Cortese's Corner - The Off-Topic Chat Thread

https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/440536399444328448

A journo based in the Ukraine has said the ultimatum was said from a Russian ship.

 

I bought a Wombles Pepper Mill .

Sometimes it's Underground , sometimes it's overground ..............

 

North Korea is quite nice , but it's no South Korea , It's got no Seoul

 

They have Kaliningrad-Oblast, remember. That little bit of Russian territory which borders Poland.
And they have supposedly mobilised troops there. That's nowhere near Crimea, nor is it near Ukraine for that matter.

 

Poland is a member of NATO. The other NATO members would pretty much HAVE to step in if the Russians invaded Poland.

The Ukraine situation isn't currently that simple though. Ukraine isn't a member of NATO so there's no formal commitment to help them. Russia has pretty much taken control of Crimea already. Are the western nations really going to launch an invasion of Crimea and effectively declare war on Russia? It's hard to believe they'd do that. It also appears the majority of people in Crimea would prefer to be part of Russia rather than Ukraine which complicates things even more.

I just can't see major powers like the USA and UK directly going to war with Russia as things stand. Diplomatic sanctions? Yes. Financial sanctions? Yes. Supporting Ukrainian and Polish military action? Perhaps. Going to war themselves? Almost certainly no.

In fact as I've written this it's been revealed the UK government isn't going to impose financial sanctions on Russia and wants to discourage any discussion of military contingency plans.

The real test will be what Russia does if pro-Russians (try to?) take control of other parts of Ukraine and - if the Russians send troops in there - whether the West is prepared to respond in any meaningful way.

 

Good old Sam Allardyce.

 

What could possibly go wrong?

 

If he goes for Poland (incredibly unlikely) then I'm afraid we are all a bit ****ed.

Here's a good 'flip-side' analysis that's worth a read - http://stopwar.org.uk/news/ten-things-to-remember-about-the-crisis-in-ukraine-and-the-crimea#.UxTR6PRdVAg

 

Honestly, I don't think he actually will. Putin's just seeing how far he can can push.

 

Yeah, but I gotta win the $1 billion first, so...

 

More Russian troops moving in.

 

China now getting involved.
- We condem violent acts in Ukraine
- Internal problems must be dealt with
- Protect rights of all people in Ukraine
- Actors must respect Ukraine's territorial integrity
- Political dialogue must be prioritised
- International laws must be adhered to

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26413953
Live stream of the UN security council meeting.

 

Russian speaker going on about Nazi's or some crap.

 

He's had to take a pretty big tongue lashing just to show off that one crap letter. Quite symbolic when the Ukrainian guy said he didn't need protecting and started speaking Russian.

 

There's no way VP will go for Poland - he's blisteringly arrogant, but not utterly insane. If China are siding with caution regarding Ukrainian territory, that's a good sign.

 

That letter made me laugh.

 

WoW account ran out of game time. ****. Why couldn't that happen on Sunday after the Darkmoon Faire?

 

Surprise surprise we have looked the weakest nation so far. Every one else giving Russia a ear bashing.

 

Poland has invoked Article 4 of Nato's founding treaty, under which consultations can be requested when an ally feels their security is threatened. Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has said that while the Ukraine crisis is not a direct threat to Poland and that the country is safe, Poland wants to enlist Nato as a tool to work for stabilisation in Ukraine.