(04-06-2022 11:50 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(04-06-2022 09:01 AM)b2b Wrote:  This

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

+1.

While it is an important issue, I sense a lot of virtue signaling coming from all the people with the Ukrainian flags in their yards and in their social media avatars.

(04-06-2022 10:29 AM)miko33 Wrote:  

(04-05-2022 09:23 PM)miko33 Wrote:  

(04-05-2022 09:14 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(04-05-2022 09:06 PM)miko33 Wrote:  

(04-05-2022 04:47 PM)bullet Wrote:  Well he thought the Ukraine would be easy. He would go after the Baltics just like he did Crimea, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Transnistria and the Donbass. Get an group of dissidents, arm them and try to overthrow the government or set up a mini-state. There is a pattern. He's done it many times.

And if you don't have any real red lines, like the borders of NATO countries, well then you are a useless weasel like Obama. They just go on to the next line.

There's not a lot of difference between the British and us. That doesn't mean we want to be a part of Britain. We are two people separated by a common language. And if you know their history, you know the Ukrainians tried to stay out of the Soviet Union when it was formed but lost in the war that followed. Stalin starved millions of Ukrainians in the 30s with his agricultural policies. And when war broke out, many Ukrainians joined the Germans in fighting the Communists.

If you just return things to normal, that is a green light to try again. Anybody with children should understand the concept of consequences. I'm guessing all of the progressive Democrat DAs who have a revolving door with criminals don't have kids, or have totally dysfunctional ones. Putin needs consequences. It was a concept Neville Chamberlin didn't understand.

Foreign policy isn't the same as domestic policy. So talking about how overly lenient DAs of major cities are like Neville Chamberlain is nonsensical. Criminals are small pieces of a huge system that the criminals cannot transcend. World leaders have the ability to write history however they wish IF they have sufficient power to do so. These concepts aren't the same thing.

You are correct that "red lines" need to be enforced. Don't also forget that NATO was composed of OUR pawns to put them in between us and the Soviet Union back when it was first formed. The eastern block countries were the USSR's pawns. As far as the U.S. is concerned we ALREADY have those buffer zones between us and the likes of China and Russia. I understand Alaska borders Russia but in the overall scheme where Russia is most vulnerable and has to be careful is its western borders.

The U.S. is not prepared for the rug to be pulled out from the international trading system. IMHO, we're getting closer to having that ability to unplug from the rest of the world easily if we have to. However, we don't have the semiconducter chip plants ready to go nor a number of critical supplies like phosphorous for fertilizers or the rare earths and other minerals that we used to produce but stopped once we outsourced it to China. There's more manufacturing that needs to be onshored too prior to being able to get into our protective bubble while the rest of the world burns.

Until we're ready, keep the supply chains and goods flowing for now until we're ready to walk away.

You missed the point about the Dem DAs and criminals who go without punishment. Putin needs to be punished or he will keep doing the same thing. We need to give the Ukrainians the tools to bloody his army and we need to bloody his economy.

Chairman Xi has arguably damaged the U.S. way worse due to all of the spying, IP theft and intentionally spreading Covid to the world after they lost containment in Wuhan than Putin did with this invasion of Ukraine. We never truly attempted to punish Xi nearly to the point we did with Putin.

I think we're concentrating on the wrong things frankly.

When do we punish Xi? I won't hold my breath...

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2022/04/...nyl-pills/

Quote:During an interview with ABC on Tuesday aired on Tuesday’s edition of “Nightline,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram stated that China provides chemicals “to Mexico, to the criminal drug networks that are then mass-producing” fake prescription pills that are sold as though they’re prescription drugs, but are actually laced with fentanyl.

Milgram said, “[W]e do see a large number of young people who are purchasing pills. What we know is that China is providing chemicals to Mexico, to the criminal drug networks that are then mass-producing these fake prescription pills. They’re being sold as if they were Xanax, as if they were Oxy, as if they were Percocet. But there’s no Xanax, no Oxy, no Percocet in them. They’re fentanyl.

What has that to do with our policy on Russia? Nothing. Its a red herring. Start your own thread on China if you wish.

(04-06-2022 11:50 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(04-06-2022 09:01 AM)b2b Wrote:  This

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

+1.

While it is an important issue, I sense a lot of virtue signaling coming from all the people with the Ukrainian flags in their yards and in their social media avatars.

There's a lot of virtue signaling on the other side.

"I oppose the current thing."

(04-06-2022 12:20 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(04-06-2022 10:29 AM)miko33 Wrote:  

(04-05-2022 09:23 PM)miko33 Wrote:  

(04-05-2022 09:14 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(04-05-2022 09:06 PM)miko33 Wrote:  Foreign policy isn't the same as domestic policy. So talking about how overly lenient DAs of major cities are like Neville Chamberlain is nonsensical. Criminals are small pieces of a huge system that the criminals cannot transcend. World leaders have the ability to write history however they wish IF they have sufficient power to do so. These concepts aren't the same thing.

You are correct that "red lines" need to be enforced. Don't also forget that NATO was composed of OUR pawns to put them in between us and the Soviet Union back when it was first formed. The eastern block countries were the USSR's pawns. As far as the U.S. is concerned we ALREADY have those buffer zones between us and the likes of China and Russia. I understand Alaska borders Russia but in the overall scheme where Russia is most vulnerable and has to be careful is its western borders.

The U.S. is not prepared for the rug to be pulled out from the international trading system. IMHO, we're getting closer to having that ability to unplug from the rest of the world easily if we have to. However, we don't have the semiconducter chip plants ready to go nor a number of critical supplies like phosphorous for fertilizers or the rare earths and other minerals that we used to produce but stopped once we outsourced it to China. There's more manufacturing that needs to be onshored too prior to being able to get into our protective bubble while the rest of the world burns.

Until we're ready, keep the supply chains and goods flowing for now until we're ready to walk away.

You missed the point about the Dem DAs and criminals who go without punishment. Putin needs to be punished or he will keep doing the same thing. We need to give the Ukrainians the tools to bloody his army and we need to bloody his economy.

Chairman Xi has arguably damaged the U.S. way worse due to all of the spying, IP theft and intentionally spreading Covid to the world after they lost containment in Wuhan than Putin did with this invasion of Ukraine. We never truly attempted to punish Xi nearly to the point we did with Putin.

I think we're concentrating on the wrong things frankly.

When do we punish Xi? I won't hold my breath...

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2022/04/...nyl-pills/

Quote:During an interview with ABC on Tuesday aired on Tuesday’s edition of “Nightline,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram stated that China provides chemicals “to Mexico, to the criminal drug networks that are then mass-producing” fake prescription pills that are sold as though they’re prescription drugs, but are actually laced with fentanyl.

Milgram said, “[W]e do see a large number of young people who are purchasing pills. What we know is that China is providing chemicals to Mexico, to the criminal drug networks that are then mass-producing these fake prescription pills. They’re being sold as if they were Xanax, as if they were Oxy, as if they were Percocet. But there’s no Xanax, no Oxy, no Percocet in them. They’re fentanyl.

What has that to do with our policy on Russia? Nothing. Its a red herring. Start your own thread on China if you wish.

It's not a red herring. It's a demonstration that people get very selective about who should be brought to justice vs who is given free passes when we're talking about international affairs.

Putin does rotten things and so does Xi. One of these 2 have DIRECTLY caused actual harm to the U.S. while the other one much less directly. Yet the marching orders in the press are to demand one to pay for his crimes with his hide while the other one is to be given free pass after free pass if not elevated to a closer friendship.

Why is the guy who most directly harms the U.S. thru objectively TANGIBLE actions allowed to skate while the other one who does not directly affect the U.S. in any way is put into the cross hairs by our politicians and media???

The problem is wokeism is so pervasive that people clutch at their pearls regarding Putin yet we've made deals with various evil leaders throughout our history. Question is why Putin? Why not the other evil assh0les who've been operating freely and damaging the U.S. and the world for all of these years?

(04-06-2022 11:20 AM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  

(04-06-2022 10:20 AM)miko33 Wrote:  

(04-06-2022 08:40 AM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  

(04-05-2022 09:17 PM)miko33 Wrote:  

(04-05-2022 06:14 PM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  That's exactly what you don't want to have to do.

If nothing else, it's a nice buffer zone between NATO and a$$ hat land.

Would you be ok with Russia invading Canada???... (hypothetically speaking)

Said it in another post but NATO already contains the buffer zones to fight the Russians. Those buffers actually expanded vs what we had with the USSR where most of the cold war ops occurred in the Middle East and central Europe. Russia cannot do what it used to do in the ME as the USSR and the buffers in central Europe moved out of Germany and into Poland, Hungary, etc.

Regarding Canada - GTFOH. Obviously the U.S. cares about Canada due to their proximity and the resources they control that allows for mutually beneficial trade.

Correct me if I'm wrong but Poland borders Ukraine.

Correct me if I'm wrong but Poland is in NATO.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if Poland gets involved, WE get involved.

Russia in Poland is NO DIFFERENT than Russia in Canada.

By your logic, there is zero difference between Russia invading Poland vs Russia invading the U.S. itself. We're all NATO, right? What's the difference???

Obviously there is a difference. Russia and China fighting against the U.S. in Vietnam is VERY different than if Russia and China was fighting the U.S. in Canada. Especially since fighting would likely spill into the U.S. - just like when fighting spilled over into neighboring countries during the Vietnam War. Same for Poland vs Canada.

You obviously care nothing for the people in our military. If they have to go off to war in Poland, screw 'em, huh?

Good lord man, do you know nothing about history? WW2? "If it's not in my back yard I don't care" is not an effective foreign policy.

Why would our country have to provide the frontline troops in Poland? Couldn't we do the exact same thing we're doing now except for Poland, i.e. give them the military hardware to fight the Russians? Couldn't Germany, France and Ploand's NATO neighbors supply the front line troops along with Poland while we provide the logistical support, munitions and hardware???

Again, the EU is more than capable of fighting their own wars. We're a continent away. They're the ones who can stop "the next Hitler" much better than we could. If you really want to learn from this history, then it's blatantly obvious that the rest of Europe needs to safeguard the weaker European nations attacked by beligerants.

Can't we just have the nuclear war and cause the worst extinction event ever already? Let's end this in a few hours time and get this over with.

(04-06-2022 01:43 PM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  Can't we just have the nuclear war and cause the worst extinction event ever already? Let's end this in a few hours time and get this over with.

Nope. Too many of the “elites” are in the line of fire to get incinerated as well……..can’t have the pigs that are more equal getting killled……

From a Ukrainian: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61027292

"...The head of defence intelligence in Ukraine, Maj Gen Kyrylo Budanov, told me that the risks of not confronting Putin's Russia are much worse for Nato than risking escalation by standing up to him and sending Ukraine the much more lethal arsenal it wants.

"This is a war of aggression in the heart of Europe that completely destroys existing political and military security systems. If the world swallows Putin's aggression and offers no radical solution, it will be repeated over and over again," he said...."

(04-08-2022 10:37 AM)bullet Wrote:  From a Ukrainian: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61027292

"...The head of defence intelligence in Ukraine, Maj Gen Kyrylo Budanov, told me that the risks of not confronting Putin's Russia are much worse for Nato than risking escalation by standing up to him and sending Ukraine the much more lethal arsenal it wants.

"This is a war of aggression in the heart of Europe that completely destroys existing political and military security systems. If the world swallows Putin's aggression and offers no radical solution, it will be repeated over and over again," he said...."

I feel like we need to quietly send Ukraine some sort of accurate ballistic missile with a range of 100 to 200 miles. Let them take out all the rail heads and bridges behind Russian lines. Give them some anti-ship missiles to end the threat of a sea borne supply line. That would end it. The Russian invasion would be over in few days as the logistics ammo/fuel/food supply quickly runs dry. That would be the easiest way to send this to the negotiating table.

(04-06-2022 01:09 PM)miko33 Wrote:  

(04-06-2022 12:20 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(04-06-2022 10:29 AM)miko33 Wrote:  

(04-05-2022 09:23 PM)miko33 Wrote:  

(04-05-2022 09:14 PM)bullet Wrote:  You missed the point about the Dem DAs and criminals who go without punishment. Putin needs to be punished or he will keep doing the same thing. We need to give the Ukrainians the tools to bloody his army and we need to bloody his economy.

Chairman Xi has arguably damaged the U.S. way worse due to all of the spying, IP theft and intentionally spreading Covid to the world after they lost containment in Wuhan than Putin did with this invasion of Ukraine. We never truly attempted to punish Xi nearly to the point we did with Putin.

I think we're concentrating on the wrong things frankly.

When do we punish Xi? I won't hold my breath...

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2022/04/...nyl-pills/

Quote:During an interview with ABC on Tuesday aired on Tuesday’s edition of “Nightline,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram stated that China provides chemicals “to Mexico, to the criminal drug networks that are then mass-producing” fake prescription pills that are sold as though they’re prescription drugs, but are actually laced with fentanyl.

Milgram said, “[W]e do see a large number of young people who are purchasing pills. What we know is that China is providing chemicals to Mexico, to the criminal drug networks that are then mass-producing these fake prescription pills. They’re being sold as if they were Xanax, as if they were Oxy, as if they were Percocet. But there’s no Xanax, no Oxy, no Percocet in them. They’re fentanyl.

What has that to do with our policy on Russia? Nothing. Its a red herring. Start your own thread on China if you wish.

It's not a red herring. It's a demonstration that people get very selective about who should be brought to justice vs who is given free passes when we're talking about international affairs.

Putin does rotten things and so does Xi. One of these 2 have DIRECTLY caused actual harm to the U.S. while the other one much less directly. Yet the marching orders in the press are to demand one to pay for his crimes with his hide while the other one is to be given free pass after free pass if not elevated to a closer friendship.

Why is the guy who most directly harms the U.S. thru objectively TANGIBLE actions allowed to skate while the other one who does not directly affect the U.S. in any way is put into the cross hairs by our politicians and media???

The problem is wokeism is so pervasive that people clutch at their pearls regarding Putin yet we've made deals with various evil leaders throughout our history. Question is why Putin? Why not the other evil assh0les who've been operating freely and damaging the U.S. and the world for all of these years?

Again you are veering off topic. The topic is why we care about Ukraine, not prosecuting Putin for war crimes. Personally, I think that talk is idiotic and counter-productive. That has little to do with arming the Ukrainians.

(04-08-2022 02:18 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-08-2022 10:37 AM)bullet Wrote:  From a Ukrainian: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61027292

"...The head of defence intelligence in Ukraine, Maj Gen Kyrylo Budanov, told me that the risks of not confronting Putin's Russia are much worse for Nato than risking escalation by standing up to him and sending Ukraine the much more lethal arsenal it wants.

"This is a war of aggression in the heart of Europe that completely destroys existing political and military security systems. If the world swallows Putin's aggression and offers no radical solution, it will be repeated over and over again," he said...."

I feel like we need to quietly send Ukraine some sort of accurate ballistic missile with a range of 100 to 200 miles. Let them take out all the rail heads and bridges behind Russian lines. Give them some anti-ship missiles to end the threat of a sea borne supply line. That would end it. The Russian invasion would be over in few days as the logistics ammo/fuel/food supply quickly runs dry. That would be the easiest way to send this to the negotiating table.

As someone pointed out, we are being real open with what we are supplying. Some of this stuff the Russians shouldn't know about until it hits them.

(04-08-2022 04:04 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(04-08-2022 02:18 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-08-2022 10:37 AM)bullet Wrote:  From a Ukrainian: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61027292

"...The head of defence intelligence in Ukraine, Maj Gen Kyrylo Budanov, told me that the risks of not confronting Putin's Russia are much worse for Nato than risking escalation by standing up to him and sending Ukraine the much more lethal arsenal it wants.

"This is a war of aggression in the heart of Europe that completely destroys existing political and military security systems. If the world swallows Putin's aggression and offers no radical solution, it will be repeated over and over again," he said...."

I feel like we need to quietly send Ukraine some sort of accurate ballistic missile with a range of 100 to 200 miles. Let them take out all the rail heads and bridges behind Russian lines. Give them some anti-ship missiles to end the threat of a sea borne supply line. That would end it. The Russian invasion would be over in few days as the logistics ammo/fuel/food supply quickly runs dry. That would be the easiest way to send this to the negotiating table.

As someone pointed out, we are being real open with what we are supplying. Some of this stuff the Russians shouldn't know about until it hits them.

True. Javelins are more defensive though, to stop an invading tank. Knowledge of enhanced defensive capabilities should (?) decelerate Russian aggression. Those (hypothetical?) ballistic missiles headed for Russian territory are offensive and Putin should not know about them until after they've been used to mangle the supply lines.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/other/...reappshare

India doesn’t care about Ukraine. Increasing trade with Russia by billions and paying in local currencies. Bye bye US dollar.

Every country Russia trades with in national currencies, is another reason for them to hold fewer US dollars in reserve—which means the US can’t just print it so freely.

But worse, every country that follows Russias established method of shunning US dollars for trade, can then replicate it with the any of their other trading partners.

The hard part is done, and that is establish the framework that makes such trade smooth. Once the US began using our currency as a sledgehammer against others, they simply stepped out of the way. Soon we’ll have little left to swing at except our own feet.

Trade is much cheaper when conducted between two parties in their own agreed upon terms. Having the US skimming off every transaction has been a big hindrance in international trade and development. Hopefully some countries can now boost their own economic outlooks!

(04-12-2022 06:46 PM)Todor Wrote:  https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/other/...reappshare

India doesn’t care about Ukraine. Increasing trade with Russia by billions and paying in local currencies. Bye bye US dollar.

Every country Russia trades with in national currencies, is another reason for them to hold fewer US dollars in reserve—which means the US can’t just print it so freely.

But worse, every country that follows Russias established method of shunning US dollars for trade, can then replicate it with the any of their other trading partners.

The hard part is done, and that is establish the framework that makes such trade smooth. Once the US began using our currency as a sledgehammer against others, they simply stepped out of the way. Soon we’ll have little left to swing at except our own feet.

Trade is much cheaper when conducted between two parties in their own agreed upon terms. Having the US skimming off every transaction has been a big hindrance in international trade and development. Hopefully some countries can now boost their own economic outlooks!

What is the ruble backed by? Oil? Shaky ground that is.

(04-12-2022 07:31 PM)Was SoMs Eagle Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 06:46 PM)Todor Wrote:  https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/other/...reappshare

India doesn’t care about Ukraine. Increasing trade with Russia by billions and paying in local currencies. Bye bye US dollar.

Every country Russia trades with in national currencies, is another reason for them to hold fewer US dollars in reserve—which means the US can’t just print it so freely.

But worse, every country that follows Russias established method of shunning US dollars for trade, can then replicate it with the any of their other trading partners.

The hard part is done, and that is establish the framework that makes such trade smooth. Once the US began using our currency as a sledgehammer against others, they simply stepped out of the way. Soon we’ll have little left to swing at except our own feet.

Trade is much cheaper when conducted between two parties in their own agreed upon terms. Having the US skimming off every transaction has been a big hindrance in international trade and development. Hopefully some countries can now boost their own economic outlooks!

What is the ruble backed by? Oil? Shaky ground that is.

Russia: 2,301.6 tons. Russia overtook China as the fifth-largest holder of the yellow metal in 2018.5 Russia's increase in its gold stores was seen as an attempt to diversify beyond American investments. Russia mainly sold U.S. Treasury bonds to buy the bullion.

https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers...serves.asp

(04-12-2022 07:31 PM)Was SoMs Eagle Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 06:46 PM)Todor Wrote:  https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/other/...reappshare

India doesn’t care about Ukraine. Increasing trade with Russia by billions and paying in local currencies. Bye bye US dollar.

Every country Russia trades with in national currencies, is another reason for them to hold fewer US dollars in reserve—which means the US can’t just print it so freely.

But worse, every country that follows Russias established method of shunning US dollars for trade, can then replicate it with the any of their other trading partners.

The hard part is done, and that is establish the framework that makes such trade smooth. Once the US began using our currency as a sledgehammer against others, they simply stepped out of the way. Soon we’ll have little left to swing at except our own feet.

Trade is much cheaper when conducted between two parties in their own agreed upon terms. Having the US skimming off every transaction has been a big hindrance in international trade and development. Hopefully some countries can now boost their own economic outlooks!

What is the ruble backed by? Oil? Shaky ground that is.

Wrong. You got it all wrong. Nowhere did I make a comparison between the USD and the ruble.

Which currency countries trade in doesn’t have anything at all to do with how one currency compares to another.

Whatever the ruble is worth in the open market is it’s value, no matter what it’s backed by. What it’s NOT is dependent on Russia forcing other countries to use it. It may float, but it’s value is a real reflection, not a manipulation.

With that said, Russia is indeed one of the largest gold producers and holders in the world.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61075759

Biden* now accusing Putin of genocide. Just don't see anything positive from personalizing it. But then Democrats ARE pretty stupid. It will harden Putin's position and not influence Russians. And it puts us in the quandry of doing nothing about genocide now or after the war.

You can openly wonder if certain Russian units are committing genocide, but bringing Putin into it just makes it that much harder for him to back down.

Of course, we could tell him that was just our clown-in-chief* who really isn't in charge.

(04-12-2022 09:37 PM)bullet Wrote:  https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61075759

Biden* now accusing Putin of genocide. Just don't see anything positive from personalizing it. But then Democrats ARE pretty stupid. It will harden Putin's position and not influence Russians. And it puts us in the quandry of doing nothing about genocide now or after the war.

You can openly wonder if certain Russian units are committing genocide, but bringing Putin into it just makes it that much harder for him to back down.

I agree with you this is not helpful language. President Zelensky has also called it genocide, and I don't think either he or POTUS are using the term correctly here. What we've seen in Ukraine is horrific and should be punished, but I don't perceive a concerted effort to exterminate the Ukrainian people because they are Ukrainian. I see a win at all costs, demoralize the resistance strategy that either doesn't mind civilian casualties or perhaps even sees them as helpful to that goal. When we overuse the term genocide it loses some of its power, and this is not the Holocaust or the Turkish genocide against Armenians. Ukraine itself arguably faced a more genocidal event last century with the Moscow-orchestrated Holodomor.

(04-12-2022 09:46 PM)Gamenole Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 09:37 PM)bullet Wrote:  https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61075759

Biden* now accusing Putin of genocide. Just don't see anything positive from personalizing it. But then Democrats ARE pretty stupid. It will harden Putin's position and not influence Russians. And it puts us in the quandry of doing nothing about genocide now or after the war.

You can openly wonder if certain Russian units are committing genocide, but bringing Putin into it just makes it that much harder for him to back down.

I agree with you this is not helpful language. President Zelensky has also called it genocide, and I don't think either he or POTUS are using the term correctly here. What we've seen in Ukraine is horrific and should be punished, but I don't perceive a concerted effort to exterminate the Ukrainian people because they are Ukrainian. I see a win at all costs, demoralize the resistance strategy that either doesn't mind civilian casualties or perhaps even sees them as helpful to that goal. When we overuse the term genocide it loses some of its power, and this is not the Holocaust or the Turkish genocide against Armenians. Ukraine itself arguably faced a more genocidal event last century with the Moscow-orchestrated Holodomor.

Republicans use the word genocide as well, for political purposes. They have no high ground in that regard.

Of course, we all know what happened before, and directly lead to this Holodomor, but nobody talks about it. And Ukrainians are apparently no smarter now than then.

(04-12-2022 09:46 PM)Gamenole Wrote:  

(04-12-2022 09:37 PM)bullet Wrote:  https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-61075759

Biden* now accusing Putin of genocide. Just don't see anything positive from personalizing it. But then Democrats ARE pretty stupid. It will harden Putin's position and not influence Russians. And it puts us in the quandry of doing nothing about genocide now or after the war.

You can openly wonder if certain Russian units are committing genocide, but bringing Putin into it just makes it that much harder for him to back down.

I agree with you this is not helpful language. President Zelensky has also called it genocide, and I don't think either he or POTUS are using the term correctly here. What we've seen in Ukraine is horrific and should be punished, but I don't perceive a concerted effort to exterminate the Ukrainian people because they are Ukrainian. I see a win at all costs, demoralize the resistance strategy that either doesn't mind civilian casualties or perhaps even sees them as helpful to that goal. When we overuse the term genocide it loses some of its power, and this is not the Holocaust or the Turkish genocide against Armenians. Ukraine itself arguably faced a more genocidal event last century with the Moscow-orchestrated Holodomor.

Zelensky is in a propaganda war. Obviously Putin is ticked with it, so it might be questionable on his part, but he is also trying to push the west to send him arms.

If you read the story on the rapes, repeatedly raping women, killing husbands, and levelling cities and refusing to let the civilian population leave as they have done in Mariupol, that can arguably be called genocide. Russian pundits on state media have openly talked about exterminating the Ukrainian nationality. Personally, I think it falls well short of genocide, but it is arguable.