A sign that the Ukrainian system might not be as thuggish and broken as Russia might lead the world to believe. Not arresting or driving your political competition into exile is not the worst sign.
Actually the Ukrainians (this President Zelensky) closed down all opposition TV channels in Ukraine with any pro-Russian sentiment.
He also arrested the political leader of the major opposition party.
Does Russia not have the their own drones? I thought they did considering even turkey has it
Russian attack drones are still only produced in small batches and mass production should be starting over the next couple of years.
The key thing I'm looking at now is Europe's response. The word is that the EU is dragging its feet already on imposing sanctions. I'm hoping Germany sabotages the sanctions regime. If that works, Russia would be able to salvage its strategy of fracturing NATO, and it may even accelerate the fracturing.
The EU are just a bunch of poodles. They will get behind every single US initiative and sanction. You will see.
When the EU rejected the trade deal with China their position became plainly obvious for all to see.
NATO still has not realized Putin is playing this for real. He said a rollback of NATO to 1995 positions. Dismantling of AEGIS Ashore. They still think he is kidding. They are convincing themselves they are secure behind Article 5. Here it is.
"Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all".
"And consequently they agree that,
if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations
, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties,
such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area."
Notice. "
Such action as it deems necessary". This is why Lavrov said Article 5 was not the ironclad defense clause a lot of people assume it to be.
The US better start talking with the Russians on dismantling AEGIS Ashore.
