I wonder what kind of sanctions Biden threatened Putin with?
Russia returns some troops to base in areas near Ukraine - report
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-returns-some-tro…
intercst
1 Like
NATO sees no de-escalation. Take all Russian news about troops withdrawals as fake news.
Jaak
Intercst,
There was a news report test balloon last night on NPR.
If Ukraine goes totally neutral as Finland has been, then Russia MIGHT or IT IS SUGGESTED back off.
The terms of this are different than the current status. It means a denouncement of any plans to join NATO but only by the Ukrainians. It may mean certain things about Eastern Ukrainian terroritory to a degree, unknown.
The balloon probably floated by the US admin is the only carrot left.
It has worked for Finland and Russia.
The real issue for Putin is creating another Afghanistan but worse. If he does that the West some years from now will end up with Ukraine anyway, and Belarus and maybe other states. Plus Putin’s days would be numbered.
He can get into the Ukraine very easily. He can not get out at all.
My heart is with the Ukrainians.
I think the Ukrainians should deny Russia even this. I think Ukrainian leadership should remain with the option of joining NATO.
Russia has always been far too untrust worthy of any decency in leadership. That includes an unparalleled degree of cruelty and murder.
Putin’s life will be on the line one day if he invades and loses. You can have $200 billion, but you need your actual life more.
The issue is will Ukrainian leaders renounce joining NATO? Or did Putin lose his appetite as if his bluff was called? Again he could easily enter Ukraine but never leave. He would have lost badly.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/15/world/russia-ukraine…
MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin said Tuesday that Russia had decided “to partially pull back troops,” and the Russian Defense Ministry announced that some forces from military districts bordering Ukraine were being sent back to their garrisons, a sign that Moscow might be stepping away from the threat of an invasion.
intercst
I wonder what kind of sanctions Biden threatened Putin with?
Wonder #2 would be:
What kind of reaction would Putin have displayed (or feigned) to such threats?
(Recalling video images of Putin during their recent “phone call” looked like what we might see of a teenager toying with a video game in his living room.)
1 Like