It’s certainly better in my mind, who knows how Russia will take it. Even with missiles you are still interfering with the attacks. That’ll raise aggression against NATO.
If we don't interfere with the attacks at all, then aren't we effectively letting them get away with attacking a NATO state? And if we do that, won't they get even bolder?
Of course it's valuable. Our air defenses were, if not evaded, pierced. Biden's "fully prepared" and "every single inch" warning was challenged. That, in turn, lays groundwork for intimidating e.g. the Baltics.
One thing that the US could do, without getting into a direct conflict, would be providing Ukraine access to more advanced weapons that it's been hesitant to give earlier. No direct conflict, but sending a message to Russia that actions have consequences and those consequences aren't good for their already-uphill war.
Relax, NATO is not made of barbarians, but Russia will pay for it in other ways than nukes and bombs. They’ll just remain in the dark ages for a bit longer. Like North Korea and Cuba. Unless of course their friends in NATO will try and weasel them back on the economic scene.
Cruise missiles doesn't fly in a duet. AA missiles on other hand are often fired in pairs to increase the change of successful interception.
> strengthens the theory the Ukranians intercepted
If there was a cruise missile (what it needed to do there? hit a Polish tractor? Because it makes sense?) then it would be or a giant hole much bigger than that tiny one on the photos or it would be found more-less intact somewhere near. Yet we have only one video of the tractor and a couple photos of an unknown debris.
> false flag desperation pretty unlikely
This type of operations are ... coordinated with partners, as Russians would say.
Personally, between false flag, Ukrainian AA and Russian cruise missile my Occam says it was Ukraine AA doing whatever they did yet ended in Poland.
BTW all AA missiles have a self-liquidator which triggers by a command from the ground station OR automatically on a given altitude. For two AA missiles to go who knows where and not to self-liquidate is a sign of anything but normal. Which begs the question where are photos of the second hit?
NB: despite what even the first report claimed what missiles hit a grain storage - there are no photos of it yet.
> "The Ukraine" is a bit of a tell.
Oh, I knew you will get triggered, it was a low hanging fruit. How often do you wake up and think "Today is the day when my country should be written THAT way in a language what doesn't have any resemblance to my own. By the way only 1% of population of my country even know that language and 1% of that 1% could even understand the difference"? Did you ever wondered who guessed that change to AP style guide?
So your position is that Germany will find a reason to sanction Poland because Poland have been accidentally bombed by the Russian Federation? Sorry, I'm struggling to follow. Are you sure?
Perhaps you are still championing the dated notion that Germany is over exposed to the Russian energy market and thus is in thrall to the Russian Federation? I thought since the Nord Stream exploderised that was no longer really the case.
Cant find the link but apparently german carmakers expect to be back in about 5 years time (there is a clause in their exit contracts that they will be allowed to take back their assets after that amount of time).
sorry but I fail to see what that article has to do with the discussion at play. I really would suggest losing the cryptic veneer and making your points a little more plainly because you've merely left me confused.
At one point we're talking about a missile landing in Poland then suddenly Germany is chastising Poland for some inexplicable reason and now two multi-national car manufacturers have buy-back clauses to lessen the potential impact of their losses from having to dump operations in Russia.
I'm really not seeing a biting narrative that connects these dots.
> An unusual clause in their exit deals allows both Renault and Nissan to buy back their Russian assets within the next six years
> These facts suggest that the apparent exit of both companies from Russia is reluctant and largely symbolic, with both optimistic that sanctions will be lifted at some point in the next few years, allowing them to seamlessly re-enter the Russian market
Of course they will re-enter the Russian market. That was never in doubt, and it’s a very smart move to sign an exit deal allowing them to swiftly re-enter the market when it’s ready with all their places of operations nicely maintained for them. It seems that the people who signed that deal on the Russian side where negotiating from a position of weakness?
The issue is if they will re-enter a market with Putin at its head and Ukraine subjugated. That seems increasingly unlikely.
The official stance of Polish state TV and the leading politician is that Germany is Poland's biggest enemy. It's partly empty rhetoric aimed at the older population (the main electorate of the currently ruling right-wing party) and partly the perception that bigger EU countries try to bully everyone else (even France got upset over the recent public help issue).
The core of the issue in this particular case is that the ruling party tried to completely take over Polish courts in ways that were illegal both according to Polish and European law. The EU justly said they won't send the Next Generation EU money until Poland fixes this. The Polish Prime minister would agree to this, but the minister of justice said "over my dead body" - and without him the ruling party will not be able to have a majority rule. So the Polish ruling party accuses the EU, and the EU accuses them. Interesting to see how it plays out. In the meantime Poland is losing millions of euros because of one guy's big ego.
