Quote Britain has been accused of opening a loophole in sanctions designed to hobble the Putin regime by granting one of Moscow’s biggest banks an “absurd” month-long exemption from the enforcement of an assets freeze.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last Thursday that the state-owned VTB Bank, which is the second-largest Russian bank and its largest investment bank, was the subject of a “full and immediate” asset freeze in the UK as part of the Government’s attempts to help derail Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine by targeting key finance houses.

But the following day the Treasury unit in charge of enforcing the UK’s sanctions quietly issued a 30-day licence granting permission for any individual or entity to “wind down any transactions” with VTB until 27 March.

Originally posted by Stirlingsays

I'm not seeing things as quite so desperate for Putin myself. I think that's just how the western media are presenting it.

Don't get me wrong, I support the Ukrainian people in their fight against the invader, however that doesn't mean I can't smell the obvious coffee in the room.....We are talking a minnow against a relative giant here.

It's obvious that Russia didn't plan on destroying the cities and even now it has left the water and electricity on in them....something that goes against all effective modern city warfare.

Now Russia has decided to use its might and numbers and it's going to be much more ugly and I fear for all the innocent lives that are going to be lost on top of what's gone before. However one hope is that because they intend for these cities to be Russian they aren't trying to destroy them.

Regardless for me this is a brother war and I have zero support for it. I understand why it's happening but that doesn't change my disagreement with it.

I said the main fighting would be over in roughly two weeks and that still looks to be the case. It's a tragedy but all the brave men in East Ukraine are going to go through the Russia mincer.

I haven't seen anything that changes from Putin deciding on taking East Ukraine into Russia and negotiating for western Ukraine to be a neutral state with a friendly government between him and Nato.

I think that's his plan.

Edited by Stirlingsays (01 Mar 2022 1.54pm)

Originally posted by Wisbech Eagle

It may be. If it is, then much as though it will stick in the craw of every decent person, I think we must be prepared, for the time being, to accept it. Prolonging a battle that was always going to be lost is now too costly. Showing the west Ukraine's resolve and bravery has stiffened ours. We now know what we face. That job is done.

We need to win the war. Not a battle. And make no mistake, this could easily only be the first battle. Allowing Putin to claim victory, whilst the west maintains its sanctions and Putin is treated as a pariah, will allow the west to strengthen its defences and the pressure to build on Putin internally.

We can win the propaganda war. Much as I detest the way fake information is spread these days through the internet it seems that the young people in Russia now get most of their information via social media. Putin is already blocking some sources, but the determined will always find a way.

I always thought this would end up as a new Cold War, with the constant unease of a nuclear catastrophe hanging over us. Only this time with a genuinely frightening man with his finger on the button.

Using the oligarchs' financial muscle to influence the military and stage a coup d'etat no longer seems ridiculous. I cannot believe they want to risk a nuclear war. Us using the undoubted backchannels we have will strengthen that.

Us reaching out, in every possible way, to the Russian people to assure them it's not their fault makes sense. Offering to restore some sporting links once the fighting stops could do that as the venues could be plastered with messages in Russian.

Regime change in Russia has to be the end game. The difficulty is to get there as safely as possible.

Originally posted by croydon proud

Yes, apparently a generous chap has offered girls accomodation at windsor castle, says a coach load could stay at harrys old lodge, what a legend!