Cortese's Corner - The Off-Topic Chat Thread

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Big_Si said:
If Russia try to keep Crimea then I don't think the West will do anything, other than apply sanctions. If however they press further into Ukraine and closer to the Polish border then the stance may change. The Polish border may well be the line that would spark military intervention from the West/NATO. Would Putin try to take Poland? I think that would be a bit much even for him.
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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.
 
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
 
Beefy said:
Russian speaker going on about Nazi's or some crap.
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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.
 
Qwerty said:
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.
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That letter made me laugh. <laugh>
 
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.
 
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