this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2024
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Ukraine

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[–] [email protected] 153 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 158 points 1 month ago (4 children)

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

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

[–] [email protected] 89 points 1 month ago (11 children)

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

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

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 month ago (7 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

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

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

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

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

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

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[–] [email protected] 121 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago

Thank you for the perspective.

[–] [email protected] 88 points 1 month ago

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

[–] [email protected] 53 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

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

I hope it’s effective.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The new fragrance, Orange Potato Musk. Mmmmmm

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 month ago (2 children)

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

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

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago

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

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago

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

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

[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

  • slaacaa (LM-MY)
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[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 month ago (2 children)

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

To quote the Spartans, "If".

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

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago

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

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

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago

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

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

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

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago

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

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

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

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

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

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

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

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Capability and capacity are two very different things.

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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Taurus would be used more or less like Storm Shadow against high value strategic targets. The big difference is that Germany would have to default to allow its use on targets inside Russia, since activly being part of the targeting might very well be unconstitutional. So what could be expected are a bunch of Russian jets, ammunition stockpiles and maybe the Kerch Bridge being blown up. Ukrainian drones are not stealthy, so they are much easier to intercept or to warn against. Hence something like Taurus can make a difference.

So it is usefull, but it is not going to change the war fundamentally.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

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

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

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

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

As a Libran, all I can launch are tampons.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

As a pisces, I studied the blade.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

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

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

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

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

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago

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

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

Halt dein Maul, Merz!

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

We are in WW3.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

what a muppet.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

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

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

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

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