Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Corvus]

Russian talking heads are nuts

Seriously though how disconnected from reality can you be?

Just another reason MAGA gets on well with them...

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Moldova is going to hold joint military training with Romania, the US and the UK. Just another backfire in pootie's plans.

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/...263210496?s=20

[Iphie]

Just another reason MAGA gets on well with them...

I'm just amazed how she can square it in her mind that the RUSSIAN vaccine has be compromised to attract HIMARS missiles TWO years before this war even started...

Moldova is going to hold joint military training with Romania, the US and the UK. Just another backfire in pootie's plans.

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/...263210496?s=20

Good, that's gonna put a damper on any ambitions in that direction.

And China is annoyed about nukes in Belarus. How much you wanna bet that putin had told Xi he wouldn't or that he neglected to mention this to him at all. Either way this is a bit of a slap in the face of Xi.

[Flarelaine]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El%C5%91d_Nov%C3%A1k

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobbik

Ah, yes. Who would have thought that the Nazis are anti-NATO and pro-Russia. Shocking.

Novák has left Jobbik when the latter decided to de-radicalise and tried to go mainstream. His new party is more mask off than Jobbik ever was about being both a Nazi party and being a Russian sockpuppet. Also, for a supposed opposition party, they are weirdly in sync with Orbán.

[Corvus]

There is some speculation that rhe nukes are in retaliation for China moving in on the central Asian states which russia considers its own.

[Iphie]

So...bite the hand that feeds you? Well that seems right on brand for the russians...That's definitely gonna put a bit of a freeze on that friendship.

[Gabriel]

Science has not come up with wide enough scale to measure the depth of my smugness if China pulls off "little green men" or "concerned locals" in some Russian border oblast.

[Elder Millennial]

Novák has left Jobbik when the latter decided to de-radicalise and tried to go mainstream. His new party is more mask off than Jobbik ever was about being both a Nazi party and being a Russian sockpuppet. Also, for a supposed opposition party, they are weirdly in sync with Orbán.

They sound like a charming bunch.

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There is some speculation that rhe nukes are in retaliation for China moving in on the central Asian states which russia considers its own.

I'm a bit confused. What nukes are we talking about here? The ones in Belarus, or am I missing something and the Russians are now aiming nukes at China or something?

[Corvus]

Yeah, those ones. China has a very clear view nukes should not be housed outside the country that owns them. For russia to do it right after the meeting and when China was organising a get together of central Asian states without russia, it's little wonder Xi isn't happy.

[alach]

What payback looks like...

[Flarelaine]

They sound like a charming bunch.

Their only raison d'être is someone being to the right of Orbán so he can claim he's still in the centre. Also pulling PR stunts which are still too extreme for Orbán, such as the performative grinding of a book promoting acceptance. (Apparently burning books is a line wannabe Nazis still dare not cross.)

[Iphie]

Science has not come up with wide enough scale to measure the depth of my smugness if China pulls off "little green men" or "concerned locals" in some Russian border oblast.

If that happens, sauna and drinks on me XD

[Poopymonster]

Science has not come up with wide enough scale to measure the depth of my smugness if China pulls off "little green men" or "concerned locals" in some Russian border oblast.

I'd blame Ork Snipers personally.

[Corvus]

What payback looks like...

Challengers, leopards, strykers, marders and bradleys are arriving in Ukraine, and training on them is complete. Ukraine's counter-offensive is likely to start soonish.

[ArcanaXVIII]

Yeah, those ones. China has a very clear view nukes should not be housed outside the country that owns them. For russia to do it right after the meeting and when China was organising a get together of central Asian states without russia, it's little wonder Xi isn't happy.

Yeah, they really do not like this idea, because if it can be justified and accepted that russsia houses nukes in Belarus, there is no reason the US couldn't do the same in Taiwan.

[Iphie]

Yeah, they really do not like this idea, because if it can be justified and accepted that russsia houses nukes in Belarus, there is no reason the US couldn't do the same in Taiwan.

Or South Korea, Japan, Viet Nam, Philippines and so on...

China is a lot more responsible with their weapons than russia, though.

[Makabreska]

Welp, International Olympic Committee allows Russians and Belarusians to participate in individual disciplines under neutral flag.

[Elder Millennial]

Yeah, they really do not like this idea, because if it can be justified and accepted that russsia houses nukes in Belarus, there is no reason the US couldn't do the same in Taiwan.

Uhm.

For the US to house nukes in Taiwan a substantial policy change would need to occur first.

Technically, right now, at this moment, the US does recognize Taiwan as being part of "China".

Technically.

So putting nukes in Taiwan would be like Russia putting nukes in Crimea or South Ossetia. As in putting nukes in the territory of sovereign nations that do not want said nukes or permitted those nukes on their territory.

Russian nukes in Belarus are more akin to the US nukes in Germany and Turkey, there with the explicit permission of the host nations which have sovereign control over their own territory. And even share access to those weapons in the case of Germany.

For the US to put nukes in Taiwan, it would first have to recognize Taiwan either as an independent sovereign nation (which it does not) or would have to shift recognition from Beijing to Taipei as the sovereign government of "China".

Neither of those things is likely to happen.

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Or South Korea, Japan, Viet Nam, Philippines and so on...

China is a lot more responsible with their weapons than russia, though.

The US already houses nuclear weapons in Japan.

Although it withdrew them from Korea for example.

I doubt any of the other nations you listed, apart from possibly South Korea would consider housing US nuclear weapons.

[Iphie]

Uhm.

For the US to house nukes in Taiwan a substantial policy change would need to occur first.

Technically, right now, at this moment, the US does recognize Taiwan as being part of "China".

Technically.

So putting nukes in Taiwan would be like Russia putting nukes in Crimea or South Ossetia. As in putting nukes in the territory of sovereign nations that do not want said nukes or permitted those nukes on their territory.

Russian nukes in Belarus are more akin to the US nukes in Germany and Turkey, there with the explicit permission of the host nations which have sovereign control over their own territory. And even share access to those weapons in the case of Germany.

For the US to put nukes in Taiwan, it would first have to recognize Taiwan either as an independent sovereign nation (which it does not) or would have to shift recognition from Beijing to Taipei as the sovereign government of "China".

Neither of those things is likely to happen.

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The US already houses nuclear weapons in Japan.

Although it withdrew them from Korea for example.

I doubt any of the other nations you listed, apart from possibly South Korea would consider housing US nuclear weapons.

Is that a fact now? You learn something new every day. As for the others it's not so much a question of would they consider it but rather a question of possibilities, and that is definitely something. The mentioned states are friendly and somewhat allied with the US.

[Elder Millennial]

The mentioned states are friendly and somewhat allied with the US.

"Friendly and allied" and "hosting nukes" are two vastly different conditions.

Hosting nukes makes you a legitimate target for "preventive" first strike and retaliatory nuclear attacks. Most nations would have a hard time convincing their own populations that that would be a good idea. The nuclear weapons hosted in Germany, Japan and Turkey are relics of the Cold War in the sense that those were the "front lines" and "points of contact" between the West and the Communist block at that time, so having nukes there reduced the possibility of becoming the front lines of a shooting war.

[Iphie]

"Friendly and allied" and "hosting nukes" are two vastly different conditions.

Hosting nukes makes you a legitimate target for "preventive" first strike and retaliatory nuclear attacks. Most nations would have a hard time convincing their own populations that that would be a good idea. The nuclear weapons hosted in Germany, Japan and Turkey are relics of the Cold War in the sense that those were the "front lines" and "points of contact" between the West and the Communist block at that time, so having nukes there reduced the possibility of becoming the front lines of a shooting war.

Again, it's about the potential, not whether its happening right now. I am well aware of the difference. Also, I'm now wondering how secret the nukes in the Netherlands were.