Putin is engaging in a naked war of conquest. I don't think anything Poroshenko could have done or can do can stop Russia from attacking his country. At this point, the West has to decide whether good relations with Putin is worth doing business with an oppressive, dishonest regime that violates international law in the most blatant way possible to expand its borders, has killed 5,000 people so far including innocent E.U. Civilians, and and throwing Ukraine to the bear. I don't know why Europe loves Russia so much, to be honest.
This is so mindblowing stupid, that I really don't get why a people with a functioning brain like you could even write it.
It is? Because just last week Mogherini was in a meeting about how to lift sanctions on Russia? The September cease fire has never been implemented and yet EU leaders four months later are still acting like its imminent. Wishful thinking. Putin sees this sort of thing and knows he can get away with another offensive - and he's right.
It have nothing to do with loving Russia
Fair enough, but I don't see how anyone can blame Poroshenko for defending his country.
You can blame him for being incompetent, which is what he has been blamed for in this thread.
No amount of competence in the world can save his country from being squashed under an imperial invader. He could be Winston Churchill but Russia's superior military might would still roll over him. That's the point here. You could take him out right now and shoot him dead and Ukraine would be no better off as long as Putin is determined to widen this war. Why can't we train our rhetorical firepower against the man who is really responsible for this, for once? You won't fight him, you won't seriously sanction him, can we at least speak against him here using our words on Atlas Forum? No, I won't blame Poroshenko. I will blame Putin, because he is the instigator of this. Period.
How much is you willing to sacrifise for Ukraine? This is not a criticism, it's a question. EU could bring full blown sanctions on Russia, closing down the gas trade. But the result in the very short term would be thousands of dead Europeans (not Danes of course) and in a slighter longer short term, a major recession not just for Europe but for the world. Are the Ukrainian government worth 5 year more of a slugging economy?
Europe is not willing at this point to commit economic suicide for a friendly, but somewhat questionable (the Ukrainian government is not exactly the liberal freedom lovers, they play on TV, throiugh neither are they a bunch of Fascist, which they are shown as on Russian TV) and non-allied government. Especially as they still trying a mix of carrot and stick against Putin. Of course if Putin turn out to be Hitler v.2, they may be forced to do it, but honestly it's not really a good idea, to collapse the world economy before you see if other tools work, especially when if you wait a few month the European position are much stronger again.
Sanctions on Russia wouldn't hurt the economy, if the governments were really the ones to run things. They abdicated all powers to speculators and other people with deep pockets, who love Russia because they do business there.
Give government closer control of the economy, forbid speculators doing trouble when they are upset and you'll be able to punish Russia.
