War

printer

Well-Known Member
Johnson throws down gauntlet on Israel-Ukraine spending battle
They only need a small group of separatists from any one of a dozen republics to do it, they don't need public support. The rise of China just to the south has changed things for them and put them much closer to the center of the world and independence from Russia. We will see, but if arms are coming across Siberia from North Korea, then Ukrainian intelligence might want to stop or disrupt the flow, that is the motivation and where the cash for bribes and expenses comes in. The people from the region are already fighting and risking their asses for Ukraine, perhaps they might like a job closer to home.
And what makes this winter so much different when the same people could have been doing it for the last year and a half. Sure glad you are not my financial advisor. I would have lost money on pie in the sky what ifs.

Other than a major bridge, which would take a good hit to be out of commission, what would make a major difference in Ukraine?

 
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DIY-HP-LED

Well-Known Member
Johnson throws down gauntlet on Israel-Ukraine spending battle

And what makes this winter so much different when the same people could have been doing it for the last year and a half. Sure glad you are not my financial advisor. I would have lost money on pie in the sky what ifs.

Other than a major bridge, which would take a good hit to be out of commission, what would make a major difference in Ukraine?

Cutting off or impeding arms shipments from North Korea could be a motivation that did not exist before and they now have the capabilities, like with drones and the power grid this winter and they've been warning Russia about it. It takes a couple of years for a society like Ukraine to covert to war and get used to the new conditions. The UK of Sept 1942 was a lot different than Sept of 1939, with American help the were really rolling by 1943, it took time to train the army, intelligence organizations and a host of others, to organize the society and war effort. It's been less than 2 years for Ukraine, and they appear to be adapting well, let's hope the American funding comes through, EU funding is blocked as a unit, but countries can donate individually.

If Israel blames Russia and Iran for the terrorist attack and wants retribution on Russia, they will help out with funding in Washington. The new fanatic speaker is beholding to evangelicals and the Israeli lobby is strong among them and the effect of the Israel lobby will be immediate on them. Maybe the speaker's surprise statement on Ukrainian funding could have been caused by this, as speaker he is a member of the gang of 8 who gets top secret intelligence briefings and would get a heads up on it. We want accounting bullshit is just face saving.
 

DIY-HP-LED

Well-Known Member
Food for thought.

The whole region is a powder keg with Israel out looking for blood and retribution on Iran, but first they have to settle things closer to home and probably deal with Hezbollah on the Lebanese border too. It will be interesting to see if there is a shift in the GOP stance on funding Ukraine if the Israeli lobby gets to work on them. Their interests appear to align with Turkey, another country that is getting closer to Ukraine.

Russia will have increasing trouble hanging on in the region as they grow weaker militarily and Georgia is likely a target for American military aid. It would be good to get them out of the area and their support for Asiad in Syria should diminish too. Uncle Sam and the EU will try to do some serious peace incentives in the region, but Russia must be evicted for anything to work there.

Russia just had a big meeting in Moscow with Hamas leadership and Ukraine has been trying to tie Russia to Hamas. If the Israeli cabinet believes Russia supported Hamas and was partly responsible for the attack they will be on their list for retribution. The best way to get that retribution is to help Ukraine get American aid to destroy Russia's military and economic power. I wonder if Bebe mentioned it when he spoke to the republican house speaker, he doesn't need to worry about American aid for Israel.
 

DIY-HP-LED

Well-Known Member
After he got his intelligence briefing too as a new member of the gang of 8 and he probably got it when he was with Joe. Maybe a heads up and update on the Israeli attitude towards Russia and funding Ukraine. Joe would want Bebe's help on that to twist his arm and if Bebe blames Russia even a little bit for the terrorist attack, he might be willing to help Joe out. This guy is beholding to the evangelical wing too and they are big supporters of Israel.


However, after taking the speaker’s chair and holding meetings with Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and, separately, with President Biden on Thursday, Johnson made remarks that seemed much more pro-Ukraine than in the past.

“[W]e can’t allow Vladimir Putin to prevail in Ukraine because I don’t believe it would stop there, and it would probably encourage and empower China to perhaps make a move on Taiwan,” Johnson said in an interview on Fox News. “We have these concerns. We’re not going to abandon them.”
 

DIY-HP-LED

Well-Known Member
From MASH

Hawkeye: War isn’t Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.
Father Mulcahy: How do you figure that, Hawkeye?
Hawkeye: Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell?
Father Mulcahy: Sinners, I believe.
Hawkeye: Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. War is chock full of them — little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for some of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander.
 

DIY-HP-LED

Well-Known Member
Orban holding up European aid.

In Europe states can give individually and not as part of the EU, America is all or nothing. An unexpected event like that terrorist attack in Israel can change the situation in America, especially if Russia is held even partly responsible. It won't affect Orban, though, hope he has good security...
 

DIY-HP-LED

Well-Known Member
But will they give money when this money is still on the table? If anything it delays things.
It is putting all that seized Russian money on the table too, Ukrainian EU allies have been making noises about it lately. If push came to shove Joe would start seizing frozen Russian money and give it to Ukraine, but that money is earmarked for reconstruction and to turn Ukraine into a prosperous militarily strong postwar country. Declaring Russia, a state sponsor of terrorism would mean seizing private Russian money in America, those are the fallback positions and why Vlad will lose. If he pissed off Israel, he would lose the struggle in America for sure with Trump going down in flames starting soon.
 

printer

Well-Known Member
It is putting all that seized Russian money on the table too, Ukrainian EU allies have been making noises about it lately. If push came to shove Joe would start seizing frozen Russian money and give it to Ukraine, but that money is earmarked for reconstruction and to turn Ukraine into a prosperous militarily strong postwar country. Declaring Russia, a state sponsor of terrorism would mean seizing private Russian money in America, those are the fallback positions and why Vlad will lose. If he pissed off Israel, he would lose the struggle in America for sure with Trump going down in flames starting soon.
Sometimes I wonder how you miss the obvious. None of the ceased assets has been given to Ukraine yet. Why? Because so far there is no legal way for them to do it. No country wants to be sued and have to pay back the money.
 

DIY-HP-LED

Well-Known Member
Sometimes I wonder how you miss the obvious. None of the ceased assets has been given to Ukraine yet. Why? Because so far there is no legal way for them to do it. No country wants to be sued and have to pay back the money.
I realize that, but they will not let Russia win and that is why it is the fallback position. They don't want to seize the reserves of nations because it shakes confidence in the international system of finance and the rule of international law, which is important when it comes to money at least, and has more rights than people because money is more mobile. Canada has already seized assets and so have other countries, in America Joe can declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism and would before he would see Ukraine lose. Like I said, they haven't done it before because they didn't need to and are unlikely to, but it is there in the background as a last financial resort.
 

DIY-HP-LED

Well-Known Member
Sometimes I wonder how you miss the obvious. None of the ceased assets has been given to Ukraine yet. Why? Because so far there is no legal way for them to do it. No country wants to be sued and have to pay back the money.
It is one reason why Ukraine is following international law when prosecuting this war. They will want reparations from an international legal process, perhaps an unprecedented one for an unprecedented amount of money.
 

printer

Well-Known Member
It is one reason why Ukraine is following international law when prosecuting this war. They will want reparations from an international legal process, perhaps an unprecedented one for an unprecedented amount of money.
So you are saying that the money will be frozen until after the war?

"It is putting all that seized Russian money on the table too... "
 
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