EL, thank you for these daily updates. I do look forward to receiving them. You present the previous 24 hours in a way that gives me a total overview of what has transpired. I find it can get confusing reading lots of different media articles. I look forward to Zelensky's address to the Australian parliament on Thursday. I am a simple person too (like MM stated below) but I can see the writing on the wall. Death and suffering mean nothing to Putin. In the meantime innocent Ukrainians are existing in a living hell, facing shocking scenes and death before their eyes. The mental and physical toll on these poor people must be incalculable. As for Turkey, thank you for including the Cyprus clarification. I would not trust Turkey as far as I could throw it.
I'm a very simple person who has been trying to keep up-to-date thanks to EL's constant diligence. For me it boils down to - having surrounded Ukraine with tanks, Putin said he had no intention of invading the country - before doing just that. Now with unknown number of deaths, on both sides, with destruction all around them Ukrainians have fled the country fearing for their lives. Sick children suffering with cancer have been dispersed to other countries for treatment; five of them are being treated here in Toronto at Sick Children's Hospital, having been flown here with their families by the Canadian government. "Peace" talks continue; but how can anyone trust aggressor Putin with a record like that? Not me!! I wouldn't trust a thing he might agree to.
I have had a brief look at the Ukrainian idea of neutrality, but I can't see the Russians agreeing to it if their plan is to take Ukraine again. I shall focus on that issue tomorrow with the pros, cons. and the reality of it.
Yesterday I was angry. Today I find I'm just incredibly sad. Less than 48 hours ago the entire world heard and saw a violent moment. Then, it's as if the collective world breathed a silent relief, relief at there being something other than the atrocity in Ukraine to complain about. Yet we've been witnessing worse violence and atrocity for over a month now, and anger seems to have subsided. I don't understand that! Then comes along Turkey, and people think, "well, Turkey has it in hand now." NO, they don't! This war in the Ukraine is like a cancer, slowly eating away. You fight cancer with all your weapons. Even when it shows signs of stalling, you don't let up, you continue to attack until you hopefully wipe it out. It's a malignant cancer growing in Ukraine, now is not the time to sit back, become complacent or apathetic. Nato and the West keep throwing minimal weapons at it in the hope that it will be enough, and so they can pat themselves on the back and say, well we tried our best, gave it all we could. NO, they haven't. I've grown so tired of words and passive-aggressive actions that amount to nothing. So much posturing, not enough doing. Since they all failed to prevent it, then it's far past time for them to end it! I don't know the answer, but what I do know is that this is not the time to push back from the table with a satisfied smugness. Why wait for it to come to you to end it, go to it and end it. Stop drawing a line in the sand, because he IS going to cross every single one of them. They've given him far too much violent power because they refuse to take it from him. Ukraine is experiencing the results of that violent power, we see it and we can hear it. The violent slap being dealt to the Ukraine should take our breath away for more angrily than a silly split second of immaturity. That it's not, saddens me. @HM - my sincere apologies if I've gone too far. Just had a need to vent over the idiocy I'm seeing.
What a thorough and informative precis on the whys and why nots, EL. Thank you.
One thing everyone must bear in mind is that Russian promises are written on water, as are Russian signatures on agreements and treaties.
It was always the goal to turn Ukraine into Belarus, led by a puppet Russian government, enhancing the reach of Russia into Eastern Europe, particularly on its western side. That Ukraine stood up from the chopping block, seized the axe out of Putin's hand and hit him with it, will make further perfidy by Russia just a bit more difficult. The ruins of Ukraine are not what Putin wanted. There are 10 million displaced, and 5 million or so fled out of the country. I also saw on the news that 300,000 people have fled Russia, as well, unwilling to remain in a country that will now function as a virtual pariah.
It doesn't make sense for Putin to take over what is now an empty shell of a country. And rebuilding the ruins will take years.
For the moment, Ukraine has done the unthinkable: lanced the boil on the arse of Europe, if you lot will pardon the coarseness. But it's unlikely the infection has completely drained.
NATO and the West do not come out of this smelling like roses. But Ukraine's heroism will be sung for generations. TC
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide all this critical info, HM. I've been floundering a bit in confusion the past week or so, but this has clarified so much for me. Learning a lot more about Turkey than I ever knew, too. Imho, those who trust this latest "ceasefire," have mush for brains. I've grown so weary of all this timidity when it comes to what Putin will do or won't do. He's going to do whatever he wants, regardless of what the rest of the world says and/or does. I find this constant fear of what such an evil little man might do to be a complete embarrassment. He continues to bully while the rest of the world cowers in fear. The West and Nato, by their cowering, just give him even more power to control, dictate, and destroy.
EL, thank you for these daily updates. I do look forward to receiving them. You present the previous 24 hours in a way that gives me a total overview of what has transpired. I find it can get confusing reading lots of different media articles. I look forward to Zelensky's address to the Australian parliament on Thursday. I am a simple person too (like MM stated below) but I can see the writing on the wall. Death and suffering mean nothing to Putin. In the meantime innocent Ukrainians are existing in a living hell, facing shocking scenes and death before their eyes. The mental and physical toll on these poor people must be incalculable. As for Turkey, thank you for including the Cyprus clarification. I would not trust Turkey as far as I could throw it.
I'm a very simple person who has been trying to keep up-to-date thanks to EL's constant diligence. For me it boils down to - having surrounded Ukraine with tanks, Putin said he had no intention of invading the country - before doing just that. Now with unknown number of deaths, on both sides, with destruction all around them Ukrainians have fled the country fearing for their lives. Sick children suffering with cancer have been dispersed to other countries for treatment; five of them are being treated here in Toronto at Sick Children's Hospital, having been flown here with their families by the Canadian government. "Peace" talks continue; but how can anyone trust aggressor Putin with a record like that? Not me!! I wouldn't trust a thing he might agree to.
I have had a brief look at the Ukrainian idea of neutrality, but I can't see the Russians agreeing to it if their plan is to take Ukraine again. I shall focus on that issue tomorrow with the pros, cons. and the reality of it.
Yesterday I was angry. Today I find I'm just incredibly sad. Less than 48 hours ago the entire world heard and saw a violent moment. Then, it's as if the collective world breathed a silent relief, relief at there being something other than the atrocity in Ukraine to complain about. Yet we've been witnessing worse violence and atrocity for over a month now, and anger seems to have subsided. I don't understand that! Then comes along Turkey, and people think, "well, Turkey has it in hand now." NO, they don't! This war in the Ukraine is like a cancer, slowly eating away. You fight cancer with all your weapons. Even when it shows signs of stalling, you don't let up, you continue to attack until you hopefully wipe it out. It's a malignant cancer growing in Ukraine, now is not the time to sit back, become complacent or apathetic. Nato and the West keep throwing minimal weapons at it in the hope that it will be enough, and so they can pat themselves on the back and say, well we tried our best, gave it all we could. NO, they haven't. I've grown so tired of words and passive-aggressive actions that amount to nothing. So much posturing, not enough doing. Since they all failed to prevent it, then it's far past time for them to end it! I don't know the answer, but what I do know is that this is not the time to push back from the table with a satisfied smugness. Why wait for it to come to you to end it, go to it and end it. Stop drawing a line in the sand, because he IS going to cross every single one of them. They've given him far too much violent power because they refuse to take it from him. Ukraine is experiencing the results of that violent power, we see it and we can hear it. The violent slap being dealt to the Ukraine should take our breath away for more angrily than a silly split second of immaturity. That it's not, saddens me. @HM - my sincere apologies if I've gone too far. Just had a need to vent over the idiocy I'm seeing.
What a thorough and informative precis on the whys and why nots, EL. Thank you.
One thing everyone must bear in mind is that Russian promises are written on water, as are Russian signatures on agreements and treaties.
It was always the goal to turn Ukraine into Belarus, led by a puppet Russian government, enhancing the reach of Russia into Eastern Europe, particularly on its western side. That Ukraine stood up from the chopping block, seized the axe out of Putin's hand and hit him with it, will make further perfidy by Russia just a bit more difficult. The ruins of Ukraine are not what Putin wanted. There are 10 million displaced, and 5 million or so fled out of the country. I also saw on the news that 300,000 people have fled Russia, as well, unwilling to remain in a country that will now function as a virtual pariah.
It doesn't make sense for Putin to take over what is now an empty shell of a country. And rebuilding the ruins will take years.
For the moment, Ukraine has done the unthinkable: lanced the boil on the arse of Europe, if you lot will pardon the coarseness. But it's unlikely the infection has completely drained.
NATO and the West do not come out of this smelling like roses. But Ukraine's heroism will be sung for generations. TC
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide all this critical info, HM. I've been floundering a bit in confusion the past week or so, but this has clarified so much for me. Learning a lot more about Turkey than I ever knew, too. Imho, those who trust this latest "ceasefire," have mush for brains. I've grown so weary of all this timidity when it comes to what Putin will do or won't do. He's going to do whatever he wants, regardless of what the rest of the world says and/or does. I find this constant fear of what such an evil little man might do to be a complete embarrassment. He continues to bully while the rest of the world cowers in fear. The West and Nato, by their cowering, just give him even more power to control, dictate, and destroy.