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© Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Putin blasts U.S. 'hegemony,' predicts end to 'unipolar' world
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV MOSCOW©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
100 Comments
Nemo
Oh where to begin?
Let’s start with the creepy dude-prom photo. It’s just creepy...
The end of the uni-polar world order has been a Russian goal ever since Putin became “president.”
I have no doubt that eventually another pole will assert itself, but contrary to Putie’s assumptions, it won’t be Russia - a country with one export, no real innovation and a declining population.
According to a journalist from the Independent (apologies, I forget the name at the moment) who has been covering Russia since the first Chechen war, THE reason that Russia has decided to refrain from tactical nuclear weapons use in Ukraine is because he has been quietly told that the Western powers are aware of his plan and that a massive conventional response in the form of cruise missiles would result. The strike is designed to avoid nuclear escalation while showing Russian citizens that Putie is weak and taking them down a path leading to disaster.
ArtistAtLarge
Him and what army?
theFu
Everyone, except Russia, wants the Ukrainians to force the invading Russian military out.
The US is hardly the leader in this task. Europe is.
Being delusional is common for dictators, especially when they don't allow the internal opposition any say inside their own country.
Monty
Putin reaffirmed his long-held claim that he sent troops into Ukraine in response to Washington turning the country into an “anti-Russia” bulwark.
Sure, you as...hole.
Invade a country, start a mass murdering, kill innocent people, including women and children, rape young girls...and then give the blames to others.
But that is the typical Russian way.
Notorious lying and giving the blame for their insane behaviors to others.
When I see peoole like Shoigu, who take nonstop pictures in their military uniform, shows already enough about their intelligence level and in which state of mind these idiots are.
Joemusic1980
Right on schedule, blaming America for Russia’s complete failure. Lie and more lies coming from Russia and their lackeys.
Haaa Nemui
They’ve got several exports. Gas, vodka are the first two that come to mind…
then there’s extortion, murder, malware, lies… they’re very adept at everything they export.
Jayel
Putler invades a country, killing thousands, yet has the audacity to criticize a politician for flying peacefully to visit the head of another country.
fxgai
It’s as if Putin is begging NATO to teach him his lesson.
Axel
The Russian army.
Haaa Nemui
Is that after they run out of convicted prisoners and North Koreans?
Axel
Everyone except Russia and at least a very large minority, probably an outright majority of Ukrainians want the Russian army to leave the Ukraine.
Axel
Everyone except Russia and at least a very large minority, probably an outright majority of Ukrainians want the Russian army to leave the Ukraine. And the Russians have reiterated again and again, they don't care what Western regimes want, they only care about what the majority of the people in the areas of the Ukraine currently being liberated want. Image that! Only caring about what the majority of the population wants!!! Russians are so behind the times.
Bob Fosse
This is a rather confusing sentence.
Nanga
Nato should have disbanded a long time ago
Strangerland
Putin is throwing a hissy fit because the world didn't just let him walk in, take over a sovereign nation, and execute its civilians.
Boo-hoo Putin. You should have stuck to shirtless horse pics.
Axel
I'd imagine the Russians would at least mobilize in Russia rather than go with the peace-time expeditionary force they are using at present before using North Korean soldiers. Though I'm sure the latter are very well trained and very formidable. I would hope they do in fact allow North Korean engineers, builders, machine operators and etc in to help with the rebuilding of liberated areas of Ukraine. It would be good to firstly foster friendship between the races after liberation from out and out N***'s. Secondly, allow lots of rubles to help the people of North Korea further undermine the Western sanctions regime.
2020hindsights
Umm, who is firing the cannons? Oh, Russia. So, I would suggest, that it's Russia turning Ukrainian people into cannon fodder.
Not at all. If you left right now, the US would be happy.
2020hindsights
Nanga
With Putin's imperialism? Obviously not.
Axel
Before throwing big words like "imperialism" around, at least try to learn what it means.
noriahojanen
But so is Russia nearing its end as a middle power. It will fall to become a poorer failed state.
2020hindsights
Axel
With Putin's imperialism? Obviously not.
imperialism
/ɪmˈpɪərɪəlɪz(ə)m/
a policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means.
Yep. It describes Putin's invasion of Ukraine perfectly.
Axel
Just don't hold your breathe while waiting.
frjdrankin
Oh great. A bipolar world.
kwatt
It looks like Russians are still driving foreign cars. They had better change to good Russian own cars. Auto parts and any parts don't come to Russia any more in the future.
Haaa Nemui
Is that what you call the convicts they're pardoning and enlisting?
Axel
This is what the call "projection". Are you sure it's Russia which has been pardoning and conscripting, not enlisting, convicts?
Haaa Nemui
My apologies... prison conscripts... thank you for that correction. Not projection. Yes, I'm sure Russia has been doing it. There are reports and many prisoners are being offered the chance of a pardon for their future service. Even convicted murderers. I think from memory convicted rapists were excluded... probably want to leave some for the actual military.... (yes, that one is projection). Calling them a "peace-time expeditionary force" is complete nonsense though.
Strangerland
The US is encouraging an end to hostilities by encouraging Russia to leave Ukraine. This is 100% on Russia.
Axel
They are going to be driving their own cars and like everyone in Japan and Europe, Chinese made cars.
wallace
Russia's flag carrier has started dismantling aircraft to recycle their parts for use in other airplanes. A shortage of parts fueled by wide-ranging sanctions has Moscow looking at how to recycle its existing fleet to keep airplanes flying, reported Izvestia Monday.
https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-mulls-aircraft-cannibalization-scheme-as-sanctions-bite/
Axel
Okay. This is like the American regime lecturing others about "free speech". The fact is the Ukraine regime has already released masses of convicts. Not only the few hardest of hard core N***'s who committed heinous crimes in the 8 years since the coup, common thieves, rapists and even murderers which had led to a massive increase in those 3 crimes in areas of the Ukraine not yet liberated.
rainyday
This sounds like Putin is laying the groundwork for the announcement of another goodwill gesture. “In order to achieve victory in Ukraine and to foil the evil American plan to extend hostilities there, as a goodwill gesture what remains of our army will be leaving Ukraine.”
FizzBit
So Ukrainian men women and children are dying for NATO.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
No, they're fighting to defend their homes from Russian imperialism.
Blacklabel
Yes in a proxy war against Russia being held by the West in Ukraine. Fighting Russia until the next to last Ukrainian.
rainyday
The ones being bombed and shot by Russians in their own country?
No, they are dying because Russia is ruled by a delusional madman who thinks murdering people is how he gets what he wants.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Lolz a proxy war? Lmao no, Russia chose to invade and they can leave any time they wish. This is not a serious take from a serious person.
rainyday
No, its Russia invading a neighboring country and now whining that the war they started wasn’t as easy as they thought it would be. Because they suck.
FizzBit
Do any pro NATO here even know of the Minsk Agreements 1 & 2?
Ego Sum Lux Mundi
You simply cannot believe one single thing that the US and Western European media report about the Ukrainian war.
No one with any knowledge of military history believed for one single second that there was going to be a Ukrainian counteroffensive this summer. They don’t have the troops, they don’t have the artillery or the air support, they don’t have the supplies, they don’t have the transport, and they don’t have the command-and-control infrastructure. The pattern of false reporting is very clear. The globalist media reports periods of Russian rest and refit as glorious Ukrainian victories, then portrays every successful Russian offensive as Pyhrric victories akin to Stalingrad. Meanwhile, the Russian goal of assisting the Donbass militias to clear their land of the Ukrainian military is very nearly complete within six months of its onset.
Compare this, on the other hand, to the way in which Israel has been unable to demilitarize Gaza despite periodic invasions and bombings, and the way the US military was unable to demilitarize Iraq or Afghanistan.
The proxy war for the Donbass is ending. The question is if it will be followed by a direct war between NATO and Russia for Europe.
Nemo
It's about a ridiculous but seemingly undying conspiracy that a group of Jews secretly rule the world. It used to be un-speakable in polite society as it is rabidly anti-Semitic.
I am greatly disappointed that JT allows posts using such a rabidly discriminatory slur to stay up when slurs based on race or other faiths would not only be removed immediately, but would result in a suspension.
Tom San
That's a good question.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Oh, but you can trust RT, Russian state media? Hahahaha what a funny joke. No one is buying Russian state lies.
https://www.rt.com/russia/560893-former-pentagon-adviser-russian-offensive/amp/
Axel
The irony is that there has indeed been an offensive in the south of Ukraine. A Russian offensive which yesterday took the last town on the road to Nikolayev city. Nikolayev city which is a seething hotbed of anti-Ukrainian sentiment which the N***'s have completely closed down. Not allowing anyone in or out except the administrative agencies which have been evacuated from the city. After Nikolayev is the biggest of big prizes, the city of Odessa, also a seething hotbed of hatred for the state of the Ukraine.
rainyday
The agreements that you are going to tell us that Ukraine broke so badly despite the Russian side having never done anything even remotely in breach of and therefore anything Russia ever does henceforth is totally and fully justified except for any stuff that isn’t, which is all lies anyway or no, wait better yet it is all NATO’s fault?
Those Agreements?
stormcrow
Get a load of that smirk on the little Napoleon’s face in the picture.
How many countries have you annexed recently???
Rodney
There are only around 660 million in the countries who want Russia out. Most of these countries follow orders from Washington. But if cut down the 660million, you find in many countries the percentage is probably just over half of these citizens who support Ukraine.
fallaffel
If Russia let's the North Koreans join, who will guard them to keep them from escaping? It's a serious question.
bass4funk
You keep saying that. No one here is claiming or insinuating that. You’re making a preconceived notion on a personal theory that you yourself harbor claims people are racist or hold racist feelings based on what religion this man is or other powerful people that hold the same religion.
FizzBit
Yep
Russia invaded Ukraine for no reason.
The Minsk Agreements are a conspiracy theory
The US UK EU did NOT invade Afghanistan
I understand
thanks for your support
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Yes. You get it now. Good job.
Now if the imperialist invaders would head home, that would be great.
Nemo
The Russians launched this war, er.... "Special Military Operation" and now it suffers the consequences military, economic, diplomatic.
So of course, it whines that the big bad NATO is assisting Ukraine to defend itself. Putie can pound sand.
If Russia doesn't like it, it can leave Ukraine. Otherwise, the fight will continue. And that is not NATO driving it. That is the Ukrainian population which by an overwhelming majority (98% in a recent poll) believes that it will win eventually and wants to fight.
Axel
I'm sure North Koreans will be desperate to escape to the Azov Battalion, Right Sektor and etc. So they can compare swastika tattoos from North Korea and the Ukraine.
Sh1mon M4sada
ah yes, the hegemony that all people of freewill supports, but crackpot dictators and totalitarian regimes totally despise.
Randy Johnson
I thought it was quite telling a couple of months ago when Noam Chomsky, a life-long leftist, made the statement about WHY the Ukraine war happened and WHO is the one important political figure who made suggestions on how to avoid war and or deescalate the war.
Long story short. GHW Bush made a promise to Gorbechev that NATO wouldn't further encroach closer to russia. Welp, from russia's perspective, that promise was broken, and any rational person can see why they see it that way.
Fast forward, So now hostilities have ramped up and who is giving suggestions to calm things down ( and very good and logical suggestions by the way ) is President Trump.
The reason for that comment is because the long time leftist, Noam Chomsky (who dislikes Trump), is actually PRAISING President Trump for trying to deescalate the situation.
Telling how the globalist leftists are out of touch. Quite telling indeed.
Chomsky's comment begins at the 1:00 mark.
(2) Noam Chomsky PRAISES Trump? | The Kyle Kulinski Show - YouTube
commanteer
Most of what Putin says is right - the US is all about maintaining hegemony, and such a unipolar world is bad news for everyone. The problem is that the only rival poles at the moment are Putin's Russia and, far worse, Xi's China. I attach the names of leaders because both China and Russia could change to become positive forces in the world and provide balance against an out-of-control US. They simply need new leaders. The US, though, is pretty well locked on its path no matter which party gets in the White House. Both parties believe that what's good for the US is good for the world - and they are not afraid to invade and use other coercive measures to force smaller countries to fall in line.
The situation is very complex, but it seems most comments here are simplistic. It's possible to understand that Putin was wrong to invade Ukraine and that the US was wrong to use Ukraine as a pawn to bait Putin. It's also possible to understand that Putin's invasion is barbaric but that there are also barbarians and corruption on the Ukraine side. Denying one truth to support another is what most people are doing though.
Americans have to learn that criticism of the US government does not automatically mean support for Putin or Xi. The US is on a very dangerous road and a little self-awareness would do wonders for the world.
lincolnman
You can always tell when Putin and the Russians are losing badly - they amp up the "crazy"....
Putin bombs schools, shopping malls, hospitals, and universities, killing thousands of innocent Ukrainian women and children, yet he accuses the US of "turning the Ukrainian people into cannon fodder." It's laughable if it didn't show how desperate and unhinged he is...
A one week "military operation" is now in its seventh month with Russia having suffered 70K+ casualties and a large part of it's reputation, not including it's famed flagship Moskva collecting rust at the bottom of the Black Sea...
They were forced to retreat from Kyiv, forced to retreat from Snake Island, and now their troops in Kherson are cut off from re-supply and will be forced to retreat soon. The Russians have shown competence in only only military tactic - retreating...
As he's checkmated on the battlefield, runs out of tanks and planes, and his economy implodes, the only thing he has left is "crazy-talk"....
rainyday
It invaded Ukraine because it wants to annex Ukrainian territory, which is what it has stated is its intention. This is a “reason” to invade another country, but not a “justification” for doing so.
No, the Minsk Agreements are international agreements which both sides breached and which at no point in their texts say anything that would give Russia the right to invade Ukraine in relation to them.
I wasn’t aware that this was an article about Afghanistan. Please explain how the US invading Afghanistan (and Iraq, etc) makes Putin’s invasion of Ukraine 20 years later perfectly OK?
Also if we are listing countries that invaded Afghanistan one should add Russia to the list of course.
Paul
There are toooooo many lies coming from Putin and his cronies!!!
Ascissor
End to unipolar world predicted by bipolar president
Blacklabel
yes, a proxy war. hosted in Ukraine. Between the West and Russia.
obviously.
ClippetyClop
MSM is another one of the 'It can't be us' rightist thingies.
Only left-leaning news can be MSM, big, bloated right wing news conglomerates can't be MSM. Just how it is apparently.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Lol No. An invasion by an authoritarian, and arguably fascist, Russia.
Weird how the American right parrots Russian talking points.
Blacklabel
Says the guy who responds with "Lolz"?
Washington Post says so, are they not serious people with serious takes?
former Ambassador says so, is he not a serious person?
too many more to bother to even post.
ClippetyClop
Not that weird really when you realize that for them the fate of Ukraine comes second to partisan American politics.
Trump said Putin was a cool guy, that was enough for them. Biden wants to support Ukraine, that means it must be a bad thing.
They are quite simple creatures.
Paul
So what you are saying is that the world's reaction to Putin invading Ukraine should have been " You bad boy, please try not to do this to any other country around Russia "? And carry on business as usual? Hmmmm?!? And divide the world between Western countries and Russia, China, Iran, Syria and NK, to create Putin's bipolar world??? Would that make you feel safer and a more balanced world to live in?
Blacklabel
no, a proxy war. clearly.
Slate?
maybe if we call it Putin's proxy war and blame him for it, you will admit it is a proxy war now?
Blacklabel
you kinda left out the whole Biden family received millions of dollars of money from Ukraine, which is one of the more corrupt countries in the world. That had a lot to do with any "wanting" to support, right?
Paustovsky
Properly confused now. So is communist Russia leftist or rightist ?
Haaa Nemui
None of this has anything to do with what were talking about. “They did it too” is completely besides the point. My response to you was about the Russian army… which you’re implying, with your response to an earlier question, has some sort of superiority. If they were so superior, why do they need to sign up convicts, why do they need to increase the age at which people can enlist, why do they still struggle in this “special military operation” that was supposed to last only 48hrs, now into its seventh month.
If you wanna do whataboutism, I can do that too. Azov battalion in Ukraine? So are the Wagner group. Just yesterday I saw a report that 100 odd Wagner morons were killed by a missile strike that hit their base of operations in Ukraine after they posted a picture of themselves outside the front door of the building which has its address on a sign on the frontage. There are questions about whether this was a setup by the leader of the group. If that’s the case, who were the 100 bodies? Civilians? So they’re using human shields? Is it only bad when Ukraine does it? No, sorry, not human shields. It’s more like using civilians as bait. None of what I said has any bearing on our argument though. Which is purely about the Russian army.
Nemo
That is going so well for the Russians, eh? 70-80k dead. Tanks that blow their turrets a couple hundred meters in the air. Ships that don't seem to float. An Air Farce that fails to fly.
That dastardly West. How dare they allow Ukraine to defend themselves or show us for the incompetent buffoons we are!
Blacklabel
the memories are sooooo short on the left. Russia and Putin were just fine to take money from back then.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/remembering-obamas-russia-reset-hillary-and-the-skolkovo-misadventure/
bass4funk
We just question, why more US tax dollars? Why not more European Euros going into backing the Ukrainians.
With the problems that we have in the US from crime, inflation, rising food and gas prices, yes, now it is a bad thing. This administration is making Ukraine the top priority and not the US.
The left is very easy to figure out.
Blacklabel
yeah, none of which makes it not a proxy war between the West and Russia being hosted by Ukraine.
Whose leader seems willing to play host as he sees it as increasing his global stature as a "leader", and brings him billions in free money and weapons for later corruption efforts once its over.
commanteer
The good old "so what you are saying is (insert something I didn't say)" rhetorical trope. I can that to: So what you are saying is that we should launch global nuclear war to save Ukraine from Russian control?
I said it's complex. That means all perspectives need to be considered before taking any action. But complexity isn't something that sits well in this forum, I know.
ClippetyClop
No you didn't. You are talking about a completely different thing.
Trump's globalist funding / kompramat is a completely different thing.
bass4funk
Ahh, so just running with it and hope and pray that maybe even after 6 years some idiot will pick up the baton and run with it? Yeah, please run with it while you guys can, only 4 months on the clock for you guys.
Keep trying.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Do you have any proof of this or more of the typical conjecture?
Lol
Nemo
Quite predictably, a few of our lot are now trying to go down the Rabbit hole because of the following uncomfortable facts:
The Russians invaded a neighboring country on a lie. There was no push to join NATO. NATO was not seeking to attack Russia via Ukraine. There is no massive Nazi presence in Ukraine and thus no need for a "de-nazificaiton."
As the invading force, Russia can only win by obtaining its objectives. To date it has attained none of them. And that is why one can say that while things are not finished, at this point, Russia is losing.
The elected govt. of Kiev remains in place and has even more popular support now than it did then. The East is not occupied or pacified, although the Red "army" has made gains, those gains have come at a terrible cost in men and material and seem "tenuous".....
Russian instillations in the rear (some times far in the rear) seem to keep exploding spontaneously. Funny, that...
Odessa is not "liberated" (for that matter neither is Kiev) and the Russian desire to link up with their rejects in occupied Moldova remains unattained.
NATO is not on it's back-heel. Putie did what several successive U.S. Presidents tried and failed to do: He convinced them that spending money on defense was important and spurred them to act. Far from splitting up, the West is united and reinforced with the addition of Sweden and Finland to the NATO roles (Thus turning the Baltic Sea into a NATO lake).
Therefore in an attempt to change the subject, Vladie whines and moans about being held to account for his actions and his sychophants (Who share a striking correlation to the sychophants of another wannabe fascist) seek to change the subject.
ClippetyClop
How much should they give? Should they still give them weapons? What if America abandoning Ukraine resulted in it being conquered by Russia? So be it?
Blacklabel
that is one of the more detached from actual reality things I have read recently.
Russia has attained NONE of their objectives?
Russia is "losing"?
really?
bass4funk
Planes? That’s what Zelenskyy asked for.
That’s what NATO is for.
ClippetyClop
Does this mean that you are in favour of giving them planes? What other weapons should the GOP give them? How much money?
America is a big part of NATO. Do you want NATO to get involved, and therefore Americans?
What exactly is it that you want?
Kumagaijin
Ukrainian forces will be able to continuously bomb and hit Russian forces with long range artillery for years until Russia either surrenders or their is a negotiated settlement. Think of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and how long that has gone on. The Israelis have had to build a wall, occupy all of the West Bank and barricade the Gaza Strip, and still violence continues. Sure, its a much smaller piece of land we are dealing with in Israel/Palestine, but that will make things even harder for Russia to annex the parts of Ukraine it wants.
Still, the Ukraine could surrender too if it simply loses the ability to defend itself. Its hard to say how much fight they have left.
bass4funk
Yup
I just told you
Let the European part do more of the lifting since Ukraine is pretty much next door.
That’s what I want.
Nemo
Really Really.
Zelensky is still in power.
Kiev remains the seat of Ukrainian Democracy.
Odessa remains free and open.
Snake Island is free of Russian filth.
The Black Sea "fleet" (stifles snort) stays well out to sea lest it engage in an involuntary "special submersible operation."
Russian military bases in Crimea spontaneously explode (Much like Russian armor, but I digress)
The worst words one can hear in the Russian army are "Congratulations, Comrade. You have been promoted to commissioned officer status."
The quickest route out of the Russian Gulag is to volunteer for the Russian Army (and yet some of them don't do it because they realize it's pretty much a death sentence.
Russia now faces a untied, re-invigorated NATO with renewed purpose.
Russia now faces 2 new NATO members on its Northern Flank.
Russian equipment has been revealed to be almost uniformly junk. It's soldiers untrained unequipped rabble, it's officer corps literal Corpses in waiting.
And the pipe-line of modern Western weapons is wide-open and it's not going to shut.
These are the facts and they are not in doubt.
So yeah, in view of these facts. Russia is losing.
ClippetyClop
You didn't, and even if I 'scroll up' the answer won't magically appear.
How much money should the GOP give to Ukraine? Currently about 50 billion is planned for Ukraine.
Aside from planes, what other weapons?
Shall I answer for you?
Whatever the GOP decide to allocate will be just great. Whatever Biden allocates is not fine at all.
lincolnman
It's always interesting to see pro-Trump far-rightists fan-boy for Putin and help spread Russian propaganda and disinformation....I wonder why?
Then you see the proof right in the Kremlin's own words...
Having recovered from their initial shock over the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s Florida estate, Russian experts and pundits started to dismiss it as much ado about nothing, albeit a convenient tale they could use to smear American democracy. Now they’re singing a different tune. In the most recent broadcast of the state TV show Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, host Vladimir Solovyov remarked, “I’m very worried for our agent Trump. They found everything at Mar-a-Lago, they got packages of documents.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/putin-world-declares-agent-trump-211215321.html
BINGO!
bass4funk
I did.
They have more than enough, way more.
I was clear on that as well. Check the archives.
Biden gave the Ukrainians more than enough of our money. What Zelenskyy wanted was planes, it’s not that hard. All you have to do is listen to the man. He was specific. Calm down.
Blacklabel
None of that is how “winning and “losing” is measured, sad to let you know.
wallace
bass4funk
No, it is not.
Blacklabel
so the leftist consensus here is that-
Russia are liars (except when its Russia TV disinformation about Trump)
Russia is "losing" the war
Russia has met "NONE" of their objectives
this is not a proxy war at all.
So thats what you are pushing here as your fact based viewpoint amongst all this other US politics nonsense?
lincolnman
It's fascinating to see how similar Trump and Putin define "winning"....
For Putin, having 70K+ casualties, your proud flagship sitting at the bottom of the Black Sea, and retreating from Kyiv and Snake Island is "winning"...
For Trump, having the FBI search your house finding boxes of TS/SCi materiel, your CFO pleading guilty to fraud, and your personal attorney being notified he's the target of another (one of many) criminal investigations is also "winning"....
Just goes to show paranoid, narcissist, authoritarians all think alike....
ClippetyClop
That wasn't so hard, was it? So you would disapprove of the GOP giving anything more than $2 billion. Noted.
Shame you seem unable to type things like 'guns, tanks, bombs' etc.
It's not an argument. You stated that the GOP would give less, I asked you how much less. A simple answer took 4 attempts. No amount of 'scrolling up' will make an answer suddenly appear.
wallace
Putin was planning his current invasion of Ukraine during the last year of Trump's office, and Putin informed him in a phone call over Ukraine that it was alright and he had the matter in hand and would so be resolved.
Andy
Well, you've got to hand it to Vlad, he's absolutely correct.