Maybe I’m wrong in thinking…WTF is wrong with us? Why on earth would someone, who has the opportunity to interview President Vladimir Putin go on and on about his soul? Biden said, "Mr. President, I’m looking in your eyes and you have no soul." Biden did say that he said this to Putin, but I highly doubt that he did, and even if he did, who gives two fucks? It’s a dumb thing for a President to say to another world leader.
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/m6pJd6O_NT0
The interviewer asked Putin about cyberwar and hacking, but we have cybercrime, as well. What about the whole Cambridge Analytica data scandal? He goes on to say that Putin clearly wants to negotiate, but you must have something to negotiate with. You don’t ask for a truce unless you’re fighting in a war. Well, first of all, negotiations and compromising should be ongoing. It’s all part of doing business. But Putin was even able to handle that awkward line of questioning by saying as far as war is concerned, NATO, officially, I would like to draw your attention to that. NATO has officially stated that it considers cyberspace as a battlefield—an area of military action and conducts military exercises. He interrupts and accuses Russia of being involved in that battlefield—fighting on that battlefield. Putin denies this and says that they don’t want that. NATO is doing military exercises in this area, and we should be able to do the same, but we don’t want that. Just like we don’t want space militarized, we don’t want cyberspace militarized, and we have suggested on many occasions to work together on cybersecurity, but your government refuses to. The USSR and the U.S. did agree to contain the nuclear arms race. Cyberspace is a very sensitive area. As of today, a great deal of human endeavors relies upon digital technologies, including the functioning of government, and everybody understands that any interference can cause a great deal of damage, and I’m repeating this for the third time, let’s sit down together, and agree on joint work, and how to achieve security in this area. Putin goes on to ask why wouldn’t our government want to work together in this area when accusations keep coming up about attacks? Both our countries are worried about the same thing.
The interviewer goes on to accuse Putin of whataboutism, and Putin did accuse America of hypocrisy, but at the same time, he explained the reasons behind what happened. He goes on to accuse Putin of being a killer, but we have the same conspiracy theories here in the U.S. e.g., the
Clinton Body Count.
They start discussing Ukraine and Georgia. Putin says to just imagine if they sent troops into direct proximity to our borders. He said that we conduct military war games in Alaska, but he doesn’t respond because it’s in our territory, but when he did it on his borders, we crossed an ocean and brought thousands of personnel and thousands of units of military equipment close to our borders, and yet you believe that we acted aggressively, and somehow, you’re not. That’s a pot calling the kettle black.
He mentioned his constant complaints about NATO’s militarization to his west but asked him why he never complains about China’s militarization to his east. "The first thing that I want to say is that over the last few years—the last few decades, we have developed a strategic partnership relationship between Russia and China that had previously not been achieved in the history of our two nations. A high level of trust and cooperation and in all areas of politics, the economy, technology, and in the area of military technical cooperation. We do not believe that China is a threat to us. That’s one—China is a friendly nation. It has not declared us an enemy as the United States has done. Don’t you know anything about this? That’s number one. Number two is that China is a huge powerful country, one and half billion people in terms of purchasing power parity, the Chinese economy has exceeded the size of the U.S. economy and in terms of trade for the previous year, China tied with Europe with first place whereas the U.S. dropped to the second position. Do you know about this? China has been developing and I understand that what’s beginning to happen is a certain, well, a certain kind of confrontation with China. Everybody understands it. We can see it. Why hide from this fact? The most important thing is our nature and level of our relationship with China. You said that China has four aircraft carriers. How many does the U.S. have?" The interviewer answered, "a lot more." Putin says, "Well, there you go, that’s my point."
He goes on to make so many other good points. His responses to the crisis have been defensive, not offensive. If he was out to create a greater Russia, he would have taken Crimea sooner. Putin didn’t paint himself into a corner. We’ve forced his hand. Why? Was it to weaken Russia or are we just that delusional about the promotion of democracy and/or globalism?
They already decided in 2008 that Ukraine and Georgia could join NATO, but now…crickets. They put in an
application to join the EU and are begging for immediate acceptance, but thus far, the words of encouragement are just symbolic.
What am I missing here because it looks to me like we’re the bad guys, and Ukraine…a sacrificial lamb? < (non-rhetorical)
Mar 3, 2022 03:08 AM
(This post was last modified: Mar 3, 2022 03:58 AM by Kornee.)
