How Putin (Accidentally) Re-United Europe - TLDR News

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For a while now European unity has been struggling, with members of the union attempting to push the bloc in very different directions. However, despite his intentions, Putin hasn't furthered this strain he's accidentally united Europe.
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[@Red0543]

As an Russian expert here in Sweden once so eloquently put it: “What makes Putin so difficult to predict is that he is prone to taking actions that works directly against his own goals.”

[@Jo.King_]

ogh Sweden, that mighty power that gave us Greta Thunberg

[@mcr2356]

@@Jo.King_ I'm struggling to find what your point is.

[@ralphjimenez3191]

As someone who is not an expert. May I ask, besides the war in Ukraine are there some more examples?

[@nathanaelsmith3553]

@@mcr2356 I think he either doesn't like Greta's views, or the fact that she's an outspoken young woman. Or maybe he doesn't like foreigners. Or all of the above. It must really annoy him that she's widely respected and admired. She wouldn't have any opinion on him. If I had to choose I'd rather be her than him.

[@eriklagergren7124]

To quote someone I know "Putin is the type to stomp out your sandcastle if he desn't get his way" and that kid has nukes.

[@Plopi]

Putin: I don't like NATO so I'll be giving it more reasons to exist.

[@bimalpudasaini3576]

He also increased military spending of NATO countries, which is money wasted from tax payers. It is win-win for everyone but those active in war.

[@Pobotrol]

Doesn't want NATO as a neighbour, so invades Ukraine and moves closer to NATO.

[@SimplyVanis]

@@bimalpudasaini3576 Doubt. Military will always be needed as long as stupid autocrats will rule, this war set back Chinas ambitions to go for Taiwan, but in next decade there will 100% another war like Ukraine for Taiwan... So us militarizing can put Chinas ambition of Taiwan to rest if West will have big enough navy and EU expands theirs

[@Thor.Jorgensen]

@@bimalpudasaini3576 Do you think Putin gives a shit if your money is spent on you buying a new car and a new computer? He most certainly gives a shit if your money is spent on building a new Leopard Tank, an F35 Fighter Jet, or a truckload of NLAWs or Javelins. If it ends with war with Russia and your car and apartment get bombed to shit, you'll wish that it was spent on any of the above.

[@jerski14344]

@@bimalpudasaini3576 spending 2% on military budget is no biggie.

[@neymarjunior5804]

Putin also did another good job: reducing respect for Russia in Latin America. Putin's support for Maduro and Ortega regimes in Venezuela and Nicaragua have been poorly received by us already.

[@ratatosk8935]

And we Europeans are crouching back to the rejected trade treaty with mercosur and asking for new options on it. It's also an opportunity, getting a second big player as trade partner: Latin america could be next china. But maybe with less uygur concentration camps and more respect to boundaries. I hope the first signs in this direction the last days will lead into a good partnership and a stabil Latin America in the next decades. I really hope.

[@neymarjunior5804]

@Block Lord Unfortunately, our government in Brazil, like most Latin American nations, lack a sense of justice and full of corrupt people. It can't be fixed entirely in just a short term, but we need to look at inspiration like Chile, Uruguay, Costa Rica or Panama. These nations aren't perfect, but better be like them.

[@TylerSolvestri]

Latin America is in the mud and is going further. If Africa rises Latin America will be the bottom of the world.

[@MichaelDavis-mk4me]

@@TylerSolvestri That's a big if, Africa has the same problem as Latin America but worst.

[@jeckjeck3119]

@Block Lord Those can be confiscated if China misbehaves. As long as you keep people in power away from China's influence.

[@tchunzulltsai5926]

Imagine Putin as a HOI4 player, he probably just clicked the national focus "Unite Europe" without looking into the details.

[@flying0possum]

World Tension: 76%

[@ГеоргиСтатев-л6о]

Peaceful integration and Russia First mutually exclusive focuses lol

[@_d--]

🤣🤣

[@carlossaraiva8213]

I approve this coment

[@tchunzulltsai5926]

Also judging by the poor logistic condition, it looks like he didn't check the current meta in No Step Back as well. Quite a noob...

[@Fimbulvinter19]

Time to give Putin the Napoleon award from Yes, Minister. Awarded to any leader who makes the greatest contribution to European unity. In this case, by rallying them into unity against a common enemy in him.

[@christophermichaelclarence6003]

Putin made us 🇨🇵🇩🇪 more united Napoleon Bonaparte would be like our French President Macron France and our neighbor's Germany would get their revenge against Russia (Napoleonic War French last battle against Russia Borodino 1812 and Leipzig 1813) (German last battle against Russia WW2 Stalingrad 1945)

[@arwing20]

@@christophermichaelclarence6003 Yet he was destroyed by Germanic peoples at Waterloo (English, Prussian, Dutch) P.S. Stalingrad was 1943 not 1945

[@ibnu9969]

@@christophermichaelclarence6003 the Germans already had their dose of Berlin 1945, would you French like to have some Paris 2022 too?

[@robertbones326]

Napoleon is arguably the greatest military general of all time. Putin ain't Napoleon.

[@christophermichaelclarence6003]

@@arwing20 True. Our Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte last battle was Waterloo 1815 You forgot the Battle of Borodino 1812 and Leipzig 1813 against russians

[@samueltrusik3251]

"Is Putin helping us or destroying us?" "Yes."

[@uldisbergvalds1]

@Quentin Styger i sm confusion

[@jeckjeck3119]

@@stipebalenovic6497 Russia deserve no due process:/

[@rajlowkie6616]

UKRAINE foreign minister said PUTIN SHOT HIMSELF IN FOOT.

[@invictor2761]

destorying you. west = no match for russia

[@jeckjeck3119]

@@invictor2761 Is that why Putina is so afraid of the west?

[@lidiasantoro3098]

If there is a silver lining to this horror of a war, it might be that Western Europe and the USA start to finally realise how much of a privalage freedom and democracy is. Eastern Europeans know this by hard experience.

[@DiamondAppendixVODs]

For a russian, freedom and democracy seem like an unreachable luxury

[@Random_person98]

I´m Spanish and I wish half of my country (no kidding) would stop voting left. There´s a political party in our country that literally supports Russia. It´s absolutely disgusting and I feel ashamed of being Spanish atm.

[@gerg5555]

@@Random_person98 Sounds like the Spanish left is just out of touch. There is nothing leftist about Russia anymore, and they need to understand the times.

[@yoannbelleville7763]

@@Random_person98 Funny. Here in France, it' the right (especially the far right) who usually support Russia. Though they have backtracked on that since the invasion. Can't afford to rout for invading dictators at 1 month from the elections.

[@bucherregaldomi9084]

@@Random_person98 Russia is not a leftist country. Putin is just an idiotic nationalist right winger (make the USSR great again).

[@timefliesaway999]

The fact that Switzerland is no longer neutral is probably the biggest surprise I can already see that every future student will remember always this during a test lol

[@paul1979uk2000]

Yeah I didn't think Switzerland had it in them lol.

[@devaneyjohn5349]

It's also a big headache in this whole mess. I mean, Switzerland acting as neutral ground guaranteed that there would always be a place where two countries in conflict can actually negotiate peace agreements or conduct other business without having to worry that the locals officially favour one side over the other. Switzerland coming out in support of the Ukraine is amazing, yes, but that also makes finding another neutral meeting point something of a massive pain in the rear going forward.

[@Zappina]

Its the biggest problem as well. Rich people put their money there so it would be safe from political shitstorms. Now they had to put it elsewhere.

[@devaneyjohn5349]

@@Zappina They had to do that years ago, thanks to Switzerland opening its books so that foreign tax collection organisations could see where their targets' money had gotten off to. Worst decision the Swiss ever made from a Swiss standpoint.

[@greendsnow]

Oh they are neutral when they're keeping other dark blood money. Don't worry, it's just a show. Russia can bypass it through Brittish, French and Dutch offshore companies, that are set for some other companies in other countries, etc etc the inception goes on...

[@Ioria89]

Giving a common enemy has always been a powerful way to unite people.

[@celtspeaksgoth7251]

Germany needs a Bismarck instead it has the good soldier Svejk.

[@dadikkedude]

That's why we create them

[@Ioria89]

@@dadikkedude in this case they created themselves by attacking Ukraine.

[@CJ-fs1zr]

That’s why POC make fun off whyts

[@danielbrown8943]

We can actually thank him for that. Feeling is quite strong. Increases in spending, Germany finally starts to re-arm properly. NATO countries coming together. Thanks Russia.

[@DoubLL]

I mean... I wouldn't thank him for starting a war which is cilling thounsands. But I do feel that a strong and united EU has been desperately needed for many years now, and it's very ironic that Putin really hurt many of the most vocal political opponents of the EU, since many of them had strong ties to russia.

[@cy-one]

As a German, it's so weird to be cheered on for increasing our military. Especially by French or Polish.

[@notroll1279]

@PrestonSartorius I think it's a cyclical matter - after the Soviet Union collapsed, there was a time window when parts of military budgets could be reallocated to other purposes, but there is always the need to look out for signs that things may turn nasty again. The defence savings of the nineties and noughties have been enormous but apparently most European countries missed the signs to crank up defence spending again after Putin took Crimea. Sweden was one of the few countries to do just that - smart....

[@mlar6836]

@PrestonSartorius urban warfare is ALOT different then your average "war"

[@Llortnerof]

@PrestonSartorius Even if the Russian army in particular isn't, there needs to be preparation for the possibility that some other country has aspirations and an army that is a threat. And the US has been moving in a rather concerning direction for the last decades. What Putin showed wasn't how dangerous Russia is, but that you can never guarantee there won't be somebody trying to attack you, even if they have no practical reason to do so from _your_ perspective.

[@JustAnNPC69]

The US and EU should realised that their democracy and freedom can always be threatened when they got too comfortable with their policies of appeasement and turning a blind eye to countries like Russia.

[@sidrolf]

@Block Lord that's the thing with communist regimes - it is not enough to have their countries turn into shitholes, others must become shitholes too

[@Technicallyaddicted]

Bro we already like that in the US. Our government is just better at hiding it. Hell I’m surprised I can say half the stuff I do. I feel like any day now I’m going to be black bagged and Jon doe.

[@jeckjeck3119]

@@Technicallyaddicted It's mostly GOP. Who is Putin's puppet party.

[@claudekingstan4084]

And the CCP and NK

[@claudekingstan4084]

@Block Lord agree. If we do not rid the world of Communists, we will soon meet another Putin and the end of the world nuclear threat. The world should have removed the CCP from China after it expelled the real China to Taiwan.

[@hareezkaikyou]

If Putin had played EU4, he probably knew how high his Aggressive Expansion is

[@AllenorLP]

looking at how he is scrambling for a reason for the war it was propably even a no CB

[@LukeVilent]

Come on, he's not that smart.

[@romanianturk2101]

Modern Era Institution Agressive expansion: 1000% War exhaustion: 100% Technology cost: -20% Tax Modifier: +25% Manpower Modifier: -90% Production efficiency: +50% Stability cost when at war: +50%

[@thetruecyrusplayz1256]

@@AllenorLP He has a CB , its just that its a massive lie.

[@captainufo4587]

It definitely sounds like a EU4 player: aggressive expansion is just a number until you overstep and it's not just a number anymore.

[@philtkaswahl2124]

On the other side of the world, Putin's actions have also even made the usually politically antagonistic South Korea and Japan consider closer cooperation and more involved mutual defense.

[@boarfaceswinejaw4516]

thats another good point. might see something akin to a Pacific alliance to counter the influence of china and russia.

[@philtkaswahl2124]

@@boarfaceswinejaw4516 Hopefully it works out better than SEATO, which collapsed due to internal rivalries.

[@Confron7a7ion7]

@@boarfaceswinejaw4516 This could be a little difficult as Japan is only allowed to have a defensive force. Offensive weapons like ballistic missiles and nukes are completely banned under their constitution which was imposed by the USA after WW2. They also heavily rely on US forces in the area as a deterrent. Any attack on Japan will also be seen as an attack on US forces. It's not impossible though.

[@luishernandezblonde]

There is another reason for this: Putin's actions have tacit support from China, a country whose border is ill-defined, including with South Korea and Japan. Seoul and Tokyo's growing cooperation is not aiming only to Russia, but also China.

[@righthandstep5]

Yep. People's Republic of China is nearby too and watching. Imagine if they partner with Vietnam and Taiwan. PR of China: Shocked Pikachu Face.

[@Nikoxion]

Zelensky has been a huge part of pulling Europe together

[@jpjay1584]

true

[@N0noy1989]

If he run away when the invasion began (like every other president on the planet would, I can't think of any president/prime minister/leader who wouldn't immediately run away) then Ukraine would've been immediately lost and none of this will happen.

[@ABCDEFG-bu1wl]

to Europe being blackmailed by the USA

[@Lykosas]

@@ABCDEFG-bu1wl ok

[@ratatosk8935]

@@Lykosas shhh! Don't feed the troll. ;-)

[@KindOldRaven]

If Putin loses, in the end, that'll be his story. ''I saw the dire times the West was having and decided they needed a common enemy to unite against. Someone had to play that role. You're welcome."

[@quiahjohnson5871]

You can't play Cowboys and Indians without the Cowboy or Red vs Blue without the Red.)

[@FirstnameLastname-cx6go]

Lol and also chem weapon plants

[@alwaysdisputin9930]

@@FirstnameLastname-cx6go I don't understand your point Mr Lastname. If that even IS your name.

[@menmamadrigal1233]

Putin is clearly an anime watcher because I’ve seen this gambit dozens of time in shows

[@ABCDEFG-bu1wl]

USA

[@AnnoyD]

When the pacifist bares their teeth at you, you know you fucked up.

[@TheMrExemplar]

When your smaller neighbors are afraid that you invade them, so you invade them to show that they don't need to be afraid of you

[@fromatoz8597]

EU and entire world needs to declare counter demands to war criminal mr. pukin immediatelly. De-militarization and de-fascistization of russia, 100-fold reparations to Ukraine, and no lifting of sanctions until the complete nuclear disarmament of russia.

[@davidjennings2179]

@@fromatoz8597 You've posted this a few times but clearly don't understand the situation. Putin doesn't answer to Europe or the US. He won't face charges because there are only three outcomes to this - Putin gets deposed by his own people, Ukraine surrenders and Putin stays in power (and untouchable) or, least likely, NATO gets involved and a war starts with nuclear war as and end. Either Putin dies or Putin remains in power - there is no middle ground. No one has the power to do that.

[@SocialDownclimber]

@@fromatoz8597 Yes, the treaty of Versailles fixed everything after WW1 and this is the first war since then.

[@SolitaryLark]

@@davidjennings2179 Ukraine could also just win the conflict

[@davidjennings2179]

@@SolitaryLark As much as I would love for that to happen it isn't realistic. Russia has more to being to the conflict and Ukraine is already going all out.

[@averagegamer1684]

The true 5d chess move by putin. He painted himself as the bad guy, so that he could launch a war and unite the continent sacrificing himself for long term peace. Truly a mastermind

[@fromatoz8597]

EU and entire world needs to declare counter demands to war criminal mr. pukin immediatelly. De-militarization and de-fascistization of russia, 100-fold reparations to Ukraine, and no lifting of sanctions until the complete nuclear disarmament of russia.

[@Random_dud31]

He sacrificed his country though

[@verden2323]

Anime moment

[@Silthurnix]

A hero that will not be recognized... (by me)

[@David-zm3iq]

Lelouch rebellion. Become evil for everyone to unite. All for world peace.

[@ferrariguy8278]

The EU needs to also be looking to a post-Putin Russia, and make plans to help de-Stalinize it (where opportunity arises) so that it can be brought into the European fold.

[@vijfsnippervijf]

*de-Putinize*

[@someonespotatohmm9513]

That was tried after the soviet colapse and failed. It was mostly america and from what i read they where blinded by their capatalist ideoligy so maybe it would go better now. But concidering the large dissagrements between east and west europe I don't give it a big chance of succes. The again EU* is still not having internall wars so even that would be an improvement. edit: change europe to EU because i meant the european union.

[@ferrariguy8278]

@@someonespotatohmm9513 Sort of. The collapse was so unexpected that there was no actual plan. There were just over-arching principless that were conveyed, but that wasn't enough. Not enough focus on institutions and reforming those. The same mistakes don't have to be repeated. This time, plans (like a Marshal Plan) need to be made for if the opportunity arises.

[@tessjuel]

@@vijfsnippervijf De-tzarify ;-) The Russian form of government has been called feudalist, communist or capitalist at various times but in reality it hasn't really changed much for centuries.

[@tessjuel]

@@someonespotatohmm9513 Russia is a European country whether they like it or not, so the war we have right now is an internal European one. I used to live close to the Russian border in northern Norway so I have many Russian friends and I've been over there to visit of course. The people and culture there aren't that much different from the rest of Europe. It's just that they can't get rid of the feudalism the rest of us broke free from centuries ago.

[@vivithegoblindruid]

"A common danger unites even the bitterest enemies" -Aristotle

[@frankyjayhay]

even he could see it coming.

[@erik7999]

Europe is haunted with memories of a crazed maniac who have gotten out of hand on our continent. We are a small little place in this world and very crowded with so many different countries and peoples hence when one countries is under fire, it is likely only a matter of time when the rest of us are too, unless we act with decisiveness and unity. We must press on with our support towards Ukraine and keep doing all we can to restore peace and avoid yet another global disaster.

[@sarahnade8663]

Its for this reason I think that even if Putin withdraws from Ukraine and gives all their land back. The pressure can be lessened somewhat to make things easier on the Russian people but Europe must cut itself off from Russian exports. Renewables, nuclear and finding alternative sellers needs to be a long term ambition for Europe.

[@leifareed]

And the damage is somewhat still done. Although most of us don’t hate russian people (as far as I know), the impression we now have of Russia is changed. I’m talking about the normal people. Many of us grew skeptikal of many of the USA actions over the years, and all of it went out of the window with this Ukraine attack from Russia (not the people themselves, but the country). The country itself will be seen differently for many years onwards.

[@erik7999]

@@leifareed Speaking from my perspective and as someone born in one of the ex Soviet republics, from what I gather is many people do hate the Russian state and not so much regular Russians. The tensions between us and Russian minorities in our country have increased of course, with separatist movements in Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine etc and Russia barging in soon after amplifies them. With some Russians fleeing their country now, not many people want to see them coming in. All this brings back strong memories for everyone who suffered at the hands of Soviet occupants. Even so most people seem to just want to move on and just not interact with Russia at all rather than look for some sort of payback or conflict. Still, no telling how this war will play out. But if someone is to suffer the consequences of it, the Russian people will be first in line and not their rich overlords. It's just tragic.

[@leifareed]

@@erik7999 I totally agree! I’m from southern europe, we probably feel less strongly about Russia than the former soviet countries, my sister lives in Czech Republic and they feel more strongly the current situation, as I think it’s normal, knowing a bit of history. War, no matter where or when, creates a messed up situation each time and normal people pay the price of their leader’s games. (I used too many commas sorry 😖)

[@erik7999]

@@leifareed It's only normal that people from southern/western Europe may feel more neutral about all this. At the end of day, like you say, war is war and it is already causing consequences all over the globe and especially taking inhumane toll on Ukrainian people. Let us hope a cease fire will be negotiated and we can then work from there towards restoring peace for those poor people...

[@MadsBoldingMusic]

Suggesting that Europe is leaderless actually doesn't sit well with me. The point of cooperation must surely be that there is no unilateral leader. Au contraire, Europe has a plurality of leaders. This is a strength.

[@CKW10001]

I have been saying it on these videos for the last few weeks. European is not rudderless and the strong leadership that is needed is been shared by countless people, even across the pond has been in awe of it.

[@arturobianco848]

It's an Angelsaksen thing they just can't rapp there headsaround coalitions. In case of a crisses it does however pay out to have a leadertype who steers the ship. Looks like von der leyen does a good job at the moment. I have to say i'm actually suprised that she would be the one floating to the top and doing a good job.

[@CKW10001]

@@arturobianco848 yep, they all freaked out a few years ago when the conservatives and lib Dems had to share power haha. In Ireland we have 3 parties in government and two of them have been the traditional rival's, it would be like labour and the conservatives going into power together haha. 🤣 Imagine the UK public getting their heads around that one. 🤣🤣🤣

[@jmolofsson]

Don't forget, Mads, that they are English. They don't understand concepts such as cooperation, compromise or team-leader. They are stuck with the _Führerprinzip._

[@dewaard3301]

Someone takes out Putin, and this war comes to an end, and right quick. Take out a European leader, and another one steps right up.

[@DG20202]

i'm a hardcore pacifist which is why I support more military spending. Those who want peace must prepare for war.

[@armingleiner5292]

Si vis pacem para bellum.

[@cheveuxjaunes2782]

I don’t even understand how european nation like germany forget that

[@someonespotatohmm9513]

@@cheveuxjaunes2782 Its hard to make the stupid choise to go to war if you can't go to war. A ideal situation if everyone makes that choise, but not so much when you have unreliable neighbours. Or global superpowers who seem to be "a bit" to trigger happy.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

In EU4, this is what we call a “Coalition”. It’s not good to have a coalition form against you.

[@_d--]

@@das_ollon "Are we the baddies?"

[@ammarhaziq919]

@@das_ollon lol Russia is denied to join NATO since 1995, but NATO invite everyone around Russia loool, even when Russia dont invade anybody at that time.

[@somerandomfrenchguy8638]

Oui mon empereur c'est pas bien

[@whitegold2960]

@@ammarhaziq919 NATO doesn’t invite countries decide to join that’s a big diffrence

[@ammarhaziq919]

@@whitegold2960 then why Russia cant join NATO even after they request it ? If Poland and Norway can join why cant Russia ?

[@mukamuka0]

Putin united the world under one threat... Sauron : That's my boy

[@dragonslayerornstein387]

The Devil: I'm a huge fan

[@sekaihunter9378]

Mustache artist: I will watch your career with great interest!

[@christophermichaelclarence6003]

France : Are you thinking what Im thinking Deutschland ? Germany : Yeah just like bloody old times Frankreich France : This time you're our ally while Russia is the enemy Let's come together and join forces and the rest of European countries You wouldn't get your revenge against russians after what they did to you Germany : hell yeah

[@kolerick]

@@christophermichaelclarence6003 more like: West Francia: "hey, East Francia, Lotharingia, we're cousin, right?" East Francia and Lotharingia: "yes." West Francia: "so, look. There is this big bully down the street that do his thing against our neighbor and he distinctively did threaten some other neighbors, including our little cousins. Maybe it's time we have family feud and, I don't now, go for scrap with some else for a change?" East Francia and Lotharingia: "Game on!" Granddad Charlemagne/Karl der Grosse/Carolus Magnus: "Go for it, kiddos."

[@christophermichaelclarence6003]

@@kolerick True. When France and Germany used to be one Nation back in the Frankish Empire of Emperor Charlemagne 800

[@MaJuV]

Putin also did something else. For years, the US had been complaining to the EU states that a lot of them weren't spending enough on their military budget (the minimum for NATO) and those countries that felt addressed were just shrugging their shoulders in response (like Germany as mentioned in this video). Because of Putin, now every country is reassessing their military spending to the point that it should be.

[@TheOneWhoMightBe]

That alone is a battle Russia can't win; their economy wasn't strong enough before the sanctions to go toe-to-toe with NATO on military spending, let alone now.

[@cautarepvp2079]

@@TheOneWhoMightBe but they can send nukes no?

[@delfinenteddyson9865]

@@cautarepvp2079 why should they tho?

[@beaub152]

@@cautarepvp2079 nukes = we all die, including putin. Let's assume he doesnt want thay

[@АйдарТалипов-д6э]

@@beaub152 if he die first, the world die second. Dont forgot about nuke "dead hand"

[@0xCAFEF00D]

He's also sunk the credibility of the numerous political parties he's financially supporting in Europe. And they've had to push themselves away from his sinking ship hoping they can survive the open sea alone. This is what happens when you don't have a lot of money in politics. Some kleptocratic dumbass can just buy a small party. Not saying we should start following the US's example. I just think that reactions to hearing foreign money went into their coffers should be much harsher than it has.

[@pantalaemon]

Honestly, i hope they ramp up sanctions to the point where people who took his money are liable to give it back. I’d love to watch Thierry and Marine and Salvini have the skin sued off them by the EU.

[@marneus]

Here in Spain the far left started supporting Russia and now they are quiet. Only the Communist Party and Podemos support Putin now.

[@ddandymann]

@Block Lord Same with the far right, although for them they find the nationalist authoritarianism of Putin appealing. That's why there have been many arguments over time that the political spectrum is more of a circle than a straight line with both the extreme ends having more in common with each other than with the centre, although they'd never admit it. Also neither Bernie Sanders nor Justin Trudeau are far left by European standards. Bernie would be considered an average social democrat and would fit right into most centre left European parties. Trudeau is weird because economically he's a neoliberal but socially his policies are all kinds of messed up and he'd be considered pretty socially radical in Europe.

[@patrickkayser]

The news about Germany buying America’sF35s and announcing a huge retrofit and expansion initiative for the eurofighter must have dropped while you were editing this. Video. Usually Germany has preferred to develop all their equipment themselves.

[@Llortnerof]

It's mostly for their NATO duties. F35 is the only reasonable option available on short order certified to carry nuclear weapons. Long-term, they're likely going to focus on the FCAS.

[@ConorD1990]

Seems like the F35 are being bought for the NATO nuclear sharing role that the old Tornados current do (new/upgraded Eurofighter doing the Tornado's EWAR role), and given that the FCAS is still like 20 years out they'll need a stop gap which I imagine us what the F35 will be. Also wouldn't be the first time Germany had bought American, for example the F104 and the F4 saw lots of German service during the Cold War. Also moving forward with the buy drones capable of using lethal weapons is another major policy shift for Germany.

[@MajinOthinus]

@@ConorD1990 Well, to be fair, both the armed drone thing, as well as the issue of the Tornado replacement (or rather considering the F-35 for that again) had already been decided upon in the coaliton treaty. They were at best somewhat accelerated by the events in Ukraine.

[@ConorD1990]

@@MajinOthinus ah right good to know, not German myself so I'm not super up to date on everything particularly with the new coalition government. But yeah as you say things are being accelerated now.

[@cheveuxjaunes2782]

@@Llortnerof From the French point of view and especially from Dassault the purchase of the F35 calls into question the FCAS Moreover, the CEO of Dassault has announced that he has reoriented his team on a plan B that he can carry out alone Dassault is the company that builds the rafale for info

[@annthropomorphous]

It's really the willingness of Ukraine to fight the battle that no one else would that united the West. Ukraine is the young David who has taken up the fight with Russia the Goliath. The world is parched for stories like that.

[@MelkorPT]

No one in the West would pick that fight _voluntarily,_ neither would Ukraine if they had the chance. They also stood and watched while Georgia got their ass whooped.

[@czarkusa2018]

@@MelkorPT I don't see a difference in outrageousness between the Georgia invasion and the Ukraine invasion, what do you believe has made the international response so different this time around?

[@MelkorPT]

@@czarkusa2018 in 2008 most people were focused on the colapse of the economy and many of the people who even noticed believed the Russian lies, myself included. After 2014 any illusions about Russia's intentions were shattered.

[@boarfaceswinejaw4516]

@@czarkusa2018 people were less interconnected, the internet and information sharing was not as powerful, and there was a global depression.

[@MichaelDavis-mk4me]

@@MelkorPT Georgia is a super small country that is far from NATO, super weak militarily and never prepared for the Russian invasion. Even if they did send help, they would have lost before it arrived. The biggest factor here is that Ukraine is in Europe and borders NATO countries.

[@shammy__]

It's like when aliens arrive to earth with hostile intentions and forces the human race to unite in order to defeat this new world enemy.

[@TylerSolvestri]

If the Aliens are advanced enough to arrive this planet and let alone invaded it, we will have 0 chances to stop them.

[@jeckjeck3119]

@@TylerSolvestri If it's Shamalan Aliens, we just have to wait until it rains, LMAO.

[@claudekingstan4084]

The CCP and NK are still here and will plan for sequels to nuke the world.

[@cy-one]

06:23 "A country not even within it's bloc" I can only talk about the German perspective here. Or rather, the perspective I have and that has been shared with me when I talked to other Germans. We consider Ukraine to be European. To us, Europe is under attack. While the Russian people might have a more _factual_ reason to think of Ukrainians as brothers and sisters, many of us still think alongside the same paths. Ignoring distinctions on paper (like EU membership), the people I've talked to see little difference between French, Italian, Spaniards or Ukrainians. To us, they're all European. That is one reason why the support of Ukraine is so massive here. One might dislike tribalism and hope for a time where it plays no role in anything anymore. Until then, the Ukrainians are "us." And "we" are being attacked. Of course we will help.

[@jmolofsson]

Hear!, hear! (...and we have to demonstrate solidarity with Poland, Romania, Slovakia ...and Moldavia!, who can *_not_* be expected to handle all refugees on their own.)

[@TheIdiotPlays]

@@BocaoZ Cope

[@irham191]

Most european consider ukraine as european, but hold negative sentiments toward russia for the past 20 years??

[@cravingtuna1561]

Agreed. The only reason why Ukraine isn't *formally* in the EU is because of Russia.

[@JSCHM]

"I can only talk about the German perspective here. Or rather, the perspective I have and that has been shared with me when I talked to other Germans." - I, as a German, have the same impression in my social circle.

[@jameswatt7249]

He also saved NATO. Ironic really.

[@grmpEqweer]

@SPQSpartacus You might say you're prepared to _Finnish_ Putin. ...ok, I'm going, I'm going.

[@klutzspecter3470]

@SPQSpartacus Finland does not need Nato if they have legendary snipers. But, your membership will be highly appreciated and has the benefit of Complimentary Gift Basket full of guns and fighter jets.

[@klt479]

Putin certainly saved and energized NATO. He is also one of the largest donators of military equipment to Ukraine.

[@MIB_63]

You're mistaking Putin with NATO.

[@cottagetonsillitis]

@@MIB_63 wooosh

[@MIB_63]

@@cottagetonsillitis Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal to Russia years ago. Since 2014 NATO and other countries have supplied Ukraine with weapons that have been used to fight the Russian minority in Western Ukraine.

[@redwoodpartisan2433]

@@MIB_63 well… those nukes only were stored in Ukraine, with Moscow having the button to launch them. So Ukraine could’ve never used them anyway. But this does beg the question… Will North Korea and Iran double down on their nuclear rhetoric, seeing how not having nukes makes them feel even more insecure?

[@SchoolVideosGoHere]

@@MIB_63 They're referring to the large amount of weapons and vehicles Ukranian forces claim to have seized from Russian invaders (with photographic evidence)

[@Kwippy]

The fact that the nations of Europe have far more in common than differences is highlighted here. Nations that share common core values and work together are far stronger, far more resilient than apart

[@celtspeaksgoth7251]

The EU was moribund before this and Covid exposed how paper thin how all that solidarity is. France, Germany & Italy have all made secret deals with Moscow not to do anything. NATO is a prone glove puppet without firm US leadership. So it's time for all those who considered EU some sort of benevolent comfort blanket to wake up to this new normal. Once Putin steps down someone even more vigorous will take his place. The Soviet Union was like the Roman Republic and the Politburo its senate. That institution was superseded by the Roman Empire, one man in charge and the senate relegated - with wars of acquisition fought over centuries. This is the future for generations to come.

[@TheGoncas2]

Applying the sanctions isn't the hardest part: it's actually keeping them and facing its consequences that will be the real challenge.

[@kukulroukul4698]

I'D say ..applying them for good ! there will allways be a country say Italy...that will try to EXPLOIT the whole thing in their favour :(

[@ad_astra468]

@@kukulroukul4698 bruh how tf can Italy exploit the thing in its favour? Gas and petrol prices are trough the roof here.

[@kukulroukul4698]

@@ad_astra468 by just being dumb :) its their speciality

[@cautarepvp2079]

@@ad_astra468 and they will keep raising, i hope car prices drop atleast lmao... cause so far only bad things are happening.

[@AG-yc7vt]

@@kukulroukul4698 Why does Kim Jong un have a bunch of fancy Italian luxury cars?

[@CM-vv8cv]

I used to be fairly in support of Brexit, boy have things changed. The EU's problems are no longer the worst option, and the globalism I once feared, seems to actually be the thing that protects our democratic freedom. Divide and conquer, helps Putin, not us. It's like breaking up the USA into just states, far weaker. I wish we stayed in the EU now, for better or worse.

[@vertigo2894]

And I have argued til I was blue in the face with people like you before, arguing the very same thing but their xenophobia was too strong for them to listen.

[@fernandoamy8278]

It's not the EU that is protecting Europe ...it's NATO. NATO is a military alliance. NATO came into existence before there even was an EU. It includes the USA and Canada, neither of which are part of Europe. It still includes the UK even though they left the EU. You don't have to be a member of the EU to be a member of Nato. You also don't have to be a member of NATO to be a member of the EU.The EU is primarily a protectionist trading bloc.

[@fatboyRAY24]

@Block Lord Is "woke" another word for "open-minded" and "considerable"? BTW Nato isn't responsible for trade, so countries deciding to get into bed with Russia was their own doing. Even so, if climate science is to be believed then trading with Russia is well worth the risk considering the alternative hellscape of a world that'll be left over if nothing is done immediately.

[@CM-vv8cv]

@@vertigo2894 Then you should've tried to do something more than just cry racism. There were valid issues within the EU, and there are many people who are against globalism. I have changed my mind, but I know it wasn't just a xenophobic argument.

[@solsunman383]

@@vertigo2894 That's a very simplistic argument. Brexit was a mess. There was so much going on there that to say that it was just 'Xenophobia' is laughably ridiculous. Euroscepticism in the UK largely grew out of a sense of being abandoned by the EU, from the failure of the EU to assist during the Winter of Discontent, to the lack of engagement from the EU political structure with the British people. The fact of the matter was that there just wasn't much of an EU presence here. There were no high profile European institutions in the UK and the British press rarely mentioned political developments in the EU, apart from to describe them as foreign doings. And when the EU did become headline news, it was often to talk about the migration crisis and the failure of EU leadership. As such, it didn't seem like such a loss for a large part of the British public - the EU was a foreign political institution, kept afloat by poor economic policies and Britain would be well rid of it. I'm not saying Brexit was the right thing to do (it probably wasn't). But voting for it wasn't stupid or xenophobic (though i'm sure some people were and Nigel Farage definately was). 2016 was a very different place and saying that Brexit was what started all this mess (which some people claim), or that somehow anyone could predict how catastrophic things would become, is quite frankly naive. It's also worth bearing in mind that the EU has changed post-Brexit and has used the crisis to address many of it's economic and political issues. If the EU had faced the Ukraine crisis in 2016, I expect Ukraine would have been chucked under the bus (which is precicely what the EU did in 2014). Moving forward, things are potentially more positive. The EU has weathered Brexit and emerged stronger. They are also taking a decisive role in the current crisis and are demonstrating a clear need for purpose, something that have never done on this scale before. One consequence is that euroscepticism is dying an ignoble death in the UK and I would expect there to be a pressure to apply for EU membership build in UK politics in the coming years, especially if the EU begins to act as a safeguarding buffer for Eastern Europe and the UK continues to co-operate with European security in Poland and Estonia.

[@paul1979uk2000]

I don't think he saved the EU, the EU was fine before this but I think he's put the EU on the road to more integration, especially on security and military matters, also some eastern European members like Poland and Hungary might tone down their authoritarian paths now the people are seeing the risks that can lead to as we see in Russia. Putin has shown how important the EU, NATO and the western alliance is and why they need to stick together, especially if China starts to play games. The funny thing is about all this, I said to my brother a few years ago that Putin, Trump and Brexit are the best friends of the EU and they don't even know it, anything that's seen as a threat in trying to create division would likely end up creating more unity, being that those 3 things were trying to divide the EU countries, make them weaker with the aim of taking advantage of them, that was always going to backfire at some point, it kinda did with Brexit but it really has now with Putin in that Putin might have speeded up integration in the EU by decades which will be interesting to see the next 10 years. Not only that, if there were any countries that wanted to leave the EU, I think the odds of that are a lot smaller now and on top of that, more countries are wanting to join it because it's a safe haven, it wouldn't surprise me if public mood in the UK starts to shift on the EU which might actually allow them to rejoin sooner than expected because with Brexit, I thought the UK wouldn't be able to rejoin for at least 2 to 3 decades, now with everything change and if there is the political will in the UK, it could happen in 10 years, but that really depends on future governments in the UK and what the EU and it's members decide, France might still block it. Either way, this has been a disaster for Putin and it's played right into the hands of pro Europeans, it's also showing a lot of potholes into a lot of the arguments of Eurosceptics, probably why Macron in France is doing so well in the polls, likely because he's been vindicated in what he's been saying for years about what the EU needs to do, now a lot more people are waking up to that fact. Still I have to say, what a time for the UK to leave the EU when we really need to be in it with everything going on.

[@joachimfrank4134]

I also think the EU would have been fine. But I think Putin saved NATO. It was called brain-dead and obsolete. Quarrels between members and always the question, if it is still needed.

[@Sinyao]

I'm unsure about the UK rejoining the EU that much sooner. My prediction is that the EU will try to leverage its stance to force the UK to accept more concessions than previously done to be a member.

[@the__rock263]

As Polish I can say that thanks to this war current party in power (PiS) has increased popularity so with that toning authoritarianism, not really.

[@the__rock263]

In Hungary there will be elections in April, so we will see how things there develop

[@NerddyKat]

There is nothing authoritarian in Poland right now. Thats the bullshit narrative by Russian puppet Schroeder that everyone hang up on. I am sick of naive Polish people thinking they have it bad. Want authoritarian? Go to Russia or China. If not, get a life, job or whatever and stop being a sheep.

[@da90sReAlvloc]

How Putin saved Europe but destroyed Russia

[@ElBandito]

Europe probably still sees Russia as an Asiatic horde.

[@da90sReAlvloc]

@@ElBandito true

[@louisbeerreviews8964]

@@da90sReAlvloc no putin don’t save Europe

[@da90sReAlvloc]

@@louisbeerreviews8964 joke it's a joke

[@ottomanosman2463]

Russia thought it could destroy NATO. Instead, it helped to remind we Turks that why we joined NATO at the first place. Thanks Putin.

[@dewaard3301]

And just like that, I forgot what we were quarrelling about. Glad to have you aboard, Turkey. Or is it Türkiye now? Saygılarımızla, NATO

[@johnh8615]

Ain’t that the clear as day truth. You guys are in the hot seat right there. And in control of one of the most strategic waterways on the planet. 👍🇦🇺

[@ottomanosman2463]

@@dewaard3301 well just call it Turkey. Türkiye is not a wrong way to speak but I think it will take time.

[@ottomanosman2463]

@@hotovodone True. Erdogan is not our choice anyway.

[@Giganfan2k1]

@@hotovodone Fair. I see a lot of connection with the dominionist branch of the US conservative movement. I think Ataturk's seeds have been planted. Socially those seeds were planted so far away from most people to take care of them. A lot of younger people who grew up in a much more secular society really sees the benefits of the framework. They are fighting for it.

[@user-uyumo8g44x]

4:40 Again, Germany does not increase defence spending to 100B€. We do increase annual defence spending to at least 2% of our GDP and IN ADDITION, there is a one time extra budget of 100B€.

[@alexd9134]

So that means it's more or less 70B€ per year which puts Germany in 4th place close to 3rd place India who spend 2B more but way behind china (250B) and USA (780B for some reason)

[@mp4373]

Yes, he missed that and the fact that the EU has doubled its spend to Ukraine to 1 Billion Euro

[@jeckjeck3119]

@@alexd9134 Germany would be 3rd place. Russian military has exposed itself as anything but.

[@berlindude75]

Expected 2022 GDP of Germany: 4.2 trillion USD Expected future annual defense spending of Germany: 2.2% of GDP (>2% planned to be constitutionally enshrined) Resulting annual defense spending of Germany: 92.4 billion USD Additional one-time defense fund of Germany: 110 billion USD (100 billion EUR)

[@chadgaston8615]

By starting a war in an area where some of the most fierce battles of WW2 were fought. Ukraine even got their own version from the battle of Crete.

[@MajinOthinus]

Except that, you know, the battle of Crete was actually a major success for the invaders, whereas the battle of Hostomel airport was many things, but certainly no success for the Russians.

[@_NIKOS9_NIKOS]

@@MajinOthinus I would call the battle of Crete a success for the invaders considering they lost so many soldiers to the point they stopped using paratroopers for the rest of the war

[@MajinOthinus]

@@_NIKOS9_NIKOS "considering they lost so many soldiers to the point they stopped using paratroopers for the rest of the war" Uh, no, they didn't. There were multiple German paradrop assaults even in the very same theater after Crete. If you don't know what you're talking about, don't act like you do and stop spreading misinformation. Nevermind them achieving a casualty ratio of 4:1 in their favor against an entrenched enemy with double their numbers and without being able to use heavy equipment.

[@lyampetit144]

I think Brexit already did " saved " and reinforced / united the EU but for sure, Putin really did help a lot. But he for sure saved Nato and gave it a real reason to exist

[@pangaea5258]

I don't see how Brexit unified the EU tbh..

[@lyampetit144]

@@pangaea5258 Every single country did join and make block to be sure there wouldn't be another member leaving the EU. And the UK was the country who always tried to slow down " federalization ", who was the most pro-Us member, ...

[@MyILoveMinecraft]

I don't see how brexit saved the EU tbh. It was more another nail into the coffin, honestly without Putin I wouldn't have seen the EU go on another 10 years

[@lyampetit144]

@@MyILoveMinecraft It help to reinforce cohesion between the countries members. Since no leader wanted to see another country leave the EU, so they kinda made a block during the all Brexit process

[@camelemoji2918]

@@MyILoveMinecraft Brexit showed us the chaos of leaving the EU, and ever since the UK has been absent from major foreign matters. Even now, the EU and US are the ones taking the large steps and dealing with Russia. Not only did they show us how horrible it must be for the economy, but also how little influence you have afterwards.

[@connerwills6802]

Hello I’m an American, and I just want to say that we over here couldn’t be prouder. We have always hoped that EU would get along more and be less of a mess. And now seeing Europe United together under a common cause is simply amazing. 🇺🇸 🇪🇺

[@Evan102030]

We'll always keep hoping the US stops being such a mess

[@yesjo1456]

this feels kind of like a weird reply knowing how america is so divided

[@Somethingclever11111]

@@Evan102030 pfft and lose what makes us so fun?

[@oldskoolrools3087]

The problem with Europe (mainland) and the EU is that unlike the US & UK, they very rarely make sacrifices (financial or people) that affects their own prosperity. Many Europeans were invisible during WW2, preferring to leave it to the allies, and even recent history has shown they resist sanctions that might affect their own companies. (eg..BP, shell, Exxon all announced immediately they would sell their Russian assets, likely write them off. France's Total...token gestures. It was the same with Iran). Time will tell if they (EU) really put their money where their mouths are, as the US too often does when it takes a stand

[@MW3G3rmany]

Lmao please take care of your own mess first - you are one country and couldn't be more devided. 😂🤦‍♂️

[@tbk2010]

Likely the EU would have been fine even without this. We survived the greek financial crisis, brexit, a migrant crisis, Trump, various euroskeptic movements, etc. What really changed I think is the attitude in regards to letting even more countries join. Personally I think that that could be fine as long as they get corruption under control and the EU stops centralizing power.

[@jpjay1584]

EU should grow some balls and take off the gloves. Hungarian dictator was too noisy without consequences. there's no free lunch in the EU. (not sure, my statement is naive, but it's about time to show leadership and power)

[@cy-one]

I'm quite happy with EU centralizing more power.

[@Llortnerof]

@@jpjay1584 The EU has been working on that. They just needed to install the proper tools to do so first.

[@Mbeluba]

How did Trump threaten EU?

[@Yume03]

The euro skeptics were in large part backed financially by Russia and fueled by trolls online also curtesy of Russia. Not that we don’t have issues to work out and for sure some were skeptical without Russia’s help but Putin been adding fuel to that fire for years now. He undid all that work in a week by attacking Ukraine.

[@Kyky87]

Orbán is not turned his back on Russia fully, while he is voted for the sanctions, he still insisting that the Russians should build Hungary's new nuclear power plant (called Paks 2), and won't expel the Russian International Investment Bank.

[@gaborhuszar4452]

He is putin's puppet, a liar and a thief. Every move of his, is to weaken the EU and now it seems to weaken NATO also.

[@jeckjeck3119]

@@gaborhuszar4452 People must turn on him! As should all of EU!

[@hasse102]

And we can also thank uk for brexit as they have made it easier for EU to make rapid decisions without uks vetos in the EU parliament.

[@mattwho81]

Hold our star for us. We’ll be back someday.

[@ligmabouls]

@@mattwho81 I doubt that it will be in the UKs favor this time.

[@fabiansaerve]

@@mattwho81 make you ready to loos your pre Brexit statuses and your pounds. You aren’t special anymore!

[@jmolofsson]

@@mattwho81 We will! Particularly if you let go of Scotland as soon as possible. That would be a welcome positive point on your evaluation sheet. 😁

[@MuhammadAli-in1qm]

@@jmolofsson How what's wrong with Scotland? It's the best Country out the whole United Kingdom and the most stunning Country I have ever saw in the World. I'd move there in a heartbeat. England feels like your walking through Damascus 😂

[@Pwn3dbyth3n00b]

Russia: I see you guys are apprehensive about joining NATO and the EU and that's good for us. Russia: I'll show you the reason why you should have joined them.

[@minicampell7726]

Sly Putin thought he was gonna just roll in like in 2014 and everyone would bow down... minor whoopsie

[@Zappina]

They would, without so many "help" to prolong the war. Putin wont stop at all. They had this as a live or die situation. If they dont do this now, they have to do it without munition in the next NATO "expension" to their territory.

[@minicampell7726]

@@Zappina sure because the whole goal of NATO is to attack the biggest nuclear arsenal in the world. He did it because putin really needs smaller countries to bully, unfortunately for him ukraine is not staying put...whoops

[@Zappina]

@@minicampell7726 If you look the history of Russia, you can understand their caution. Besides, if their nuclear arsenal is hampered, Russia is no match against NATO, which was formed against the SU and Russia in general.

[@minicampell7726]

@@Zappina How would Russia's nuclear arsenal be hampered by proximity to NATO? It feels more like Putin is running out of lil countries to bully and he's sad and those countries understandably want to join NATO because they're scared :(

[@Zappina]

@@minicampell7726 With the ABM missiles installed in Romania and planned to install one in Ukraine. It could shoot down missiles in their most vulnerable stage, flying upward. On the East side, the US anti missile system hampering the nuclear capabilities in Alaska. Therefore the russians would only have nukes in subs and bomb in airplanes, both can be shot down before reaching their target.

[@rossbowden6450]

Nothing bring people together like an enemy.

[@wartem]

Hopefully Russia becomes a friendly democracy after Putin's leave.

[@HSgoldbox28]

I really hope that as well.. though, and that would be the harsh truth then, the damaged is done and it will take a lot of time to heal the wounds

[@ez9566]

It is awesome, that big things are happeneing now considering cooperation, yet it is still sad to see that we can only overcome our differences when facing a big crisis

[@patbellytar8475]

So.... What unites humans like nothing else, is a common enemy. And what breaks unity, is disconnect among one's peers. This is an ugly, yet beautiful chain of events.

[@autarchprinceps]

Europe or the EU didn't need "saving" and was and will be "united" unless there is a point on which oppinions are different, which is the point of democracy, not a fault, but it did get strengthened. Still needs to get "its house into order" in so far, as a few operational reforms are still just as necessary, as before.

[@abpire]

@PrestonSartorius Actually they don't basically nothing can be done in the EU, without all members agreeing. And the Composition of the European Parliament heavily favours the smaller states

[@autarchprinceps]

@PrestonSartorius Have too much of a say?! They have the same say as microstates like Malta or other small states, and their peoples votes count significantly less. If I remember right the difference is almost 4.5 times between the smallest and biggest nation in the EU as for how much a vote counts towards the makeup of the EU parliament. The risk Macron was seeing in adding lots of small Balkan countries additionally, is that any one of them gets a lot of power, because they can add to the already existing issue of much needed progress being deadlocked by individual countries blockading attitude. What the EU needs is a real federal country approach. Nations won't immediately go away, but the EU itself should be more made up of provinces of more comparable size, especially population wise, at least as far as the equivalent of the typical directly elected & regional representatives two chamber parliament is concerned. One persons vote must count as close to equal as possible, and it should become less important where that person happens to live. If the nation states want to do their own thing, they still can in their own laws, but should only be able to do so, if that doesn't break fundamental human rights or standards on the EU level.

[@autarchprinceps]

@PrestonSartorius The most controverse issues in the EU in the last decade were various cases of mostly Poland & Hungary violating basic human rights or democracy rules the EU was supposed to enforce, but doesn't actually have the ability to, and the amount of long drawn out debates it takes to create concensus, because every country can essentially veto not only new laws, but the next European budget as well, blocking funding of existing programs, if they don't get what they want in other areas.

[@autarchprinceps]

@PrestonSartorius Well as we have seen, you don't have to be German chancellor for that. For example, when Canada & the EU wanted to create a free trade agreement, the local government of Wallonia in Belgium was able to block it, until it got, what it wanted, because in Belgium Flamish and Wallons have to agree, and in the EU every country needs to agree. So the political power of 3.6 million people was worth the same as the otherwise unanimous 444.1 million Europeans outside of that region. While some protection of minorities is warrented, in a democracy a coalition of enough groups to form a majority should be enough to actually get through policies. You will rarely get total unanimous results. You are argumenting solely from the preservational self interest of a currently overrepresented small nation. Fair would be to treat every EU citizen equally. As for corporations, there are many examples of small nations having lots of power there too. Luxembourg for example is the seat of way more corporations than it should have power, but unless you are proposing a state planned economy, tax uniformity and underdeveloped region funding from the EU, would be the best solution to remediate that long term.

[@Llortnerof]

​@PrestonSartorius Sounds like you listened to much to the Brexiteers. Germany regularly has to go along with initiatives it doesn't like. So does France. At least we don't have the UK blockading things anymore.

[@ronnyskaar3737]

Europe is the beacon of the world. Here democracy evolved, values of the enlightenment, liberty, equality, brotherhood, ideas of seperation of powers, freedom of arts and science. This has been the great dilemma of Europe: we will die for your right to criticise us. We understand your anger. It is time for Europe to stand up for these values. To defend their importance for humanity to survive.

[@intrusivethoughtofthatonetime]

I totally disagree. Putin did not unite Europe, Ukraine did. And Zelensky too. Had Putin taken Kiev in 2 days as he intended initially, Europe would have broken apart even faster. Now as Ukrainians resist, Europe has someone to look up to.

[@adamrak7560]

Even with the best logistics, Putin would have only taken Kiev in 2 days if the government had escaped on the first day, and the army had disbanded. So Putin had expected them to fold like a wet towel, like all puppet regimes do.

[@CrownRider]

Don't mistake pluralism in the EU with "not being unified". Just look at the differences within the UK. The fact there is one Prime Minister in the UK, doesn't mean the individual countries are unified in terms of mentality and temperament. I.m.o. the EU works fine as it is in terms of leadership. There is no absolute leader and support for decisions always needs the maximum efforts. Look at how the UK PM is acting. Do we want that kind of leadership in the EU? I don't think so.

[@ionutzstoica]

absolutly right. E.U is not an imperial authocracy but the opposite so this reflect in this plurality; for someone living in autocratic russia for example this is inconcievable and seems like a weakness but isn't on the long run. It brings valuable ideas and inovations

[@N0noy1989]

And that's why it's amazing they all agreed with the sanctions and aid lol.

[@someonespotatohmm9513]

@@ionutzstoica It is a weakness and a strength. Strong actions are hard to take except in trying times when its easier to get support to just do something. That means that even though relatively little can be done over long periods of time. Anything that is done should be well supported and stable. Its the same risk vs reward of absolute power.

[@_d--]

@@elyrexo because it Is a political/economical organization duh??

[@CM-vv8cv]

@@elyrexo Russia has shown how that isn't something to fear as a European, but as someone with imperialistic ideals looking to Europe. Divide an conquer. Imagine if the US divided into just states, sure it might sound cool but it would be far weaker and less stable. Unity and globalism isn't some big bad guy unless you're on the other team. If only Ukraine was allowed into NATO there would not be this stupid war from yet another Russian imperialist.

[@balintnemes6774]

To be clearer on Orbán, he is still campaigning on anti-sanction promises for the elections in april.

[@muskoxi9886]

Lets hope he loses the election maybe also because of that

[@fabiansaerve]

@@muskoxi9886 his state owned news will prevent anything

[@ratatosk8935]

I hope the Hungarians can kick the self-enrichers out of their positions this time.

[@jeckjeck3119]

@@fabiansaerve Let's hope it will not happen.

[@dracolee_072]

Napoleon also managed to unite Europe, both agaisnt him, then with him, then agaisnt him and so on.

[@cheveuxjaunes2782]

It's wrong that europe is united against france because she saw in the revival a danger for her napoleon monarchy to save france and the revolution

[@juanfranciscovillarroelthu6876]

Nothing unites people more than an enemy

[@littleponygirl666]

Yes but it's not that simple here. After 2014 the whole Western response to Crimea was kinda weak and mixed. Can't really blame Putin if he thought that it would be the same this time also.

[@Tommek]

4:54 - Annalena Baerbock isn't the Co-Leader of the german greens anymore. She was not allowed to run again for Co-Leadership because the german greens have a statute separation of office and mandate

[@SebisMusik]

Hello TLDR team, I have a request: Would it be possible to add alternative payment services to curiosity and nebula? It is uncommon to use credit cards for payment in my country hence I dont want to create an account for the sole reason of nebula/curiositystream payment. Id rather use paypal to do so. Would it be possible to add paypal and/or other commonly used payment methods to those 2 streaming platforms?

[@JamesTrifolium]

That’s absurd, no way people start to think that alliances are unnecessary after years without a real threat.

[@ImreBertalan86]

United Europe. Except Hungary. Hungary is still a pain in the arse.....

[@10Tabris01]

The Hungarian elections are going to be interesting

[@giovy1922]

Poland seems ok now, but Hungary needs to be kicked out

[@vertigo2894]

Hungary seems to like the racist leader they have now. Racist regimes like Putin, they see him as an ethnonationalist ally. All the American racist groups dig him as well. And on FOX news, the only true racist (Tucker Carlson) loves him too.

[@vertigo2894]

And I'm speaking as a conservative

[@crestfallensunbro6001]

"nothing unites like a common enemy"

[@interflashz]

Love the vids, but please sound proof your studio, the echo is distracting

[@mrexists5400]

"never interupt your enemy when they are making a mistake" apparently putin never heard this

[@pekojounin]

Curious. TLDR Europe uses pounds to talk about EU spending.

[@somethinglikethat2176]

Probably where the largest percentage of their audience is from.

[@zaphodbeeblebrox2981]

Online discussions about a EU before 2022: It is so useless - why should we stay in this stupid Union? After 2022: EU lets gooooooo 🥳🇪🇺 We need a EU-military ASAP

[@shellshockedgerman3947]

People just needed an example.

[@asicdathens]

When the war started there was a huge demonstration in Prague for Ukraine support. They had some really big European flags. Before that people brought European flags in demonstrations to burn them

[@angelikaskoroszyn8495]

Better - I've seen people framing a potential EU army as something evil. Now suddenly everyone wants it

[@Lightingwarrior]

Nothing unites people, better than a common enemy

[@GhostStealth590]

Russia essentially pulled a Spore move when you use intergalactic banned weapons and the entire galaxy turns against you.

[@evolancer211]

Not going to lie, I laughed hard when the title card came up. It's so absurd that he was the one to unite Europe lol

[@sethturner5242]

The greatest way to unite any group of people is to introduce a common enemy

[@somerandomgal3915]

Having some good tea for this title alone Edit: but seriously, Putin becoming more and more the villain that we needed to unite

[@fishdog5253]

He's the thanos to our captain america civil war

[@scratchy996]

Russia should be broken up into pieces, and exploited for resources ac compensation for all the damage they have done to people and the environment.

[@warren5037]

There's a theory which posits that he's doing it intentionally. How true is that idk though

[@somerandomgal3915]

@@warren5037 I think it is more likely that everyone who told him it’s a bad idea or just disagreed with him… just wasn’t around for much longer. Either I gotta say: thank you Putin for uniting Europe and NATO once again and also creating some more jobs in my country through the war :) (But seriously, I hope the war is as soon as possible over and that the Ukrainian citizens won’t have to suffer too much there during it.)

[@warren5037]

@@somerandomgal3915 while it is a possibility, I have some doubts. He could have had Navalny 6ft under a long time ago but Putin is keeping him around, as an example. Long gone are the days of Stalin where he would get anyone not agreeing with the state ideology killed at any moment.

[@Smoot_]

Well nothing unites more than a common enemy.

[@rabaldern]

For a second there I thought he was going to say "This video was made possible thanks to Vladimir Putin".

[@AeonQuasar]

The real question is still there, can he unite the united states?

[@Llortnerof]

Doubt it. To far away, and not enough relevance. Americans on average are way to ignorant of the wider world for it to have much impact. For Europe, it's hard not to be involved in this.

[@vanyadolly]

Lost cause I'm afraid. They've been fighting their own information war for decades, but maybe there's some hope things will change if Russia stops putting money in politicians' pockets

[@1990-w1l]

Just strike Guam, united stated can so united and united inside united

[@Zappina]

He can....i mean we are all equally dead in a nuclear war.

[@MrDude826]

The United States is a couple of election cycles from falling into pieces. Only a war can unite the US , but only for a limited ammount of time. The distrust amongst the republicans and democrats is too much. Both sides have dehumanized each other. We might just find ourselves in the point of no return.

[@monkmonk275]

Thank you Putin, we really appreciate what you did for the European Union, may you, your allies and your army fall into oblivion!

[@mikicerise6250]

He saved us from ourselves, yes. He saved the US too. He almost pushed them into a civil war over pronoun usage, only to swoop in and save them at the last moment. What a guy! The 4 dimensional chess move I least expected. Thanks Vlad. 😁

[@christopherg2347]

I would estimate that about 90% of the wests internal conflicts were caused or fueled by his troll army.

[@louisbeerreviews8964]

Putin is a war criminal

[@dieubangmach9409]

"One often meet his destiny on the path he take to avoid it" a turtle probably

[@Xathaarian]

I like the guys talking style, good rhythm with precision in emphasis. It is just so comfortable to listen to.

[@idraote]

War aside (a rather big aside, I know), we should really get our house in order before allowing anyone else into the club. The EU is horribly complicated and if it stays that way, it will only lead to widespread dissatisfaction, infighting at every level and a distinct lack of access of the citizens to European institutions.

[@TheEvertw]

The "free nations" desperately needed a reminder that democracy is something worth fighting for, and even dying for. Far, far too many Europeans and Americans have grown infatuated with authoritarianism. Yes, true democracy can seem weak when dealing with the mundane things of life. But the alternative is far worse. Putin graciously reminded everybody of this fact. I expect not only further growth in European unity, but also en-mass rejection of those who want authoritarian rule. Especially those with ties to Putin, like the Tories in the UK and the Republicans in the USA, and FvD where I live.

[@shorewall]

You think the Republicans want Authoritarian rule? There's a reason it's called Trump Populism. And what group by and large protested the Government lockdowns? You want Authoritarian, look at Canada.

[@fromatoz8597]

EU and entire world needs to declare counter demands to war criminal mr. pukin immediatelly. De-militarization and de-fascistization of russia, 100-fold reparations to Ukraine, and no lifting of sanctions until the complete nuclear disarmament of russia.

[@demoniack81]

@@shorewall They want the government to be authoritarian as fuck with people they disagree with, while letting _them_ do what they want. Same as everyone else.

[@macbuff81]

Pacifism as a principle is an honorable attitude and it definitely takes a wise person to know when he or she should escalate or not. However, there are times when words and good intentions alone are not enough. Times where taking a stand is the only right thing to do and the only way to avert greater evil

[@AG-yc7vt]

nineteen 30's cough cough.

[@bobjohnbowles]

Zeitenwende - When Germany comes up with a new word you know they are serious.

[@bertalanolah6565]

Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán just held his rally on our National Holiday. His inhouse communication strategy is as follows: EU/NATO/left is warmongering, he is our peace keeper, we have nothing to do with all of this as this is "not our war" and is "not fought for us". He doesn't condemn Russia and doesn't stand with the Ukraine.

[@AQuestioner]

Following this logic, when high-intelligent aliens invade Earth, they'll accidentally unite all of humanity.

[@Kevin-od6ih]

Nothing unites humanity than xenophobia

[@AIArtworks45]

That's how war actually works.

[@Apoc2K]

Unironically, yes. Nothing unites people more than a common enemy.

[@kofi3124]

Exactly.

[@grmpEqweer]

If I could fake an alien invasion, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[@sansan2591]

United Europe 🇪🇺 ♥

[@irynasakharchuk7044]

not even

[@louisbeerreviews8964]

@PrestonSartoriusnot going to happen

[@ernestuz]

I wouldn't be very worried about Europe not having a leader, Russia has one, and see what happened.

[@Boszziuryayok]

meanwhile, Hungary at the moment: if I don't move, maybe they wont see me.....

[@jameslewis2635]

This is especially ironic since the sheer amount of Russian bots online was a large factor in how Brexit got voted through.

[@pertoor]

I don't know what the Brit's obsession is with a strong leader in the EU. The EU doesn't need one strong leader that rules them all, in fact, history has shown on multiple occasions and is showing now again in Russia that this usually ends in a disaster. The fact that the EU appears to be more united than ever is because now finally there is no more cherry-picking UK sabotaging votes for it's own selfish interest involved.

[@gailsilvestre5006]

Exactly!

[@mikefish8226]

It's not about the UK wanting the EU having a strong leader, it's about being able to make timely decisions something the EU has been incapable of, instead waiting until a problem has become a crisis (financial crisis and PIIGS, anyone). On opt-outs, it wasn't just the UK there's several opt-outs held be several countries, for example Denmark, Sweden etc. Also, you'll find that UK opt-outs were nothing compared to the way France makes the entire EU work in French interests. The UK opt-outs like the Euro make sense when you are a reasonably sized world currency like GBP was and all of the EU's except the DM weren't especially big, and how misaligned GBP was to the EURO candidate countries, it would have been bad for the EURO and bad for the EU had we not opted out.

[@gailsilvestre5006]

@@mikefish8226 Regarding being able to make timely decisions I find it hard to believe that this has anything to do with the amount of people deciding and/or leadership problems. On the other hand, one can argue that the fact that each country fights for their own interests and because of this decisions take longer until everyone finds the best approach where everyone has found a good compromise. But, this is completely normal and it also happens frequently in countries. When decisions are not about a life or death situation, maybe taking time with them to do them properly isn't always a disadvantage. It's our imperfect democratic way of operating, wouldn't you agree?

[@mikefish8226]

@@gailsilvestre5006 It's a common complaint about the EU so I'm unsure why you dismiss it. Additionally, obviously the EU itself felt it lacked leadership or they wouldn't have added a more powerful president in the Lisbon treaty.

[@ysteinalgry4091]

Hard to imagine brexit happening if the vote happened after the invasion

[@Captain-Axeman]

I would say it would still be possible. I am still firmly against the EU. Though in regards to Brexit doesn't have much to say as i am Norwegian. However, i do think Europe agreeing that Russia is a threat is a great thing.

[@CKW10001]

It wouldn't have happened as the funding would have been cut drastically. It was proven that's funds to support the campaign came from a Ukrainian subsidiary tied to the Kermlin. And the uneducated believed in the British old empire that they are longing for again, which will never happen again.

[@CKW10001]

@@IHaveAHobby haha, A commission in your own country to prove such a case. The fact that a population can be lead down a garden path like that was unbelievable, as they we're just told a few small arguments based around taking control back in which the UK WAS A LEADER IN THE EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK RULES over the last 40 years. The and UK was the original architect for a European State is astonishing to me that they wanted to destroy it. Don't be getting on to me now because of YOUR mistake. I am 🇪🇺 citizens 😉🤣 And I didn't generalized, it was you that did that.

[@CKW10001]

@@IHaveAHobby the only unfortunate thing is the 16million people who voted to remain. I would have no problem on your decision if it was based on fact and not little slogans on red buses. Like everything I f**king hate lies and spinless leaders. Brexit was the capital of all lies and now to elect him as PM is incredible. But that's yours decision. But it really annoys me when people look out for themselves only and thats your PM.

[@RobBCactive]

The referendum followed the Grexit saga, then Syrian/Iraq refugee crisis which was exploited AND the UK economy was at a peak. But it was pushed heavily by the newspaper barons mostly living abroad, so as the EU planned to tightens tax evasion the funding for Leave was vastly greater, against a poorly coordinated complacent Remain which lost after a large poll lead.

[@freddonald8210]

*It requires money to make money this is the best secert I have ever heard we don’t make money we make multiple money*

[@ericsonbooker8026]

Been reading through the comments and when he mentioned Mr Ben Harris, I know he was right! he has been my Investment manager for long and I'm happy with his services.

[@Vikkin1218]

Orbán did not turn his back on Putin that much, its just that elections in less than 3 weeks and the situation divided his own supporters.

[@pascal5566]

You know you messed up when Switzerland turns against you

[@DatsWhatXiSaid]

NATO: **is an odd club of desk warming generals and war-gaming strategists** Putin: NATO will build up and threaten Mother Russia! **invades Ukraine** NATO: **starts to build up so that it can threaten Russia** Putin: See! I was, righ--- uh... s#!t.... can we start over?

[@grop66]

Here in Denmark 🇩🇰 I’m sure almost everyone will vote yes 👍 thanks for sharing

[@fabiansaerve]

When will be the referendum?

[@MM-un3ob]

I would not be so optimistic… unfortunately inflation and lack of resources caused by the detachment from Russia might pull Europe apart, after the situation on the eastern front dials down (whether in favor of Ukraine or not). Let’s hope we stick together

[@N0noy1989]

Russia's economy is the same size as Texas. It's a joke. The problem is the oil and gas which is hard to immediately replace. But in the coming months and years, there'll be no problem at all. US is an expert at destroying oil rich nations like Venezuela and Iran. People laugh at Biden because Saudi ignored his call, ignoring (or perhaps not knowing) that a day after OPEC caved in and agreed to turn up the supply. That's why it's around $100 per barrel now compared to $130 at the highest. If there's an oil country to destroy, expect the US to be there.

[@MajinOthinus]

@@N0noy1989 "If there's an oil country to destroy, expect the US to be there." That's certainly one way of putting it.

[@user-rs7dv7wy5l]

The bottom line is that Russia does not consider NATO a European force, it is an alliance of countries standing in the shadow of the United States. For this reason, Russia is not very interested in the relations of the countries in this coalition. We are not hostile to Europe, we are still neighbors one way or another, so we will still have to find mutually beneficial ways.

[@user-rs7dv7wy5l]

@peristera mpazo Are you kidding me? NATO is a bitch of the US, and compared to the US, Russia is just an angel from heaven, especially in terms of murders. North Korea has no growth potential, Russia has all the opportunities and resources, another thing is that our government is idiots who find it easier to take a share of imports than to develop their own state. But now, in fact, they have no choice.Everything is being done for the better.

[@audigex]

"Changed tack" not "Changed tact" - it's a nautical phrase that originates in sailing, meaning "to change direction"