USA kind of HAS to offer the guy and his family an out, being a leader of a nation, but my goodness him staying is inspiring a lot of people there, I'm sure. I saw an image earlier of a former Ukrainian president holding a rifle ready to defend with the citizens, an image of a couple that moved their wedding date up, got married, and then there were photos of them holding Ak-47's ready to defend Ukraine as newly-wed husband and wife, the Snake Island response, the old Ukranian woman bravely accosting the Russians soldiers, the stories go on. This is the kind of stuff that inspires resistance for years to come. Zelensky staying is tremendous, just like if he fled it would demoralize a lot, I'm sure. If the Russians are stupid enough to kill the man, it's going to be a rallying cry all across Ukraine.

Do note that not everybody is listening to propaganda. Many are just blinded by the fact that the States are a typically terrible actor, too, so, according to their predisposition, the conflict must be their fault as well. This is pretty much what's stopping the Russian government to receive the universal condemnation it deserves. 

I evidently understand what Rubio is trying to get at but that is a one oddly worded tweet. Just say the guy could be ill, lol. 

There are still people who remember Soviet tanks rolling through Budapest in 1956, and Zeman is old enough to remember both that and the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Despite Orban's ovetures towards Russia in recent years, Hungary has never really trusted them. 

Article also mentions condemnation coming from Bucharest and from Moldova. Romania is a NATO member but Moldova is not. They both border Ukraine on the south. (edit)

(edit) Bulgaria's president also issued a strong condemnation. Bulgaria is a NATO member. 

So, if all of this holds, Russia so far has a lot of Eastern European nations condemning them, no support from countries in its direct orbit like Kazakhstan, and no endorsement from China. The only help they seem to be getting so far is from Belarus, which allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory in the attack on Chernobyl.

Putin more fully explains his motives for invading Ukraine: they're Nazis! Especially the Jewish ones!! You know, for not wanting to die or be colonized.

Putin likewise claims he wants to negotiate now with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who he recognizes as the country's legitimate head of state...while his tanks and planes and soldiers are currently battling through the streets of Kyiv, advancing toward the presidential palace. It's called lying. He does a lot of that. For example, for the last two months he's been saying he wouldn't invade Ukraine at all and those 190,000 Russian troops being amassed along their border were just symbolically there to make sure Ukraine didn't invade and take over Russia BECAUSE THEY'RE NAZIS!!!

Personally, I'm with this Ukrainian woman who offered an occupying Russian soldier the gift of sunflower seeds...that she might be able to one day see flowers growing over his corpse when he dies on Ukrainian soil.

So he didn't invade Ukraine because he doesn't think it has any right to call itself a nation and because he thinks he's bigger than Peter the Great? Boy, I'm sure glad he cleared that misunderstanding up for us!

I can only imagine what kind of bargain with the devil Putin wants to offer Mr. Zelensky. I'm guessing Putin is going to use Mr. Zelensky's obvious concern for the people of Ukraine to try and threaten him into signing a deal which leaves Ukraine as a subject of the Russian Federation in all but the name. 

Godspeed, people of Ukraine and President Zelensky. The fight for Kyiv is on. 

AP News: Street fighting begins in Kyiv; people urged to seek shelter

Ukraine invasion: Russians close on Kyiv but meet strong resistance - BBC News

Latvian people donated more than 1 million euro to Ukraine yesterday, I contributed too.

Russian losses now, according to 🇺🇦Ukraine’s military.
14 airplanes
8 helicopters
102 tanks
536 armored cars,
15 artillery pieces,
1 BUK-1 system,
3,500 killed, nearly 200 taken prisoner

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) February 26, 2022

Unfortunately in politics, honour is not the mark of a "good" politician. Read the Prince by Machiavelli someday if you can, its a major eye-opener to the reality of politics vs what we want to perceive.