General Chat

Russia invaded Hungary in 1956 - the West, the UN, and NATO, responded by rattled their sabres and warned Russia of the consequences of their actions.

Russia invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968 - the West, the UN & NATO, responded by rattled their sabres and warned Russia of the consequences of their actions.

Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 - the West, the UN, and NATO, responded by rattled their sabres and warned Russia of the consequences of their actions.

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 - and once again the West, the UN, and NATO, responds by rattled their sabres and warns Russia of the consequences of their actions.

It will be interesting to see what these consequences will be, because it appears that it is not in the interest of the financial markets in the West to upset Russia. A photograph of a document being carried by a government official on his way to a national security meeting in Downing Street has appeared in the public domain and it says Britain should not support, for now, trade sanctions or close London’s financial centre to Russians.

Apart from the UK's concerns about the financial sector, much of Europe depends on Russia for some 30% of their natural gas supplies, a large part of those supplies comes via pipelines that run through Ukraine.

Will all the sabre rattling this time, by the West, the UN, and NATO, over what has happened in Ukraine make Russia back down, I don't think so, if this was a game of poker I would say Russia has the strongest hand.

What are your thoughts?

As far as I can see there hasn't been any sabre rattling. I don't recall any over Georgia either. All the talk has been of diplomacy and possibly sanctions.

KenSE - I am using the term sabre rattling as being the use of threats and rhetoric intended to try and make Russia back down, not is the sense of threatening the use of military forces - albeit the phrase "no option is of the table" could imply that.

Hopefully diplomacy and the threat of sanctions may prevail - there again I don't think the West will do anything that will strangle their "Golden Goose" that being Russia and their oligarchs.

I can just see the headlines if they closed the UK financial markets to Russia's oligarchs - London Property Market Crashes ;-)

Putin's recent shenanigans have rattled the European leaders to their core.

Instead of linking itself to Europe, Ukraine will probably join Russia's Customs Union. Ukraine is the breadbasket of Russia. Russia is lengthening its authoritarian shadow.

An audacious move by Putin while the USA & others do nothing apart front hand wringing.

Drones & WW3 on the horizon?

If it comes down to WW3 it will end with a push of a button.

OFTG, In 56 the UK, France and Israel were otherwise occupied as were the Yanks Sticking there Oar in when not wanted.