It's not WW3

[TheRealityCheque]

To wish people would stop conflating the Ukrainian invasion with WW3.

It's shite and completely unacceptable and my thoughts are with thee innocent people affected but it is not a world war and isn't going to become one.

IABU - WW3 is here
IANBU - it's a localised war.

The Polish leaders have essentially opened up the borders to all Ukrainian refugees, so I think that makes clear their stance on it all - it rather feels like they are saying "we've been where you are - we'll help you!".

Neither Poland or any other countries are fighting right now because they heard Putin's threats... everyone is very very nervous about how to play this.

I also think people here are getting confused between crazy and stupid. I know plenty people who are very intelligent in that they can sound perfectly rational and reasonable - they are educated, clever etc... and are certainly not stupid - but are also completely crazy - and those people are actually more dangerous. Look at serial killers or stalkers who evade the police for years... they're very clever - but they're also bloody lunatics!

Putin is extremely clever from a tactical perspective - he's definitely not stupid - but it does not mean that he is not delusional or that his ultimate goal is not insane.

Finally - it did occur to me that with Putin's threats everyone has of course automatically thought nukes (as I did) - and that may well be what he meant. But I also wouldn't put it past him to go down a chemical route... not that that makes me feel any better.

Russia has threatened Sweden and Finland with political and military consequences if they move to join NATO. I think those who think that they can write this off as a spat between the former USSR countries, that they don't have to worry about sitting safely in Western Europe, are woefully naive.

Put us speech yesterday was the speech of an incoherent megalomaniacal lunatic... he's definitely not going to stop with Ukraine, and neither will he give a flying f... if his army gets depleted, he's got an army of people he will conscript

@Undecicive

Hungary's and Poland's PM was rather reluctant to condemn the Russians at a meeting with all the EU countries.

www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungary-wont-block-any-sanctions-against-russia-pm-orban-says-2022-02-26/

BUDAPEST, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Hungary will support all European Union sanctions against Russia and will not block anything, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday, speaking on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border.

"Hungary made clear that we support all the sanctions, so we will block nothing, so what the prime ministers of the European Union are able to agree, we accept it and we support it," he told reporters in English.

"This is the time to be united, it's a war," he said, adding that peace efforts were the most important.

hungarytoday.hu/ader-russia-ukraine-hungary-president-attack-1956/

hungarytoday.hu/ader-russia-ukraine-hungary-president-attack-1956/

Hungary strongly condemns Russia’s attack on Ukraine, President János Áder said at a meeting of the heads of state of the Bucharest Nine (B9) group in Warsaw on Friday.

"From our part — given our traditional relations — we have done everything we could to urge the leadership in Moscow to remain level-headed and exercise restraint. Unfortunately we could not succeed because, as it has now become clear, Russia was carrying out a premeditated plan which was followed by the conscious deception of its international partners.”

"We, too consider Russia’s attack a grave violation of international law and a mockery of the international obligations assumed by Moscow up until now.”

"We call on Russia to immediately cease its aggression against Ukraine”.

...etc.

And Poland doesn't even want to play the WC qualifying match with Russia. Plus, anyone who knows anything about Poland knows that the one nation they hate more than any other is Russia!!!

@FatFredsFriedEgg - thank you for that post.

Hungary and Poland aren't the one country.
Polish politicians were alarming about Russian influence in Europe since accession to UE.
Today polish PM called out German government. He said that it's not only gas but also blood of innocent women, children and men going through the NS I and NSII.
There is many things I would say about Polish government or mps but not that they are friendly with Russians.

It's definitely got the potential to be, there's no way Putin is going to stop at the Ukraine. He's lost his mind, it's like history repeating.