Stupid Shit in Kyiv

[QUOTE=Paulie97;3082923]In your eagerness to support your pal you overlooked my rebuttal to him.

Even though interpretations of such discussions remain contentious it's most noteworthy that such provisions were never written into any formal binding agreement. It's also unreasonable to talk about NATO expansion while ignoring the agency of the former Eastern Block countries that were eager to join.

Historians generally agree that James Baker didn't have the authority to make a binding pledge on behalf of the US regarding NATO expansion. His statements were exploratory while president Bush's administration later made it clear that nations have the right to pursue their own alliances.

And any idea of Russia as a member of the EU and NATO is a stretch to say the least given their dismal record on human rights and lack of adherence to democratic principles.[/QUOTE]Please read the historical documents at the end of the National Security Archives web page.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;3082952] Edit: Your posts must be delayed. Apparently I did say that. You probably did a good job of debunking it. Im too lazy to read all that to know. Which is going to make my next post particularly hypocritical.[/QUOTE]Well as is normal you're not too lazy to get to my posts before the ink is dry. Wink.

Though seems you may have squeezed in some vacation time recently. That's never a bad thing and I hope all is well.

[QUOTE=Questner;3082947]I see. Maybe EU will do the same for the Palestinians. So far, no takers. Will EU ask them to work on their factories? We have already seen it during the WWII. This is a pure fascist concept. We want to live in our ancestral land as I assume other peoples do. Donbass will be freed fro AFU soon. Just don't forget that the capital of Donbass is actually Kharkov.[/QUOTE]You apparently didn't understand what I was intending to convey. My post was satirical and not directed against you. Ukraine would be wise to give up the Donbas if it would bring peace.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;3082952]How much good did sanctions on Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, and Russia do anyway? They mostly hurt the man on the street and lessened the role of the dollar in commerce and as a reserve currency.[/QUOTE]Sanctions serve as a crucial diplomatic tool designed to impose costs on aggressive behavior without resorting to direct military conflict. While the humanitarian impact on the population is a valid concern, proponents argue that they limit a regime's ability to finance wars, fund terrorism, or develop banned weapons programs. And even when the ideal outcomes are not achieved, the restrictions still hinder a regime's capacity for aggression.

Regarding the dollar, while sanctions do create incentives for countries to explore alternatives, the global dominance of the US financial system makes it difficult to replace the dollar entirely.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;3082958]You apparently didn't understand what I was intending to convey. My post was satirical and not directed against you. Ukraine would be wise to give up the Donbas if it would bring peace.[/QUOTE]I'm all with you on this one. I'm shocked that Questner thought you could post something against him.

[QUOTE=Tiny12;3082955]Please read the historical documents at the end of the National Security Archives web page.[/QUOTE]No, I'm not doing all the work here. Retirement is too damned fun. Please make your case as all I've seen so far is assertions which aren't arguments. I've already responded to the arguments those documents are most often used for when operating from the sympathetic to Russia angle. Here it is again.

[QUOTE=Paulie97;3082923]In your eagerness to support your pal you overlooked my rebuttal to him.

Even though interpretations of such discussions remain contentious it's most noteworthy that such provisions were never written into any formal binding agreement. It's also unreasonable to talk about NATO expansion while ignoring the agency of the former Eastern Block countries that were eager to join.

Historians generally agree that James Baker didn't have the authority to make a binding pledge on behalf of the US regarding NATO expansion. His statements were exploratory while president Bush's administration later made it clear that nations have the right to pursue their own alliances.

And any idea of Russia as a member of the EU and NATO is a stretch to say the least given their dismal record on human rights and lack of adherence to democratic principles.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Tiny12;3082958]You apparently didn't understand what I was intending to convey. My post was satirical and not directed against you. Ukraine would be wise to give up the Donbas if it would bring peace.[/QUOTE]What USA tell to fuck Ukraine and suck Putin to make business with him, when after Crimea, Putin doesn't want only Donbass, but whole ex USSR, starting to attack ex DDR in Leipzig. Putin doesn't get Donetsk and his economics is going worse and worse. When robber Trump stopped to help Ukraine, fortunately Europe, not only EU, and Canada keep on helping so courageous Ukrainians who defend their land when Putin and Trump are robbers. Many Russian guys leaving Russia because they don't want to make Putin war, not Russia war, only Putin war, same than Trump with Canada, Greenland, Venezuela and Mexico.

Late yesterday evening, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation amid the investigation into the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) case "Carthage".

The case is about providing cover to multiple scam call centers (Pay 4 Scam).

[QUOTE=Questner;3082947]Just don't forget that the capital of Donbass is actually Kharkov.[/QUOTE]I concur. It's that very Kharkiv where killer whales tear apart poor polar bears.

Every single day.

Poor bears.

[URL]https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Kyiv-calling-The-scam-call-centre-phenomenon-in-Ukraine-GI-TOC-April-2026.pdf[/URL]

A further case study on Ukraine examines one of the region's most significant scam call centre ecosystems. It traces the development of a highly networked illicit industry, its links to organized crime actors and corrupt protection, and the ways in which technology and crime-as-a-service may reshape the model in the years ahead. Read alongside the global and Eurasian analyses, the Ukraine report illustrates how locally embedded scam operations can acquire global reach.

[URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/world/europe/ukraine-war-cost.html[/URL]

Only 27 billion USD is missing from this year Ukrainian budget.

During this week's corruption hearing the prosecution had to repeat to the audience the known Russian proverb (don't worry, everyone in Ukrainian government speaks Russian, and broken synthetic Ukrainian on camera), which was obtained during covert audio recording: 'If to fuck, but the queen, if to steal but the million'.

[QUOTE=Questner;3083369][URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/world/europe/ukraine-war-cost.html[/URL]

Only 27 billion USD is missing from this year Ukrainian budget.

During this week's corruption hearing the prosecution had to repeat to the audience the known Russian proverb (don't worry, everyone in Ukrainian government speaks Russian, and broken synthetic Ukrainian on camera), which was obtained during covert audio recording: 'If to fuck, but the queen, if to steal but the million'.[/QUOTE]As is typical Questner refuses to engage while posting a highly biased take. Questner did Alexi Navalny die of natural causes, yes or no?

A shortfall is a spending-rate problem, not a theft problem. Ukraine's burning through cash faster than it arrives — salaries, death benefits, weapons contracts — and the twenty twenty-six allocation ran dry by mid-year. That's a math gap, not a missing pile.

Corruption explains some of it, sure — the one point two billion in procurement fraud is real. But the bulk is just a war that costs more than the budget covers. Russia spends a third of its entire federal budget on defense; Ukraine's doing the same math with a smaller economy and no oil money.

[QUOTE=Questner;3083367][URL]https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Kyiv-calling-The-scam-call-centre-phenomenon-in-Ukraine-GI-TOC-April-2026.pdf[/URL]

A further case study on Ukraine examines one of the region's most significant scam call centre ecosystems. It traces the development of a highly networked illicit industry, its links to organized crime actors and corrupt protection, and the ways in which technology and crime-as-a-service may reshape the model in the years ahead. Read alongside the global and Eurasian analyses, the Ukraine report illustrates how locally embedded scam operations can acquire global reach.[/QUOTE]And here's what Questner leaves out.

Ukraine's own anti-corruption agencies — NABU and SAPO — exposed the call-center protection racket and raided the Prosecutor General's Office itself. The prosecutor general resigned.

Russia's corruption dwarfs it: Kremlin prosecutors seized eighteen point six billion dollars in corruption cases last year alone, and kickbacks in state procurement average twenty-two and a half percent. Russia never polices its own — Ukraine just did.

None of this means hand Ukraine to Putin. A state actively raiding its own top prosecutor's office to break up criminal rackets demonstrates functional checks and balances—the exact opposite of a systemic failure that would justify abandoning support.

[QUOTE=Questner;3083369][URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/world/europe/ukraine-war-cost.html[/URL]

Only 27 billion USD is missing from this year Ukrainian budget.

During this week's corruption hearing the prosecution had to repeat to the audience the known Russian proverb (don't worry, everyone in Ukrainian government speaks Russian, and broken synthetic Ukrainian on camera), which was obtained during covert audio recording: 'If to fuck, but the queen, if to steal but the million'.[/QUOTE]And how dictator criminal Putin made building his hidden castle? When millions of Russians are poor from his inflation. Putin and Trump mean inflation for their citizens. Did You see so many Russians running away from Putin. Both are to be eliminated. World would be better.

[QUOTE=Paulie97;3082974]No, I'm not doing all the work here. Retirement is too damned fun. Please make your case as all I've seen so far is assertions which aren't arguments. I've already responded to the arguments those documents are most often used for when operating from the sympathetic to Russia angle. Here it is again.[/QUOTE]Hmm, You want me to make my case, but don't want me to spend time posting in political threads in a hoe forum. Could you please provide some guidelines? Like how much effort should I make and how many characters should be in the reply? Please note that the leader of the "free world" spends A LOT more time on social media than I do. He posted over 100 times over labor day weekend!

Briefly though, you're partly right. There wasn't a formal signed document where NATO agreed not to expand eastward. Instead the West Germans, British, French, Canadians and Americans pulled a bait and switch. Again, see the historical documents in the National Securities Archive link.

You're retired, so presumably you're over 60. Were you in a coma from 1990 to 2010? Russia in the 1990's was radically democratizing. If it had been pulled into the western economic and security sphere, things would have been radically different. And in fact initially the West was on board with that. Russia was too, and agreements were signed to create partnerships with NATO and the EU. Putin expressed an interest in joining NATO.

In the late 1990's however, the Clinton Administration pushed NATO to enlarge. George Kennan, one of the chief architects of the cold war, shouted from the rooftop that adding Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic to NATO was madness. The West ignored him. This was followed by the NATO attack on Serbia without consultation with Russia. Then the USA invasion of Iraq. Further enlargement of NATO that included Baltic states. And finally, in 2008, as Blood Red said, NATO hammered the nails in the coffin, with its announcement that Ukraine and Georgia would become members of NATO.

The West crossed a line in the sand with Ukraine.