peacefully".
"But it is unlikely that this will happen without regime change," he says.

Ref your last line - there was an interview where Mededev was asked about who next, he said someone the same, maybe different but the same.

[Mr Mercury]

Wooden Spoon, on 01 December 2023 - 08:09 PM, said:

Ref your last line - there was an interview where Mededev was asked about who next, he said someone the same, maybe different but the same.

The article was from Sky News earlier. The problem for whoever replaces Putin, regardless of their views, is they’ve haven’t got over two decades of authoritarian rule to back them up and thus wouldn’t have the same rule of fear.

[azul]

Mr Mercury, on 01 December 2023 - 08:15 PM, said:

The article was from Sky News earlier. The problem for whoever replaces Putin, regardless of their views, is they’ve haven’t got over two decades of authoritarian rule to back them up and thus wouldn’t have the same rule of fear.

They certainly have and they have it ready made especially if they come within the Russian establishment

[Mr Mercury]

azul, on 01 December 2023 - 09:06 PM, said:

They certainly have and they have it ready made especially if they come within the Russian establishment

I mis typed they haven’t got over two decades of Putins rule, whoever takes over regardless of background won’t carry his fear factor.

[Wooden Spoon]

The famous Ghurkas in the British army are recruited from Bhutan. People there walk for days to the British army recruitment centres hoping to be signed up to the British Army. Only the very fittest and best are recruited.


After that, a large number join the Indian Armed forces, not as good T+C as the British Army but much better than the life at home


Well now there’s a new player in town- Russia. They are recruiting hundreds of “Ghurkas” giving them minimal training and shipping them to Ukraine. The lure of the wages seemingly very tempting.

[Wooden Spoon]

Quaker, on 06 December 2023 - 08:41 AM, said:

Gurkha's are recruited from Nepal.

Not wanting to urinate on Joanna Lumley's fire but the Gurkhas have no loyalty to us or anyone else.

Of course Nepal. God knows where Bhutan came from.

This post has been edited by Wooden Spoon: 06 December 2023 - 10:40 AM

[Mr Mercury]

Imagine Hungary holding sway over the whole of the EU and their aid for Ukraine.
At least we can make our own decisions of support!


Key week for Ukraine war diplomatically - as Hungary threatens support
EU leaders will hold what have been dubbed showdown talks with Hungary this week as Prime Minister Viktor Orban threatens to block aid and membership talks.
Mr Orban, who is Vladimir Putin's closest ally in the bloc, has been a frequent dissenting voice during the war but has so far not stood in the way of the EU's steadfast support for Kyiv.
But now the Hungarian PM is threatening to block an aid package and accession talks - and it's unclear whether he'll back down this time.
A summit on Thursday and Friday will see leaders discuss a package of €50bn aid, a further €20bn in military support, and the path to Ukraine joining the EU.
All three decisions - and a fourth on a 12th package of sanctions against Russia - require unanimous backing of all the bloc's 27 countries.
On EU accession, Mr Orban previously complained about Ukraine's treatment of the Hungarian minority there. He has since said Ukraine is too corrupt and not ready to join the EU.
All this comes as further US aid is being blocked by Republicans until demands for tighter border security there are met.
"We are in a key moment," a senior EU official told Reuters, on condition of anonymity. "It's very important that... the European Union will show clear and full support to Ukraine.
"That message wouldn't be only for Moscow, it would also be a message for Washington, it would also be a message for Kyiv."
As the EU finds itself again seeking to win Mr Orban's support
for Ukraine, the European Commission is expected to
unlock Budapest's access to €10bn this week.

This post has been edited by Mr Mercury: 11 December 2023 - 11:43 AM

[Search & Destroy]

Seems like Hungary are blackmailing their friends in the superstate

Give us billions otherwise we veto Ukraine aid

Jesus wept, to think some folk think we were better off being part of that racket

[Manfred Archie Mac Gerbil]

Search & Destroy said:

1702304494[/url]' post='1789809']
Seems like Hungary are blackmailing their friends in the superstate

Give us billions otherwise we veto Ukraine aid

Jesus wept, to think some folk think we were better off being part of that racket

Yeh we were part of that ‘racket’

But we’ve also paid billions in aid to Ukraine so it’s not like Brexit made an actual saving, Zelenskis had more £ from the British tax payer than any EU country had to pay.

[The Earl of Chesterfield]

Search & Destroy, on 11 December 2023 - 02:21 PM, said:

Seems like Hungary are blackmailing their friends in the superstate

Give us billions otherwise we veto Ukraine aid

Jesus wept, to think some folk think we were better off being part of that racket

Thought Orban would be exactly your kinda leader...

https://www.theguard...ans-ukraine-aid

https://www.huffingt...4b0d45b7533d763

https://www.nbcnews....klash-rcna40583

https://www.bbc.com/...europe-57761216

[Manfred Archie Mac Gerbil]

According to the Huffington Post article the previous poster kindly displayed ‘Orban is corrupt and deploys thousands of racist troops to remain in power’, they could be talking about Zelenski or any other corrupt Eastern European leader imo.

[Search & Destroy]

Manfred Archie Mac Gerbil, on 11 December 2023 - 08:14 PM, said:

According to the Huffington Post article the previous poster kindly displayed ‘Orban is corrupt and deploys thousands of racist troops to remain in power’, they could be talking about Zelenski or any other corrupt Eastern European leader imo.

If the EU was the EU in a traditional manner with Scandinavia and Western Europe and free movement between economically and socially compatible countries there’s no way the UK would have left

But throw these Eastern European septic states into the mix in an aim to dominate Russia and it was a recipe for disaster

[Mr Mercury]

The Earl of Chesterfield, on 11 December 2023 - 08:01 PM, said:

Thought Orban would be exactly your kinda leader...

https://www.theguard...ans-ukraine-aid

https://www.huffingt...4b0d45b7533d763

https://www.nbcnews....klash-rcna40583

https://www.bbc.com/...europe-57761216

He’s an EU member country leader so I’d have thought he’d have been “exactly your kinda leader…”…No?

[Manfred Archie Mac Gerbil]

Search & Destroy said:

1702326353[/url]' post='1789901']
If the EU was the EU in a traditional manner with Scandinavia and Western Europe and free movement between economically and socially compatible countries there's no way the UK would have left

But throw these Eastern European septic states into the mix in an aim to dominate Russia and it was a recipe for disaster

And yet we’ve had Brexit, we’re out of the EU, we’ve got a million and one British problems to sort out yet we choose to get involved in this bulls***.

Defeats the whole point of Brexit, it could have been positive if done properly, we voted to escape the clutches of the EU only to become deeply involved in Ukraine/Russia which is even worse, is this what we voted for, seriously?

And yet Palestinians are getting treated far worse than Ukrainians and our government just lets them rot, there’s no consistency at all and to me it seems like the end of days and the world is a completely irreparable shambles.

[The Earl of Chesterfield]

I don't get this, I really don't.

The Ukrainians are still fighting for their very existence. Against a Putin responsible for some of the worst atrocities since WW2.

Yet President Zelenskyy has to shuttle around the world to confront an Orban and Republican Party playing politics. To the point, it appears, of being ready to all but abandon the Ukrainians.

In fact handing victory to Putin on a plate.

What with that and a Netanyahu allowed to raze Gaza to the ground, these really are dark days for the world...

This post has been edited by The Earl of Chesterfield: 12 December 2023 - 08:07 PM