Must be great buddies with fucker charlatan of faux spews.
Hope you're feeling better.
“Otherwise, it will lead to the death of Russia itself,” said Vladimir Solovyov, host of a prime-time talk show on state TV channel Russia 1, on his daily radio show last week.
Good one. Bits of "“I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now,” he said. “He’s likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties.”
Russia’s recent unsupported claims that the U.S. is helping Ukraine develop chemical or biological weapons suggest that Putin may himself be prepared to deploy those weapons in a “false flag” operation, Burns said.
There’s no apparent path to ending the war. It is nearly inconceivable that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has won admiration around the world for leading his country’s resistance, would suddenly recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea or support granting new autonomy to Russian-friendly parts of eastern Ukraine. And even if he captures Kyiv and deposes Zelenskyy, Putin would have to account for an insurgency supported by the West in a country of more than 40 million.
“He has no sustainable political end-game in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians,” Burns said.
European leaders are still trying to maintain dialogue with Putin. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg spoke Monday with Putin and “pleaded for an immediate ceasefire,” according to Bettel’s tweet. A spokesperson said Bettel was encouraged to contact Putin by other leaders who “wanted to make sure Putin would continue talking with them.” Bettel also spoke with Zelenskyy.
Avril Haines, President Joe Biden’s director of national intelligence, said Putin “perceives this as a war he cannot afford to lose. But what he might be willing to accept as a victory may change over time given the significant costs he is incurring.”
[...]
“The mistake was the notion that the West was unwilling to resist aggression, that it was lethargic, greedy and divided,” Rogov wrote. “The idea that the Russian economy is self-sufficient and secure was a mistake. The mistake was the idea of ??the quality of the Russian army. And the main mistake was the idea that Ukraine is a failed state, and Ukrainians are not a nation.
“Four mistakes in making one decision is a lot,” he said.
Before the invasion, polling conducted by the Levada Center, Russia’s top independent opinion research firm, found that 60% of respondents consider the U.S. and NATO the “initiators” of conflict in eastern Ukraine. Just 3% answered Russia. The polling was in January and February, and the Levada Center has not published new polling since the war began.
Outsiders hope ordinary Russians will respond to the sharp decline in their living standards and find honest portrayals of the war through relatives and online, including by using VPN software to bypass Kremlin blocks on social media. Russian state television continues to air false or unsupported allegations about the U.S. and Ukrainian governments and push a narrative that Russia can’t afford to lose the war.
“Otherwise, it will lead to the death of Russia itself,” said Vladimir Solovyov, host of a prime-time talk show on state TV channel Russia 1, on his daily radio show last week."
Meanwhile as the possession of nuclear weapons moves from a plus as a deterrent to war to a minus as a deterrent to halting a war the whole question of the value to the world of them may be revisited over time.
Some see a further look at nuclear weapons as in overtime.
Ukraine Live Updates: 3 European Leaders, in Show of Support, Head to Besieged Kyiv
Updated March 15, 2022, 2:38 p.m. ET 15 minutes ago
The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia planned to express the European Union’s “unequivocal support” for Ukraine. President Biden will meet with NATO officials in Europe next week, aides said.
NATO defense ministers will discuss sending ‘substantially more forces’ to its eastern borders.
March 16, 2022, 12:00 a.m. ET
1 hour ago
"US view of Putin: Angry, frustrated, likely to escalate war"
Victoria Kim
The International Peacekeeping and Security Center in western Ukraine early on Sunday in western Ukraine after an attack near the Polish border on Sunday.
NATO defense ministers will discuss stepping up defenses along their eastern front as Russia’s attacks inch closer to the alliance’s doorstep, the organization’s secretary general said on Tuesday.
The ministers were set to meet on Wednesday ahead of next week’s extraordinary NATO summit, where President Biden is scheduled to discuss how to respond to Russia’s invasion.
European allies are putting more pressure on the United States to take more direct action in addition to sanctions and military aid in face of relentless Russian attacks and widespread civilian suffering.
Ministers will discuss “concrete measures” to reinforce its eastern flank, on the ground and in the air and on the water, said Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, said in advance of the meeting of defense ministers. The Russian invasion and its coordination with Belarus “creates a new security reality” in Europe, he said.
“We need to reset NATO’s military posture for this new reality,” he said. “This could include substantially more forces in the eastern part of the alliance at high alertness and more pre-positioned equipments.”
Russia attacked a Ukrainian military base on Sunday near the Polish border, killing dozens and stoking fear that the war was approaching NATO’s eastern borders. Mr. Stoltenberg reiterated NATO’s commitment that an attack on one ally will bring a response from the entire alliance. Ukraine is not a member of the alliance.
The ministers will be joined by the Ukrainian defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, who said on Twitter that he planned to urge them to help with air and missile defenses and that discussions of a no-fly zone over the country was “still open.” NATO leaders have demurred on a no-fly zone, which could draw the alliance into a broader conflict with Russia.
Mr. Stoltenberg also urged members to step up defense spending to a minimum of 2 percent of gross domestic product, welcoming Germany’s surprise announcement to increase spending.
“We must invest more to protect peace and freedom and uphold our values,” he said.
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