German media outlets Süddeutsche Zeitung, WDR, and NDR also cite the report, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin appears intent on testing NATO’s Article 5 guarantees. The alliance’s mutual defence clause obliges member states to come to one another’s aid if attacked. The assessment suggests Putin may seek to challenge how seriously that commitment would be honoured.

  • Richard@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    They barely could handle a war with small Ukraine, a full scale war with NATO is a no-go; and I’m quite certain Putin won’t live that long

    • ManicMambo@lemmy.world
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      Presidents have access to the best medical resources, and Putin seems to be in fine shape. He could live 10 more years. I’m saying that in the hope of a pleasant surprise.

      • Richard@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Trump might be an idiot, but he is not so much of an idiot to take on the entirety of Europe, who, likely when this happens will have new allies besides the US

        • Empricorn@feddit.nl
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          Trump might be an idiot, but he is not so much of an idiot

          I’m gonna stop you right there. Every time we underestimate Trump he shows there is no low and/or stupidity he won’t sink to. He’s credibly accused of being a Russian asset and has done everything Putin could have possibly wanted in terms of weakening western power and alliances. In like 3 months. Do I think he’ll attack the UK or something? No. But he may very well do everything possible to help Russia, including giving them weapons and hurting their enemies…

        • endeavor@sopuli.xyz
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          I don’t think you understand that trump is not only dumb he is also a russian asset. Sure actual evidence is shaky but when there is someone squatting with their pants down, only an completely insane person would claim they are in the process of laying chicken eggs.

          • Damage@feddit.it
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            3 days ago

            A war between the US and Europe would drag in the rest of the world, nowadays that would end in planetary annihilation

            • Captain Aggravated@sh.itjust.works
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              3 days ago

              If we keep it conventional, we could bring about a new dark age. It would have to go nuclear before we start wondering if the deep sea tube worms will survive. We can definitely end humanity unilaterally, we might need Russia’s help to boil the oceans.

              • Tiresia@slrpnk.net
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                Nuclear war would actually cool the oceans. All nuclear bombs combined contain about the same energy as Hurricane Katrina or a small supervolcano eruption. There would be a small fraction of a degree of temporary increase in global atmospheric temperatures, quickly overwhelmed by the nuclear winter as ash and dust in the upper atmosphere reduce global temperatures by several degrees for several years.

                The only way I see humanity boiling the oceans is by deliberately releasing global-industrial quantities of super-effective greenhouse gases, actively designed to make the Earth as well-insulated as possible.

        • AngryPancake@sh.itjust.works
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          3 days ago

          Trump will do anything in the safety of his home if he feels like it benefits him. If it has no negative impact for him, he doesn’t care. That’s why he could start a war with anyone, because he wouldn’t go to the front.

        • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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          There’s a chance Trump’s successor as fuhrer will be more directly militaristic, but only a chance. Most likely, Putin is still expecting Europe to fold and submit this time he escalates. Probably because he’s misread the complacency of the West over the past two decades as a weakness of personality.

          likely when this happens will have new allies besides the US

          Who are you thinking of? Canada’s a “shoe in” if you’ll take us, of course, but anyone else?

          • Richard@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            we may actually see a change in status-quo when it comes to china, it is also possible that europe starts warming up more to india, indonesia, brazil and other lesser powers are relations with the US deteriorates, these are the ones i would put my money on when it comes to new allies

            • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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              Hmm. Would that be politically viable? If they’re coming to your rescue militarily the relationship has to be deeper than just trade.

          • CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            Isn’t Europes combined military budget halfway to the moon at this point? Last I heard 180 billion and climbing not including induvidual countries efforts. Missread is a bit of an understatement.

            • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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              Yeah, even he has to know that if Europe does fight back (as you and me know it would) it will go poorly for him.

        • Digestive_Biscuit@feddit.uk
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          3 days ago

          I’m sure Trump would do what he is doing with Ukraine now, and what America has done in the past. Provide assistance for a massive cost.

        • ImNotThatPokable@lemmy.world
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          I don’t know… These last few years have led me to never underestimate stupidity. Not that I think this would happen, because I don’t think Americans would allow that.

        • varyingExpertise@feddit.org
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          Trump might be an idiot, but he is not so much of an idiot to take on the entirety of Europe

          I don’t think he’ll have to. With Europe busy infighting and a war on the eastern border, he can snack up Greenland just as he’s planning to. Nobody will do anything about it at that point.

    • lepinkainen@lemmy.world
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      They’ll make it ✨ inconvenient✨ for people.

      Sabotaging water sources (already practiced this in Finland), power stations (happened in Sweden), cutting undersea cables.

      Way too many people are willing to let other people die rather than be inconvenienced.

    • Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de
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      3 days ago

      Clearly, Putin underestimated Ukraine at the beginning of his invasion. But Russia can maintain the war against Ukraine for a long time to come.

      Putin has no other choice: the entire Russian economy is dependent on war and armaments and would collapse if peace were concluded. Putin could no longer control his country without an external enemy.

      Hence his narrative of the “Nazis” who must be fought in Ukraine (and soon on other borders (see Suwalki Gap)). This narrative of the Nazis ties in with the russian history of the Great Patriotic War, and this resonates with the Russian population. Putin is building a sequel to WWII, with renewed external threats, and the people are receptive to that.

      Therefore, Putin is not at all interested in a peace treaty. And the conflict with NATO countries has already begun: the severed power cables and data cables in the Baltic Sea and the attacks on our information systems should have been regarded as acts of war from their beginning. The threat is there NOW. And Europe and NATO must build up strength.

      • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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        Clearly, Putin underestimated Ukraine at the beginning of his invasion. But Russia can maintain the war against Ukraine for a long time to come.

        Barring help from the US, I would be shocked if they don’t have hyperinflation within 15 months. Maybe they can keep going through that, or maybe not.

    • el_bhm@lemm.ee
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      2 days ago

      Kremlin believed that Ukraine was a country that would fall to their knees, bend over and happily join them.

      Now they are taking their time and bomb civilians, infrastructure.

      They are taking their time. This is not an inability. This is a deliberate breaking of Ukraine’s back.

      Painting russia as unable to take over Ukraine by force is also false. They could throw enough meat to take over. Without blinking an eye.

      Ask yourself. What is more beneficial? Ukraine partisants that keep sabotaging them after a violent takeover? Or disappointed and frustrated Ukraine after it slowly collapsed?

      There were SS groups that consisted of volunteers from the conquered countries.

      Never discredit an enemy. It serves no one but them.

        • kerntucky@infosec.pub
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          2 days ago

          Interesting. Why block the whole instance? Have you seen a lot of lemm.ee users parroting propaganda? I didn’t realize that instance was so bad.

          • Angry_Autist (he/him)@lemmy.world
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            Over the months the amount of shit from that instance has convinced me they have zero value or worth, among others

            I mean, ymmv, for all I know their ideals may resonate with you, but for me I am more than convinced it is a proper choice.

            On reddit, 2/3rds of the time I spent there in the last few years has been blocking people to curate my engagement

            Lemmy makes it so easy, I don’t have to do it one at a time now.

            So my procedure is thus: after the 5 rancid comments in a day from users of any given instance, I go and browse the instance. If I keep finding unchallenged rancid replies, then fuck that instance. Lemm.ee has been on my radar for a while now