Either Putin and his 'siloviki' are stopped in Ukraine or universal law dies.

There is something rather obscene in the German government sending 5000 helmets to the Ukrainian army which, at the moment, is keeping Putin's Russian army at bay in their defence of democracy in Europe and the world.

What is even more obscene, as reported by Callie Patteson, is the pronouncement of Germany Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (left), that,

“We are standing on Kyiv’s side,” Lambrecht said in an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. “We have to do everything to de-escalate. Currently, arms deliveries would not be helpful in this respect; there is agreement on this in the Germany government.” (New York Post : 25 February 2022) (my emphasis)

Let us also recall that in 2014, in a speech at the 50th Munich Security Conference, Germany's then President Joachim Gauck said that,

 

"I have to admit that while there are genuine pacifists in Germany, there are also people who use Germany’s guilt for its past as a shield for laziness or a desire to disengage from the world. In the words of the historian Heinrich August Winkler, this is an attitude that grants Germany a questionable "right to look the other way, which other Western democracies" cannot claim for themselves. Restraint can thus be taken too far if people start making special rules for themselves. Whenever that happens, I will criticise it." (Federal President Joachim Gauck) (my emphasis) (blog entry 30/11/2014)

 

And as  Callie Patteson further reports,

"In January, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated the government’s stance, (cf. Christine Lambrecht above) saying: “In recent years, the German government has repeatedly decided not to supply lethal weapons. There are reasons for this, which are of course also based on all the developments of recent years and decades.”

As Germany's former President, Joachim Gauck, stated in 2014, the year when Putin illegally invaded, and annexed, Ukraine's Crimea and then proceeded to invade Ukraine's Donbas, "

" ... there are also people who use Germany’s guilt for its past as a shield for laziness or a desire to disengage from the world." (cf Joachim Gauck above)

And also finally .... finally ...., as reported by Andreas Rinke and Sarah Marsh, the world is beginning to re-evaluate their praises heaped upon Angela Merkel's appeasement of Putin when he illegally invaded, and annexed, Ukraine's Crimea and then proceeded to invade Ukraine's Donbas.

 

As they report,

 

"Germany's relatively doveish stance on Russia - which some experts attribute partly to its guilt over World War Two - has now prompted a broad reevalution of German-Russian ties under successive governments including those led by Merkel.
...
However Germany continued to increase its dependence on Russian energy throughout her mandate. It now relies on Russia for more than half its energy needs, constraining its ability to get tough with Putin.
...
Merkel also supported the Nord Stream 2 pipeline intended to deliver Russian gas directly to Germany bypassing Ukraine, the traditional transit route, calling it a "commercial project" even as Washington and others warned it would weaken Kyiv.
...
Merkel's former Economy and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel (right) of the SPD

told German radio Deutschlandfunk this week that he had supported Nord Stream 2 because he believed such projects "carry a peace dividend".
...
"The question for me and Merkel is whether we were too optimistic," he said. " (Reuters : 25 February 2022) (my emphasis)
 

The German government now stands on the sidelines, watching the death and destruction that Putin is now raining upon the people of Ukraine whilst they wring their hands in supposed anguish, shielding behind the near Orwellian argument that they believed that "Nord Stream2 signified 'Peace' whilst for Putin it signified 'War'.

 

That Putin lives in an 'Orwellian' world of his own is also signified by the 'Orwellian reasoning' of the current Russian chair of the UN Security council that Putin's second invasion of Ukraine signifies 'peace', to which the Ukrainian delegate's reply proves that  Putin's current war with Ukraine is tearing up the Charter of the UN and that, consequently, Russia should be removed from the Security Council.

 

MSNBC : 24 Februsary 2022

 

Meanwhile, Ukrainians are bravely holding the line against Putin's attempt to destroy their democracy that was birthed at the 2014 Maidan Revolution of Dignity.

As reported by Greg Heffer (left),

"Russia had not taken any of its major objectives in the first 24 hours of its invasion of Ukraine and has lost more than 450 personnel, according to the UK's defence secretary.
...
Ben Wallace told Sky News it was the UK government's view that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends "to invade the whole of Ukraine". (Sky News : 25 February 2022) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Joy Reid,

"Putin clearly wants regime change [in Ukraine] " (MSNBC : 25 February 2022) (my emphasis)

The world now stands at the crossroads.

Either Putin and his 'siloviki' are stopped from destroying democracy in Ukraine or universal law dies.

(to be continued)