I'm very skeptical of claims that Putin is having pain inflicted on him and being sanctioned strongly enough to hurt him

[Seymour Flops]

Biden is making that claim right now, but he is by no means the only one.

Putin will be a wealthy oligarch until he either dies of old age, or gets the traditional Russian bullet in the back of the head. If that bullet comes in the middle of the night, tonight, Putin is still winners for having survived almost seventy years as an old school KGB torture/murder thug.

Putin is not harmed by the Russian stock market declining, nor his energy sales losing customers. He's not harmed by the Ruble declining in value. He's still wealthier and more powerful than any king of the old world and any U.S. billionaire. He is surrounded by yes men. Those yes men do not even have to lie. The truth - that his armies are raping Ukraine and no one is lifting a finger to help them - is good enough for him.

The French and their fellow surrender monkeys will never help Ukraine. They will happily allow "NATO" to do it, because that would only mean the U.S. spending its blood and treasure to once again save Europe from itself. Then the French et al will tell their grandchildren stories of how the resistance defeated the tyrants. I see no reason to accept that role again.

Globalism is a failure. The Ukraine disaster is only the latest proof of that.

 

[rightwinger]

Putin is isolating himself from the world

It will not bring him to his knees overnight. But over weeks, months and years……The Russian economy will suffer

 

[FA_Q2]

Sanctions are not meant to hurt Putin.

They are meant to hurt Russians until they eject Putin or he is forced to change from political pressure. They will not achieve that either to be perfectly honest, we have proven we do not have the will. We are being extremely hesitant to hit in the only area that matters - energy.

Europe is galvanizing against him though, he may have seriously miscalculated with Europe. We sill see.

 

[1srelluc]

It's just virtue signaling right now, they will give lip service and maybe some equipment till they see how things shake out within the next week or two.

 

[Seymour Flops]

Sanctions are not meant to hurt Putin.

They are meant to hurt Russians until they eject Putin or he is forced to change from political pressure. They will not achieve that either to be perfectly honest, we have proven we do not have the will. We are being extremely hesitant to hit in the only area that matters - energy.

Europe is galvanizing against him though, he may have seriously miscalculated with Europe. We sill see.

I'm glad they are galvanized. But I don't think that Putin is the least bit concerned about galvanized Frenchmen.

What are they actually doing?

 

[Sunni Man]

The European globalist Marxist crowd hate Putin's Russia because he refuses to let them control him and by extension Russia.

 

[Roudy]

Putin, his banks and the oligarchs are going to work through China while Russia supplies China with oil and gas. He already knows what the West is planning on doing and has created a workaround.

 

[FA_Q2]

I'm glad they are galvanized. But I don't think that Putin is the least bit concerned about galvanized Frenchmen.

What are they actually doing?

Of course he is concerned, it effects Russian economics quite a bit, particularly losing German support.

The west, in general, has made a fatal error though. They thought that concern would be greater than Putin's dream of rebuilding the old Soviet Union.

It is not. Not by a longshot.

 

[FA_Q2]

Putin, his banks and the oligarchs are going to work through China while Russia supplies China with oil and gas. He already knows what the West is planning on doing and has created a workaround.

And therein lies the real problem here. not Ukraine, that is a symptom of the greater threat. We are edging close to the next world war and the lines are being drawn. China and Russia are recognizing the west pulling back from world leadership and influence and they see their chance to establish their own interests. Hopefully this will not lead to major powers in open conflict again but it sure seems that possibility is getting more likely by the day.

As Russia gets closer to China and they start to become isolated, it may come to that. The question now, IMHO, is how this ends up effecting Taiwan. We will have absolutely no response to that.

 

[Roudy]

And therein lies the real problem here. not Ukraine, that is a symptom of the greater threat. We are edging close to the next world war and the lines are being drawn. China and Russia are recognizing the west pulling back from world leadership and influence and they see their chance to establish their own interests. Hopefully this will not lead to major powers in open conflict again but it sure seems that possibility is getting more likely by the day.

As Russia gets closer to China and they start to become isolated, it may come to that. The question now, IMHO, is how this ends up effecting Taiwan. We will have absolutely no response to that.

Poland has already offered for it's troops to fight alongside Ukrainians. If Russia retaliates by hitting Poland, then all bets are off and the opening salvo to the new world war has begun.

 

[daveman]

Biden's sanctions are toothless.

Biden's Russia sanctions may let Moscow profit from oil, gas​

And the US is still buying Russian oil.

Biden ripped for buying Russian oil: 'We are being conned,' billionaire oil and supermarket CEO says​

I can't wait to hear from USMB leftists how this proves Biden is being tough on Putin.

 

[FA_Q2]

Poland has already offered for it's troops to fight alongside Ukrainians. If Russia retaliates by hitting Poland, then all bets are off and the opening salvo to the new world war has begun.

If it happens it would better now than later as Russia is a weak force and China is not.

It will not happen now though, Russia is not going to go head on with NATO as he knows he will lose and NATO is not going to force the issue. If they were going to do it they would have BEFORE Russia invaded. Once it starts, there is no chance whatsoever that the issue will be forced now.

No matter what happens I do not see Ukraine existing as anything other than a Russian puppet regime for the foreseeable future. That does not bode well for the people there. It already looks like Russia is going to start exterminating citizens there on mass.

 

[sealybobo]

Biden is making that claim right now, but he is by no means the only one.

Putin will be a wealthy oligarch until he either dies of old age, or gets the traditional Russian bullet in the back of the head. If that bullet comes in the middle of the night, tonight, Putin is still winners for having survived almost seventy years as an old school KGB torture/murder thug.

Putin is not harmed by the Russian stock market declining, nor his energy sales losing customers. He's not harmed by the Ruble declining in value. He's still wealthier and more powerful than any king of the old world and any U.S. billionaire. He is surrounded by yes men. Those yes men do not even have to lie. The truth - that his armies are raping Ukraine and no one is lifting a finger to help them - is good enough for him.

The French and their fellow surrender monkeys will never help Ukraine. They will happily allow "NATO" to do it, because that would only mean the U.S. spending its blood and treasure to once again save Europe from itself. Then the French et al will tell their grandchildren stories of how the resistance defeated the tyrants. I see no reason to accept that role again.

Globalism is a failure. The Ukraine disaster is only the latest proof of that.

Just look at how much pressure is on biden if he says or does the wrong thing. Putin really did an unpopular thing with the world and Russian people. He has to be at least a little nervous. He can’t be as calm cool and collective as he seems.

 

[shockedcanadian]

Biden is making that claim right now, but he is by no means the only one.

Putin will be a wealthy oligarch until he either dies of old age, or gets the traditional Russian bullet in the back of the head. If that bullet comes in the middle of the night, tonight, Putin is still winners for having survived almost seventy years as an old school KGB torture/murder thug.

Putin is not harmed by the Russian stock market declining, nor his energy sales losing customers. He's not harmed by the Ruble declining in value. He's still wealthier and more powerful than any king of the old world and any U.S. billionaire. He is surrounded by yes men. Those yes men do not even have to lie. The truth - that his armies are raping Ukraine and no one is lifting a finger to help them - is good enough for him.

The French and their fellow surrender monkeys will never help Ukraine. They will happily allow "NATO" to do it, because that would only mean the U.S. spending its blood and treasure to once again save Europe from itself. Then the French et al will tell their grandchildren stories of how the resistance defeated the tyrants. I see no reason to accept that role again.

Globalism is a failure. The Ukraine disaster is only the latest proof of that.

Never mind the sanctions. America is importing 650,000 barrels of oil each day from Russia. In short, he will get paid as long as America is dependent on him.

It's why there aren't sanctions on oil. Furthermore, Biden didn't go too hard against Putin tonight as he probably worries about Putin shutting the taps to the U.S. That would be disasterous to the U.S.

 

[Roudy]

If it happens it would better now than later as Russia is a weak force and China is not.

It will not happen now though, Russia is not going to go head on with NATO as he knows he will lose and NATO is not going to force the issue. If they were going to do it they would have BEFORE Russia invaded. Once it starts, there is no chance whatsoever that the issue will be forced now.

No matter what happens I do not see Ukraine existing as anything other than a Russian puppet regime for the foreseeable future. That does not bode well for the people there. It already looks like Russia is going to start exterminating citizens there on mass.

When brutal dictators like Putin detect weak paper tigers like Biden, they are basically capable of anything. Remember the Ayatollah of Iran shat on Jimmy Carter and all international norms when they stormed the US embassy and held American diplomats hostage for over a year, only to be released the day Reagan was sworn in.

 

[Roudy]

Just look at how much pressure is on biden if he says or does the wrong thing. Putin really did an unpopular thing with the world and Russian people. He has to be at least a little nervous. He can’t be as calm cool and collective as he seems.

Nah, Putin is a calculating man and an ex KJB chief. He and those around him have studied Biden and his history like an open book. He will not make a big chess move like this without knowing exactly the next ten moves the West and specifically the idiot we have in office will make. You are believing the Left’s fake news media narrative that “Putin has lost his mind”.

 

[FA_Q2]

When brutal dictators like Putin detect weak paper tigers like Biden, they are basically capable of anything. Remember the Ayatollah of Iran shat on Jimmy Carter and all international norms when they stormed the US embassy and held American diplomats hostage for over a year, only to be released the day Reagan was sworn in.

And no war was fought over that. Thousands of graves went unfilled.

And Iran has suffered in power and influence for all of their actions. Ergo, I see no parallel with that situation and this one whatsoever even though I may agree with the sentiment that when we fail to project our leadership another will take its place.

However, the language of 'weak' or 'strong' presidents has always been a rather inane sentiment IMHO. It is not a matter of strength, it is a matter of projecting our influence or retracting it.

And retracting it has been a mantra from the left AND right since Bush Jr. A sentiment directly tied to his monumental FP fuckups. We have been on a bad trajectory ever since as it seem the public just cannot distinguish between projecting power properly or improperly.

The best the electorate can seem to do is be totally war like or totally isolationist.

 

[sealybobo]

Nah, Putin is a calculating man and an ex KJB chief. He and those around him have studied Biden and his history like an open book. He will not make a big chess move like this without knowing exactly the next ten moves the West and specifically the idiot we have in office will make. You are believing the Left’s fake news media narrative that “Putin has lost his mind”.

Suddenly this is about biden? You don’t think Putin would have done this if trump was president? The guy who kissed Putin’s ass? Trump said what he did was brilliant.

And if trump would have went to war over this, is that what you want?

 

[Turtlesoup]

The European globalist Marxist crowd hate Putin's Russia because he refuses to let them control him and by extension Russia.

Yeah---PUTIN wants to control everything, just like the EU does, the different muslim sects, and the other globalists want to control america. Just like WW2 and WW1----we see the corrupt globalists attempting to seize more lands and power by hook and by crook. But the interesting thing is----that people are starting to fight back finally.

 

[georgephillip]

Putin is isolating himself from the world

It will not bring him to his knees overnight. But over weeks, months and years……The Russian economy will suffer

Things were not looking good for Russia's largest companies this morning (3/2/22 as the Moscow Stock Exchange remained shuttered for the third day in a row:

Share Prices of Russia’s Largest Companies Drop to Pennies on the London Stock Exchange Today

"As of this morning, some of Russia’s largest companies are trading for pennies in London.

"As of 11:00 a.m. (London time), Russia’s giant energy company, Gazprom, was trading at 3 cents a share, a 99 percent decline from the start of the year.

"Russia’s largest crude oil exporter, Rosneft, was trading at 96 cents shortly after 12 noon in London.

"Russia’s largest natural gas company, Novatek, was trading at 61 cents at 11:30 a.m. London time.

"Novatek was a $238 stock in London at the beginning of the year."