Putin got nowhere at the SC meeting. The Ukies will be in Donetsk this weekend and the separatists will fall. Catch-22 for Putin as he can't appear week and the false-flag shit won't keep the city from being overrun. Majority of Russians want to avoid invasion. Will send Russia into recession.
Ukies think they can achieve a military victory which is beyond absurd.
UN peacekeepers seems to be the only method to stall an invasion. Obama doesn't seem to give a fuck one way or the other. Poorly played on ALL sides.
Not necessarily poorly played by all sides.
I hate to be giving away state secrets here on ET site, but I guess I'll have to.
Putin government still has several aces. They could if it really gets to it, shut down completely GAS to Ukraine.
They could if it really got down to it, send real ass terrorist type explosions to Ukraine (think malls exploding in Kiev)
Putin can destroy Ukraine WITHOUT WAR
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However, US and NATO also have aces up their sleeve. If push came to shove, the new Kiev regime (puppet government) could suddenly declare itself part of NATO, regardless of decades old agreements with then Soviet Union etc. Which could be argued is a country that doesn't exit anymore.
US could blitzkrieg NATO troops right into Ukraine, and Russia wouldn't dare continue any kind of support for rebels.
Of course, Russia would find a way to make US pay.
Russia could say, hey remember Iran, we just might give these nice folks a nuke or two.
Bottom line is this is a race to WW 3, however you play it.
