Austin says Putin now has full range of options in Ukraine

Putin will dig his own grave with his teeth, he might start the fire, but will not be around too see it put out

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday the buildup of Russian forces along Ukraine's border has reached the point where President Vladimir Putin now has a complete range of military options, including actions short of a full-scale invasion.

I’m so glad that the real media, the smaller more independent media, is pulling back the curtain on Washington and the UK lies. Some of the so called “buildup” satellite photos they are using for their warmongering are from 2014.

I’m so glad that the real media

"real media" as defined according to some alt right glossary? Listing some examples of 'real media' would be helpful, because I'm not among the 90% of posters you claim to speak for.

Some of the so called “buildup” satellite photos they are using for their warmongering are from 2014.

What 'real media' source was used for the above info?

The only people that expect (want) a war in the Ukraine are the Neo-cons in Washington.

Led by this administration which is part of the problem.

Ukrainians, Russians and Europeans are wondering what the fuss is all about. 

They need to step up

Even the Ukrainian President is saying that this is all media hype.

Yeah, until Putin is in the country. Guess they forgot about Crimea anyway.

"real media" as defined according to some alt right glossary? 

No, according to the hard facts. 98% of the msm are liberal based which includes print. Conservatives dominate more on talk radio, always have, so yeah, that’s about right.

You say openly that you will never accept us. Why talk about the future?” he said.

The NATO leadership has stated I think very clearly that NATO will not foreswear admitting Ukraine into the alliance. That was a Russian demand that the NATO allies rejected outright.

Conservatives dominate more on talk radio, always have, so yeah, that’s about right.

Once upon a time there were conservative intellectuals with university degrees who could write coherently and were thoughtful with their words. William F. Buckley and George Will come to mind. Conservatives published magazines like the National Review and were able to debate policy without resort to name calling. There was also a time when compromise for the sake of the nation as a whole wasn't a dirty word. I guess I'm too old for this world. Sometimes that is how it feels.

Some of the so called “buildup” satellite photos they are using for their warmongering are from 2014.

Can you prove that allegation?

The US hasn’t had a good war in years. The “defense” industry needs mo money.

No, according to the hard facts. 98% of the msm are liberal based which includes print.

Hard fact? Hardly fact.

Once upon a time there were conservative intellectuals with university degrees who could write coherently and were thoughtful with their words.

Still are, many.

William F. Buckley and George Will come to mind. Conservatives published magazines like the National Review and were able to debate policy without resort to name calling.

There was a time when Dems didn’t name call as well until Keith Olbermann changed all that forever.

There was also a time when compromise for the sake of the nation as a whole wasn't a dirty word. I guess I'm too old for this world. Sometimes that is how it feels.

Yup.

What, you don’t trust me? LOL

OK, this is from Australian ABC(government owned) which posted an article syndicated from AP entitled “Here’s what sanctions the US could impose on Russia if it invades Ukraine”

These images were used to sell the war by the warmongering elites.

This one: “A satellite image of a Russian troop build-up at Klimovo, Russia, 13 kilometres north of the Russia-Ukraine border.(Supplied: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies)”

https://www.rferl.org/a/satellite-photos-russia-ukraine-troop-buildup/31662944.html

The story then links to a google image of an empty facility which provides evidence that massing of military equipment has occurred.””

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Klimovo,+Bryansk+Oblast,+Russia/@52.346282,32.1680393,567m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x46d4a0d137ad6257:0x7ea4add83a2b92ac!8m2!3d52.3763189!4d32.2005574

There is just one problem; inspection of that location with Google Earth Pro shows that the ’empty” image date is 9/13/2014! Eight years ago.

Well, there’s your proof. Where do we go from here? Is this going to help you to start thinking this whole situation is a Gov/MSM scam, which it is?

There was a time when Dems didn’t name call as well until Keith Olbermann changed all that forever.

Rush Limbaugh and Rupert Murdoch's entertainers attracted larger US audiences and then there are Alex Jones and others in what some claim are the 'real media' which many reasonable people call the 'fringe media', spewing their hatred and fearmongering to folks with wack beliefs similar to theirs. Some of the wackiest are even saying there are chips in the vaccine used to track people who got jabbed. And also saying there are pizza parlors run by alien reptiles for pedo-cannibals. When I was a kid I thought National Enquirer with its tales of people being abducted by aliens and forced to have the alien's babies were wack. But today's fringe media are even more crackpot, I was not surprise reading the fringe media's darling Trump was backed by the National Enquirer.

There is just one problem; inspection of that location with Google Earth Pro shows that the ’empty” image date is 9/13/2014! Eight years ago.

I loaded the image. It says" Imagery © 2022 CNES / Airbus, Maxar Technologies Map Data © 2022"

President Biden is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Joe Biden administration needs the full unequivocal support of all European allies.

Ukraine crisis: US president Joe Biden tells Zelensky to 'prepare' for Russian invasion

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/ukraine-crisis-us-president-joe-biden-tells-zelensky-to-prepare-for-russian-invasion/2E55YU5QFBU2IW7EPLC5O2O67Y/

So, France and Germany need to wake up, smell the coffee and ditch their vested energy interests.

In the event of sanction, the cost to Russian Fed must mean complete removal from SWIFT, high security network system connecting financial institutions around the world.  

Secondly Nord stream 2 pipeline must be permanently shelved.

Rush Limbaugh and Rupert Murdoch's entertainers attracted larger US audiences and then there are Alex Jones and others in what some claim are the 'real media'

Yes, because they ask questions liberals from the msm won’t or outright refuse to ask. There is a reason why these people continue to grow larger by the day.

which many reasonable people call the 'fringe media', spewing their hatred and fearmongering to folks with wack beliefs similar to theirs.

Asking legitimate questions or keeping an open mind and expressing a different point of political viewpoints is not spouting hatred in any fashion.

Some of the wackiest are even saying there are chips in the vaccine used to track people who got jabbed. And also saying there are pizza parlors run by alien reptiles for pedo-cannibals.

A lot of that is tabloid and more regurgitated conjecture.

When I was a kid I thought National Enquirer with its tales of people being abducted by aliens and forced to have the alien's babies were wack.

Even way back in the day everyone knew the National Enquirer was nothing more than a funny and odd tabloid newspaper.

But today's fringe media are even more crackpot, I was not surprise reading the fringe media's darling Trump was backed by the National Enquirer.

Well, conspiracies manifest from lack of information inquiries, the more you deny, block or keep information from the public, you will see an increase of gossip, questions, word of mouth, second, third hand information that might or might not be true and in order to cut down on it honest and open transparency is the key to limit the fringe conspiracy theories.

Well, there’s your proof. Where do we go from here? Is this going to help you to start thinking this whole situation is a Gov/MSM scam, which it is?

Last Friday Ukraine's Defense Minister told their Parliament the Russians have about 130,000 troops deployed near Ukraine, about the same amount there was in the spring of 2021 before Russia pulled its forces back.

https://www.wmur.com/article/russias-says-it-wont-start-war-with-ukraine/38922350

Who are they selling all these lies to? 84% of Americans don't even know where Ukraine is.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna84051

In the event of sanction, the cost to Russian Fed must mean complete removal from SWIFT, high security network system connecting financial institutions around the world.

And then what? You think swift is the only way to process payments globally? Pretty naive. There will be more trade in yuan, euro, ruble, etc., meaning it will be a blow to the USD .

Biden and his stooges just need to be quiet and let Ukraine handle the public comments. they are doing nothing helpful and just making inciteful comments that don’t help.

And then what? You think swift is the only way to process payments globally? Pretty naive. There will be more trade in yuan, euro, ruble, etc., meaning it will be a blow to the USD 

Denial of access to SWIFT doesn't deny access to the US dollar. SWIFT is basically a financial messenger. It's a secure system in which to conduct international financial transactions. It is not restricted to using US Dollars. But there are currently no good alternatives to SWIFT. Russia has something like SWIFT but it doesn't have the capability to handle the volume of transactions necessary to handle all of Russia's business worldwide. To cut Russia off from the US dollar the US Government would have to act to prohibit trade with Russia using the US Dollar and prohibit the US of the US financial system to handle transactions with Russian clients. Doing so would impose great difficulties on many US allies and would have to be closely coordinated with them.

A transcript of that imperfect phone between Biden and Zelensky would certainly clear up all of this misinformation. Transcript or impeach.

Yes sure there are options on table.

Two are for warmonger on photo:

1/move out foreign /your/ boots out of ukrainian soil

2/guarantee on paper that Ukraine will no join NATO at least next 5 years

One is for Zelensky:

1/after two requests from above will be fullfilled,take seat around table with representatives of people from Lugansk and Donetsk,discuss all matter as problem lies withing Ukraine.discuss all topics like referendum,autonomy,special status etc and end this unpleasant situation there by dialogue and exact steps to ensure equal rights and security for all of UA citizens-incl ones from Lugansk and Donetsk.

One for Putin

1/once foreign boots will be out of ukrainian soil and there will be written and signatured guarantee from NATO abt temporray halt of expanding of NATO for at least next next 5 years move back troops on their bases and support discussion of "opolchenniki" from Lugansk and Donetsk regions with Kiev government and namely Mr Zelensky.

Be sure dear journalists that no one wants any war in Ukraine.

Russia does not want to attack it.

Ukraine does not want attack Russia either.

War there will bring too much problems for both nations.dont need to mention nations involved and have borders with Ukraine/Poland,Belarus,Slovaki,Hungary,Romania/.

By my humble opinion one and only who wants war there is USA.

This war will bring them good business for their gun makers,will enhance their territory under their control,they will use territory of Ukraine and east european NATO members in attack against Russia.

It may bring back in their mind position of "world leader" and "boss" they have lost some time ago for good.

They have tried start conflict in Kazakhstan some weeks ago but failed.

They want control market with gas in Europe/mean nordstream 2/by sanctions and making this media massages abt "russian threats".

They have failed in Afghanistam,they have failed in Iraq,they have failed in Libya and yes they have failed in Syria as well.

Their "export of democracy" left many deaths and many countries in ruins,many refugees and caused many broken livesand econonmies down and more depend on US dollar.

Sure its frustrating they cant win any war planned but one thing is 100% sure that they will fail in Ukraine too but in case of conflict consequences may be fatal for them this time.France,Croatia,Hungary/NATO members/are against war with Russia/just check latest news/east european people are against war with Russia.

Real life is not some kind of hollywood style movie dream abt "american exceptionalism and leadership”.Real world is multipolar one.

Say to that warmonger on photo is time to find your place in line and shut up your warmonger mouths and rhetoric and wake up to reality.

Yankee get off your hands off from UA!

Putin has already won part of the war when he has the bigots in America rooting for him!

Be sure dear journalists that no one wants any war in Ukraine.

Russia does not want to attack it.

Sorry you had to write such a long post for nothing but Russia wants to attack Ukraine!!!!

I am sure you can do that yourself dear sir!!!

lol

let me disagree with you,future will prove me right.

if there was any need of "russian attack on Ukraine" it could happen anytime after "maidan" coup d etat...

Putin has already won part of the war when he has the bigots in America rooting for him!

There are no bigots rooting for Putin, but there are a lot of questions as to why and what the need would be to start a war with Russia and how that benefits the US if someone would give us an answer, but no....

Alex, removal from SWIFT is a sanction not to taken likely......

Senior Russian lawmakers have responded by saying that shipments of oil, gas and metals to Europe would stop if that happened.

"If Russia is disconnected from SWIFT, then we will not receive [foreign] currency, but buyers, European countries in the first place, will not receive our goods — oil, gas, metals and other important components," Nikolai Zhuravlev, vice speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament, said Tuesday, according to state media outlet TASS.

What is SWIFT and why it might be the weapon Russia fears most

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/26/investing/swift-russia-ukraine/index.html

"The cutoff would terminate all international transactions, trigger currency volatility, and cause massive capital outflows," Maria Shagina, a visiting fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs,

Once upon a time there were conservative intellectuals with university degrees who could write coherently and were thoughtful with their words. William F. Buckley and George Will come to mind. Conservatives published magazines like the National Review and were able to debate policy without resort to name calling. There was also a time when compromise for the sake of the nation as a whole wasn't a dirty word. I guess I'm too old for this world. Sometimes that is how it feels.

There was also a time when Democrats were simply liberals.

You could not possibly know that

You can't know that they are.

You could not possibly know that

Neither can you.

I am not the one who said they were.

You did, you said some conservatives are rooting for Putin? Why do they have to be conservatives? You could throw in liberals and libertarians as well. They may or may not like the guy.

Putin does not want to attack Ukraine.

He just wants to incorporate the eastern sections of Ukraine into Russia, in just the same way that he took Crimea. Simple.

Talking about Biden and Zelensky. It odd that whatever Trump did that was wrong, Biden does the exact same thing and its......fine.

That important part it seems the left never want to touch that one, why?

"He just wants to incorporate the eastern sections of Ukraine into Russia, in just the same way that he took Crimea. Simple."

Crimea voted to be returned to Russia after the Ukrainian born Kruschov has decided to give it to Ukrain on his birthday!

Why this is never mentioned?

The only time that 'majority votes' count is when making an argument to the west. Certainly they do not count within Russia, Belarus, etc. In fact that is what Putin is most afraid of.

In just the same way that a majority of Russian speakers in Crimea decided to take a chance on Russian re-incorporation, Russia is counting on the Russian-speaking peoples of eastern Ukraine to bring the eastern lands with them back into the fold. Simple.

If 130,000 troops are necessary to help 'encourage' that, then what is everyone complaining about?

why is it that the left doesn't want to take about current events but wants to pivot to Trump again?

Because you people still refuse to admit that he was a complete and utter failure. So we're going to keep saying it over, and over again forever.

I hope you don't expect us to feel bad for it.