[Skybird]

Unfortunately Putin wants more, and would take such a declaration on the Ukraine as a sign of wekaness inviting him to puish for more. Its appeasement, and it will not work.


Russia has an aggressive military threat potential assemblked in the Kaliningrad enclave.


Putin has recently demanded that the Wets shozud, nto only give up the Ukraione, but also the Baltic states and all miluitrary engagement on soil of Eastenr European NATO members like Poland, Czech Republic.



Meanwhiole a helpless Biden vaguels hints at more of wehat has not worke dint he past: sanctions. For that he needs European full cooperaiton, else they will not work. Europeans are split and divided over this step. Putin knows that, and counts on Germany and France. Thats the Germany that opened more gas-dsitrubtion lines to Russia, leading Europe deeper into dependency like it has lead Europe into dependency from Turkey over migration issues. Thats the France that will not confront Germany over its gas policy, since in return France got what it wanted for itself: green nuclear energy licenses by the EU's central committee. If the US goes all in against a disobedient Europe not submitting to an American sanction regime, it will cost the European banks and economy dearly.



What we should do, is this:



Not react to Russian demands.


Silently not bringing the Ukraine into NATO, wihtout making a big tamtam about this. Just not doing it. But selling the Ukrainepotent weapons that would command the Russians to pay a very high price if invading the Ukraine.



Bringing NATO's - that means in the main: Europe's -combat capabilities into shape an dorder.


Fortifying the NATO's Eastenr borders: not ushign them further Eastward, but amassing defences , forces there.



Stationing new American tactcial nuclear missiles. It seems this currently is being mulled or is already done.



Cpounteirng Kaliningrad with building substantial strikign capabilites to take its hueg arsenals of msisiles, nuclear missiles and aircraft out.


The Russians always have undersotod just one language, and this language alone: strength. Try to communciate with them not from a position of own strength, and you have already llst - they will simply lie to you and push you against the wall.



Oh, and Norstream 2. I am realistic, and saw myself forced to drastically chnage my view of it. Two things should be done here: NS2 should not go into work anymore, and the existing pipelines thorugn the Ukraine and Poland should be taken down, too. I am not sure to what degree and how these gas deliveries can be replaced. We have to find ways.



Another argument why we should build nuclear powerplants. Germany's special wa yhere is a lonely way, an infantile way, a stupid way - and different to what the Germans hoped for, nobody follows them. Severla of its neighbours instead plan to go into nculeart energy, or to deepen their stand in nculear energy. Which in the future will save Germany's (and Austria's) electric future. Austria is as hypocritical, if not more, as Germany is: it buys tremedous ammounts of nuclear energy from its neighbours, but agitates extremely aggressively against the use of nuclear energy. Sawing off the legs of the chair one sits on...


In general: we should not move further towards Russia's borders. But we should not give one inch of ground and stop wanting to appease them at the same time. What Putin wants is a reastablishing of the status before 1989, even geographically. This is unacceptable. He wants to turn back time by over 30 years. We should neither honour nor reward this attempt in any form. But now that bubble.-Olaf in chancellor, any appeasement seems possible. It will be interesting to see how far the Greens' masochism will lead leading, Baerbocks and Schol'z positions are practically incompatible, but the chnacellor has the "Richtlinienkompetenz", so in theory this internal German powerstruggle already is decided: and Putin won.