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[Sinistar]

penis

In all honesty though, Russian tools and products are known to be, while lacking the refined touch like German ones, incredibly robust.

Lada Niva would easily start in the middle of Siberian cold precisely because the tolerances are so lose it isn't affected so much by the shrinkage of metals. BMW on the other hand? Good luck.

Sometimes having the tools just to get the job done is more important than getting the job done in elegant ways, yo. /thread

[Sheb]

That is true, but the ladies' nether regions rarely have the temperature of a Siberian winter. If you're trying to insert your phallus in something freezing, you're doing it wrong.

Knit tie: That would made their fear entirely rational. You yourself just said that Russia rationally used force to prevent Ukraine from adopting a policy that goes against Russian interest, and that the only thing that protect Poland and the Baltics is that no such course of action is possible. The shrillness of their response and the NATO troops there are the only thing standing between them and a Ukrainian scenario.

[Knit tie]

There's also the complete lack of any separatist movements or opinions within them, which were crucial for Russia in Ukraine, and the equally complete lack of any Russian plans on them whatsoever. Kremlin doesn't care about the Baltics or Poland, simple as that.

[Guardian G.I.]

Ha! So you are not denying that my countrymen have, on average, thicker penises than your countrymen and are also better at using them, thus making them superior?

I did not adress that point, but I shall do so now:
It is well-known that among the great German virtues are punctuality, efficiency, and cleanliness. Even with an inferior tool, a German craftsman or engineer will produce marvels of human ingenuity; why should we be any less skilled with the superior tools attached to us? Add to this that I live on the left bank of the Rhine, a region one might call without being all too dishonest the north-east of France; are not the French known for their excelling in the sensual arts?

Completely unrelated story coming up!
My dad told me a story once about two of his old friends (brothers, former sportsmen) who were also very intrepid adventurers.
In the early 1990s, they decided to leave Belarus and move to Western Europe, being under influence of liberal stories describing it as paradise on Earth. They hitchhiked towards the Polish-German border and then illegally crossed it - the border controls immediately after the reunification were rather lax. Trouble awaited them in Germany - they were attacked by a group of neo-Nazis at some nightclub. A beatdown ensued, and the defeated neo-Nazis did what every true European would do in that situation - they called the police and told them they were assaulted by immigrants. The two brothers were arrested and imprisoned. After being released, they worked their way from street beggars to owners of an authorized BMW dealership and an expensive flat in the centre of Munich. They also criss-crossed Europe along the way.
Later on, in the late 1990s, they visited their homeland. My dad had a drink with them and they told him about their escapades and the life in Western Europe. My dad, who was a rather naive liberal back then, was rather shocked - their impressions and views of Europe and everyone living there were overwhelmingly negative. For example, they described Germans as dim-witted simpletons who follow every single rule and regulation without questioning if it is just or not.

[Sheb]

Well, Germans do like their rules.

My sister spent one year as an exchange student in Bochum. One night she was walking back from a party when a fine gentleman called to her with a very classy "Hey, Praline, brauchst du ein Füllung?". Somehow, that fine display of the courtly art did not convince my sister, who started walking away. The gentleman then started following her, causing some alarm, since it was 3 AM and the streets were absolutely empty.

Finally, my sister come across a crosswalk with a traffic light. Since there was no car, my sister applies typical Belgian pragmatism and cross at the red light. The fine young gentleman however is petrified by his respect for rules, and stop following my sister.

[Knit tie]

Apparently, this has been going on.

[Sheb]

Yeah, it's hardly news. I don't expect much to come out of it though, we already tried the reset.

[Knit tie]

It's not a reset, to be exact. It's an initiative to stop demanding all of the concessions from Russia, which won't happen period, and instead try to actually compromise. I can only welcome that, given how eagerly Putin wants to actually negotiate with the West.

[Sheb]

Well, we have to disagree: I don't think Putin really wants to negotiate. At the very least he'll never hand Crimea back, which would make any compromise a joke: it's like stealing 2000 euros from a guy and offering to compromise by giving 1000 euros back.

Actually, I've watched the 12 chairs yesterday. It's exactly something Bender would do.

[Guardian G.I.]

Well, Germans do like their rules.

My sister spent one year as an exchange student in Bochum. One night she was walking back from a party when a fine gentleman called to her with a very classy "Hey, Praline, brauchst du ein Füllung?". Somehow, that fine display of the courtly art did not convince my sister, who started walking away. The gentleman then started following her, causing some alarm, since it was 3 AM and the streets were absolutely empty.

Finally, my sister come across a crosswalk with a traffic light. Since there was no car, my sister applies typical Belgian pragmatism and cross at the red light. The fine young gentleman however is petrified by his respect for rules, and stop following my sister.

Standing at red lights when there are no cars in the street is also a well-noted Belarusian tradition. Many visiting Russians are often puzzled by this.

[Knit tie]

Which version?

Ah, so it comes down not to facts, but to interpretation, Sheb. You say that compromise is impossible, I say that it is the only solution, and I think that arguing about that is pointless, to be frank.

Crossing the street at red lights completely irregardless of the number of cars on the street is, on the other hand, a well-noted Russian tradition. There are many fun YouTube videos where you can observe it.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Seeking compromises with Hitler ended badly for the World. I hope that idea of seeking compromise with Putin is not popular among top World politicians... else that means that humanity aren't smarter than in 1930s

[Knit tie]

Ah yes, argumentum ad Hitlerem.

Seeking compromise with most of the other dictators ended rather well for the world, by the way. Look up all the imperialism in the 17-19th century

[Sheb]

Well, let me rephrase it: at the moment, the gap between what Russia is willing to give up and what the West and Ukraine are willing to give up is so wide that compromise is impossible, at least for now.

Honestly, I simply don't see the situation changing any time soon. Slapping sanctions on state we dislike for very long period of time is something the West is good at: just witness the embargo on Cuba, or the sanctions in Iran. Ignoring civil war for question of principle is also something we're good at: witness the refusal to back Assad in Syria, despite the fact that he's probably the world's best shot at ending the civil war.

On the other hand, I don't see Russia accepting any significant concession. They won't give Crimea back, and they won't stop supporting the rebels if they don't keep some other kind of veto on Ukraine's foreign policy.

So while compromise would be the ideal solution, I don't see it happening anytime soon. The only ends I see to the war in Donbass is either a Ukrainian military victory (Unlikely: despite your assertions that they're carpet-bombing civilians, they are actually reluctant to launch full-scale assaults), or a Russian military intervention, followed by annexation of the Donbass and Luhansk (Also unlikely. And if Russia was bold enough to do that, they'd probably also start sending "rebels" in other areas of Ukraine).

On another note: what would you personally consider a reasonable compromise? I would consider leaving Crimea to Russia, while signing a new version of the Budapest memorandum that would engage NATO and Russia to actively help Ukraine in case of aggression rather than giving it a mere right to consultation. It would also guarantee Ukraine's right to pursue its own foreign policy.

[Guardian G.I.]

Ah yes, argumentum ad Hitlerem.

Seeking compromise with the world ended rather well for the absolute majority of other dictators, by the way.

There are exceptions, of course, such as Muammar Gaddafi. His warm relations and business deals with Western countries didn't save him from an insurrection backed and sponsored by his Western partners.