Europe wants in on the discussion. Trump says here you go, answer these questions.
Questions for European governments on Ukraine Security
Reuters reports U.S. Questions European Governments on Ukraine Security.
The United States has sent European governments a set of questions about what they would need from the U.S. in order to provide Ukraine with security guarantees.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said that Washington “has been clear that we expect European partners to take the lead in establishing a durable security framework and look forward to their proposals.”
Eleven Questions
- What do you view as a Europe-backed security guarantee or assurance that would serve as a sufficient deterrent to Russia while also ensuring this conflict ends with an enduring peace settlement?
- Which European and/or third countries do you believe could or would participate in such an arrangement?
- Are there any countries you believe would be indispensable?
- Would your country be willing to deploy its troops to Ukraine as part of a peace settlement?
- If third country military forces were to be deployed to Ukraine as part of a peace arrangement, what would you consider to be the necessary size of such a European-led force?
- How and where would these forces be deployed and for how long?
- What actions do U.S., allies and partners need to be prepared to take if Russia attacks these forces?
- What, if any, U.S. support requirements would your government consider necessary for its participation in these security arrangements?
- Specifically, which short-term and long-term resources do you think will be required from the U.S.?
- What additional capabilities, equipment and maintenance sustainment options is your government prepared to provide to Ukraine to improve its negotiating hand and increase pressure on Russia?
- What more is your government prepared to do to increase its sanctions on Russia, including more strictly enforcing sanctions and better targeting third countries enabling Russia globally?
Reuters called it six (some of them were multiple questions per number). I total eleven.
Europe wants input, so Trump asks how much are you willing to invest?
Zelensky Says No to Trump Negotiated Deal
Meanwhile Zelensky shuts down the Trump-Putin Peace talks from the West to keep the war from ending.
He says he will NOT ACCEPT ANY Peace deal negotiated by Trump and Putin.
OK I am in favor of giving him a take it or leave it offer, and walking away if he says no.
Zelensky Tells Europe to Build Armed Forces
I have no idea who this clown thinks he is, but he is in no position to demand anything.
Here’s a Video of Zelensky Lecturing Europe.
Why is Trump Leading the Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks?
Yesterday, I asked Why is Trump Leading the Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Without the EU?
My answer today is the same as yesterday.
Because 1) no one else has a plan, 2) Trump’s plan is likely to work, 3) the EU would screw it up.
Let’s see ho much money and troops they are willing to pony up to go to war with Russia on behalf of Ukraine.
Trump is transforming the US into a fascist state but ya, let’s take out our anger on the guy leading the one country fighting against fascism.
Here’s a summary of Germany’s decent into fascism, you can follow along at home to see where the US is on it’s journey:
https://x.com/JoshKeatley/status/1890850646342893632
Chevy Chase or Bill Murry could likely do a better job than Vlodimir Zelensky…
he was an actor/comedian after all before finding the real money!
trump doesn’t have a clue. someone did his homework for him.
Trump doesn’t have a plan. He’s Putin’s puppy. Trump’s plan is Putin’s plan….Ukraine cedes 20% of its territory including Crimea, and Russia gives up nothing. Trump’s had a long history with Russians and Russian gangsters laundering money in his cash for condos deals as criminals washed their dark money in real estate transactions. A Russsian KGB Major Yuri Shvets has said publically that Trump has been a Russian asset since the 1980s after many of his bankruptcies. Craig Unger in House of Trump House of Putin made a strong case that Trump is a Russian asset. Trump has been to Russia a number of times, regardless of what he says publically now. He was deeply involved with a Russian with organized crime contacts in both Brooklyn and Russia, who was a managing partner in the building and selling of condos at Trump Soho and other Trump ventures. Sater (born Felix Mikhaiovich Sheverovsky) had an office 2 stories below Trump’s office in Trump Tower and often popped into his office. Trump denied he knew him and Trump Soho crashed and burned, just like so many other Trump projects. Trump has no business negotiating anything on behalf of Ukraine, but American policy has been aligned with the rest of Europe, attempting to give Ukraine money and weapons, to degrade Russia’s armed forces and it’s been working….until Trump stepped in on behalf of Russia which has exploding inflation and interest costs of 21%. Russia has lost massive amounts of equipment, tanks, personnel, helicopters, jet aircraft and ships so the NATO plan was working, and a few more years of this stalemate would be enough to get rid of Putin and his gangsters who’ve plundered Russia.
Tds at its pinnacle. Congrats. How someone can be that delusional is a mystery. Is it possible that you are actually Adam Schitt that ahole from CA? Anyway I would be willing to donate money for a curative frontal lobotomy. A Miracle cure for tds
accusing another of your trump delusional sickness is a real knee slapper.
you insult putin.
Is like to know who wrote the questions for Trump. Decent questions but grammar is too good for Trump to have written them. I await their answers.
exactly.
Chat GPT
Eleven Questions
I’ll take a shot at that…
– What do you view as a Europe-backed security guarantee or assurance that would serve as a sufficient deterrent to Russia while also ensuring this conflict ends with an enduring peace settlement?
> A sit down and negotiated “Peace Agreement” with Russia & America. This signed off deal will be the tool/agreement for deterrent, and it’s consequences.
– Which European and/or third countries do you believe could or would participate in such an arrangement?
> None that I am aware of, based on who gave money, troops and weapons. I guess it’s America or Russia, so take your pick.
– Are there any countries you believe would be indispensable
> I know of 1 that is dispensable.
– Would your country be willing to deploy its troops to Ukraine as part of a peace settlement?
> Not necessary if it’s a true Peace Agreement, but certainly representatives should be on-site, and kept updated on what’s happening.
– If third country military forces were to be deployed to Ukraine as part of a peace arrangement, what would you consider to be the necessary size of such a European-led force?
> Not necessary if it’s a true Peace Agreement, but certainly representatives should be on-site, and kept updated on what’s happening.
– How and where would these forces be deployed and for how long?
> Not necessary if it’s a true Peace Agreement, but certainly representatives should be on-site, and kept updated on what’s happening.
– What actions do U.S., allies and partners need to be prepared to take if Russia attacks these forces?
> “Depends Why” ALL of this will be covered in the signed off agreement.
– What, if any, U.S. support requirements would your government consider necessary for its participation in these security arrangements?
> If necessary, it would have to be negotiated at the time.
– Specifically, which short-term and long-term resources do you think will be required from the U.S.?
> Some money, but way less than what we were, and it will be handled by the U.S. and be specifically allocated.
– What additional capabilities, equipment and maintenance sustainment options is your government prepared to provide to Ukraine to improve its negotiating hand and increase pressure on Russia?
> Not necessary if it’s a true Peace Agreement, but certainly representatives should be on-site, and kept updated on what’s happening.
– What more is your government prepared to do to increase its sanctions on Russia, including more strictly enforcing sanctions and better targeting third countries enabling Russia globally?
> Not necessary if it’s a true Peace Agreement, but certainly representatives should be on-site, and kept updated on what’s happening.
>> Many of these questions are unnecessary if your agreement is sound. Your alternative at this point would be War again. I doubt that will occur under a Trump / Putin “Peace Plan” unless of course Zelenskyy screws it up..
Ironically, giving back nuclear weapons to Ukraine would neatly solve 2 key problems:
But obviously everyone in the West are too scared to do that.
“give back”? They never owned the weapons to begin with, the Soviets did.
The West made Ukraine give back the nukes to Russia because (a) they belonged to the Soviet Union, and Russia was the inheritor – just like it inherited the Security Council seat, and (b) the West was afraid that the Ukro Nazis would sell the fissile material to terrorist groups elsewhere in the world.
The launch codes were always closely guarded by the Kremlin. Part of the Soviet nuclear arsenal was merely stationed in the Ukrainian Soviet Republic.
First question exposes biggest problem:
How can you deter nuclear power with large conventional military force and leader who is obsessed about conquering neighbor country?
Anyone can see only two ways: either to deploy nuclear armed strike force OR full NATO membership for Ukraine. Heck, even NATO membership might be insufficient deterrence level because NATO membership do not grant automatic defense obligations. Sufficiently determined (or sufficiently mad) leader might be tempted to test determination of NATO member countries to go into war to defend NATO member state.
France and the U.K. are nuclear powers. Putin hasn’t been willing to go nuclear after a 3 year conventional war against a much less powerful country, and is still ongoing. Putin isn’t crazy – opening up a new war against NATO, on purpose, would lead to his demise.
Also, no one knows how many of Russia’s nukes are operational – shelf life for many components are way overdue. Has the maintenance and testing been kept up the last 25 years?
You can bet the long-range ones have been kept very operational.
You touch on some “Key Points”
– How can you deter nuclear power with large conventional military force and leader who is obsessed about conquering neighbor country?
> Putin is in no way, looking to “conquering neighbor country” Russia does not have the Financial Resources to build Ukraine into a prosperous Country. Russia would be a far better choice to spend there limited resources.
– Anyone can see only two ways: either to deploy nuclear armed strike force OR full NATO membership for Ukraine.
> I see neither of them a choice at all. In fact, both would not happen under any realistic circumstances, that I can think up. With Ukraine’s history of aggression, and disregard to rules they were supposed to be abiding by, why on earth would you allow that Country into NATO? Unless of course you’re a “War Monger” or “Stupid” which in this case, would be one and the same. No a Nuclear War is not happening OVER Ukraine…
– Heck, even NATO membership might be insufficient deterrence level because NATO membership do not grant automatic defense obligations.
> Hence no point, and not required. A “Peace Deal” is sufficient.
– Sufficiently determined (or sufficiently mad) leader might be tempted to test determination of NATO member countries to go into war to defend NATO member state.
> Um… There is your answer to your above question: “ OR full
NATO membership for Ukraine”
russia has no interest conquering anyone . thats the u.s. and nato.
Trump to Europe/Ukraine:
Go Away Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G440l2DlW7I
Trump is doing them a favor. I keep waiting for Hunter to rush to the front lines.
There has been no elected Government in Ukraine for some time, Zelensky with Western support has closed all neutral or critical political parties and media and the leaders of Austria, Canada, France, Germany and Britain have public support below 25%.
We are not fighting for democracy in Western Europe. We wasted hundreds of billions on corruption, support of Dem campaigners masquerading as gov employees and killing Russians and Ukraine citizens
you mean the uniparty.
Trump’s plan is to hand over Ukraine to Russia while extracting its natural resources. If that’s a plan that’s likely to succeed then Europeans need to do everything possible to torpedo this. It’s time to admit that the US is an enemy of the free world.
lol
Where do you types of people come up with this nonsense?
trump’s script has him whining for natural resources that he was told should be given the u.s. russia can wait for the enemy of the world to expire/
New betting odds for a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. https://polymarket.com/event/russia-x-ukraine-ceasefire-in-2025
French and N. Korea peace keepers.
Trump got his answer. Putin is not serious about negotiating as he expected.
?
What are you referring too?
I wrote about it a few posts ago. Trump used a negotiating tactic that helps you see if your adversary was serious and acting in good faith. Putin failed the test.
How did Putin fail the test, asking sincerely. Thank you.
Length. A four hour meeting is all you need to see if your interlocker means business. If he does then the meeting goes on as propositions are discussed. If not then there is no reason to stay longer. They agreed to meet later at some unspecified time of course and to consult each other on a few things but that is just window-dressing. My guess is that Putin put out conditions that he knows cannot be met. He wants the war to continue because he thinks he can win it so why stop now?
US delegation did not come off as disappointed.
If anything they were in agreement that Peace talks were viable.
Trump and Putin want this to end.
Neocons are gone from inner workings of administration.
Europe’s elites are shocked that Trump would talk with Russia without them. That alone demonstrates where the never ending War has its roots.
Am willing to give this more time to sort out.
peace talks? from war mongers who initiated this mess? thats ludicrous. don the old apparently believes he has the upper hand. he was and always will be an egomaniac loser.
more likely don the old was unable to grasp what putin said. don the old was too busy trying to insist he get what he wants ,those natural resources and therefore heard nothing putin said.
At this point Zelensky seems to be practically begging the CIA to “Ngo Dinh Diem” him.
“Because 1) no one else has a plan, 2) Trump’s plan is likely to work, 3) the EU would screw it up.”
4) Because the U.S. taxpayers especially those without investments are paying for it via the FED monetizing these expenses.
don the old has no plan other than one that tries to con russia.
Ukraine has no say as they can’t fight Russia without the help of the US and EU. Zelenskyy will be told to accept the deal or he’s on his own – no money, weapons or help from the US. EU won’t step up to give him the help he needs.
Ukraine is going to have to go guerilla. They have to send more drones against Russia, more car bombs, more violence against civilians. And maybe take out Putin.
It’s not the Ukraine-Russia peace talks
It’s the USA-Russia peace talks.
They’re talking about rebooting some kind of relations between the US and Russia.
cannot trust the u.s. especially with a con potus.
Can’t trust the U.S., period. Ask the Indians.
Even if Russia agreed to peace keepers it would be temporary, a couple years tops. They also could not be involved with elections. They may allow mine cleaning teams to stay longer but only ones approved by Russia. No NATO or CIA cutouts.
A couple of years tops. Probably what they first said about Korea. And here we are.
“He says he will NOT ACCEPT ANY Peace deal negotiated by Trump and Putin.”
As i recall, the president of South Korea would not sign the armistice agreement in 1953. He didn’t really have any choice to say no. Eisenhower wanted the war over with. Still to this day, no peace treaty has ever been signed, marking an official end to the war. I was in Panmunjom on August 19, 1976, when the Armistice Commission met, the day after Captain Bonifas and Lieutenant Barret were murdered by North Korean soldiers.
He won’t have to. Russia is demanding an election in Ukraine and a legitimate unexpired President before signing anything.
Ukraine could also demand a free and fair election in Russia. But how to arrange that?
I guess Ukraine doesn’t have say in these “negotiations?”
Correct
They’re not at the table, they’re on the table.
If you aren’t at the table then you’re on the menu.
The Ukraine should have abided by the Minsk agreements and the US/NATO should have agreed to Russia’s ultimatum of 2021, because that’s what’s going to happen anyways, but now with thousands dead and millions poorer.
Boris Johnson and deep state took him from the negotiating table.
And and he and the whole country were brain washed to fight the insurmountable
giant.
Was Ukraine ever in control of events? We know a narrative. We don’t know what has been going on in secret behind closed doors, in the U.S. and Russian governments or what has been going on in secret between the U.S. and Ukrainian government.
Why is Trump Leading the Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Without the EU?
( Today he got agreement with Russia to end the war. )
This is the revenge on Deep State and – – -.
Do you remember?
Many many court cases against him. How can he forget?
Assassination attempts against him. How can he forget?
Trump proof free aid to Ukraine by Biden?
He showed he can do this and that.
More are coming. RFK, MLK, etc assassination files will be revealed soon.
And he can focus on far east.
pipe dream much do you? its all a con job for the gullible programmed cult .
This is a war between America and Russia. Sadly, Ukraine was the arena and the cannon fodder and nothing more. The terms of the end of the war will be decided between the two parties waging the war, not by Ukraine. You should do a piece soon about how spectacular the failure of Biden/Blinkin/Sullivan’s sanctions have played out. Trump sees this as a business transaction. One where we lost $300b, he wants the money back (somehow, could be via JVs w Russian oil in the future) and he wants the dollar to remain as the reserve currency. Irony of irony will be if we drop sanctions before the war ends and the EU increases sanctions further crippling their economies. The EU has no hydrocarbons of their own to run a competitive economy so they can make peace with Moscow, drill-baby-drill or become insolvent. German power prices are .25/euro. No chance to compete.
Trump’s creed: anti illegal immigrants, anti woke and anti radical Islam. He cut border
crossing by 90%. Woke is comatose and the pro Palestinians students are in hiding.
NYC mayor cooperates with him. Gavin cooperates with him. Josh Shapiro has a target on his back: reps states will suppress illegal immigrants. The federal gov will suppress dems woke states. Josh is Trump’s ==> enemy #1.
The EU has the same creed.
trump personifies treason.
It’s very important that Russia be able to conquer its neighbors so that the US can do the same. Wake up people, the world is changing fast. If you dont like it, maybe you should have built a bigger army.
Questions? So weird, I thought you just send pallets of cash via USAID et al to grease the wheels.
That is what happened in Iraq back around 2oo4 or 2005.
Is there a way to fix my typos? Annon1970 should read Anon1970. 2oo4 should read 2004.
Pallets of cash were used to pacify Iraqis after the the US seized control of Iraq in 2003. I wonder how the Treasury documented those transactions and how much of the missing $4.7 trillion ended up in foreign countries?
NATO works as a deterrent against Russia/the Soviet Union because, with the U.S., NATO is a far superior military force compared to any other country in the world. NATO was formed to be the protector of the Global Liberal Democratic Order that was built out of the ashes of WWII against the threat of Russian/Soviet expansionism. Over time NATO, with the fall of the Soviet Union and the liberation of Eastern Europe, interest in joining the NATO alliance by these previously occupied countries naturally arose as their new democratically elected governments were demanded by the people to ensure that they were never occupied again. At the end of the day, Liberal Democracies won the Cold War, and at that point, NATO and “the West” mistakenly thought that the battle between Liberal Democracies and Authoritarianism was over. Putin and the rise of China on the global stage now present a new two-front Cold War as these authoritarian-led nations are at war against the Liberal Democratic global world order. Their premise is that Liberal Democracies are weak, not militarily, but weak in fortitude because their voters do not have the stomach for war.
Agree totally…and this split between EU and US reinforces Putin.
I agree there is “a new two-front Cold War.” Nothing from Trump suggests to me he is unconscious of this. We are very powerful but are not the unipolar supreme Western power we were post-WW2 (everyone else wrecked or exhausted, bar a somewhat competitive USSR) or (it seemed, momentarily) in 2000. Maybe Trump is conscious of the two-front dilemmas Germany faced in the 19th and 20th centuries. That did not go well for them. The belief we could endlessly write checks (while drifting into financial malaises ourselves) was LBJ’s downfall, and “W” Bush’s. Meaning, ours: historical hits we took. Those created constraints we face now, despite our creativity and vitality.
Bush43 had the nerve to promote tax cuts while taking the country into a two front war (Afghanistan, then Iraq). What were the voters thinking in 2004 when they gave him a bigger percentage of their votes than in 2000?
Liberal democracy? Like that garbage that rules in Brussels and wanted this war? Or that demented scourge Biden almost getting us all annihilated? Just stuff it moron!
Or how Romania cancelled the election because the “bad” guy was poised to win. Or how Germany. suppresses AfD. Democracy in Europe is a joke.
America broke it. America can fix it.
It was clear from the beginning Ukraine didnt actually have Europe’s support. But europe was getting too cozy with Russia and the Democrats wanted their cold war back. So they convinced a high strung chihuahua to start yapping at a pit bull. Was it because they new the pitbull was senile and toothless all along? With all the spies at their disposal its hard to imagine they didnt.
In any case it was dumb and irresponsible and risking WW3. I’m glad Trump doesn’t have the stomach for it.
Fwiw this goes back longer than anyone here is willing to admit.
According to Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar, Putin has been obsessed with Ukraine since his first year in office back in 2000. This obsession intensified following the 2004 Orange Revolution, which Putin saw as a personal humiliation after his ill-judged intervention in Ukraine’s presidential election helped spark the pro-democracy uprising.
Putin’s entire attitude towards the democratic world changed following the Orange Revolution. He blamed the West for fermenting and supporting Ukraine’s protest movement and came to view the revolution as a dress rehearsal for a similar uprising inside Russia itself. Within months, Putin had launched the Russia Today TV channel and set out on a new course of nationalistic confrontation with the Western world, sowing the seeds for today’s hybrid war.
Ever since the Orange Revolution, Putin has regarded the return of Ukraine to the Russian sphere of influence as his most important task.
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/inside-putins-ukraine-obsession/
Some of that’s probably true. The Atlantic Council is a necon propaganda org which also factors into this.
If only the
SovietsUnited States didn’t put missiles inCubaRomania Poland, this conflict could have been avoided.I would go back to Peter the Great or Ivan the Terrible for Russia’s perception it needs buffer states toward the west. Unlike us, it has huge borders with relatively more competitive states.
How about going back even further to 1990, when discussions were being held about the reunification of Germany. Gorbachev wanted no expansion of NATO to the east and Secretary of State James Baker was agreeable to that (“Not one inch”) but Baker was overruled by Bush 41. Putin was never going to allow Ukraine to become part of NATO and its naval base at Sevastopol to become a NATO naval base. Too bad American neocons refused to accept this. I don’t know how these ex-Republicans gained so much influence in the Obama and Biden administrations.
Finally someone with an ounce of perspective. the Crimea and the warm water access to the rivers in eastern Ukraine is critical to Russia’s economy and military. The West tried to take that away leading to the invasion.
Similar to how the vile UK sided with the Ottomans in the Crimean War. WTF was England doing in Crimea? Trying to hobble Russia – just like now. The hatred of Russians by the English goes back centuries.
Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has never been just about Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The (valid) concern is that if Putin is to take over even parts of Ukraine, he will then advance on other countries, such as Poland. Arrogant of us in the U.S. to assume we have any understanding of this concern. Zelensky has every right to request help; Ukraine has been willing to shed blood. I have no problem taxing our billionaires to fund continued assistance to Ukraine. Just like Trump did in Afghanistan, he is talking to the wrong party. Zelensky should be at the table.
Please, suit up Jen.
Your hero, Zelensky, needs more warm bodies at the Front.
The US is for nations to have the right of self-determination. UNLESS the USA wants to tell Ukraine what to do with itself, then it’s not. Nezz, tuck your arrogance in, it’s showing.
It’s not about arrogance. It’s just recognizing reality. Russia is a vastly bigger and stronger country than the Ukraine. Russia was destined to win unless the U.S. got directly in the fight. It would have been insane to fight the country with the world’s largest nuclear arsenal in the world.
This argument made sense 02/24/2022 but by the end of that week the logic fell apart.
Given some more time Russia may actually fall to Ukraine. The thought of Russia expanding beyond Ukraine at this point is laughable.
Trump wants this over before a desperate and half demented putin launches nukes before his fall. I’m not a Trump supporter but stopping the demonizing of Russia was one of his few good policies
M4, one full mag and one way plane ticket to Kiev for you.
Russia is an almighty conquering power that will roll across Europe as soon as it finishes Ukr.
Russia has taken nearly 3 years to get near the Donetsk border, lost a million men, it’s economy is crumbling under sanctions and has to resort to getting weapons and soldiers from the despotic N Korea
Choose whichever one suits your argument
Yawn. “Unprovoked”. I stopped taking the comment seriously there.
One question, if Russia can be stopped in Ukraine, with western help, how can we also say Russia is a threat to the west?
Not quite sure why reasoned comments like those from Jennifer gets a load of hate back.
Reasoned comments? More like CNN talking points. YouTube Prof John Mearsheimer for some reality.
Thanks Joe, appreciate the reply without caps! Will take a look at John M.
There is a difference between ‘reasoned’ and ‘well-reasoned’. “Jennifer” should strive for the latter.
Some people theorizing about an inexorable Russian advance across Europe if they ‘win’ in Ukraine also proclaim a stout Ukrainian defense has led to significant Russian losses of personnel, material, and morale. They don’t see the cognitive dissonance in their thinking.
As it was with Hitler, Putin has never stated plans for European conquest. This is an ignorant comment.
The invasion was provoked by all of the talk about Ukraine joining NATO. Back around 1990 during the discussions related to German unification, Gorbachev was very concerned about NATO expanding all the way to the Soviet border. That was when Secretary of State James Baker made his famous “not one inch” of NATO expansion. His boss, Bush 41 did not go along with that proposal and in any event, the Soviet Union collapsed at the end of 1991. How do you think the US would react if Mexico allowed China to build a major Chinese military base in Tijuana?
Please, Russia can end the world but can’t do anything conventionally – let alone take on NATO. This is just neocon warmongering rhetoric.
I think Putin is only interested in the former SSRs.
He wants the old USSR – it is what he grew up with.
The Pope said the invasion was not unprovoked. For one, two days before the invasion, VP Harris said that Ukraine should join NATO. That was a provocative statement.
The narrative is that Putin will move to advance on Poland. Putin hasn’t even taken over Ukraine. In April 2022, Putin was in negotiations with Ukraine, to end the hostilities. Boris Johnson put a stop to that, thus the war continues to this day.
Well, you have all of the propaganda talking points down. Good for you.
I’ve said before this won’t end with Ukraine if anyone gives into Putin. I said it in 2022 when it started. I say it again in 2025.
You have been consistent in your retardation.
Take a couple of months and read Churchill’s autobiographies.
Never had the pleasure. My grandparents escaped from the euro hole decades before. Never went back, never looked back.
Both world wars were about the Brits trying to get the Germans to fight Russia.
Paraphrasing Churchill: appeasement is feeding a crocodile, hoping it will eat you last.
Yeah yeah. Anybody who doesn’t follow the orders of the American “rules-based media order” is Hitler. Hitler schmitler. The western Ukrainians were bombing the Russian civilians in the Donbas for 8 years (2014-2022). They had just launched an offensive against the Donbas and Putin said “enough” and went in to save his people. Russia has no intention of taking over any part of the debauched West where women are called “birthing people”.
Cannot disagree more. Russia took an area (crimea and the sliver of eastern Ukrainian river systems) which is critical to their economy and security that was threatened when the US threw out the pro-Russian government and installed a pro-west regime with a drug addicted artist on the board of their energy company – AND then started talking about troops in the Ukraine.
Russia can end the world, but can’t take over anything conventionally.
Please suit up CasOb.
Your hero, Zelensky, needs more warm bodies at the Front.
Your cut and paste function appears to be working again, congrats on figuring out how to fix it.
Putin also has expanded the Nato front across Finland and Sweden. Problematic for Vlad.
Not. Finland is a country of 5 million. Kiev is the birthplace of the Russian nation. Every invasion from the west has come through the Ukraine. Russia needs to defend itself from invasion from the Ukraine. The RAND corporation has crafted plans to divide Russia into smaller countries that the West can subjugate and plunder. Russia knows this and refuses to cooperate in its destruction.
Finnish border as NATO puts a big kink in Vlad’s romantic vision of Russian Empire. Or CCP’s vision of a greater Mongol Empire.
Keep watch on the Thames, let us know how it’s going.
Nope – he would have done it by now.
Trump’s Economic Recovery – A Dead End? Michael Hudson, Alexander Mercouris & Glenn Diesen, YouTube. A must watch https://glenndiesen.substack.com/p/trumps-economic-recovery-a-dead-end
Trump is a dead end. In a few months Trump will be incapacitated and Elon will be the defacto president.
Breakfast with Liz Cheney?
Question in my mind is How is Putin supposed to accept using NATO aligned countries have Troops on the ground in Ukraine?
Even if they are called peacekeepers.
Putin is not opposed to Ukraine entering EU or other economic allegiances.
He is not concerned about economics only Military threat NATO poses to Russia.
A permanent Neutral State status of Ukraine appears in the cards, if War is to end.
How that gets brought about starts with a ceasefire.
To get a ceasefire means Ukraine will need accept current Military occupation by Russia of its territory lost in Battle.
Ukraine holding part of Russian Kursk region points in direction of some trading of occupied land strategy for a ceasefire.
Perhaps Putin will cede Ukraine back some occupied territory in exchange for a permanent Neutral Status. That would be his bargaining chip.
Military, yes, but the Crimea and the eastern Ukrainian rivers are critical to Russia’s economy and security, and they need safe passage and use of those waterways.
Many issues involved.
Continuing War without knowing what it is about any longer is just furtherance of killing fields.
Trump appears to want to examine what Waring parties think they are doing.
Which is a start.
Russia will not cede the four oblasts incorporated into the Russia Federation. The only concession might be to allow the Ukraine to keep areas like Odessa, Kharkov and Sumy. This foot dragging by Zelenskyy and the Europeon “leaders” in accepting reality only gives Russia more time and opportunity to conquer/liberate more territory and – more importantly – further degrade what’s left of the Ukraine’s military. They’ve already said they can fight another ten years. This balking by the Europeons helps Russia.
Am in agreement with bulk of what you post.
There is no military solution that can bring about end of War.
Questions sent to Europe probe into how much commitment Europe is willing to do militarily to bring about a Military solution.
Answer to that is not much.
So Europe wants US to shoulder the Load as they will not.
Trump wants Europe to pony up. They will not.
Once that issue gets exposed then Peace process can move forward about making Ukraine a Permanent Neutral country.
If there is another solution path it has not been brought forward as of yet.
100%
Putin is scared Russia will actually turn into democracy. That’s something he has never wanted and seeks to avoid.
I say invite Ukraine and Russia to join NATO. Expose Putin for what he is.
Putin is not interested in NATO. For what purpose would it serve Russian Sovereignty, which he is interested in?
Russia is interested in preserving the Largest country Landmass on Earth.
Europe is all for subjecting everyone into its neofeudal vision of Society.
Vance if a person recalls just made a speech about this in past few days.
US will not be entertaining European Marxist Feudal world order.
So put up or shut up currently on the table as far as Europe is concerned.
Eastern Ukraine is industrialized Ukraine. Warfare is meaningless without economics.
Neutrality for Ukraine would make it conduit for trade flow between Resource rich Russia and Europe.
That would have made Ukraine population wealthy. Instead they got for their effort to join NATO a destroyed population.
Fairly poor outcome if economics was primary reason for joining NATO.
This War is not sourced in economic but in political power grabbing.
Mish, I believe you nailed it. One missing component..Zelensky doesn’t want it to end because the conflict has fed his ego and supported his fabulously elite lifestyle, along with his wife and more than a few friends.
It’s also given him cover for the massive cartel like drug ring he’s running off the back of the US and EU taxpayers.
He’s totally irrelevant. Installed as an Obama puppet. In the same way, ironically, Bidan was installed as an Obama puppet. With Joe they did it with fake ballots (64 million more SSN than there are people in the US). With Zelensky they did it with cash to foment the opposition and a color revolution. But the result was the same. Illegitimate unelected ‘leaders’ who purposefully ran their country tries into the ground. Figuratively on Joes part. Literally on Zelensky’s.
Looking forward to the day Rubio announces the discovery of the biolabs.
The dude regularly visits areas of the front under bombardment and has almost been assassinated multiple times. He refused and offer to flee into US protection at the beginning of the war.
Plus, he was already a wealthy celebrity when he ran for office (ring any bells?)
Look, I know multiple Ukrainians who are currently refugees. They hate Russia and generally think Zelensky is great. I don’t know where you’re getting your information but talking to an actual Ukrainian might be useful.
Dumb. Meet a uke from an eastern oblast or Crimea and they are happy to be in the arms of mother Russia. Clear your head of the bs spewed by the western media and you might start to understand geopolitics.
At some point you are going to have to accept how badly you have been lied to about everything throughout all of this.
I have personally helped a Ukrainian refugee kid learn English (he is in our scout troop). I doubt he or his mother are lying to me.
The aspect of Trump that I enjoy the most is his bluntness. I love the way that he simply calls out the EU BULLSHIT.
‘…but he is in no position to demand anything.’
I’m guessing he is in the unique position of revealing to whom the money from the US went to. This is more of a threat to the democrats and the deep state than even DOGE is. If the CIA or Killary don’t get to him first, G.I. Joe Zelensky might be Epsteined in jail.
Rep. Tim Burchett says he thinks there’s a “paper trail” of money that was sent overseas that ended up back in the pockets of lawmakers in Washington D.C.
He said there will soon be a lot of retirements.
Piotr Kulpa, an Ex Polish Deputy Minister: nearly half of the money sent to Ukraine by the United States has been laundered and stolen, large amount sent back to US democrats.
MBS hosts (upgraded) Rubio/Lavrov peace talks. The Bandera/Svoboda are sitting on the bench during the initial negotiations. Why should Putin agree to accept war mongers Europeans as a “peace force”. They are NATO. Lavrov refused to cut the Russian boomerang from Mariupol to Dnipro river.
Zelensky signed a “Land Lease” agreement with the US. Trump starting point is $500B. Ukraine will get a large discount when they sign a peace agreement. Churchill II will bark, but eventually will sign.
Reasonable questions – not confident that EU will respond clearly but let’s hope so.
Mish – why the hate against Zelensky? Is it because he should have simply let Russia take over his country? Do you have any reasonable sources to demonstrate what he has done wrong? What would the US have done if Russia decided to take over Alaska? Are you saying that the US should have just accepted 9-11? As far as I remember a lot of countries stood up and supported the US in its moment of need.
Wow, Jon L: do you live under a rock? Pres. Z has been called out for the several Mansions he owns (one in Fla) and the fact that he bought his wife a luxury sports car (where did all of that money come from?).
DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THE BULLSHIT that emanated from Politicians. DO YOU REALLY “BELIEVE?”
If so, then I have to assume that you are an 8-year old mind hidden in the body of an adult.
Zelinski was independently wealthy and living in Switzerland before he took the Presidency. He earned his wealth as a successful popular entertainer.
He was already rich before running for president (famous actor/comedian).
As I said – any reasonable links to share about Zelensky? Would prefer replies without the hate but that seems difficult for many.
“Why the hate?”
Maybe cuz the Penis Piano Player declined a pre-war peace deal which would have spared the lives of 100’s of 1000’s of young men and actually allowed Ukraine to keep more real estate than they will now end up with.
And, spared countless cities and villages the destruction they have suffered.
When he came into office, Zelensky should have called for Ukraine’s neutrality and that it would not join NATO, period.
What kind of smart strategy is to berate your allies and treat your enemies with greater respect? Russia and China are probably salivating at the weakening of the Atlantic pact.
Americans love a big bold bully and they mistake bullying for decisiveness. The Trump plan will shred the spoils of Ukraine and partition them among the US and Russia. What message does that send to American allies?
China will be the biggest winner in this game.
Totally agree…I think we have been good friends to the US….why all the hate.
Europe has 2.5 million active troops in their militaries plus a couple of million more in trained reserves. It also has the second largest military industrial complex on the planet that manufactures just about everything needed. Nevertheless all this is meaningless if Europe is not willing to use them. Presently Europe lacks the political will to do so which is why they were included in the peace talks.
What came out of the meeting in Paris was a communiqué saying that the EU will remove all defense spending above 2% from the EU’s requirement to keep government spending at a 2% budget deficit or below. This should have been done two years ago. Europe is moving but always too little and I am afraid too late. It should be ludicrous for Europe to be afraid of Russia but they are. Go figure.
The EU countries are BROKE.
And, their young men are not salivating to go to war.
It’s the armchair elite, unelected EU ministry that would like to feed the war machine.
Not the common people, who will die.
You didn’t even mention the fact that Europe has roughly 3x the population that Russia does in addition to having the manufacturing edge.
Europe as a whole would wipe the floor with Russia in a non-nuclear fight due to having massive edges in population and manufacturing.
Russia only looks scary on a Mercator projection map where it looks so much larger than Europe. But if you instead drew a map of population or industrial capacity Russia would look tiny by comparison.
Wow, you and Jon L take the cake for naivete’.
“What message does this send to American allies?” You’d think they would have gotten the message from Vietnam and Afghanistan: relying on a country on the other side of the world to help you prevail in a civil war (and remain in power) is really dumb. The other message is that instead of relying on the assurances of apparatchiks like Jake Sullivan and Antony Blinken, the Ukrainians and Europeons should have taken the pulse of the American citizenry. Do Americans want to get directly involved? No. Do we want to continue to fund this debacle? No. Do we care where the border is within former Ukraine? No.
Pull up a map of the 2010 Ukrainian election results. The country is divided in half. It’s a civil war. The East doesn’t want to remain with the Banderistas. They are Russian linguistically, culturally, religiously.
Agree 100%. You wrote…”instead of relying on the assurances of apparatchiks like Jake Sullivan and Antony Blinken, the Ukrainians and Europeons should have taken the pulse of the American citizenry.” All I could think of when I read that is how hard congress tried to manufacture consent for the war when Z spoke before congress in front of an autographed Uke flag. I wanted to puke.
Still behind on NATO contributions. Put up or shut up Europe. Not our job. Euro weenies are too busy sipping Bordeaux and keeping the unruly peasants quiet about the grift.
Mish, this is one of the few times I’ve agreed with you 100%. There’s a new sheriff in town. Two,in fact. Trump and DOGE.
I think it is telling that we had 4 years of world peace from 1/2017 to 1/2021. Yes some nations were battling, but all the major conflicts (Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, Syria) were all quite chill. He is the only 21st century president to see Russia invade 0 countries (Russia has invaded Ukraine and Georgia primarily under GWB and Obama). Problematic countries have been communicating w/Trump since after the election (before his inauguration). If his junkyard dog style (that I am not a big fan of … but understand its utility) brings us back to a world at relative peace … that sounds like a plus.
WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, “world peace?”
Have you been under the same rock as JON L here?
Millions have died from wars in the past years. God, I am embarrassed for you or you were being sarcastic?
So Afghanistan no deaths in 3 years. US involvement in Iraq wound down … Russia played nice … border under control … Israel/Palestine relative peace … the US didn’t try to stop every human being from harming every other human being … but if you saw 1/2017 to 1/2021 and compared it to any time since about 1950 … it was more peaceful. You can continue your TDS and ignore this … no sweat off my back.
American neocons had more influence under Obama and Biden than under Trump 45 and now Trump 47. Obama did not do anything specific to earn his Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. In fact, it was during his second term that the US played a major role in the Ukrainian Maidan Revolution of 2014. Putin’s first response to the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO was to seize control of Crimea and its important naval base at Sevastopol. The US, which in 1990 had ignored Gorbachev’s security concerns about an expansion of NATO to the east, continued to ignore Russia’s similar concerns after 2014. Russia responded with a preemptive strike in 2022 while Biden was president and the neocons once again had considerable influence on US foreign policy in that part of the world. It now appears likely that Russia’s security concerns will finally be recognized.
He is putting Europe before it’s responsibilities. Are they in or are they not?
President Trump warned Europe 8 years ago not to become energy dependent upon. Russia. Europe ignored the warning. The war is three years in and Europe has yet to build a factory to manufacture ammunition. Europe has delayed providing adequate resources to Ukraine at ever step. Europe refuses to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP necessary to compensate for decades of demilitarization. Obviously Europe intends never to take responsibility for their own defense or Ukraine’s defense. President Trump is cutting loose and handing the mess to Europe. USA has no interest in defending European culture and European values that are anathema to Americans: socialism, fascism, censorship, parasitic NATO participation, open borders, unarmed citizens, guaranteed lifetime employment, 35 hour work week, early retirement, August vacation, high tariffs and regulations targeting American imports, taxes and fines targeting American corporations, et.al. USA has the technology to build an iron dome protection over USA and does not need Europe. With friends like Europe you don’t need enemies.
The same German politician that cried at the end of the Munich conference is the same that laughed at Trump when he said Europe was too dependent on Russian gas at the same conference in 2018.
https://rumble.com/v6lxt84-german-shmuck-who-laughed-at-trump-is-now-crying.html
That was awesome and well worth the 15 seconds…thanks for posting.