this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2024
483 points (96.4% liked)

Ukraine

8227 readers
690 users here now

News and discussion related to Ukraine

*Sympathy for enemy combatants is prohibited.

*No content depicting extreme violence or gore.

*Posts containing combat footage should include [Combat] in title

*Combat videos containing any footage of a visible human must be flagged NSFW


Donate to support Ukraine's Defense

Donate to support Humanitarian Aid


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

what a muppet.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Is there any hint of a reason why Putin would ever be scared of Taurus missiles?
from a glance, they look very equivalent to the british storm shadows Ukraine already gets.

Not that Germany shouldn't supply, it just seems that this ultimatum is a purely political idea about the upcoming german elections.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago

Also, what would even be the end of the war? By Putin logic complete and unconditional surrender by Ukraine would also be the end of the war.

Merz's threat is not "fuck off behind 1991 borders within 24 hours". Complete smoke and mirrors shitshow.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 day ago

Merz ist a Joke and he will most certainly not pull through if the Trump Administration interferes. Just another US Puppet, which in Turn is a Russian puppet... so yeah, just a stunt.

[–] [email protected] 71 points 2 days ago

Don't trust him. Merz is and always has been a bullshitter. He is angling for votes.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago

We are in WW3.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

It’ll be interesting to see how much the Allies game kicks up in the next 2 months now that the Orange Potato and Elon Musk were elected President.

I hope it’s effective.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The new fragrance, Orange Potato Musk. Mmmmmm

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Now I’m trying to figure the bottle and cologne ad for Orange Potato Musk.

[–] [email protected] 144 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 139 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Don't get your hopes up. Merz would sell his own mother if it raised his chances of getting elected. He's just listening to what's unpopular about the current government and claiming to do whatever is the exact opposite. A lot of it is just hot air from yet another populist.

I expect him to continue support for Ukraine though, so that's good at least.

[–] [email protected] 82 points 2 days ago (8 children)

Hell, I'm in support of Merz selling his own mother if it means more support for Ukraine.

... I may be in a dark place right now.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 2 days ago (7 children)

Plot twist: his mom is the youth sweetheart of Putin from his vacations in East Germany, the break up is what turned him into a violent autocrat, her return could heal his little broken heart and make him the tsar of love and harmony.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 days ago (2 children)
load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (6 replies)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh, now voting for Trump (and nothing else would voting for Merz be) is fine?
Hypocrite.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Is Merz really Trump-level bad? I know only the basics of German politics (what each party roughly is)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Tue be completely honest that would be more like the AfD. But Merz recently cried about how the "Brandmauer" to them was forced upon them by the media and he or his party never used the term.
Which was a lie of course, his then general secretary used it first in like 2021 and shortly after he used it as well. It's just that it was more popular at the time to deny any plan with working with them. And those fucks sure didn't get less shitty over time.

He also said the other day he'd do deals with Trump. Whatever those are supposed to be.

Edit: Forgot the conclusion: Not quite literally a facist like the shit smelling convict, but not all that much better either.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Well, certainly not thrilled about the prospect of Merz, then. Hopefully this position ends up shared amongst the other candidates, though.

He also said the other day he’d do deals with Trump. Whatever those are supposed to be.

tbf, everyone is saying that, in part because "One of the biggest nations in the world just elected a moron we can't work with" is considered undiplomatic, whereas "we'll do deals" gives the illusion of hope and an out if Trump demands something ridiculous (as he inevitably will).

load more comments (6 replies)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Honestly Merz does a lot of shit, but he is for pro Ukranian action, which is relativly unpopular. The issue is more, that he has never been in government and a lot of his other ideas are horrible.

Also the CDU is in parts very pro Russia. Kretschmer comes to mind.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Honestly Merz does a lot of shit, but he is for pro Ukranian action, which is relativly unpopular.

It's not unpopular, the Putin bootlickers just shout louder. The majority still approves supporting Ukraine: https://koerber-stiftung.de/presse/mitteilungen/deutsche-wollen-mehr-in-europaeische-sicherheit-investieren/

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

That's OK. If this. Message is popular it pushes his opponent in this direction too.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

There is only two opponents to Ukraine aid in the current federal parliament. The neoliberal FDP who just got booted out of the government and wanted to use Ukraine aid to ransom away social security, infrastructure investments and work towards mitigating climate change, and the fascist Putin financed AfD. The FDP is Merz favorite potential next coalition partner, if they should make it to parliament again. The AfD is what Merz is working towards since three years, but cannot make a coalition yet, because he needs to work more on normalizing them first. This currently happens on local and state level.

Merz is only been "pro Ukraine" because Scholz messed up regarding Taurus missiles and because the FDP used it as ransom to ruin other aspects of the state budget. Merz focused on this message as a driving wedge in the dysfunctional, now broken coalition. There is little reason to believe, that he is genuinely caring about Ukraine, or that he would make that a deciding factor in coalition negotiations.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 116 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Merz says a lot of things when the day is long, especially when elections are getting closer.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 days ago

Thank you for the perspective.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago

Halt dein Maul, Merz!

[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 days ago (1 children)

“I am also willing to promise anything to get elected”

  • slaacaa (LM-MY)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Finally some leadership. Biden has been slow walking aid this entire war, to Russia's benefit.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Let's see how big on words he is once he's out of opposition. Either way his leadership comes at the cost of him being a 90s style neo libertarian with his own private plane. Other than that he is conservative through and through.

So (I) expect no big investments into health care, education, green technology or public transport but more in tax cuts for the wealthy and investments into "new and revolutionary technologies that will solve all our problems for sure bro" and individual transport infrastructure (which tbh would actually be needed since the German infrastructure is in a pretty bad state with a lot of highway bridges being at the end of their life cycle but on the other hand schools and healthcare are in dire need of investments too). And for all the problems we just blame migrants and strengthen right wing populist positions.

Soo yeah, not really happy with him, not really happy with anyone else atm.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 14 hours ago

ah, wasnt aware he was a conservative. Thats unfortunate. Lately it seems like all the conservatives are paid off by Putin-- this one seems to have not gotten his check.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Wow. The same "we'll easily end this war" bullshit that Trump is spewing. That didn't take long.

When this moron takes over (and he will), it's gonna get real bad.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

"End the war or I'll arm the shit out of Ukraine" is different from "end the war please daddy I'll let you have half of Ukraine."

Sounds like this guy is a piece of shit though so who knows.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 days ago (1 children)

if something like this works (I am guessing only if many EU countries follow suit) then maybe us Americans can suffer 4 years of Trump in exchange for Ukrainian freedom.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago

As an american, I'll suffer the bullshit that the right does, if it means Ukraine gets to still exist. Give me some of their pain. I wish I could take that for them.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Noise from a political candidate who will do something if and when he gets elected.

To quote the Spartans, "If".

Glad to see someone in Europe is growing some balls about standing up to Russia though

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 days ago

sorry to break it to you, but Merz is a populist. He will tell you everything to get voted.

And, frankly, he is a real dickhead. The little Trump of Germany.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 days ago

The Spartans got annihilated so maybe not a great group to quote.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (5 children)

Oh I'm sure the thought of two dozen cruise missiles will straighten Putin out ASAP.

For starters, this would not be a new or unprecedented capability for the Ukrainians.

If Germany had several hundred to part with immediately, and the capacity to regularly replenish those stocks, that would make a significant difference on the battlefield, but I doubt it would make Putin sue for peace.

But of course, Germany does not have those kind of stockpiles or manufacturing capacity to maintain that.

Still, it would be nice to see more European politicians picking up the banner of supplying Ukraine in the face of likely diminished, or eliminated, American transfers.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Oh, believe me...we have that manufacturing capabilities. I live near where parts of Taurus are made... It's just that there's no "demand" and the bundeswehr doesn't have enough money to just order them to stockpile.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Capability and capacity are two very different things.

Yes, I understand the manufacturing capability exists, but it's capacity is limited i.e. existing facilities could not maintain a strategically significant production volume relative to Ukraine's needs, much less to deter Putin.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

The Taurus KEPD-350 is a German-Swedish air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by Taurus Systems ... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurus_KEPD_350

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Makes sense, that’s such a Taurus thing to do

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 days ago

Wow, I thought I was on NCD for a second.

load more comments
view more: next ›