Russia has invaded Ukraine

[papa smurf]

Russia is on it's arse it's military is mostly spent this is the time for a western boot on Putin's throat, threats about nuclear war are not even credible, trump is throwing Putin a lifeline.

Originally Posted by ianch99

Of course, this does not address the invasion and 20% of Ukraine he has taken. If a ceasefire deal is done along the current front line with a US backstop then Putin is rewarded for aggression. Not a good precedent.

It isn’t a good precedent and even with US assurances it’s not a good deal. Unless the USA is going to put actual soldiers on the frontier, assurances are worthless. And Trump is not going to do that under any circumstances.

Aside from all that, a ceasefire on the current line of contact leaves Ukraine with no access to the Sea of Azov, no prospect of rebuilding the Kakhova Dam, the Kerch Strait Bridge intact and Russia still in control of Crimea and able to rebuild its naval infrastructure there. That renders the remainder of Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea, the coastline either side of Odesa, under threat.

It is strategically untenable for Ukraine to sign away the land Russia presently occupies. It’s all too easy to dismiss this as a ‘maximalist demand’ as if Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians as a nation are making unreasonable preconditions. Their territorial integrity and future security is at stake. It is blindingly obvious they are not going to let any of that territory go unless they have no option.

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by Chris

No. NATO minus the USA still easily outmatches Russia almost everywhere. It’s not even close.

Have a look at https://armedforces.eu/compare/count...TO_without_USA

… also bear in mind that these stats seem not to have not been updated in the last 2 years - Russia has lost more than 10,000 tanks, 20,000 combat vehicles, 300 aircraft and 24,000 artillery pieces since invading Ukraine in 2022.

That's reassuring to know.

[thenry]

This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer! It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. – Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?
https://apnews.com/article/russia-uk...m_medium=share

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...99480566604857

I don't get it. Trump doesn't himself hold all the cards.

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by thenry

I don't get it. Trump doesn't himself hold all the cards.

Trump want's paying for helping Ukraine in the past, then he want's to dump them, Ukraine has the minerals that trump is desperate to get hold of, i don't think Trump has any cards just a huge ego.

[Pierre]

So what’s the answer then? Let them continue to slug it out like two punch drunk fighters until they both collapse? Both go bankrupt and take us with them.

[thenry]

Trump said Europe can offer assurances that Putin won't start the war again. That's one card down.

Does the US have a huge stock of artillery it needs gone

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by thenry

Trump said Europe can offer assurances that Putin won't start the war again. That's one card down.

Does the US have a huge stock of artillery it needs gone

just huge stocks of BS and bluster

[jfman]

Originally Posted by Pierre

So what’s the answer then? Let them continue to slug it out like two punch drunk fighters until they both collapse? Both go bankrupt and take us with them.

Mandelson has outlined the plan. Support Zelensky towards a face saving fold to Trump. This is a pantomime.

America needs its minerals.
The UK wants to avoid tariffs.
Europe wants to pretend it’s relevant.

The lads at Blackrock and Vanguard will be rubbing their hands at all this defence expenditure to save Europe from a country that is on it’s knees that the best propaganda for it’s military might comes from western centrists.

Win. Win. Win.

[1andrew1]

Reports from Moscow indicate that Russian supplies of French sparkling wine will soon be exhausted as Trump pauses aid to Ukraine.
Wonder how the new leader of the West will respond?
https://news.sky.com/story/trump-pau...raine-13321048

Hopefully this will get people round the table…

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Hopefully this will get people round the table…

I fear the only part of that letter that Trump will be interested in is the last bit

[jfman]

My Nostradamus-esque prediction of 18.08 last night comes to fruition.

Anyone else saying all the words in that statement would have been called a Putin apologist a mere week ago. Be interesting to see how it lands among the bloodthirsty talking heads who were pushing the forever war.

Ukraine joins the list of countries let down by being convenient, short term allies of the United States.

[1andrew1]

Blackrock have actually acquired the Hong Kong owned port assets on the Panama Canal so you got that
prediction right even if you made it inadvertently!

Originally Posted by jfman

My Nostradamus-esque prediction of 18.08 last night comes to fruition.

Anyone else saying all the words in that statement would have been called a Putin apologist a mere week ago. Be interesting to see how it lands among the bloodthirsty talking heads who were pushing the forever war.

Ukraine joins the list of countries let down by being convenient, short term allies of the United States.

Don’t worry - even if you didn’t say the words in that statement, we still think you’re a Putin apologist…

I see you’re still promulgating the Russian talking point that anyone who doesn’t want to support Russia running rampant over Ukraine, kidnapping children, executing prisoners-of-war, and deliberately targeting the civilian population, is a "bloodthirsty talking head"…