Well looks like Ukraine heating up again...
There's this news, which somewhat baffles me -
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ukraine-and-uk-build-warships-establish-naval-bases-togetherNever thought Boris was a spineless puppet of Amerikan DeepState....but hey they could have dirt their leveraging on him to dance as directed...on its face unilateral mutually beneficial agreements of this kind are not "unusual" at all, everybody does them, Chi-Com's "string-of-pearls" and Russia in Syria are but two examples...bit it seems odd as Britain hasn't done anything like this for quite a while...
And in no time flat Russia issues its opinion...
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russian-black-sea-fleet-fired-warning-shots-near-british-destroyerProbing happens all the time, nothing new there...firing shots is not so common. I see this as no big deal as a single incident...it's common practice to assess a potential foes response for analysis and future engagements. All part of the game...only risk is a mistake that turns a probe/response into a hot mess.
ETA - Read this, it is quite interesting -
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/putin-pens-op-ed-encouraging-partnership-europe-urges-openness-despite-pastMore proof that Putin is a master of "the game". His narrative is entirely geared towards agreement with him by attempting to cut off any constructive criticism of any point in black or white manner as being in essence "anti-cooperative" and blocked by "grudge holders" and "aggressors".
He claims Russia is "European". Uhh huh, Catherine the Great tried that and others that followed...and in the end Marxists linked them well to Euro-Monarchs and removed them...violently. It's Old World European in that it holds colonies in the 'Stan's and vast native enclave of Siberia. Very Old World European!
And in a Russo-Globalist fashion he wraps up thusly the carrot and stick narrative -
The world is a dynamic place, facing new challenges and threats. We simply cannot afford to carry the burden of past misunderstandings, hard feelings, conflicts, and mistakes. It is a burden that will prevent us from concentrating on the challenges at hand. We are convinced that we all should recognize these mistakes and correct them. Our common and indisputable goal is to ensure security on the continent without dividing lines, a common space for equitable cooperation and inclusive development for the prosperity of Europe and the world as a whole.No dividing lines, common space? Correct mistakes?
OK then, I accept your terms. Let us cut to the chase, shall we? If sincere in this spirit...all cards on the table. Ukraine, Crimea, Donbas, Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba...NATO, SWIFT, arms treaties, additional arms reductions & pullbacks from borders, sanctions, diplomats, political prisoners, nuclear proliferation, Islamic terrorism, illegal immigration, cyber crime, the Arctic, Antarctica, all pipelines, militarization of space, trade...all of it in the hopper...let's play the match game and everything is resolved or nothing is.
Reagan in Reykjavik on a boatload of steroids.
I'd do it. DeepState Puppet Biden won't. Pretty sure Vlad would say Nyet! on a number of points and walk away too, but I would call the bluff. And yes, trying to drive a wedge between the US & Europe is an old playbook, and with respect to NATO and our involvement and giving a damn about suicidal Euro's I am not against it nor am I saying it isn't wise of Vlad to attempt it...but the US is the big gorilla in the corner Vlad danced around in his narrative. Bet Trump would have made the call...alas, America is in the grips of nefarious punks, so...another opportunity lost.
In the end...all the Euro's will belong to Russia...if the Jihadis don't beat them to it...