Russia Invades Ukraine. Volume 5
Discussion
Cheib said:
I totally understand why Zelensky said that but I think he should have kept quiet.
Now the next time the American’s speak to him they can say his comments “weren’t helpful”….if he hadn’t said that the conversation would have been a more straightforward “Putin won’t agree because of XYZ” and Zelensky could have pushed back and said “We gave you what you asked for….please go ahead and impose the sanctions Trump talked about two days ago”
I agree. The best way to make Trump think he is clever, is to let him work it out by himself. Zelensky’s input could be seen as Zelenskyy telling Trump pootin is making a fool of the US.Now the next time the American’s speak to him they can say his comments “weren’t helpful”….if he hadn’t said that the conversation would have been a more straightforward “Putin won’t agree because of XYZ” and Zelensky could have pushed back and said “We gave you what you asked for….please go ahead and impose the sanctions Trump talked about two days ago”
Zelenski is absolute right to speak out considering Putin’s first job of the day was to include Belarus in his war rather than actually look at a ceasefire deal.
‘They also say the two countries are ready to take military and diplomatic measures in response to NATO's actions.’
It’s no longer just 2000 miles of frontline to monitor.
‘They also say the two countries are ready to take military and diplomatic measures in response to NATO's actions.’
It’s no longer just 2000 miles of frontline to monitor.
MOTORVATOR said:
Zelenski is absolute right to speak out considering Putin’s first job of the day was to include Belarus in his war rather than actually look at a ceasefire deal.
‘They also say the two countries are ready to take military and diplomatic measures in response to NATO's actions.’
It’s no longer just 2000 miles of frontline to monitor.
Belarus has been involved since day one. The 40 mile convoy came from Belarus and large amounts of soldiers and equipment were/are based there.‘They also say the two countries are ready to take military and diplomatic measures in response to NATO's actions.’
It’s no longer just 2000 miles of frontline to monitor.
And don't forget they've got Russian nukes stationed in Belarus.
airbusA346 said:
MOTORVATOR said:
Zelenski is absolute right to speak out considering Putin’s first job of the day was to include Belarus in his war rather than actually look at a ceasefire deal.
‘They also say the two countries are ready to take military and diplomatic measures in response to NATO's actions.’
It’s no longer just 2000 miles of frontline to monitor.
Belarus has been involved since day one. The 40 mile convoy came from Belarus and large amounts of soldiers and equipment were/are based there.‘They also say the two countries are ready to take military and diplomatic measures in response to NATO's actions.’
It’s no longer just 2000 miles of frontline to monitor.
And don't forget they've got Russian nukes stationed in Belarus.
MOTORVATOR said:
Correct but up until now Ukraine were not expecting Belarus troops potentially coming at them and the other European countries bordering Belarus were not expecting an incursion there either.
I'm sure I read back in 2022 that some Ukrainian officials were concerned that troops from Belarus could come over the border as a distraction.Poland would like US Nuclear weapons on it's soil.
Not sure Putin would be happy with that, although he has put his in Belarus.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce98ym8k89do
Not sure Putin would be happy with that, although he has put his in Belarus.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce98ym8k89do
swisstoni said:
thatsprettyshady said:
At least he’s agreed to a ceasefire. Unlike some.A temporary ceasefire where no US involvement is pulled is obviously not useful in the slightest for Russia.
The US and the rest of NATO know that the Istanbul agreements are the only thing that will induce a ceasefire on both sides. Just the suggestion of ceasefire from one side with no facilitation of long term peace achieves nothing - other than for Zelensky to parrot more pathetic rhetoric to the western press.
thiscocks said:
swisstoni said:
thatsprettyshady said:
At least he’s agreed to a ceasefire. Unlike some.A temporary ceasefire where no US involvement is pulled is obviously not useful in the slightest for Russia.
The US and the rest of NATO know that the Istanbul agreements are the only thing that will induce a ceasefire on both sides. Just the suggestion of ceasefire from one side with no facilitation of long term peace achieves nothing - other than for Zelensky to parrot more pathetic rhetoric to the western press.
TEKNOPUG said:
thatsprettyshady said:
I think that he wants Russia to f
k off out of his country?W12GT said:
thiscocks said:
swisstoni said:
thatsprettyshady said:
At least he’s agreed to a ceasefire. Unlike some.A temporary ceasefire where no US involvement is pulled is obviously not useful in the slightest for Russia.
The US and the rest of NATO know that the Istanbul agreements are the only thing that will induce a ceasefire on both sides. Just the suggestion of ceasefire from one side with no facilitation of long term peace achieves nothing - other than for Zelensky to parrot more pathetic rhetoric to the western press.
'Just a shell': How Russian gas giant's exports were decimated by sanctions
Earlier this evening, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on allies to increase the pressure on Vladimir Putin and impose further sanctions.
If you have been wondering about the effect of European sanctions on the Russian economy, then the current condition of Gazprom is a useful marker.
The Russian gas giant's European markets have almost disappeared since Putin decided to invade Ukraine in February 2022.
At Gazprom Export - housed in a lavish Italian palazzo-styled building in central St Petersburg - only a few dozen staff remain, down from 600 five years ago.
When the building was opened, just over a decade ago, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said it was "symbolic" and that Europe would "increasingly need Russian gas".
Now, it may be sold along with other luxury properties.
The state gas company's export arm is "just a shell", a source told Reuters.
In addition, Miller is reportedly planning to cut 1,500 jobs at the parent company's headquarters at Europe's tallest skyscraper, the British-designed Lakhta Centre, also in St Petersburg.
A dramatic decline
Staff have apparently been asked to prepare individual presentations about why they should keep their jobs - echoing Elon Musk's request to public sector workers in the United States.
It is thought that up to 40% of those at Gazprom's HQ could be made redundant.
The firm's figures illustrate why such deep cuts are necessary. Last year, Gazprom posted a net loss of $7bn (£5.4bn) for 2023.
That was its first loss since 1999, the year Putin came to power.
In the first nine months of 2024, it posted another deficit.
In December, its share price fell to its lowest since January 2009, touching 106.1 roubles. That's a decline of more than a third since the start of 2024.
No route back?
What's more, its European markets appear unlikely to reopen.
The European Union intends to end its use of Russian fossil fuels by 2027.
US gas exporters replaced Russian supplies in Europe, becoming the biggest exporter of Liquified Natural Gas to the continent, with American supplies tripling since 2021.
While Vladimir Putin has indicated he would like to replace European markets with exports to China, the gap is unlikely to be filled.
Even the most ambitious projects under consideration would not reach half the peak exports of 180 billion cubic metres achieved previously.
Gazprom management misjudged how determined European countries would be, an executive said.
The thinking inside the company was that Europe would soon be "begging" for Russian gas supplies to resume.
"We proved to be wrong," the executive commented.
Reuters spoke to three executives and half a dozen former and current Gazprom employees.
Sky News:https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-trump-zelen...
Earlier this evening, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on allies to increase the pressure on Vladimir Putin and impose further sanctions.
If you have been wondering about the effect of European sanctions on the Russian economy, then the current condition of Gazprom is a useful marker.
The Russian gas giant's European markets have almost disappeared since Putin decided to invade Ukraine in February 2022.
At Gazprom Export - housed in a lavish Italian palazzo-styled building in central St Petersburg - only a few dozen staff remain, down from 600 five years ago.
When the building was opened, just over a decade ago, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said it was "symbolic" and that Europe would "increasingly need Russian gas".
Now, it may be sold along with other luxury properties.
The state gas company's export arm is "just a shell", a source told Reuters.
In addition, Miller is reportedly planning to cut 1,500 jobs at the parent company's headquarters at Europe's tallest skyscraper, the British-designed Lakhta Centre, also in St Petersburg.
A dramatic decline
Staff have apparently been asked to prepare individual presentations about why they should keep their jobs - echoing Elon Musk's request to public sector workers in the United States.
It is thought that up to 40% of those at Gazprom's HQ could be made redundant.
The firm's figures illustrate why such deep cuts are necessary. Last year, Gazprom posted a net loss of $7bn (£5.4bn) for 2023.
That was its first loss since 1999, the year Putin came to power.
In the first nine months of 2024, it posted another deficit.
In December, its share price fell to its lowest since January 2009, touching 106.1 roubles. That's a decline of more than a third since the start of 2024.
No route back?
What's more, its European markets appear unlikely to reopen.
The European Union intends to end its use of Russian fossil fuels by 2027.
US gas exporters replaced Russian supplies in Europe, becoming the biggest exporter of Liquified Natural Gas to the continent, with American supplies tripling since 2021.
While Vladimir Putin has indicated he would like to replace European markets with exports to China, the gap is unlikely to be filled.
Even the most ambitious projects under consideration would not reach half the peak exports of 180 billion cubic metres achieved previously.
Gazprom management misjudged how determined European countries would be, an executive said.
The thinking inside the company was that Europe would soon be "begging" for Russian gas supplies to resume.
"We proved to be wrong," the executive commented.
Reuters spoke to three executives and half a dozen former and current Gazprom employees.
Sky News:https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-trump-zelen...
thiscocks said:
swisstoni said:
thatsprettyshady said:
At least he’s agreed to a ceasefire. Unlike some.A temporary ceasefire where no US involvement is pulled is obviously not useful in the slightest for Russia.
The US and the rest of NATO know that the Istanbul agreements are the only thing that will induce a ceasefire on both sides. Just the suggestion of ceasefire from one side with no facilitation of long term peace achieves nothing - other than for Zelensky to parrot more pathetic rhetoric to the western press.
Personally I think he is largely responsible for Russias 3 day failure and is braver than any other current leader so I have nothing but respect.
I don’t see why Ukraine should concede anything unless they choose to and those bleating “stop the killing” appear to whitewash the horrors inflicted upon them.
barryrs said:
thiscocks said:
swisstoni said:
thatsprettyshady said:
At least he’s agreed to a ceasefire. Unlike some.A temporary ceasefire where no US involvement is pulled is obviously not useful in the slightest for Russia.
The US and the rest of NATO know that the Istanbul agreements are the only thing that will induce a ceasefire on both sides. Just the suggestion of ceasefire from one side with no facilitation of long term peace achieves nothing - other than for Zelensky to parrot more pathetic rhetoric to the western press.
Personally I think he is largely responsible for Russias 3 day failure and is braver than any other current leader so I have nothing but respect.
I don’t see why Ukraine should concede anything unless they choose to and those bleating “stop the killing” appear to whitewash the horrors inflicted upon them.
s like thiscocks to post rather than banning them.barryrs said:
thiscocks said:
swisstoni said:
thatsprettyshady said:
At least he’s agreed to a ceasefire. Unlike some.A temporary ceasefire where no US involvement is pulled is obviously not useful in the slightest for Russia.
The US and the rest of NATO know that the Istanbul agreements are the only thing that will induce a ceasefire on both sides. Just the suggestion of ceasefire from one side with no facilitation of long term peace achieves nothing - other than for Zelensky to parrot more pathetic rhetoric to the western press.
Personally I think he is largely responsible for Russias 3 day failure and is braver than any other current leader so I have nothing but respect.
I don’t see why Ukraine should concede anything unless they choose to and those bleating “stop the killing” appear to whitewash the horrors inflicted upon them.
thiscocks said:
greygoose said:
Sadly PH allows pro-Russian s like thiscocks to post rather than banning them.
Sadly people like you think people with different opinions to themselves should be silenced or banned.s like thiscocks to post rather than banning them.I actually feel sorry for you.
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