re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Background, May27

Russia: Civil vessels may use Mariupol port as mine danger has been cleared

SafetyAtSea

Putin feeling generous decides on another gesture of goodwill

Russian assault ship hits mine near Mariupol — Odesa Oblast authorities
30 June, 04:35 PM

The New Voice of Ukraine

Belarus is sending out mass conscription notices. Unclear if the mobilization is against Ukraine, an internal threat, or if he has decided to switch sides.

The port is not that deep, about like MRGO was great for old Liberty ships but not so much for modern ships requiring deeper water to be large enough for economic viability

Mariupol port is no deeper than 46 feet since the entire Sea of Azov is only 46 feet at its deepest point so like you said you can’t really operate large ships there. This is why Odesa is so vital to Ukraine.

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Something weird is definitely going on....

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Help me out. What is going on? Belarus gonna join in and start a real war?

1) How old are you? I thought you were old enough to remember these events.
Here are the English-language media reports about such a promise
LINK
In mid-December, the National Security Archives at George Washington University released three dozen declassified documents relating to the German reunification negotiations in 1990.

2) After the referendum in Crimea on joining Russia
On April 1, 2014, at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, the alliance announced the suspension of all types of civil and military cooperation with Russia, effectively paralyzing the work of the Russia-NATO Council - thus, the NATO bloc unilaterally terminated the partnership agreement with Russia.
But you wrote something there about respect for the choice of people? So in a referendum, 97% of the population voted for accession.

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97% of the population voted for accession.

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97% of what people. No population agrees on on a referendum at 97% unless they live in a propagandized former communist country.

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Tough week for Russia:

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You mean it's been a good week for the US?

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• Default on foreign debt

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This is not a default. In case of default, the payer has no money, but Russia has it and is ready to pay. the fact that they are trying to shut off the air to her "outside" does not mean that she is insolvent. It's just that the US has closed all the possibilities for creditors to withdraw their money in foreign currency. We can pay in rubles. By the way, today the ruble is growing very well in price. I have a 15-20% price cut in my supermarket. I recommend rubles for purchase

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• Finland and Sweden join NATO

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and NATO receives threats from Turkey to withdraw from NATO. It's a good exchange in my opinion. The strongest army in the east wants to leave NATO, and two weak countries enter, which the bloc needs to protect.

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• Russian companies refusing to pay yearly dividends (Gazprom -30% today)

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This is the stock market dude. There are both ups and downs.
Do you want to compare with the American exchanges?
Today's picture. By the way, it’s not the first week that everything is red like the Chinese flag.
LINK

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In mid-December, the National Security Archives at George Washington University released three dozen declassified documents relating to the German reunification negotiations in 1990.

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And yet it was never actually documented and that's the key thing here. Even your source just says "People overheard". Hell even Gorbachev admits the conversation never happened. But that's the thing, people keep saying "It was talked about", but no one can actually prove that it was. And if this was so important to Russia, surely the delegation wouldn't have been so stupid as to not write it down somewhere?

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Ten years later, in an interview with the German newspaper Bild, Gorbachev complained that the West had tricked Moscow. "Many people in the West were secretly rubbing their hands and felt something like a flush of victory -- including those who had promised us: 'We will not move 1 centimeter further east,'" he was quoted as saying.

Gorbachev later appeared to reverse himself, saying the subject of enlargement in fact never came up in 1989 or 1990. "The topic of 'NATO expansion' was never discussed; it was not raised in those years. I am saying this with a full sense of responsibility. Not a single Eastern European country brought up the issue, not even after the Warsaw Pact had ceased to exist in 1991," he told the newspaper Kommersant in October 2014.

Gorbachev could not be reached for comment. A spokesman did not immediately return an e-mail.

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So in a referendum, 97% of the population voted for accession.

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While this might be the outcome, I whole hardly disagree that this wasn't influenced or honest results. Now doesn't mean a majority would have voted for that, but to act like when this vote was taken that it was without influence is just being naïve at best.

What I will concede to you (and a fact that hasn't really been brought up on this whole thread even by pro-Russia people oddly) is the post USSR vote. Per my understanding, Crimea and Donbass were supposed to have some degree of autonomy from Ukraine and were never given such. Still doesn't give Russia that blessing to invade Ukraine.

I honestly believe if Russia would have just stuck to the Donbas, no one would be supporting the war effort. It's because Russia tried to take over the whole country we find ourselves where we are.