@randahl I really can't understand why Europe favors a war that begun only due to the expansion of OTAN far beyond what Gorbatchev and Reagan informally agreed.

@randahl
I added up the GDPs by purchasing power (PPP). The Nordic-Baltic 8 (Nordics, Baltics and Poland) together with Ukraine sum up to about two thirds of Russia.

Of course if you add Germany, France or UK things change dramatically.

@randahl
One of the Ukrainian co-founders of the kitchen where I volunteer, just sent this message to all volunteers, Ukrainian and international:

This week, it seems like from all corners, the narrative has shifted to everything being bad in Ukraine, and that we should agree to some kind of peace plan. That Russia is advancing, and Ukraine is losing territory. That we are in a weak position.

What can I say about this? Essentially, all these peace plans are capitulation. Yes, as a nation, we make mistakes. As the folk proverb says – "we step on the same rake." And until we learn these lessons, we are doomed to step on them. But we are definitely learning and definitely changing. Yes, through pain and loss. Unfortunately. But there will come a moment when the lessons are learned and the necessary conclusions are drawn. The main thing is that we have not lost our dignity and stand for our country. And as long as we stand for our country, we will succeed. I have seen it, I know it, I believe in it. And you see it too.

I understand we are not yet at the hardest point, and we are no longer at a crossroads. I understand that serious challenges lie ahead. But we will overcome them, because on the path we have chosen, it's either all or nothing.

Perhaps the best visualization of Ukraine's resilience is the comparison of these two maps.
We have had to live through another period of destruction and rebuilding of the world order. What the world will be like hangs in the balance. And it is precisely on the resilience of our nation that this now depends.

Thank you for choosing to walk this difficult path together!

Thanks to everyone involved!

@ Randahl Fink Yes, that's the spirit!

We know that we can't rely on -or even trust- our former transatlantic friend anymore, so let's face that fact and get our act together.

We'll have to make sure we can keep Russia at bay without America. If the Nordic countries have an economy as big as Russia, imagine our power it we leverage the European economy (minus, probably, Hungary).