So, is Russia blinking?

[MerryHolidays]

Kremlin ready for more talks with West amid Ukraine tensions

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV and YURAS KARMANAU
34 minutes ago


MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin signaled Monday it is ready to keep talking with the West about security grievances that led to the current Ukraine crisis, offering hope that Russia might not invade its beleaguered neighbor within days as the U.S. and Europe increasingly fear.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-olaf-scholz-moscow-vladimir-putin-europe-ddf76e8b58bfa88a1022fef99bbaf3be

[lagomorph777]

1. If he's real nice, maybe we'll turn the water back on at his palaces.

[Tomconroy]

2. There were a lot of troop movements towards the Ukraine

border over the weekend. We'll see.

[58Sunliner]

3. Who knows. He is mentally ill and should be put down.

[sarisataka]

4. Japan was communicating with the Secretary of State

The morning of December 7, 1941

Negotiations can be cover foran attack

[MerryHolidays]

5. A large difference: there is no element of surprise now

I love what President Biden and team are doing: declassifying and disclosing likely actions of Putin and the Russians. There is no surprise at all left in this, and outside of China and some rogue nations, the rest of the world is united against Russia.

This really takes Russia out of its misinformation game.

[sarisataka]

7. At the strategic level

Last edited Mon Feb 14, 2022, 07:39 PM - Edit history (1)

There was no surprise in 1941 either. We were well aware that Japan was going to war, the surprise was where they chose to do it.

NATO countries are United with varying degrees of enthusiasm. The rest of the world may voice opposition but in reality they are more along the lines of not my circus, not my monkeys.

[haele]

6. Nope. Just covering their bases.

This is to be expected - set up so they can act all surprised when Putin gives the go if he decides to do so. He wants to humiliate Zelensky and the West, as well as distract his own "people" from what is happening in Russia.
Just due to the world economy in general, it was going to be a bad spring there in Russia whether or not Ukraine is invaded.

Haele

[TheBlackAdder]

8. What Russia is doing is highlighted in the Roger Moore movie, Ffolkes. Wearing the defense down.

.

Keeping posts at high alert for extended periods allows them to be easily overtaken by Day 3.

.

[uponit7771]

9. Stalling either way NATO wins

[FakeNoose]

10. It looks like Twitter is on high alert, the rumors are flying

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216356201

[WarGamer]

11. This is the end game.

Push conflict to the brink, extract compromise and go home.

No compromise and maybe Putin attacks.