Russia will invade and occupy Ukraine before the end of February. China will invade and occupy Taiwan right after the Olympics.

[poker]

Natural Resources of Ukraine
Ukraine nature

Natural Wealth of Ukraine
Ukraine belongs to the leading mineral-raw countries of the world with a wide range of minerals. Ukraine - 0.4% of the Earth’s surface and 0.8% of the world’s population - has about 5% of the world’s mineral resources.

More than 20,000 deposits and manifestations of 200 different minerals have been discovered in Ukraine. Of these, 7,807 deposits of 94 types of minerals are of industrial importance. Ukraine holds one of the leading places in the reserves and extraction of iron, manganese, titanium-zirconium ores, non-metallic raw materials.

Coal, oil and natural gas, iron and manganese ores, native sulfur, rock and potassium salts, non-metallic building materials, mineral waters have the greatest economic importance. The deposits are located in different geological regions of Ukraine.

 

[Frankfooter]

I'm sure Ukraine is happy rump is gone, if he was still around the only news would be about a Ukrainian investigation into Hunter.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1485646148744450057

 

[Gstep]

Title says it all. Any bets?

No and no.
It'll be a few more months before Russia moves they're not ready yet and they're only going into the eastern Russian dominated areas of Ukraine. China is not ready for a full scale amphibious landing yet, timeliness more likely for 2025-26 if diplomatic efforts to reunite fail before then but they'll at least attempt more dialog towards that first.

 

[mandrill]

No and no.
It'll be a few more months before Russia moves they're not ready yet and they're only going into the eastern Russian dominated areas of Ukraine. China is not ready for a full scale amphibious landing yet, timeliness more likely for 2025-26 if diplomatic efforts to reunite fail before then but they'll at least attempt more dialog towards that first.

OK, they already have the Eastern Russian-dominated regions of Ukraine as a proxy mini-client state - Lugansk and Donetsk. Once you go further into Ukraine, you're entering non Russian-sympathizing areas.

I agree with your take on Taiwan, based on shitty "military analysis" videos that I have seen.

 

[Gstep]

OK, they already have the Eastern Russian-dominated regions of Ukraine as a proxy mini-client state - Lugansk and Donetsk. Once you go further into Ukraine, you're entering non Russian-sympathizing areas.

Which is why it won't be a big jump for them to offically occupy and annex it like Crimea. Suppose Putin is weighing the pros and cons of doing that. But the further west they go the more likely they'll get bogged down in guerrilla warfare. The buildup is large but its not close to being overwhelming enough to take Ukraine quickly. Not sure Putin would want to risk looking weak with a prolonged campaign.

 

[Valcazar]

As I said: look it up. I can go and dig out the exact clip and what difference will it make? You'll either try to spin it out or claim that it has been manipulated. Joe's statement on limited incursion is a matter of the public record. The rest is up to you.

Since it is basically impossible to find just a clip of that section that isn't embedded in an opinion piece of some kind, here is the transcript.

Remarks by President Biden in Press Conference | The White House

East Room 4:02 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Hello, folks. Thanks for being here. Well, good afternoon, everyone. Tomorrow will mark one year since I took office. It’s been a year of challenges, but it’s also been a year of enormous progress. We went from 2 million people being vaccinated at the...

www.whitehouse.gov

And so, I think what you’re going to see is that Russia will be held accountable if it invades. And it depends on what it does. It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not do, et cetera.

But if they actually do what they’re capable of doing with the forces amassed on the border, it is going to be a disaster for Russia if they further ingra- — invade Ukraine, and that our allies and partners are ready to impose severe costs and significant harm on Russia and the Russian economy.

Yup, his statement is on the record, and it isn't what you're saying it is.

 

[jcpro]

Biden Says Russia Can Invade Ukraine So Long As They Avoid Hunter’s Gas Company

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a surprise move, President Biden gave Russia the green light to launch an invasion into Ukraine, with the small caveat that they don't blow up the oil company paying for Hunter's art lessons.

babylonbee.com

 

[bigdickdean]

You don't know half of it. Denmark is amassing an invasion force in Greenland to take the Canadian arctic, before USA moves in. I believe USA and Denmark has come to an agreement of Peace in our time.

Thank you Neville Chamberlain.