Putin was wrong. Biden isn't constrained in ways Obama was and Europe was ready for the US to assume a leadership role. 

Does anyone believe Trump would have done anything but pat his pal Vlad on the back and congratulate him on a job well done?

Putin isn't going to go nuclear, either. He knows it's a hole card he *might* play but if he does, that's a major escalation when he can't afford it. Russia's military has shown it has no chance against NATO--none at all--and even with nukes, they don't have much hope of toughing it out against everyone.

He's losing this war. If rumors are true, he doesn't have long anyway, so his dream of a restored Soviet Union likely dies with him, but you never know. Desperate people do crazy things.

I was going to write "I'm assuming Carlos didn't knock it up himself" but then I thought I'd just have Google cast its eye over the image.

Do you know what came up?

Wow.

Heh, not at all.

We're under a moderate right wing government right now and they actually banned RT from all cable operators. And Uruguay in general, even under left wing governments which I voted for, has always been pretty much pro-US on every international matter. 

We're not Venezuela.

And I definitely agree with this, and I also think the Russian government had a lot to do with that, even when it's unfashionable to say that now with the "Russia-Gate" debunkers having apparently "won" this particular debate right now.

I still think something fishy happened there, and of course they played Trump like a fiddle.

But... (and again, not justifying Putin in any way) I still don't get why the US gets to world police on this matter.

Which would be fair comment if not for that the topic at hand sprung from what seemed to be a justification of Putin's actions.

i.e. Doomday clock moves closer to midnight----> infographic of NATO encroaching on Russia (including miraculous NATO bases in Pakistan, and Afghanistan) -----> Current discussion.