patrick.net

A Finnish general reacting to Putin’s threats if Finland joins NATO: “You are most welcome here to join the 200,000 Russians that are already in Finland buried a few meters in the ground after your last attempt in 1939."

Russian President Vladimir Putin is warning Finland and Sweden about joining NATO, saying an expansion in membership could bring a heightened response from his own Russia-led military alliance.

On Monday, Putin spoke alongside leaders from Russia's allies in Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at a Collective Security Treaty Organization summit in Moscow.

Wait a second! All this time Russia was crying how she's alone against a bunch of NATO countries the fuckers were in their own military bloc? How come it's not kosher to expand NATO w/o asking Russia first but it's completely ok to expand CSTO w/o asking anyone?

PS. CSTO was established in 1992, so it can be argued that NATO expansion which started 7 years later was in response to Russia forming that agressive military bloc.

Putin should not be surprised by this - his own actions triggered the response. Sweden and Finland are free to join whomever they want without any treaties in place that say otherwise. This may be a good time to shift Nato financing for European causes onto Europe and stop sending money overseas.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-calls-finland-sweden-joining-nato-mistake-with-far-reaching-consequences-2022-05-16/

President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that there was no threat to Russia if Sweden and Finland joined NATO but cautioned that Moscow would respond if the U.S.-led alliance bolstered military infrastructure in the new Nordic members.
...
"As to enlargement, Russia has no problem with these states - none. And so in this sense there is no immediate threat to Russia from an expansion (of NATO) to include these countries," Putin told the leaders of a Russian-dominated military alliance of former Soviet states.

"No immediate threat to Russia", nothing to see here, move along.

I feel silly about all the energy I wasted explaining that "NATO expansion" angle was just an excuse for starting the war in Ukraine. I should've just waited for Putin to confirm that.

mostly reader says

I feel silly about all the energy I wasted explaining that "NATO expansion" angle was just an excuse for starting the war in Ukraine. I should've just waited for Putin to confirm that.

That's not true, the situation in the Ukraine is vastly different, there hasn't been a color revolution and overthrow of a legitimate government by us meddling, and there are no separatist regions in Sweden or Finland. This is actually a decent reaction from Putin after initial harsher words. Whether it comes from a place of weakness or not I don't care neither should anybody else. Any sort of deescalation is a good thing here. Now let's head to the table of diplomacy to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

mell says

the situation in the Ukraine is vastly different

Ukraine is also poorer and more corrupt. So what? How does it make it different in the narrow context of the NATO angle? It doesn't. Another country with large shared boarder and relatively close to major cities in Russia. The distance between Finland and St. Petersburg is about 200 miles. If Russia worries about NATO expansion (as they claimed they did), now is a good time to start shitting bricks.

There is a vast difference in size. Finland has about 6 million people, Ukraine has about 45 million people.

Russia has spoken against NATO troop/equipment expansion near its border with Finland.

After seeing what the Western propaganda did to the citizens of the Baltic States (Vehemently anti-Russian even though Russia is vastly different from the Soviet Union), maybe they didn't wanna see the Ukrainians under the sway of mass Western propaganda. Before the invasion the typical Ukrainian didn't really care one way or the other about siding with the EU or Russia.

The invasion really pushed the Ukrainians towards hating the Russians...so that didn't quite work out the way Russia wanted.

Eric Holder says

PS. CSTO was established in 1992, so it can be argued that NATO expansion which started 7 years later was in response to Russia forming that agressive military bloc.

Show the growth of it since 1992.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_Security_Treaty_Organization#Membership

richwicks says

Eric Holder says

PS. CSTO was established in 1992, so it can be argued that NATO expansion which started 7 years later was in response to Russia forming that agressive military bloc.

Show the growth of it since 1992.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_Security_Treaty_Organization#Membership

Are you fucking for real? Read your own fucking links:

The CSTO grew out of the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and first began as the CIS Collective Security Treaty (CST) which was signed on 15 May 1992, by Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, in the city of Tashkent. Azerbaijan signed the treaty on 24 September 1993, Georgia on 9 December and Belarus on 31 December.

From 0 countries in 1991 to 6 countries in 1992 to 9 countries in 1993. Explosive growth by any measure.

So Russia has its own aggressive military block, therefore their crying about other countries being in their own defensive military blocks is bullshit. What's good for goose good for gander.

And just like that pedo Putin sees no threat from NATO expansion anymore:

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that there was no threat to Russia if Sweden and Finland joined NATO...
...
"As to enlargement, Russia has no problem with these states - none. And so in this sense there is no immediate threat to Russia from an expansion (of NATO) to include these countries," Putin told the leaders of a Russian-dominated military alliance of former Soviet states.
...

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-calls-finland-sweden-joining-nato-mistake-with-far-reaching-consequences-2022-05-16/

Eric Holder says

Are you fucking for real? Read your own fucking links:

Yes, I am for real. Consult a map.

richwicks says

Eric Holder says

Are you fucking for real? Read your own fucking links:

Yes, I am for real. Consult a map.

Map-shmap: what the fuck a map has to do with anything? The list of countries forming the military alliance Russia belongs to is there in the Wiki you listed. You need help finding them on the map now?

Soooo: if it's not a problem fir Putin anymore if NATO expands by accepting Sweden and Finland doesn't it mean by extension that it's not a problem anymore that any other country joins NATO?

Seems like the objection against NATO expansion have been lifted.

Any NATO member that goes 2 years without spending 2% on GDP should be suspended.

Timeline:

1991: No land border between NATO and military blocks including Rsssia; mere 60 miles of land border between NATO and Russia (with Norway), sea border between NATO and Russia (with US and Turkey).

1992: A Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military block including Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan created. This creates a land border between NATO and military block with Russia as a member (Armenia has a land border with Turkey and Russia has a border with Norway). Pretty obvious who made the first move closer to the borders of the other block.

1993: Three more countries - Azerbaijan, Georgia and Belarus - are brought into the CST thus extending land border between NATO and Russian-led CST: (Georgia has a land border with Turkey) as well as advancing a military block to the land borders of non-aligned (at that moment) countries: Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and, yes, Ukraine, as well as advancing to the sea borders of non-aligned Romania and Bulgaria. Pretty obvious who made the second move close to the borders of the other block and various non-aligned countries.

NATO has expanded further only 6 years later - in 1999. So whatever pedo Vlad is smoking he should lay down the pipe and go into detox, because it was Russia-led military block which expanded and moved closer to the NATO borders first, not the other way around.

RWSGFY says

Map-shmap: what the fuck a map has to do with anything?

Look at the area that Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan - also note that Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan were able to withdraw without a problem - well until Georgia attacked S. Ossetia.

The only notable land mass is Kazakhstan.

Misc says

After seeing what the Western propaganda did to the citizens of the Baltic States (Vehemently anti-Russian even though Russia is vastly different from the Soviet Union)

They have been anti-Russian since about 1560, and this has nothing to do with Western propaganda, or even Soviet Union to a large extent.

It is worth reading up on local history, instead of listening to Russia Today.

Misc says

After seeing what the Western propaganda did to the citizens of the Baltic States (Vehemently anti-Russian even though Russia is vastly different from the Soviet Union),

Is it though? Russians still celebrate KGB and Stalin, screaming "WE CAN REPEAT" referring to Russia's occupation of half of Europe for half a century, subsribe to the ideas of armed conquest and annexation of the neighboring states because "that land used to be ours", the whole rhetoric and policy of Russian state towards their neighbors is not different from their 1939-40 rhetoric and policy.

Citizens of the Baltic states simply did not forget what Russia did to them in 1940-91, no "Western propaganda" necessary for that: just talking to one's parents and grandparents would suffice.

PS. Home work: find out what is written on the Russian cars below and what it refers to.

Germany commits €100 billion to defense spending

Germany has announced a plan to prioritize military spending in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A "special fund" will be set up to better equip the Bundeswehr.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a plan to beef up the German military on Sunday, pledging €100 billion ($112.7 billion) of the 2022 budget for the armed forces and repeating his promise to reach the 2% of gross domestic product spending on defense in line with NATO demands.

Scholz announced the new allocation in a speech during a special session of parliament on Germany's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He said the spending would include investments and armaments projects for the German military.

Scholz also said Germany would supply the Ukrainian military with weaponry, in a reversal of previous policy.

"We need to support Ukraine in its hour of desperate need," the chancellor said.

"In attacking Ukraine, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin does not just want to eradicate a country from the world map, he is destroying the European security structure," Scholz told German lawmakers.
Why is the defense boost important?

"It's clear we need to invest significantly more in the security of our country in order to protect our freedom and our democracy,'' Scholz said.

Germany reported a record high in NATO defense spending for 2021, submitting a budget of €53 billion for the current year.

That figure marks a 3.2% increase over the year before. In 2020, spending was capped at an estimated €51.4 billion.

The €100 billion Scholz said would be dedicated for the armed forces this year is a one year boost though the move is significant, as Germany has often been criticized by the United States and other NATO allies for not investing enough in defense.

"We are not alone in defending peace," Scholz said, adding Germany would be deploying more forces to NATO's eastern flank.

Former German defense leaders have been publicly circumspect about the country's lack of military readiness since Putin gave a speech last Monday announcing his intentions and motivations for invading Ukraine.

The decision to step up and meet NATO's target for defense spending of 2% of GDP came as bitter medicine to some lawmakers , who could be heard reacted negatively to the chancellor's announcement during the Bundestag address.

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-commits-100-billion-to-defense-spending/a-60933724

Conclusions from the above:

1. Trump was right.
2. Putin IS a stupid cunt: like a fucking blonde bimbo afraid to hit a lightpole but unable to look away from it xe steers right into the fucking thing.

https://mobile.twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1536301391106408453

https://mobile.twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1536477198676279299

Consider it done:

Finnish president Sauli Niinisto said on Tuesday that Turkey has agreed to support the NATO memberships of Finland and Sweden, and Ankara said it “got what it wanted” from the talks with the two Nordic countries.

Niinisto said the decision came after a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, facilitated by Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg.

“As a result of that meeting, our foreign ministers signed a trilateral memorandum which confirms that Turkey will at the Madrid Summit this week support the invitation of Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO,” Niinisto said in a statement.

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2022/06/28/Turkey-agrees-to-support-Finland-Sweden-joining-NATO-after-getting-what-it-wanted-

MADRID – President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday, as he arrived at the NATO summit in Spain, that the U.S. would step up its military presence in eastern Europe.
Biden announced the U.S. would establish a permanent troop presence in Poland and maintain an additional rotational brigade of 3,000 fighters and 2,000 personnel in Romania. The troops in Poland will be the first permanent U.S. forces on NATO’s eastern flank. 

RWSGFY says

U.S. would step up its military presence in eastern Europe.

A WIN FOR PUTIN!!! THE MAN IS A GENIUS!!!

Bd6r says

RWSGFY says

U.S. would step up its military presence in eastern Europe.

A WIN FOR PUTIN!!! THE MAN IS A GENIUS!!!

Let's have some vodka to celebrate this great win:

Some people think that Putin is deeply shaken from Sweden and Finland joining NATO. He does not care. Why is that? Ukraine is not the same as Sweden + Finland together military-wise. The population of Ukraine (44M) is much larger than of Sweden (10.3M) and Finland (5.5M) together. On top of that, the collective west is much more willing to sacrifice Ukrainians than Swedes and Finns to weaken Russia. The West understands that the military conflict with Russia is not going be a safari like the wars in Iraq, Libya, etc.

Financially-wise, Finland and Sweden are weakening their economic growth by spending resources on NATO even if the US to carry a large share of the burden.

Are Finland and Sweden better protected from Russia as NATO members? Not much. NATO and the collective West would help them anyway (without NATO membership) in case of a military conflict with Russia. They are loosing money and the result is the same. The only country who may be benefiting from this development is the UK.

The mainstream media pictures the latest expansion of NATO as a great success when it reality it is marginal at best. Anyway, they say that about anything than Brandon's overlords do.

Argentina and Iran are joining BRICS and that is more significant than the NATO expansion. They can tell who is forming the new world order (not Brandon's overlords) and they are just joining the winning side.

tomtomtom says

Argentina and Iran are joining BRICS and that is more significant than the NATO expansion.

KAURI SHELLS, RUBLES, AND IRANIAN RIALS WILL SOON ECLIPSE USD AS WORLD'S RESERVE CURRENCY.

Bd6r says

tomtomtom says

Argentina and Iran are joining BRICS and that is more significant than the NATO expansion.

KAURI SHELLS, RUBLES, AND IRANIAN RIALS WILL SOON ECLIPSE USD AS WORLD'S RESERVE CURRENCY.

More likely a commodity standard will.

This ensures a balance of trade and doesn't allow one entity to just create an infinite amount of "money" to purchase goods and services for free. Like the United States does.

US dollars are FINE - as long as you spend them quickly. They needed to be collected in reserves so long as energy could only be purchased in the US dollar, that's ending.

richwicks says

US dollars are FINE - as long as you spend them quickly.

USD is the best looking horse in glue factory, figuratively speaking.

richwicks says

energy could only be purchased in the US dollar, that's ending.

I dont think that is necessarily true. (In sense you can use also other currencies to buy oil)

Bd6r says

richwicks says

US dollars are FINE - as long as you spend them quickly.

USD is the best looking horse in glue factory, figuratively speaking.

Not anymore, the Ruble is the strongest currency in the world at this point. It has placed a floor on it's value in terms of gold. Not all nations are barred from it, just the "coalition of the willing" which is the US, Canada, most of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. That's about 2 billion people in a world of 8.

richwicks says

Ruble is the strongest currency in the world at this point. It has placed a floor on it's value in terms of gold.

Sounds like Soviet times when ruble was the "strongest" currency.

And how many USD could you buy in Moscow by using rubles today, and how many USD can you withdraw from your Russian bank dollar account?

If ruble is so valuable why do they introduce limitations with purchase and withdrawals?

Bd6r says

richwicks says

Ruble is the strongest currency in the world at this point. It has placed a floor on it's value in terms of gold.

Sounds like Soviet times when ruble was the "strongest" currency.

No. During the Soviet Era the government would constantly lie, but when you actually went to exchange your currency, you'd get the official rate for your dollar, or Franc, or Lira or whatever, but LEAVING the Soviet Union, you'd get the market rate. You could bring foreign currency to a black market though. You wouldn't get market rate, but you'd get better than the official rate.

I wouldn't be surprised if the United States enacts the same sort of confiscation scheme here.

I lived through the Cold War. What I can't fucking understand is how people can't see the US is the new USSR. Our propaganda is even worse and more laughable. We have political prisoners right now - at least 800 of them for protesting a stolen election on trumped up bullshit charges, evidence isn't being made available. Our balloting system is a fucking joke, completely unverifiable - there's no exit polling anymore. Politicians and their family flagrantly violate the law. Our government lies to us CONSTANTLY about its success - EVERYTHING is a success! We left Afghanistan because "mission objectives were met" - officially. We have censorship, people with contrary political viewpoints are persecuted, fired from jobs and cut off from payment systems. Julian Assange is being slowly murdered. Our NSA is the Stasi/KGB collecting information on everybody. We are in continual war, and every war we enter, is accompanied by an avalanche of ridiculous lies and propaganda. Even religion was openly attacked, people were prevented from going to church, but going to Walmart and liquor stores was fine.

The US of the 1980's that's LONG dead.

How can you not understand this? How can you not see it?

We're are at the point where I post information from a peer reviewed scientific journal, THAT can get me deplatformed! How can you not see it?

What's worse, is you have been programmed, and I mean LITERALLY programmed, to robotically defend it. You think you'll escape it? That your CHILDREN will? Unless you can put your kids through college on a bullshit degree, where they get a government job making $600,000 a year when they get out because you're part of the "party faithful" (i.e. the mob) - you're not part of that class.

How fucking obvious does it have to get for you? When will you realize you're a useful idiot?

Bd6r says

And how many USD could you buy in Moscow by using rubles today, and how many USD can you withdraw from your Russian bank dollar account?

You cannot buy or sell rubles today in terms of US currency.

The question is, is how much does a commodity buy in each currency? Russia isn't experiencing any inflation in food, electricity, gasoline, anything. The US is.

If we're eating bugs in 2023, Russia won't be.

richwicks says

Russia isn't experiencing any inflation in food, electricity, gasoline, anything. Th

Wrong, I dont know where you get this
The annual inflation rate in Russia fell to 17.1 percent in May of 2022, below market expectations of 17.3 percent, from 17.8 percent in the previous month, which was the highest since January of 2002. On a monthly basis, consumer prices went up 0.1 percent, after a 1.6 percent jump in April and also lower than forecasts for a 0.3 percent increase. Prices slowed for food (0.6 percent vs 2.9 percent in April) while the cost of non-food (-0.1 percent vs 0.5 percent) and services (-0.3 percent vs 1.1 percent)

https://tradingeconomics.com/russia/inflation-cpi

Source is Russian statistics service

Bd6r says

richwicks says

Russia isn't experiencing any inflation in food, electricity, gasoline, anything. Th

Wrong, I dont know where you get this

https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=RUB&to=USD

From institutions that actually are still able to trade the currency. They don't care about politics or propaganda, they care about $$$$, only.