[Skybird]

The opinion piece I linked to, confirmed what I say since years. The time when NATO pushes for making the ukraine a NATO member is the time when Russia will go to full war, invade the Ukraine and take it all by force - before any NATO contingents could be offically stationed there.

Not so sure about Georgia, but I tend to think similiar about it. Georgia does not have the same strategic relevance as the Ukraine has, but shifting towards NATO membership nevertheless is a smbolically overcharged tunring point for the Russians and I think as long as Putin sees Europe weak and the US leadership as impotent, he would not let it happen and would play "all in". Who would stop him, and how...?

The German role in all this is just awful. Scholz already tries to rub noses with the Russians again, and it was Germany that prevented Europe to deliver the Ukraine potent weapons to fight for itself. France is not any better, protecting China and Riussia from Western pressure like Germany does. A Russia that has "opponents" like this, does not need victories anymore - it already has marked all its scores.

Putin scanned, Putin laid in ambush, and now that a breach opened, he rushed into it with force and determination. And no, he is not bluffing.

He does not need to bluff.

Biden's reply, as far as known in the public from media reporting, is lame and neither impresses the Russians, nor reassures the Ukrainians. Maybe he should have stayed in bed. US sanctions? Hehe, the Russians laugh, but such sanctions will take Europe as hostage, the US threat is more a threat for European economies than for Russia's. When will the West finally understand it: YOU CANNOT BLACKMAIL RUSSIA WITH ECONOMIC SANCTIONS, its too autark in energy, and food. And what do financial threats mean in an age when central banks have rendered the term "money" a hollow phrase, a pointless shell? The Russians have pushed their gold reserves to the highest standing ever, and last year accelerated the monthly buying of gold again. They see the mounting inflation in the West, and go into real values. Between 25 and 30% of their monetarian reserves they hold in gold, and they hold no relevant ammounts of dollars anymore.

Compare: Germany does not get its gold back from the safes in New York. When the Germans some years ago wanted to relocate even just a fraction of "their" treasure back to germany, the Americans just denied that, and gave out only a fraction of that fraction. When the Germans demanded to take a look at the physical reserves to assure the German gold still is there, the Americans denied to allow access. Their foul excuses were most obvious to everybody with eyes to see and ears to listen.

The German gold is no more there, that simple it is. It has been sued up for other purposes by the American governments. Like the German 1+ trillion in target-2 credit money for Euro-debtors never will be paid back to Germany either. If you need money, take it from the Germans. They are so stupid and lame that you can do everything with them. Thats why I no more say the German state holds the second biggest gold reserve after the US. The Germans have no gold anymore. The Americans took it away, and Germany is too weak to do anything about it, that simple it is. It smiles about the foul play - to not being laughed about too loudly, and to not getting mocked too obviously.