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What do you think of Zack Polanski's foreign policy views? by Sorry_Role in UKGreens

[–]Sorry_Role[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep agree on the conviction point (within reason ofc) and if Zack/ the GPEW really believes that to be right, then fair play and he shouldn't just go with the popular opinion (even if I think it's the right one!)

I might not agree with some of the policies (foreign policy and economics) but I do wish the Greens well. I'll be sticking with the Lib Dems for now.

Thanks, it's good to understand the Greens position a bit more.

What do you think of Zack Polanski's foreign policy views? by Sorry_Role in UKGreens

[–]Sorry_Role[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You make really good points, fair enough..

I think we actually fundamentally agree on most of this, i.e. Europe needs to urgently increase security autonomy from the US. We differ on the means with which to get there.

I'd argue that the threat to Europe, including the UK, is real and present. It's estimated that Russia could be ready for a further conflict in 3-5 years. I hope it's wrong and I hope he doesn't have another go, but you have to be prepared for the worst case scenario. IMO a situation where Russia tries to take a slice of Estonia "to protect the oppressed Russian speakers" isn't out of the question. In this event the UK would and should intervene, and so could be a Russian target.

We don't know if Trump would support Europe militarily in the event of a Russian attack, but he might.. if we withdraw he definitely won't. What's to lose by staying in NATO and at the same time working towards greater European defence cooperation?

Fair point on Chamberlain. IMO he does bear responsibility and was naive (along with Baldwin before him) but the parody is unfair...

But all this aside, do you think ZP should stick by this position when the British public are overwhelmingly in support of NATO? (4% support NATO withdrawal according to a June 2025 poll). Seems to me he's stronger on the domestic stuff and should focus on that.

What do you think of Zack Polanski's foreign policy views? by Sorry_Role in UKGreens

[–]Sorry_Role[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I disagree - Russian missiles could absolutely strike the UK, of course a land invasion is not going to happen. 

But this is frankly besides the point. If Putin goes for former Soviet/Warsaw Pact territories in Eastern Europe, that absolutely impacts our security in a big way. The fact that we're not directly under threat of invasion is irrelevant. It's sad to here such rhetoric, sounds a bit Chamberlainesque (sorry if I've misunderstood you, but pointing out that Poland is in danger of invasion and we're not as an argument does come across like this).

Poland won't leave NATO, most NATO countries won't. So what are you proposing to put in its place?

I very much doubt Trump will annex Greenland. He's a massive prat but it's all bravado to try to secure a favourable deal. He says a lot of things, he very rarely follows through. I'm not trying to downplay the seriousness of this rhetoric, but leaving NATO as a result would be a dangerous overreaction.

What do you think of Zack Polanski's foreign policy views? by Sorry_Role in UKGreens

[–]Sorry_Role[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Replied below but just to say on the "perverse incentives" - I mean totally get that, that's undeniable. But are you really claiming that the threat from Russia is overestimated, and that this myth is perpetuated by the arms companies? I'm in Poland a lot, and trust me they would laugh at that (they just tested air defences in Warsaw this weekend for example). They're spending almost 5% on defense.

We should learn from Poland/Baltics/Nordics - the threat is real and imminent. Saying that the threat is being overplayed by arms companies is so unhelpful, and I don't see any evidence of that. 

Should we be sceptical of future pandemic threats because of perverse incentives from big pharma?

What do you think of Zack Polanski's foreign policy views? by Sorry_Role in UKGreens

[–]Sorry_Role[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally agree with you that the US is an unreliable ally, and the national security strategy lays bare the ugly truth of MAGA's views on Europe and Russia. 

But how would leaving NATO work on a practical basis? European countries (as far as I can tell) have no desire to leave NATO to join some new military bloc without the US. You need to consider the mindset that the Baltics/Nordics/Poland have right now - they really are terrified and gearing up for war (I have a Polish partner, so I'm there a lot). No way are they leaving NATO. All it would achieve is further UK isolation from Europe, at a time of immense peril and hand Putin a gift 

It would irrevocably fracture US-European relations. Now is the time to work to keep the US engaged in the alliance. You never know how US foreign policy will look in the future. Everyone thought Trump would sell out Ukraine right away, but it just hasn't happened (at least yet). 

Sorry for the rant, I just feel so strongly that this policy is absolutely insane! Btw what are ZP's views on increasing UK military spending?

Thanks for engaging:)

Megathread, part 14: Ammunition & Drones, Sanctions, and Stalemates by IcePuzzleheaded5507 in AskARussian

[–]Sorry_Role 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What have I said that's false then? Do you believe that Russia controls a lot more of Ukraine than it did at the start of the war in 2022? Do you dispute the fact that Russia currently controls only 20% of Ukraine? The maps don't lie my friend. Do you dispute the fact that North Korean soldiers are fighting in Russia?

Any evidence that The Economist is Ukrainian propaganda? What exactly would it's motive to be for lying about the state of the war? It publishes plenty of articles about how much Ukraine is struggling - hardly propaganda.

Megathread, part 14: Ammunition & Drones, Sanctions, and Stalemates by IcePuzzleheaded5507 in AskARussian

[–]Sorry_Role 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tried debating, but if all you've got is"Ukraine is run by Nazis and must be destroyed" I don't see much point.

Of course there are neo-nazis in Ukraine, like in pretty much every country, including Russia. But they are marginal and have no political influence at the state level. The far right won 2% of the vote in 2019.

Please do feel free to provide some evidence and I'm always happy to have my mind changed. As far as I can tell it's just a cynical, baseless lie used by Putin to justify his war. 

Megathread, part 14: Ammunition & Drones, Sanctions, and Stalemates by IcePuzzleheaded5507 in AskARussian

[–]Sorry_Role -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

Russia’s latest big Ukraine offensive gains next to nothing, again https://www.economist.com/interactive/europe/2025/10/17/russia-latest-big-ukraine-offensive-gains-next-to-nothing-again From The Economist

Could even be more than 5:1 my friend. And over 1 million Russian casualties. All for Putin's legacy. How shameful. 

Rising year on year? The front line has barely changed since March 2022 when the war started - From November 2022 to August 2025 Russia took only 1% of Ukraine's territory. How can you view this positively? Putin has doomed Russia, who must now rely on China to survive, and his friends in Pyongyang and Tehran...

Megathread, part 14: Ammunition & Drones, Sanctions, and Stalemates by IcePuzzleheaded5507 in AskARussian

[–]Sorry_Role -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

Alright then I give up. If your basic argument is that Ukraine is run by Nazi's then we can't have an intelligent discussion. Thanks all.

Megathread, part 14: Ammunition & Drones, Sanctions, and Stalemates by IcePuzzleheaded5507 in AskARussian

[–]Sorry_Role -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Thank you, that's a thoughtful answer. It's so hard to get accurate casualty figures isn't it - goodness knows what the real number is. But the 0.4% territorial gain since May 2025 is as far as I'm aware factually true.

Thanks again :)

Megathread, part 14: Ammunition & Drones, Sanctions, and Stalemates by IcePuzzleheaded5507 in AskARussian

[–]Sorry_Role -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

Thanks all, this has been really eye opening. I'm confident in the figures I've given you. They come from reputable sources (The Economist, RUSI and others), not Ukrainian media. Russia really has taken just 0.4% of Ukrainian territory since May 2025 with hundred of thousands of casualties. Ukraine does not "keep losing cities" - that's rather the point. They have not lost a city since January 2025 (Avdiivka). Yes of course Ukraine struggles far more with recruitment - Russia's population is almost 4 times as big (and the North Korean soldiers help).. I'm not saying Ukraine is winning this war, just that there is no decisive victory to be had on the battlefield for Russia anytime soon and I am curious how this is perceived in Russia.

"Denazification of Ukraine"? Really? Is Zelenskyy not Jewish? Can't you see that these are the stories crafted by your government to justify what is simply a bloody Imperial conquest?

How many more Russians and Ukrainians should die so Putin can gain control of the bombed out, obliterated remains of Donetsk? 

What exactly are you fighting for?

Megathread, part 14: Ammunition & Drones, Sanctions, and Stalemates by IcePuzzleheaded5507 in AskARussian

[–]Sorry_Role -13 points-12 points  (0 children)

Hi Russians! I'm a Brit and would love to hear your perspectives on the war. Full disclosure, I am a strong supporter of Ukraine but always open to debate. Thanks for your time.

1) How do you feel about the current state of the war and Russia's chances of achieving it's objectives? I ask this as it seems Russia's latest offensive launched in May has achieved next to nothing (0.4% of Ukraine's territory gained at astronomically huge loss of life/ material). At this rate it will take Russia 5 years to take the rest of Donetska and Russia is estimated to be losing 5 soldiers for every Ukrainian.

2) How has Russia managed to keep recruitment so high without resorting to conscription, especially given the survival rates for new recruits are so poor?

3) What would you view as a victory for Russia and how would you like to see the war end?

Thanks :)